There might not be many Americans at the world cup.

Unbelievable!

Then again, it is WGN.

See what happens when public education funding is eviscerated?

Not unbelievable
- USA education system is a bit behind on stuff in the rest of the world.
- USA is the least travelled of all "western" nations & has the lowest number of passports issued per capita.

I just got back from a US trip during which we got talking about Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker)as were were in his home town territory in Utah. The 5 people we were talking to did not know where Bolivia is or even that it was a country & not a city or state (Bolivia is where he is reputed to have died) or that Lancashire (his parents home town) was in England.

However in defence of US, this problem does seem somewhat polarised as I have a number of US contacts who are very geography aware

Is Lancashire a town?

I don't know what WGN is, but the announcements over the last couple of days regarding local television and ITV is a sign that these kind of mistakes will become more common in UK. As Murdoch and friends get their hands on another slice of what we are exposed to every day, we're doomed I tell ye!
A recent trip to Vegas reminded me of the lack of depth in television broadcasting over there - what was it Roger Waters sang - "I got 13 channels of shit on the TV to choose from"?

Lancashire - whoops - its a spelling error
It correctly spelt P.R.E.S.T.O.N.

Mind you the BBC are not without blame
Their WC trailer shows the southern hemisphere sun rising & curving towards the south
In the southern hemisphere the rising sun heads towards the north

Re: Tonys OP.

They do speak Latin there though, don't they?

I have been asked by several Americans in the South West of the US what language do we speak in the UK....

Good question. A (presumably English) guy got on the train at Berkhamsted the other day, and sat behind me, continuing a long conversation on his mobile. I understood probably 10% of what he was saying.
I think he was from 'da hood'

quote:

Originally posted by Mike-B:
Not unbelievable
- USA education system is a bit behind on stuff in the rest of the world.
- USA is the least travelled of all "western" nations & has the lowest number of passports issued per capita.

I just got back from a US trip during which we got talking about Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker)as were were in his home town territory in Utah

Gosh - you learn something new every day, I thought Utah was a town in Mexico. Still, geography never was my strong point.

Mail sent to New Mexico often gets sent to Mexico before being returned to New Mexico

Gosh ROTF - were you too educated at the same school as the folks at WGN.TV.

http://www.utah.com/
Seriously, readers should make a note to include Utah on a US trip some time, & don't forget Colorado & Wyoming
Utah has mountains & lakes that make the UK's Highlands & Lake District look like a back yard rockery
Plus a few interesting & quiet large holes in the ground.

Apparently, somehow, Americans are arriving - the team is present, and a couple of fans have made their way, probably via a shuttle ferry from Suriname, or by asking British tourists in Brazil to please point them in the correct direction.

Anyway, don't let that interrupt a good bash fest. Carry on.

Well, it's South Something.

I've traveled mainly to europe once to Japan and recently to Australia, not much in So Am. It sure makes a difference when you've been some place or have an interest. Also a lot of european names show up here esp back east as the settlers took place names with them. I grew up outside Philly and lots of welsh names and here in LA the man that had the old ranch named many roads after his Scots background.

I do watch BBC TV and have to get used to some accents. But here or there Da Hood is never understood, can't stand texting either.

In 1987 when I registered at the Mission Viejo DMV for a drivers licence the person at the desk checked my previous address and asked where Scotland was. I suggested she guess and the answer was "British Columbia".

Was she right?

Not so sure they absolutely get it even when they do manage to get there...

quote:

Originally posted by rodwsmith:
Not so sure they absolutely get it even when they do manage to get there...

If by "they" you mean Rupert Murdoch, I agree - there's a lot he doesn't get. However, knowing how to push people's buttons (and make piles of money by keeping the uninformed uninformed) is something he almost certainly does get.

quote:

Originally posted by jayd:
Was she right?

She was a very attractive lady and I could only blush, smile, and explain where Scotland was.

As an aside, if I'm not mistaken and heard our ITV person correctly, the Americans are the single biggest bunch of fans at this World Cup which is quite an achievement from a country where football is hardly the biggest spectator sport.

I was tempted to suggest it was because more Americans can bring their own weapons but thought that would be insulting both to them and the hosts so decided not to bother.