How would you introduce your country?

[vatroslav_cro]

This topic was on the old forum, so I think we should have it also here. So, until now we exchanged the associations about our countries and more-less we know which ones everyone has about the others. However, these are only associations, that don't have to be always correct. Now it would be good to introduce our own countries (everyone should say some features about his/her own country), the good and bad characteristics of it, the things that he or she finds positive and also negative there. How would you describe and introduce it in few sentences? It can be 2,3,5,10....as much as you want. You can speak about all areas of the life, but please, try to be realistic as much as it is possible. Thanks!

 

[goktengri]

I like your idea Vatroslav I also think this thread will be very helpful in resolving many prejudices about countries...

 

[vatroslav_cro]

Yes, I am sure it will...so go on! I am interested to see "the real situation"! I'll expose opinion about my country later.

 

[nikolay_BG]

Well that`s a hard one. I think I will be first.

Now let`s say first what Bulgaria is NOT:
First of all - Bulgaria is NOT turkish, serbian, russian and blah blah blah land.
Second - Bulgaria is NOT a communist land (anymore).
Third - Bulgaria is NOT boring.
and fourth - Bulgarian people are NOT gypsies.

Now let`s sa what Bulgaria actually IS.
First of all Bulgaria is a Balkan country. And it`s not just that. It`s in the center of the Balkans. That means that everything you know for the Balkans goes exactly for Bulgaria
Bulgaria is the land of the rose oil and the bulgarian youghurt. Also bulgarians made the cyrilic alphabet and the computer.
A bulgarian found the cure of cancer (still proccessing) and a bulgarian found the 6th tone beat and many, many more.

About nature - nature is beautifull everywhere, but on our territory there is everything you want (accept desserts )
We have a great sea coast on the great Black sea. But that`s not all, we also have great mountains with great tourist atractions. The highest mount on the Balkans is in our territory and it`s called Musala and it`s in the Rila mountain. Also that mountain has the so called "7 Rila lakes" which are so pure and their pureness is guarded by our government. Awww and in that mountain there is one of the biggest monestery in BG.

Now about the people - People here in general LOVE to party. Everyday can be a party day in BG. The discos here are open everyday and they are actually full everyday =]

It sounds like a fairytale, right?
It`s not so golden.
Bulgaria is also one of the poorest countries in EU. Many people "survive", instead of "live".
The roads suck hard.
We have coruption
and people don`t know what a recycle bin is .

But the good thing is that we are working on that things, but they wont change with a magic wond.

And that`s what I can think of.

Awwww I almost forgot. We also have this :

 

[ParadiseES]

hmmm what Spain is NOT

- We are not lazy or slow. Actually life in a Spanish city is so fast, we work many hours and we are professional as anyone else. Maybe our job is not that important for us, but we do it and we do it properly.

- We are not always in party, you know... There is always party anywhere, but we also work and have lifes, so most people DON'T go out on tuesday or wednesday. It is true that we can go out in the night and then be fresh for the next day quite easily.

- We are not everyone bullfighters or flamenco singers (it is just one little part of our culture) and we are not always funny and kidding.

- Spain is not only a country with sun, beach and party. We have of that of course, but we also have rich architecture, green lands and mountains. Actually, we are one of the countries with most places to practice skiing.

- Spain is not sunny and hot all the time. It rains a lot in the north and winters are sooooo cold everyone except near the sea. It's usual to see any Spanish city white in winter.

- Spanish guys are not stakers like in Italy or other Mediterranean countries.

- There are many hot boys and girls, but the ones who are not, are really ugly.

- We are much more shy than people think. We really love gossip and talking about the others, so we are sometimes afraid of getting the attention.

- Spain is not a very catholic country anymore. Religion is not that important nowadays.

And real facts about Spain:

- We usually have the happiness inside.

- Food here is delicious and so healthy too.

- We can't deny that we love party, though we can't do it as much as we want.

- We are usually late when we have a meeting (90% cases).

- We speak so loudly. That doesn't mean we are being rude or something, it's just the way we are.

- We are hospitalarian and help the visitor as much as we can, though we tend to laugh at people sometimes.

- It will be so difficult to find someone who speks proper English in Spain.

- We are so exaggerated, pesimistic and tend to drama.

- We are so expressive.

- Spain is one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world.

- Spaniards can really leave the differences and go to work together. We can look like we have no organization (and probably we don't) or we can't agree on anything, but in the end everyone works for the thing and we achieve it.

 

[goktengri]

First, I should say that Turkish culture is not so simple to be described with 1 word. It is not '' one '' culture. It is a result of a long historical period. So you should know some historical things to understand it well:

Today's Turkish people's ancestors are Oghuz Turks who lived in Central Asia ( today's Mongolia ). They were a Turkic tribe which found majestic Gokturk Khaganate.

The original lands of Turks is Central Asia, bordering China. ( today's Mongolia ) From this location, they were forced to move west for various reasons more than a thousand years ago. They started to look for '' a new land ' to live. The land they found is Anatolia of course. But on the way to Anatolia they have interacted with Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, European and Anatolian civilizations, and today`s Turkish culture carries motives from each one of these diverse cultures.

In this part, there are articles covering various aspects of Turkish culture and history to introduces this cultural link between European and Asian societies.

Anatolia hosts many cultures, mentalities, beliefs, traditions etc. we can't call it '' asian '', '' european '', '' african '' etc. because it is an immense mixture partly produced by the rich history like its geography. ( Anatolia borders Europe, Middle East, Mediterrenean, Black Sea, Caucausia, Asia, how could we tell it is a simple middle eastern country in this point ? It's a special and unique one in the world. )

If someone comes to Anatolia, he/she will definitely see somethings from his/her culture.

But there is still somebody around the world who see this country as classical middle eastern without knowledge of history, geography.

It is Caucasian culture, It is Asian culture, It is Middle Eastern culture, It is European culture, It is mediterrenean culture, it is black sea culture, it is thracian culture.

There is a big difference between culture, tradition, mentality of East Thrace, Central Anatolia, Black Sea, Southeastern Anatolia and other regions. How could we describe this culture with 1 word since these cultures and traditions have almost nothing in common ? I said '' almost '', because there is a common mentality which links us to each other, it is the culture, mentality, tradition etc. of our old lands Turkestan which we still carry. We have never forgotten it. It still lives in our hearts.

It's so wrong when someone call here '' Islamic ''. Can nobody see there are somethings which separates us from other '' muslim '' countries ?

I expect nobody to understand it well, I think it is seen by only those who live here. I see it, that's why me as an atheist love this '' islamic '' ( so-called ) country like a crazy... If I was born in Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt etc. which are the countries people perceive as the same with Turkey, I could definitely leave there. But I think I will never leave this '' islamic '' country with '' arab traditions and mentality '' as an Atheist.

I love here, because I know this country is not islamic.

People may think, '' Ataturk reduced '' islamic '' influences, that's why Turkey is so modern today ''

I will say no. If people were so islamic and addicted to religion so much before him, Ataturk could not do whatever he did. People would not allow him.

Islam has never managed to fully influence Turkish people's hearts.

Not even marrying, having a relation with a child is accepted as immorality for Turkish traditions. It is legal in Islam, Mohammed had a sex with a young girl. Many Arab Sheiks say that you can marry with child who is 1 years old. But we have definitely have a different mentality considering other islamic countries.

Adultery, which is one of the biggest sins of Islam, is a culture here. There is a brothel culture in this country. Many Turkish boy go to brothels. Even Conservatives could not manage to ban brothels, one of the old presidents said '' if we ban it, they could *uck us '' it shows how we are pervert considering other islamic countries.

Turkish boys looking forward to summer holiday, because it's a sex season for them. They try to make relations with tourists to have a sex in the end.

There is also a strong alcohol culture. I think many people heard '' Raki '' which is the traditional drink of Turkish people since Ottoman Empire. It can be found almost in every houses, including my house. Me, my mom and dad drink it every day.

Not only Raki, but Efes Pilsen which is Turkish beer has strong relations with Turkish people. It comes second after Raki in drinks. Efes is widely advertised across Turkey. We have a basketball team which use that name. It is famous with its sexy girls and they have a dance show ( not middle eastern dance lol ) before every matches. It is loved most cause of its girls by this pervet nation .It is the biggest basketball club of the country.

In a period where Islamic world discusses masturbating, it is also a strong culture here. I have never seen even one Turk who don't masturbate.

'' Spor Toto '' is the official name and brand of the Turkish Football League. Do anyone knows what is '' Spor Toto ''

It is a famous bet brand. Attention here; Gambling is prohibited in islam. You can't see it in any other islamic country.

I could tell more examples which provide that we are not an islamic country, but I think nobody will understand so there's no need to waste breath anymore.

I wanted to talk about Turkish life more, but I had to write so many things to show what Turkey is not actually. That's really so bad

I will say somethings without explaining details, But I can explain a thing I will say now if you don't believe.

- Turkish people are simply crazy. It's so hard to describe, we are an unique one.

- There is a very sweet patriotism. Turkish people exaggerates everything. Eurovision, football matches, miss world, olympics etc. are watched with patriotic feelings. Turkish people love to be proud of successes of their country in every areas. They always dream taking Turkish flag to the moon one day like Americans. They also love to hear good words from foreigners about their countries.

- Contrary to popular belief, you can barely see a Turkish women who wear headscarf here. You can't also see it in tv series. Islamic headscarf is banned in all public areas. Secular people like me don't want to see those who wear headscarf around them. We use a traditional headscarf, which is not islamic but a central asian Turkic one which we carried from our old lands. You also can't open a political party with using Islam as a name or mention '' Islam '' or another religion in your party program.

- Contrary to other popular belief, Turkish flag doesn't symbolize Islam. Yes, there is people who think flag symbolizes that, but many people know that crescent and star is a Turkic symbol. Pre-islamic Turkic tribes used it. After Ottoman took the control of Islamic world, Arabs started to take Ottoman as an example. And as you can figure out, Crescent and Star became an Islamic symbol just because we took the leadership of Islam. Islam has no a symbol. Nobody can find somethings from Quran and Mohammed's words which mention Crescent and Star. The first Islamic states didn't used crescent and star as well. Arabs learnt this symbol from Ottoman and perceived it as an islamic symbol. Crescent and Star was an important symbol of Gokturks.

- It snows here too. There is not desert here. There is not camels here as well. ( I say that cause I met many people who think that )

- Turks are not brother with Arabs. Majority of Turks don't love Arabs. '' Arab '' is a popular dog name here, there are many adages which insults Arabs ( Just an example; '' Ic sarabi *ik arabi '' which means '' drink wine *uck arab ) I don't say them to insult arabs, just trying to show that we are not brother with them, Many people think so.

- You can make fun of Islam. You can make fun of everything. ( except national values, like flag, Ataturk etc. ) There is no respect for anything. A crazy person can go to the mosque and kick someone's ass who bended to pray. Islamic culture and traditions are heavily criticized in caricatures.

- Religion never takes part in majority of Turkish people's life.

- Turkish people are very, very pervert.

- It is a country where a prime minister is booed wherever he goes and can't even dare to go to some of the cities ( Izmir for example ) but always manages to win elections.

-

Eventually, Turkey is full of crazy persons. We are tipsy, tanked, or something like that

There are many things which make me love this country so much. Not an Islamic country, and will never be. But the funniest country in the world

Politics of Turkey:

Politics in here is really funny and crazy with its political leaders, their actions and quarrels, military's interventions and threats, court's interventions and threats ( Court tried to close AKP in the past, AKP's trying to capture court now Turkish Armed Forces gave an ultimatum to the current government, but it's so hard for government to capture armed forces, military is like a state on its own and described theirself as a guardian of kemalist principles and secularism, there is a strong polarization between kemalist-seculars, conservatives-liberals, nationalists and kurdish nationalists )

Political parties have to comply with following principles:

Ataturk's ideology
Laicism
Modernization

If you don't agree with them, or someone detects that you go against them, they don't allow you to establish your party or your party gets closed. Many Islamist parties had been closed by court in the past. Some of them was taken down by military. There are very very strong precaution for those who try to change the basic principles of the Republic ( democratic, secular, loyal to the Ataturk's ideology )

Even AKP can't go against these principles today. ( although it's known they are not agree with them ) They swear that their way is the west and they are guarantor of secularism but court and military are still not convinced. Military warned government in 2007. Court started closure of AKP trial in 2008 but lucky AKP was saved by only 1 vote.

Some beautiful places to visit in Turkey:

Pamukkale - Denizli
Bozcaada - Çanakkale
Gokceada - Çanakkale
Aspendos - Antalya
Efes - Izmir
Anitkabir - Ankara
Ainos - Edirne
Clock Tower - Izmir
Bergama-Pergemon - Izmir
Alanya Castle - Antalya
Bodrum Castle - Mugla
Manavgat - Antalya
Agora - Izmir
Uludag - Bursa

Music:

Turkish music includes diverse elements ranging from Central Asian-Turkic folk music and music from Ottoman Empire dominions such as Persian music, Balkan music and Byzantine music, as well as more modern European and American popular music influences.

Rock, Metal and Electronica are very popular and loved today.

Mass media:

Kanal D, Show TV, ATV and Star TV are national channels which are watched most in Turkey.

Sports:

Football is the most popular sport here. Hooliganism and Fanaticism are very strong in this football culture.

Nightlife is definitely great in Turkey ( especially in Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Antalya )

 

[Valvejoodik]

So,

Estonia IS NOT:

- Russian-speaking. In fact we get quite angry when someone tries to speak abroad with you in a Russian.
(I ha the same experience at the Düsseldorf airport- the baggage packer said to me "pašhalusta" - your welcome/please)
- Russian-related.
- "Another eastern European country"

Estonia is actually:

Location and nature:
Baltic country and also a bit Scandinavian (We have a lot of things in common with a Sweden and Finland).
Estonia lies in the northern part of the temperate climate zone and in the transition zone between maritime and continental climate, that means that we have cold winters and warm summers with rain. Estonia has one of the largest forest reserves in the whole EU (2,2 million hectars).
Estonia has also a lot ow wetlands and swamps (2nd place in the world).

Politics of Estonia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic in which the Prime Minister of Estonia is the head of government and of a multi-party system.

Estonia first declared its independence in 1918 after the Independence war with Russians. During 1934 to 1939 Estonia was ruled by a dictator Konstantin Päts. In 1939 Soviet forces entered Estonia, later the German forces made them retreat and were recognized as heroes. By the end of the war Estonia was under full occupation by Russia what continued until the collapse of the Soviet union.
In 1989, during the "Singing Revolution", in a landmark demonstration for more independence, called The Baltic Way, a human chain of more than two million people was formed, stretching through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All three nations had similar experiences of occupation and similar aspirations for regaining independence. The Estonian Sovereignty Declaration was issued on 16 November 1988 and formal independence declared on 20 August 1991.

Famous inventions and persons:

- Skype
- Arvo Pärt (composer)
- Lennart Meri (first new Estonian president)
- Siim Kallas (EU commissioner of transportation)
- Kerli Kõiv (singer)
- Karmen Kass (model)
- Estonian scientists are making a breakthrough in AIDS cure, new medicine is currently in testing.
- E-valimised (You can take choose the election candidate from your home with the help of a computer and identification card)

Largest catastrophes:

- Stalin mass deportations in 1941 (14. June) and in 1949 (25-29 March) when about 30,000 persons were taken against their will to Siberia, over half of them died. And their onliest crime was that they lived in Estonia. Same deportations also took place in Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Moldova.

- Ferry "Estonia" sunk in 28. September in 1994, taking lives of 852 persons, only 137 persons survived. It was one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century.
The reasons for the disaster are still unclear, some conspiracy theories insist that Russian secret service smuggled weapons to Sweden and there might have been a explosion on the car deck. Later divers discovered a hole in the ship's hull, the source of that hole is also unclear...

- Copterline flight no.103
In 10th of August 2005, helicopter flight en route to Helsinki, Finland from Tallinn, Estonia that crashed into the sea. All 14 persons on board were killed. The helicopter was flying at an altitude of about 500 metres when it suddenly lost its steerability and plunged into the sea. The emergency floats failed to operate, and the wreck sank quickly. All those on board perished by drowning.
In August 2007 it was announced that the cause of the crash was a failure of the hydraulic flight control system, caused by coating flaking off from servo pistons. The loosened plasma coating flakes blocked the return valves of the servos, causing the aircraft to abruptly lose its maneuverability.

And now something happier. Why should you visit Estonia:
- Tallinn old town (world's best preserved medieval architecture)
- Tallinn nightlife.
- Lot's of SPAs and places to spend your holidays.
- After every five years we have singing and dancing festival, over 25,000 singers perform on the song festival grounds to audience of 80,000.
- Well preserved nature and wildlife

I could write more but i just got tired

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Turkish boys looking forward to summer holiday, because it's a sex season for them. They try to make relations with tourists to have a sex in the end.

I've heard of British tourists who have been fooled by such Turkish men .

 

[Turkish97]

- Turkish people are very, very pervert.

That's so right and our people is so ignorant.

 

[goktengri]

That's so right and our people is so ignorant.

It's not ignorance imo, just craziness

 

[Turkish97]

It's not ignorance imo, just craziness

Crazy and ignorant.

 

[Mark-ESC14]

Well, Then I will introduce my country as well!

Well, let's start with disproving some prejudices.

DON'TS:

-We don't eat Cheese all the time, but we do eat it a lot. (But there are also people who don't like it at all)
-We don't wear wooden shoes, only some retarded farmers do that
-We don't smoke Marihuana a lot, even though it is legal.
-We don't use those windmills to pump the water from the 'polders', there is only 1 set of these windmills which are still used for that. (Close to my home)
-We aren't strict on not spending money, in fact we drive the most expensive cars in Europe! (People say we don't spend money)
-We don't have extreme large numbers of tulip-fields in the Netherlands, you will be surprised that there are actually very few.

DO's:

-We are very tolerant, we allow a lot. We were the first country in the world to approve gay marriage and we are very tolerant against immigrants. (Although that is slowing down with the PVV in the lower house)
-We do complain about pretty much everything
-We do drink a lot of beer (Not as much as the Germans though), but hey, we have Heineken so what else can you do?
-We are very proud of our country and what we have achieved as a country (World Cup Final (3x), even though the Netherlands is a very small country)
-We are like the only one's who can say Dutch g's and sch's. (Although the Flemish can say 'sch' too, but Flemish and Dutch are not exactly the same)
-We do wear Orange all the time if international football is played

Famous Dutch persons:

Doutzen Kroes (Model)
Carice van Houten (Actrice)
Paul Verhoeven (Filmdirector)
Mark Rutte (Prime-Minister)

Most famous Dutch word: (I think)

Apartheid, from the idealogy in South Africa. Apartheid means 'Seperatism', and refers to the division between white and black people.

Must visits in The Netherlands:

The beach at Scheveningen (Try to pronounce Scheveningen )
Amsterdam (Whatever you like, the Rijksmuseum, Madam Tussauds, Nemo, Van Gogh Museum)
Rotterdam (The harbour is the biggest in Europe)
Deltawerken
Volendam

So, hopefully this will have cleared things up for you!

-

 

[r3gg13]

So Time for California (I can't do all of America)

Facts:
- Not all average Californians are fat! (though we're chubbier than people from other countries)
- We don't all live in big cities
- California has a very unpredictable weather
- We don't all live near the beach
- We're fairly liberal compared to the rest of America
- You will see a lot of "foreign" people who speak with California accent
- There are a lot of diaspora communities in California
- We like the sun, in general
- For us Californians, anything below 70F is cold (very true).
- We like foreign people, in general
- We have more hybrid cars on the road compared to the rest of America (I drive one too )
- Our State budget is whack!
- We still have a lot of unspoiled nature
- Only 57% of our population is White
- We are very environmental
- We're very professional when it comes to our work.
- We work hard and we play hard
- We love leisure, and going to vacations


Fiction:
- We're all wealthy
- We all drive convertibles and big SUV's
- We all live in big houses
- All we do is follow movie stars
- We're obsessed with our looks
- We're snobs
- Everyone surfs
- Everyone skates
- Everyone lives like a rockstar
- We're generally dumb and egocentric
- California girls are bimbos
- All we eat is fast food
- We're arrogant

 

[Yamarus]

I think it's a great idea to see people talk about their own country. It feels more real than to read a Wikipedia page :-D.

Now for Belgium:

POLITICS

- Belgium is a political quilt of unending complexity. It has three official languages, six governments, and it has a very rich political vocabulary.
- Belgium is precisely located on the border between the Latin language area and the Germanic language area. The tensions that materialise within Belgium are an interesting microcosm through which the Latin and Germanic mentality can be studied and compared.
- People say Belgium will split since 1830, when Belgium was founded.
- Political parties in Belgium used to be united until they split in the course of the Sixties and Seventies. Since then, the political debate has slowly shifted from socio-economical matters to communitary matters (Flanders vs Wallonia, with Brussels in the middle).

HISTORY:

- Belgium gained its independance from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1830. The Treaty of London in 1839 saw Belgium's sovereignty and independence guaranteed by Great Britain (which would later be Britain's casus belli in World War 1).
- In the 19th century, and mostly under the leadership of King Leopold II, Belgium became a very important industrial power, second only to Great Britain in Europe, thanks to the Flemish textile industries and Walloon coal mines. The first railway line in continental Europe was inaugurated in Belgium, between Brussels and Malines/Mechelen in 1835.
- Belgium is also sadly famous for Leopold II's ruthless rule of the Congo Free State - his personal estate. In 1908, amidst global outcry at the atrocities committed by Leopold's men, the Congo became an official Belgian colony until 1960.
- Since the end of the Second World War, Belgium has been a very active proponent of European integration. Brussels is very proud to be the capital of Europe.

PEOPLE

- Belgians are not very patriotic, even among those who are attached to Belgium.
- Francophone Belgians cultivate their regional traits that distinguish them from France. For example we say "septante" and "nonante" instead of "soixante-dix" and "quatre-vingt-dix" for 70 and 90, which is actually more logical IMHO.
- Flemings are also very different from their Dutch neighbours. Although the written language is almost the same, dialects in Flanders are extremely predominant and neighbouring villages will have very different accents and vocabulary. The accent you will hear in Ostend will be distinctively different from the one you hear in Leuven, and someone from Genk might not understand someone from Bruges if they both speak their local dialect. Standard Flemish is also distinctively different from Standard Dutch, and usually Dutch programmes on Flemish television are subtitled (the reverse is also true).
- There are 11 million people in Belgium. Brussels is the only city holding one million people. Other large cities are Antwerp (500 000), Charleroi (200 000), Ghent (200 000) and Liège (200 000).

CULTURE

- Belgium is an important centre of culture. It has given birth to famous French-language singers like Jacques Brel, Pierre Rapsat or Axelle Red and some of its rock bands have garnered great international aclaim, for example Hooverphonic.
- Famous Belgian actors usually acquire their notoriety in French cinema: Yolande Moreau, Benoît Poelvoorde, Marie Gillain, Cécile de France, etc.
- Comic strips form a very important part of Belgian culture, in both the French- and Dutch-speaking areas. Tintin and the Smurfs, among others, hail from Belgium.
- Painters like Magritte, Rubens or Spilliaert.
- Belgian literature is very rich and influential. Flemish writers play an important part in the richness of Dutch literature (both in the past, with modernists like Willem Elsschot, or closer to the present with the likes of Hugo Claus), while the French literature has a very important proportion of great Belgian writers with, among others, Maeterlinck, Simenon and, closer to us, the very excentric Amélie Nothomb. Let's also mention grammarian Maurice Grevisse, whose Grammar of the French Language remains a reference for Francophones everywhere.
- In sports, tenniswomen Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters really owned the courts for the last decade, and cyclists Eddy Merckx and Tom Boonen gave Belgium a reputation in competitions like the Tour de France.

 

[sannerz]

(Sorry to break the peacefulness of the board, but the computer was NOT invented in Bulgaria. Please show me proof of that.)

Anyways, since R3gg13 did California, I'll do Florida, the REAL Sunshine State.

POLITICS

- Florida is a very split state. It is almost half and half between Conservatives and Liberals for us. Of our two senators that represent us, one is a Democrat and the other is a Republican.
- Our politics have generally been dominated by White people, but new generations have brought in many more hispanic and black people into politics. For instance, the newly elected mayor of my city, Jacksonville, is a black man who used to be an assistant to President Bill Clinton, this happened in a city where black people were discriminated against less than 40 years ago.
- Yes, our state single-handedly made Al Gore lose to George W. Bush. Yes, I am ashamed.
- But our state also voted for Obama.
- Our current elected governor, Rick Scott (A Republican), is not popular with an approval rating of only 29%, and that is predicted to drop even more. Last year, he only won by 50,000 votes (I obviously voted for his opponent, Alex Sink.) .

HISTORY

- We were first controlled by Spain. The oldest settlement in America is located in St. Augustine, Florida where the Spanish first colonized Florida.
- The name Florida is Spanish itself, meaning "Flowery Land". This is not true, we have swamps everywhere.
- Andrew Jackson took half of Florida from the Spanish in 1818, and he is the namesake of my city, JACKSONville, Florida.
- The other half of Florida was ceded to the US by Spain in 1819.
- Florida did secede in the Civil War, and WAS a slave state, being a part of the Confederate States.
- African Americans regained the right to vote in 1965, but racial tension did not disappear until much later and still exists in rural(country) areas.

PEOPLE & CULTURE

- 25% of the population speaks a language other than English at home, and this percentage is still growing, by about 3% every 5 years. I'm a part of one of these families.
- Most people in Florida who are sports fans follow American Football only, this sport is usually the most popular in the South.
- Just because Florida is a Southern state, does not mean we are like the other Southern states.
- NO, we do not speak with Southern accents, although some do in the rural areas.
- In the cities, you will find MANY foreign people. In Miami and Orlando, you'll find many Hispanic people. In Jacksonville, you'll find huge populations of Bosnians, Filipinos, and Indians.
- In Jacksonville, there are 13 small Bosnian Grocery stores, and 7 Bosnian restaurants that I know of. There might be more.
- Racism and Discrimination exists a bit in the cities, but in the countryside it's quite different story, and this is where most of the Conservatives live. It's sad, but true.

Well, that's all I can think of for now.

 

[nikolay_BG]

^ No, the computer was invented in the US, by a bulgarian emmigrant. His name is John (or Ivan) Atanasov

 

[sannerz]

^ No, the computer was invented in the US, by a bulgarian emmigrant. His name is John (or Ivan) Atanasov

He himself was not an immigrant, but his dad was. He was half Bulgarian, and he considered himself American.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

United Kingdom


History
- The British Empire is the largest empire in world history and at it's height in 1922 it covered 1/3 of the Earth. An early blow was the loss of the thirteen American colonies in 1783 but its decline didnt begin until 1947 with the independence of India, culminating in the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Today, 17 Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies remain.
- The last time England and subsequently the United Kingdom was invaded was in 1066 by William the Conquerer.
- The Kingdom of England invaded Wales in the early mediaeval period with Wales first becoming the Principality of Wales and then later a region of England. Subsequently it regained its status as the Principality of Wales and the Prince of Wales is Charles.
- England and Scotland grew up as separate countries and were often at war until the Union of Crowns in 1603 when King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England; the countries were still separate Kingdoms however. It wasnt until 1707 that they joined together as the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- In 1801, the Kingdom of Ireland joined the Union to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which lasted until 1922 when Southern Ireland became the Irish Free State.
- The United Kingdom fought the entirety and was victorious in both World Wars as an Ally and was part of the NATO bloc during the Cold War.
- Famous British leaders include Winston Churchill, Bernard Montgomery, Queen Victoria, Horatio Nelson, King George III, Oliver Cromwell, Queen Elizabeth I, Walter Raleigh, Captain Cook and King Henry VIII.

Politics
- We are a Constitutional Monarchy with three branches of Parliament; House of Commons, House of Lords and the Crown in Parliament.
- It is mainly a two-party system between Conservatives and Labour due to First Past The Post voting system.
- Atm, we have the first coalition government since World War 2; between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with David Cameron as Prime Minister and Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister.
- The Conservatives are mainly popular in the South and rural areas, Labour in the North and urban areas and the Liberal Democrats evenly spread throughout the country which contributes to their downfall under FPTP.
- Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister from 1979-1990 and Tony Blair from 1997-2007; both still significantly influence politics not only in their respective parties but also nationally.
- The most controversial and important political issues atm are the Economy, Immigration, Afghanistan War and Europe.

People
- Some indigenous citizens of the United Kingdom wish to refer to themselves as English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish, whilst others prefer the term British.
- There is a high proportion of immigrants in urban areas, particularly Muslims.
- Many citizens of Commonwealth and former British Empire reside in the United Kingdom.
- The majority of people are Christian Protestants with other significant populations of Christian Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews.
- Approximately 2/3% identify as Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual.
- The most spoken language in English with many other regional languages, most notably Welsh which has experienced a revival in recent years.
- In Northern Ireland, society is strongly divided between Catholics/Nationalists and Portestants/Unionists - this is starting to improve slowly however as the peace continues to develop.

Culture
- The most famous British pastime is probably drinking tea. However, this tradition is more of a myth nowadays although many still like to do so.
- The United Kingdom has the world's second largest entertainment industry.
- The most popular sports are Football, Rugby and Cricket.
- There are many 'quirky' hobbies here; train spotting 'anoraks', bus watching, bird watching 'twitchers', pylon fan clubs, etc .
- London is the host to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
- The United Kingdom has done well at Eurovision in the past, but not so recently .

 

[nikolay_BG]

He himself was not an immigrant, but his dad was. He was half Bulgarian, and he considered himself American.

As far as I know John Atanasov considered him self as a bulgarian. And no wonder since one of the best matematitians in the modern history are bulgarians and other eastern european nations (at least in many matematical competitions).

Maybe it`s too difficult for you to accept that so little country like Bulgaria made something so big like the computer?

I also forgot to tell that bulgarians invented the space food and the biggest factory for space food in the world is in Bulgaria.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Actually you're both wrong . The first computer was created by a British man who is known as the 'Father of the Computer', Charles Babbage .