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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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 Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:10 am Post subject: |
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| d503 wrote: |
| Umm I could be off (I haven't studied geography since fifth grade) But continents are not based on whether the land is or isn't touching. They are based on whether or not they are on the same teutonic(sp?) plate. Hence, S. America, N. America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and Antarctica. |
My original point is that the continents are not set in stone (irony intended). They are conceptual divisions made by humans, and there are many competing systems. In my middle school geography class, North America and South America were divided at the Panama Canal. Later, North America and Latin America were divided at the Rio Grande. Years later in China I learned that I was from "America". I've never understood why Europe was called a continent... so glad they've created an EU so now they have a logical reason to be on the map as "Europe". I heard that Australia used to be a continent, but now it's part of "Australasia" or the Asia/Pacific region.
I wouldn't say your nuns were wrong... just they had a touch of the Korean in them, with the "only one right answer" attitude.
| Gopher wrote: |
| When people refuse to separate Europe from Asia, it is based mostly on unconscious racism inherited from the ninteenth century. |
Was that a mistype? I would say that when people *insist* on separating Europe from Asia, it's based on conscious or unconscious racism. |
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Hagwon Muppet
Joined: 18 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:45 am Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| joe_doufu wrote: |
My "postcard exchange" is getting started. I received one from Colorado, USA yesterday and one from Taiwan today. I got my nifty World and USA maps laminated yesterday so i can beat on them, and we had a mini geography lesson as the kids looked for the locations of the writers, learned about the structure of a mailing address, and wrote replies. (I chose the best students to copy their replies onto real postcards, and will send them back to my correspondents!)
Interesting to note that students up to age 15 could not locate TAIWAN on a map. Considering it is one of only four countries that can be reached in a direct line from South Korea, I expected more. Granted I myself didn't know where Taiwan was when I was in middle school, but I would have placed it somewhere in East Asia. My kids were pointing to Turkey, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, just looking for a "T". It was appalling. I'm expecing a card from Sweden soon, that'll be interesting. |
Wouldn't worry about it. In one of my recent classes most people had never heard of Gothenburg.....
...and that was 65 Masters students at one of the alleged top schools in the US.
Seems like its a worldwide problem. |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:11 am Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| Hagwon Muppet wrote: |
| joe_doufu wrote: |
My "postcard exchange" is getting started. I received one from Colorado, USA yesterday and one from Taiwan today. I got my nifty World and USA maps laminated yesterday so i can beat on them, and we had a mini geography lesson as the kids looked for the locations of the writers, learned about the structure of a mailing address, and wrote replies. (I chose the best students to copy their replies onto real postcards, and will send them back to my correspondents!)
Interesting to note that students up to age 15 could not locate TAIWAN on a map. Considering it is one of only four countries that can be reached in a direct line from South Korea, I expected more. Granted I myself didn't know where Taiwan was when I was in middle school, but I would have placed it somewhere in East Asia. My kids were pointing to Turkey, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, just looking for a "T". It was appalling. I'm expecing a card from Sweden soon, that'll be interesting. |
Wouldn't worry about it. In one of my recent classes most people had never heard of Gothenburg.....
...and that was 65 Masters students at one of the alleged top schools in the US.
Seems like its a worldwide problem. |
Who or what is Gothenburg?
- (top-ranked U.S. MBA holder) Joe |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:38 am Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| joe_doufu wrote: |
Who or what is Gothenburg?
- (top-ranked U.S. MBA holder) Joe |
That's about as damning an indictment of the quality of US education as I've ever heard. |
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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:39 am Post subject: |
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[deleted]
Last edited by Gopher on Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Hagwon Muppet
Joined: 18 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Gopher wrote: |
| joe_doufu wrote: |
| d503 wrote: |
| Umm I could be off (I haven't studied geography since fifth grade) But continents are not based on whether the land is or isn't touching. They are based on whether or not they are on the same teutonic(sp?) plate. Hence, S. America, N. America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and Antarctica. |
My original point is that the continents are not set in stone (irony intended). They are conceptual divisions made by humans, and there are many competing systems. In my middle school geography class, North America and South America were divided at the Panama Canal[this is physical geography]. Later, North America and Latin America were divided at the Rio Grande[this is political regional geography]. Years later in China I learned that I was from "America". I've never understood why Europe was called a continent... so glad they've created an EU so now they have a logical reason to be on the map as "Europe". I heard that Australia used to be a continent, but now it's part of "Australasia" or the Asia/Pacific region.
I wouldn't say your nuns were wrong... just they had a touch of the Korean in them, with the "only one right answer" attitude.
| Gopher wrote: |
| When people refuse to separate Europe from Asia, it is based mostly on unconscious racism inherited from the ninteenth century. |
Was that a mistype? I would say that when people *insist* on separating Europe from Asia, it's based on conscious or unconscious racism. |
Well said, Joe. Just a word. Your "insist" works just as well. People who stubbornly cling to the obsolete idea that Europe is some special, unique place and its own continent. (Jared Diamond drives a stake through the heart of the myth of European exceptionalism, by the way, but not everybody has read him.) |
Why on Earth would Europe not be considered a separate continent from Asia and yet South America be considered separate from North?
We're talking landmasses and arbitrary geographical distinctions here. Not sure how you can be racist when dealing with lumps of rock and dirt. Does land have races?
If Europe is not unique in your view then could you enlighten us as to which other place on the planet is identical to it? |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Hagwon Muppet wrote: |
| Why on Earth would Europe not be considered a separate continent from Asia and yet South America be considered separate from North? |
Look at the map... Asia and Europe are just one big piece of rock. The "boundary" is imaginary. So, somebody who is not a racist wouldn't see them as two separate continents. I agree that the same could be said about N/S America. I prefer to consider myself "American". |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Gopher"]
| d503 wrote: |
Umm I could be off (I haven't studied geography since fifth grade) But continents are not based on whether the land is or isn't touching. They are based on whether or not they are on the same teutonic(sp?) plate. Hence, S. America, N. America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and Antarctica. I think there are some discrepancies with some of the islands in the carribean and with iceland and greenland. But I am pretty sure that is what it is based on.
Why is Europe a continent but India merely a "sub-continent?" British colonial arrogance.
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No. India is called a subcontinent because it is considered to be actually part of a larger continent, but it rests on its own teutonic plate. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:48 pm Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| Bulsajo wrote: |
| joe_doufu wrote: |
Who or what is Gothenburg?
- (top-ranked U.S. MBA holder) Joe |
That's about as damning an indictment of the quality of US education as I've ever heard. |
| Answers.com wrote: |
Göteborg (yötəbôr'yə) or Gothenburg (gŏth'ənbûrg', gŏt'ən–) , city (1990 pop. 574,433), capital of Göteborg och Bohus co., SW Sweden, on the Kattegat at the mouth of the Göta älv. It is Sweden's most important seaport and its second largest city; it is also a major commercial and industrial center and a rail junction. It is serviced by the Torslanda Airport, which has international flights. Manufactures include cameras, paper products, fabricated metal products, motor vehicles, processed food, mineral oils, and refined petroleum. There are large shipyards and fisheries in the city. Göteborg has two universities; several academies, museums, and parks; an opera house; and one of the country's largest sports stadiums.
Göteborg was founded in 1604 by Charles IX, but was soon after destroyed by the Danes in the Kalmar War. It was rebuilt by Gustavus II in 1619 and quickly became a major commercial center with large colonies of Dutch and English merchants. The Swedish East India Company was founded at Göteborg in 1731. The city's port was expanded in the mid-18th cent.; in the early 20th cent. it became the terminus of an important transatlantic shipping service. In 1865 the Göteborg licensing system for the control of liquor sales (see liquor laws) was originated there. |
Yes, damning indeed.  |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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| The Swedish East India Company? Fascinating. Never heard of it. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:58 pm Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| Yes, damning indeed. |
Oh dear, I could have SWORN I'd remembered to put a smiley in my post...
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Hagwon Muppet
Joined: 18 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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| joe_doufu wrote: |
| Hagwon Muppet wrote: |
| Why on Earth would Europe not be considered a separate continent from Asia and yet South America be considered separate from North? |
Look at the map... Asia and Europe are just one big piece of rock. The "boundary" is imaginary. So, somebody who is not a racist wouldn't see them as two separate continents. I agree that the same could be said about N/S America. I prefer to consider myself "American". |
Why are you drawing a link between the definition of continents and racism? There isn't one.
Are you one of those North Americans who sees racism everywhere and thinks everything is in some way racially motivated? Met a lot of them in the States.
Given that Europe and Asia are home to a number of different races I can't particularly see how defining them as separate continents means anything at all other than a handy geographical construct.
How are you defining Antarctica since there's no race there at all... except penguins I suppose. Is that a separate continent because people are anti-penguin? |
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Hagwon Muppet
Joined: 18 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:37 pm Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| Bulsajo wrote: |
| joe_doufu wrote: |
Who or what is Gothenburg?
- (top-ranked U.S. MBA holder) Joe |
That's about as damning an indictment of the quality of US education as I've ever heard. |
| Answers.com wrote: |
Göteborg (yötəbôr'yə) or Gothenburg (gŏth'ənbûrg', gŏt'ən–) , city (1990 pop. 574,433), capital of Göteborg och Bohus co., SW Sweden, on the Kattegat at the mouth of the Göta älv. It is Sweden's most important seaport and its second largest city; it is also a major commercial and industrial center and a rail junction. It is serviced by the Torslanda Airport, which has international flights. Manufactures include cameras, paper products, fabricated metal products, motor vehicles, processed food, mineral oils, and refined petroleum. There are large shipyards and fisheries in the city. Göteborg has two universities; several academies, museums, and parks; an opera house; and one of the country's largest sports stadiums.
Göteborg was founded in 1604 by Charles IX, but was soon after destroyed by the Danes in the Kalmar War. It was rebuilt by Gustavus II in 1619 and quickly became a major commercial center with large colonies of Dutch and English merchants. The Swedish East India Company was founded at Göteborg in 1731. The city's port was expanded in the mid-18th cent.; in the early 20th cent. it became the terminus of an important transatlantic shipping service. In 1865 the Göteborg licensing system for the control of liquor sales (see liquor laws) was originated there. |
Yes, damning indeed. |
If the brightest people in the US have never heard of one of Europe's major cities then I think we can safely assume that their geography is a bit crappy.
I'm sure plenty people on here would be condemning kindy kids for never having heard of Minnesota or Philadelphia. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 12:27 am Post subject: Re: geography... i have a long way to go |
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| Hagwon Muppet wrote: |
If the brightest people in the US have never heard of one of Europe's major cities then I think we can safely assume that their geography is a bit crappy.
I'm sure plenty people on here would be condemning kindy kids for never having heard of Minnesota or Philadelphia. |
Huh?
OK, I'm at least as lame for biting on this geography troll as you are for writing it, but...
A city of half a million people is a major city? We're not talking about Madrid or Paris here.
Had you ever heard of Mokpo before you came here?
I'm from a port city of about the same population (Buffalo, NY), and I'm sure as hell not surprised or disappointed when non-Americans tell me they've never heard of it.
Jeez, at least Bulsajo admits he's only joking. |
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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 2:43 am Post subject: |
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[deleted]
Last edited by Gopher on Sun Jun 18, 2006 2:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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