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Stranger in a Strange Land


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No, I'm not referring to being a Yank in Western England. I am that but I've lived in England before and I've lived in Europe off and on for 20 years. 

 

I mean that I am a stranger from the twentieth century who finds himself in this very strange place -- the twenty-first century where it seems that as soon as I get the knack of something they change it. Updating they call it. Everyone wants stronger passwords, PIN numbers, and the maiden name of my mother's dog. I'm sinking under the load. 

 

And there are many many more strange things: mod fashions featuring body ink, piercings, wild hair colours, half-destroyed garments. There's fast unhealthy food, people living on the street, New Right and Far Left politics, endless and pointless bureaucracies, and on and on and on. Is this Liverpool? The UK? Europe? Or the World? 

 

I suppose I could attempt to capture these things for editorial stock . . . maybe a picture of someone talking or texting on a smart phone? Or has that already been done? 

 

Edo

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Hi Ed I know what you mean and we are all suffering from the plethora of new and extra security measures being taken to prove who we are when dealing on line for "our own safety" and to prevent money laundering. In this day and age I just accept them and do not worry. So long as you keep a secure record of all the passwords and answers to security questions you need you should be able to muddle along like I do.

 

As far as your second part about dress codes, food, living on the street, etc WELCOME to the UK.

 

Yes do capture them and tell a story  in pictures.

 

Allan

 

Edited by Allan Bell
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19 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Shame you couldn't make a go of Spain or Ireland, Ed. They're much better bets now, it seems to me. Maybe a holiday. Seville must be warmer and drier just now. You have the right passport.

 

In all the frantic activities of these past two year, this may have not been explained. To be a legal resident in Spain I need an EU passport, which I have. I also must have health insurance, which I don't have. I've never paid anything into the Irish system so I don't have that card. And at my age I can not longer get paid health insurance in Spain. If I were a few years younger, it would cost 200 euros a month. Sadly, no Spain. 

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1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

No, I'm not referring to being a Yank in Western England. I am that but I've lived in England before and I've lived in Europe off and on for 20 years. 

 

I mean that I am a stranger from the twentieth century who finds himself in this very strange place -- the twenty-first century where it seems that as soon as I get the knack of something they change it. Updating they call it. Everyone wants stronger passwords, PIN numbers, and the maiden name of my mother's dog. I'm sinking under the load. 

 

And there are many many more strange things: mod fashions featuring body ink, piercings, wild hair colours, half-destroyed garments. There's fast unhealthy food, people living on the street, New Right and Far Left politics, endless and pointless bureaucracies, and on and on and on. Is this Liverpool? The UK? Europe? Or the World? 

 

I suppose I could attempt to capture these things for editorial stock . . . maybe a picture of someone talking or texting on a smart phone? Or has that already been done? 

 

Edo

Edo,

 

"What A Long Strange Trip it Has Been."........

 

I know your feeling and remember my father telling me what "Junk" the Rolling Stones music was in the 60's and

now They are elevator music......

 

Chuck

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About the only thing that helps me navigate in the new strange world is having two twenty something kids.  Both help me keep up with technology and one sports tattoos and whacky hair styles, the other is more conservative with hair and clothes.  Of course they seemed to be dumbfounded when it comes to old technologies...such as how to use a vacuum, a dishwasher, clothes washing machines etc....Those things require effort.

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Even in my city of ‘dreaming spires’ there are many homeless sleeping in shop doorways and begging outside the supermarkets. The traffic is often gridlocked and the road sides are awash with litter. It’s not a pretty sight and I can’t see things getting better any time soon. 

And now the rich cats want to build a monster motorway from Oxford to Cambridge devastating the countryside and every village along the route. 

(feeling especially sorry for myself after some major dental work this morning! 🤭)

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Oh, I'm guilty of grumpy reactions to too many things. I really don't get the extent of mobile phone uses and dependence. To so many, they do just about anything but make phone calls with them. They hardly ever answer their phone even if they do stumble into an area with reception. I did eventually learn most of the idiom, so stopped asking for thumb-tacks and succumbed to calling them drawing-pins. The terms near-side and off-side simply will not stick in my brain. Best I don't have a fender-bender, 'cause I would get it wrong. I do ask for petrol rather than gas but I think gas would be OK mostly these days. Half-wits falling back on data protection law in order to refuse to answer a question is really frustrating. Continual phone and computer scam attempts are tedious to put it mildly. BT is making a fortune out of providing premium rate phone numbers for scammers but seem not held culpable in any way. Banks! best not go there... AMAZON! how do they get away with it? Betting: in shop or on-line, basically, they need locking up. There has always been ways of laying a bet on, say, The Grand National, but we've gone miles past that. Bullxxxt surveys and feed-back requests; I can't just buy something it seems.

 

I've only started, but I'll leave it at that.

Edited by Robert M Estall
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1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

maybe a picture of someone talking or texting on a smart phone? Or has that already been done? 

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

And at my age I can not longer get paid health insurance in Spain.

 

You indicated being a Yank - US citizen.  Not eligible for US Medicare?   Guess you'd have to live back in the states of course.

 

As for pictures of someone talking/texting on smart phones - that's an under served niche market.  

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I've always kept myself ahead of the technology boom.  I taught myself 'BASIC' programming in the early 80s and because my knowledge was well ahead of the average, I opened a computer shop in Canterbury.  I did a 12 month stint on local radio answering listener's computer queries etc.

How things change!  It's so easy to fall behind.   Now I struggle to use my mobile phone and have to look on the internet to answer any tech queries I might have.

 

As for 'standards' dropping in the UK.  It's not just the young - it's right across the age ranges.  Loud, rude and obese seems to be the new' standard' as one walks the high street.

 

Oh! - you've started something now Edo 😁

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3 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Ed lives in Liverpool.

 

Yes - knew Ed's an expat.

 

Was just curious if he'd be eligible for the US's Medicare medical insurance if he did reside in US. 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

No, I'm not referring to being a Yank in Western England. I am that but I've lived in England before and I've lived in Europe off and on for 20 years. 

 

I mean that I am a stranger from the twentieth century who finds himself in this very strange place -- the twenty-first century where it seems that as soon as I get the knack of something they change it. Updating they call it. Everyone wants stronger passwords, PIN numbers, and the maiden name of my mother's dog. I'm sinking under the load. 

 

And there are many many more strange things: mod fashions featuring body ink, piercings, wild hair colours, half-destroyed garments. There's fast unhealthy food, people living on the street, New Right and Far Left politics, endless and pointless bureaucracies, and on and on and on. Is this Liverpool? The UK? Europe? Or the World? 

 

I suppose I could attempt to capture these things for editorial stock . . . maybe a picture of someone talking or texting on a smart phone? Or has that already been done? 

 

Edo

 

 

Edo - I think you are quite an amazing guy doing what you are doing at your age. Don't let it all overwhelm you. 

 

Change is not new - it is always happening. Nobody ever died in a car crash before they invented cars. Or lost their digital images because they forgot to back them up before they invented digital cameras and scanners. 

 

The 1930s had the rise of fascism in Europe and Stalinism in Russia. Then there was the Holocaust and World War 2. The 60s had the youth revolution - Liverpool was one of the main centres of this. The Cold War and fear of annihiliation. I remember the Bay of Pigs and being incredibly scared as an 8 year old  kid. Has that changed? Well maybe for a while but what is around the corner with recent events in the Middle East? 

 

And so on and on. Politicians, terrorists and criminals will use whatever technology is at their disposal to controi and steal. We need security (cyber or otherwise) because human nature is the way it is.

 

I am with John Walker here - embrace it and get the best out of it. I have just solved a problem with reinstalling MacOs Catalina on an external drive and it feels good. I am about to start experimenting with focus stacking using the auto feature on my D850 and Helicon Focus. The day I stop learning they can take me away.

 

And Chuck is a Dead Head?  I would never have guessed? Keep on truckin' man. 😀

Edited by MDM
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It's a funny old life isn't it - heaven knows what the world will be like in the next even 10 years😀  I have a love/hate relationship with technology, when it works it's great, when it comes to doing simple things like updates whether it's camera/phone/computer I break out in a cold sweat !  And as for internet shopping - far to easy to click 😂

 

Carol

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Without digital technology and internet shopping  our online limited edition print business would never have got off the ground. It’s kept us busy for the last 20 years! Just thinking now of winding it down, Brexit hasn’t done us any favours.

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2 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

Even in my city of ‘dreaming spires’ there are many homeless sleeping in shop doorways and begging outside the supermarkets. The traffic is often gridlocked and the road sides are awash with litter. It’s not a pretty sight and I can’t see things getting better any time soon. 

And now the rich cats want to build a monster motorway from Oxford to Cambridge devastating the countryside and every village along the route. 

(feeling especially sorry for myself after some major dental work this morning! 🤭)

For what it is worth homelessness is nothing new - not even the numbers are.  What has changed is personal "broadcasting" of such statuses.  30 to 40 years ago the homeless and destitute did not beg outside supermarkets - they visited in the middle of the night to raid the "rubbish" bins where that days food would have been disposed of.  By that days food I mean what had been cleared from the shelves - and while some of it would have had that days date plenty (including meat and fish from the fresh counters) would not.  Supermarket bosses knew it went on.  The police knew it went on.  It was quiet and self regulated with "rules" (the single mum with a home and freezer got first pickings the roving tramp who lived on the streets went last - but was left stuff).  I know this because I took part in it.  Not in a big city.  Not even in somewhere like Oxford.  A small market town with a good economy.  The locals were not oblivious - nor cruel.  It was just that people did not advertise their victimhood and were expected to make some efforts for themselves. 

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2 hours ago, Phil said:

 

Yes - knew Ed's an expat.

 

Was just curious if he'd be eligible for the US's Medicare medical insurance if he did reside in US. 

 

 

 

 

Phil, I do have Medicare in the USA. It does not work overseas. With US healthcare there is a copay for everything. Anyway, I can't afford to live in the States on my income. 

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15 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Phil, I do have Medicare in the USA. It does not work overseas. With US healthcare there is a copay for everything. Anyway, I can't afford to live in the States on my income. 

True. One must be able to afford a secondary insurance that pays what Medicare doesn’t. But there is Medicaid, and depending on which state you live in, can be free according to income/poverty level. What’s available is dependent on each state as far as I know. Makes my head hurt just thinking about it!

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6 minutes ago, Robert M Estall said:

Why would anyone want US Medicare when National Health Service in the UK provides a free service? There can be a wait for some procedures but mostly it's a great system. True, short of funds in some olaces

 

There have been a lot of hidden cutbacks in the NHS which you might only become aware of when you need a procedure. For example, the criteria for cataract (lens replacement) surgery have had the bar raised to the point that you would need to be almost blind to qualify. I had this done a few years ago privately at some significant cost because the quality of my vision had deteriorated a lot but I was way off qualifying for NHS surgery. I was told by the consultant that a few years earlier I would have been able to have it done free. I do not regret having it done as it was like being reborn but what if I had not been able to afford it? 

 

Example 2: rIght now I have an ingrown tonail which can be very sore and it looks like I am going to have to fork out privately again. I was told by the doctor that the bar is very high - not sure what exactly this means. 

 

Example 3: In the last two years it has become increasingly difficult to get a GP appointment with my surgery which used to be excellent. It used to be possible to turn up early in the morning and be seen immediately by a doctor or nurse for anything urgent. Now it is a long wait on the phone and I feel lucky if I get a call back from a nurse or doctor. 

 

I do worry about the future of the NHS despite big promises of new funding. Very sad really.

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1 hour ago, Robert M Estall said:

Why would anyone want US Medicare when National Health Service in the UK provides a free service? There can be a wait for some procedures but mostly it's a great system. True, short of funds in some olaces

 

Not wanting to get into debate over US vs UK healthcare systems - both I'm sure have their pluses/minus.  Both are considerably different.   The UK's NHS covers everyone I think while  US Medicare is for ages 65+ or with disabilities - employer or private health insurance covers under 65 with other health care assistance available.  Neither system is perfect.

 

During our visit to London some 20 yrs ago while photographing at #10 Downing St my wife got her feet tangled in a rope barrier and fell flat on her face. A nice Bobby got her to a London hospital where after some wait  to see a Dr. they determined  her nose had a hairline fracture.  They gave her a tetnus injection in the arm with no antiseptic alcohol swab. The hospital staff refused to clean off the blood on her from her fall and fractured nose - they showed her the women's toilet and told her to clean herself up.  She was not favorably impressed with her NHS experience from a level of care aspect even though she was not charged any $$.

 

Her fall also broke a nice Sigma zoom lens - bummer.

Edited by Phil
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4 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

Not wanting to get into debate over US vs UK healthcare systems - both I'm sure have their pluses/minus.  Both are considerably different.   The UK's NHS covers everyone I think while  US Medicare is for ages 65+ or with disabilities - employer or private health insurance covers under 65 with other health care assistance available.  Neither system is perfect.

 

During our visit to London some 20 yrs ago while photographing at #10 Downing St my wife got her feet tangled in a rope barrier and fell flat on her face. A nice Bobby got her to a London hospital where after some wait  to see a Dr. they determined  her nose had a hairline fracture.  They gave her a tetnus injection in the arm with no antiseptic alcohol swab. The hospital staff refused to clean the blood from her due to her fall and fractured nose - they showed her the women's toilet and told her to clean herself up.  She was not favorably impressed with her NHS experience from a level of care aspect even though she was not charged any $$.

 

Her fall also broke a nice Sigma zoom lens - bummer.

 

That is definitely not a typical NHS experience. 

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