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May I ask what you define as a higher standard of living? Thanks.
Ability for the average person to afford a car and drive it (gas etc.)
Ability of average family to afford a house.
Cost of food, goods sold. Ability to eat out in a restaurant.
If you live say in Liverpool and want to take a weekend trip to stay on the southern coast for example with gas and hotels its going to cost you more to do it than in the USA. Train travel is also very expensive.
I don't see how people afford the gas. I have a car now that gets about 8.5L/100km (25 mpg) and its now about 48p/litre and I don't drive it a whole lot anymore. people don't make double the salary as in the USA -- entry level jobs dont pay 40000 pounds in britain/year nor do they pay 40000 euro/year in France. Entry level jobs in the USA pay about 40k/year which in many cities is not easy to swing by -- note Los Angeles, Chicago, DC/the entire northeast, the West Coast, Dallas, Houston.
Other factors of standard of living include:
Making friends having common activities (British people are great and I like playing football so thats a plus)
Laid back lifestyle -- not in London metro at least
taking vacation trips -- proximity to Mediterranean other points in Europe and cheap flyers like EasyJet and RyanAir make this easy
eating out -- I almost NEVER did this in Paris
job security -- not extremely existent in the USA but not like people get fired left and right willy nilly
Pluses of the USA - higher disposable income, lower taxes, cheaper gas, cheaper goods, cheaper food, higher wages, lower unemployment/less job competition
Negatives -- wage gap between educated and not educated, competition to reach higher echelon/competitive spirit of some people, high cost of college and health insurance, long distances and more expensive travel, less vacation time, fewer Indian restaurants and undervaluing of football, materialism
I never found French men that attractive but that's just me. There are some gorgeous hunks in the US though but I am very fond of some British men such as my beloved ( of course) and Rufus Sewell !
I never found French men that attractive but that's just me. There are some gorgeous hunks in the US though but I am very fond of some British men such as my beloved ( of course) and Rufus Sewell !
Lets just hope the French don't judge American women by Rosie""
Hey we gave the world Gerard Depardieu, not exactly your classical gorgeous stud is He?
I love Gerard, and Daniel Auteuil ain't so bad either, and Vincent Cassel is fun.
But Alain Delon will always have my heart.
In other news:
So Sarkozy is headed for victory?
My kid is headed for France at the end of the month; he's fluent in French and he'll be there at least 6 months. It will be interesting to hear his descriptions of the national mood and day to day life.
Yup ! Sarkozy has won and I can't say I'm thrilled being a leftie but then again Segolene wasn't really much of a leader so we'll have to see....
I think Gerard Depardieu is a magnificent actor as are Daniel Auteuil and Vincent Cassel but Gerard is no babe you must admit. I also have a soft spot for Jean Reno ( also not your obvious babe but I think still very sexy ! )
Where's your kid off to ? Paris ? Being fluent will make a world of difference to his experience. I hope he'll have a ball and make some friends .
I'm not loving 53 % of them today ! I wasn't keen on Segolene Royal ( all talk no substance) but at least she wasn't a fascist in waiting. I am glad not to live in France if Sarkozy is now in power. Let's hope he won't destroy France the way his hero Mrs Thatcher did Britain....
Let's not forget that 47% of people did not want him and that's almost half. The thing that did make me proud to be French though was the record turn-out to vote.
if it were 53% the other way and 47% the other way, people on the left would not be saying that 47% didnt want Royal. Sorry thats called elections
there is always two sides
A joke a friend sent me...reflects some history and prejudices...
Foreign Threat Levels
The British are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist
threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved."
Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or
even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the
blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been
re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the
British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great
fire of 1666.
Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its
alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in
France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a
recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively
paralyzing the country's military capability.
It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of
alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and
Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain:
"Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful
Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two
higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only
threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to
deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new
Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
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