Country-bashing

[Lace Neil Singer]

There was bad flooding in mid England I do believe; round where I am, luckily, there was none.

As for bashing, we in Britain bash each other roundly, and we all band together to bash the French. It's tradition, and nothing bad is meant by it.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

However, you do have permanent rivers in some areas, and I think you have a coastal region, so I presume that while the majority of the state is desert, you have some arable land. Probably semi-fertile at best by global standards, though I'm basing that on Australian near-desert arable land and might be wrong.

Most of the rivers in Arizona are tributaries running down from the Colorado. Those are fast going dry. Some of the land in Arizona is used as farmland, but it was artificially made farmable using Colorado river water. It will eventually have to be stopped. There is very, veyr little true arable land in Arizona. Most of it is Sonoran Desert.

There used to be great cities in the south-west American desert, and large civilisations. Those civilisations were unfortunately dependant on small fertile areas, and most of the pueblo cities became abandoned due to drought or overuse of the fertile soil.

There were never great cities in the Southwest. There have been cultures here for eons, but they were always small settlements, as the climate could not support large cities. Archeologists don't know why the Anasazi settlements were abandoned, but they believe it had to do with climate change. Pueblo Bonita, the largest of the ruins, was a town about the size of the Roman Coliseum.

[daleduke17]

Terribly sorry, you're right. Now, if you can name the river that runs through MY city off the top of your head......

Hey, at least I KNEW there was bad flooding last year.

Salt River, I believe (if you're in Phoenix).




EDIT: It helps to read ALL of the posts before commenting. :-p

[Seshat]

I guessed, but thought I'd call you on it anyway. Besides, it was fun!

As for us:

6 states, two territories, though the Northern Territory is working towards becoming a state. The Australian Capital Territory will always remain a Territory - or at least that's the plan. We also govern Norfolk Island and a couple of other minor Pacific islands.

States, clockwise from the north-east corner:
Queensland (northern half of the eastern third of the mainland)
New South Wales (northern 2/3 of the southern half of the eastern third)
Victoria (remainder of the eastern third)
Tasmania (the little triangular island, also governs the Bass Strait islands)
South Australia (southern half of the middle third)
Western Australia (western third)

The Northern Territory is the northern half of the middle third.
The ACT is a tiny roughly-circular bit halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, and it's freezing and it's a lousy place to put a city. It's sole reason for existing is to have a capital city that's neither Sydney nor Melbourne. Politicians!

The star on the flag that differentiates our flag from New Zealand's is called the Federation Star, and has seven points: one for each of the six states, one for the territories.

Most of our population is on the Eastern and Southern coasts, with a bubble of population in Perth (south-west corner, so 'southern coast', kinda), Darwin in the centre north, and Alice Springs in the middle near Uluru (Ayer's Rock).

You didn't do too badly, though.

To get an idea of just how dry our continent is: make a mental image of the contiguous US states (basically: not Alaska, not Hawaii).
Take out all the permanent rivers and lakes west of the Appalachians.
Imagine almost all your rainfall comes from the Atlantic, and the Appalachians trigger almost all the rain (and snow, and other precipitation) to fall - mostly east of them or on them, some immediately west.
Allow some rainfall around New Orleans, and more around Seattle. (The represent Darwin and Perth respectively).
Don't allow any Canadian snowmelt. And you don't get snow west of the Appalachians because there's no moisture in the air.

That's a rough guide to Australian geography. Flat desert plains west of the Appalachians/Great Dividing Range, rough desert mountains west of those. It's kind of similar - if you've got a good imagination.

[AFPheonix]

Not too bad, except that I'm in Oregon , so you were pretty close actually with the Columbia river. It runs along Oregon's border with Washington. Columbia River Gorge is a great site for windsurfing and other riparian entertainments . The Willamette river runs through the heart of Portland, OR. It's a huge shipping lane, but it's terribly polluted. It's better than it has been thanks to being a Superfund site, but it's still got a ways to go. I almost wonder if Matt Groening was thinking of it when he made Blinky the Fish in the Simpsons

I know that there are 6 of them, I don't think I could name all of them, though. (yes, I'm terrible.)
I know that the majority of your population is concentrated on the East and West Coasts with little population in the center and north (well, except for Darwin up there on the north coast) because it's so arid and dry.

I was just teasing you back.

[Seshat]

Presuming that your city is Phoenix, Arizona (yeah, taken from your name): not off the top of my head I can't.

But I do know - off the top of my head - that you're in the south/west quarter of the United States. You're a desert state, and a desert city. However, you do have permanent rivers in some areas, and I think you have a coastal region, so I presume that while the majority of the state is desert, you have some arable land. Probably semi-fertile at best by global standards, though I'm basing that on Australian near-desert arable land and might be wrong.

The south-west American desert has a characteristic formation, with red/yellow/orange/rust sands and sand-based sedimentary and metamorphic rock which has been wind-and-water-blown into mesa formations. There are also salt flats and dry lake beds, though the most well known and most dramatic salt flats are in the northern part of the desert, and may well be outside your state.

There used to be great cities in the south-west American desert, and large civilisations. Those civilisations were unfortunately dependant on small fertile areas, and most of the pueblo cities became abandoned due to drought or overuse of the fertile soil.

Pueblo architecture is still a great tourist and scientific resource in your area.

Many of the cities - and States - in your region get the majority of their water from the Colorado river, which is the same river that the Hoover dam is on, and which is also the same river that the Grand Canyon was formed by. The Colorado river gets a good deal of its water from Canadian snow melt.

There is serious water debate about the Colorado river, and debate about who has what water rights to it. (Similar to the problems Egypt, Ethiopia and other North African nations have with the Nile.)

Arizona hosts at least one of the American Air Force's training bases. I believe it's one of the states which borders Mexico, and either it or Nevada border California. (The other probably borders Texas.)

I'm afraid I don't know much more about Phoenix or Arizona specifically. How'd I do?

And pick any one of the Australian states at random, and tell me what you know about it.


(I looked up one thing: I kept thinking 'Columbia River' and knowing it was wrong, but couldn't make my brain pick out 'Colorado'.)

[AFPheonix]

<snarky geography comment follows>

Unless the Rhine flooding was at the same time as a disaster in the British Isles, I can't see why anyone would have. The Rhine is on the European continent. I suppose a serious flooding of the Rhine could have caused problems in the North Sea that might have caused problems in the British Isles, but it'd have to be really severe.

Now, if the Thames flooded . . .

</snark>

Terribly sorry, you're right. Now, if you can name the river that runs through MY city off the top of your head......

Hey, at least I KNEW there was bad flooding last year.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I'm not saying the USA should NOT go out and help, but, there needs to be a limit to it.

Sorry to sound like such an asshole.

You're not an asshole. It's a valid question. I agree that there needs to be a limit on certain things, being that we have our own problems we could be looking at instead of elsewhere (the infrastructure, as you pointed out). We won't be able to help anybody if we can't first take care of ourselves. And *I* may well get flamed for saying this, but I also think we should stop sucking up to Israel and Saudi Arabia so much - that right there is a HUGE chunk of why many Middle Easterners hate American government so much (but the US Israeli lobby group - I forget their name but I know I've seen it before - is incredibly powerful here, and the Shrubictator's bunch is in bed joined at the hip with the Saudis, and thus the meddling continues). I'm all for Israel's right to exist like any other place on earth, but at whose expense?

And speaking of other countries' pitching in - here's something that bugs me about 9/11 whenever that's invoked. It wasn't just America that was attacked (though we were obviously the primary target). At least 80 other countries lost citizens who were either in the WTC buildings or on the planes. But that seldom gets mentioned. Every life lost that day, regardless of where it came from (except for the hijackers; I have no sympathy for them because of what they chose to do), was a terrible tragedy.

[Seshat]

I'm fairly certain we didn't do anything for Britain when the Rhine flooded.

<snarky geography comment follows>

Unless the Rhine flooding was at the same time as a disaster in the British Isles, I can't see why anyone would have. The Rhine is on the European continent. I suppose a serious flooding of the Rhine could have caused problems in the North Sea that might have caused problems in the British Isles, but it'd have to be really severe.

Now, if the Thames flooded . . .

</snark>

[daleduke17]

Yes. Iraq most definitely, and Afghanistan the first time around was a perfect example of a proxy war. I dislike the idea of using innocent people to take a jab at an enemy.

Well, how many weather disasters have we helped Canada with? I don't recall doing anything for them in some of the god-awful ice storms they've had in the past. Did we do anything for Mexico when hurricanes devastated their east coast?
I'm fairly certain we didn't do anything for Britain when the Rhine flooded.

As far as the Mexican Hurricanes, I believe there was some help from the USA (maybe not US Government, but entities from the US helped like the Red Cross and such).

[Rapscallion]

I'm saying it has, but it's just following in the fine traditions of the countries that colonised it. War of the Roses for us - I intend to look deeper into what happened in that some time.

Rapscallion

[Greenday]

History.

The US doesn't have that much history. Only two and a half centuries or so since independence, right? A country that hasn't had a good civil war or two and invaded ('helped') a few countries overseas is a failure in the eyes of its parents (who did the exact same thing).

Rapscallion

Did you just say America hasn't had a civil war?

[Seshat]

I don't see any of the other countries jumping in near as much as the USA.

Correct. You don't see it.

CNN and ABC and the other American mass-media display American help to foreign nations. Besides, a dozen American battalions makes a big display.

Australia sends a greater proportion of her army to the same place - and it's half a battalion. Tiny display. Looks little and wimpy to CNN, and besides, it's not Our Boys, so they don't bother showing it.

Finding news in America about other countries is difficult even for Americans who have an active interest in what other countries are doing, or expat Australians (also presumably expat Brits, expat French, expat Whateveristan).

Just because you don't see us, don't assume we're not there. Australians have been involved in a lot of overseas work. Based on our news reports, and talking to friends who are or have been in our armed forces, between a quarter and a third of our armed forces are helping other nations at any given time. A lot of Australians also work for Medicins Sans Frontiers, Oxfam, and the other aid agencies - some on a volunteer basis, some accepting a lower income than they could get in Aussieland because they choose to help out.

Other than military support, however, the Australian government doesn't spend as much on foreign aid as many Australians think we should: there are regular articles in the newspaper about that. Based on those articles, however, there are a lot of countries who give a lot more than us, even when the foreign aid is given as a per head of population figure.

So again - it's just a 'you don't see it' issue. Foreign aid, generous foreign aid, is being given by many nations. Military support is given by many nations - both the news reports and the friends have mentioned that Australians work with people of many nations when our soldiers go overseas to help.

Blame your media, not other countries. You're not trying to hold the whole world on your shoulders, and we foreigners aren't asking you to. We just want a nation who has (or seems to have) lots of resources to keep holding a share.

(As for 'we've received help twice': well, again, based on our news reports, that's wrong. When you had those huge California bushfires a few years ago, our bushfire experts flew over and taught yours our experience with eucalypt fires. When New Orleans got hit by Katrina, Australian aid agencies collected donations of both money and goods. Every time you guys have a serious problem like that, our news reports include 'and X is collecting donations'. Either those donations don't get there, or your news media doesn't bother reporting them. I'm inclined to think it's the latter.)

[protege]

Why does the United States of America have to jump in and police the world? I don't see any of the other countries jumping in near as much as the USA.

It's because too many people here complain about "those poor people." Give me a fucking break. Sorry...but what about the "poor people" in *this* country? I'm all for helping people out, but I think we should help out our own before we go sending our tax dollars to other countries. I mean, we have vets living in cardboard boxes. They don't get a dime, yet millions get sent away? Are you kidding me?

Sorry if I sound like an asshole, but I think we should be solving our own problems, instead of taking care of the others.

[Rapscallion]

Why does the United States of America have to jump in and police the world?

History.

The US doesn't have that much history. Only two and a half centuries or so since independence, right? A country that hasn't had a good civil war or two and invaded ('helped') a few countries overseas is a failure in the eyes of its parents (who did the exact same thing).

Rapscallion