English vs English

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I do love a danish butter biscuit. I would say they are less dense, more snappy and less crumbly and have a slightly stronger/sweeter taste. But would agree they are probably the most similar biscuit. They're what my Nan used to have in her pantry when we went around. Each one was in an individual paper case which made us think they were a real treat. awww, nice memories. I remember taking ages to choose a shape even though they all tasted exactly the same.

Edited June 6, 2012 by TheFlyingGerbil

[Battra92]

My siblings and I used to fight over the pretzel shaped ones. For some reason here in the States you can only buy them around Christmas time. I did see them in a warehouse club store recently but I didn't feel like buying several pounds of them.

 

The recipe I use for shortbread comes from (of all places) the UK Guardian. Outside of having to mill my own rice flour (in a blender) it's pretty simple. I suppose I could just *buy* rice flour but we should never, never buy that which we can make.

[Thursday Next]

Maybe Americans like the Daily Mail because it reminds them of Fox News so much?

[deanb]

Okay here's one: What/who is Mr Rogers?

 

All I know is he's dead and seemingly every Americans kindly great-uncle.

 

 

As for Daily Mail, that it serves up Fox News-like content while being an established British paper with a fancy looking logo might be part of the allure to americans. Same news, less stigma in reading it. Though the reputation will likely start to spread over time as readership increases.

 

An oldy but a goody: http://www.qwghlm.co...toys/dailymail/ (you can gauge the age due to Swine Flu)

[Battra92]

Okay here's one: What/who is Mr Rogers?

 

All I know is he's dead and seemingly every Americans kindly great-uncle.

 

Mister (Fred) Rogers was a Children's educational television pioneer. He was also an ordained Presbyterian minister, song writer and puppeteer. His show was a big part of my early childhood and he explored many themes in his shows from getting angry, to going to school for the first time to death.

 

I kind of feel sad thinking that my future kids only have shit like Yo Gabba Gabba and Dora the Explorer to look forward to. Maybe I'll raise them without access to a TV or computer.

[TheMightyEthan]

He was the host/star of a kid show called Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Rogers

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w9xk4hUKoQ

 

[TheMightyEthan]

@Battra: The solution is just to get an HTPC and download the proper shows.

[deanb]

Thanks for the videos. I'll watch em later. Anything on why he seems to have such a cult following?

[TheMightyEthan]

I'm guessing just because he was on the air from 1968-2001, and he's one of those things that every kid watched at least a few times.

[Battra92]

@Battra: The solution is just to get an HTPC and download the proper shows.

 

Yeah, I'm just being overly dramatic. In all seriousness, I grew up watching a variety of different shows but I want my kids to end up less involved with whatever the media trend du jour is. I mean, I hate how most toys these days are branded. Want to buy LEGO, it has to be Harry Potter or Star Wars etc.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, I hate that too.

 

And I was partly kidding too. I almost continued to say that my kids will grow up watching Batman: TAS, Angry Beavers, etc, like kids should. In reality I'm going to do my best to just keep in the back of my mind that older generations always think the newer generation's stuff is terrible.

[Thursday Next]

@Battra: The solution is just to get an HTPC and download the proper shows.

 

Yeah, I'm just being overly dramatic. In all seriousness, I grew up watching a variety of different shows but I want my kids to end up less involved with whatever the media trend du jour is. I mean, I hate how most toys these days are branded. Want to buy LEGO, it has to be Harry Potter or Star Wars etc.

 

Because "lego" (and I notice that you all-capped it) isn't a brand?

 

There's plenty of LEGO® sets that aren't cross promotional. You're just blinded by your cantankerous old gittishness.

[Battra92]

There's plenty of LEGO® sets that aren't cross promotional. You're just blinded by your cantankerous old gittishness.

 

I'm referring to what kids are asking for. No need to be rude.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Battra92

[TheRevanchist]

There's plenty of LEGO® sets that aren't cross promotional.

 

Yes, and those are totally more affordable than the branded sets. The branded sets are just for fun. I love some of those SW sets (not all, as some are just a waste of LEGO).

[fuchikoma]

I actually went to a Lego (name, not trademark) store a while ago and I agree with both sides to some extent... There is still a lot of "pure" Lego, but there's also an insane amount of licensed sets. IMO, those go against the very versatility that makes Lego a creative toy. It turns them into model kits, essentially.

[Battra92]

Today in the US is Flag Day so I thought it might be fun to point out some of the history and variations on the US Flag. This isn't comprehensive but just a sort of an "Intro to the Flag." Ring the bell, school's in, Sucka!

 

The American flag as we know it most likely dates back to the British Red Ensign flag.

 

Most colonists were familiar with this flag as it was flown throughout the colonies and was probably seen more than the straight Flag of Great Britian (aka The King's Colours)

 

From there, many variations on the flag were made. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, this variant was flown:

 

The Green Mountain Boys (Lead famously by Ethan Allen and John Stark) flew this variant (which was also the flag for the short lived Republic of Vermont.

 

General Washington used a different style flag for that of his headquarters:

 

In 1775 in Boston, Washington had some "Armed Vessels" afloat that had a flag that looked like this:

 

but most of the Navy used a flag something like this:

 

However it's most likely that the flags did not include the snake or the logo and were just stripes.

 

But anyway, as you can see, when many of the themes of the flags got together to form the Grand Union flag (no, not the grocery store)

 

 

But the Flag Resolution of 1777 in the Second Continental congress decreed:

Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.

 

It is then popularly believed that in 1777 Robert Morris, George Ross and Washington went to local Philadelphia upholsterer and flag maker Betsy Ross requesting the flag of this type. Though she is widely credited with designing the flag, if she made any design changes it was simply to change from 6 pointed stars to the 5 pointed stars in use today:

 

 

Of course, the flag wasn't universal overnight as it's widely believed that at the Battle of Bennington this flag flew (along with the Green Mountain Boys flag as well)

though some historians believe this design was made up for the centenial in 1876.

 

After the war when Vermont and Kentucky entered the Union two additional stripes and stars were added to the flag. This was the famous "Star Spangled Banner" that Francis Scott Key wrote of in his poem (The Defence of Fort McHenry) during the Battle of Baltimore

 

 

After more states were added the additional stripes were added and we ended up with 13 stripes and 50 stars. It will be interesting to see what route the flag goes should Puerto Rico ever decide to join the union.

 

So it's quite interesting how we got from the Merchant flag of Great Brittan to Old Glory.

[TheMightyEthan]

Great post.

 

It will be interesting to see what route the flag goes should Puerto Rico ever decide to join the union.

 

Presumably wouldn't we just add another star, like with Alaska and Hawaii? Obviously they'd have to rearrange the stars somehow, though.

[deanb]

(It would be a bit more kick-ass if we had Wales on the flag)

Like a big huge killer whale floating on it. With maybe a bowl of petunias too.

Wouldn't it look like this?

[TheMightyEthan]

Like a big huge killer whale floating on it. With maybe a bowl of petunias too.

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

Wouldn't it look like this?

 

Probably that or something really close.

[Hot Heart]

Probably that or something really close.

*Leans head right into monitor*

 

Just looks bigger...

[Battra92]

(It would be a bit more kick-ass if we had Wales on the flag)

 

I do wonder why there isn't representation of Wales on the flag. Also, as I understand it, those who live on the Isle of Man are technically UK Citizens but they aren't part of the United Kingdom as they rule themselves which is why their crazy three legged flag isn't part of the Union Jack

[deanb]

Wales is part of the Kingdom of England. The Act of Union 1707 didn't combine the countries England and Scotland, it combined the Kingdoms of England and Scotland. So Wales is represented, just by the St Georges Cross.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

While the dragon has been associated with Wales for a long time (probably roman times and including the story of merlin telling of a white and a red dragon battling representing the saxon invasion of wales). The actual Welsh flag (Y Ddraig Goch - The Red Dragon) was only created in the 1950s.

 

The House of Tudor were Welsh and when Henry VII took the English crown it was under a banner of a dragon representing his welsh ancestry on a green and white background which were the Tudor battle colours.

 

The reason there was no Welsh flag is there was no Welsh nation as such. There were warring Welsh princes who ruled over their own lands but there was only ever one king of all Wales (that was in the 11th century and Owain Glyndwr (an ancestor of Henry Tudor) briefly restored independence in the 15th century). So really Wales was only properly unified when England conquered the last Welsh prince and lumped the whole land together, obviously at this point it didn't need a flag.

 

As time passed Wales started to lose its identity as a separate nation, which eventually led to a rise in patriotism which led to calls for the inclusion of a Welsh element to the union flag, separation from England and even to terrorist bombings (though nothing like to the extent of Ireland). We got our own flag and some devolved powers.

 

Personally I can't imagine changing the union flag, and while if I think about it, it kind of sucks that Wales isn't on there, I do think it 'feels' British and representative of Britain as a whole as it is and while the idea of sticking a massive dragon on the front sounds awesome, it would probably be more likely to add the flag of St David (black with a yellow +) that was incorporated and I don't think anyone wants any more colours on there. Not to mention I don't think people are as bothered any more now we have the welsh flag.

[Battra92]

But what about the Island of Sodor?

[deanb]

So just something that popped in my mind earlier. Quite a few times when talking about "bikes" I've had Americans enquire if I mean "motorbike/motorcycle". Is it common to refer to motorbikes as just "bikes"? Over here a bike is the thing with two pedals, descendant of the penny farthing n all that.