Transcript of my conversation with Tony LeePeters 4/24/2021

(0:19) Hey everybody, welcome to another edition of Beer Googgles, double E, double O, double G. (0:24) I have my friend from across the pond, Tony, from at MJ News Digest. How you doing, Tony? (0:29) I'm very well, Mark. How are you? (0:31) I am doing great.I'm very excited about this episode because I think you brought it up to me when we were scheduling (0:38) the time to talk about the other stuff that we talked about. (0:41) Okay. (0:42) And I think it had something to do with the dates.(0:44) Oh, yes. (0:44) I think that's the biggest crawl you have. So today, we decided we have a little fun time and we have a UK versus US edition.(0:54) So you and I, you and I have become good friends over this time, but, you know, we need to hash out some of these really serious issues between our two peoples. (1:05) I would love for you to start because I know the date thing is probably the one that you want to go to first. (1:11) Yeah, what is it? (1:12) Because that was your favorite.(1:13) What is it with the date? So in the UK, we write our dates as the, what's today's date? Is it the 23rd, 24th? (1:22) 24th. (1:22) So we would write 24-04-2021 because it's the 24th of April 2021. But in America, you write 04-24-2021.What's that all about? April 24th? (1:37) That's a great question. So this is what I'm thinking. I'm thinking 90% of our differences happened during the Revolutionary War.(1:46) So whatever the British did, I think Americans just did differently. Does that make sense? (1:53) What? (1:53) So you went day, month, year. We went month, day, year.I have no idea why, but it just seems like an anti-UK thing to do at the time. (2:01) Ah, that makes sense. (2:03) But it does get confusing at any time outside of 12 days, right? Outside of the 12th day, you're okay.But between 1 and 12, you have no fucking idea whether it's the month or the day, right? (2:16) Yeah. (2:17) Yeah, because I remember scheduling with you. You're like, wait a minute, you're doing this in October? And I'm like, no, no.I think we were doing it March or April even. So that was fun. (2:30) I have one as well that's kind of like the same thing.(2:33) So the one that I've always done is I watch sports. I used to be heavy into sports, but I just watch it for entertainment sporadically now. (2:44) In the UK and Europe, the hosting team is always first.(2:50) Okay. (2:50) So let's see, Liverpool hosting Chelsea. So Liverpool is the home team and they would be listed first on any European, actually pretty much global sporting events, except for in the US.(3:05) In the US, it would be Chelsea at Liverpool. So Liverpool is always the second named team. So the host team is always second in the Americas or in the United States.(3:18) So the host team is always second. (3:21) Yeah. So it's always like, you know, LA at New York versus New York hosting LA.(3:30) Okay. Why is that? (3:32) Once again, I think it's one of these things where we just went anti. America did a lot of anti Western world things.I mean, that's one of the weird kind of coolness things that was America at one point was we kind of just did our own thing, right? (3:48) So good or bad, obviously. (3:51) What has America got against United Kingdom? Why are you so anti? (3:55) Well, you guys were ruling us, man. (3:59) We've been around forever.(4:01) You imperialist scum. (4:05) Well, it's funny how close the United States and the UK are now. I mean, we're true brothers in a lot of senses.(4:13) I mean, we have a little probably slightly different political, but we have a lot of similar overlapping like Margaret Thatcher came up during the rise of Reagan, which are both kind of semi conservative, right? (4:24) And they kind of go through similar flows in that way. Does that kind of happen for you? (4:28) Yeah, I see that. Yeah, I don't like talking about Margaret Thatcher.(4:31) No, well, we only use it in reference, right? In context, we're not talking about the person or anything just in the political climate. (4:39) So what's another one of yours that that you that you found to be just different? (4:47) Cow tipping. What the bloody hell is cow tipping? (4:53) Oh, I've done it, sir.(4:55) And it's it's amazing. (4:59) So wait a minute. Tell me you read cow tipping and what do you think? Right.(5:04) What what comes to your mind as someone who's never heard that before? (5:07) Well, it's referenced in various movies, and it's normally a jock takes a girl and they're drunk and they go into a field and they tip cows. (5:17) But why would you do that? (5:20) Don't you think about the poor cow? (5:23) Why would when you're not when you're a drunk teenager, you don't. (5:27) So what it is is cows generally sleep standing up.(5:32) So you you want to find one that's very deep sleep. (5:36) You don't want one that's awake, OK, because you want to run at it. (5:40) And when you get up under there, it wakes up as it's falling.(5:44) And it just it's it's cruel. (5:47) Don't do it anymore. But when you're when you're a child and you do it like a couple of times, it's kind of fun.(5:55) What happens to the cow? Does the cow get back up? (5:58) Yeah, the cow roll. It just roll. Think about it.Just teetering sideways. (6:01) And then it just rolls kind of on its side and then goes. And then it then it gets up.(6:08) Wow. Yeah, we're weird, man. We're weird.It's OK. (6:12) Is there any history behind cow tipping? (6:15) I really would guess it's some jock kid back in every America had a lot of farms. (6:21) You know, there's a lot of farmland, right? A lot of Midwest.So my my actually my uncle and aunt owned a dairy farm. (6:27) So I was like cow tipping adjacent right there just by having a family member. (6:32) But with all that, I would think you just got bored drinking in a field.(6:36) You're like, what else can we do? Oh, look, there's a sleeping cow standing. Let's knock it over and see what happens. (6:42) That makes perfect sense.Unfortunately, that is the weirdest. (6:46) That is the weirdest thing that that makes sense. Just tells you how strange it is.(6:53) Well, that's a very good contract. I wouldn't I did not know we were going to go to cow tipping today. (6:57) That really threw me.OK, I have a question about your pancake system. (7:04) Pancakes. OK, I was told that if you if you want pancakes like we have in the United States, you have to order them American style.(7:12) OK, or else they're more are they more creepy? What's a pancake like in the UK? (7:19) Pancake aren't crepes like a thin pancake. Yes. (7:22) Yeah.So pancakes here are a little bit thicker, but they're a little bit thicker. (7:26) OK, because that's what ours are, too. But this person seems to think that you have to order American style to get it.(7:32) Well, in the UK, we have to ask for an American pancake. That's correct. (7:35) That's what this person's saying, because because it could be like a funnel cooking.(7:39) Are you familiar with like the the one that's in like the iron, the cast iron? (7:42) It's a little more thick, like a little more robust. Maybe that's the difference. (7:45) Can you say that German funny cooking is the German term for pancake? (7:50) OK, so funny cooking would be cooking is cake.(7:54) Funny is pan German. German and English are very close. (7:58) Yeah.And they're in their verbiage. And do you have pancake day? (8:02) Is that a national day in America? We do have a national pancake day. (8:05) Do you have that as well? Yeah, we do.OK. Do you know? (8:08) Is it do you know, like around the time, because I'm going to look it up right now on ours and see if it's the same. (8:13) I think we have it in February or March.March, I think. (8:17) I see. February 16th.There you go. OK. (8:20) Probably all it might be an international pancake day, maybe.(8:23) And what's your what's what's the Americans favored topping for their pancake? (8:28) I'm a syrup and butter guy. A lot of people like fruits or flavored syrups. (8:33) How about yourself? We we use sugar and lemon juice.(8:38) I love that. It's beautiful. (8:40) That's very crepe like very German butter, lemon juice and sugar.(8:45) Sounds amazing. That that must give it such a great like waking flavor, like a brightness to it. (8:51) Yeah, it's beautiful.Why do we keep pancakes for one day? (8:54) Honestly, I think in England we typically eat pancakes just on pancake day. (8:59) And you really do flip. Do you toss your pancakes? (9:02) We do.Do you do it out of the pan or do you do this with the skillet out of the pan or with a spatula? (9:08) Do you use a spatula or do you do the free form? (9:11) Yeah. Wrist action. Get that pancake going.I need to see a video of that. (9:16) So if I can't do that, my pancake would end up on the ceiling or in the dog's mouth or somewhere. (9:23) Well, I have to see this wrist tag and see.I don't know if I'm not that good. (9:27) I'm I'm not a cook. I just burn food.Right. I use fire and stuff like that. (9:32) All right.So we got pancakes out of the way. What's the next one for you for you that you. (9:37) OK, so patriotism.I don't understand the American patriot patriot patriotism, like flying a flag outside your home. (9:48) Does every American have a flag flying outside of their home? And if so, what is that all about? (9:53) What why do you feel the need to fly your country's flag outside your your home? (9:58) That is a great question. So it comes back down to America.(10:03) Like once again, America, in my opinion, it's how it's perceived. Right. It's not about the truth.(10:09) It's about how they're viewed by the world. The United States, America broke away from the largest ruling country at the time. (10:18) So a lot of the things that they did was anti everything else.(10:23) So in that they had their own tribe and they got closer and tighter together. So pride became a very big thing. (10:30) So American pride.Now, pride is bad if it's not managed properly. (10:38) Do you know what I mean? Like Ford used to have you have Ford in the UK, right? (10:44) UK, Germany and the United States. Right.Or the three princes, I think. (10:49) Yeah. Do you have like a slogan? It used to be built for tough, for example.(10:53) Oh, yeah. Sounds familiar. Now the slogan, they changed it to built Ford proud.(11:00) OK, but pride doesn't make you a better product. It just makes you blind to your flaws more, I think. (11:07) Right.So it's easy to put out a shit product and say you're proud of it. Right. (11:12) Then to actually make a good quality product.So in America, the pride, that's the pride that we have. (11:19) No, not everybody flies flags out. Now, a lot.You will see more people who don't wear masks and who vote for orange skin, red haired people. (11:28) They'll fly more flags. And the people who burn down courthouses and go the other way, they they don't fly flags as much.(11:36) OK, so that's a misconception then. Yeah, well, we kind of feel that everyone in the in the US flies flags outside their homes. (11:44) I do not.And I'm I'm look, I'm a I love America for the concept of what it has. (11:50) I don't like the nationalism that goes along with it because I think it closes our mind and our close our eyes to other options that we could have, if that makes sense. (11:58) But, yeah, there is a pride there.I mean, if you drive down like Podunkville, USA, you know, mid Midwest town in Nebraska, you might see more flags than not. (12:07) OK, sure. But it's not everywhere, certainly not in the cities.You don't see it in the urban areas as much. (12:13) Yeah. So that's something that's completely alien to us.I don't think I've ever seen anyone in the UK flying the flag. (12:21) If England are playing football, then maybe we'll have the England flag up, you know, during the match. (12:27) But you know what I feel like you have, though? I feel like you have instead of having UK pride, you have your town pride.(12:37) Like like I'm I'm a Liverpool guy, I'm a Manchester, you know, with their sports. (12:42) Right. Similar to the sport thing where like I'm a Manchester guy or something like that.(12:46) I don't know. I'm you know, once again, I'm foreign to your world. So I have a question.(12:53) OK, do you have anything that you eat that's called fries? Yes. (12:59) What are fries? Well, fries in the UK. Fries are different to what you think fries are.(13:05) Correct, because we have we have fries. Our fries are your chips. Yes.And our chips are your crisps. Yes. (13:14) So what are fries in the UK? Fries in the UK are chips.(13:20) OK, we have something called scampi fries, which are a crisp type of delicacy, which are like scampi wrapped in some kind of batter. (13:31) They're called scampi fries. We can get fries from McDonald's.(13:37) But why do you call chips fries? I kind of I kind of get it because fries are fried. (13:42) Chips are fried, but chips are like potato chips. Yeah.(13:47) So what we call potato chip, it's like a chip off the old block, like a little chip. (13:51) So a little slice would be like a chip. But that's your version of crisps.(13:55) That's our version of crisps because you call them crisps because they make that they have a crispy, more crispy texture than a fry would. (14:02) Right. Because they're crisp delicious.Yeah, they're lovely. Right. And now you call them chips.(14:07) So I, you know, this I've always been confused about that one. (14:11) But I love it. Chips and crisps and crisps for fries and crisps are chips and chips are fries.Right. (14:18) And what about French fries? Do you have French fries? Yeah, we just call them fries. (14:22) So anything, whenever we say I'd like fries with that, it's always French fries, always sliced in those, you know, vertical potato sticky kind of things.(14:31) There might be wider or thinner than others, but they're all the same kind of. (14:35) So so we have French fries here, but French fries are typically very thin. (14:42) Chips or fries for you.Yeah, like a shoe stringy, right? Yeah. (14:47) OK, so you actually delineate between the thickness of yours. (14:51) I guess.OK, because chips would be wider, correct? (14:57) Chips like fish and chips. OK, what we do, we we actually have we call them steak fries. (15:05) OK, yeah, we have.So, yeah, if you look up steak fries are kind of like that wider, a little more like a mashed potato with a crispy outside. (15:11) Right. Because they're a little thicker cut.Yeah. Yeah. So so we do name the different things.(15:16) But fries in general are your chips. Do you do you have crinkle chips or crinkle fries? (15:21) We do have crinkle fries and we also have waffle fries, waffle fries, waffle fries, which basically if you think of the crinkle on the outside, (15:30) think of it like crisscross and it almost looks like a waffle. Wow.(15:34) Chip. Yeah. You must have waffle chips.No waffle chips. I've never seen them. (15:39) Perhaps.Yeah. What about bubble and squeak? (15:42) Are you familiar with bubble and squeak? Not a clue what that is. (15:47) It's gorgeous.What is that? It's it's basically leftovers from the evening before. (15:53) And you mix it all in with like mashed potato and cabbage and onion and fry it up. It's gorgeous.(15:59) OK, so it's almost like you just take everything out of your refrigerator, right? (16:03) Throw it together. OK, yeah, I guess like a leftover night. Yeah, we do that.(16:07) We do like a leftover night where you just kind of mishmash it all together. (16:11) Almost sounds like a shepherd's pie ish kind of thing. No, no.(16:14) Shepherd's pie is completely different. What's your like? What's your shepherd's pie? (16:18) Well, it's like isn't it like mashed potatoes with meat with some kind of protein and vegetables and onions and everything all kind of baked in like a. (16:27) In addition. Yeah.So we have a cottage pie or a shepherd's pie. (16:31) So they're both the same, but a cottage pie is made with beef mince and a shepherd's pie is made with lamb mince. (16:38) Ah, so it's a beef versus lamb.Yeah, I like. (16:42) So the ingredient would delineate what you'd order. Yeah, that makes sense, wouldn't it? (16:46) Like imagine if you ordered like sushi, but you wanted it with beef instead of fish.(16:51) You couldn't get a beef sushi. No, you couldn't. But I guess you could order one now.(16:56) Interesting. Do you have sushi out in the UK? Is sushi a big thing? (17:01) Yeah. Yeah.I don't think it's. Yeah, it is. (17:03) I don't think it took off as much as it has in America.In one of our supermarkets here, Marks and Spencer's, they sell sushi as part of their lunch range. (17:14) But if you look on the actual kind of like ingredients, it says does not contain raw fish. (17:18) But I thought sushi was raw fish.That is raw fish, right? (17:22) Sometimes it's cooked, but generally sushi is a raw fish. Yeah, for sure. (17:27) All right.All right. What else do you what else do you have on your list that you wanted to yell at me about? (17:32) OK, brooms. Why do American brooms look like the brooms that witches have? (17:43) OK, so explain to me the are all the brooms the same in the UK, but they're different than what we have.(17:50) Is that what you're saying? Pretty much. Yeah. So our brooms are kind of they've got the long handle and then the broom bit at the bottom is like is kind of rectangular.(17:59) OK, but brooms in America seem to be like, well, which is brooms. (18:05) I see what you're saying, like where it's straw versus like a synthetic fabric. (18:09) Yeah.It looks like a Harry Potter. That's it. That's it.Yeah. (18:13) Yeah. So we don't really use those anymore.But I think it's kind of like the flag thing that you talked about where you you have this picture of America, right? (18:21) Yeah. America has everyone has a flag hanging outside their door. They drive an American car.(18:27) Right. They have this like there's a stigma about that. Right.Yeah. I would think the broom would probably be a similar misnomer. (18:33) We do have brooms that are made of synthetic materials, not like those cornstalk wooden ones.(18:40) OK, those the ones that you're referencing, I would probably guess most people would use as decoration nowadays versus like actual functionality. (18:48) Who would use a broom for decoration? These country fucks, man. (18:54) These French country fuckers have to put these stupid cabinets up and these fucking light blue with white and their checkerboard shit and their gallant gangnam stuff.(19:05) Oh, I can't stand it, man. I can't stand it. (19:09) French country is the worst when I can't go into a farmhouse in the United States because it just looks like I don't want to be there.(19:16) That's what it looks like. Oh, man. (19:22) OK, so now outside of that broom thing, do you usually have a push broom or is it still like the vertical sweepy broom? (19:28) It's just it's just made of different material.And in your opinion, what's the push broom? (19:33) Think of it like a long handle with a wide front that you stand behind like a janitor or. (19:39) Oh, yeah. Yeah.That's the kind of brooms we have. Yeah. OK.You only have that kind. (19:43) Yeah, pretty much. Oh, OK.We have the other kind style wise because we can get in the corners easier. (19:50) Oh, see, that makes sense. That makes sense.Yeah. Yes. (19:53) So we need to have a little it almost has like a little tapered edge on it.(19:57) Like it's almost like a paint, you know, like we're edging and you kind of get in the corners with the tip. (20:02) So over time, one of the corner, one of the sides, usually the longest tip part is like all scrunchy and all frayed up because that's what we use the most. (20:10) So it kind of sounds then that perhaps the the kitchens in the UK, the corners of the kitchens are in a terrible state because we don't have the right brooms to sweep them out.(20:20) I would guess so. They're full of crisps and chips all up in there in the corner. (20:26) All right, sir.So Covid has happened. And what's interesting about Covid for me is that we used to give. (20:34) OK, so we magazine I dine out a lot.We like to eat. We like to experience food. (20:40) So when we go, we when we split the bill or something, we hand the they hand us the the receipt or the bill, the tab.(20:49) And we just give them the card and they take the card into some back room, some gray area room, and then they come back out and it's split. (20:57) And then we sign the paper. But we don't know what our card does between leaving the table and going to the back room.(21:04) Why do you know that's happened? (21:07) I that's a great question because I'm noticing that in the UK they they don't take it right. (21:13) They walk to you with the little hand thing. Yeah.The card reader. Yeah. (21:18) Thank you for Covid because now it's now what they do.So we're very much watching, keeping a close eye on our cards now. (21:24) So we used to never do that. So.So before Covid, did that happen before Covid? (21:30) Yeah. So absolutely. And I think it's starting to happen again now that it's loosening up a little bit.(21:35) But before Covid, what would happen was they would give us the bill. (21:40) We pull out our payment. We'd hand the server the payment.(21:44) They would walk into the back, key it in and then come back with a receipt that we would sign with our card. (21:50) Wow. Yeah.So there's like there's a couple minutes of very unsecure. (21:57) How do you know that your card isn't being cloned when they're going into this dark, mysterious room? (22:02) We have no idea. We just trust the system.I'm not going to lie. (22:06) I know I never even thought about it until I read this today. (22:09) Well, you're so you're too trusting.(22:11) You know, it's funny. I'm not a trusting guy. Generally, I'm generally pretty, you know, conspiracy theory guy.(22:17) Yeah, we pretty much keep our cards in our hand and just tap the little card reader and that's it. (22:22) That's amazing. That's really cool.Now, we just got the chip maybe a few years ago. (22:26) Did you start with the chip like a longer time ago than we did? (22:30) Yeah, I think we've had it for quite a while. (22:32) I always thought that was funny because it's when they talk about cloning the cards like, well, if you have the one with the chip, I'm like, what if you stole the person's wallet? (22:39) You have the chip.It's like people check less. (22:43) I found that since the chip, they don't check my ID as much as they used to. (22:47) OK, so I always check your ID.(22:52) Yeah. You've never had your ID checked when you hand in your card? (22:55) No. Oh, my gosh.(22:57) Just hand it, just give them the card and that's it. (23:00) Interesting. That's sometimes.Well, it depends on where it is. (23:04) But a lot of places like Las Vegas has a lot of transient type, you know, a lot of business people coming in and out. (23:10) They there's a lot of fraud there.So they always check your ID to your credit card to make sure the name's the same. (23:17) How do they check the ID? What are they checking with? (23:20) They ask for it. And if I have a driver's license or a state issued identification, it'll have my picture on it with my name and they'll just look at the two.(23:28) Wow. Yeah, we never have that. (23:30) OK, well, that's interesting.(23:33) So here's one, sir, that we're going to get into. And I'm starting my little fisticuffs, but it's really not. (23:38) It's really going to be fun.No guns, sir. You do not have any guns in the UK. (23:45) No, there are guns in the UK, but we don't own guns and we don't.(23:50) Yeah, well, some people do own guns. We can get a license to own a gun, but. (23:55) Oh, so there is a personal ownership of firearms.(23:59) Yeah, there is. But it's a lot more complicated than it is in America. (24:02) And do you know the steps or do you have a general idea that you can.(24:06) No, I think from what I understand, if you have a gun, it has to be a certain type of gun and it has to be like locked away. (24:14) It certainly wouldn't be used for self-protection, put it that way. (24:17) OK.Yeah. Well, you know what? That's not OK. So it's really not for self-protection.(24:21) It's really for like hunting or some other purpose. It has a purpose to it. (24:26) Yeah.Or maybe like a decorative purpose. But again, it would have to be it would have to be kept in a lots cabinet. (24:32) I know someone who who owned a gun and they they would have I think it was like yearly police checks where the police would come around to their place and make sure it was locked away securely and it wasn't being used for anything other than it should have been.(24:45) That is very interesting. I really like some of that. (24:51) You know, I don't think that you can designate a purpose for every gun.(24:55) OK, but I do like the checks like, hey, are you keeping it away from children? (24:59) Yeah. Is it loaded? Is it not loaded? You know, those types of things. So I like that.(25:05) OK, so it is it's not an anti gun. It's just a very well regulated gun ownership. (25:13) Yeah, it's well regulated.But I do think the UK is pretty much anti guns. (25:17) I think when we think of Americans, we struggle to understand why Americans are allowed to carry guns or have guns in their homes. (25:26) And then when we see all these stories about these the school shootings and, you know, we typically blame the fact that America has this access to guns.(25:35) Yeah. Yeah, it does allow for someone who wants to hurt someone. It's an easy way to do it en masse.Right. (25:43) Yeah. You know, I I'm weird about it because I'm American.I'm not going to lie. (25:48) Part of part of the thing about America is, though, that final fight against like government corruption and everything. (25:53) It's like the last check and balance.That's how a lot of Americans probably used to see it. (25:58) Now it's more of like a I think there's a pride to it, you know, like we're America. We do what we want.(26:03) Yeah. But I think at some at one point I do I do have I did believe in the purpose for that last check and balance. Right.(26:11) Because we're having some political changes here. And if one of these political changes goes through, we're talking about one side having every bit of the power on every branch of our government. (26:22) And that's dangerous, in my opinion.I'm not saying it's right or wrong. The policies may be good, but that's not my my issue. Right.(26:30) My issue is that if one side has all the power, how is everybody being represented then? Right. (26:35) Like, let's be honest, not everybody's represented properly. Yeah, that makes sense.(26:40) And that's that's really the core of it. Right. I'm not one of these like, you know, those John Wayne gun totems spin around my finger, put them in my holster and bang bang kind of guys.(26:51) But but I you know, I do support I know a lot of people in the military. I support I support that side of it as well. (26:58) Do you feel safer with a gun? Well, let me put I'll put it this way.(27:09) If there were if there was one gun in my house, if there was or if there was more than one, they they would be not loaded. (27:17) They would be locked with their cabling. They would not be for home defense.(27:21) They would literally be civil war ish, like coming down to knock down my door kind of thing. (27:27) Does that make sense? Like, I'm not the kind of I don't want anyone to get hurt. (27:32) So I would rather have that all tucked.It's literally tucked away in a corner if I were to have them, of course. (27:38) If right, they would be tucked away and not and not be accessible right away, to be honest. (27:44) So I would it would have to be a pretty big event for me to actively engage in firearms like that.(27:52) That said, I've gone shooting before and it's actually a very fun. (27:57) Kind of like a fun thing. Have you ever gone handgun shooting or no? (28:02) There's a shooting range not too far from where I live, but I've never gone there.(28:08) It's have you ever held a gun? Yeah, I have. (28:12) OK. Yeah.I'm curious because like I remember I'll give you an example. (28:17) I remember when I was growing up in high school and they had police officers come in and they were handing out like they were showing us what crack looks like, you know, the drug. (28:27) And they had a little rock crack in the vial and they were handing her out to school.And when I touched it, I thought something was going to happen. (28:33) You know what I mean? Yeah. That's how I feel like a lot of times with guns that that the power that's in that little piece that you hold.(28:41) Right. Like it's kind of overwhelming. I mean, you have you have the power to take someone's life like in a heartbeat, you know.(28:49) Yeah, it is scary. And when you when you shoot the first one, you're like, what the heck is this? (28:55) And then and then the animal takes over and then you really like it. Yeah, that's the I guess that's the worry, isn't it? (29:01) That is the worry.That is the worry. But as long as I mean, if you do it like like we said, you do it at a range where it's safe and you have all the safety equipment. (29:09) I think that's a very good way to it's a good way to let off some steam for sure.You know, why is that going to the gym? (29:16) Why is there this fear of a civil war? (29:21) Ah, we've got the two parties have completely divided us to the extremes and no one's playing in the middle. (29:29) So it feels like the extremes are going to create a break in the middle. And that break is where where it's going to happen.(29:37) Now, it's usually the gun toters are talking about the civil war. And the people were anti gun or the ones throwing the Molotov cocktails at the systems right now. (29:46) So it's like I'm finding it challenging.I just find it so everyone's so amped up right now. (29:52) It feels like, you know, I everyone's on edge and I think it's hyperbole, right? (29:58) A little bit, you know, you're not going to get results unless you have the most extreme outcome. (30:04) Right? Like, how can I tell you to not have guns of go if if one more day goes by with guns, 13 million people are going to die.(30:12) Then maybe I'll be more, you know, obviously open to that. Right? Yeah. (30:17) So the sensationalism like we're in a civil war.I mean, how's the climate with COVID and everything? How's the climate over in the UK? (30:25) But certainly not approaching civil war. I think everyone's kind of, I think most people have just resigned to the fact, unfortunately, that all these restrictions are put in place and they're accepting it. (30:38) Yeah, that's also scary, too.Yeah, of course. I mean, that's, that's one of the things that United States is pretty good about, like the protests were very good about that freedom of expression. (30:50) After George Floyd last year, Phoenix had a march and Megzi asked me to go.She didn't think I would go and I actually went. (31:00) So we actually did a march with George Floyd, like one of the earlier ones. And I videotaped it.It's on my YouTube channel. (31:06) It's about like 15 one minute clips, basically just throughout during the whole thing. And it was peaceful.It was well done. (31:13) And if people ask me why I protested it, I protested because it's our American right to freely express ourselves peaceably, to peaceably assemble. (31:23) And that's our right.That's our that is our right given written to us by the Constitution in the United States. (31:28) So I want to take advantage of that, regardless of what the cause was, because I wanted it to be a peaceable assembly. Right.(31:36) And I wanted to contribute to the peaceable assembly of that. (31:39) And was it peaceful? It was absolutely peaceful. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.(31:46) It you know, information was still early going on, but it was really, really good. (31:52) And if you go on the YouTube channel, like I said, I think it's gosh, it had to been like summer of last year. (31:57) So it's probably buried pretty deep in there.But it's basically just it has the date and just a Phoenix protest. (32:04) Plug your YouTube channel, Mark. Oh, I'm not conscious.Of course, not conscious. (32:09) Yeah. And sir, please tell us about your channel.Well, yeah. (32:14) Well, while we're taking a break, tell us a little bit about your channel, Tony. (32:17) It's as everyone knows, it's called MJ News Digest on YouTube, and we cover all the latest news about Michael Jackson.(32:24) I love the last one you did with Paris. That was the second to last one. (32:30) Gosh, darn it.See, that's another problem with the United States. We're always behind you guys in some way. (32:36) Yeah.You're like your time as well. You're eight hours behind. (32:40) Yes.And apparently we use something that you you guys refer to as military time. (32:45) What is military time? Ah, that's a great one. So military time.(32:50) What time is it right now in the UK? It's 1905. That is military time. (32:55) So military time, instead of using just single digits, well, up to 12, right? (33:01) Yeah.Using the just 12 hour system, 12 a.m. p.m., we'll go 12. 13 is 1 p.m., right? 14 is 2 p.m. (33:08) So military time is basically you use military time and we do not. (33:12) We call that the 24 hour clock.Yes. Military time and the 24 hour clock are the same. (33:18) So when you hear like stupid military movies where they're like, oh, 500 hours, that's 5 a.m., right? (33:25) Because it's five zero zero.So that's a good one. I like that. (33:30) What would you say? What would you say if I said to you, you're right, Mark? (33:35) What would be your response or what would you think if I was to say, you're right, Mark? (33:40) You're right, Mark.I would say, how are you feeling? And I would say, I feel I'm good. How are you doing? (33:44) Well, what does that mean? (33:47) Well, you see, in the U.K., we kind of use instead of saying, hello, how are you? (33:51) We'll just say, all right, kind of like a greeting. (33:53) But as I was looking into the differences between U.K. and America, it seemed that a lot of Americans have a bit of an issue with that.(34:00) If you ask an American if they're OK, it's more like a leading question rather than just a greeting. (34:08) It is. Yeah.So I think the hello, the hi would be our greeting. (34:12) So yours is like, hi, all right. Is that kind of how you do it, like together? (34:17) Or even drop the hi and just all right.(34:20) OK. See, I think if you came at me with all right, I think I'd be I'd just give you a nod or be like, hey. (34:26) But I think that whole thing, Americans love telling people what's wrong with them or what's going on around them.(34:33) So any kind of opening to are you OK or something, somebody will take that and just pry that little crack open. (34:41) And they'll say, OK, my mom's sick. My dog just died.(34:45) And I've got you know, I just got back from the doctor and that's not going, you know, stuff like that. (34:49) So that I like that's interesting. I've never thought about it like that.(34:54) Why why are Americans so loud? Have you heard me, sir? (35:00) That's what we do. Is it a cultural thing? (35:04) I mean, the British are quite reserved. Yes.(35:07) But Americans just seem so. And I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but Americans seem quite brash and loud and gregarious. (35:15) I feel once again, partially that has a little bit to do with the anti culture of the UK when America was coming up.(35:27) So it obviously Anglo Anglo Saxony was from Germany. Right. (35:32) So German Germanic or Germany kind of migrated north.And that's kind of how the UK became. (35:38) So, you know, the German culture is pretty reserved in general. It is, isn't it? (35:42) Yeah.So I feel like the UK is a lot of a mirror of the original homeland. Right. (35:47) That from which those people came, from which the UK kind of grew.(35:51) The United States almost went anti that. Right. It's like, don't tell me to be quiet.(35:55) Don't tell me to. It's so much about freedoms and liberties and about the person, the individual in the United States that. (36:05) That it kind of becomes that I can be loud because I can be because you can't tell me not to be right.(36:11) OK. You know, so it's almost like spitting in the face or like, you know, slapping, slapping someone in the face for, you know, insulting them. (36:18) It's like an insult almost.Yeah. And is that a fair assumption to make that Americans are generally loud? (36:25) I think that Americans are generally less controlled. So I think that in a way that would be loud, like we might laugh louder.(36:34) Like, I love British humor, British humor. I will. But how do you respond to British humor, for example, Tony? (36:41) Like, let me let me give you an example.Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Right. (36:47) John Cleese, there's a guy running behind him, clacking the coconuts together to make the to make the horse sound.(36:52) How do you react to that? I laugh. Do you like do you laugh? Like, how is it like a hard? (36:59) Like, I would be on the ground rolling and yelling. So that would be the funniest moment to me.(37:05) It has been. I would laugh, but quite reservedly. He's like, chuckle.Right. Almost. Yeah.Yeah. (37:13) We don't do chuckle. OK.We kind of just go all out, like, you know, unless we're in tears. (37:19) Right. Like if we're not in tears, we're not really, truly happy, I guess.(37:22) There is a big difference, isn't there, between American humor and British humor? (37:26) I think there's a huge difference. American humor seems to be more kind of in your face, whereas British humor is a bit sarcasm. (37:34) There is subtle.Yeah. It's smart. Yeah.It's intelligent. (37:38) I feel like in British humor you need to have some context. You know what I mean? (37:45) Like I use Monty Python, Holy Grail, because I love that movie just so much.(37:49) But like John Cleese standing at the top of the castle going, I fought in your general direction. (37:55) Like, that's just the funny. It's so funny because it's not even mean.(38:00) It's just I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. But I do.(38:05) I do find British humor just highly intelligent, very subtle. (38:09) And I feel like if you're not in the correct mindset, you miss a lot of the underlying nuances of it. (38:16) Yeah.Yeah. I think that. But I think The Simpsons is a little bit like that sometimes as well.(38:21) It absolutely is, for sure. Yeah. I mean, there's some of you to pay attention.(38:25) Yeah. Yeah. You can watch an episode a couple of times and catch different things.(38:32) That's what I like about Simpsons. And I like that about Seinfeld. (38:36) I've never watched Seinfeld.Never watched it. (38:38) You know, it's funny because it's so dated in one way. (38:43) Back in the 90s when it was coming out, there weren't cell phones and there weren't pagers.(38:47) There was no other real way of communicating outside of meet me here at 10 o'clock. Right. (38:54) So all of the problems that they have in that show tend to be miscommunications that would have been easily solved had someone had a cell phone.(39:02) So it's almost like a lot of people won't understand the humor nowadays because it's not real. (39:07) They don't relate to it. Yeah.They can't relate to the like there's like a phone bank. (39:11) You know what I mean? Like a phone bank is like a bank of telephones that doesn't exist anymore. (39:16) I've never heard that before.A phone bank. Yeah. Yeah.(39:18) It'd be like if there was like five or six pay phones lined up next to each other, they'd call that a phone bank. (39:23) Like a bank of phones. Right.Like a row of phones. Right. (39:27) So tell me about your biscuits.Oh, that's the next one on my list as well. (39:31) Oh, good. Yes.Well, OK, then tell me about your biscuits. (39:36) Well, I was going to ask you, why do why do you serve gravy with your biscuits? What is biscuits and gravy? (39:43) Yeah. So biscuits to you are cookies, correct? (39:46) They're thin.Explain what a biscuit is, sir, please. (39:48) There's so many different I love biscuits. There's so many different kinds of biscuits we have.(39:52) We have like our cookie biscuits that might be hard dough mixed with sugar and eggs and chocolate chips and maybe a bit of fruit. (40:02) We have Gary Bawdy biscuits. What are those? Gary what? Gary Bawdy biscuits.(40:08) They're thin rectangular biscuits with I think sultanas inside. (40:13) We have so many jammy dodgers, custard creams, digestives, rich teas. (40:22) But they're normally very sweet and just lovely.(40:27) But I think in America, your biscuits are more savory. Is that right? (40:31) That is correct. So your biscuit would basically be anything along our cookie line.(40:36) OK, so if you've ever had like Peppered Farm Chessmen, they're like a shortbread. (40:42) Do you know what I'm talking about at all? Do you guys get that? (40:45) No, Peppered Farm Chessmen. (40:47) Yeah, Chessmen.So basically Peppered Farm is this company that makes a bunch of little cookies. (40:53) And what they do is it's a sugar cookie, but it has a chess piece printed on it like a king or a pawn. (40:59) So they're called Chessmen.(41:01) So when you open up the bag, it's a bunch of very British style biscuits, like in a rectangular shape. (41:08) Right. (41:08) And they would have a shape of one of the chess pieces on it.(41:12) Wow. (41:13) So we called them Chessmen and we'd bite around, you know. (41:15) And do you serve those with gravy? (41:17) No, those are cookies.See, those are like your biscuits, right? (41:21) So your biscuit is our cookie. (41:23) Right. (41:23) When it comes to biscuit biscuit, like breakfast biscuit, we actually, it's more like a muffin.(41:31) It's like a dough and it's got more of a savory feel to it. (41:36) And it's more like the shape of like a cupcake or a muffin shape almost. (41:41) Wow.So muffins. (41:42) So it almost looks like a hockey puck, basically. (41:44) Okay.(41:46) And it's airy and a little dense because it's a little heavy, but it's good with eggs and it's good with meat and it's good with gravy. (41:53) Wow. (41:53) So it's much more of a savory, salty kind of thing versus a sweet thing.(41:58) It sounds very similar to something here that we call dumplings. (42:02) Do you have dumplings in America? (42:04) We do have dumplings, but our dumplings are different than your dumplings. (42:07) Okay.(42:08) Our dumplings would be potato based. (42:11) Okay. (42:11) So we take like potato and we put them in a ball and we drop them in boiling water or something like that or steam them.(42:17) Okay. (42:18) Those would be our type of dumplings. (42:19) Or we do like the Asian dumpling with some kind of pasta shell and then tie them up at the top or like a soup dumpling.(42:28) So we have that as well. (42:31) Okay. (42:31) That's a really good one about that.(42:33) Do you have Jaffa cakes in America? (42:37) I will say no, because I've not heard of that, but I don't want to sound stupid. (42:43) So sure. (42:43) I've had Jaffa cakes.(42:45) I have not. (42:45) No. (42:46) There's a big debate and it's been going on for years in the UK, whether Jaffa cakes are cakes or whether they're biscuits.(42:52) So they're typically sold in the biscuit aisle. (42:55) They're covered in chocolate and they have like an orange jelly center on like a sponge. (43:03) I'm looking at it right now.(43:04) It looks amazing. (43:06) Would you say that's a biscuit or a cake? (43:10) Yeah. (43:10) So for us, we could call it like a filled cookie, but we might call it like a pastry of some sort.(43:17) You know what I mean? (43:17) It might be like a hybrid. (43:19) Okay. (43:20) So we call it like a sweet pastry or a fruit pastry filled chocolate dip pastry of some sort.(43:27) It's kind of gray. (43:28) That looks like it touches a lot of different categories. (43:32) Oh, yeah.(43:33) They're beautiful. (43:34) Are they as good as they look on the picture right now? (43:36) Even better. (43:37) Even better.(43:38) That's delicious. (43:39) I might have to order some. (43:41) It looks like Amazon has them available.(43:42) I'll get some. (43:43) Yeah. (43:43) You won't be disappointed.(43:45) Yes. (43:46) And also typically with biscuits here in the UK. (43:48) So in the US, it kind of sounds like maybe you dunk your biscuits in gravy.(43:54) In the UK, we dunk our biscuits in tea. (43:57) We like to drink our tea with biscuits. (43:59) Tea and biscuits is a national thing here.(44:02) I love the tea biscuit. (44:04) Okay. (44:05) That's super hard, crunchy, right? (44:07) It's a crunchy, generally rectangle with almost like a scalloped edge.(44:10) See, our tea biscuit is circular and it's called rich tea. (44:15) And it's the most boring biscuit there is in the UK. (44:18) But it serves a purpose if you dunk it in tea.(44:21) Exactly. (44:22) It's kind of like our Oreos and milk, right? (44:24) Oreos and milk aren't boring though. (44:26) Have you tried? (44:28) You must.(44:29) We have Lady Gaga Oreos. (44:32) We have double cream Oreos. (44:34) You must get all of that as well.(44:35) You have Lady Gaga Oreos? (44:37) Yeah. (44:37) Yeah, we have Lady Gaga. (44:39) I think we just got triple stuff, my friend.(44:42) Wow. (44:42) I'm not kidding. (44:43) I'm looking it up right now.(44:44) I know we had a double stuff. (44:47) Oh, we have the most stuff. (44:49) Wow.(44:50) Holy crap. (44:51) That thing is thick. (44:52) Wow.(44:53) What's a Lady Gaga Oreo? (44:55) Well, it's just a normal Oreo, but it wraps in a Lady Gaga branding, basically. (45:01) Oh, wow. (45:02) I thought it would just be an Oreo that rolls down the street and has a lot of pictures (45:05) taken of it or something.(45:06) I was a bit disappointed. (45:09) Does she use them as poker chips for her poker face? (45:14) That was very quick. (45:15) Well done.(45:17) Look, I love the UK, and I've never visited. (45:23) Never. (45:23) So I need to come out there sometime.(45:25) What's your view of the UK? (45:28) What's your typical view of the UK? (45:29) To be honest, the one thing that I think Americans think the most of the UK, and it's really (45:36) London, is the number of surveillance cameras and the intrusion that is perceived by the (45:44) government over its people. (45:45) Ooh. (45:47) How about that? (45:48) Yeah, that's interesting.(45:49) You thought we were going to make a joke about that, but I'm serious, my friend. (45:52) Wow. (45:53) Yeah, so if you notice, there's a movie.(45:56) Wasn't there a movie called London Eye or something? (45:58) And I think it had a gentleman named Eric Bana, who was one of the original Hulk, and (46:04) he was in a couple other movies, like one of the Star Trek movies and some other stuff. (46:08) I think he was in this one. (46:10) And basically, it talked about how easily all the cameras in London and how they can (46:14) track you pretty much from one place to another.(46:17) Yeah. (46:20) Part of the thing, one of the things about America is just that freedom, right? (46:23) The problem with the freedom is we also need to have the accountability to be responsible (46:29) with that freedom. (46:31) And I think a lot of people nowadays have taken away the accountability and the responsibility (46:37) in this blaming victimized culture.(46:40) And they're still Americans, but they're not being responsible with their freedoms. (46:46) Right. (46:47) And when I say responsible, I just mean in general.(46:50) There still is courtesy. (46:51) There still should be. (46:53) You know what I mean? (46:53) There still should be underlying civility between two people.(46:58) The freedom of speech is part of it is like you shouldn't go out of your way to try to (47:03) offend. (47:05) But being offended doesn't protect you from not saying it, if that makes any sense. (47:09) Yeah, that makes sense.(47:12) So I feel like what's happened with America is we've taken our liberties and our freedoms (47:18) and we've removed the responsibility of those. (47:20) So even though they have those detrimental actions, we don't think about those prior (47:25) to making those decisions. (47:27) And we make, unfortunately, not the best decisions all the time.(47:33) So do you not have many surveillance cameras in America? (47:37) There's not that many. (47:39) Do you have a lot of traffic speeding and traffic light camera systems? (47:43) Yeah. (47:44) We have traffic lights and cameras.(47:48) So in Phoenix, at one point, about eight years ago, maybe eight to 10 years ago, they tried (47:54) putting cameras all up and down the highway system. (47:57) And almost many of the street, you know, the busy intersections, not every intersection (48:02) because we obviously have a lot of traffic. (48:06) Right.(48:07) So what happened was people weren't paying the bills, though, the fines and the city (48:13) had to, you know, they hire a third person party to do that part. (48:16) And they couldn't afford, you know, I mean, they actually end up taking them all down (48:19) because they don't people just disregarded them. (48:22) They didn't even consider them as anything.(48:24) Wow. (48:25) So you don't you don't have. (48:26) Sorry, you don't have street surveillance cameras.(48:30) So you have. (48:31) Yeah, we have traffic cameras here and there. (48:33) And I know that the highways have a camera system like you can log into the highway system (48:38) to see what the traffic looks like.(48:39) OK, but it's not it's not like it is from my understanding in the UK where I mean, (48:45) I've heard three, four, you know, one camera pointing in every direction on every corner (48:48) of every intersection. (48:49) I mean, is that a little hyperbolic or is that true? (48:53) I'd say that's true. (48:55) I mean, pretty much on every street in especially in my town we have.(48:59) And this isn't just about roads. (49:01) This is to I guess to. (49:03) For protection, right? (49:04) For protection.(49:05) Yeah. (49:06) On every street corner. (49:07) But pretty much there are cameras and some of those cameras can go around in all different (49:11) directions.(49:12) And, you know, some of them pointed in a certain direction. (49:15) But, yeah, it's I guess it's just something that we've got used to. (49:19) Do you know when that really was initiated? (49:23) No, I can't say early 90s or.(49:25) Yeah. (49:26) Other than that, even I think around then, probably in the 90s, I can remember being alarmed (49:31) at one point about the amount of cameras going up in one of the towns here and kind of making (49:37) a joke about it at the time. (49:38) But then we just got used to it and.(49:42) Yeah, but I haven't really thought of it. (49:43) I mean, you bringing this up is making me think about actually what is the purpose of (49:48) them? (49:49) Yeah. (49:50) What is more concerning to you? (49:51) Right.(49:51) Is the safety and the security ultimately the better than the freedoms that you feel you (49:58) can be afforded as a human being? (50:00) Well, I don't think the cameras do particularly keep you safe. (50:03) They might help you to feel safer. (50:05) But if you look at the crime rates in the UK, the crime rates are going up whether or (50:11) not we have, you know, a hundred or so cameras up in the street.(50:15) Yeah. (50:15) See, I agree with you. (50:16) I don't I don't believe that.(50:18) I mean, you have to have laws, right? (50:20) That an action has a consequence. (50:22) That is absolute fact. (50:23) Right.(50:23) Certain things you just cannot do. (50:25) However, there are a lot of laws that just because there's a law in place does not keep (50:29) the person from doing it. (50:31) To your point, crime is much more of an economic indicator or a mental health of the area indicator (50:40) as it is an actual like bad people thing.(50:44) You know what I mean? (50:45) Yeah. (50:46) If you're making less money, if people are making less money, crime is going to go up (50:50) in certain areas for 100 percent regardless of, you know what I mean? (50:56) Regardless of the number of cameras or even police presence. (50:59) Yeah.(50:59) So it sounds like you only have cameras up on to look at the roads, not actually to (51:05) look at the people that are walking down the streets. (51:08) That is correct. (51:09) We do not have cameras on street corners in pedestrian areas of cities in general.(51:15) Maybe New York, maybe L.A. might have some. (51:18) But like Phoenix is the fifth largest fifth or sixth largest city in the country, and (51:22) we don't have that. (51:23) Right.(51:24) And we've got, you know, a million plus. (51:26) So we're not a small town by any means. (51:30) We do some more of the traffic camera if you run a red light or something like that.(51:34) But it's still rare compared to the UK. (51:38) Well, I just thought that was what it was like all over the world. (51:42) I didn't realize it was just a UK thing.(51:44) I don't know if it's just a UK or UK kind of shook it open for the rest of the world (51:49) and they followed suit. (51:50) But I feel like the UK was very instrumental in initiating that. (51:54) Now, to your point, feeling safe and being safe are two very different things.(52:01) Yeah, exactly. (52:02) So how do you how do you navigate that in your world? (52:05) Like, how do you what kind of personal privacy do you accept for certain securities or things (52:13) like that? (52:13) Because those are some big topics we talk about in the United States all the time. (52:17) I don't understand your question.(52:20) So in America, because we're basically offered every freedom until we don't use it properly (52:26) and then it's taken away from us as an individual. (52:29) So, for example, how many freedoms of yours have you given up like being surveilled as (52:35) much as you are? (52:37) Because a lot of times we'll say it's for your protection, right? (52:39) It's so that we can help people, whatever. (52:41) How much of that do you give up to get that personal protection? (52:45) Does that make sense? (52:46) Maybe I'm not asking the question properly.(52:50) What is personal protection? (52:52) Like when you feel safe, like for your personal safety. (52:57) How much for how many freedoms are you willing to give up of your personal freedoms to get (53:01) the personal safety? (53:02) Well, I would I'd like to think that I wouldn't be willing to give up any, but it's clear (53:07) that I have. (53:08) Yeah.And we have to. (53:10) Right. (53:11) And it's unfortunate because you and I, I think, are the same person.(53:15) The same same belief is like, well, we should be able to do we want as long as what we do (53:18) doesn't affect anyone else negatively. (53:20) Right. Yeah.(53:21) Or hurt someone else intentionally or even even unintentionally. (53:26) But you and I go into every action, I think, with that in mind, where a lot of people don't. (53:31) OK, so.(53:32) So then you have to take like 9-11 for us. (53:34) Right. September 11th was huge.(53:37) All they started surveilling our emails, every email they surveilled. (53:42) Right. And they found that not a single email that they had surveilled had led to any (53:47) arrest for any dubious act.(53:50) So are they still surveilling your emails? (53:53) Yes. (53:53) OK, because because once you get the power, it's really hard to get rid of it. (53:58) Once you give it up, getting it back is hard.(54:00) And that's where I think a lot of the those when we talk about the American flag, flag (54:05) flying heel, you know, they're digging their heels right now because they don't they. (54:10) I'm in that same I'm in that same mindset, but I'm not as assertive about it as some (54:16) people are. (54:17) OK, I do believe that once you give up certain freedoms.(54:21) But the problem is, I know that I'm a responsible person and I live in areas where I've (54:26) seen people that are not responsible, you know, and I don't know if that's a good thing (54:31) to like let everyone kind of do what they want or regulate it, you know. (54:35) But if so, say, for example, within Phoenix, all of a sudden, say you woke up tomorrow (54:40) morning and you found that there was surveillance cameras on every street corner in Phoenix. (54:46) How can you not give up your freedom? (54:48) You haven't got a choice in that.(54:50) Oh, you don't. It's done. (54:51) Yeah, exactly.(54:52) Yeah. What you hope is that you elect the correct officials or the correct elected (54:56) officials to keep that from happening, to keep the American peace alive. (55:01) Right.(55:03) So I don't I don't know if you're familiar. (55:05) Basically, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, there's 10 right now. (55:07) Obviously, we've added to that.(55:09) We've had amendments to the Constitution. (55:11) But basically anything that's not written specifically in the Constitution is (55:17) technically up for the state to decide. (55:21) OK, so I'll give you an example.(55:23) I it's probably a bad one, but abortion would be an example. (55:26) Right. I know we have Roe v. (55:28) Wade and that made it to the Supreme Court.(55:30) But technically, the state should be the one to allow the abortion or not because (55:35) it is not a right written specifically for the federal government to decide. (55:39) Right. (55:40) So anything that's not federal rights is explicitly for state rights, except for (55:48) now we have amendments that have changed those things.(55:50) And obviously, many amendments have been good for the better, for sure. (55:56) So do you guys really boil everything? (55:59) Boil? (56:00) Do you boil everything or anything? (56:05) As in food items? (56:06) I'm sorry, I had to stop. (56:08) I just had to cut it with some levity, my friend.(56:12) As in food items? (56:13) Yes. What don't you boil? (56:15) Let's start with that. (56:17) We boil eggs.(56:18) We can boil beef. (56:20) We can boil pretty much anything. (56:22) Cabbage, right? (56:23) Yeah.(56:23) Oh, my gosh. (56:24) That's great. (56:24) So tell me about yourself.(56:29) Now, we are very close in age, right? (56:33) Mid 40s? (56:34) Late 40s. (56:35) Late 40s. (56:36) Let's not talk about that.(56:39) But you grew up in England, in the UK. (56:43) What's the spices like? (56:45) How's the flavoring, the seasoning? (56:46) I've always heard that British food doesn't have the seasoning. (56:53) Yeah, I think you're right.(56:55) Our seasoning is pretty much salt and pepper. (56:58) I love that. (56:59) It's very German, by the way.(57:00) Is it? (57:01) Very stew, like pot roast based. (57:04) Yeah. (57:05) Comfort food.(57:06) So what's your seasoning? (57:08) Well, the thing is, though, did you get a huge influx of curry, right? (57:13) And some other spices from India and some other things when you had territories? (57:17) Yeah, so the Indian curry is pretty much our national dish right now. (57:22) Oh, it is? (57:23) Yeah. (57:23) Okay.(57:23) What percentage of the population is Indian Pakistani? (57:28) It's growing. (57:29) Yeah. (57:30) I wouldn't know the statistics, but.(57:32) I remember Germany had a big 10, 20%. (57:36) And I think it was Turk or it was either Turk or it was Pakistani or something. (57:43) And I did visit Germany before.(57:47) I could not find a regular bottle of ketchup. (57:49) Wow. (57:50) I could only find curry ketchup.(57:52) And this was back in 85, even. (57:55) They didn't even have regular non-curry ketchup back then. (57:58) Wow.(57:59) So, yeah. (58:00) So we do have spices, but we typically use our spices for things like Indian meals or, (58:05) you know, different meals from different countries. (58:08) But we don't typically put spices in our English food.(58:12) But I think you're quite right. (58:13) English food is pretty much English food. (58:17) Delicious? (58:18) It is.(58:19) But English food can be described by a color. (58:22) And that color is beige. (58:23) Beige.(58:24) That's true. (58:25) When your plate is beige, right? (58:26) It's the potatoes and gravy, the boiled meat in this case. (58:33) Do you not boil your mints? (58:35) We do.(58:36) Oh, we certainly boil some things. (58:37) I mean, we boil, for example, we boil pork ribs or ribs generally before we put them on (58:41) a grill or something like that. (58:42) But then we grill them after.(58:43) Okay. (58:44) Yeah. (58:44) So the complete preparation isn't boiled, for example.(58:49) Right now I'm doing a crockpot brisket downstairs, my friend. (58:52) What's a brisket? (58:53) A brisket, it's a Jewish delicacy. (58:57) So it's a big slab of meat.(58:59) Oh, I know. (59:00) Yeah. (59:01) And you basically cook it really low and slow until it gets really tender and almost falls (59:05) apart.(59:05) And then you have to cut it against the grain. (59:07) That's the only thing I know about it. (59:09) Nice.(59:09) And it tastes good. (59:11) And it's a long, slow process. (59:13) So going back to tea, did you say you're a tea drinker? (59:17) I am not.(59:18) I'm a coffee guy. (59:19) Okay. (59:19) Yeah.(59:19) So we have this assumption that Americans all drink coffee and whereas England, we drink (59:24) tea. (59:26) Yeah. (59:26) And I think that was another one of those like America thumbing the nose at the UK.(59:33) Okay. (59:34) Because tea had obviously come in from England. (59:37) And then when we rebelled, we started growing coffee.(59:41) Right. (59:42) It was really just to be an anti-tea, I think is really what it was. (59:46) Have you ever had a cup of tea? (59:48) I have.(59:49) Okay. (59:49) I have. (59:50) How do you take your cup of tea? (59:52) How do you have your cup? (59:53) What goes into your cup of tea? (59:55) I don't do cream, but I will do honey or honey and lemon.(1:00:00) Okay. (1:00:00) I do. (1:00:01) How about yourself? (1:00:02) It's always milk and honey.(1:00:05) Milk. (1:00:05) It is milk. (1:00:06) Yeah.(1:00:06) But typically in the UK, it's milk and sugar. (1:00:10) Okay. (1:00:11) Yeah.(1:00:12) That would make sense. (1:00:13) Milk and sugar. (1:00:13) Yeah.(1:00:13) I mean, if we have honey, I would always prefer honey as a sweetener over sugar, but. (1:00:18) It's the healthier option. (1:00:20) It certainly is.(1:00:22) So Mark, if you came to the UK and you were invited to my palace, obviously everyone in (1:00:28) the UK owns palaces and massive houses. (1:00:32) Of course. (1:00:32) Yes.(1:00:33) I mean, you're all royalty. (1:00:34) Of course. (1:00:36) If I was to say to you, right, Mark, I'm going to serve you up some bangers and mash, what (1:00:41) would you think you were going to be? (1:00:43) The problem with this, it's my favorite fucking meal.(1:00:46) Is it? (1:00:47) Yeah. (1:00:48) I know it. (1:00:48) I order it whenever I can.(1:00:50) Okay. (1:00:50) But I know what it is, but I wouldn't know if I was just a typical American. (1:00:55) So please, what are bangers and mash, sir? (1:00:58) Bangers and mash are mashed potato and sausages.(1:01:02) Yeah. (1:01:02) Why do you call them bangers? (1:01:04) Because they look like fireworks, don't they? (1:01:07) Sausages and fireworks. (1:01:09) They look like penises and you use penises to bang people.(1:01:12) That's a better way. (1:01:14) That's what I thought they were bangers. (1:01:16) That's literally, I always thought they were bangers because I'm like, they look like penises.(1:01:20) And what do you do when you meet somebody, you bang them. (1:01:22) Because that's like our term for having sex is saying, I banged them. (1:01:25) Oh, okay.(1:01:26) So bangers and mash make total sense to me in that way. (1:01:29) Right. (1:01:31) But fireworks, is it because they may be burst? (1:01:34) Because when you bite in them and they're juicy and they, I need to know this etymology of the banger, my friend.(1:01:42) I don't know where that came from, but you just know it's bangers and mash. (1:01:46) And what about, so for pudding, we've had our main course and for pudding, you're about to be served a plate of spotted dick. (1:01:55) Yes.(1:01:56) Do you know what a spotted dick is? (1:01:58) Most people would not. (1:02:00) So please share with me the blemishes on your penis. (1:02:08) So what is spotted dick, sir? (1:02:10) Oh, it's delicious.(1:02:11) It's a real mouthful actually spotted dick. (1:02:14) It's a sponge with currants or sultanas in it. (1:02:20) And we typically serve it with custard.(1:02:22) Okay. (1:02:22) Does it have raisins? (1:02:24) Oh yeah. (1:02:25) Yeah.(1:02:25) Raisins. (1:02:25) Raisins. (1:02:26) Yeah.(1:02:26) Because those are the spots, right? (1:02:27) That's right. (1:02:28) Technically, those are the spots on the dick that you shoved on your face. (1:02:31) Okay.(1:02:34) Yeah. (1:02:35) And yeah, that's the other thing. (1:02:36) You're very bready pudding-y, right? (1:02:38) Yeah.(1:02:39) Oh, we love pudding. (1:02:39) We're more like silky smoothie pudding. (1:02:42) Okay.(1:02:43) Like if you've, I don't know if you have those like little to-go cups you can buy pre-made at a supermarket. (1:02:50) But it's like vanilla or chocolate where it's like silk and smoothie. (1:02:53) Those are our puddings.(1:02:54) You have more bready-based type. (1:02:56) So like a sauce kind of pudding. (1:02:58) Yeah.(1:02:59) It's like a thick, yeah. (1:03:00) It's almost like a thick sauce or like thicker than a gravy. (1:03:03) Okay.(1:03:04) So. (1:03:06) So did curry take over fish and chips as your most popular food? (1:03:10) Yeah, I would say so. (1:03:11) I would say so, yeah.(1:03:12) Or maybe it's equal. (1:03:14) I don't know. (1:03:15) I mean, I've always, I guess from the 80s.(1:03:17) I think that's when the Indian cuisine really exploded in the UK. (1:03:21) But every street pretty much in the UK has fish and chip shop and a curry house. (1:03:27) I find that the, that it was in like in the 80s.(1:03:31) I find that a little late to the party considering you had, I mean, you were, India was a territory or a property? (1:03:39) What was the technical term? (1:03:41) I have no idea. (1:03:42) But it basically, India was being run by Britain for a number of years, correct? (1:03:47) Yeah. (1:03:48) So you'd think that curry would have found its way into your, into your palate earlier, sooner.(1:03:54) Yeah. (1:03:54) Maybe it was before the 80s. (1:03:56) But I just remember it being in the 80s.(1:03:59) If it was before, it probably would have been the 70s. (1:04:02) So not too long before. (1:04:03) Okay.(1:04:05) But do you have dedicated like curry houses? (1:04:08) Because, because I kind of had this assumption that for us, it's for the people in the UK, like our national dish is like Indian food. (1:04:16) But in America, it's kind of like Mexican food. (1:04:20) That's a great question.(1:04:22) And I think it's very regional. (1:04:24) So I live in the Southeast, or I'm sorry, I live in the Southwest. (1:04:28) We are a border state with Mexico.(1:04:31) Mexican food is a huge portion of our cuisine. (1:04:34) Right. (1:04:34) So if you look, for example, in here, do you have like a little Italy or a German town? (1:04:42) Or do you have like little pockets of other of little ethnic groups that you like kind of have together in like little towns? (1:04:49) No, not really.(1:04:50) Okay. (1:04:51) So for example, like a lot of our cities will have like a Chinatown. (1:04:55) Oh, yeah, we have a Chinatown in London.(1:04:57) Yeah. (1:04:57) Okay. (1:04:57) Yeah.(1:04:58) Or like a little Italy or something. (1:04:59) We call it little Italy. (1:05:00) And basically, it's like a street where a lot of Italian immigrants came, and they made their life together.(1:05:06) So it's like a little pocket of Italian Americans inside the bigger city, for example. (1:05:12) So we have a lot of that. (1:05:14) So for example, you drive through Phoenix, you will see a tire store, discount tire that's American.(1:05:21) And the next corner, there will be a place that sells Llanteras, which is spelled L-L-A-N-T-E-R-A-S. (1:05:28) And that means tire in Spanish. (1:05:30) Ah.(1:05:30) So you'll have like a convenience store or a supermarket on one corner and a carniceria on the other, which is basically like a Spanish or Mexican like convenience store. (1:05:41) Wow. (1:05:42) So there's a lot of intermingling here.(1:05:45) It's a lot more in the Southwest because I think the Southwest kept a lot of the culture when the people came and brought it over. (1:05:55) Right. (1:05:55) So my parents were German, and they both met in Philadelphia area, but they both assimilated to America.(1:06:02) Even though they had their German pockets of people, they still chose America. (1:06:07) So they're very America-centric. (1:06:10) Like they gave us American names.(1:06:11) They had us speaking English. (1:06:13) You know what I mean? (1:06:14) Yeah. (1:06:14) They made sure that we would assimilate very well with the culture.(1:06:17) Right. (1:06:18) And not every culture does that. (1:06:19) A lot of cultures like to live in America but be themselves.(1:06:23) In their own little pocket. (1:06:24) Yeah. (1:06:25) And sometimes that can create some friction because it doesn't feel unity, right? (1:06:29) Like what's great about America is the concept of all these different people coming together as one.(1:06:36) But it's like we all feel like we're being pushed together, but we don't feel like we're one anymore. (1:06:42) Right. (1:06:42) You know what I mean? (1:06:42) It's just a different mindset than it used to be.(1:06:45) And that might come back around, right? (1:06:47) I mean, I think cultural things go in waves. (1:06:50) Yeah. (1:06:50) Everything comes back around.(1:06:52) Yeah. (1:06:53) So you guys don't lock your bikes? (1:06:56) Did I hear this correctly? (1:06:57) Don't lock our bikes. (1:06:59) Do you lock your bikes? (1:07:00) Yeah.(1:07:01) Oh, okay. (1:07:01) Because this article is really saying that you don't. (1:07:04) Okay.(1:07:06) In what context? (1:07:08) They must be more trustworthy people that people aren't going to steal your transportation. (1:07:13) Oh, no. (1:07:14) Our transportation is stolen quite often.(1:07:17) Quite often. (1:07:17) Yeah, I'm sure. (1:07:18) Maybe this is an older article too.(1:07:19) So in London, they have this cycle scheme where I think you pay a certain amount of money and you can hire a bike. (1:07:27) All these bikes look the same. (1:07:29) And I don't think they're locked.(1:07:31) You just have to pay some money into a machine, I think, and you can ride that bike. (1:07:35) And then you park it at a designated space, and then someone else can get on it. (1:07:39) Yeah, we have that same thing.(1:07:40) It's like a share. (1:07:41) But we have scooters and we have the bicycles now. (1:07:44) Okay.(1:07:44) So the bicycle ones, I think they're called green bikes here. (1:07:47) And basically on the back, there's a little solar panel where you slide your credit card and you can pay for the hour or the day or whatever. (1:07:54) And there's all these different stations where you can pick it up at one and drive it over and drop it off at another station, as long as it's put back into one of the designated areas.(1:08:02) Yeah. (1:08:03) Those are always good. (1:08:04) So typically, we don't lock those, but yeah, we would lock our bikes, definitely.(1:08:09) I have a question about your weather. (1:08:11) Oh, okay. (1:08:12) Does everyone have air conditioners? (1:08:14) No.(1:08:16) Tell me about that because I have not ever been in a house without one. (1:08:20) I guess because it's not always very hot in the UK. (1:08:25) We might have a couple of months of nice weather in the summer if we're lucky.(1:08:30) But typically, it's raining pretty much all the time in the UK. (1:08:35) Well, not all the time, but it's raining more often. (1:08:38) How does that affect your mood? (1:08:39) I mean, how does that affect you as a people? (1:08:40) Do you really get a lot of seasonal depression type things? (1:08:45) Yeah, I think in the winter, we might get a little bit down.(1:08:48) But if it's raining, we just get wet and we get on with it. (1:08:52) Okay. (1:08:53) Yeah, I think when you grew up in it, right, it's a little more normal than moving to it.(1:08:57) Yeah. (1:08:58) And also, I like the expression, it's really cliched, but you have to put up with the rain to appreciate the sun. (1:09:03) So if it's going to be pissing down one day, next day, it might be a little bit sunny.(1:09:08) So it's okay. (1:09:10) That's a beautiful way to look at it, though. (1:09:12) I mean, honestly, it's kind of like the crow, right? (1:09:15) It can't rain every day.(1:09:16) Yeah. (1:09:17) And then when it comes out, you really do appreciate that. (1:09:20) But it is a kind of a weird way to rationalize it, though.(1:09:24) It's like, well, you know, those three days of sunshine, we really, really appreciate. (1:09:28) Yeah. (1:09:29) Now, for me, we have 320 days of sunshine.(1:09:32) Wow. (1:09:33) I mean, really hot sunshine. (1:09:35) Yeah, we're talking like you'd be lucky to find a cloud in the sky.(1:09:39) Wow. (1:09:40) I mean, blue sky. (1:09:41) We probably have blue sky a good 250 days a year.(1:09:45) Wow. (1:09:45) Maybe 200. (1:09:46) But that's two thirds of the year.(1:09:48) I mean, especially in Arizona, it's definitely different in different parts of the country, for sure. (1:09:53) But that's why you need air conditioners, then. (1:09:56) Absolutely.(1:09:57) And what's interesting is why I need air conditioning here is to take out the heat, because we don't have much humidity. (1:10:02) We're kind of a desert, dry climate area. (1:10:04) But in Philadelphia, there's a high percentage of humidity.(1:10:09) So the air conditioner works harder to take out the humidity of the air than to bring down the temperature. (1:10:15) So it actually works differently. (1:10:16) Do you have personal air conditioners that you can wear around your neck? (1:10:22) We have those little fans or something like that with like a little, you put water in it to try to keep it cool.(1:10:27) But we don't have like a personal like air condition walk around it. (1:10:30) Yeah, it's just I saw this today on the Internet that they're out in the UK. (1:10:36) You just wear them around your neck and they're supposed to keep you cool.(1:10:40) Yeah. (1:10:41) There's these kind of towels, too, where you can put them in water. (1:10:45) And if they go around your neck, it does help a lot with that feeling of coolness.(1:10:48) Right. (1:10:49) Sure. (1:10:50) All right, sir.(1:10:51) What about letterboxes? (1:10:53) Do you have a letterbox in your front door? (1:10:57) I do not have a letterbox. (1:10:59) Do any Americans? (1:11:00) I do have a mailbox. (1:11:01) Do any Americans have letterboxes? (1:11:04) They do, but they call them mailboxes.(1:11:06) So mailboxes, from the movies I've seen, they're at the end of maybe a pathway. (1:11:11) They're made out of wood or metal. (1:11:13) And the postman puts his mail in there.(1:11:15) And does he collect mail as well? (1:11:17) That's correct. (1:11:18) Ah, that's interesting. (1:11:20) Yeah, so if you ever saw one of the old school ones, it looks, say like it looks like a barn door or like a hanger.(1:11:26) Yeah. (1:11:26) You know, it's like this, like almost a half cylinder, right? (1:11:29) With a bottom, a flat bottom. (1:11:30) Yeah.(1:11:30) Kind of a curved top. (1:11:32) There's a little flag on the side on most of them. (1:11:35) And what it was, was when you had mail to be picked up, you would put the mail in the box and lift the flag.(1:11:41) Ah. (1:11:42) And then the person would come, know to take out whatever's in there before putting in their mail. (1:11:48) Okay.(1:11:49) Yeah. (1:11:49) So it was kind of an indicating system, but a lot of people stopped doing that because people would know that mail was in there and there was a lot of mail fraud. (1:11:55) Okay.(1:11:56) So people would go in and steal. (1:11:58) Now, those boxes on properties are different because say they live on a third of an acre or something like that. (1:12:06) They would generally have a mailbox at the end of the driveway.(1:12:11) For me, I actually live in a community where we have this bank, this box that is away from all the houses that the postman just opens the entire thing and puts them in individually and then we go there to get them. (1:12:24) Right. (1:12:25) And then the third one would be the one right on the door.(1:12:28) Like right next to the doorbell, there'd be a letterbox. (1:12:31) That would be like a letterbox, I would think. (1:12:32) So your letters stay outside of your home until you collect them.(1:12:37) The postman never puts them inside your property through the letterbox. (1:12:41) That's correct. (1:12:42) And you're talking about the little slit.(1:12:43) Is that correct? (1:12:44) The little slit in the door? (1:12:45) Yeah. (1:12:46) Yeah. (1:12:46) We don't have those like we used to.(1:12:48) Okay. (1:12:49) That seems to be a very Home Alone movie kind of thing. (1:12:53) You know what I mean? (1:12:54) Like, I don't know why.(1:12:56) I think it's funny because you see how movies do reflect things and you look at it and go, that's not us. (1:13:01) Yeah. (1:13:02) So you don't have postboxes in the street then? (1:13:06) So we have like, yeah, we call them postboxes.(1:13:09) Yeah, we would have postboxes. (1:13:10) Like we have big blue painted freestanding pieces that you can put mail into and they're sporadically around. (1:13:17) Okay.(1:13:17) But in our neighborhood, we actually have a designated, it's kind of the same thing, but it's just a different shape. (1:13:24) And it's for all the residents in our little area. (1:13:27) Okay.(1:13:27) So we can go to it, drop off mail and pick it up as needed. (1:13:31) Wow. (1:13:33) Yeah.(1:13:33) So tell me what it's like with you. (1:13:35) What's your situation like or how's your setup? (1:13:38) We have letterboxes for deliveries. (1:13:40) But if we want to send post to anywhere, we either go into the post office or we pop it in a red postbox in the street.(1:13:48) Okay. (1:13:48) So you just do it away from home? (1:13:50) Yeah. (1:13:51) Yeah.(1:13:52) Okay. (1:13:53) Very nice. (1:13:53) What do your post vehicles look like? (1:13:56) Your mail vehicles? (1:13:58) Do they look weird like ours? (1:13:59) Have you ever seen Postman Pat? (1:14:02) No.(1:14:03) Oh, you need to watch Postman Pat. (1:14:05) It's the most amazing UK TV series. (1:14:07) It's about this postman called Pat and his black and white cat.(1:14:12) I'm looking at it right now. (1:14:16) And Postman Pat has a movie out, apparently. (1:14:19) Has he? (1:14:19) Oh, wow.(1:14:20) And it made $8.6 million. (1:14:23) Wow. (1:14:23) I missed that.(1:14:24) How about that? (1:14:25) So that's typically what our post vehicles look like. (1:14:28) Okay. (1:14:29) Yeah.(1:14:29) We have these odd shape. (1:14:31) They used to be like old army Jeeps, it seemed like back in the day. (1:14:35) Right.(1:14:35) And then they've started building the more squary and more awkward looking. (1:14:39) And now we're going electric, I think. (1:14:41) They're starting to do electric ones.(1:14:42) Wow. (1:14:43) Is it true that in America, if you work, you are only allowed 10 days holiday a year or vacation, annual leave? (1:14:55) Is that true? (1:14:56) Yes, sir. (1:14:57) That's unbelievable.(1:14:59) If we're lucky to get that, sir. (1:15:02) Wow. (1:15:02) That's actually a rare thing.(1:15:06) So two weeks of vacation time, which is 10 business days, right? (1:15:10) So it'd be the weekend. (1:15:11) That's where the 10 days comes out. (1:15:14) It all depends on the company, right? (1:15:17) And what they pay.(1:15:18) It depends on the company, the employee, what they pay them, what the position. (1:15:24) Some positions are harder to fill than others. (1:15:27) So you have to add more incentives, right? (1:15:29) Yeah.(1:15:29) So for example, I started my position and I started with, I think I started with three weeks possibly. (1:15:38) And in October, I will be at five weeks, I think is the most that I get off. (1:15:45) So I have like 26 days a year.(1:15:47) So is that because you've worked there for a certain period of time and they get added on the days? (1:15:52) Correct. (1:15:52) Yeah. (1:15:53) So it was like after the first year, I think they added a week.(1:15:55) And then after five years, they added one more week. (1:15:58) And then at seven years, they added another week or something like that. (1:16:01) Okay.Wow. (1:16:02) Yeah. So it's kind of like a loyalty thing, but it's not mandatory.(1:16:06) I mean, the companies are not, they're not required to do that. (1:16:10) So tell me about your paternity leave, your vacation time. (1:16:13) All these things tie into each other, right? (1:16:15) How is it in the UK? (1:16:16) I'm not sure about paternity leave, but our annual leave or holidays typically start at 28 days.(1:16:23) So we have four weeks off as standard. (1:16:27) And then every year. (1:16:28) Yeah.So we start at 28 days annual leave. (1:16:32) And then every year we work for a company that will increase. (1:16:35) I'm not sure what the ceiling is.(1:16:37) I think that depends on whatever the company is. (1:16:39) You know, 11 months off. (1:16:43) I've worked here for 46 years.(1:16:44) I get 10 months off. (1:16:47) That's pretty amazing. (1:16:48) And I do think you have some more paternity stuff.(1:16:51) And I know they're working on paternity and things like that. (1:16:54) How about like daycare and those types of additional things for families? (1:16:59) What kind of, you know, in addition to vacation and all that? (1:17:03) There's maternity leave and yeah, there is daycare. (1:17:06) I'm not sure.(1:17:08) I'm not sure what that is, but I know some companies do have different things for, you know, different reasons. (1:17:15) And also we have, what about your sick leave? (1:17:17) Do you have, are you allowed to be sick? (1:17:21) Are you paid for being sick? (1:17:23) This is where they got really smart and really screwed us over, Tony. (1:17:27) So instead of having sick days that must be taken every year (1:17:31) and vacation days that can be stacked or added together (1:17:35) and like they can accumulate over time, (1:17:38) they put them together into one thing called PTO, (1:17:42) which stands for personal time off.(1:17:44) Okay. (1:17:44) You can use the personal time off if you're not feeling well or if you're on vacation. (1:17:50) So it does offer the flexibility of the type of thing you can do with it.(1:17:55) But at the same point, it doesn't give you designated sick time. (1:18:00) Right. (1:18:01) So you're using technically vacation time.(1:18:04) They put them together, but it's all part of the same pool. (1:18:07) So really it's 14, it's 10 days off regardless. (1:18:12) It's not even vacation.(1:18:14) Wow. (1:18:15) That's harsh. (1:18:17) Yeah.(1:18:17) How's your setup? (1:18:19) Do you have a handful of designated days that are for mental health or sick days? (1:18:24) Yeah, we have sick days. (1:18:25) I'm not sure if it's a designated amount of days, but we can self-certify ourselves. (1:18:30) I think we're allowed up to either 7 or 10 days at a time (1:18:34) where we don't have to get a sick note from a doctor.(1:18:37) But then anything over that, we go to a doctor and he signs us off. (1:18:41) Oh, sure. (1:18:41) Typically you're paid, I think it depends on the company, (1:18:44) but you could be on full pay for three months off, (1:18:47) and then after three months it would go down to half pay.(1:18:50) But some companies also have something called duvet days. (1:18:54) So if you decide one morning that you don't want to go into work, (1:18:57) you just phone up and say, I'm having a duvet day, and that's okay. (1:19:00) You don't have to come in.(1:19:02) That really addresses some mental health stuff. (1:19:05) Yeah. (1:19:05) Yeah, it's a good idea.(1:19:07) Unfortunately, the company I work for doesn't allow duvet days. (1:19:10) Okay. (1:19:11) Wow.(1:19:12) It's not always perfect, right? (1:19:14) But that would be great. (1:19:15) I mean, imagine you're having a rough day and you just call and be like, duvet. (1:19:19) It's like Mulligan, right? (1:19:20) Like, call me out.(1:19:21) I'm out. (1:19:21) I'm good. (1:19:22) So I do have a question.(1:19:24) When you contact your work and tell them that you're not going to be in, (1:19:30) what do you call that? (1:19:32) Is there a phrase? (1:19:34) We say call in or call out. (1:19:38) We would phone our boss. (1:19:41) We would just say, yeah.(1:19:43) Phoned in or something? (1:19:44) Yeah, phone them up. (1:19:45) Phone them up. (1:19:46) That's what we'd say.(1:19:46) Phone them up. (1:19:47) Okay. (1:19:47) Interesting.(1:19:48) So we've always had a little thing in the United States because it's very (1:19:51) regional. (1:19:52) A lot of our verbiage is regional. (1:19:55) So I was working at a company.(1:19:57) I was a manager at a company, and I was starting the morning day, (1:20:00) and I had the meeting in the morning. (1:20:02) And I'm like, hey, everybody, welcome. (1:20:04) You're trying to cheer everybody up and get everybody started.(1:20:07) And somebody goes to me, they go, oh, John called in. (1:20:11) And I look at them, and I sat there, and it's quiet. (1:20:14) And no one's saying anything.(1:20:15) I don't say anything. (1:20:16) I look at the person, I go, what did John have to say when they called in? (1:20:20) And they're like, oh, that he won't be in to work. (1:20:22) I'm like, oh, so he called out.(1:20:24) So we got into this huge, like, not argument, obviously, (1:20:27) but like a fun little thing of calling in versus calling out. (1:20:31) Because I'm like, well, we call in, but you're telling them you're going to be (1:20:33) out. (1:20:34) So we just say call out.(1:20:36) But when someone to me calls in, I'm like, well, what do they have to share (1:20:39) with us? (1:20:40) What information do they want to share? (1:20:42) So it is a little different in verbiage there. (1:20:44) What do Americans refer to as fags? (1:20:50) In England, we have an assumption that Americans, (1:20:55) it's kind of like a slang word for gays. (1:20:58) Yes.(1:20:59) Matter of fact, it's not cigarettes, like you say. (1:21:02) Yeah. (1:21:02) So in England, it's cigarettes.(1:21:04) So in England, very often we might say, can I bum a fag? (1:21:09) And can I bum a fag means can I have a fag? (1:21:12) But I guess in America, that would mean something completely different. (1:21:16) Well, I don't know if you want a fag's bum. (1:21:18) I'm just kidding.(1:21:19) I'm just kidding. (1:21:20) Just kidding. (1:21:21) No, but it is interesting.(1:21:22) And I wondered about that one. (1:21:24) Because there's a faggot of sticks, right, is a bundle of sticks, right? (1:21:28) I've never heard that before, a faggot of sticks. (1:21:30) Okay, I think in America, a faggot of sticks is like a bundle of sticks.(1:21:36) And I'm wondering if that was taken from like a bundle of cigarettes, (1:21:39) which came from the UK. (1:21:40) Oh, yeah. (1:21:41) But I'm wondering if like because you suck on a cigarette, (1:21:45) I wonder if that's where the slang came.(1:21:48) Amazing. (1:21:48) I'm very curious how that happened. (1:21:50) Yeah.(1:21:51) Because that is weird. (1:21:53) Like that is one of, the word faggot to me, (1:21:57) sounds like one of the most degrading words. (1:22:00) And if you use it in that way to actually degrade, (1:22:03) I just feel like it has such an ugliness to it.(1:22:06) Yeah, it does. (1:22:06) But in England, we have a delicacy called faggots. (1:22:10) They're absolutely beautiful.(1:22:12) Oh, okay. (1:22:13) What do they taste like or what are they made of? (1:22:15) Meat. (1:22:17) I don't know what kind of meat.(1:22:18) Maybe it's all different kinds of meat, (1:22:20) all mixed in and mechanically processed and served with a gravy type sauce. (1:22:25) But yeah, they're really nice. (1:22:26) Brains faggots, they're called.(1:22:29) That sounds amazing. (1:22:30) I'm going to have to try that. (1:22:32) Yeah.(1:22:32) So how did, where, do you know where that came from, (1:22:35) where fag came from for the cigarette? (1:22:37) No, no idea. (1:22:38) No idea. (1:22:39) And I'm wondering if there was a term that was before it was a cigarette.(1:22:42) I mean, it was like a faget or something or some French term. (1:22:45) And then it just got truncated or something. (1:22:47) Yeah.(1:22:47) There has to be some kind of common sense thing there. (1:22:50) Yeah. (1:22:51) So how about petrol? (1:22:53) Petrol.(1:22:53) You put petrol in your car, right? (1:22:55) We do. (1:22:56) What do you put in your cars? (1:22:57) We put gas in our car. (1:22:59) Gas? (1:23:00) Gas.(1:23:00) Okay. (1:23:01) So gas is... (1:23:02) So gas is both me farting and putting liquid in my car. (1:23:07) So gas is liquid? (1:23:09) Yeah.(1:23:10) Gasoline is really the term. (1:23:12) But we call it gas. (1:23:13) We actually shorten it to gas, but you're petroleum, right? (1:23:16) Yeah.(1:23:16) So you shorten it to petrol. (1:23:17) Yeah. (1:23:18) Yeah.(1:23:18) And it's sold by the litre, which is basically our quart. (1:23:21) Okay. (1:23:22) We sell it by the gallon.(1:23:23) So beyond the metric system, we don't even need to go into that, (1:23:26) because we know we're all over the place there. (1:23:29) Thanksgiving. (1:23:31) What's... (1:23:32) Yes.(1:23:32) We don't have Thanksgiving here. (1:23:34) I like the idea of it, but what is it? (1:23:38) Yeah. (1:23:38) So before we raped the Native Americans of America, (1:23:42) we got together and had a meal with them, allegedly.(1:23:45) Oh. (1:23:45) I think it's a fake thing. (1:23:47) I have to... (1:23:48) I don't think everybody got... (1:23:49) I think that people did get together, (1:23:51) and then they just put a thing on it.(1:23:53) I don't know. (1:23:54) But why would you... (1:23:54) The whole first Thanksgiving thing sounds weird to me, (1:23:57) but I love the idea. (1:23:58) Why would you have it so close to Christmas as well? (1:24:00) Doesn't it dilute Christmas? (1:24:02) Yeah, that's a good question.(1:24:03) And I've looked at our holiday system. (1:24:06) How many holidays would you say you have in a year? (1:24:08) And how are they spread out? (1:24:10) We have quite a few. (1:24:11) So we have bank holidays as well.(1:24:13) They're typically a Friday or a Monday that we can have off and we're paid. (1:24:20) I don't know how many we have over the year. (1:24:23) So if we're going to start, we start with New Year's Day, right? (1:24:25) Yeah.(1:24:25) And it seems to be that from Halloween to New Year's is very close for us. (1:24:34) So we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, all very close, (1:24:38) within a two-month period. (1:24:40) And then it kind of spreads out.(1:24:42) We do have a President's Day in January. (1:24:45) We also have an MLK, Martin Luther King Day. (1:24:47) Okay.(1:24:47) And then we have like an Arbor Day or Memorial Day and then Labor Day (1:24:53) and some other ones that are sprinkled in. (1:24:55) But you're right. (1:24:55) It is weird that Thanksgiving is so close.(1:24:57) But I think when the fall and the winter, I think it is about being together. (1:25:03) So maybe they did it as a purpose for the seasonal change for everyone (1:25:08) to kind of stay together. (1:25:10) So is Halloween – is it a national holiday in America? (1:25:13) Halloween is very large here.(1:25:15) And I heard it's not so big in the UK. (1:25:17) Is that right? (1:25:17) Yeah, not really. (1:25:19) Okay.(1:25:19) Yeah, we get dressed up. (1:25:21) I mean, even the adults get dressed up. (1:25:23) Right.(1:25:23) So it's our way to – whenever I affectionately say it with women, (1:25:29) it's the ability to be a slutty insert career here. (1:25:32) So like you could be a slutty nurse or a slutty teacher (1:25:35) or a slutty pediatrician or whatever you want to be. (1:25:38) Yeah.(1:25:39) As long as it's got slutty in front of it, I'm good. (1:25:44) That sounded serious, and I didn't mean that as serious at all. (1:25:50) So if you were to have a slutty Thanksgiving, (1:25:53) you would typically have a Thanksgiving meal.(1:25:56) Oh, no, no. (1:25:57) I'm saying for Halloween they get dressed up as slutty characters. (1:26:01) I apologize.(1:26:02) Oh, no, I know. (1:26:02) I was just trying to make the word Thanksgiving sound a little bit more exotic (1:26:07) by putting the word slutty in front of it. (1:26:09) I like it.(1:26:10) Slutty Thanksgiving sounds like someone's getting and someone's giving (1:26:13) and someone's thanking, right? (1:26:15) That's not a bad way to do it. (1:26:16) Someone's spanking. (1:26:18) Oh, I like it.(1:26:19) So typically during your Thanksgiving, you would have a Thanksgiving meal. (1:26:23) Now, in the UK, we have I guess the equivalent of a Thanksgiving meal every week. (1:26:28) We have a roast dinner on a Sunday every week.(1:26:32) Do you have a roast dinner every week or do you just save that for Thanksgiving? (1:26:36) We do not have the – that is not a traditional thing for Americans (1:26:40) to get together anymore once a week. (1:26:42) Okay. (1:26:43) I think it used to be very heavy in – when the family was not working, (1:26:48) everyone was working and everyone was closer together.(1:26:52) We had a lot of that. (1:26:53) But in the United States, you're working young (1:26:56) and you're getting away from like that family dynamic earlier. (1:27:00) And, yeah, dinners together are very rare nowadays that I know.(1:27:05) I would think if you had a young child, you'd have more family-type dinners (1:27:10) because you'd kind of work it around that. (1:27:13) But for most people, we just kind of – (1:27:15) I mean, Megzy and I don't even eat the same meal usually. (1:27:18) Right.(1:27:19) Wow. (1:27:20) So tell me about your car. (1:27:21) Tell me parts on your car and I will tell you (1:27:24) or try to guess the equivalent in the United States.(1:27:29) I don't own a car. (1:27:31) Oh, that's right. (1:27:32) Yeah, I can't drive.(1:27:34) I've never learned how to drive. (1:27:35) Oh, my – how does that work with the licensing system? (1:27:38) You must not – it must not be as big a thing as it is in the United States. (1:27:45) I just don't have a – (1:27:46) To drive? (1:27:46) Yeah, I just don't have a license.(1:27:48) Do a lot of – I mean, do a lot of people in the UK not drive? (1:27:52) No, I think it's more typical to drive. (1:27:54) Okay, it is more typical still. (1:27:57) Yeah, because there's a personal freedom in America.(1:28:00) They tie the car to that. (1:28:02) It's like their home away from home. (1:28:03) Okay.(1:28:04) So they can blast the radio as loud as they want and sing (1:28:08) and it's like their little sanctuary. (1:28:10) You know what I mean? (1:28:11) Yeah. (1:28:12) So you notice a lot of people don't like to commute.(1:28:14) A lot of people drive their own vehicles because they like their own time. (1:28:18) Yeah, that makes sense. (1:28:19) It's not a good thing for the environment, but it definitely is a cultural thing.(1:28:23) And I think the reason why I haven't driven is because most of my jobs, I guess, (1:28:27) have been pretty local, so I've had no real desire to get – you know, to drive. (1:28:33) Yeah. (1:28:33) Although the independence is quite appealing, I must admit.(1:28:37) Yeah, according to this, walking is a national pastime. (1:28:40) I just looked at this. (1:28:41) What, in England? In England? (1:28:42) That's what it says.(1:28:43) Yeah, we love to walk in England. (1:28:45) That's beautiful. (1:28:46) You must be a healthy people more than unhealthy, no? (1:28:49) No, we eat fish and chips, spotted dick, and – (1:28:54) So you make up for it.(1:28:55) Yeah. (1:28:56) You have to walk it off is basically what you have to do. (1:28:58) That's it.(1:29:01) All right, Tony, do we have any other things before we call this one a day? (1:29:04) No, I think that's it, Mark. (1:29:06) Well, thank you so much for joining. (1:29:08) This has been fun.(1:29:09) Yeah, thanks, Mark. (1:29:10) You know the invite's always open. (1:29:11) You and I are going to talk a myriad more times about some heavy subjects, I'm sure.(1:29:16) So anytime you feel that you want to talk, feel free to shoot me a message, and we'll get something together. (1:29:22) Cheers, thanks, Mark. (1:29:23) I really enjoyed it.(1:29:24) Is there anything else you'd like to share? (1:29:26) Would you like to tell us a little bit about your other projects, your MJ News Digest? (1:29:31) Tell me all your particulars, how to get a hold of you, and how we can make this a better communication, more of a fun relationship. (1:29:39) So Twitter, MJ News Digest, YouTube, MJ News Digest, and Gmail, MJ News Digest. (1:29:46) Just reach out if anyone wants to.(1:29:49) Excellent. (1:29:50) And I'm not going to tip you for this, by the way, because I heard that you don't tip for shit. (1:29:55) Yeah, don't you guys have to tip? (1:29:59) No, that's the funny thing.(1:30:00) Do you put the mandatory 18% on or something like that? (1:30:03) No, no, no. (1:30:05) Okay, so Germany. (1:30:07) Germany, I think, does a mandatory 18% on bills.(1:30:10) That's a lot, 18%. (1:30:12) It is. (1:30:12) Well, we're told to tip 20%.(1:30:14) Wow. (1:30:16) So whenever we have a bill and it's $50, it's an extra $10, generally. (1:30:22) So that's a big thing for us.(1:30:24) But I understand with the pub lifestyle that UK never really got into tipping. (1:30:28) Yeah, we don't typically tip in pubs. (1:30:30) We might do in restaurants, but normally it's just a bit of loose change.(1:30:35) That is so interesting. (1:30:37) But I think you also pay your staffers more per hour. (1:30:41) Yeah, I think so.(1:30:42) If it's a tipped occupation in the United States, I think they can only pay them like $2 and change an hour. (1:30:50) Wow. (1:30:50) It's very low.(1:30:51) $2 an hour? (1:30:53) Yeah, but you make up for it with the tips. (1:30:54) Okay. (1:30:55) You really do.(1:30:55) I mean, there are people that take home $300, $400 in tips at night. (1:30:58) Wow. (1:31:00) It's a very tip-centric kind of country, I think.(1:31:03) Tip-centric. (1:31:04) I like that. (1:31:05) Tip-centric.(1:31:06) Well, Tony, thank you again for joining us. (1:31:09) This has been another episode of The Beer Googgles, double E, double O, double G. (1:31:14) Please rate, review, subscribe, follow. (1:31:17) And thank you again, and I hope you have a great day.(1:31:19) Take care, everybody.