9 Mistakes Every Tourist Makes When Visiting London

When we travel abroad for the first time, sometimes mistakes happen. Sometimes they can be laughed off as simple, other times, not so much. You can be as prepared as ever to travel outside your home country. You can have practically a master's degree in currency conversion and be as fluent in the language as a native local. But sometimes, mistakes happen. According to MSN.com page Crazy Nomad, here are 9 cringe-worthy mistakes every tourist will make or may end up making

This city is my #1 location on my travel bucket list

1. Standing on the left side of the escalator

-The golden rule for navigating The Underground is stand on the right, walk on the left. NEVER stand on the left. The left side is for those who think they are qualifying for Formula 1 racing. Simply stand on the right and let the speed demons get to where they need. Not only that, but by respecting the rule of standing on the right, walking on the left, you'll earn respect from the locals and stand out a lot less

2. DO NOT call The Underground a subway

-First things first, for the love of all that is absolutely holy, DO NOT call The Underground a subway. Call it a subway and you'll get an annoyed look from the locals. Using the proper terminology will win you respect points from the locals while calling it a subway will show you have not done your homework. It can be referred to as The Tube or The Underground. If you learn to navigate it properly, you can go anywhere

3. You can get tripped up mispronouncing names

-A lot of city names in England look like they would be pronounced the way they look. That is not the case. Any city ending in "shire" is typically pronounced "sher." As in Leicestershire is pronounced "Lestersher." Or Lincolnshire is pronounced "Lincolnsher." A lot of locations in London are pronounced much the same way. Leicester Square is pronounced "Lester", Marylebone is pronounced "Mar-lee-bone" and Southwark is pronounced "Suthark." Pronouncing the area names correctly will win you big respect from the locals and also show you did your homework. If ever in doubt, ask a local how to pronounce the name. This will show you want to make sure you do things right. The locals will love that you're making a conscious effort. Mispronouncing names is a major red flag that you're not from around here

4. Do not expect customer service standards to match up to standards in the US

-First and foremost, remember this: You are in another country. They have different standards, rules and requirements they follow. You are not at home. Do not expect everything to match up to US standards. Being overly enthusiastic is simply something not done in England. Customer service is polite but not overly friendly. While tips are appreciated, they are not expected. Customer service is slower paced, while meals tend to be stretched out. When you want to cash out at a restaurant, you ask for the bill, not check. Make sure to understand these and your dining experiences will go smoothly

5. Don't be a sidewalk roadblock

-We've all seen it, no matter what country we live in. We're walking along, trying to get to our destination and then we run into someone who is looking at their phone, turning the sidewalk into a bottleneck and being a sidewalk roadblock. Don't do this! In London, sidewalks or pavements as they are referred to, are narrow and jam packed with people trying to get to one place or another. Locals will not outwardly say anything, but if body language could talk, the eye rolls would be screaming the obvious message. If you need to do something, step to the side, stand near a wall, sit on a bench or move close to the curb so other pedestrians can pass by. Be respectful of this tradition and you'll earn respect from the locals and show you have done your homework.

6. Don't forget to tap out on The Tube

-An Oyster Card is a helpful little tool that helps you pay for transportation. Tourists remember to tap it upon entering the station, but forget to do this upon leaving the station. Make sure you tap it on entering and leaving the stations otherwise you'll be charged the maximum fare, which adds up quickly. Tapping in and out guarantees that you are only charged for the zones you go through. You can check online or at a kiosk to fix it. It certainly helps to remember this, especially if you plan on using a lot of public transportation

7. Trying to visit too much in one day ruins your experience

-Anyone who goes to London has one or two destinations or more they want to see. The first mistake is trying to cram it all into one day. Take at least 1-2 weeks and spread out the sightseeing so that you're not running around, stressing out. Instead, spread it out so you can enjoy things. Take some time to relax in a cozy local pub. Visit a local market. Catch a theatre performance in the West End. Sometimes the best things to see in London are not the major sights-it's the little things that, to locals, are everyday things but to tourists, they have an extra bit of magic and awe to them

8. Don't assume everyone drinks tea

-First things first, NEVER assume everyone in England drinks tea. This is first and foremost a stereotype. The last thing you want is to insult the people of the very country you are visiting. Yes, while tea in the UK is consumed in times of crisis, to relax or reflect or other times, not everyone is walking around with a steaming cup of English Breakfast, Earl Gray or chamomile. You'll find that coffee is plenty popular here too. Just don't assume it's all tea, crumpets and scones. You'll find those in tea rooms

9. London is not a theme park

-This city offers so much to see and experience, both big and little things. Treating it like a day at a theme park guarantees you're going to miss something. Some tourists stick to only the areas where major sights are located. And with this, they miss out on areas that are vibrant in their own way-Brixton, Camden, Shoreditch, Hackney, Peckham. Experience the small things. Try food at the Borough Market. Catch a show in Soho. Board a double decker bus without a destination in mind. Go to Leytonstone and find the Cart and Horses Pub, which is emblazoned everywhere with the words "Birthplace of Iron Maiden." Experience London like a local would. Take in the small things and you'll get experiences that a travel book with a checklist can't beat

-Besides, if theme parks are your thing, head to Alton Towers in Stoke-On-Trent. They have great rides there, including Nemesis Reborn, Oblivion and The Wicker Man. Or head to Thorpe Park in Chertsey. They have great rides there as well. Or go to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Or head up to Yorkshire to see Flamingo Land, a combination zoo and theme park. The zoo part of the park features a large area called Flamingo Flats. There's also Fantasy Island in Skegness. There are two locations: one in Skegness and the other on Canvey Island

How Producers of The Sopranos Found Federico Castellucio to be perfect for the role of Furio

The Sopranos is an HBO program about a fictitious mob family in New Jersey. Producers had come up with a character named Furio Giunta, an Italian brought over to do work for the family. Producers found Federico Castellucio to be perfect for this role.

In Season 2, the crew heads to Italy and there's a sudden wave of new sights and sounds. When the crew arrives in Naples in the episode "Commendatori", Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli singing in the background, Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) and Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) start commenting on the interesting area

Christopher tells Paulie and Tony (James Gandolfini)"You know what I noticed on the plane? Even the skanks ain't worth f---ing." Inside the hotel, Tony meets their Italian point of contact Furio Giunta, played by Federico Castellucio. Later that night, at dinner, Tony notes Furio's ability to manage things well. It's also noticed that Furio can handle potential threats. When talking a deal in Naples, Tony includes Furio in on things as one of the terms of his negotiation. That episode introduced a new character for the next few seasons of The Sopranos. Writer-producer Terry Winter stated that Castellucio would be perfect as Furio right from the beginning

During a visit to the July 27 episode of the podcast Talking Sopranos, Terry Winter talked about the auditions for the character of Furio Giunta. The character required an actor who not only spoke fluent Italian, but could also handle himself and would serve as the love interest for Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco). During his interview on the podcast, Winter recalled "We went through so many guys. And everybody sounded like Mr. Bacciagalupe from Abbott & Costello. It was horrible." When Castellucio walked in, it was like fate. He was perfect from the beginning

Winter continued. "I said this to Federico and it's the God's honest truth: He is exactly what I thought about when I wrote the character." He wasn't ready to commit to anything until he saw Castellucio in action. "I worked on The Great Defender and we had an actor who had to throw a punch in a scene. We didn't think to ask the guy to let us see him throw a punch. On the day [of the fight scene], it was clear he never threw a punch before." Winter had Castellucio throw a punch. Despite seeing some actors' worst fighting skills, Castellucio impressed all who seen his work. Winter said "Holy s---. This is the guy." Since TV shows don't shoot in sequence, Winter refers to an episode titled "Big Girls Don't Cry", where Furio goes through a New Jersey brothel. This was shot prior to going to Italy for the "Commendatori" episode. It was clear Federico Castellucio got the role of Furio even before the crew went to Italy

Stereotypes of K-12 Teachers

Every career has a stereotype. Teaching is no different. Kids often get that "wide eyed" look when they see teachers outside of school. And it even extends to college students when they see their professors outside of school. Movies make it seem like the world of teaching is glamorous, but in reality it's hard work. Teachers have to provide their own supplies, decorate their own classrooms and more. It's hard work. Books like Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room 10 and My Teacher Sleeps in School are two pieces of proof as to why kids think teachers all think about is teaching or that they seem to have no life.

1. We work fewer hours than people in other professions

2. We are less skilled if we are elementary school teachers

3. We don't mind the low pay and stress because it's such a rewarding job

4. We go into teaching because we want time off during the summer

5. We teach because we can't do anything else

6. We are supposed to perform to keep the kids entertained in the classroom

7. We are supposed to like all of our students

8. Special-education teachers aren't real teachers

9. Kindergarten teachers have it easy and play all day

10. Art teachers don't teach useful skills

11. We are supposed to be super sweet and caring

12. Male elementary school teachers are predators

13. We are only good teachers if we spend our own money on supplies

14. We'll tutor or help your child with their homework for free

15. We need to have well-decorated classrooms

16. Teachers drink gallons of coffee every morning and gallons of wine every weekend

17. We are trying to brainwash kids into socialism

18. Female gym teachers are lesbians

19. PE teachers are illiterate jocks

20. We shouldn't have tattoos or piercings

21. Substitute teachers are lazy and don't want to do actual teaching

22. If we're younger or first time teachers, we aren't as good as the veteran teachers

23. Science teachers are atheists

Rob Halford on LGBT rights

"I always thought things would be better". This is what Rob Halford, front man for legendary British speed metal band Judas Priest had to say about the current state of affairs in the LGBT communities.

He always thought things would improve over time, like the old adage "Time heals all wounds". Apparently some wounds still refuse to heal. He thought things about gay rights would improve, but sadly no. He said he is happy with the warmth and kindness he has received from the hard rock community after coming out of the closet in 1998. He was actually worried at first about coming out as gay, thinking he would suffer from some sort of fallout effect

"I just get so frustrated and angry that here we are in 2017. Because of that society I grew up in, and to a still great extent today, we have this tremendous push back in equality. I always kind of felt, as I was going through my teen years, my twenties and my thirties, things would be better – but they’re not. There’s still a long way to go in America and in my home country. And in some parts of the world, people like me get thrown off buildings. People like me get hung, just because of who we are." He told Blabbermouth.

Rob compared struggles of LGBT people to the types of struggles faced by "people of color" and "people having tremendous difficulties with accepting religions". He added "It’s a crazy world. You’d think that by now we’d have just figured things out – live and let live, love each other and just accept each other for who we are. Life is short."

He recalled the moment he came out as gay during an MTV interview. "The thing about gay people is that, until we come out of the closet, we’re always protecting other people – ‘I can’t do this, because it’s gonna hurt so-and-so.’ We’re trying to live the lives of other people, and that’s the worst thing you can do. You’ve gotta learn to love yourself, then you can go out in the world and try and figure everything else out. So I said that thing, and I went back to the hotel and I thought, ‘What have I done? There’s going to be a fallout."

After coming out, he experienced not a fallout, but an outpouring of respect and kindness. His bandmates in Judas Priest had no issue with him being gay. Even bassist Ian Hill was quoted as saying "we always knew he was gay but we treated him like a normal human being because that's the way gay people should be treated."

He mentioned "I’d never seen such an outpouring of love in all my life from everybody in the metal community. Rob, we don’t care. We want you to be who you are.’ That was a tremendously uplifting moment for me. This just goes to show you that we in the metal community – probably because of the push back we felt because of the music we love – we are the most tolerant, the most open-minded, the most loving, the most accepting of all the kinds of music in rock’n’roll. So it was a great moment."

Wanted Dead or Alive

Wanted Dead or Alive

Summary
-Almost like a redone version of the original with Steve McQueen, the character is like a descendant of the character from the TV show. Like Steve McQueen's Josh Randall, Rutger Hauer's Nick Randall is also a bounty hunter. He's also an ex-CIA agent who's asked by his former employees to track down a terrorist, Malak Al Rahim, who is in the country. But this terrorist is also looking for Randall and the people he works with, due to a mole

Cast
-Rutger Hauer: Nick Randall
-Gene Simmons: Malak Al Rahim
-Robert Guillame: Philmore Walker
-Mel Harris: Terry
-William Russ: Det. Danny Quintz
-Susan McDonald: Louise Quintz
-Jerry Hardin: John Lipton

Movie Stereotypes

Ever seem to notice there are certain, yet subtle stereotypes in the movies? Like if there has to be an action hero, it has to be someone big, buff, muscular and slightly good looking? Or if there are villains, they are either A.) Russian, B.) Middle Eastern terrorists, C.) European in general or D.) Gangbangers? Also, it seems that sometimes the "action hero" of a movie might always be a white male. In the last few years, we've seen people like Denzel Washington take on lead roles, and also female actors like Kate Beckinsale take on lead roles and even actors from other countries taking the lead role, such as Antonio Banderas in Take the Lead. And last time I looked around, not every hero of the movie has to be white. Look at Jet Li in Kiss of the Dragon. He was in the lead role as a Chinese government agent. Pretty sexy!!!

Here are some common stereotypes of men in the media
Men in Media

Movie Stereotypes
The Joker
-Always joking around, appeals to boys, but research has been done to prove that humor in movies made by guys only heightens the guy's masculinity. Women love funny guys

The Jock
-Must always fight someone else to avoid looking like a weakling. Wins the respect of the guys and the love of the ladies

Strong, yet Silent
-Wants to be in charge, succeeds with the ladies. This unfortunately sets a stereotype saying that men need to be in charge, be in control and that talking about their feelings is a sign of weakness

"The Big Shot"
-His professional status as something defines who he is. This sets a stereotype of being successful, that a man must be socially successful and powerful economically

The Action Hero
-Engages in fighting, violent behavior. Strong, not exactly silent. Muscular, not always good looking, tough

Some General Movie Stereotypes
More Bad Movie Stereotypes

Characters in movies that are from Africa are uncivilized or are some sort of warlord
-This can be offensive to people who are from Africa who might hold a highly successful job

Women can only talk about men
-During the 1980s, it seemed like every movie that came out that had women as friends showed them talking about guys. Not all women want to talk about guys. They're probably not as important as some think. Most women will talk to friends about how their day was, what their kids if they have any, what kind of day they had, etc

White people are more knowledgable with Asian culture than actual Asian people
-WTF? Sometimes movies, especially American-made ones, if they deal with a foreign culture, they will try to make the Caucasian actors in that movie seem like they know more about the culture being dealt with than those actual people. In the case of The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise, it was made to appear that he was a better Samurai tha the actual Japanese-born Samurai. And what basically goes to show is that in some American movies, the only roles Asians can get are that of villains, that the heroes are always white

Gay people are either psychos or die first in movies
-For some reason, years ago, gay characters in movies really raised eyebrows, considering some people did not want their kids seeing stuff like that in movies and asking questions like "Mommy, why is that guy kissing another guy?" or something like that. Back then, any character in a movie who was gay either got killed by something or was a rampaging, psychotic killer.
-But nowadays, with gay rights becoming such a big, hot button issue, more movies are including gay characters being shown in positive lights. Such as the character Greg Kinnear played in As Good As It Gets. He played a gay artist named Simon Bishop.

Dying seems to be better than being disabled
-Movies just love highlighting the fact that it would be better to be dead than lay in a bed like a broken doll for the rest of your life. But a good thing that comes out of this is that Hollywood loves to show people overcome something with sheer willpower, despite outside forces and surroundings. Such as in Kung Fu Panda, an overweight panda performing martial arts, or the character Mikey in The Goonies throwing his inhaler away because he does not need it.

Everyone has to be white in fantasy movies
-Yeah, there seems to be a strong racial bias against people of color or race in fantasy movies. Have you ever noticed that in fantasy movies, like Lord of the Rings, there's probably no people of color or any other race/ethnicity to be found? In fact, the only black actors were the ones playing the Orcs, the monster creatures in there. It was hard to tell they were black considering they had 3.5'' of makeup on. And in the Harry Potter movies, those movies show people of all races and ethnicities. You even hear an American accent in there, showing that Hogwarts is an international school. You see Asian students like Cho Chang, a few Indian students, a few black students, students from all walks of life.
-Example: in the first five Harry Potter movies, Lavender Brown is a classmate of Harry. But in the 6th installment of the movie, there is a big change: Lavender Brown has suddenly become a white girl with British accent. Either she had an operation to change her skin tone or they just changed her race from black to white, and if that's the case: TOTALLY RACIST!

 

Ok, someone explain to me why in the first few films, the character Lavender Brown is a beautiful black girl but then in the more recent films, she suddenly changes to a somewhat strange looking white girl with an British accent?

'The Magic Black Person'
-I replaced the word Negro with black person. Sounds less offensive. In movies such as The Green Mile, black characters, such as John Coffey, whose initials strangely mirror the initials of Jesus Christ, is shown with magic powers from up above. sometimes blacks in movies will be shown as having goals that revolve around helping the white man, they'll be shown as prisoners, janitors or farmers

I can never seem to get through the end of this movie without crying. I cry at the part where this character is being executed

Latina maid
-Such as Maid in Manhattan, the lead character, Marisa Ventura, was a pretty Latina lady working as a chambermaid in a posh New York hotel. In most movies where there is a Latina maid, they are usually shown as short, chubby, compact maids between 30 and 40, with a slightly noticeable Latin accent. Some actresses who are Latina unfortunately get typecast into being maids. Such as lovely Latina actress Lupe Ontiveros, who has been cast as a maid 150-300 times! And in movies, if they should come across something bad, like a dead body, or something strange, they will do the sign of the cross and say a prayer in Spanish.

Fake Asians
-Back then, in the 1930s and 1940s, when movies were being made and there was an Asian role to be filled, white American or white British actors or actresses would step into the makeup tent to get made up to look Asian, by having their eyes taped, their skin tinted slightly yellow and having thick black eyeliner applied around the eyes to give it a garish Far East look.
-This can be considered offensive in today's world, when so many of the actors and actresses in movies and on TV are of Asian descent. Check out Hawaii Five-O, at least 2 or 3 of the actors on that show are Asian, such as Masi Oka, who is a Japanese-born actor playing Max Bergman, Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Chin Ho Kelly, who'se originally from Busan, South Korea, or Grace Park, a beautiful American-born Asian actress. Or on Law and Order: SVU, the character Dr. George Huang is played by an American-born Chinese actor named B.D. Wong


He's no more Asian than I am. That's offensive!

More Movie 'Action Hero' Stereotypes
The Action Hero of movies
wikipedia. I hate to use this site, but it's the only site that seems to have what I was looking for

-Typically the hero of the movie
-Sometimes good looking, muscular, charming
-Good with the ladies
-Sometimes a reckless regard for safety or the law (i.e. Dirty Harry, Rambo)
-Every guy wants to be like him
-These 'heroes' include

Wesley Snipes

Jackie Chan
Chuck Norris
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Sylvester Stallone

Dolph Lundgren
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Steven Seagal

Bruce Willis
Jet Li

Who says that an action hero can't be Asian and sexy?

Roger Moore
Toshiro Mifune
Gregory Peck
Bruce Lee
Vin Diesel
Jean Reno
Liam Neeson

Is It My Imagination or Is Reality TV Taking Over the TV?

I've noticed that over the years, more and more reality shows have begun appearing on TV. And in the last few years, another one was added: Jersey Shore, which depicts the life and times of 8-10 New Jersey "Italians" living in a house by the ocean in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. From the way I hear it, this show is highly controversial because it exhibits several Italian stereotypes, from the fact that people think all Italians have dark features, to the flirtatious exotic ladies, to the 'Italian Stallion' stereotype of guys: big, muscular, Sylvester Stallone-like bodies. And FYI, these kids are not from New Jersey, most of them are from New York, a couple are from Rhode Island, etc.

IDK why people think reality shows are all that. There are only a few here and there that are good. If you really want to watch a good show from New Jersey, I'd recommend Cake Boss. It's about an Italian family run bakery in Hoboken. And plus, the only other show out of Jersey I like is The Sopranos.

My personal opinion on reality Tv is that it's taking over the TV. Anymore, you see ads for Survivor, on some remote island, or those "Real Housewives Of...". I'd love for them to do a "Real Housewives of Cincinnati". I'd pay to see that, hahahahahahahahaha. Or "Survivor: Cincinnati" or "Survivor: Antarctic". That would be funny, lol. My stepdad came up with the idea about the Arctic. As you can see and read, my family and me all have odd minds, lol. Those "Real Housewives" shows annoy me very highly. Because you have these women who look like they've seen more knives than Benihana and have probably been hit with more lasers than the Starship Enterprise. They all fight and complain, which I think is just for show. And Jersey Shore, ok, don't even get me started. That 'Snooki' chick is NOT ITALIAN! She is freakin' South American! The only reason people think she is Italian is because of her dark features and the fact that she is adopted by an Italian couple with the name Polizzi. Alot of people, including Italians, will say that not all Italians have dark features. Some Italian people have blue eyes, blonde hair, or green eyes. Like Italian actors Raoul Bova or Federico Castellucio, they're both Italian born and they have green and blue eyes.

Across the Pond...

Over the years, I've heard the expression "Across the pond" used so many times I can make your head spin. When I was younger, I was always curious as to what this expression meant. So I asked my dad and he never really responded. I ask him years later what that saying meant because he said it and he said that it meant over in England. I won't tell you exactly what he called England, but if you're English and reading this, it was not a compliment what he said. So this post will show some stuff about this little country in the UK which has given us good music, good TV and sexy guys with even sexier accents, lmao!!!! And to add, some of this stuff has also become increasingly popular in the US in years past

Stereotypes
-Bad hygiene
-Not a stereotype, but true fact: British men have cute accents
-Big, yellow or bad teeth in general
-Heavy smokers/drinkers
-Snooty, stuck up
-Thinks they are better than Americans
-Obsessed with soccer
-Obsessed with the Queen
-Tight-fitting clothing
-Ride around on bicycles
-All live in London
-Very mouthy
-British men are gay
-Suave, romantic lovers
-High class accents
-Wears bowler hats
-Carries umbrellas
-Say things like "Pip pip, cheerio!"
-This one is not a stereotype, it seems to he stone cold truth. Women who might hear a British accent on an especially cute guy might fall head over heels for it and suddenly be turned on by it.
-That in movies, Brits will be butlers or gentlemen, that in Disney movies, the baddies all seem to possess an English accent

TV shows
-Top Gear

-Law and Order: UK

I still say my English teacher looks like him, which is hilarious. This actor is English and I have a teacher who teaches an English class and looks like him. Wow!!

-My Family

-Primeval

Music
-David Bowie

-Judas Priest

-Def Leppard
-Dusty Springfield

-Petula Clark
-The Rolling Stones
-The Beatles
-The Who
-Bad Company

-Genesis
-Phil Collins

It's truly amazing what my stepdad gets me liking...

-Seal
-The Spice Girls

"Hey Gerri, think that dress could be any shorter?"

-Rod Stewart

Nice hair there, Rod!

Actors/Actresses
-Paul Bettany

-Emma Watson

-Rupert Grint

-Reshma Shetty

I knew she was English. That accent does not lie!

-Marianne-Jean Baptiste

She's pretty too!!

-Sophie Okonedo

She's pretty

-Emma Thompson

-Natasha Richardson

-Colin Firth

-Orlando Bloom

Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?

-Michael Caine

Still my dad's favorite actor, no matter where my dad is

-Maggie Smith

OMG, I know the movie this image is from. A movie in 1969 called The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

-Cilla Black

If this is her now, whoa! She looks great!!

-Kate Winslet