American geography is at it again!

[Vic_Rattlehead]

http://www.bordergatewayprotocol.net/jon/humor/images/cnn.jpg

:clap: :clap: Poor Czechs! :P*


*note, not a personal attack against the Americans...I'm sure the majority know that Switzerland is Definately not there! :D

[anver]

http://www.digitalfog.com/wp-content/images/america_big.jpg

That's American geography.

[Jiant Flying Panda]

Hehe. I can kind of see the confusion....

But you would think CNN would get it right.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

Hehe. I can kind of see the confusion....

But you would think CNN would get it right.


I'm shocked...I thought the French/Swiss alps were globally known for its scenery and stuff. Assuming Switzerland is in a place that doesn't border France is a bit weird. But yeah..I repeat, this is in jest... :)

[Myrsilus]

It's obvious that plate... movements... caused Switzerland to shift position overnight.

That, or the Germans plan to take over Switzerland this time, so they used a powerful magic spell to make it appear over Czech.. Poor Czech people are being smooshed right now.

[Josh]

Thats pretty..., ya know, stupid. On that note, whats the capital of Switzerland? Its either Zurich or Bern I believe. I'd check myself but my pc wont let me google anything right now without taking forever and this would probably take less time. Thanks in advance my well educated homies.

[Smidge204]

Yeah but, this is CNN. American media can't be bothered with all that pesky "Accuracy"!

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/9615/cnnshuttle3or.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

=Smidge=

[Hatsumomo]

Thats pretty..., ya know, stupid. On that note, whats the capital of Switzerland? Its either Zurich or Bern I believe. I'd check myself but my pc wont let me google anything right now without taking forever and this would probably take less time. Thanks in advance my well educated homies.

Bern, I believe. It's been awhile since I last played those geography games online, but as I recall, it's Bern.

And 7 years of French taught me what borders France, Switzerland being one of them. The areas of France that are near the borders show influence from the neighboring country.

[Daishikaze]

The capital is Bern, and a damn fine capital it is too :)

[Frankey-eh]

today at library, I overheard two girls talking
one girl was telling her friend how she's gonna fly to Poland over the summer, alone.
the other girl said "cool. so will it be like, winter there?"
her friend said "Are you kidding? It's insanely hot"
the friend said "But..you know, with the equator thing. Aren't their seasons opposite of ours"

the friend was a complete blond (a rarity at my school)
but... certainly, American geography.
:rofl:

[Daishikaze]

Wow that was really bad geography

[CrazyAce86]

This makes me think of when the Capitol Steps were here last month.

They were paroding Dubya and Rumsfeld by having Rumsfeld walking around with a helmet (circa WWII) on and Bush repeated pointing to Brazil on the map and calling it "Iraq".

I also remember my 12th grade history class. My teacher would project a map and would put the pointer on a country and call on someone to answer. He pointed it to China and the person he called on said, "Uh... Turkey?"

I nearly KO'd myself laughing so hard. The sad part of it was we were the CP (AP) class.

[Fermented Yeast Paste]

The problem with geography in America is that it isn't taught enough to any real degree in primary and secondary education. Too bad, as it's interesting stuff. Of course, I'm not exactly going to say that the rest of the world is a whole lot better, though it is a bit in some places.

On that note though, since it was CNN, I'll just call it an honest goof and nothing much more, no big deal. The only people I see as making a big deal out of this are ones who rabidly attach themselves to anything that can make America look bad.

Btw, I heard that in Canada, everyone lives upside down. Is this true? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/Ph4t3/Emot/emot-v.gif

[Psychochink]

^Dude, that's Australia, get your facts right. See, we're on the bottom of the globe, hence our upside-downedness. Or downosity. Or downination.

[Josh]

Dont be silly... Everybody knowns people from the southern hemisphere are backwards as well as upside down... Except New Zealand. New Zealand is my homie. I have family there and they are all the time telling me about how awesome it is.

[Roxie]

I hear the toilet flushes the other way.

Yeah, we're horrible at Geography...but I'm really good at it. Maybe cause I like to travel.

[Frankey-eh]

I hear the toilet flushes the other way.
I did too!
because of the magnetic forces and the water polarity.

[Josh]

Thats not true. I have connections in New Zealand. It goes the same way. Believe me I asked. Hopefully you wont go into a depression like I did after reading this. All my dreams were crushed. :(

[Frankey-eh]

Thats not true. I have connections in New Zealand. It goes the same way. Believe me I asked. Hopefully you wont go into a depression like I did after reading this. All my dreams were crushed. :(
really?
I read it in doraemon's educational manga back in second grade....
same place I learned the 3-4-5 pythagorean triangle and that water has maximum density at 4 degrees C.
I assumed it was pretty accurate. the ONLY time manga can be accurate ^^

[PopCulturePooka]

http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.htm

[Frankey-eh]

http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.htm

okie... :D

[Duke Luke of Juke]

I did too!
because of the magnetic forces and the water polarity.

I spent a semester in Weather & Climate class here at the Uni, and all I learned was that the reverse-direction of the draining of a toilet in Australia has to do with the shape of the drain, and the direction the water enters the drain, as opposed to the Coriolis Effect, which is what was previously attributed to that circumstance.

The class was money well spent, I tell ya. Or not.

Toilets and sinks drain in the directions they do because of the way water is directed into them or pulled from them. If water enters in a swirling motion (as it does when a toilet is flushed, for example), the water will exit in that same swirling pattern; as well, most basins have irregular surfaces and are not perfectly level, factors which influence the direction in which water spirals down their drains.

EDIT: Damn you Pooka. I thought that class had finally proven its worth...

[Roxie]

Damn...I totally thought that was true.

[smokingmonkee]

Next thing you're going to tell me is that in Rand McNally hamburgers don't eat people. :sarcasm:

[Tekdude]

I've been to the Czech Republic. Prague is a wonderful city. It would be ashamed if it were somehow mysteriously covered by the Swiss Alps... The Alps are nice too... but can't we have both?

[Jay]

The water in my toilet doesn't rotate at all. :D

[Vic_Rattlehead]

today at library, I overheard two girls talking
one girl was telling her friend how she's gonna fly to Poland over the summer, alone.
the other girl said "cool. so will it be like, winter there?"
her friend said "Are you kidding? It's insanely hot"
the friend said "But..you know, with the equator thing. Aren't their seasons opposite of ours"



OH MY GOD hahah! Incorrect in sooo many ways! :rofl:

[Klilynkun]

education system.... go fig

[shimanotaka]

Young Americans Geographically Illiterate, Survey Suggests
John Roach
for National Geographic News
May 2, 2006
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/0502_060502_geography_2.html

Take Iraq, for example. Despite nearly constant news coverage since the war there began in 2003, 63 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 failed to correctly locate the country on a map of the Middle East. Seventy percent could not find Iran or Israel.

Nine in ten couldn't find Afghanistan on a map of Asia.

And 54 percent were unaware that Sudan is a country in Africa.


Even for U.S. geography, the survey results are just as dismal.

Half could not find New York State on a map of the United States.

A third of the respondents could not find Louisiana, and 48 percent couldn't locate Mississippi on a map of the United States, even though Hurricane Katrina put these southeastern states in the spotlight in 2005.

Fewer than three in ten think it's absolutely necessary to know where countries in the news are located. Only 14 percent believe speaking another language fluently is a necessary skill.

Fewer than one in five young Americans own a world map.

This geographic ineptitude was further emphasized when young Americans were asked questions on how the United States fits into the wider world.

Three in ten respondents put the U.S. population between one and two billion (it's just under 300 million, according the U.S. Census Bureau). Seventy-four percent said English is the most commonly spoken native language in the world (it's Mandarin Chinese).

This is some depressing shit... :gloomy: You can download the full report as a PDF if you're interested.
The good news is that they are expecting the results to get better in the future. :joytear:

[Morel]

The stupidity of my fellow Americans sometimes is quite.. umm... ANNOYING..

[Trump]

I prefer the toilets that flush so violently it feels like they are about to suck in the whole room. At that point rotation doesn't matter!

[Idlethought]

I prefer the toilets that flush so violently it feels like they are about to suck in the whole room. At that point rotation doesn't matter!

Actually you know what, I like it when the toilet is powerful like that. It usually means it keeps itself pretty clean too cause all the...residue...gets powerwashed down lol

[Praetorian]

I once talked to an otherwise extremely smart American girl who thought that socialism was exactly like communism and that there was no democracy or wealth in any socialist country. Right, Rika? :p


http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/findings.html


What We Found

Americans are far from alone in the world, but from the perspective of many young Americans, we might as well be. Most young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 demonstrate a limited understanding of the world, and they place insufficient importance on the basic geographic skills that might enhance their knowledge.

Download the complete survey and report (PDF)

Young Americans answer about half (54 percent) of all the survey questions correctly. But by and large, majorities of young adults fail at a range of questions testing their basic geographic literacy.

* Only 37% of young Americans can find Iraq on a map—though U.S. troops have been there since 2003.
* 6 in 10 young Americans don't speak a foreign language fluently.
* 20% of young Americans think Sudan is in Asia. (It's the largest country in Africa.)
* 48% of young Americans believe the majority population in India is Muslim. (It's Hindu—by a landslide.)
* Half of young Americans can't find New York on a map.

These results suggest that young people in the United States—the most recent graduates of our educational system—are unprepared for an increasingly global future. Far too many lack even the most basic skills for navigating the international economy or understanding the relationships among people and places that provide critical context for world events.

WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT

National Geographic and leading education, business, and nonprofit partners have launched My Wonderful World, a campaign to increase global learning in school, at home, and in the community. With the help of parents, teachers—and you—we can help give our youth the power of global knowledge. Because kids who understand our world today can succeed in it tomorrow.

About the Survey

The findings presented are the results of a face-to-face survey conducted from December 17, 2005, to January 20, 2006, by Roper Public Affairs and Media, a part of GfK NOP. Interviews were conducted among a nationwide representative sample of 510 adults age 18-24 in the continental United States. Data were weighted for sample balancing by sex and age. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. The margin of error for subgroups is higher. Because of rounding, numbers may not total 100 percent.

This study is the latest in a series of surveys commissioned by the National Geographic Society. The most recent prior survey was conducted among nine nations in 2002. (See results of 2002 survey.)

[Angelyne]

They need to bring back Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?. I had to watch that every day for years while in elementary school, and my geography skills are awesome because of it. Sadly, outside of watching Carmen, no other K-12 teacher really bothered teaching geography. Coincidentally, I can't think of any time in college outside of history or sociology classes where I needed to put my geography skills to use. No wonder Americans suck so much in this area.

That said, CNN is awful and the second to last place I would look to for news (the first being Fox...).

[Jay]

and my geography skills are awesome because of it.

Care to teach me a few things, Angelyne? I'm into geography too.

Shoot me a PM. :D

[Angelyne]

Bravo Jay! You managed to pick up something sexual out of probably the most boring sentence I wrote today. I'm amazed...seriously.


/not sarcastic

[Jay]

Much as I'd really love to take the kudos for that, I really AM interested in geography and I really WOULD like to discuss it with you, as you've just stated that your geography skills are awesome.

We can discuss sex though, if you insist...

[SDSUMarcus01]

http://www.bordergatewayprotocol.net/jon/humor/images/cnn.jpg

:clap: :clap: Poor Czechs! :P*


*note, not a personal attack against the Americans...I'm sure the majority know that Switzerland is Definately not there! :D

I wouldn't notice it if I didn't look carefully. But then I'd remember my WW2 history and be like WTF?

Of course... most Americans can't remember their own history let alone world history.

[Josh]

I am sad to be an American sometimes. Most of the time actually. However, im going to move to Australia eventually, someday. Its got more sun than the UK and its a friggin island continent. Awesomeness. I could move to Spain, but Spaniards annoy me to no end... No offense to Spaniards intended. :)

[Roxie]

Well, if one takes into account that we've been an isolationist country for nearly forever and the fact that no major world powers live near us (that speak a different language) then you see it's just not considered a worthwhile time.

You could spend your whole life and do very well never having to leave the states. Plus it's just so huge.

I think it's important, but hey, that's just me and my family.

[Trump]

I've only left the country three times. Once to go to the carribean (not exactly another country for a Floridian) and two trips to Canada. European geography really doesn't matter to most people (though I can still tell you were all of the countries are I think).

[Myrsilus]

The only reason I know worldwide geography now is because of college. I sure didn't learn it through basic education... It just gets lost in everything else.

But I am rather glad I know where Switzerland is now, and I'm not quite confusing it with Sweden, the other "Sw" country. Makes me feel a little proud with people pointing out Americans are generally ignorant to such things.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

I would've thought some Americans would've developed a great interest in Europe, as many of you guys ancestors were from here. I initially thought you may wish to look up about the culture your great great(xx) grandparents lived under. Etc

Mind you, I suppose you have all kinds of things in America, its a big place, you have snowy areas and hot areas for you holidays. (where we travel to the Swiss Alps for Lapland for Winter and Spain and Greece for Summer.)

I have no quarrel with Americans, I think you are, close to the Irish, once of the warmest welcoming countries I've had the pleasure of going to. (exclude JFK airport, but that's understandable!)

Perhaps its just the Curriculum in American Education. Over here, our mandatory courses we have to take are (English, Literature, Mathematics, A language, a form of handywork, and Science).

Geography and History are not mandatory after age 14. But within that time we normally covered:

The Romans
The Vikings
(western view)WW1+WW2
American slave trade.
The Tudors (Henry VIII etc)
The Stuarts (James I etc)
The Industrial revolution.
LDC's
Plate techtonics etc

We can obviously further our Geo and History when 14 if we wish. (and take it as a GCSE etc).

Does america have a similar system where its all planned out on what to study, or is it all down to the teachers personal discretion?

[Daishikaze]

The only reason I know worldwide geography now is because of college. I sure didn't learn it through basic education... It just gets lost in everything else.

But I am rather glad I know where Switzerland is now, and I'm not quite confusing it with Sweden, the other "Sw" country. Makes me feel a little proud with people pointing out Americans are generally ignorant to such things.

The Switzerland/Sweden thing is something I'm well acquainted with. Because back in the US when I would mention my wife and say she was swiss when people asked, they would say "wow sweden must be nice" or something along those lines. I would then have to explain the difference between the two countries. Funny thing is, the same people would then tell people my wife was from Sweden, so it didn't sink in obviously.

[Myrsilus]

The Switzerland/Sweden thing is something I'm well acquainted with. Because back in the US when I would mention my wife and say she was swiss when people asked, they would say "wow sweden must be nice" or something along those lines. I would then have to explain the difference between the two countries. Funny thing is, the same people would then tell people my wife was from Sweden, so it didn't sink in obviously.
Ha ha. That's what I was talking about right there. Those two countries seem to get mixed up a lot in America. And not only in who is from where, but also where these countries are located.

[Masa the Masta]

Well, you have to factor the importance of geography in American education.

Which is a LOLWORTHY statement if I do say so myself.

You take an education system that fails at teaching geography, then you try to teach kids that their country consists of 50 different pieces that they try without hope to teach all of them, without success really. The kids that do remember all of them are considered intelligent by our standards and belong in the sick mockery of the american education system known as a 'geography bee'.

Then you expect said failing education system to try to teach that outside of this, there are MORE countries?

Hell, even I admit I suck at geography. I guess it's that whole ego-centric American mindset that the rest of the world really doesn't matter. It's sad, because even with my ignornace in geography, the college requirement for my general education calls for a geography class, which sounds like SUCH a chore to me...

I hate that.

[Frankey-eh]

You take an education system that fails at teaching geography, then you try to teach kids that their country consists of 50 different pieces (that they try without hope to teach all of them, without success really. The kids that do remember all of them are considered intelligent by our standards and belong in the sick mockery of the american education system known as a 'geography bee'.)
hmm I don't think it's too bad.
at they they teach it.

I was in America for less than a year before I learned all the names and capitols for the states. (there was an useful rap that goes along with this that I memorized... starting with Baton Rouge, Louisiana....)

and countries, we had to memorize them all last year.

in Japan, I don't think an average person can locate where their own country's prefectures are, let along foreign countries.

(and you don't need to be good at geography to be in geo bee. I made it through pure guessing ^^; )

[Masa the Masta]

hmm I don't think it's too bad.
at they they teach it.

This is true, but it depends on where you go to school. Perhaps you were lucky? Besides, not everyone is as open minded as you. ;)

I was in America for less than a year before I learned all the names and capitols for the states. (there was an useful rap that goes along with this that I memorized... starting with Baton Rouge, Louisiana....)

Word. For shizzle.

and countries, we had to memorize them all last year.

....What? Damn..I never had that, at all.

in Japan, I don't think an average person can locate where their own country's prefectures are, let along foreign countries.

Ask an west coast american to point out rhode island, then ask a new englander to point out kansas. I think it speaks for itself.

(and you don't need to be good at geography to be in geo bee. I made it through pure guessing ^^; )

My point exactly! :)


Bold answers FTW!

[Frankey-eh]

....What? Damn..I never had that, at all.
a lot of people hated it because it was a lot of memorization, but I loved it because it was free points for me :D


Ask an west coast american to point out rhode island, then ask a new englander to point out kansas. I think it speaks for itself.
...really? but don't you have to know states to pass fifth grade? I did...

[Cherub Rock]

I consider myself about as well-versed on the location of the states as a person of very good education with no passing interest in geography can be. I have trouble naming the western "block" states because they all look so similar. I know Kansas obviously because it's next to Missouri (which is easy enough to remember after you realize the humorous piece of trivial that is Kansas City, Missouri). However those crazy states without easily distiguishable shapes really get me. I can do all the north-eastern states pretty easily (though I'm not confident in my ability to not call New Hampshire Vermont and vice-versa).

But from an American standpoint, being asked to know the location of every European country is too much. We're isolated from the rest of the world and we do not deal with these nations on a personal level except when one of them does something newsworthy. It's the snobby European's who think because they can tell you where Romania is or that it's the Czech Republic and Slovakia now because they actually live close enough to them where it matters that get me. They could not tell you Caribbean Islands or the People's Republic of China is China and the Republic of China is Taiwan, and for good reason.

But hey, we're just splitting hairs. I think that there are some people who should be very well versed in world geography, namely those people labeling maps for network television broadcasts.

[Ichisan]

I once talked to an otherwise extremely smart American girl who thought that socialism was exactly like communism and that there was no democracy or wealth in any socialist country.

I once spoke to a Canadian who thought exactly the same thing. Only he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box.

The thing is I couldn't explain the difference to him. :o I was just like 'But of course they're different! Er...'. :duh:

Also I admit I thought the toilet water thing was real...

[Cherub Rock]

I once spoke to a Canadian who thought exactly the same thing. Only he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box.

The thing is I couldn't explain the difference to him. :o I was just like 'But of course they're different! Er...'. :duh:

Also I admit I thought the toilet water thing was real...

They're practically the same thing. Communism is based on socialism. Socialism is pretty much the idea that all industry is owned and controlled by the state. That is pretty much the idea of communism, although generally communism is agreed to be the term used for a government where socialism is just the "idea" so to speak.

Most asian countries are socialist to some degree. Some more than others.