BBC shows their depth of motorsport knowledge

[graememac]

Taken from todays F1 gossip column....

'The Paul Ricard circuit in Italy is set to host Pirelli's next F1 tyre development test.'

Edited by graememac on Wednesday 25th August 12:41

[Eric Mc]

Right continent.

[Graham]

Thats better than the girl in a usa resturant, asked if we were Austalian, we said no from england...She then wanted to know if that was near Australia....

[TrevorH]

A little snippet overheard on a recent trip to the States while waiting to leave the plane.
American son to father, talking about a film he'd just watched on the flight; 'It was filmed in Scotland on the Isle of Man'.

[HUI]

In 2000 Hui & I were in Alabama visiting friends and to see the Talladega 500.

We had to stop at some roadworks and got chatting with the stop/go "lollipop man". He asked where we were from - we said England. He said "Did you drive?"!!

Mrs Hui

[RichB]

Graham said:

Thats better than the girl in a usa resturant, asked if we were Austalian, we said no from england...She then wanted to know if that was near Australia....

A few years ago while on holiday I was talking to a girl and she asked where we were from. I said "Maidenhead which is near Windsor." And she replied - seriously, "Gee, do you know Princess Di?" Bless...

[Eric Mc]

She was more knowledgeable than many.

She could have asked if you were from Windsor, Ontario - which is just as foreign and remote to most Americans.

[stuttgartmetal]

Upon telling a NY cabbie that gasoline was 10 dollars a gallon, he replied,
"thats right, you have a king"........

[thatone1967]

TrevorH said:

A little snippet overheard on a recent trip to the States while waiting to leave the plane.
American son to father, talking about a film he'd just watched on the flight; 'It was filmed in Scotland on the Isle of Man'.

reminds me of the American Tourist in Windsor who wanted to know why the built the castle under the Heathrow Flightpath....

[Graham]

On the same thread a couple of guys i know went contracting in detroit. One day one of the girls in the office ( the smart one obviously) said, you guys arnt from round here are you, to which they said no we're from england. to which she replied, shucks you guys, thats not a country its just the language we speak

Although actually everytime i go to the states im shocked by the amount of people that not only dont speak english/american but also seem to have no understanding of it...

[Eric Mc]

Graham said:

On the same thread a couple of guys i know went contracting in detroit. One day one of the girls in the office ( the smart one obviously) said, you guys arnt from round here are you, to which they said no we're from england. to which she replied, shucks you guys, thats not a country its just the language we speak

Although actually everytime i go to the states im shocked by the amount of people that not only dont speak english/american but also seem to have no understanding of it...

She was right.

[SamHH]

Eric Mc said:

She was right.

If you mean that England isn't a country, it is usually described as such, regardless of the fact that it's not a sovereign nation.

[Muntu]

Graham said:

Although actually everytime i go to the states im shocked by the amount of people that not only dont speak english/american but also seem to have no understanding of it...

You don't have to go that far...

[Eric Mc]

SamHH said:

Eric Mc said:

She was right.

If you mean that England isn't a country, it is usually described as such, regardless of the fact that it's not a sovereign nation.

It is - but the sovereign nation aspect is quite an important definition of a country and the only one that counts in "legal" terms. Maybe the American girl was just legally minded.

[Graham]

Eric Mc said:

Maybe the American girl was just legally minded.

Nope she refused to accept that there was anyplace called England she had heard of london though

Edited by Graham on Thursday 26th August 10:35

[Eric Mc]

Graham said:

Eric Mc said:

Maybe the American girl was just legally minded.

Nope she refused to accept that there was anyplace called England she had heard of london though

Edited by Graham on Thursday 26th August 10:35

I'm being deliberately facetious .

But, in spite of her ignorance, she is technically and legally correct. England does not exist as an internationally, legally recognised country. It displays virtually none of the atributes normally associated with a formal country such as an independent currency, independent taxation, its own passport, recognition by the United Nations and its own independent soverign parliament. The notion of England as a separate country exists as an historic throw-back to pre-Union days so is over 200 years out of date - even if most Americans (and many English) don't understand or realise this.

Edited by Eric Mc on Thursday 26th August 10:56

[shoestring7]

thatone1967 said:

TrevorH said:

A little snippet overheard on a recent trip to the States while waiting to leave the plane.
American son to father, talking about a film he'd just watched on the flight; 'It was filmed in Scotland on the Isle of Man'.

reminds me of the American Tourist in Windsor who wanted to know why the built the castle under the Heathrow Flightpath....

She then went on to visit Runnymede, where the Magna Carta was signed. She asked when it was and the guide answered "1215", where upon she looked at her watch and said "Damn, we just missed it".

SS7

[shoestring7]

Eric Mc said:

It displays virtually none of the atributes normally associated with a formal country such as an independent currency, independent taxation, its own passport, recognition by the United Nations and its own independent soverign parliament.

Does having a national cricket team count?

SS7

[Thurbs]

We were on the way to Vegus and stayed at Lake Havasu City, Arizona where they have their own London Bridge.

At check in...

Receptionist: are we from Australia?

Us: No, England

Receptionist: Oh, you came here to visit London Bridge...

Us: no, we have been to the real one.

[RichB]

Eric Mc said:

...The notion of England as a separate country exists as an historic throw-back to pre-Union days so is over 200 years out of date - even if most Americans (and many English) don't understand or realise this.

So this is equally true of Scotland. But if you told many Scots that Scotland doesn't exist as a country and I think you'd get a withering look...