Life

[Squid Division]

Well Aurelius means golden one. Maybe a different emperor is in order? Perhaps Septimius Severus? Or, seeing as how it's a cat, and therefore the spawn of Satan himself, something with a bit more hubris, like Elagabolus, the Sun God-emperor?

[Kolzig]

Call me boring, but I named our dog Hachi.

[brkl]

We had one called Simba

[miffy495]

My dad was a psychologist, so we named out first cat "Thorndike," as he did a ton of experiments on cats. That got shortened to "Thor" pretty quickly, so the second was named Odin. Names don't need to make a lot of sense. If it helps, I prefer "Aurelius" to any of the other names that have been suggested so far.

[Nappi]

"Jesus Christ" works too, especially if the cat has a tendency to climb into trees.

[MrHoatzin]

We ended up naming our dogs Ada (after Lovelace) and the Puppo (because of something once funny on the internet). Miffy's story of psychological experimentation makes me think of something we're trying to do with our dogs.

Ada is a street mutt we rescued and Puppo is also from the streets, but she was a 8-week-old when she followed us home while we were walking Ada earlier in the year, so she is not as traumatized by living unwanted and despised.

Ada however, being mostly some sort of pit bull, was probably beaten and abused, so she is a little broken still. Every time I pick up a broom or a box or anything big, she runs out of the room, and if I approach her carrying these things, she will go into submissive histrionics and start shaking. When we first got her, she would freak out when I would talk to her, no matter my tone of voice, but that she's gotten over. She's also friendlier and less freaked out at dog parks and the like. So we're making progress on that front.

Puppo is super pushy tho. Ada prefers to save her treats for later, like a sad orphan, and that is not compatible with how Puppo does her thing (she will eat both her and Ada's treats). And we've observed that when we give them a bone, Ada will only chew it when Puppo is not interested. So basically, the social structure of the pack is a little inverted. We would rather want Ada to be in charge of Puppo. I think we made a mistake early on when we tried to save the puppy from the pit bull and now the puppy is bossing the pit bull around.

So we're trying some social engineering. We're feeding Ada first and we're gonna lock up the Puppo when we give them treats, give the treats to Ada first, let her do her thing with them, then reward Puppo. We need to let the pit bull know it is allowed to lay down the law.

[Orv]

Well Aurelius means golden one. Maybe a different emperor is in order? Perhaps Septimius Severus? Or, seeing as how it's a cat, and therefore the spawn of Satan himself, something with a bit more hubris, like Elagabolus, the Sun God-emperor?

Squid, normally I would agree with that sort of logic, except I know several people whose cat names don't quite mesh with the cat in some way.

A very large, very lazy cat (at least these days) was named Speedy as a kitten. He is decidedly not. And while changing a cats name isn't something you do, well. . .

And besides, Aurelius is already very regal about things. I was just woken up by being nipped on the nose once, at which point he sat very carefully on my chest and stared at me, and didn't move of make a sound until I acknowledged him.

That said, I'm looking for another cat currently, and the name I have on the boiler is Quixote, but Heisenberg is also a definite fore-runner.

[Patters]

Fuck this country, I'm seriously contemplating leaving once I've finished my degree.

[Squid Division]

If I read the BBC article correctly, they're almost tripling the upper limit for tuition for the universities? That's a god damned lot.

[Patters]

If I read the BBC article correctly, they're almost tripling the upper limit for tuition for the universities? That's a god damned lot.

Yeah and the police aren't handling it well at all, I'm sickened by the whole affair.

[Patters]

I'm actually more seriously considering leaving the UK, after I'm done with my degree. Canada, the US or Germany, seem like the best options, anyone got any advice on immigration?

[Roderick]

Besides the obvious of getting a job in that country and then having them pay for relocation... no, sorry. If you're not particular to mountains, I hear the Netherlands is a pretty organized strap of land. I mean, you'd have another queen above you, which would feel familiar.

[Patters]

Besides the obvious of getting a job in that country and then having them pay for relocation... no, sorry. If you're not particular to mountains, I hear the Netherlands is a pretty organized strap of land. I mean, you'd have another queen above you, which would feel familiar.

I'm not a fan of having a royal family, also I'd prefer not having to learn an entirely new language.

[Hermie]

In places like Benelux and Scandinavia you should be fine with English, I think. My girlfriend, for example, is from Brazil, but is currently taking the "international programme" Masters in city development in Gothenburg, so everything is done in English.

Bigger, more traditional countries like Germany and France know less English, at least that's the impression I've gotten from my travels/my friends there. I have no clue about the education, though, which I assume you're after since it's the tuition nonsense you're pissed about?

(PS: There is no such thing as tuitions in Norway. It is, however, quite an expensive country, so a student loan (you get those from the state) or a job would maybe be in order.)

(PPS: We also have a royal family, but they're Mostly Harmless.)

[ThunderPeel2001]

I'm actually more seriously considering leaving the UK, after I'm done with my degree. Canada, the US or Germany, seem like the best options, anyone got any advice on immigration?

Canada and USA: Damned hard to get into. You might get some student thing through Bunac while you're doing your degree (I did Work America with them, highly recommended!). If you manage to do what Rodi did I can only imagine you'll get a pittance to live on, if that.

Of course, you could meet the woman of your dreams... and if she happens to be American or Canadian, relocate with her.

Anywhere in Europe: You're golden, as a member of the EU you can get a job and not have to worry about a visa.

I wouldn't mind giving Europe a go. Denmark consistently scores high marks when they do those polls about how "happy" everyone is. (The UK consistently scores REALLY badly... we're so miserable here.) Any recommendations for European countries? Any thoughts on Denmark?

(I even have a Danish joke ready: A man walks into a bar... The beer was really expensive.)

[Patters]

I feel I need to justify this. I'm absolutely sick of where this country is and where it is heading politically, I want to have kids (when I have them) somewhere I think that their human rights will be respected as well as granted. A country where education, particularly of the arts, is devalued and those from a poorer background aren't given the right to it. I'm not entirely against tuition fees, but I do not agree with them, and certainly don't for £9000 ($13500) per annum. I wouldn't be in my final year of University if it were. I'm not from what one could call a privileged background, in fact the opposite.

The tactics which the police are using are absolutely disgraceful, kettling is only going to make it worse, deprive a large number of people in a small area with a far lesser amount of people, the only thing that one can expect is them to get angrier. I have friends, who are definitely not violent by nature who were kettled for 5 hours, along with children. The London Metropolitan police deserve no respect for this, hell a lot of them should be struck off. If a surgeon makes a mistake he can be, so why not a cop?

I would have been in London myself if I didn't have an incredibly busy Thursday and Friday. Again my friends were amongst those stranded in London due to the police, I would have been with them, luckily UCL gave them a place to stay and my Student Union managed to get them and the other 29 students who were stranded back to Manchester. Hell the police presence in Fallowfield, Manchester, the main student area has dramatically increased which I can only suggest is due to the government's decision, it certainly didn't increase this much when there was a serial rapist in the area.

Every decision the Government has made has made me more angry, I have only committed myself to being in this country for 6 months longer, from there I want to leave, I don't feel safe here at all.

I hate the country, not the people.

[Sombre]

I'm actually more seriously considering leaving the UK, after I'm done with my degree. Canada, the US or Germany, seem like the best options, anyone got any advice on immigration?

It's a very romanticised idea, if you have enough money to afford it.

[ThunderPeel2001]

I feel I need to justify this. I'm absolutely sick of where this country is and where it is heading politically, I want to have kids (when I have them) somewhere I think that their human rights will be respected as well as granted. A country where education, particularly of the arts, is devalued and those from a poorer background aren't given the right to it. I'm not entirely against tuition fees, but I do not agree with them, and certainly don't for £9000 ($13500) per annum. I wouldn't be in my final year of University if it were. I'm not from what one could call a privileged background, in fact the opposite.

The tactics which the police are using are absolutely disgraceful, kettling is only going to make it worse, deprive a large number of people in a small area with a far lesser amount of people, the only thing that one can expect is them to get angrier. I have friends, who are definitely not violent by nature who were kettled for 5 hours, along with children. The London Metropolitan police deserve no respect for this, hell a lot of them should be struck off. If a surgeon makes a mistake he can be, so why not a cop?

I would have been in London myself if I didn't have an incredibly busy Thursday and Friday. Again my friends were amongst those stranded in London due to the police, I would have been with them, luckily UCL gave them a place to stay and my Student Union managed to get them and the other 29 students who were stranded back to Manchester. Hell the police presence in Fallowfield, Manchester, the main student area has dramatically increased which I can only suggest is due to the government's decision, it certainly didn't increase this much when there was a serial rapist in the area.

Every decision the Government has made has made me more angry, I have only committed myself to being in this country for 6 months longer, from there I want to leave, I don't feel safe here at all.

I hate the country, not the people.

To be fair, we have a (mostly) conservative government... they don't value the arts, but other governments would. Also, the global situation has generally fucked everything that isn't essential (it's worth bearing in mind that the rest of the world blames the UK and US for what's happened).

The tuition fees rise is ridiculous, but it's also about the same as people pay in that capitalistic utopia known as America. Also, the US health care system is one of the worst in the first world (but their Republicans would insist it's THE best... absurd). You get little in the way of holidays with jobs. The laws surrounding minimum wage are looser. As are employee rights in general.

If you're looking to escape the things you describe, I wouldn't necessarily think it's better in the US.

[ThunderPeel2001]

It's a very romanticised idea, if you have enough money to afford it.

It's really not as hard as you seem to think, especially if you just want to go to Europe.

[Orv]

The tuition fees rise is ridiculous, but it's also about the same as people pay in that capitalistic utopia known as America. Also, the US health care system is one of the worst in the first world (but their Republicans would insist it's THE best... absurd). You get little in the way of holidays with jobs. The laws surrounding minimum wage are looser. As are employee rights in general.

If you're looking to escape the things you describe, I wouldn't necessarily think it's better in the US.

TP has the right of it. While we may not look like a smoking pile of death and failure from a distance (of about three light-years) I wouldn't recommend here.

I still say Canada, Pat.

[Squid Division]

Yeah America is not in anything resembling circumstances that would be favorable for a European at the moment. The continent might be your best bet, but really no place in the world is doing all that great at the moment. You could take the old American stance and go some place secluded and just let it blow over, or go find a more favorable European country. Remember even Canada was having riots over something not even a year ago

[miffy495]

I live in one of the most conservative places in Canada, possibly the most conservative English-speaking one (Quebec is REALLY catholic for the most part), and yet pretty much anywhere I go in the states people regard us as ridiculously liberal. Our federal conservatives have been pretty scary with some decisions, but they have a minority rule shared with two much more left-oriented parties so they can't do much. As I told you on Steam, I'm not in a position to offer any permanent accomodations, but if you end up in Calgary needing a fold-out couch for a while, don't hesitate to ask. My fridge is even vegetarian friendly, as my girlfriend won't eat any non-shellfish meat. Honestly I've taken to liking Calgary more than I'm supposed to I think. I think that people who always complain how stifling Calgary is to a young liberal person just aren't trying hard enough. There are a lot of us here, and finding like-minded folks isn't so hard.

The most legitimate complaint I can see would be the weather, which is honestly ridiculous sometimes. It's 20 below 0 celcius right now, but it's supposed to be 3 above by tomorrow afternoon. If you get headaches from sudden pressure changes, steer clear. Chinooks will give you the worst damn migranes. Also, have a shit-load of warm clothes for when you're not in mid-chinook. My favourite places in Canada are probably Vancouver and Ottawa for the record, but your results obviously may vary. If you can afford it, do a tour of the place, at least a couple of provinces, and see what you think. We have the same queen as you, but she's mostly a punchline here.

[Roderick]

If you go for the continent, as your attorney I advise you to steer cleer of Greece for the moment

At the moment, all of Europe is shitting itself with a sweep of nationalism crossing through almost every country. It's a little frightening at the moment, seeing all those raving populists getting into power. We're also highly confused over the European Union right now, no one knows what direction it should go in and a frightening lot are saying we should disband the whole thing (which would be the worst idea of the century). Having said that, there's still mighty good living to be had here, if you can resist being swept up in the turbulence. Most of it won't take such a dramatic course and it's surprisingly easy to just stop reading newspapers and watch the news. It can dramatically improve your state of mind to tap out of the cycle of depressing newshype.

[Nachimir]

The nationalists were becoming popular here in the UK, but got routed in the last election. People were worried they'd make further gains, but instead they lost practically everything they had and started to implode. Hopefully, what the Tories and Lib Dems are doing won't cause a swing back.

I'm absolutely sick of where this country is and where it is heading politically

Something that's really bugging me about the student demos is that anti-student prejudice is common here in the UK, and a lot of people seem to be using the news as an excuse to vent that prejudice. The focus of news on a violent minority is exaggerating it too.

So, in a bunch of discussions I'm seeing, suddenly students are "greedy fucks" for not wanting their fees tripled (Humans in "selfishly motivated" SHOCKER!). All the violent ones "Should be shot". Students should apparently never go out and have a good time; everyone should apparently be an engineer, scientist or plumber. All degrees involving the arts and humanities are "useless" and it's "just" to put the fees way up. I've held back from any debates on it so far, but I don't think I can hear this shit again before wading in.

I don't think UK media is quite as screwed as in America, but here we have the Daily Mail, a xenophobic right-wing rag that makes things up, rarely apologises, and whenever they do they generally find an immediate way to grind the same ax again. Politicians live in fear of it, and the editor, Paul Dacre, also happens to be chairman of the Press Complaints Commission

I thought I already knew how gullible and easily led people are, but the news and opinions I'm hearing around me are making me really sad.

[ThunderPeel2001]

If you go for the continent, as your attorney I advise you to steer cleer of Greece for the moment

At the moment, all of Europe is shitting itself with a sweep of nationalism crossing through almost every country. It's a little frightening at the moment, seeing all those raving populists getting into power. We're also highly confused over the European Union right now, no one knows what direction it should go in and a frightening lot are saying we should disband the whole thing (which would be the worst idea of the century). Having said that, there's still mighty good living to be had here, if you can resist being swept up in the turbulence. Most of it won't take such a dramatic course and it's surprisingly easy to just stop reading newspapers and watch the news. It can dramatically improve your state of mind to tap out of the cycle of depressing newshype.

I guess it's the financial situation... Frightened people are idiotic people, it seems. I didn't realise it was getting so scary on the continent... but that might because I already subscribe to your idea of avoiding the newshype. Lol.