h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Happy Fourth of July, everybody. Especially to my American friends.
Why not celebrate the 229th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by writing to your Senators and Congressman, demanding that s/he call on Karl Rove to resign? Or celebrate by putting a flag on the grill at your Fourth barbecue before the Senate votes to pass an amendment banning that?

(by the way, one of my Senators sent me back a form reply. Only the reply was actually about something else entirely... almost like Mr DeWine didn't read my message at all! )

Or! Celebrate by joining the <./>UnderGuide</.> as a volunteer. Oh, yes! Do this one. It involves the least amount of writing and isn't a fire hazard.

The miners page is at A1092539 and the gem polishers are at A1092575. Leave a message there, or here if you'd like. Anybody can join. A lot of our finest miners had no experience in the AWW or creative writing before they signed up for the task.

I thought flag burning in the states was illegal all ready...

Well maybe you could burn the declaration of independance, as its something that the states do not seem to be following any more, hmmm maybe not as the sam wething can be said about the Qur'an and a lot of Muslims...

Have a nice July Fourth, you kicked out british butt for sure lol.

Adib

It's not illegal yet, actually. Desecration of the flag might be illegal soon, though. Which is funny, because the Flag code actually says burning a flag is the only proper way of disposing of it. So whether or not it's illegal to burn a flag depends on the mindset of the burner, which is stupid.
Bush definitely violated the Flag code here though - http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushflagdesecration.htm

(don't get me started about flag burning, it bothers me)

The Declaration of Independence... we're still following parts of it. Some of it is outdated and meaningless today. We're definitely in the pursuit of happiness still. I wonder, sometimes, if we're any closer to it now than we were in 1776. But then I get on the internet and watch TV and stop thinking

Oh man! Now I'm not gonna be able to get that song out of my head!

...for amber waves of grain

Shut up, or I'll start with our National Anthem, and it's waaaaaaayyyyyyy worse than yours. I mean it mentions "toil" and "girt".

And I can't spell!

I just do it like : - P. Saves some time, and I don't have to use that silly spelling we inherited from Britain. Did you know that Noah Webster tried to change the word tongue in American usage to 'tung'?

FROM SEA, TO SHINING SEA!

Hey! We use that silly spelling here too! I like the extra U's in my words. I think I did hear about the tung thing. It is a silly spelt word really.

You asked for it! 'AUSTRALIANS ALL LET US REJOICE, FOR WE ARE YOUNG AND FREEEEEEEEE" (Well, some of us aren't so young)

You're up kinda late, or really early depending on how you look at it.
Are you an insomniac?

You should try the Pakistani national antheam, they all speak Urdu, Punjabi and variations of it, yet they got a persian (I.e. iranian) to right their national antheim so no one knows what it is saying unless they get it translated from Persian....

An my one aint much good, God save the Queen..... to late for that I think.

We use the silly spelling too. It's something we can both blame on the English. Hide, before they see this thread!

That's not even really our national anthem though. It's just some song. How about a little "OH SAY CAN YOU SEE BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT WHAT SO PROUDLY WE HAILED AT THE TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING?"

Oh, silly. I never sleep.

Never?? How do you function?

I only got three hours last night, and I'm a blathering mess.
I hope I get some sleep tonight.

"WITH GOLDEN SOIL AND WEALTH FOR TOIL OUR HOME IS GIRT BY SEA"

What is girt anyway?

girt - verb
· encircle or bind; "Trees girded the green fields"

Synonym(s): girth, begird, gird

Hypernym(s): surround, environ, encircle, circle, round, ring

I don't think I'd have much more luck with Persian than the Pakistanis.

Sleep is a sign of weakness.

I was just about to ask about girt.

WHOSE BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS, THROUGH THE PERILOUS FIGHT, O'ER THE RAMPARTS WE WATCHED WERE SO GALLANTLY STREAMING

Oooh.

What an odd little language y'all have girt yourselves with down there. I like it. We should girt ourselves with some if it here.

Thanks Adib Qasim. It's all so much clearer now.

Odd little language? We don't use girt in everyday conversation you know

I wonder what it is about the American language that makes letters drop out. All the U's go. Aluminium looses a complete syllable.

We Americans can thank Noah Webster. And I do, every time I type color and analyze.

Y'know, I think I might start using girt in everyday conversation from now on. Criticize me if you want to, but it's a pretty neat little word.

Go right ahead girt-boy I'm not gonna stop you.

I enjoy the differences between our language. Just when I think I've heard all the Americanisms one pops up in my face that I've never heard before.
I was reading a blog and the guy mentioned he had Mono. I had no idea what that was, we call it Glandular Fever. There you guys go shortening things again.

Well naturally the British joke is that your not intelligent enough to spell properly so you changed the spelling so its easier for you. naturally I don't thing such rot, my american friends woud beat me up....

I think it is becasue untill the american civil war America was british, and everyone spoke british and british people was coming and going back and forth. After the civil war not many British travelled to America (i presume) and so the languages where essentially partially seperated and so you evolved a different but similer dialect from there and wit hdifferent spelling, it happens over here to with differetn accents etc.

Well thats my 2 p on it anyway.