Re: CHAT: browsers

Tristan scripsit:

> I know you were. I can't imagine anyone not knowing what bats (or
> cricket) was. Except perhaps Americans, though according to Gatorade,
> they know nothing *about* cricket, which implies that the know of it.
What we know is: British equivalent of baseball, also played in other
countries.

> Odd that memory of time seems to be related to place and habit more than
> actual time.
Don't forget smell (you are talking to a French person, after all!)

> (Personally, I
> think if she's going to be our queen, should be the queen of the people;
> she's Queen Elizabeth I of Scots or somesuch, why can't she be Queen
> Elizabeth I of Australians? But then, we might as well just become a
> republic...)
The technical answer is "Because Scotland is a dominion of the Queen,
whereas Australia is a dominion of the Crown".  Simplifying somewhat,
Liz is Queen of Australia *because* she is Queen of England, whereas
she is Queen of Scotland quite independently.  From 1603 to 1707, indeed,
the only connection between England and Scotland was that they had the
same monarchs (so-called "personal union").

> Less obviously, though, in America, 'Republic' seems
> to mean 'representative democracy' (i.e. you vote for people who
> represent you in Government, as in the current system in both America
> and Australia), whereas in Australia it has to do with having your own
> head of state (certainly not for life, but not necessarily elected, and
> not necessarily with any power).)
"Republic" can be opposed to "monarchy" in one sense, and to "democracy"
in another; both these meanings are well-understood here.  But it is
not necessary to explain that the U.S. is not a monarchy, whereas it is
necessary to explain that it is not a (direct) democracy.

In any event, republicans in Australia would hardly be satisfied if they
overthrew the House of Windsor to replace it with some purely Australian
dynasty, would they?  The essential feature of monarchy is that the monarch
reigns by right of birth.  In republics, right of birth has no place (despite
the contrary appearance in the U.S. at the moment).

> I thought [L and l] were both official, with L preferred.
So I think too.

--
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all.  There
are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language
that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful.
        --_The Hobbit_

Reply