Chief

[quote user="La Guerriere"]From my own obervations, drivers of BMWs automatically assume they have some god-given right to drive at least 30 klicks over the speed limit. Maybe they come with defective speedos.[/quote] Pathetic, god didn't give us the right at all...we took it

If it were an organised gang of teenaged thugs selling them, would you still be interested (albeit...with a slight conscience) or would you be sat down the local Tabac condemning them with the rest of the locals.... :-))

[quote user="LEO"] Buy them off the locals and dont ask for confirmation where they came from. "Ignorance is bliss" ps. were not talking about the crown jewels here! [/quote] Its not ignorance if you know where they are from, but just don't ask for confirmation....you still know.........

Racism from a Black Mans Perspective: I was called a golliwog at school.  I assume this to be racist for the simple reason my white friends were never called it.  I was often called a nigger,and again i assumed this to be racist because my white friends were never called it.  Likewise my white friends (some of my best friends are white...ha ha) were never called sambo funnily enough, nor were they told to p*ss off back to where they came from (manchester).  None of my white friends were ever called a black c**t, or an f**king wog, so i guess i grew up thinking these terms were racist as well.  Also, Baa Baa Black Sheep might not appear racist, but i think the underlying theme that was tackled by those horrid and ghastly PC pinko liberal soft show wearing (is that an ism of some sort) types, is that, as with many other things at the time, and indeed now, 'Black' was used to symbolise BAD and 'White' was symbolised as GOOD. Hence a perception (perhaps) in some that all things black were bad, black youths (police), black mark against you, into the black hole, blackouts, etc etc. Now then, onto PC while i am rolling with it.  PC is a misnomer, it should be called GM.  Good Manners, and is all about treating others in a polite, friendly, inoffensive manner, in essence, the way we as individuals would like to be treated (i guess).  Some 'PC' admittedly goes a little far, but don't blame black or ethnic people for that.  My perception is that in many cases it is often well-intentioned white people determining that black/ethnic people might be offended by a, b or c and therefore banning it. Those most vocal against PC sometimes appear to be complaining simply because they can no longer offend people at will without consequence. Sorry your wrong. Try looking at it like this for a week or two.  If your fat, imagine having to wait for everything you want until after the thin people have had or done it.  When you're in the canteen at work, you cannot eat until the thin people have finished, cannot get on the bus until the thin people have boarded, must wait outside teh shops until the thin people have finished etc etc.  Just imagije it over teh next week as you go about your daily business, and thin people do the same in reverse.  Then ask yourself, having been the butt end of decades of 'FAT B*STARD' jokes or 'THIN B*STARD' jokes, disadvantage and innuendos, would you be wanting change........be honest now :-))

  Lets hope the French feel elated about receiving you all.....................

Don't let the film detract from the fact that during your lifetime, you got to see a legend ply his craft for a few years... :-))

Notice that there are plenty who authoritively state that expats cannot be bothered, and i assume this is on the basis that they speak little or no French (might seem an obvious statement) but consider if you haven't (those who, because they speak it, jump hastily to poxy conclusions about non-speakers), how many have tried and failed, just not cut out for it, cannot grasp it, been unfortunate enough to end up in the expat area with all the whining expats bleating in english about how england is full of immigrants (hello, what are they in France), etc etc.....am i rambling, and in English....not me :-))  Be interesting to try and get some figures on it.  I am learning French and Spanish, but doubt i could pick up chinese for instance.  Wouldn't let that stop me moving to China though if i thought for one second i could make a better life for my family there.......just a thought.

Be very careful if you involve the DVLA in thsi at any stage.  Several years ago they made some enormous cock-ups with licence renewals, that resulted in driving entitlements not appearing on re-issued licences.  Top and bottom of the saga was that people could not use the DVLA system to prove they were entitled to say a motorbike licence and had to retest.  Ecen copies of original certification would not be accepted as proof.  This was widely reported in the Motorcycle News as their story involved a courier who lost his new job, becuase when he produced his licence for his new employer, the entitlement was missing. MCN advice at time, and still pertinent today, is to photocopy every sheet of your licences and retain just in case.

[quote user="Sarah"] I am hoping that someone is able to supply information on large scale development/ acquisition of land at a local level. As a background, I have just joined my parents in the SW, along with my two children. However, the initial excitement has been soured by a surprise application to the local Mairie for outline permission to build a golf course and 800 houses. From the plans, it would appear that our property is to built-up on 3 sides. Throughout this side of the commune there are plans for 4 'villages'. We are all in a state of shock as there has been no warning or letter from the Mairie, indeed, if we hadn't of bumped into someone whilst out shopping, we wouldn't have heard about the plans on show. 800 houses seems a collosal amount in a commune that boasts 350 inhabitants at present. As is to be expected, rumours are rife. There is rumour that 800 houses is a deliberate 'over' calculation on behalf of the developer, who knows he won't get that many but will be happy with half that amount.Another rumour says that the golf course is a deliberate red herring, there are plans for another 3 locally and a well established golf course is desperately short of members, any business man would have discovered this in his research. It is also rumoured that this happened to a neighbouring commune, whereby when planning permission was gained, the developer sold the land to other building companies at a fat profit and then moved on. I would be so grateful if anyone could throw some light on this sorry state of affairs. We are able to write a letter of objection and a petition has been started but apart from this we can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Has anyone any experience of this in their commune? If only to allow me to worry about the right stuff! Thanks in advance, Sarah [/quote] On a positive note, have you considered taking advantage of any of the possible spin-off benefits.  Don't know your age, but how about a shop, window cleaning round (800 houses once a week). Grocer delievery service, gardeneing service, property management service, 8oo families with (kids?) running a creche, teenagers club, etc mini-mart, car wash..........ideas only

[quote user="Pearly Spencer"]Hi all,       I have a car in the UK that has no paperwork, if I drive it over to France is there any way that I can apply for a certificate of conformity? I can print up a receipt for the car on the computer, will I need to produce any other documents? Can anyone help otherwise I will have to scarp it.[:(] Pearly [/quote] If you have no legal paperwork, i imagine it is illegal to use it....it falls into teh same pub-political discussion group as all those so called foreigners who are invading our country as many believe, stealing our jobs, raping our women and driving around in uninsured cars.....lol...i say uninsured cars because if you have no papers i doubt you have insurance, so what makes you think you can drive it to france, let alone off your drive is bewildering me regards

no matter where i go, if i am met with ignorance and indifference, i make a point of spendingmy money elsewhere. I have walked out of many restaurants and shops having met with such attitudes...one day of politeness makes no difference..if your ignorant as a rule, people wll see them form what they are.....The key is to always return and demonstrate to them what they have lost. I recently bought a new car, and in first garage there was definately an air of you cannot afford to be in here about the sales people Bought my car from another dealer and took new cra back to first dealer. asked to see manager and told him what had happened....should have seen the look on his face....lol

Hi eddy. Already been away.  Had fun and plenty of relaxation.  Also just got back from the Dutch MotoGP round at Assen, which was another great weekend (well almosr a week) away.  Next excursion is into Spain to try out my fledgling Spanish.....

http://www.roadracers.co.uk/speeding.htm read the footnote at the very bottom (after all the macho bollocks) http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/ScienceTechnologyVideo/tabid/311/articleID/30482/Default.aspx refers to a teenager jailed after videoing himself doing 209kph in hius dads car so me thinks it can happen....

No bad vibes here mate. Thought the post from bobby was being a little selective, although he did post the route to the thread. If you read the other thread you will see that i don't approve or disaprove of speeding in the thread, merely pointing out the ways in which people have been caught in thius country (UK) and probably could be caught elsewhere. The police dont need to see your speedo to do that. All they need is location and a time/distance measurement and hey presto, if the poster of the vid has a website (as bobby does) it takes less than 15 mins to put a nam, face and bike to the vid....

[quote user="Bob T"]I also believe that to be a myth, but there are many myths. In this thread http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1/894288/ShowPost.aspx#894288, another member came up with some wild idea that the French police would try and get a speeding conviction from a Youtube video that does not even show the speedo, not is there any admission of speeding. The same mamber comes on this thread and admits speeding! Someone who loves to spread myths I think. [/quote] 2 points my friend...firstly i have never denied speeding or my like and propensity to so...secondly, there is documented evidence of the police using mediums such as youtube to obtain convictions. Visit MCN.com and do a search, i seem to recall it being in there some months ago, and other stories in the press as well. As an aside, the issue with your previous post was that you claimed you couldn't be caught that way, and indeed it was unlikely that you could even be identified. I then visited your rather good website i have to say, and within 15 minutes had identified your face, bike and registration number....hence the fact you have eagerly awaited (in vain) to try and make a point...keep hunting :-))

[quote user="Jonzjob"] A question? People who go blasting past on the Autoroute, hoe do they get away with not being caught at the Peage? You have your time on, distance on and time off = speed. [/quote] Probably a few good reasons.  Mostly, in my case for instance, and i suspect manay others, i don't blast from pillor to post, nor do i speed on every single trip/outing, just the occasional bit of fun here and there, but like most involved in the debate, you make the assumption that it is speed from start to finish, and use emotive words like 'blasting' because that bests suits the maintenance of a weak argument. Secondly, the peage doesn't pick it up, because of regular stops.  They're the things that keep you fresh, and more importantly AWAKE, they're also a good time to use your mobile, which is something plenty of people choose to do in the car, and even though they are or maybe within the limit, its not okay.  The breaks, an integral part of any long journey, distort the speed/time analysis. thirdly, and perhaps central to part of your argument, the peage is a business, no mileage in it for the operators if they are seen to be colluding with Gendarmes in the mass persecution of the very people who are putting their food on the table....small but probably significant point. Passing you on a road soon.....chief

[quote user="Jonzjob"]Well Chief, if you ride a bike in France, as your avitar suggests, then you are above the law here so no worries. No need to worry about limits, solid white lines, cameras or anything alse to do with the law peut etra???[/quote] Thats good :-) Must admit, cannot recall passing a rear-facing camera in France, so speed not a problem, as i have never seen a Gendarme on a decent bike either....lol

salt and possibly some stuffing rrussethouse

I speed all the time, never have abnd never will apologise for it. This gizmo however, i would not use as the accumulative effect of registering the warning, checking the device, pressing the button, attempting to see if the device is still there when i pass the location, etc etc, would result in a lot of cognitive effort being diverted from the act of speeding itself. It would be easier to stick to the limit, something i dont want to do, so i will give it a miss thanks... ;-)

well we could exchange addresses and i will let you have first pop at my house.....lol

....If we interpret it as racially motivated, premeditated attacks, it is NOT unrest, as unrest can generally and easily be expressed in a legally acceptable manner....if you are attacked directly, and placed in harms way, you need to respond in my opinion. If forced to respond, may it swift, brutal, decisive and overwhelming..in my opinion...and that of the israeli army..... :-))...or of course it could just in my good old british sense of humour :-)

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]Chief used to be a commando in the Israeli army.....[8-)] [/quote] You may choose to belive that, but i couldn't possibly comment... ;-)

The way to fight attacks like these are to ensure that your response is totally disproportionate to the original attack...ie: for every brit home attacked, you attack 10 french homes.....simple.  The dis-proportinality makes their attacks pointless, and i suspect you will find they leave you alone.... ;-)

[quote user="Clair"]Paranoid or careful? http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2686849.ece [/quote] Careful and very astute in my book. 

[quote user="Jantar"] [quote user="Meg and Mog and dog"] Any more info?? How do you know it came from France? [/quote] Suppose that made photos cannot be attached. 1.There are words on balloon - "Vive Les Mariés" - must be original French. 2.Attached paper hear shows words "Marie" and "Jérôme" - should be French, esp. the letter  "ô". 3. Date of release is 16.6., I foud it next day morning. There was a strong wind from southwest at that days. Martin [/quote] Call me cynical, but cannot help thinking that some of your spelling mistakes are somewhat deliberate in an attempt to get us to believe you are foreign (to france). Your great with words like 'suppose', 'attached', 'original', 'released', etc, and yet struggle on 'foud (found) and other minor slip-ups throughout your posts :-)).  Even the grammatical structure slips seem somewhat contrived..maybe it's me, or that time of the day...