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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Isn't that the capital of Sweden?
(Mailed to the International Herald Tribune and posted to alt.usage.english.)
The people of Norway often cite the United States of America as the place where people think either Norway or Oslo is the capital of Sweden. It's a standing joke. I thought it was, anyway.
It is a shame that Tom Reagan's and Martin Rowe's article about the Nobel Prize for literature was spoiled by such a stereotypically dumb Americanism. I fear that the Norwegian stories of conversations with Americans who think that Oslo is the capital of Sweden will increase as a result.
Here's a correction:
The Nobel Prize literature is presented in Stockholm, capital of Sweden, by King Carl XVI Gustav. This year, the prize went to J. M. Coetzee from South Africa.
The Nobel Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, capital of Norway, by Harald V (this year it was presented by Crown Prince Haakon, who is regent for his convalescent father). The prize for 2003 was presented to Shirin Ebadi from Iran.
Sweden and Norway are next to each other on the map, but have been wholly independent of each other since 1905.
I urge the International Herald Tribune to print a full-page correction of Reagan's and Rowe's mistake; I hate hearing stories of "dumb Americans".
Simon R. Hughes
The virtual silence continued to reign in Oslo. When the Swedish Academy presented Coetzee with his prize, much was made (rightly so) of the human evils he documents: torture, alienation, racism, suffering. But little was spoken about what animals mean to Coetzee, the man, or Coetzee, the author.
"Animal Rights: What the Nobel Committee Failed to Note" by Tom Regan and Martin Rowe.
Published on Friday, December 19, 2003 by the
International Herald Tribune
The people of Norway often cite the United States of America as the place where people think either Norway or Oslo is the capital of Sweden. It's a standing joke. I thought it was, anyway.
It is a shame that Tom Reagan's and Martin Rowe's article about the Nobel Prize for literature was spoiled by such a stereotypically dumb Americanism. I fear that the Norwegian stories of conversations with Americans who think that Oslo is the capital of Sweden will increase as a result.
Here's a correction:
The Nobel Prize literature is presented in Stockholm, capital of Sweden, by King Carl XVI Gustav. This year, the prize went to J. M. Coetzee from South Africa.
The Nobel Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, capital of Norway, by Harald V (this year it was presented by Crown Prince Haakon, who is regent for his convalescent father). The prize for 2003 was presented to Shirin Ebadi from Iran.
Sweden and Norway are next to each other on the map, but have been wholly independent of each other since 1905.
I urge the International Herald Tribune to print a full-page correction of Reagan's and Rowe's mistake; I hate hearing stories of "dumb Americans".
Simon R. Hughes
Top answer
[/nq] It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know where California is, a state at least as significant as their entire country? Not all by a long shot, you can be sure.
- [/nq] It is a faraway place about which we know little.
- Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know where California is, a state at least as significant as their entire country?
- Not all by a long shot, you can be sure.
- All the time people in Ireland ask me if I liked the west coast of America so much, why did I leave Washington, DC?
- Many here don't even know the name of the capital of the US, let alone where it is located.
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248 Answers
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[nq:1]I fear that the Norwegian stories of conversations with Americans who think that Oslo is the capital of Sweden will increase as a result.[/nq]
It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know where California is, a state at least as significant as their entire country? Not all by a long shot, you can be sure. All the time
It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know where California is, a state at least as significant as their entire country? Not all by a long shot, you can be sure. All the time
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Thus spake Charles Riggs:
[nq:2]I fear that the Norwegian stories of conversations with Americans who think that Oslo is the capital of Sweden will increase as a result.[/nq]
[nq:1]It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know where California is, a state at least as significant as their entire country? Not all by a long
[nq:2]I fear that the Norwegian stories of conversations with Americans who think that Oslo is the capital of Sweden will increase as a result.[/nq]
[nq:1]It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know where California is, a state at least as significant as their entire country? Not all by a long
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[nq:2]I fear that the Norwegian stories of conversations with Americans who think that Oslo is the capital of Sweden will increase as a result.[/nq]
[nq:1]It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know ... alone where it is located. And the Irish are said to be among the best educated people in the world.[/nq]
Fine, and n
[nq:1]It is a faraway place about which we know little. Joking aside, how many of your half-frozen Norwegian friends know ... alone where it is located. And the Irish are said to be among the best educated people in the world.[/nq]
Fine, and n
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Thus spake Ross Howard:
[nq:2]It is a faraway place about which we know little. ... to be among the best educated people in the world.[/nq]
[nq:1]Fine, and not argued with. How many, though, of those people are journalists and copy-editors on what purports to be the world's most prestigious international newspaper, most of the contents of which are culled from America's two newspapers "of
[nq:2]It is a faraway place about which we know little. ... to be among the best educated people in the world.[/nq]
[nq:1]Fine, and not argued with. How many, though, of those people are journalists and copy-editors on what purports to be the world's most prestigious international newspaper, most of the contents of which are culled from America's two newspapers "of
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[nq:1]There is ignorance everywhere. I would roll my eyes at Norwegians not knowing the name of the capital of the US. But I don't recall having met one.[/nq]
In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(.
And I've never met a Dane in middle school or above who doesn't know where Washington DC (or California) is placed ...
Per Erik Rønne
In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(.
And I've never met a Dane in middle school or above who doesn't know where Washington DC (or California) is placed ...
Per Erik Rønne
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[nq:2]There is ignorance everywhere. I would roll my eyes at ... of the US. But I don't recall having met one.[/nq]
[nq:1]In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(. And I've never met a Dane in middle school or above who doesn't know where Washington DC (or California) is placed ...[/nq]
Yeah, but how many Danes can name the capital of Wisconsin, a stat
[nq:1]In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(. And I've never met a Dane in middle school or above who doesn't know where Washington DC (or California) is placed ...[/nq]
Yeah, but how many Danes can name the capital of Wisconsin, a stat
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[nq:1]Yeah, but how many Danes can name the capital of Wisconsin, a state whose population and economy are similar in size to Norway's?[/nq]
This is a granfalloon (Kurt Vonnegut) viz. a
presumption of shared interest that on analysis
can be shown bogus or unlikely here that all
members of communities of size N share an
interest in knowing about other communities of
size N t
This is a granfalloon (Kurt Vonnegut) viz. a
presumption of shared interest that on analysis
can be shown bogus or unlikely here that all
members of communities of size N share an
interest in knowing about other communities of
size N t
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[nq:1]In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(.[/nq]
Copenhagen needs to come up with a memorable, exportable cheese. Every American knows that the capital of Sweeden is Ikea, and the largest city is Volvograd. Norway's best chance at recognition is to harbor some al-Qaeda.
Copenhagen needs to come up with a memorable, exportable cheese. Every American knows that the capital of Sweeden is Ikea, and the largest city is Volvograd. Norway's best chance at recognition is to harbor some al-Qaeda.
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[nq:2]In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is ... doesn't know where Washington DC (or California) is placed ...[/nq]
[nq:1]Yeah, but how many Danes can name the capital of Wisconsin, a state whose population and economy are similar in size to Norway's?[/nq]
Only few. But lots of people will recognize it as one of the U.S. states in the central north of the country - and
[nq:1]Yeah, but how many Danes can name the capital of Wisconsin, a state whose population and economy are similar in size to Norway's?[/nq]
Only few. But lots of people will recognize it as one of the U.S. states in the central north of the country - and
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[nq:2]There is ignorance everywhere. I would roll my eyes at ... of the US. But I don't recall having met one.[/nq]
[nq:1]In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(.[/nq]
Quite so. It's a sad observation indeed that the Danes have very little understanding of what the Americans think. Let's not be harsh on the Danes, though. With Christmas coming, we don
[nq:1]In Denmark, it is said that Americans think Copenhagen is Sweden's capital ;-(.[/nq]
Quite so. It's a sad observation indeed that the Danes have very little understanding of what the Americans think. Let's not be harsh on the Danes, though. With Christmas coming, we don
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