Mazan

I would love to see you protest for women's rights in the former Saddam hussein's ran country of Iraq???? or even go to the MIddle East and tell them that the laws abolishing alcohol are petty and the people who take part in passing these laws are idiots. Or, go and live in Cuba and protest about drug abuse and that all cartels should be outlawed( tho i must agree with that one ) and you will take a dim view of anyone who sells drugs near your property ha ha. No matter where I lived I would be equally loud about things that I believe in. I probably would never live in any of the countries that you mention but I don't need to go that far to see the things you describe: they all take place in France also. I am against them too and not being French certainly doesn't stop me making that clear. I think that this is far better than just to float along a river of complacency, doing nothing. There are also things that I am in favour of and I make that clear as well. Am I to suppose that all those who maintain that they are just "guests" here would sit back quietly with a cup of tea no matter what happened locally? Anyone with that attitude deserves everything that comes to them.  A great French leader once said that "les Français sont des veaux" or "the French are like cattle". Clearly that applies also to many non-French residents.

The fact that you pay tax here still does not give you right to tell the French what they can and cannot do, by all means give an opinion. My feelings were the same in the UK in as much as I didn't like people from other countries telling me what to do so now I am a foreigner in in France I don't presume to tell them what they should do. This is defeatist to say the least. Yes, I most definitely believe that all resident taxpayers have the right to criticise the way things are done and to change them, regardless of their nationality. The EU clearly thinks so too which is why they have given the vote to all EU citizens in the place in which they live. And I would defend the right of anyone living legally in the UK to object to or agree with what happens there as they see fit, no matter what nationality they might be. If you were English living in Wales would you also silently accept everything that the Welsh might do? And if you were Cornish living in Essex, would the same apply?

All of us that live and/or own property in France are well aware that they hunt, and they kill things. If you don't like it and feel that you can't live here because of that then you should leave. This does not of course mean you have to leave. I don't see why anyone should leave. Hunters are a very tiny but very noisy minority in France. Most French people are against hunting. I see nothing wrong with trying to further the opinions of the majority with a view to eliminating a minority evil, especially one that is so pointless and avoidable. If hunting was a majority pursuit in France I would never have stepped of the ferry. I like others have made it known that I don't want hunters on my land. To actually stop working with or buying things from, or doing business with, people who hunt is to my mind a bit over the top but then that’s Mazans choice. This attitude may have cost him dear in the past but neither I nor others know and should not assume. As you point out, it makes no difference to the question but in fact it has cost me nothing, apart from a little time and effort. My final words re hunting in France are these, irregardless of how we feel about it we are guests in this country, we wanted to live here (OK there will always be a spouse who didn't) we made the choice so it is not fair or right for us to openly criticize the country, the people or their way of life especially when so many of us move here because that is exactly what we like. I couldn't disagree more. Anyone who lives and pays taxes in a country has just as much right to complain about what they think is wrong with that country as anyone else. And just as much right to strive for change.

"Cannot copy <filename>. The directory or file cannot be created". Do the filenames contain non-standard characters? These are a no-no.

And yet again we see a hunting supporter trying to deny others the right to their opinion and the right to discuss it. It is not for you to tell others what they may or may not think or say.

Do you know how difficult it is to get licensed in the UK to carry a rifle/shotgun?? We aren't in the UK (or Kansas) any more. Around here any pea-brained idiot can buy a shotgun and get a hunting permit. Things are harder in the UK, which probably explains why one sees far less hunters there. And a splendid thing that is too. Why dont you go to the local chasse shop and put up a banner complaining, and have a go at the true French hunters who have practised their sport for generations. I am not afraid of making my feelings about hunters (French or otherwise) known. There are four large signs prohibiting hunting around my property and I have a sticker on my car making a similar point. I would not socialise with anyone who hunts nor would I do business with them or work for them or employ them. However, unlike the hunters who constantly thrust their mindless pursuit into the ears and face of others, I am not the type of person who would go out of my way to disturb them when they aren't in my backyard. France is a democracy and, as such, it is my perfect right to bring my opinions to the attention of others by any peaceful means. And that is what I am doing. I will also continue to strive for hunting to be completely banned, along with other pointless sources of noise pollution and activities that can endanger others.

As to your recent posting, people who shoot guns do so in licensed/authorised areas,it may not be fenced in but a licensed/authorised area none the less. Rarely have I read such nonsense. Hunters in France often do so on any land that isn't fenced off, regardless of who it belongs to. None of that land is in any way authorised or licensed. They regularly do it within just a few yards of houses, roads and telegraph poles: all of which are restricted areas. I see this every single day of the winter hunting season. I do not have any interest in electronics, irrespective of how safe they are, but i do not stick my tuppence worth in if its not asked for, especially not to accuse someone of sheer stupidity and negligence when i don't know them. Again, it is the hunters' "hobby" that is being forced onto those who do not want it. It is the hunters who invade other people's privacy, safety and tranquility with their noisy and dangerous activities. Not only that but apparently you also wish to prevent anyone from voicing their disapproval with you. Do you now understand why I say that all hunters think only of themselves and that they prove it at every turn? This thread had died a death a few days ago and i was glad, but you and others like you just cant let go. For gods's sake man get a grip and leave it be. If you took the trouble to look before leaping you would see that the thread was resurrected today by someone who is neither for nor against hunting. Another person then made a comment about my views, to which I replied as is my right.

It's perfectly straightforward. Hunting is a pointless practice that directly affects non-hunters, both as a audible nuisance and a physical danger, not to mention via the ecological aspects. One person's hobby should not cause other people annoyance or danger and if it does it should be banned. If people want to shoot guns they should do so on a licensed and authorised shooting range under proper supervision, far away from others. They should not be permitted to stroll unsupervised across the property of others, carrying and using lethal weapons. Just as those who wish to race cars or motorbikes have to do so on a proper track and are not allowed to do so on the open road. Hunters have absolutely no regard for anyone other than themselves, as they have all proven time and time again in this and other threads. In case anyone has forgotten: more than 95% of French residents are non-hunters.

As far as I know the procedure is that first they install the machines then they remove the counter service. This is what they seem to be doing all over the area and I was told by two different branches that this is indeed the plan. So yes, every village will get a cash machine but as always with the CA you will have to pay for the card to use it and also after a while you will have no choice but to use it for all withdrawals and deposits, unless you care to pay yet another fee for counter service. Having seen in another thread what can happen when paying in cash into these machines I would much prefer to stick with the woman behind the counter in LaPoste.

This is a tricky one. Access the dial-up parameters from Internet Explorer: tools: options: connections. Delete all connections. Create a new connection for which you will only need to know the Free dial-up number, login and password. Check the box that says "never dial a connection". Exit from IE. Use Windows Explorer and navigate to the dial-up networking folder. Right-click on "Free" and select "create a shortcut". Answer "yes" to the error message you will receive. You now have a new icon on the desktop. Use this to connect as needed before starting programmes like IE or OE. Windows will never try to connect on its own again.

The problem is that if I reply or forward an email I lose the right hand edge of the page,which means I can't close it ie I can't see the X. It sounds like you just need to resize or move the window, or a combination of the two. To resize: left-click on the bottom right of the window (the cursor will change shape when you are in the right place) and, whilst holding down the left button, drag the window to the shape you want. Then release. This applies to all windows. To move the entire window just left-click in the coloured bar at the top of the window and, again whilst holding down the button, move the window. Then release. This applies to all windows. You should find an interactive tour that explains all this in the start: accessories menu.

Our village lost its LaPoste late last year as did our neighbouring one 4 kms away Maybe so. But surely there can't be many villages that don't have a LaPoste but still have a CA? Around here every village with more than 1000 residents has a LaPoste with counter service. And the plans to slim down the number of LaPoste is every bit as draconian as that for the banks. I am convinced that local counter service will still be available from LaPoste long after all the CA's have moved to automated systems. LaPoste has offered cheap and efficient day-to-day banking services for many years and I'm sure that it will continue to do so.

I would be very surprised if there isn't a signal quality (not strength which is of little interest) reading somewhere in the menus of your box. I don't think I've ever seen a digibox that doesn't have one. I suspect that your quality may be low. Due perhaps to incorrect alignment or, more likely, incorrect skew. Or it may just be that that particularly model doesn't work very well. You really can't beat a proper Sky box for receiving the UK channels.

In order to forward the anti-hunt cause I do the following: I donate a few hundred Euros every year to a French charity that works toward this. I have put heavy-duty printed signs around our property forbidding hunting on it and explaining why. I have told the local Maire and the local MP what I think about hunting on several occasions, and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. I have also told the village police what I think and in the past they have been helpful in removing hunters from our land.

Is this a Sky digibox or some other non-Sky box? What is the signal quality reading? Was the dish moved by a professional?

Could i politely ask all the 'anti's' whether they have been on either a shoot in the UK or a hunt in France? What difference would that make? I don't need to go on a hunt in order to see hunters: I just have to look in the vineyards opposite my front door on any Sunday in winter (and my house is exactly 1km from a busy village of 4000+ inhabitants and 3km from a large town of 20,000+). Not exactly the forgotten backwoods of France. I'm not interested in how nice or nasty they are, nor what their aftershave smells like or what nationality they are. I'm interested in the simple fact that they make a lot of noise in very close proximity to houses and also endanger the lives of the general public. They don't have the right to do either and that's an end to it. No civilised country would allow this to happen.

if not how can you say it is dangerous or is it perceived danger? I don' see how  one or two people walking through fields can be anti social. Walking through fields isn't antisocial. Hunting is. Hunters do their hunting in close proximity to houses (illegal). They shoot near roads (illegal). They damage phone lines as France Telecom will confirm. They also invade private land. On occasions I have had shotgun pellets fall in my garden and on my roof. They make a lot of pointless noise. All this is highly antisocial and is clearly very dangerous. And I haven't even started on the ecological impact. Around here there is virtually nothing left alive for the hunters to shoot at. Thankfully this means that the number of local hunters has diminished by 75% in the last 10 years and is still falling fast. If only the remaining few would shoot each other the entire bunch of pathetic neanderthals could be forgotten. No one will ever miss a dead hunter.

Hunting obviously raises passions in France as in the Uk but surely i have the right to try it for myself ? Perhaps, as long as it doesn't affect others. That means doing it out of earshot of any residence and away from anywhere where others may be walking. Hunters around here don't do this. They don't even come close. And this ignores completely the ecological aspect.

This is systematic. All our small local CA branches went to no counter service months ago. Every single branch will be no counter service before long and all account holders will be obliged to have a (pay) cash card and to use the pay-in envelopes for cash and cheques. And anyone who trusts those is an idiot. What I don't understand is why anyone wastes their time with the CA? They are uniformly lousy and expensive. You can get full counter service 6 days a week from every single LaPoste in the country if you have a CCP, all at no charge. Why anyone bothers with the CA when every village has a LaPoste is quite beyond me.

I think I’m right in saying that a lot of USB devices are only compatible with Windows 98 Second Edition (SE).  USB works fine on Win95 and up if you install the USB supplement. Which is why I mentioned it. That and the proper chipset drivers should do the trick.

You probably need to install the USB drivers (aka chipset drivers) which should be on the Gateway site if you don't have the original disk. A look in device manager will show the current state of the USB controllers and ports. You may also need to install the USB Win98 supplement depending on what version you have. Once the USB drivers are in you can use the USB ADSL modem. Install the modem drivers first before connecting it. The serial port is a bit slow to use for ADSL but you can easily get a PCMCIA card with an ethernet socket http://www.repotec.com/pcmcia_ethernet/pcmcia_ethernet.htm

But I'm also a shooter - but only of clay pigeons. Needless to say I have nothing against this, as long as it is done in the right place. The right place being on a shooting range away from houses and the general public.

Since Easyjet started flying to our local airport a year ago I've found that BA have become very competitive. Their prices are barely higher, especially if one takes into account that Easyjet charge extra for credit card purchases. Sometimes I've even seen BA flights work out cheaper than Easyjet. If one also takes into account the much better choice of flight times, the free onboard newspapers and refreshments, not to mention the better service in case of delays, baggage loss, late arrival at check-in etc., I don't find it hard to chose. I also wonder about the standard of aircraft maintenance on budget airlines. Some of those who work for the budget airlines seem to have their doubts also. So I thank RyanAir and Easyjet for introducing competition but will stick with BA for my flights for the time being.

From Internet Explorer: tools: internet options: programmes.

I don't think you can write what you want on here. Why not? Hunting is not antisocial Ah. So running around firing guns in public places, making a lot of noise and invading private property isn't antisocial? I'd like to know just what is antisocial then. it is people like you, people with narrow minds and blinkered vision who are the real social parasites. Social parasites? What on earth are you taking about? Why do you think that you have a right to come into a largely hunting community and try to push your narrow views down peoples throats. Again I will repeat a simple fact that has apparently escaped you: of 60 million people in France only 2 million or so are hunters. Under 5% in fact. Most (ie more than half) French people are opposed to hunting as can be noted on TV and in the press every September. French hunters systematically ignore both French and EU legislation relating to hunting. Again proving their total disregard and lack of respect for anything other than themselves.