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Topic started: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:17
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SPInGSPOnG
Joined 24 Jan 2004
1149 comments
Sat, 11 Feb 2006 22:10
LUPOS wrote:
but being as the good old US of A tends to be the trend setter for most standards, especially in relation to sciency type stuff... so there for...


Hardly surprising, really, that the rest of the world wants to fly planes into our buildings.
DoctorDee
Joined 3 Sep 1999
2130 comments
Sat, 11 Feb 2006 22:33
LUPOS wrote:
also, just checked my "bleach" calendar, straigh from the similarlay temperate shores of japan, and the 21 of march is indeed peged as the first of spring.


What you are seeing there is Japan succumbing to exactly the same kind of American social and cultural Imperialism that is making you so popular the world over these days.

The date at which each season begins depends on how it is defined. In the United States, the seasons are often considered to begin at the astronomical solstices and equinoxes: these are sometimes known as the "astronomical seasons". By this reckoning, summer begins at summer solstice, winter at winter solstice, spring at the vernal equinox and autumn at the autumnal equinox.
In the United Kingdom, the seasons are traditionally considered to begin about seven weeks earlier: spring begins on Candlemas, summer on May Day, autumn on Lammas, and winter on All Hallows. Accordingly, midsummer and midwinter are, as their names suggest, the middle of summer and winter. The Irish calendar uses almost the same reckoning; Spring begins on February 1 / Imbolc, Summer on May 1 / Beltane, Autumn on August 1 / Lughnasadh and Winter on November 1 / Samhain.

In meteorology for the Northern hemisphere, spring begins by convention on March 1, summer on June 1, autumn on September 1 and winter on December 1. This definition is also followed in Denmark and former USSR. Conversely, for the Southern hemisphere, meterological summer begins on December 1, autumn on March 1, winter on June 1 and spring on September 1. This definition is also followed in Australia.

The Korean, Chinese, and Japanese calendars are based on a lunisolar calendar, where the solstices and equinoxes mark the middle of each season. This is very close to the British & Irish definitions of seasons.


The fact is, every country in the world held a position that is logical. The seasons are defined by the attitude of the earth with respect to the sun. Then America decided to change things, and suddenly, everyone singing their song.

There are erudite pieces on the matter here:
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/badseasons.html

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_170b.html

Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.
vault 13
Joined 22 Oct 2004
538 comments
Sun, 12 Feb 2006 05:22
[quote = DoctorDee]Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.


What the f**k is a Merkan?!
DoctorDee
Joined 3 Sep 1999
2130 comments
Sun, 12 Feb 2006 09:19
What the f**k is a Merkan?!


Someone born in Merka.

Just like the 'Strains come from 'Straya.

You Brooklyn guys may not pronounce it that way, but most of Merka does. Listen to some old Elvis records. Listen to Bush, he's forever saying, "Gobless Merka".

Sorry. I see the reason for your confusion now, it looks like I misspelled it
LUPOS
Joined 30 Sep 2004
1422 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:02
Rod Todd wrote:
Hardly surprising, really, that the rest of the world wants to fly planes into our buildings.


a tad harsh, but point taken.

Dahkt0R "D" wrote:
Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.


for literary purposes yes... but we do have quite a few big names that have come out of our little nation over the past coupel centruies.
the ben franklins and graham bells of course spring to mind and more recnetly the like sof steven hawking... course being as our population is so ginormously large compared to the UK its only fair the we pop out a few more notable people... mind you this has no baring ont eh discussion.

if june 21st is mid summer... then may 6th is the first day of summer.... however... acording to this lovely graph of average temperatures... the three warmest months are june july and august... and june just barely eeks out september which would imply that the begining of sumemr owudl be somwhere twords early to mid june.

now seeing as seasons are determined by a great many factors, astronomy and the afformentioned thermal lag, i dont feel tht baseing our seasons soley on astronomy would be very fair and infact the whole, winter=cold, summer = hot, method woudl seem to me to be the most reasonable course to follow.

soooo.... ill say, my holding to the 21st as a solid day woudl be incorrect... and your disdane for american views beign imposed on other nations is justified , but harkening back to druids for argument is a bit far fethced, and shakespeare, while a hell of a wordsmith, is not now, nor will he ever be a point of refference for any quasi scientific discussion of mine.

from here on out i dont know when the first day of summer is untill the end of the year, so that an average can be taken and a firm beging middle and end be determined... plants dont all bloom on the same day every year, its the weather that matters to them, and that seems good enough to me.

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config
Joined 3 Sep 1999
2088 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:36
LUPOS wrote:
Dahkt0R "D" wrote:
Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.


for literary purposes yes... but we do have quite a few big names that have come out of our little nation over the past coupel centruies.
the ben franklins and graham bells of course spring to mind and more recnetly the like sof steven hawking...


Bzzzt. Steven Hawking is a Brit, born in Oxford no less.

As for Summer/Winter and the rubbish bits 'twixt, this argument surely centres around how one wishes to define a season.

What is summer to you? The warmest of seasons, or the one with the longest days?

Personally, it's the one where girls are already at the pub by 1800, wearing little strappy vest-tops and skirts akin to belts (which is Wakefield is prolly any given Friday :)
LUPOS
Joined 30 Sep 2004
1422 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:43
config wrote:


Bzzzt. Steven Hawking is a Brit, born in Oxford no less.



BLAST! perhaps its the lack of accent that threw me ;)
DoctorDee
Joined 3 Sep 1999
2130 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:11
LUPOS wrote:
the ben franklins


Wooden teeth?

and graham bells


S**t British skier!

If you want to celbrate your literary genius, you need to be trumpeting the late, great, Dr. Thomson, PJ O'Rourke and Hubert Selby

from here on out i dont know when the first day of summer is untill the end of the year, so that an average can be taken


That's the obvious answer. It'd make calendars a bit out of date though ;-)
LUPOS
Joined 30 Sep 2004
1422 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:20
LUPOS wrote:
and graham bells


nice typeing me!

i ment alexander.... oy!

i was referign to the discoverer of electricity and the "supposed" inventor/thief of the telephone... without which this lovely internet woudl not exist... and then we woudl not be able to spend important work time arguing about which day of the year is most suited for us to wear our summer skirts... and i dont think i want to live in that kind of world.

as for the calendar thing... i imagien they woudl still be very usefull for tellign the date... they would just have 4 less fake holidays on them.... course it woudlnt take halmark long to fill in the gaps.
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DoctorDee
Joined 3 Sep 1999
2130 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:31
LUPOS wrote:
course it woudlnt take halmark long to fill in the gaps.


Let's see, we don't have Sister's Day yet, nor Brother's Day. Pet Tortoise's Day. I don't think you Yankees celebrate Bastille Day, do you? But you should, they did give you the Statue of Liberté after all.

Saddam Hussein's Birthday?

Shrike Wednesday, a made up holiday, on which everyone has to eat Twinkies, sponsored by Hostess.

Vegitarian day, where we all roast and eat a vegetarian. Falls between Thanksgiving and the second thursday in December.

vault 13
Joined 22 Oct 2004
538 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:54
LUPOS wrote:

i was referign to the discoverer of electricity and the "supposed" inventor/thief of the telephone... without which this lovely internet woudl not exist...


I think we ALL know that if Mr. Bell didn't invent it, Mike Haggar, former mayor of Metro City would have. Mr. Haggar has been uncredited with inventions such as the cuisinart, rugby, the hammer punch, tostitos, and the pileriver.

I hearby decree July 4th, Reverence and sacrifice to appease Mike Haggar Day! I mean, really. What do we do on July 4th anyway!?
OptimusP
Joined 13 Apr 2005
1174 comments
Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:32
I hope that everyone knows that Mother's day was actually invented by the nazi's which fit perfectly into their view that women should only "clean, bare and care" and be the center of every household.
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