John Rowland wrote:
I don't think we should make fun of Americans for not knowing the flags
of the different parts of the UK. After all, how many of us Brits would
recognise the flag of California?

You're right, of course, but the comparison isn't quite fair because the
individual states of the US don't enter international sporting
competitions as separete entities, whereas England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland[1] do. Admittedly, not in any sport that I can think of
that is very popular in the USA. Admittedly, in most cases, England gets
much more publicity than the other three as it has about ten times the
population of any other part of the union so tends to do rather better in
sporting competitions.


Dave.

[1] Does NI tend to team up with the Republic for things like soccer and
rugby or is it just that they're a small enough place that I've never
noticed them in the later stages of a major competition.

--
David Richerby Cyber-Sushi (TM): it's like a raw fish
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ that exists only in your computer!

One oddity (among many) is that the British Chess Federation
http://www.bcf.org.uk/ only controls chess in England but runs the
British Championship.

We also have a Welsh Chess Union and Chess Scotland, both separate
members of FIDE.

I don't see Northern Ireland listed as FIDE members - I believe they are
still covered by the the Irish Chess Union (which calls them "Ulster").

Same in various other sports (yes, I know, in the UK chess isn't a sport
:-) - notably football (soccer to USA folk) where we keep 4 national
federations (Northern Ireland has its own) and refuse to send a British
team to the Olympics because we like the extra voting rights.

David Richerby writes:

John Rowland wrote:
I don't think we should make fun of Americans for not knowing the flags
of the different parts of the UK. After all, how many of us Brits would
recognise the flag of California?

You're right, of course, but the comparison isn't quite fair because the
individual states of the US don't enter international sporting
competitions as separete entities, whereas England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland[1] do.

Well then, perhaps we should fix *that*?

...

--
Kenneth Sloan
Computer and Information Sciences (205) 934-2213
University of Alabama at Birmingham FAX (205) 934-5473
Birmingham, AL 35294-1170 http://www.cis.uab.edu/sloan/

"Ivan" wrote in message
om...
It says on site that GM Michael Adams is from England but how come
they are using a different country's flag:

http://wcclibya2004.com/news/f1/02.jpg

What country is that flag from?

If Michael wins he will without doubt become the most famous Cornishman in
history.
Lisa Simpson will tell you that Cornwall is a seperate country.

David Richerby wrote:
John Rowland wrote:

I don't think we should make fun of Americans for not knowing the flags
of the different parts of the UK. After all, how many of us Brits would
recognise the flag of California?


You're right, of course, but the comparison isn't quite fair because the
individual states of the US don't enter international sporting
competitions as separete entities, whereas England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland[1] do. Admittedly, not in any sport that I can think of
that is very popular in the USA. Admittedly, in most cases, England gets
much more publicity than the other three as it has about ten times the
population of any other part of the union so tends to do rather better in
sporting competitions.


Dave.

[1] Does NI tend to team up with the Republic for things like soccer and
rugby or is it just that they're a small enough place that I've never
noticed them in the later stages of a major competition.

Ah, but many chessplayers from Quebec play under their provincial flag
rather than the more familiar maple leaf. Is the Quebec flag as
familiar to readers of this group as England's is?

GB

"Alan OBrien" writes:

"Ivan" wrote in message
om...
It says on site that GM Michael Adams is from England but how come
they are using a different country's flag:

http://wcclibya2004.com/news/f1/02.jpg

What country is that flag from?

If Michael wins he will without doubt become the most famous Cornishman in
history.

I think Captain Bligh will still have that honour.

Lisa Simpson will tell you that Cornwall is a seperate country.

She's channeling A. L. Rowse.

William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University

"Alan OBrien" wrote in message
k...

"Ivan" wrote in message
om...
It says on site that GM Michael Adams is from England but how come
they are using a different country's flag:

http://wcclibya2004.com/news/f1/02.jpg

What country is that flag from?

If Michael wins he will without doubt become the most famous Cornishman in
history.
Lisa Simpson will tell you that Cornwall is a seperate country.

Who is Lisa?

Cornwall is in fact not a county of England nor currently a country, but a
Duchy. In other words the Queen of England accepts the role of protecting
it, while acknowledging its sovereign status. There is even a movement to
revive the Stannery Parliament, on much the same model as the revived Scots
parliament, but with less of those wailing things.

I doubt Michael will become more famous than Trelawney. 30,000 Cornishman
walked 300 miles to London to ask the reason why he should die - they got
their way, and this song is now a few hundred years practiced.

This is what happens if you annoy Celts, they will come, all come, to your
capital city and sing at you! Trouble is, even though we Cornish have
remarkable male-voice choirs, the damned Welsh can sing like no other
country on earth. One can only hope to air one's own cause if the blessed
Saxons do not annoy both nations at the same time.

But I digress...

Phil Ynys

Leopold wrote:


"Eamon Warnock" wrote in message
news:f13d778b766321f48c7de3d29b159d4e.61944@mygate .mailgate.org...
"Ivan" wrote in message
om

It says on site that GM Michael Adams is from England but how come
they are using a different country's flag:

Different from what??

http://wcclibya2004.com/news/f1/02.jpg

What country is that flag from?

er...England?

Are you from USA and do you know the difference between England and
Britain?

(That's called a yes-and-no question.) :-D


YES, I am an American and I did not know there was a difference. But now I
do. Thank you.
Leopold

A guaranteed method to wind up my Scottish relatives is to post a letter
addressed to ..., Ayrshire, Scotland, England.



Regards,

Simon.

David Richerby wrote:

[1] Does NI tend to team up with the Republic for things like soccer and
rugby or is it just that they're a small enough place that I've never
noticed them in the later stages of a major competition.

In rugby it's an all Ireland team. One of the strangest sights imaginable is
to see Ulster Protestants loudly cheering Ireland at a match in Dublin.

For football Northern Ireland have a distinct team, which has included
Catholics. Great footballers from Northern Ireland have included George
Best and Pat Jennings.



Regards,

Simon.

David Richerby wrote:

Great Britain and the United Kingdom are distinct. Great Britain is the
largest of the British Isles and does not include Northern Ireland; the
United Kingdom [of Great Britain and Northern Ireland] does.

British tribal differences have a certain entertainment value. Aeons ago I
was playing for the good guys in the latter stages of the County
Championship. We were playing the Yorkists (sic) :-), the other match was
between our neighbours the four letter word county and the Lancastrians; it
soon became apparent who were the more determined as the canteen was
quickly populated by natives of Lancashire and Middlesex. We quickly told
the denizens of the Red Rose County that we hoped they would give the Jutes
a good thrashing, and enquired whether they felt the same way about
Yorkshire. "No", they responded, faster than one could say "Towton"; as far
as they were concerned it was a North V South thing, they wanted Yorkshire
to win. That year it was an all southern final.

For bonus marks, discuss the state of the Channel Islands and the Isle of
Man.

Splutter, splutter; Guernsey and Jersey, both in the Channel Islands, are
distinct entities.


Regards,

Simon.