Another example of the differences between the American and British Language.

[Tiago]

some posts ago, you were talking about geografy,
i remember one time talking with an american when i was in Budapest, and i tell him i live in Portugal, and he ask me if Portugal was a province/part of Spain.... i had to control myself to not brake his face...

I know there are brilliant minds in USA, but also a lot of people that don't know anythnig about Europe.
I am sure we, europeans know much more about them, then they now about us.

[Harrison]

I have always wondered why America borrowed names like Boston, from Boston Park (and Boston Castle), which is 3 miles down the road from here, and names like New York, which is about 4 miles away.

Remember Steve, America was originally a British Colony, so a lot of the original English settlers came from the places they reused the same names for in the US. New York for example was not the thriving metropolis is now is back in those days, but instead a pretty small and fairly unsuccessful British colony until the last 1800's. And that was all before the whole French and Spanish thing with them ganging up on the UK happened and we lost the USA as a British Colony.

[Harrison]

some posts ago, you were talking about geografy,
i remember one time talking with an american when i was in Budapest, and i tell him i live in Portugal, and he ask me if Portugal was a province/part of Spain.... i had to control myself to not brake his face...

I know there are brilliant minds in USA, but also a lot of people that don't know anythnig about Europe.
I am sure we, europeans know much more about them, then they now about us.

Most Americans have never ventured outside of the USA, and I seem to remember only 10% even own a passport. And over 60% of New Yorkers never even leave New York at all, so you can kind of see why they are so insular. Also as we mentioned before, their news coverage is very localised and centred on the county they live in, let alone the US itself.

It is quite sad how little a lot of people, not just Americans know about geography.

[jag]

Yes, even I didn't think the Falklands being invaded meant that Scotland was in imminent danger and I get lost after about 100 yards from my back door...

;-)

[Harrison]

There was a great quote from a film I watch a while back, but I forget the film. It was something like "War teaches Americans where different countries are".

[jag]

Unless you're Sarah Palin, of course. Does being a soccer mom mean you get hit in the head a lot?

[Shoonay]

There was a great quote from a film I watch a while back, but I forget the film. It was something like "War teaches Americans where different countries are".

And all of a sudden someone posts this on imgur, lol

[Harrison]

That's the one!

OK, so it was Mark Twain who originally said it. Probably should have known that, although not being American...

Anyway, now to try and work out what the film was I heard it being quoted in.

[Shoonay]

[jag]

One of my all time favs still has to be Fanny Craddock making doughnuts, followed by the comment by the announcer, 'I hope all your doughnuts turn out like Fanny's.' I still wonder if he realised what he was saying at the time or whether he was enlightened by a third party afterwards. It's not like Autocad, you can't type OOPS and make it all go away.

;-)