Do Americans have it better?

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by =X=

Right that is why we call ourselves the "United States of America"

I wasn't trying to excuse US Citizen just stating that Canadians and Mexicans are considered Americans or more acuratly North Americans.

And Mexicans are "United States" citizens too. The official name of Mexico is "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (United Mexican States).

Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela were also named "United States" at some point.

[HansTWN]

It is just the way the term is commonly used in the US. The term is used without thinking of the real meaning. My guess it might actually have come from Europeans, because Europeans usually immigrated to the US. So in German the term "Amerikaner" also means US only. So it was here (Europe) and there (America = US). The non-inclusion of inhabitants of all other countries in the Americas is not meant to insult them.

In Europe I ran into the opposite, once I was in England and people talked about "Great Britain and Europe".

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

In Europe I ran into the opposite, once I was in England and people talked about "Great Britain and Europe".

The most notable example of that, I think, is the Ryder Cup golf competition.

It used to be 'Great Britain and Ireland' vs the USA.
But GB&I hardly ever won, and their repeated failures were bringing the competition into disrepute. So it was decided to widen the team to include the rest of Europe.
The team was then often referred to as 'Great Britain and Europe' (I think as a marketing ploy to keep up interest in GB) - but now I think most people say the Ryder Cup is between Europe and the USA.

Edit: Oops, a post about golf and I forgot to add the obligatory, and intensely annoying, "GET IN THE HOLE!!"

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Actually in parts of Europe it is still believed and even taught that there are only 4 continents. Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. There are also a few large islands.

Dale

Oceania has been abducted by Adrian...

[=X=]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Actually in parts of Europe it is still believed and even taught that there are only 4 continents. Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. There are also a few large islands.

Dale

This might be a silly question but what's their definition of a continent? I cannnot see a pattern from the 4 listed.

In the states its a large land mass surrounded by water. Which is why Antarctica is listed, Antarctica is also one of the largest continent. And also why some scholars a changing the definition from 7 to 6 and combining the name of Europe and Asia to Eurasia.

=X=

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Oceania has been abducted by Adrian...

It's one of the "few large islands" plus other smaller ones

The "traditional" count around here is 5: Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Oceania, and the 6th is Antarctica. I believe the count is rather arbitrary, just like the colours in the rainbow (if I remember correctly, Newton said they were 7 for "numerological" reasons).

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by =X=

This might be a silly question but what's their definition of a continent? I cannnot see a pattern from the 4 listed.
=X=

the pattern is historic. In Ancient times there were 3 continents in the known world and then the Americas were discovered. And 4 is kind of a magic number.

Dale

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Jellby

It's one of the "few large islands" plus other smaller ones
...

We're an old, old land, parochial, whose influence slowly and barely perceptibly trickles out to puddle in the low areas of the rest of the world. Thus, we refer to ourselves as the in-continent.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

We're an old, old land, parochial, whose influence slowly and barely perceptibly trickles out to puddle in the low areas of the rest of the world. Thus, we refer to ourselves as the in-continent.

Australia will always be #1 with me.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Jellby

It's one of the "few large islands" plus other smaller ones

The "traditional" count around here is 5: Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Oceania, and the 6th is Antarctica. I believe the count is rather arbitrary, just like the colours in the rainbow (if I remember correctly, Newton said they were 7 for "numerological" reasons).

5 is certainly the number used in the Olympics of Greek origin. In the beginning the Greeks knew of 2 continents, Europe and Asia and there was this place called Lybia which they weren't sure about. Eventually deciding to call it 3 and Africa was born to civilization of the Greeks.

[fugazied]

Absolutely Americans have it better, but I guess it because of the crazy world of publishing and global distribution. I think they can't get the various branches of the publishing arms overseas to agree for each book. It gets complex as hell. Well that's the main reason why I think these devices start as US only - simple publisher management.

[Icarusbop]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Bleh, why bother selling ebooks outside of the US?

Everyone knows, that those people people can't read. Heck, most of them can't even speak, but just make some unintelligible sounds that don't make no sense.

But at least over here in the UK. we can spell corrrectly

[HansTWN]

that is because you have fewer ebooks with all those mistakes in them!

[Sparrow]

Our publishing industry could significantly reduce it's carbon footprint if it followed the US lead and ditched all those unnecessary 'u's.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Our publishing industry could significantly reduce it's carbon footprint if it followed the US lead and ditched all those unnecessary 'u's.

Something along these lines was tried in the Bosnian regions, leading to great conversational difficulties. The then US president, Clinton, tried to help with the following actions; (from news clipping)

CLINTON DEPLOYS VOWELS TO BOSNIA
Cities of Sjlbvdnzv, Grzny to Be First Recipients Before an emergency joint session of Congress yesterday, President Clinton announced US plans to deploy over 75,000 vowels to the war-torn region of Bosnia.

The deployment, the largest of its kind in American history, will provide the region with the critically needed letters A,E,I,O and U, and is hoped to render countless Bosnian names more pronounceable. "For six years, we have stood by while names like Ygrjvslhv and Tzlynhr and Glrm have been horribly butchered by millions around the world," Clinton said. "Today,
the United States must finally stand up and say 'Enough.' It is time the people of Bosnia finally had some vowels in their incomprehensible words. The US is proud to lead the crusade in this noble endeavor."

The deployment, dubbed Operation Vowel Storm by the State Department, is set for early next week, with the Adriatic port cities of Sjlbvdnzv and Grzny slated to be the first recipients. Two C-130 transport planes, each carrying over 500 24-count boxes of "E's," will fly from Andrews Air
Force Base across the Atlantic and airdrop the letters over the cities.

Citizens of Grzny and Sjlbvdnzv eagerly await the arrival of the vowels. "My God, I do not think we can last another day," Trszg Grzdnjkln, 44, said. "I have six children and none of them has a name that is understandable to me or to anyone else. Mr. Clinton, please send my poor, wretched family just one 'E.' Please."

Said Sjlbvdnzv resident Grg Hmphrs, 67: "With just a few key letters, I could be George Humphries. This is my dream." The airdrop represents the largest deployment of any letter to a foreign country since 1984. During the summer of that year, the US shipped 92,000 consonants to Ethiopia, providing cities like Ouaouoaua, Eaoiiuae, and Aao with vital,
life-giving supplies of L's, S's and T's.
-----------------

As you can see, GB's usage of so many extra 'U's' is might actually be a good thing!

Stitchawl