Nick Against the World (82 Viewers)

The Pado

Filthy Gobbo
Jul 12, 2002
9,939
Erik said:
Roma then, but mind the tourists. Thing is; at least in Rome you can escape the tourists. In smaller towns like Firenze it's virtually impossible. You'll get annoyed by it very fast. On a more insider's note: Padova near Venice is supposed to be a great student town. Some classmates of mine did their Erasmus there and loved it.

Padova is the best kept secret in Europe, and we don't need you letting it out, boyfriend. Thanks a fooking lot :D


It really is a great little city.
 

The Pado

Filthy Gobbo
Jul 12, 2002
9,939
Martin said:
I know a guy that lived in Padova for about 2 years I think for university. He absolutely hated it, too small, nothing ever happens etc. Each to his own.

I think you are just talking out of your ass.





Don't bite your "tongue".
 

The Pado

Filthy Gobbo
Jul 12, 2002
9,939
Martin said:
A little overprotective, Pado? :D

Perhaps. But evertime my friends are heading to Venice, I rec they stay in Padova and away from the hoard of stinking fooking American tourists who want to bitch that the shops that specialize in selling shit to tourists don't speak their beloved English.

But I'm not angry :pumpkin:
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
Let me say this to appease you.. if I were in Italy right now on another visit, I would ignore Padova all over again. :)

Oh and Venice is dirty and pretty boring, totally overrated...
 

The Pado

Filthy Gobbo
Jul 12, 2002
9,939
Martin said:
Let me say this to appease you.. if I were in Italy right now on another visit, I would ignore Padova all over again. :)

Oh and Venice is dirty and pretty boring, totally overrated...
The Padovani appreciate your ignorance, and would love to be ignored by you again and again. :D


I find Venice to be the most beautiful city I've ever been to. I have only been there on "clean days" regarding the canals, but I hear they can get dirty and smelly.
 

un altro alex

Senior Member
Jan 15, 2006
633
The Pado said:
Perhaps. But evertime my friends are heading to Venice, I rec they stay in Padova and away from the hoard of stinking fooking American tourists who want to bitch that the shops that specialize in selling shit to tourists don't speak their beloved English.

But I'm not angry :pumpkin:
so, who dissed your favourite souvenir shop?
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
85,062
Geof said:
L'auberge espagnole, eh? This film has motivated tons of (french speaking) students to go on an erasmus, mostly in spain.

Don't you guys in the US have this kind of agreements? we have some US students studying in Belgium on an exchange program.
Studying abroad for one year is a huge plus, IMO
They have arrangements like this in the U.S. -- but typically for a semester rather than a full year. When I was in college, I was all focused on getting outta there ASAP. So something like this would have seemed like it would slow me down.

With the benefit of some hindsight, if I had to do it all over again, this is something I would most definitely consider.

(Oh, and L'Auberge Espagnole has been sitting on my PVR for months... still have to watch it.)
 

Enron

Tickle Me
Moderator
Oct 11, 2005
75,716
Geof said:
L'auberge espagnole, eh? This film has motivated tons of (french speaking) students to go on an erasmus, mostly in spain.

Don't you guys in the US have this kind of agreements? we have some US students studying in Belgium on an exchange program.
Studying abroad for one year is a huge plus, IMO
My best friend did it.
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
85,062
Erik said:
I'm still a bit drowsy so I didn't quite follow the discussion a few pages back but if I remember correctly, somebody was defending the European media?

Lemme tell you a little story that happened a few months ago:

A German news station sent a crew down to a high school in East Berlin (sorry, just Berlin I guess) because it was alledgedly a teacher's worst nightmare. In the report they made (I saw it cause they wouldn't shut up promoting it), it became quite clear this high school was the epitome of anarchy. The students (mostly of Moroccan descent and Muslim - this is where it gets juicy) ran the place, teachers had nothing to say. They didn't go to classes, they just hung out in the school yard doing nothing. They terrorised the neighbourhood and teachers alike; the hierarchy that had formed on that school resembled that of a prison etc etc

Germany was shocked, the political class vowed to take action against 'the immigrant problem' and racial tensions rised.

A few weeks later a Dutch camera crew went to have a look to see how big the problems really were and if it could spread through Europe (like we feared the French riots could). When the Netwerk crew arrived, they found a relatively normal school. Sure it was in a poor neighbourhood and the teaching materials were a bit disappointing, but anarchy wasn't exactly the right word to describe it. Upon doing some investigating, students made some surprising comments they were willing to make to a foreign TV station: the German journalists a few weeks earlier had offered them vast amounts of money to drill up some lines and play a few scenes. The kids, being poor as they are in that part of town, of course took it. What did they have to lose? It's not like their reputation was anything worth to write home about anyway.

And that, is how the media work.
We definitely have stories like that in the U.S. Which is why I think a movie like the Belgian Man Bites Dog is so dryly funny at times.

To what Paul says, though, a lot of people do not know how the media works. And as a result, people give it that third-party "head-in-the-stocks and lets throw tomatoes" treatment. Like many governments get. Some of it is deserved, but only a portion of it. Which makes it difficult to justify much sympathy.

Most media sources have lost their way as a public service. Part of the blame for that also lies with the public, though. If people don't want to read stories that are factual in their world, and prefer stories of sensationalism and fear, that is often what they get. Even take something as innocuous as television weather forecasts in the States (sorry, Andy ;) ) -- a lot more time is spent on disasters elsewhere and getting people worked up about the horrible thing (storm, etc.) that could have been but never was. And people eat that garbage up, and it sells advertising, and it keeps the private owners of media outlets happy and asking for more of that kind of coverage.

Is this really different than the sensationalism of the William Randolph Hearst era? It's probably improved in a lot of ways compared to then. I think the difference now is in the greater corporate ownership of media and the responsibility to shareholders. Bottom-line thinking has made networks like CNN shed all of their credible, experienced journalists for aspiring young dolts who will whore themselves to get on the airwaves for $20 a week, a year's supply of hair care products, and in exchange for regular sexual favors for the media company board.

I'm exaggerating, but those are the economics to a large degree now in the States. And so when good, complex stories of politics or science come up, there aren't as many real analysts anymore to put things in context -- who know the broader implications of a story and can convey that. Meanwhile, media consumers have made the problem worse by turning their backs on that kind of in-depth analysis anyway ... generally prefering the junk food of media in car crashes, random shootings, and animal stories.
 

Matteo..

Senior Member
Apr 30, 2006
767
The Pado said:
The Padovani appreciate your ignorance, and would love to be ignored by you again and again. :D


I find Venice to be the most beautiful city I've ever been to. I have only been there on "clean days" regarding the canals, but I hear they can get dirty and smelly.
Bah Venice.
 

Slagathor

Bedpan racing champion
Jul 25, 2001
22,708
swag said:
We definitely have stories like that in the U.S. Which is why I think a movie like the Belgian Man Bites Dog is so dryly funny at times.

To what Paul says, though, a lot of people do not know how the media works. And as a result, people give it that third-party "head-in-the-stocks and lets throw tomatoes" treatment. Like many governments get. Some of it is deserved, but only a portion of it. Which makes it difficult to justify much sympathy.

Most media sources have lost their way as a public service. Part of the blame for that also lies with the public, though. If people don't want to read stories that are factual in their world, and prefer stories of sensationalism and fear, that is often what they get. Even take something as innocuous as television weather forecasts in the States (sorry, Andy ;) ) -- a lot more time is spent on disasters elsewhere and getting people worked up about the horrible thing (storm, etc.) that could have been but never was. And people eat that garbage up, and it sells advertising, and it keeps the private owners of media outlets happy and asking for more of that kind of coverage.

Is this really different than the sensationalism of the William Randolph Hearst era? It's probably improved in a lot of ways compared to then. I think the difference now is in the greater corporate ownership of media and the responsibility to shareholders. Bottom-line thinking has made networks like CNN shed all of their credible, experienced journalists for aspiring young dolts who will whore themselves to get on the airwaves for $20 a week, a year's supply of hair care products, and in exchange for regular sexual favors for the media company board.

I'm exaggerating, but those are the economics to a large degree now in the States. And so when good, complex stories of politics or science come up, there aren't as many real analysts anymore to put things in context -- who know the broader implications of a story and can convey that. Meanwhile, media consumers have made the problem worse by turning their backs on that kind of in-depth analysis anyway ... generally prefering the junk food of media in car crashes, random shootings, and animal stories.
Oh I would agree with that.

One of (my) life's biggest annoyances is how the people zapping past solid documentaries straight to the trash channels are always the same people who believe 100% (or close to) of what is being said on TV and follow that without asking questions...
 

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