posted
If the "Underground" refers to the London subway system, then yah, I get it. To me, anything that's underground means something that's on the down low, or something that's not supposed to be going on.
posted
In London it is called the Underground or the Tube. In Paris, the Metro. The US seems to call them all Subways. Not sure about Tokyo.
(So did they not call it the "London Underground" on the news stories? And you've never heard it called that but understand the differences between the English and American uses of the word "squatting", something I've never heard of before? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!)
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I believe they often referred to it as the "London Underground" or the "Tube". I was in London for two days while on a whirlwind tour of Europe and used the Tube extensively. I found it inexpensive, clean, and efficient and wished our public transportation systems in the States were more like it.
As for a squatter or squatting, is there a difference in the usage? Isn't a squatter someone who sets up residence on someone else's property?
-------------------- "Having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
Registered: Apr 2005
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What part of the country are YOU from? I've never heard those phrases, and I've known the "squatters" definition since grade school. (Of course it could be an age thing. I'm 31 now.) And I don't know when I first heard of the London Underground, but it had to be a long long time ago, and until now, I haven't heard it referred to as the Tube.
(And before you ask, I grew up in the Southeast, and am now living around St. Louis.)
posted
I've been aware of that use of the word "squat" for some time, though I've never considered it common. Tennessee, for what it's worth.
"Let me correct you on a few things. Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "Every Man for Himself". And the London Underground is not a political movement."
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:I was in London for two days while on a whirlwind tour of Europe and used the Tube extensively. I found it inexpensive, clean, and efficient and wished our public transportation systems in the States were more like it.
posted
Well, I'm almost 30, so it's not an age thing. And I live in Michigan. Which is redneck country... and "popping a squat" isn't exactly proper language... so maybe it's not that widespread. My roommate used to use the term frequently, though.
quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was in London for two days while on a whirlwind tour of Europe and used the Tube extensively. I found it inexpensive, clean, and efficient and wished our public transportation systems in the States were more like it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funniest Flare post ever.
The really wierd thing is, he could have used just the Jubilee line and his post might have been believable.
On the other hand, some days on the Bakerloo line I can barely see one end of the platform from the other. If some of the money for the Olympics doesn't go into improving the tube I shall be a very grumpy person.
Registered: May 2005
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posted
I used the London tube a month ago. The noise level was ear-deafening during the straight passages and we were almost thrown out of our seats. Really irritating. Are there different train models in the London Tube? I must've gotten the 70's model. Stockholm has two kinds, old 70's cars and new ones from 2000.
Registered: Aug 1999
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I think the reason why most torists have a good impression of the underground and most residents have a bad impression is the time they get on it. Rush hour does turn it from a fairly well run transportation system into a wretched hive of extremely cramped scum and villany.
(If I believed American TV though, I would think it impossible to get on the New York subway without getting mugged on a grafitti covered train.)
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Well, we had been using the Tube to get from places like the Tower of London to the Imperial War Museum. I suppose they may maintain the tourist lines better. Either way, the London Tube was significantly better than the Paris Metro which, like many other places in Paris, seemed to smell like urine.
I myself lived in Southern California where the mass transit system is often used by some scary individuals. There just aren't enough normal people using it to balance out the weirdos.
-------------------- "Having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
In Miami, we have the Metrorail (a monorail) - it's really clean, virtually noiseless, always on time and absolutely no one uses it.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
In Houston, we have the METRORail -- a light rail system. The inaugural and only line is 7.5 miles long and stretches from north downtown south to the Astrodome and football stadium. Since the line began testing in November 2003 (and opened in 2004), it's amassed 99 accidents with automotive and pedestrian traffic, earning it the nickname "The Danger Train". It's quiet, prone to breakdowns in the rain, suffers from problems in making sure riders pay for tickets, and has a taste for human blood.
Registered: Mar 1999
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