MrCanary

[quote user="Christine Animal"]"Noone on here has said that sexual abuse is not a problem".  I really don't know what I can explain about that sentence, it seems pretty clear. "What has been said is that people's private lives should be respected".  This was referring to earlier on in the thread where it was said that in France people's privacy is respected (in general), whereas in the UK they can be hounded by the press.  Nothing to do with harrassment.  You (Quillan) are making statements that some on here have found sexual harrassment in France to be okay.  I have not seen anyone say that and just tried to give an example of what has been said about the two different cultures. [/quote] Christine, I agree. Sexual abuse, wherever it happens, will always be a problem and I do not recall anyone posting to the contrary. I imagine sexual abuse happens in every country in the world. It would be naive to think it doesn't.  

[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="Jane and Danny"][I would guess a lot of  people (foreign or not) do rent them out and don't declare the income. Danny [/quote]I'm sure that happens.  I'm sure it's done by  residents of France with second homes and non-residents alike.  But it's not a good reason to invent a new tax.  It's only a good reason to catch the offenders and both prosecute and fine them for tax evasion. [/quote] Yes Deb, I agree. And with that in mind, I will never let any family or friends use our French home unless we are there and they visit us as visitors. That way it is clear to everyone in our village that it is our house and our house only! (But then I suppose somebody might say we could be charging our friends for B&B...)  

Thanks for the explanation and for my part, I re-iterate I posed a question and nothing more than that. But I take on board your point about using the pm's if there are any similar questions in the future. Thanks.

[quote user="ViVienne"]and you don't have to rubbish other peoples opinions just to strengthen your own.[/quote] Absolutely and utterly agree with this 100% !!

Perhaps a bit heavy for most people on here, but this has to be one of my all time favourites... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dvrir5kig Great music to give you a kick-start!

I am a really big Genesis and Pink Floyd fan, so I like your choices Frenchie! The current song that has been going around in my head for the last few days is "UNDER PRESSURE" the version by David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey. Gail, as well as having a fantastic voice is, in my opinion, the greatest female bass guitar player ever! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLDV0A-w1Es

[quote user="Clair"] ...described his friend's "carelessness" as mere "troussage de domestique" (master's right to shag the help). [/quote] For me that is so difficult to accept in this day and age - there are still men about (whoever they may be) who actually believe that to be true!

[quote user="cooperlola"]  There has also been some talk of the fact that the "perp walk" is thought of by some police as being a way of displaying their "trophies" as it were in the form of the person they have just arrested.  Is that something you found in Chicago, Mel? [/quote] Not actually something I came across or heard of, Deb. I can't say it does not happen though because, sadly, you do get the occasional bad cop everywhere from time-to-time. But generally, I remain impressed with the way the American police work in very difficult circumstances. Guns and knives are far too common place and they have to be really careful with the risks they take with individuals. Sir Robert Mark, a former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in London, said words to the effect, "A police force will always be a mirror image of the society it serves." 

Digressing for a moment... It strikes me there are a few people who post on this forum, and very noticeably on this thread, whose priority seems to be to always have a go at certain other people... Can't we all just accept we will not always agree and stop being bitchy?

[quote user="Quillan"] I heard it was also to hinder people trying to do a 'runner'. Still you have to admit they don't discriminate the rich from the poor, they are all handcuffed. [/quote] Yes it is Quillan, but to do a runner from an American cop you need to run faster than a bullet. It is mostly as I described. And regarding not discriminating - that is correct too because they handcuff everybody.

[quote user="fisherman"]I Know its annoying. But ask yourself if this proposed tax was in place when you first purchased you home would you still have gone ahead. When we purchased our place we realised that there would be some form of property taxes to pay but that was not one of our key buying decisions although for the more clued up this may well be different.[/quote] Fair point fisherman...

[quote user="Frenchie"][quote user="woolybanana"] DSK is treated as any other person who is suspected of committing a crime in the US. Why should he be treated differently? [/quote] I never said he should have been treated differently ! That's the treatment of any person " innocent until proven guilty" that I disagree with .   [/quote] Well Frenchie, I understood perfectly what you meant and I agree with you... It is the sight that tends to shock. That of a person, any person, who is still innocent and yet is handcuffed and treated as though they were a mass murderer. The sad thing is, having worked with the police in Chicago, this treatment of prisoners is how they treat everybody and it largely stems from their concern that an officer might get shot or injured by somebody who is under arrest. I can't see how they justify that when a person is already in custody and has obviously been thoroughly searched other than the fact if they treat all arrested persons the same way in every situation, they should never forget to shackle a real killer... But even though I have been there, done that and know why it is happening, I still cringe a bit when a person who is not really a threat - sometimes an elderly lady - is treated in this way.

All the taxes I pay on my French house add up to almost the amount I pay for my English one. So they are certainly not cheaper in France.

Oh, and the money down the drain will only be relevant if I have to sell up and, as will probably happen, property prices fall...

What I cannot understand is I presently pay all the same taxes that my French next-door-neighbours pay. Hardly a penny different. So why will I now have to pay lots more money than them?