Americans...

[chrisjk]

Let's test your knowledge of things outside your shores...

I made a bet with someone that any American would not be able to tell me the names of 5 current world leaders (not including your own)...

Prove me wrong!

[crptcblade]

are there only 5?

[chrisjk]

no, there are more, but 5 is a good number.

[crptcblade]

well, there's that guy in Russia, you know, with all the drinkin...

[filburt1]

Tony Blair
uh, uh, buh... :D

You win. :)

[chrisjk]

well if nobody gets at least 5, I made a cool £10

[filburt1]

Tony Blair (UK sortof)
John Howard (Australia)
Jacques Chirac (France)
Jose Maria Anzar (Spain)
Ariel Sharon (Israel)

Your turn. :p

[nishantp]

Originally posted by filburt1
Tony Blair (England)
John Howard (Australia)
Jacques Chirac (France)
Jose Maria Anzar (Spain)
Ariel Sharon (Israel)

Your turn. :p You missed a business opportunity Arien. You could have made a deal with Chris for 5 pounds for shutting up...

[denniswrenn]

Bill Clinton
Montezuma
Hitler
Napoleon
Charlemagne


thinking is hard :rolleyes:

[nishantp]

Charlemagn wasnt a national leader i dont think. And Napoleon wasnt either (officially) even though he had all the power. Not to mention none of these are current. It would seem thinking is hard this late at night...;)

[crptcblade]

Originally posted by denniswrenn
Bill Clinton
Montezuma
Hitler
Napoleon
Charlemagne


thinking is hard :rolleyes:

Lest we forget Hammurabi

:D

[siyan]

Ariel Sharon
Yasser Arafat
Saddam Heussein
(do you sense a pattern? :p)
Jean Chretien
Vladamir Putin

Methinks so..its late, music is loud...forgive my incoherence..blech.

-C

[denniswrenn]

Originally posted by nishantp
Charlemagn wasnt a national leader i dont think. And Napoleon wasnt either (officially) even though he had all the power. Not to mention none of these are current. It would seem thinking is hard this late at night...;)

I was just trying to display how stupid us Americans are... Sheeeeeesh, you all say we're the ones without a sense of humor..... :p

[beachbum]

Chris u made the qtn unnecessarily difficult. You should've just asked for 5 other countries and after say 20 mins followed up with hints that Texas, California and Hawaii are not in fact countries... nor are AT&T or Microsoft.

Now i can go and put my lederhausen on, drive down the autobahn and get some bratwurst mit brochen und sempf. Ahh me love Osterreich :p

[InvisibleDuncan]

Originally posted by filburt1
Tony Blair (England)
John Howard (Australia)
Jacques Chirac (France)
Jose Maria Anzar (Spain)
Ariel Sharon (Israel)

Your turn. :p
Technically incorrect. Tony Blair is the leader of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England has no leader, as such. :p

Picky, picky, picky. ;)

[CiberTHuG]

Okay, with out having read past the first post, I will give it a shot. Mind you, I used to know the Canadian President, the French President, the Japanese Prime Minister, the German Chancellor, the Isreli President, the King of Jordan, the Egyptian President, and the Mexican President. But that was back when I actually watched the news. Now I don't care.

General F Castro, Cuba
Prime Minister Tony Blair, UK
Boris Yeltsin, Russia
Sadam, Iraq (easy one)
Secretary Kofi Annan, UN
President George W. Bush, USA

Mmm... I would like to come up with five not counting Secretary Annan, but I can't think of another. I guess I could count His Excellency Pope John Paul II. Regretably I can't think of the name of Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of England.

[filburt1]

Originally posted by denniswrenn
Bill Clinton
Montezuma
Hitler
Napoleon
Charlemagne


thinking is hard :rolleyes:

Last time I checked, Hitler and Charlemagne weren't current. :)

[InvisibleDuncan]

Um, Filbert...

Originally posted by denniswrenn


I was just trying to display how stupid us Americans are... Sheeeeeesh, you all say we're the ones without a sense of humor..... :p

[CiberTHuG]

Okay, now that I've read the other posts:

Someone said Putin for Russia. Is Putin the leader, or just leader of the Polit Bueareau?

And yes, I think it is fair to be picky about UK v GB. In which case I should clarify that it still isn't Russia as an idependent state, but the Commonwealth of Soviet States. Atleast, I think that is the correct title.

[nullus]

Originally posted by CiberTHuG
General F Castro, Cuba
Prime Minister Tony Blair, UK
Boris Yeltsin, Russia
Sadam, Iraq (easy one)
Secretary Kofi Annan, UN
President George W. Bush, USA


tut tut, Boris isn't in charge of Russia anymore, it's Mr. Putin ;)

[chrisjk]

Looks like filburt wins, damn it I lost £10!!

Travis: Boris Yeltsin was russian president a few years ago, now it's Vladimir Putin.
Kofi Anan doesn't count, he's secretary general of the UN, which isn't a country
Bush-babes doesn't count either, I said excluding him.

And Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is her name, but you already had Tony Blair. Not only england either, she's Head of State for all (most?) commonwealth countries.

So there :p, not that you really care :D

[InvisibleDuncan]

Nah - Filburt didn't get it right...
Originally posted by InvisibleDuncan
Technically incorrect. Tony Blair is the leader of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England has no leader, as such.
So, you're still alright. Nobody's got it completely correct, yet.

[filburt1]

Now I did (I edited it). :p

[InvisibleDuncan]

Y'know - I'm pretty sure that's cheating... :rolleyes:

[filburt1]

Grr...*strains his small American brain to think of more leaders* :D

[barrk]

Chris.......are you saying that every single Brit would pass this test if you just stopped him on the street and asked??? I'm surprised you spend your time taking bets with your friends about how stupid us Americans are.......sounds like you need a hobby! :p It must be wonderful to be so superior in every way! I wish I were just like you.:rolleyes:

[chrisjk]

no of course not, but you do have a reputation for not knowing what goes on outside your own country...

[CiberTHuG]

Damn.... Katie kicks ass. :)

Originally posted by chrisjk
Looks like filburt wins, damn it I lost £10!!

Travis: Boris Yeltsin was russian president a few years ago, now it's Vladimir Putin.
Kofi Anan doesn't count, he's secretary general of the UN, which isn't a country
Bush-babes doesn't count either, I said excluding him.

And Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is her name, but you already had Tony Blair. Not only england either, she's Head of State for all (most?) commonwealth countries.

So there :p, not that you really care :D

Like I said, I don't watch the news, so I missed when Yeltsin was replaced. I remember when he had heart problems and Putin wanted him to step down. But anyway. Like I said, I would've preffered to have done that without Secretary Annan, but I think he deserve more respect than most national leaders, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair included. And Bush was number six. You asked for five, he was just extra credit since he didn't count.

But wait... since Elizabeth II is Queen Elizabeth, isn't is Her Royal Majesty, and her husband, Prince Phillip, isn't he just His Majesty? What about the Crown Prince? That is something I'm not sure of. I'm still assuming that Charles holds the Principality of Wales, which makes him the Crown Prince? *shrug* Guess that's what I get for being American. ;)

I could be wrong. I also get Excellency and Emminence mixed up. I think it is Pope and Cardinal, respectively, but I'm never sure.

[InvisibleDuncan]

Prince Phillip is the Queen's consort, not the King. He's therefore "His Highness", not "His Majesty". Charles is the same until he becomes King.

Fascinating stuff, isn't it? :rolleyes:

[chrisjk]

Originally posted by CiberTHuG
Damn.... Katie kicks ass. :)No, she neds to go back to bed and get out the right side, it's only a bit of fun.

But wait... since Elizabeth II is Queen Elizabeth, isn't is Her Royal Majesty, and her husband, Prince Phillip, isn't he just His Majesty?They don't put the Royal in, and prince phillip isn't His majesty because he is not King. I'm still assuming that Charles holds the Principality of Wales, which makes him the Crown Prince?Yes, and no idea.I could be wrong. I also get Excellency and Emminence mixed up. I think it is Pope and Cardinal, respectively, but I'm never sure.Don't ask me!

[InvisibleDuncan]

Oh - and incidentally, she's only Queen Elizabeth II of England and Wales; she's Queen Elizabeth I of everywhere else.

(Before anyone wades in, by that I mean everywhere else that she's Queen of.)

[CiberTHuG]

Ah. Yes, it is very hard to keep track of the addresses when you aren't a subject. It is very interesting about Elizabeth I/II. I'm guessing that if America were still subjected to the Crown we would call her II, since we endured I?

I could swear I thought Royal was added somewhere. Perhaps it is His Royal Highness Prince Charles and His Highness Prince Phillip, since Charles is in-line (Crown Prince).

I was thinking Royal went with Majesty, though, because of the non-warships: RMS. But when I think about it, warships are just HMS, and not HRMS.

I think the only address we preserve in America is Honorable for Judges and various Congress members. I can't think of any others, which is a shame, since I don't mind addresses and titles.

[chrisjk]

Originally posted by CiberTHuG
Perhaps it is His Royal HighnessYep, that's it!

[filburt1]

Stupid archaic royalty system. If they don't have any power anymore, why do they still exist? :mad:

[CiberTHuG]

Originally posted by filburt1
Stupid archaic royalty system. If they don't have any power anymore, why do they still exist? :mad:

Mascots. :)

[chrisjk]

Don't diss it. I'm not dissing your two-party crap...

[simonm]

Stupid archaic royalty system. If they don't have any power anymore, why do they still exist?
The Queen does have powers. She must appoint the party to govern the country in the houses of parliment and does not necessarilly (although she generally does) have to heed the majority vote in the election.

She may also decide to disolve the government any time she sees fit.

[InvisibleDuncan]

Originally posted by filburt1
Stupid archaic royalty system. If they don't have any power anymore, why do they still exist? :mad: I'd rather have Royalty than a President. It's much better to have a symbolic figurehead with a fully accountable parliament than it is to invest so much actual power in one person - who doesn't even have to have been voted for by the majority.

Besides, you'd be surprised at how much influence they still have.

[Guv]

You should win your bet. I read newspapers regularly and am well educated, but could not name 5 current leaders of foreign countries. I doubt that one out of ten randomly chosen Americans would do any better. Hell, most of us cannot name all 48 (or is it 50 now?) States, and few can name the senators and representatives from their own state.

I could do much better that 5 if you did not want current leaders.

I know of Sharon and Arafat, Hussein, and maybe Gadifi is still in charge of Lybia or some other North African country. I know they assassinated Sadat a long time ago, and I think that Churchill, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Charlemagne, Louis 14, Mao, and Nehru are all dead..

Now that I think about the subject, I am surprised that the only ones I know are in the Middle East (BTW: I am neither Jew nor Muslim). No knowledge of who is in charge of China, Russia, England, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, et cetera.

[filburt1]

50 states.

[nishantp]

Originally posted by simonm

She may also decide to disolve the government any time she sees fit. Legally, she may have that power...but practically...could she really do that? Probably not. There would be a revolt against the royalty.

[simonm]

Legally, she may have that power...but practically...could she really do that? Probably not. There would be a revolt against the royalty.
She can...and has used that power before. She can only get away with using it in special circumstances though.

I, personnally, like the fact that we have a head of state who has these powers but is very cautious about using them. Take Russia for example, their president seems to sack parliment every fortnight or something.

[CiberTHuG]

Yes, there are 50 states, and we still own Puerto Rico, some of the Virgin Islands, and I think Guam.

What upsets me is that native born citizens who have gone through public schooling don't know how many states there are. They can't name them. They can't find them on a map. That bothers me.

Anyway. Supreme Goddess Katie. What shall be your address? Your Most Holiness? :)

Sorry about getting the Canadian Head of State's title wrong. I new his name ten years ago. Now I don't remember who was Prime Minister ten years ago, and I'm sure he still isn't today, though I don't know how often that posistion changes.

[barrk]

Nah, that sounds too religious......My title will be Kathryn, Supreme Goddess of Chit-Chat but you can address me in the familiar.....Katie will do quite nicely!:)

[Guv]

Surprised that I forgot about Castro. That would have brought me up to 4, and maybe if I had really concentrated, I could have come up with a fifth.

Filburt1: Thanx for the information. I will now remember that there are 50 states. That is a nice round number and easy to remember, although 48 had a lot more factors. I wonder if we will ever have 53, the next prime number. I would actually like to see 52, the number of cards in a deck. That number I could not forget. 13 cards in a suit remind me that we started out with 13 states.

BTW: Another quiz for Americans. Name the US state that is farthest south the one farthest north, the one farthest east, and the one farthest west.

[filburt1]

N: Alaska
E: Maine
W: Hawaii
S: Hawaii again

[chrisjk]

come on then britons, name the furthest north, south east and west counties in the entire UK...

[Guv]

Trick question.

Hawaii is farthest south, and Alaska is the most extreme in the other three directions.

It is obviously the farthest north. The Aleutians Island chain (part of Alaska) crosses longitude 180. There are places in Alaska 180 degrees west, which are also 180 degrees east.

[filburt1]

Well, it depends on where you define the center. I was assuming the middle of the continental US.

[CiberTHuG]

Originally posted by filburt1
Well, it depends on where you define the center. I was assuming the middle of the continental US.

In which case I'm guessing it is

N - Alaska
E - Maine
W - Alaska
S - Hawaii

[Jethro]

Originally posted by filburt1
Tony Blair (UK sortof)
John Howard (Australia)
Jacques Chirac (France)
Jose Maria Anzar (Spain)
Ariel Sharon (Israel)

Your turn. :p

Just goes to show you how stupid yanks are. John Howard couldn't lead a piss up in a brewery, a root in a brothel........


The real leader of OZ is of course Steve Waugh, and don't you forget it:rolleyes:

[chrisjk]

Originally posted by filburt1
Tony Blair (UK sortof)Sort of? Either he is or he isn't!

[Jethro]

Originally posted by chrisjk
Sort of? Either he is or he isn't!

Well until he is discovered wearing women's underwear and rogering a goat.............or didn't he go to a Public school like Ian:rolleyes:

[chrisjk]

he's done the women dressing thing, I sense the goat thing could not be far off...

[simonm]

come on then britons, name the furthest north, south east and west counties in the entire UK...
That's tricky...Does it include Northern Ireland? If not, then Cornwall is both the most southerly and westerly. I would say Kent for the most Easterly and Shetland in the north (that is a county right)?

[InvisibleDuncan]

North - Shetland
East - Norfolk
South - Cornwall
West - Fermanagh

If we're only talking about the mainland, then:
North - Caithness
West - Argyll

[simonm]

If we're only talking about the mainland, then:
North - Caithness
West - Argyll
Actually, I'm absolutely certain that Land's End in Cornwall is the most westerly point of mainland Britain. If you're not talking about mainland then you've got the Isles of Scilly (30 miles south West from lands end) that is still considered part of Cornwall (I believe).

[InvisibleDuncan]

Hmmmm...

I definitely disagree. Bear with me and I'll look it up.

(If we're not including NI but are including other islands - don't forget the Hebrides...)

[simonm]

If we're not including NI but are including other islands - don't forget the Hebrides...
What about the Falklands? :rolleyes:

[InvisibleDuncan]

Originally posted by simonm

What about the Falklands? :rolleyes:
:D

What county are they in? I forget... :rolleyes:

[beachbum]

Ok so i dont live there but i can read an emmm whatchamacallit

Mainland
N - Highlands - Caithness (been to Thurso and John O Groats :p)
W - Highlands again - is it Morvern? not inc Skye etc
E - Toss up betw Norfolk and Suffolk within a few miles
S - Cornwall

Thats my 2 wee pennies worth... och aye the noo, bah goom lads, top of the mornin' to ya and llyllylylylyllllwlwlllwlllllyllyllylylllllln

[InvisibleDuncan]

The Point of Ardnamurchan in Argyll is more than 6° West - Cornwall isn't.

[simonm]

Look you lot, Land's End is famous for being the most westerly point in mainland Britain.

Anyone who says otherwise, let's take it outside and settle it like men. :mad:

[beachbum]

Originally posted by simonm
Look you lot, Land's End is famous for being the most westerly point in mainland Britain.

Anyone who says otherwise, let's take it outside and settle it like men. :mad:
Well i thought it was famous for being the most southerly point (and john o'groats for northerly) but if we gotta step outside can we at least meet half way like in bahrain or something?

Also, if enuf ppl believe it is the most westerly point does it actually become the most westerly point in some Orwellian twist? :p

[InvisibleDuncan]

I thought Land's End was famous for being the most Southerly point on mainland Britain.

If you want to take it outside, I should be allowed to bring my Atlas to hit you over the head with. ;)

[simonm]

I thought Land's End was famous for being the most Southerly point on mainland Britain.
No, The Lizard Point is the most southerly point of mainland Britain. You know the two little peninulars sticking out of the end of cornwall (one points west, the other south)? The Lizard is the on pointing south, Penwith (the one with Land's end) is the one pointing West.
Also, if enuf ppl believe it is the most westerly point does it actually become the most westerly point in some Orwellian twist?
Yes it does. In fact, we have hosts of people from the west coast of Scotland come down every year just to say they've been to the most westerly point in Britain.

beachbum, No! I will not meet you halfway in bahrain. Come to Land's end and feel it's westerlyness!

InvisibleDuncan, OK, you may bring an atlas to hit me with. me, I'm going to bring an iron bar! :cool:

[beachbum]

Originally posted by simonm
Yes it does. In fact, we have hosts of people from the west coast of Scotland come down every year just to say they've been to the most westerly point in Britain.

That sounds like the type of holiday i'm after :p Imagine the slide show back home ...

Where do i go to say i have been to the most boring point in Britain? :D

[simonm]

Where do i go to say i have been to the most boring point in Britain?
Oh, that would be the Cotswolds.

[InvisibleDuncan]

Originally posted by simonm

Oh, that would be the Cotswolds.
I knew we'd find some common ground eventually. :)

[Guv]

East and West are measured relative to the prime meridian which passes throught Greenwich, England. Longitude there is zero. 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west halfway around the world from Greenwich are as far east/west as you can get.

Alaska has territory at longitude 180, making it farthest east and farthest west.

[CyberSurfer]

Well, I live near Thurso in Caithness :)

[beachbum]

Originally posted by Guv
East and West are measured relative to the prime meridian which passes throught Greenwich, England. Longitude there is zero. 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west halfway around the world from Greenwich are as far east/west as you can get.

Alaska has territory at longitude 180, making it farthest east and farthest west.
Hey, whatever happened to "East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet"... party pooper :p

[chrisjk]

Originally posted by Guv
East and West are measured relative to the prime meridian which passes throught Greenwich, EnglandI lived there. I went to the old royal observatory where the line goes through. They have this cool line and you can stand on it and go "Wow, 1 of my feet in the east of the world, 1 of my feet in the west" It's very exciting...:)

At night they used to have this cool laser lightbeam that shone across greenwich park following the meridian.

Lots of japanese tourists as you can imagine.

[Jimmy Changas]

when you see them..do they all come squirming out of a bus and then start taking pictures of everything?? ;)

[MidgetsBro]

Damn stupid Americans... oh wait I'm American! :D

I don't understand why any country needs a leader. Just think... we have George W. Bush for president, and look how good our country is! :rolleyes: He's spent more time on a golf course than in the White House. The last time he did somthing in office, his dad was screwing the country over, now it's his turn to do the same thing!

Ok after all that blabbing... I say SCREW WORLD LEADERS! Who needs them?!

http://www.usflag.org/animate/flagwave1.gif
<PS>

Has anyone ever been to East Dakota?

[InvisibleDuncan]

Originally posted by chrisjk
I lived there. I went to the old royal observatory where the line goes through. They have this cool line and you can stand on it and go "Wow, 1 of my feet in the east of the world, 1 of my feet in the west" It's very exciting...:)
I currently live about a mile away from the spot where the Prime Meridian leaves English shores. It's not very exciting here, either. :(

[chrisjk]

Originally posted by MidgetsBro
I don't understand why any country needs a leader. Just think... we have George W. Bush for president, and look how good our country is!Yeah, on the brink of recession...great!! :rolleyes:

[dubae524]

Jacques Chirac (France)
Gerhard Schroeder (Germany)
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russia)
Joichiru Koizumi (Japan)
Emperor Akihito (Japan)
Jiang Zemin (China)
Kim Jong-il (North Korea)
Kim Dae-jong (South Korea)
Vicente Fox (Mexico)
Saddam Hussein (Iraq)
King Abdullah (Jordan)
Ariel Sharon (Israel)
etc. etc.