If real (BIG IF) they seem to suggest nothing more than he was in a dangerous place with no unit leadership. The assertion of desertion is a very large jump. Please wait for facts and keep your guesswork in check unless you like confusion.

Plus...I can move unfettered throughout the EU, have an inside track for working in the UK and I don't have to pay taxes unless I take up residence in the UK.

Saving time at the airport is definitely a good idea, airport lines are a nightmare. Good luck with the application . Soon we will have you paying UK taxes as well!![/quote]

Despite our little spat two hundred years ago, I seldom run into an American who doesn't like the British. I think its because deep down..many of us are simply generational extensions of yourselves...I know I am..for me England truly is the country most familiar to us...a long lost parent. I've just learned that I can claim UK citizenship based on my mother's London origin and have downloaded the paperwork to do so. Saves time at the airport at least.

Kindest Regards,

Joe

Hammer....I was raised by post war british immigrants and I love GB (however it is defined these days) and have been back and forth many times since Freddie Laker first made it easy. This last trip was my first expressly to experience the north - not just drive through it on my way to Scotland. The south from London to St. Ives has always been the easier trip with no shortage of amazingly unique and beautiful sights and characters. However, I found the north just as unique, more accessible, cheaper and less of a post-card presentation of itself..as London has become. In fact, I have skipped London the last few trips as it seems now to strive toward something less unique and more global while celebrating the fixed icons of what it use to be. So by trying to be dynamic in this way it seems to have washed away its character. I'm sure I have a skewed view since I don't actually live there...but that's just what it seems like to me. As to money, we middle class American travelers have less and less of it. Corporations and Movie Stars have it all and they own lawyers and politicians to insure it stays that way. Same there I would guess. Still, if I stand still long enough in the UK I can feel the money creeping out of my pockets due to an army of vending machines designed to accept it for any possible need I might have, movement I might make, or idea I might have. Same in NYC really....except in UK it seems to radiate into all cities, towns and villiages. I think this post should have been placed in the opinion section with all the other right wing raving...but I'm usually a lefty! Sorry folks.

CR ...I didn't think to ask..but since those AF settings disable the shutter button as the main AF controller...how then is it activated?

J

Yeah...and the Tamron lens seems up to the task also.. I'm able to do a 50% zoom and crop with great clarity and no ugly aberration....and that's hand held! lots of fun and lots to learn.

J

It's daunting. But I feel I'll eventually not have to use all of them...ie. I don't do studio or portrait work and I don't shoot video for any serious reasons. I do like the easy use of aperture and shutterspeed dials in manual mode. Auto ISO is ok too but there are setting limits. I feel as I get more familiar with the camera in general I may have a set of favorite ISO ranges for my most common shooting situations and will therefore not rely on auto ISO as much. There is a procedure for assigning custom functions to buttons that are not often used....but after reading about it I had to have a nap for fear that my head would explode. If you are serious about checking all these things out you can probably download an owners manual from somewhere.

Thanks, ebrunner.

thanks, Allen...and nice model plane pics...but just a little bigger and you could fly yourself around. You'd always be in range of your controller!!

Thanks...I'll try that, CR

Yes...hopefully moreso with time and study.

Js

Hi all....Well my old Canon 5d with 27-135 lens is back in its original box and ready for resale. Good bye old friend...it was fun. I've had my way with its Nikon d800e replacement on a trip to Northern England and Prague and thought I'd document the experience for anyone considering a similar upgrade. Ultimately, I got what I wanted. Much more detail, croppability (new word) and 24-36 inch sized print potential (which will require my purchase of a new Epson large format printer). Technically, the Nikon is no where near as easy to use as the old Canon....I'm at the beginning of a long learning curve...ie...couldn't figure out why the AF found its focus when the shutter was pushed half way down...then moved out of focus immediately before fully pushing the shutter. Only happened when focused on closer subjects. Since there are several more options for setting the AF it took me awhile to figure out which one would stop that annoying behavior and I wound up manually focusing many early shots. I fixed the setting but still not 100% sure what I did. I may have had the lens hood on cock-eyed which increased the vingnette on one corner of the frame and threw the AF off. Looks like I might need to learn some new things ....damnit all!! Anyway...here are some shots for those interested, and thanks to all who helped me make my final equipment choices.

Blackpool, England

(Download)

Blackpool, England

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Lytham St. Annes, England

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...secret documents based on an eyewitness account of parts of Bergdahl's five-year captivity = uncorraborated unverified opinion. Facts please.

Do not anger me.