So, uh in which of the 52 States is THE organ? and is there in any a "considerable uniformity...?".. just askin'?
Austro, I'm only asking this because it's an incredibly common mistake I've encountered from the UK to China, but do you really think there are 52 states in the US?
One time in London I had to call the US embassy in order to finally convince my various European and Antipodean friends that no, there are only 50 states, not 52. And even then many were still skeptical that I was playing a joke on them. Some of the "better informed" ones insisted that yes there were 50 states, but then the US added Hawaii and Alaska.
Bows in shame at having been caught out at elementary Geo... but you know i could have SWORN!....
But at least i dont stand alone in my ignorance
And besides...Its our revenge for being asked if there are kangaroos where i live.
I thought 52 was a joke I didn't get. Why do people think there are 52 states? My hypothesis (which is what I think Mitch just said): they have "50" in their heads, and they also have "and two more" in their heads.
Maybe because somehow the US is like a deck of cards?
i m pleased where on to "people" here: looks like the diversion worked. It cant have anything to do with Heinz: that is 57.
I've never encountered that belief that there are 52 states. I might have to run an informal office poll.
i think they were being polite.
By the way my question stands as amended! :)
oh and i maintain my right to freedom of belief in erroneous propositions. Maybe I should move to Ohio.
This Canadian used to think that there were 52 states (a long time ago). I think it was because I was mixing it up with the number of weeks in the year. There's an obvious connection, of course.
At any rate, that's my excuse.
And there are all those colonial holdings that've gotta be made states by now, right? Though if you're aware that they exist you probably know enough to count stars on the flag. Hmm.
(heh. you said organ.)
The 50 + Canada and Puerto Rico?
For those who know there are 50 states, a good trivia question is "what was the 48th state admitted to the US?"
Most people know Hawaii and Alaska. Not many know before that.
Peter, you're a Yank living in London, right? I'd be willing to bet that you'll find a large number of your colleagues will go with the 52 number. If you're sneaky, say it like this:
"I was just talking to Nigel over there and he insisted there were only 50 states! Can you believe it? You knew there were 52, right??
Mitch,
Or you could sneak it in like the "How many of each species did Moses bring on the ark?" question. Maybe something like "Of the 52 United States, what was the last one added" or something like that.
"what was the 48th state admitted to the US?"
Arizona?
Bravo! Did you cheat? (I had to. Sad.)
BTW, if you ever want a comment line shut down in a hurry, ping me. My posting is usually a KoD.
Nobody I see, has seen fit to wonder why Americans can't indicate the number of Canadian provinces (bonus points: and major territories!), or Mexican states or Counties in England or Australian states or whatever.
ash
['Just pointing that out to help Lori drive in the spike.']
See but the thing is, ash, if someone asked me about the number of Canadian provinces, Mexican states, etc., I would just say, "I don't know". I don't expect non-U.S. folks to know how many states there are. Why should they know that?
But I do expect them to refrain from insisting that there ARE 52 states, and I must be mistaken, and that must be an old flag, and the embassy must be in on the joke.
Lori, I guess I cheated: I asked my husband, who is a veritable font of such information.
Hmmm, wonder if Hubs would know that one. No, I just Googled it.
Re: Mitch's comment -- My opinion, and everybody's entitled to it: all native-born U.S. citizens should live in another country for at least 6 months, and not in an "American enclave" either. It's the global version of gaining a younger sibling; you discover it's not all about you any more.
You want trivia?
What Role did america play in the accession of Austria's youngest federal state?
And, People, I apologise already, K, I'll never do it again,ever! Promise! :)
I guess the other weird thing is that so many people seem to have an answer to the "how many states in the US" question, and be pretty certain about it, and yet be wrong. If you asked me about Canadian provinces, and I had to supply an answer, it would be something like "um, twenty-three? nine? seventeen maybe??"
But with US states my experience has been that many non-US people have a number in their head, and that number is 52. I have no idea why.
As for Lori's suggestion, I agree, but I also think that travel is good for everyone's perspective, not just US citizens. I've met an awful lot of provincial people in my fairly considerable travels (during which I tried not to be too terribly provincial), and a good many of them weren't from the States. We definitely don't have a monopoly on narrowmindedness. Of course given how powerful the US is, overcoming narrowmindedness here probably matters more.
What Role did america play in the accession of Austria's youngest federal state?
Depends on what the youngest federal state is. I would expect you are referring to either the Tyrol or Burgenland (my guess is the latter) and that would involve the treaties that settled WWI. Or did they federalize Wien after WWII?
ash
['But I am guessing here, because I don't know which provinces were extant before those treaties. Not a common map.']
There is rampant confusion and disagreement, even here in the US, about how many US States there are!! I just googled "52 States" and in about 5 minutes, compiled a list of 8 Governmental (not .com) webpage references to "the 52 US States."
I was always taught (about 30 years ago) that there are 48 contiguous States in the US, not including Alaska and Hawaii, thus 50 States and 50 stars on the flag, yadda yadda. The governmental "52 States" webpages fairly consistently add the phrase "including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia." They don't share all rights but presumably share some state benefits (funding). I guess they're more 'protectorates' than actual 'states?'
ROFL How does the saying go - if brains were dynamite, we wouldn't have enough to blow our nose? :)
BTW, I have great respect for Michael Moore's fortitude and self-determination to do what he can to expose that which he finds unsettling or intolerable. Would that we were all as vehement in our opposition!