Oh, you crazy Brits.... I need help understanding our language difference.

[factotum]

Is that universal, across the country?

America's climate is so varied, each state (and possibly down to municipality level) has their own laws and approaches towards rainfall.

I don't think there are any rules against rainwater collection in the normal course of events. If a particular area of the country has been suffering low rainfall for a while the local water company might introduce a hosepipe ban (e.g. you're not allowed to attach a hose to your tap and use it to wash the car or water the lawn), but even then they don't do anything about rainwater.

[Heliomance]

Is that universal, across the country?

America's climate is so varied, each state (and possibly down to municipality level) has their own laws and approaches towards rainfall.

Some only allow you to collect what strikes your dwelling. Some don't care how much or by what method. Some don't allow any collection. Some areas rights to water sources are specifically coded in property deeds.

*blink*

Why on earth would you be prevented from collecting rainwater that falls on your property? Surely doing so is behaviour that ought to be encouraged

[Serpentine]

The bizarre thing about the Norman Conquest is it was so unlikely. Had, for example, King Cnut the Great 1014-35 (make sure you type this carefully) left a viable dynasty we'd be discussing the pernicious influence of Danish on English. And if William had lost as Hastings, or arrived before Harald Hardradr, or been ousted in the numerous rebellions against the Normans, the French influence would be negligible (although Anglo-Saxon England was basically in awe of the Frankish Empire, and subsequent kingdoms, for most of it's existence - and echoed many of their religious reforms, artistic styles etc).

Old Norse did have a huge influence on the English language because of the Viking settlers. French was spoken by the rulers and so a bunch of fancy English words come from French. But the Vikings were farmers and ordinary people, so their contribution to English was a whole lot of really basic, fundamental words. My lecturer for Europe in the Age of the Vikings said "You couldn't be born, live or die in England without the Vikings", though looking at that list it looks like that neat little saying was a bit off - die is right and it appears "birth" is one, but "live" is off. You couldn't regret that rotten steak and egg that likely made you ill without them, though.

Also: Australian scoffs at all your concepts of so-called "distance". Scoffs, I say!

[factotum]

Also: Australian scoffs at all your concepts of so-called "distance". Scoffs, I say!

Hey, I already said that Australia had us all beat in terms of distance back on page 6, and I ain't even Australian!

[BannedInSchool]

Why on earth would you be prevented from collecting rainwater that falls on your property? Surely doing so is behaviour that ought to be encouraged

Just because the water is passing through your property doesn't mean it's yours by the water rights laws, basically. You can't "steal" water from your downstream neighbors by keeping it all for yourself.

[Brother Oni]

America's climate is so varied, each state (and possibly down to municipality level) has their own laws and approaches towards rainfall.

The UK generally doesn't get much variation of climate beyond a variation of wet; you get warm wet in the South East, more wet in the South West, windy wet in Wales and gradients of cold to colder wet the further north you go towards Scotland.

In the UK, if we get 15 consecutive days without rainfall, an absolute drought is declared - that should give you some indication of how much rain we get all year round.

[hamishspence]

In some places in the UK, it's in excess of 2 metres of rainfall per year, with the term "temperate rainforest" also being applicable to some of the UK's forest area.

[Peelee]

Hey, I already said that Australia had us all beat in terms of distance back on page 6, and I ain't even Australian!

Do... do you really use the word "ain't?" Like, in speech? Because it sounds weird following a vowel. That ain't how we edumacated peoples use it.

Honestly, I really do say "ain't" in normal speech, but like something around 95% of the time I use it to start a sentence (eg. "ain't gonna happen, factotum.")

In the UK, if we get 15 consecutive days without rainfall, an absolute drought is declared

Oh, you're joking.*reads* WHAT THE HELL.

.....after that, if you were to tell me that Lock, Stock and Snatch are documentaries, I'd believe it.

[Yuki Akuma]

Oh, you're joking.*reads* WHAT THE HELL.

.....after that, if you were to tell me that Lock, Stock and Snatch are documentaries, I'd believe it.

Our potable water infrastructure is based on the idea that it's going to rain at least every third day. That means we don't really store that much water. If it doesn't rain for two weeks in a row, we are actually in pretty serious trouble.

[Peelee]

Well, it makes sense when you explain it like that.

I still choose to believe they were documentaries though.

[Heliomance]

Just because the water is passing through your property doesn't mean it's yours by the water rights laws, basically. You can't "steal" water from your downstream neighbors by keeping it all for yourself.

But... if you don't collect it then it just goes into the drains and no-one gets it. If you collect it, that's water you can use for gardening that doesn't need to come from the tap, meaning you're using less of the actually necessary potable water. That makes no sense at all.

[SouthpawSoldier]

But... if you don't collect it then it just goes into the drains and no-one gets it. If you collect it, that's water you can use for gardening that doesn't need to come from the tap, meaning you're using less of the actually necessary potable water. That makes no sense at all.

Not exactly. Rainfall is depended upon for replenishing aquifers, both dammed up rivers & lakes, and the underground water table. If everyone upsteam of say, LA, collects a couple hundred gallons of rainwater, it adds up, and affects LA's water table. Then you have the water wars between rural needs for irrigation, and urban area demands for drinking and tap water.

There's also battles over runoff for watering ranch animals, the needs of the local ecosystem, farmers irrigation needs, etc. In the western states, water is a BIG deal. In the larger watersheds, like the Colorado river, several states depend upon that river and it's tributaries. If Colorado uses too much, there isn't any for Arizona. Water is life, an d everyone wants a piece.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Water_Wars

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainab...-battle-access

[factotum]

Our potable water infrastructure is based on the idea that it's going to rain at least every third day. That means we don't really store that much water.

And we probably store less now than we did a few decades ago, despite having far more need for it...kind of ridiculous, when you think about it. (There's an abandoned and filled-in reservoir not far from my house, for instance).

[BannedInSchool]

I looked up my local precipitation totals. I've had 0.29" of rain this month. The normal is 1.50", so I'm in a drought. The year to date total is 21.43", which is 7" over the normal 14.93", so I'm drowning!

[Closet_Skeleton]

but like something around 95% of the time I use it to start a sentence (eg. "ain't gonna happen, factotum.")

Start a sentence? Where is this sentence supposed to start because I don't see one in those ""?

[Tentreto]

Probably the biggest thing we Brits have is 'right of way'

This is about old roads and paths, which must be guaranteed to be available for anyone to walk on, and can go through fields, over streams and pretty much anywhere.

Most importantly, it is probably one of the oldest laws in the country. As far as I know, no other country has it.

[golentan]

Probably the biggest thing we Brits have is 'right of way'

This is about old roads and paths, which must be guaranteed to be available for anyone to walk on, and can go through fields, over streams and pretty much anywhere.

Most importantly, it is probably one of the oldest laws in the country. As far as I know, no other country has it.

No, we have it too. Use it to describe primarily when various people using the roads in vehicles are required to make accommodations for other road users (including who gets to go first on an intersection, the rules governing deference to pedestrians, and what have you) as well as when boats and ships in public waterways must yield to another vessel so as the disadvantaged one usually may continue to maneuver (as a general rule, if your boat would be stealing the wind from the other boat if you both had sails, the other boat has right of way because you are presumed to have superior opportunity to maneuver).

But the gist of it is you can't prevent other people from using the public means of transit available to everyone.

[Peelee]

Hell, right of way is so prevalent here that I never even thought it wouldn't be a thing elsewhere. I constantly joked about how in Korea, the traffic law boils down to "if you think you have right of way, then you do have right of way." It never even struck me that they just wouldn't have any right of way laws.

[Heliomance]

No, we have it too. Use it to describe primarily when various people using the roads in vehicles are required to make accommodations for other road users (including who gets to go first on an intersection, the rules governing deference to pedestrians, and what have you) as well as when boats and ships in public waterways must yield to another vessel so as the disadvantaged one usually may continue to maneuver (as a general rule, if your boat would be stealing the wind from the other boat if you both had sails, the other boat has right of way because you are presumed to have superior opportunity to maneuver).

But the gist of it is you can't prevent other people from using the public means of transit available to everyone.

No, that's different. We have that one too, also confusingly referred to as right of way. The thing Tentreto is referring to, though, is that if a path has been established as being a public path for a certain amount of time, then even if it runs across your land, you're not allowed to stop it from being a public path.

[Peelee]

Oh.

Huh.

You guys are weird.

[Tentreto]

No, that's different. We have that one too, also confusingly referred to as right of way. The thing Tentreto is referring to, though, is that if a path has been established as being a public path for a certain amount of time, then even if it runs across your land, you're not allowed to stop it from being a public path.

Yep, that's it, probably didn't quite make it clear...

Incidentally, I know a few farmers who find it annoying having walkers coming across their fields and ruining crops.

[Wardog]

Oh.

Huh.

You guys are weird.

What's weird about that?

[BannedInSchool]

What's weird about that?

Well, the US hasn't had roads for thousands of years, and only got established routes across the whole country after WWII when Eisenhower was impressed by Germany's Autobahn. AIUI, the land rail lines run on are/were generally also privately owned by the rail companies. So the idea that "This Is a Road, Divinely Laid Down and Available to All" seems odd on this side of the Pond.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Of course, the Scottish (and the Manx, and some other limited places in these Isles, like National Parks) have the "right to roam" - that is, you can go practically anywhere you like, as long as you're not damaging anything.

Managed timber plantation? Walk right through it.

Field of deer? Walk it!

Field of wheat? Walk it! (Round the edge, though, so as to avoid trampling - you still have to be nice.)

[Peelee]

In addition to what BannedInSchool said, there's also a really prevalent mindset in the south about property. Firstly, it's only among people who specifically say "property" instead of "land," and secondly it's kind of scary. You do not step on their property if they don't want you to. If a road cuts through their property, god help you if you're on it. You respect the person's property, because it's theirs, dammit.

And yes, this is also pretty weird.

[Rodin]

In addition to what BannedInSchool said, there's also a really prevalent mindset in the south about property. Firstly, it's only among people who specifically say "property" instead of "land," and secondly it's kind of scary. You do not step on their property if they don't want you to. If a road cuts through their property, god help you if you're on it. You respect the person's property, because it's theirs, dammit.

And yes, this is also pretty weird.

Having lived both places, I can definitely say I prefer the British model.

If I want to go for a hike from my apartment in Texas, I'm walking along the side of the road because sidewalks are apparently for chumps, and I'm not allowed to get off the road because that's all somebody's property and farmers with shotguns are scary people.

In England, I don't have to go far before finding a right of way trail that lets me walk comfortably and I can navigate around fields and such to get to the interesting nature areas I want to get to.

The South US in general doesn't seem to understand the idea of non-motorized travel. Crosswalks are suicide, since cars don't seem to be legally required to stop for people on them. Even I don't stop for people waiting at one, since to do so would encourage them to walk across and get mowed down by the traffic going the other direction. The local government where I live made an effort, but since sidewalks are not considered part of the road they have to be built by the local businesses. If the business doesn't want to shell out the dough, then the sidewalk just...ends. There's an entire shopping area close to where I live that I would happily walk/bike to, but since there's no sidewalks or shoulders servicing any of it doing so would result in a swift trip to the hospital.

Right of ways take care of that pretty neatly. The culture in Britain being more amenable to walking and market streets also helps. My current retirement plan is to move to the UK immediately when it happens, while I still (hopefully) have my health. Find a small village near the moors (Guisborough is particularly nice, but I've seen others that look appealing) and just start going hiking all over the place.

[Yuki Akuma]

You don't really need to move to a village if you want to be able to go hiking all over the place. Basically every city is within walking/biking/bussing distance of the countryside.

The best places to live in the UK for people who like to hike and also like being able to buy things are probably small towns that have been swallowed up on one side by the closest city and effectively become a suburb. Those are pretty great.

[Serpentine]

Thufir and I walked from Pewsey to Avebury in Wiltshire while I was over there. It was great (would've been better if we'd had enough water...). I'd like to do that again, just walk from town to town, stop in whatever village for however long I feel like...

[GloatingSwine]

You don't really need to move to a village if you want to be able to go hiking all over the place. Basically every city is within walking/biking/bussing distance of the countryside.

Yeah, another thing to understand about the UK is that our cities have generally higher population density than the US. A consequence of having a fifth of the population of the entire continental United States in a land area about the size of Florida.

[factotum]

Yeah, another thing to understand about the UK is that our cities have generally higher population density than the US. A consequence of having a fifth of the population of the entire continental United States in a land area about the size of Florida.

I think that's heavily dependent on where in the States you're talking. The population densities of the north-eastern cities seem to be generally higher than the ones elsewhere, judging from the quick Wikipedia check I just did--Philadelphia is up there with most UK cities for population density, and New York is double Greater London!