457 replies to this topic

[Radspakr Wolfbane]

Europe isn't a continent because there is no sea or great river separating it from Asia.
I don't think Mountains can be used to define Continental boundaries.
I mean Russia is it Asia or Europe?
But this is something I think people will always have issues over.

It's true we can most of Europe in Australia hell I'm sure I could fit a country in my old backyard:p.

Truth be told given the choice between a free holiday in either the US or in Europe I would go Europe hands down.
Europe has a lot of beautiful women there .

But if given a free Holiday anywhere I would choose Australia.

[Vortigern]

That's a boring choice for an Australian to make...

How exactly would mountains not count as a geographical barrier? You cross them if you think it's so easy, and people will find your frozen corpse ten thousand years from now and wonder just how stupid people were back then. And technically Russia is in both Europe and Asia. Moscow and St. Petersburg are in Europe, Vladivostok is clearly in Asia, as is most of Russia's landmass but not most of Russia's population. Turkey is also both European and Asian, what with controlling their little bit of land across the Bosphorus.

And SWG, the reason Europe has lots of separate countries is because we all hate each other. England hates France, Spain hates Portugal, Germany hates everyone, everyone hates France, nobody gives a damn about Italy and Russia are too far away to be worth bothering with. Also it's really cold there. We have rivalries going back further than there have been humans in New Zealand. That is genuinely true.

[OmegaBolt]

Europe isn't a continent because there is no sea or great river separating it from Asia.
I don't think Mountains can be used to define Continental boundaries.
I mean Russia is it Asia or Europe?
But this is something I think people will always have issues over.

Technically all continents are joined together by the planet's crust. They don't just float.

[Bart]

Europe isn't a continent because there is no sea or great river separating it from Asia.

If that's what defines a continent, Brittain is one as well, just like Ireland, Iceland, Hawaii, Wake Island (nearly every island) and many other places. Instead, as Wikipedia says:

They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criterion, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents

[Puppeteer]

And SWG, the reason Europe has lots of separate countries is because we all hate each other. England hates France, Spain hates Portugal, Germany hates everyone, everyone hates France, nobody gives a damn about Italy and Russia are too far away to be worth bothering with. Also it's really cold there. We have rivalries going back further than there have been humans in New Zealand. That is genuinely true.

This made me laugh!

@ Beo: We are Americans, we can say what we want. FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Don' like it? TOUGH.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

Edited by Puppeteer, 11 September 2009 - 05:01 PM.

[Vortigern]

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

And this made me laugh. It sums up exactly what I wanted to say but couldn't think of how best to phrase, so in the end didn't bother saying. Sometimes I wonder whether people think 'free speech' means they have a carte blanche to say whatever they want. It doesn't work like that.

[Beowulf]

Actually, it does mean that. Free speech includes that which we despise and that which we know is patently false. It's always a two way street. However, it also means we have the freedom to ignore that which we do not like.

[Pasidon]

Don't consort with the Brits and 'Freedom of Speech' Wulfy. They're not used to their talkative opposition with a head still on em'.

[Vortigern]

Alright, while technically free speech does mean you can say whatever you want, the practicalities are far different. Think of it like this: the media has the right to a free press, but that doesn't mean they can make stuff up and print it anyway. I see no reason why free speech as a concept should be any different.

There was a scandal with the Daily Mirror here a few years ago where they faked photographs of supposed British troops abusing Iraqi prisoners. They got found out, everyone got fired and they incurred a very hefty fine. But if they'd just said it to their friends and spread rumours, that would have been OK, apparently. Methinks I spy a double standard.

[Ash]

Exactly. There is also a reason why newspapers can't publish stuff like "Britain sinks under tide of sand-nigger influx." Much as the Daily Mail might want to, let's go into the oh-so many reasons why they can't.

Hate only begets more hate, therefore to allow people to be so outspokenly racist would have untold consequences as far as public order is concerned. While we might all agree that there are too any immigrants in the UK, there's no need to bring race or even religion into it.

I think you'll find the USA is subject to freedom of speech restrictions much the same as the UK is. Probably tighter, due to your greater diversity of ethnic backgrounds (though London, Bradford, Sheffield and Birmingham might make you think differently). If you publicly broadcast racism you'd be slammed. In addition, you can't invoke God in your swear words (eg 'goddamn') without that being censored. But 'damn' alone is ok.

True free speech would be the freedom to spew whatever nonsense you chose, anywhere, anyhow. But that would lead to either a vast amount of irrelevancy, or blatantly controversial and downright offensive stuff being said. Regardless, free speech need not be restricted but contained; only the medium in which it is presented. So, vis-a-vis, as it is now, you can say whatever you like within your own home or among friends but you wouldn't expect to be able to slur the same around a stranger or in public.

[Bart]

@ Beo: We are Americans, we can say what we want. FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Don' like it? TOUGH.

Free speech does not mean nobody may disagree with you, only that your words are not censored by the government.
If somebody tells you to STFU, that's his right (as much as it is yours to ignore that).

[Devon]

2play, if you're gonna quote wiki on this...

Europe is a large peninsula of western Eurasia and fits the profile of subcontinent, but is afforded the political status of a continent. The European peninsula is relatively contained from the rest of Asia by the Ural Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea.

I fully agree that Europe is a continent, but in the quote I was first referring to you were speaking only on geography. Because speaking geographically only, Europe is a subcontinent

[Bart]

I'm not saying geography only, or political only, or anything only. I'm talking about the mix that makes sense.

[Devon]

Sigh

We don't officially belong to Europe but still:

Europe is your continent, regardless of any union or military relations

You said it was their continent regardless of any political or military relations, so that leaves geographical. Speaking only geographically, Europe isn't a continent.

[Puppeteer]

Yoda that article was written by one person, and perhaps only with one reference - one more person.
Think about it; mountains count as a border. They're pretty clear denotions of a border.
North America is a peninsula of South America. You're only given your own status politically, too.

Edited by Puppeteer, 12 September 2009 - 04:49 PM.

[Allathar]

Not anymore, since they now have the Panamakanaal (Panama canal?)

[Puppeteer]

So a canal denotes a continental boundary, but mountains don't? Now I'm confused.

[Devon]

Oh gosh...


I only quoted wiki because 2play did. I even said "And since you quoted wiki..."


The North American landmass is pretty clearly separate from the South American, though where you draw the border can differ (though not so much now, as we have the Panama Canal like Allathar said.) Europe and Asia on the other hand are not clearly distinct.

[Puppeteer]

The North American landmass is pretty clearly separate from the South American, though where you draw the border can differ (though not so much now, as we have the Panama Canal like Allathar said.) Europe and Asia on the other hand are not clearly distinct.

And who are you to say what counts as a clear difference? Looking top-down on a map you might not see that much a difference (if you don't consider nations' boundaries), but those mountains are there.

[Hostile]

North America is simply a very large peninsula of South America. It's obvious to me, doesn't anyone else see the obvious?

Northern South America anyone?

Maybe N Korea needs a new more friendly name like "Really Really West Hawaii"