The World According to Americans -- An Alternative View...

No offense intended...

I have spent a fair bit of time in the US, North Carolina to be precise, I went to school there (at least part of my university education was there). I have lots of friends and colleagues who I respect and care for deeply and greatly.

Yet, when I started coming across these maps it reminded me of an incident in a pub in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, called "He's Not Here!" The pub got its name from one of the bar tends who would always respond to any phone call looking for a mate with, "he's not here!"

But, my friends, enough of the reminiscing and that is not the story. My mates and I (men and women, US and Non-US citizens were having a quiet Sunday arvo beer and playing some darts at He's Not Here. It had become a game of "The Brits" vs. "The Colonists" with the Aussies and Yankies being the colonists, and the Poms being the other side. Bloody competitive sport darts is after a few beers.

Anyways, we had been playing for a while, enjoying ourselves, and knocking back the beers from these excessively large 32oz blue plastic cups. Then our moment was rudely interrupted by a couple of unknowns who had deduced from our accents that the majority of us were not from around those parts. Good observation. I had a sense that things would go down hill from there so I buggered off to the bar, after all it was my shout.

But, before I could beat my hasty retreat one of the interlopers asked where I was from. I proudly said Australia! To which this rocket scientist replies, "so, how do you find it to be able to take train trips all throughout Europe?" At this point, I turned on my heel (no pun intended seeing North Carolina is the Tar Heel State) and went to the bar shaking my head!

So, that my friends, is the reason I post another of the maps of the World According to Americans for your viewing pleasure.