Brits take a crack at US geography

[J.A.W.]

[from it's leafy suburbs]

I could be wrong, but I thought you were a teacher

Edited December 3, 2013 by J.A.W.

[GA Russell]

Were Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders from Manchester?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mindbenders

Thanks, Hans! I see that this says that Freddie and the Dreamers and Georgie Fame were also from Manchester.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bands_from_Manchester

[BillF]

Were Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders from Manchester?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mindbenders

Thanks, Hans! I see that this says that Freddie and the Dreamers and Georgie Fame were also from Manchester.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bands_from_Manchester

Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis grew up in Burnage, within walking distance of where I live. They boasted that they spent their youth breaking into cars and trespassing on the railway. They also patronised local record store, Sifters, which is still there.

[page]

I used to be able to do the 7 when I taught 17thC European history. Would struggle beyond Holland, Zeeland, Gelderland now.

Sorry, I completely overlooked your post. It is odd how quickly you can forget isn't it? Teaching topographics was among my tasks when I was teaching. My knowledge seems to have become somewhat rusty in that area now. Not in the counties of Holland of course, but beyond I have forgotten a lot. It seems like playing an instrument, you'll have to keep practising or the skill will flow away.

[seeline]

page - Friesland, Utrecht (this is a province, yes?) and beyond that, I would have to look. (I studied Dutch 17th c. art in graduate school, though that was not my primary subject.)

*

It would be very revealing to see how people from the US (like me) would do at identifying geographical landmarks and provinces of Canada. Am afraid Mexico would be a lost cause. The only time I can recall it being discussed in public school history classes was re. the Mexican-American war, in the early 19th c. Oh, and as "our neighbor to the south." We didn't learn anything about Canada, either, except in the context of the French-Indian wars and the American revolution. (Or war of Independence, or whatever you Brits call it. - am blanking on the term.)

Edited December 3, 2013 by seeline

[A Lark Ascending]

[from it's leafy suburbs]

I could be wrong, but I thought you were a teacher

Givn the sped we nok thinz out on boreds' like this Im surpised we dont get lots more grammer and speling miss-takes,

Or, to quote a poster on another thread:

Sheesh, the things people can get worked up about in this place...

Edited December 3, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Wales is where most of the names have changed twice since 1972.

MG

No more Cardiganshire or Denbighshire or Monmouthshire or Glamorganshire , then? (No, I did not look them up online to find out )

BTW, what made me realize that apparently almost ANY place can be a "-shire" in the UK was when I found out there actually is a Renfrewshire up in Scotland (Renfrew being a character's name of sorts that for some reason I came across in several unrelated novels and/or radio plays through the years)

Well, here are the 3 maps, in glorious technicolour

This is the old map of Wales' counties, up to 1974. There were 13.

The 1972 Local Government Reorganisation Act substituted 8 new counties -

There was a general feeling that the counties were too big and remote from people's local concerns, so the Government had another go at it in 1994 and it's been like this since 1996 -

And the present crop of Conservatives announced earlier this year that there'd be a further review. (Both previous reviews had been Conservative legislation.)

MG

[seeline]

the 1972 changes look like a reversion to medieval names of various parts of Wales - ?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

the 1972 changes look like a reversion to medieval names of various parts of Wales - ?

That's right.

MG

[seeline]

It seems more sensible than having a county divided in two with no common border, though (Flintshire, pre-1972).

[page]

page - Friesland, Utrecht (this is a province, yes?) and beyond that, I would have to look. (I studied Dutch 17th c. art in graduate school, though that was not my primary subject.)

*

It would be very revealing to see how people from the US (like me) would do at identifying geographical landmarks and provinces of Canada. Am afraid Mexico would be a lost cause. The only time I can recall it being discussed in public school history classes was re. the Mexican-American war, in the early 19th c. Oh, and as "our neighbor to the south." We didn't learn anything about Canada, either, except in the context of the French-Indian wars and the American revolution. (Or war of Independence, or whatever you Brits call it. - am blanking on the term.)

Yes, that is right. Friesland is in the north, opposite of (Noord) Holland. Utrecht is in the middle. I didn't know you studied art. That's nice. So you know all about Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals en Jan Steen! I've always liked Rembrandt's light myself. Do you have a favourite painter from that time?

Speaking of losing knowledge. I was in a store and asked for the price of something and the girl in the store said: "Oh, that one has a discount of 60 percent." She couldn't tell me the price though. The girl at the cash register said that she was happy she didn't have to count back when she had to give change as the machine counted for her. I think they were both around 18. Arithmatics is only taught in primary school, so they loose it quickly if they don't train it anymore. Too bad.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Yes, that was always peculiar. But there's a detached bit of Russia, isn't there? That's peculiar, too.

MG

[erwbol]

You mean former northern East Prussia?

[seeline]

page - Friesland, Utrecht (this is a province, yes?) and beyond that, I would have to look. (I studied Dutch 17th c. art in graduate school, though that was not my primary subject.)

*

It would be very revealing to see how people from the US (like me) would do at identifying geographical landmarks and provinces of Canada. Am afraid Mexico would be a lost cause. The only time I can recall it being discussed in public school history classes was re. the Mexican-American war, in the early 19th c. Oh, and as "our neighbor to the south." We didn't learn anything about Canada, either, except in the context of the French-Indian wars and the American revolution. (Or war of Independence, or whatever you Brits call it. - am blanking on the term.)

Yes, that is right. Friesland is in the north, opposite of (Noord) Holland. Utrecht is in the middle. I didn't know you studied art. That's nice. So you know all about Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals en Jan Steen! I've always liked Rembrandt's light myself. Do you have a favourite painter from that time?

Speaking of losing knowledge. I was in a store and asked for the price of something and the girl in the store said: "Oh, that one has a discount of 60 percent." She couldn't tell me the price though. The girl at the cash register said that she was happy she didn't have to count back when she had to give change as the machine counted for her. I think they were both around 18. Arithmatics is only taught in primary school, so they loose it quickly if they don't train it anymore. Too bad.

I don't have a single favorite painter from that time - they were all great at different things (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Steen). I am a big fan of Dutch 17th c. landscape and seascape paintings - the light and clouds in the best are amazing! - as well as some of the better painters of still life, genre scenes and church interiors. (I love architecture.) There are just so many painters from that time - the art market exploded as the Netherlands got wealthy from trade.

All that said, Rembrandt is probably my favorite of all of them - for his prints and drawings as much as for his paintings.

A friend of mine married a guy from Friesland, which is partly how I know about that, and Utrecht... well, we even have an art materials company over here called Utrecht. (Believe it or not.)

*

I have never been good at mental arithmetic and to be honest, computerized cash registers worked for me, back when I was in retail!

Edited December 3, 2013 by seeline

[page]

page - Friesland, Utrecht (this is a province, yes?) and beyond that, I would have to look. (I studied Dutch 17th c. art in graduate school, though that was not my primary subject.)

*

It would be very revealing to see how people from the US (like me) would do at identifying geographical landmarks and provinces of Canada. Am afraid Mexico would be a lost cause. The only time I can recall it being discussed in public school history classes was re. the Mexican-American war, in the early 19th c. Oh, and as "our neighbor to the south." We didn't learn anything about Canada, either, except in the context of the French-Indian wars and the American revolution. (Or war of Independence, or whatever you Brits call it. - am blanking on the term.)

Yes, that is right. Friesland is in the north, opposite of (Noord) Holland. Utrecht is in the middle. I didn't know you studied art. That's nice. So you know all about Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals en Jan Steen! I've always liked Rembrandt's light myself. Do you have a favourite painter from that time?

Speaking of losing knowledge. I was in a store and asked for the price of something and the girl in the store said: "Oh, that one has a discount of 60 percent." She couldn't tell me the price though. The girl at the cash register said that she was happy she didn't have to count back when she had to give change as the machine counted for her. I think they were both around 18. Arithmatics is only taught in primary school, so they loose it quickly if they don't train it anymore. Too bad.

I don't have a single favorite painter from that time - they were all great at different things (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Steen). I am a big fan of Dutch 17th c. landscape and seascape paintings - the light and clouds in the best are amazing! - as well as some of the better painters of still life, genre scenes and church interiors. (I love architecture.) There are just so many painters from that time - the art market exploded as the Netherlands got wealthy from trade.

All that said, Rembrandt is probably my favorite of all of them - for his prints and drawings as much as for his paintings.

A friend of mine married a guy from Friesland, which is partly how I know about that, and Utrecht... well, we even have an art materials company over here called Utrecht. (Believe it or not.)

*

I have never been good at mental arithmetic and to be honest, computerized cash registers worked for me, back when I was in retail!

Well if you like cycling you'll get a good look at Utrecht at the start of the Tour de France in 2015. They start there in the capital city. Utrecht city has canals like Amsterdam, only fewer.

I can tell you a funny thing. A friend of mine from Alaska is a painter and he uses the Dutch oil paint. I don't know whether he has the one that is still made in one of our windmills because they still make it, but I kind of like that idea. My friend makes seascapes mostly.

The cash registers are handy but I was kind of startled by the idea that they might not have a clue how to get to the right amount for payment when there is a discount. I did tell her how she could get to the number, but anyway...

Edited December 3, 2013 by page

[A Lark Ascending]

We used to go shopping in Venlo and Roermond back in the 70s from the RAF base (Royal Air Force, not Red Army Faction) my dad was based on. Things were cheaper than in Germany.

[page]

So he was stationed in Laarbruch?

[A Lark Ascending]

Rheindahlen

Also very flat.

We used to get Dutch TV which was great (for we Brits) as it was all US and UK programmes with Dutch subtitles. German TV was dubbed. I could be making this up but I half-remember watching 'Van der Valk' with Dutch subtitles.

Now, what about Jan Van Oldenbarnevelt and the De Witte Brothers? And stadtholders? It's all coming back.

Edited December 3, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[seeline]

Rheindahlen

Also very flat.

We used to get Dutch TV which was great (for we Brits) as it was all US and UK programmes with Dutch subtitles. German TV was dubbed.

I once saw part of a John Wayne movie dubbed in German - quite an experience, to say the least!

[page]

Ah, near Mönchengladbach I see! German TV still dubs eveything I think.

Edited December 3, 2013 by page

[seeline]

page - Friesland, Utrecht (this is a province, yes?) and beyond that, I would have to look. (I studied Dutch 17th c. art in graduate school, though that was not my primary subject.)

*

It would be very revealing to see how people from the US (like me) would do at identifying geographical landmarks and provinces of Canada. Am afraid Mexico would be a lost cause. The only time I can recall it being discussed in public school history classes was re. the Mexican-American war, in the early 19th c. Oh, and as "our neighbor to the south." We didn't learn anything about Canada, either, except in the context of the French-Indian wars and the American revolution. (Or war of Independence, or whatever you Brits call it. - am blanking on the term.)

Yes, that is right. Friesland is in the north, opposite of (Noord) Holland. Utrecht is in the middle. I didn't know you studied art. That's nice. So you know all about Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals en Jan Steen! I've always liked Rembrandt's light myself. Do you have a favourite painter from that time?

Speaking of losing knowledge. I was in a store and asked for the price of something and the girl in the store said: "Oh, that one has a discount of 60 percent." She couldn't tell me the price though. The girl at the cash register said that she was happy she didn't have to count back when she had to give change as the machine counted for her. I think they were both around 18. Arithmatics is only taught in primary school, so they loose it quickly if they don't train it anymore. Too bad.

I don't have a single favorite painter from that time - they were all great at different things (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Steen). I am a big fan of Dutch 17th c. landscape and seascape paintings - the light and clouds in the best are amazing! - as well as some of the better painters of still life, genre scenes and church interiors. (I love architecture.) There are just so many painters from that time - the art market exploded as the Netherlands got wealthy from trade.

All that said, Rembrandt is probably my favorite of all of them - for his prints and drawings as much as for his paintings.

A friend of mine married a guy from Friesland, which is partly how I know about that, and Utrecht... well, we even have an art materials company over here called Utrecht. (Believe it or not.)

*

I have never been good at mental arithmetic and to be honest, computerized cash registers worked for me, back when I was in retail!

Well if you like cycling you'll get a good look at Utrecht at the start of the Tour de France in 2015. They start there in the capital city. Utrecht city has canals like Amsterdam, only fewer.

I can tell you a funny thing. A friend of mine from Alaska is a painter and he uses the Dutch oil paint. I don't know whether he has the one that is still made in one of our windmills because they still make it, but I kind of like that idea. My friend makes seascapes mostly.

The cash registers are handy but I was kind of startled by the idea that they might not have a clue how to get to the right amount for payment when there is a discount. I did tell her how she could get to the number, but anyway...

I didn't know about the paint that is made in a windmill - interesting! I need a calculator for percentages and fractions and pretty much everything except the simplest calculations.

Edited December 3, 2013 by seeline

[A Lark Ascending]

Ah, near Mönchengladbach I see! German TV still dubs eveything I think.

Indeed. That was where we went window shopping (records were nearly twice the price they were in England at that time).

[page]

I didn't know about the paint that is made in a windmill - interesting! I need a calculator for percentages and fractions and pretty much everything except the simplest calculations.

Ah sorry, I still have some of that teaching in me, so the explaining sort of comes natural since I basically just want to help. Not everyone is happy with it of course, and I can't blame them. It can be annoying. I'm not as bad as I used to be though, lol.

Ah, near Mönchengladbach I see! German TV still dubs eveything I think.

Indeed. That was where we went window shopping (records were nearly twice the price they were in England at that time).

Not sure that is still the case. When you would see our prices for petrol!

[seeline]

oh, there's no need to apologize, page! I can understand your concerns; just wish I had been taught math in a better way. (when I was very young, there was an experiment here called "the new math," which failed utterly. I am living proof of how bad that curriculum was - if we'd kept on at arithmetic, I think I would have been fine.)

[page]

I understand seeline. You'll have to be taught right. My concern is that there is a group among the young people here nowadays, which can't really handle money and get into trouble because of that with debts. For a long time it has been easy for them to get loans or buy on credit cards while they couldn't really afford it. It is tough to get out of a situation like that. Right now times are rough, lots of people loose their jobs and might not be able to get another one. This week was on the news that 1 out of 8 children lives in poverty in our country. That is a lot.

Now, what about Jan Van Oldenbarnevelt and the De Witte Brothers? And stadtholders? It's all coming back.

I think you mean Johan. And De Witt.That's our history yes, The time of the Republic of the 7 United Netherlands. We have a kingdom for 200 years now, celebrations started this week. We might drift away a bit too far from the original subject going into this though. My fault, I brought in the arithmatics.

Edited December 4, 2013 by page