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The Interstate System.

What's the difference from the Autobahn?

LordofHats wrote:
-The production/assembly line. We may not have invented the car, but damn did we make it affordable. Eli Whitney and Henry Ford have earned their place as key figures in the evolution of modern industry. Really, modern industry may be the result of effort on the part of many people and nations, but the US definitely takes a top spot in the list.

The assembly line has existed for a long time, at least since the standardized assembly of warships in Venice. In fact, the image of the solitary craftsman laboring on individual artifacts only really applied to certain industries, usually those that produced small objects like firearms and silverware. What Henry Ford did was adapt slaughterhouse techniques for butchering meat to the production of automobiles by adding the conveyor belt, though Ransom Olds did it first.


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LordofHats wrote:
What's the difference from the Autobahn?

For one, the political barriers to construction, though I didn't say it was something we invented. Achievement doesn't imply uniqueness.

Dogma wrote:For one, the political barriers to construction, though I didn't say it was something we invented. Achievement doesn't imply uniqueness.

Hmmm. I suppose there's scale too. Pretty big infrastructure project. EDIT: Our railway system? We covered a massive amount of territory in railroad within a few decades.

dogma wrote:The United States, eh?

Best:
The Internet.

Really? What areas does this qualify for you as being the best? (Surely not speed?)

Albatross wrote:

sillyboy wrote:

coolyo294 wrote:Greatest:
-Everything

Worst:
-America never does anything wrong.

*Cough*free healthcare*cough*

I love how you want to take the piss out the Americans over healthcare, yet you placed the Belgian Congo as one of Belgium's greatest achievements!

It's widely acknowledged as one of the most brutal and barbaric colonial regimes of all time. I mean, 50% percent of the population died, according to most reliable estimates...

But.... But.... If they didn't produce enough... we had to perform punishments...like chopping of hands. (great idea, that will definetly increase their production .)

We may had a little problem with giving money for hands... so some less disciplined men just kept chopping away....

And for the healcare choice, this was just to say that no country is perfect....

model collector wrote:
Nice points LordofHats and Cheesecat, oh and Monster Rain I dont really see how Christianity is an achievement- well not for the U.S.A at least, as you can't take credit for creating it but only having a 'following' as such, and wether that is a good, bad or simply 'meh' achievement truely depends on the eye of the beholder.....

You'll be beholding hell with that attitude!

I think thats not the only gig which wants me

VermGho5t wrote:
Really? What areas does this qualify for you as being the best? (Surely not speed?)

I didn't say that the US had the best internet in the world, far from it. I said that the internet was one of the US's best achievement because it has its origins in ARPANET, and the resulting NSF computer network.

For the USA. (Posted on the 4th of July! Wohoo!)

Best: The Lunar Landing. I could contend with everyone else on all the issues the US has in the present day, but we all have to admit that the Lunar Landing was one of the greatest moment in US history.

WOrst: There are lots of contenders here....the Japanese internments, the campaigns against Native Americans, but the absolute worst in my opinion has to be our response to Unit 731. Japanese war criminals, who had unleashed untold horrors against thousands of innocents, let off the hook, just because we wanted to get our hands on their research.

USA

Best: Me

Worst: Bacon Mayonnaise

Wardragoon wrote:
First modern Democratic Republic

I'm not to sure on this But I think the Dutch beat you there http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic

Seemed to be more of a standard republic, where the common people had no say.....

Wardragoon wrote:Seemed to be more of a standard republic, where the common people had no say.....

Probably quite true, really depends on your definition of modern and republic.

Kragura wrote:

Wardragoon wrote:Seemed to be more of a standard republic, where the common people had no say.....

Probably quite true, really depends on your definition of modern and republic.

Note I said democratic republic

Wardragoon wrote:
Note I said democratic republic

WHich you have to define.

An Athenian democracy--the classical definition of a democracy--means that every CITIZEN has a vote.
A Republic, like the Roman republic, is a modified form of oligarchy, where CITIZENS elect a group of rulers to rule in the name of the people.


To me calling something a 'Democratic Republic' is kind of oxymoronic. To be honest, there are a lot more things to be proud of in the formation of the US than just being 'first' like the Constitution. THat's the real miracle of the US's founding.

Well it is largely an oxymoron, except Standard republics are held by the hands of the elite(roman senate, iirc roman citizens elected plebates who had minimal voice in how things went) and the people have no say, democracy is how you have stated. Though another achievement is a rebellion that did not consume its leadership.

ChrisWWII wrote:An Athenian democracy--the classical definition of a democracy--means that every CITIZEN has a vote.
A Republic, like the Roman republic, is a modified form of oligarchy, where CITIZENS elect a group of rulers to rule in the name of the people.

To me calling something a 'Democratic Republic' is kind of oxymoronic.

Not really, a republic is just a state without a monarch. People apply all sorts of other definitions to the word 'republic', when what they often mean are things like 'representative' or 'constitutional'.

As such, any state which is democratic, and has no monarch as it's formal head of state is a democratic republic, with no oxymoron involved.

sebster wrote:
Not really, a republic is just a state without a monarch. People apply all sorts of other definitions to the word 'republic', when what they often mean are things like 'representative' or 'constitutional'.

As such, any state which is democratic, and has no monarch as it's formal head of state is a democratic republic, with no oxymoron involved.

I suppose that's true, but in a way I still feel that a "true" (yeah, yeah, I know. No True Scotsman. So sue me.) republic is one that has the system I described earlier. I mean, North Korea is the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' and Mainland China is the 'People's Republic of China'.

While those nations fit the definition of a republic, I doubt anyone would describe them as a true republic.


P.S.
And the DPRK is debatable...

ChrisWWII wrote:
I suppose that's true, but in a way I still feel that a "true" (yeah, yeah, I know. No True Scotsman. So sue me.) republic is one that has the system I described earlier.

That isn't a No True Scotsman. That's you fabricating definitions for established technical terms.

ChrisWWII wrote:
I mean, North Korea is the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' and Mainland China is the 'People's Republic of China'.

While those nations fit the definition of a republic, I doubt anyone would describe them as a true republic.

I would, with the exception of North Korea...maybe. A republic is a state which lacks a hereditary ruler, that's it.

Anyone that disputes this doesn't know what the word means.

Best Achievement - First female Prime Minister...except for New Zealand...and several other countries...

Worst Achievement - Julia Gillard...

This is probably going to become another debate about US vs. UK again. Or another argument of Empire. But what the hell.

Canada's best achievement, despite their many notable achievements, is easily, by far and away, hands down: Tim Horton.

What's so unique about Americas Democratic Republic? I believe the origins of a Republic dated back to an area of India around 300 BC.

America:
Pros:
Saved europe's rear-end TWICE
Computers
Our incredible mastery over flight and aeronautics (It's only been a hundred years since the wright brother's first flight,and we have the F-22 )
We struck the first blow to the collapse of the british empire (I think)

Cons:
Vietnam. wtf america?
The cold war. What a joke.
Star Wars (SDI)
Department of Homeland Security. What kind of name is that? I get the function, but the name is idiotic.




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iproxtaco wrote:What's so unique about Americas Democratic Republic? I believe the origins of a Republic dated back to an area of India around 300 BC.

Implying India is a democracy. It's more like an Oligarchy. They still have a freaking caste system that holds down and oppresses its people. There's a bunch of people who hold positions of power while the rest of the masses rot in a ditch, cutting of their children's arms to make them better beggars.

Samus_aran115 wrote:
Implying India is a democracy. It's more like an Oligarchy. They still have a freaking caste system that holds down and oppresses its people. There's a bunch of people who hold positions of power while the rest of the masses rot in a ditch, cutting of their children's arms to make them better beggars.

I see someone watched Slumdog Millionaire.

Samus_aran115 wrote:

iproxtaco wrote:What's so unique about Americas Democratic Republic? I believe the origins of a Republic dated back to an area of India around 300 BC.

Implying India is a democracy. It's more like an Oligarchy. They still have a freaking caste system that holds down and oppresses its people. There's a bunch of people who hold positions of power while the rest of the masses rot in a ditch, cutting of their children's arms to make them better beggars.

Erm, not quite. I did not imply India was a democracy, that's a fantastical conclusion you drew. I simply stated that evidence of a republic was found IN AN AREA OF INDIA that supposedly existed around 300 BC. That coupled with various other sources, Greece, Rome, France, the US was not the first, and does not appear to be a unique democracy, however, my knowledge of the governmental system is limited, so further clarification would be spiffing.

dogma wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:
Implying India is a democracy. It's more like an Oligarchy. They still have a freaking caste system that holds down and oppresses its people. There's a bunch of people who hold positions of power while the rest of the masses rot in a ditch, cutting of their children's arms to make them better beggars.

I see someone watched Slumdog Millionaire.

Jai HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

First this...

Samus_aran115 wrote:Saved europe's rear-end TWICE

...which lead to this...

We struck the first blow to the collapse of the british empire (I think)

Dead handy, the bargaining position the US gained due to their actions both military and financial during the second world war, in leveraging Britain to engage in decolonisation. Led to the reduction of Britain as a superpower, leaving the US as uncontended rulers in the West. Like I say, dead handy.

Canada:

Best:
-Anti-Hate Speech Laws (EX: It's a criminal offense to do what the Westboro Baptist Church does.)
-Copyright Shmopyright (None of that talk about jailing people for posting a song on youtube)
-Our military personnel (note: not technology)
-Lot's of open space (few crowded cities, the country has acres with no one present in them)
-We're friends with mostly everyone we meet

Worst:
-We haven't changed in the last 30 years
-Representation by region, not by population
-We're neighbours to the US (If they get nuked, were screwed)
-Our copyright laws mean we can't get the latest gadgets
-Quebec

iproxtaco wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:

iproxtaco wrote:What's so unique about Americas Democratic Republic? I believe the origins of a Republic dated back to an area of India around 300 BC.

Implying India is a democracy. It's more like an Oligarchy. They still have a freaking caste system that holds down and oppresses its people. There's a bunch of people who hold positions of power while the rest of the masses rot in a ditch, cutting of their children's arms to make them better beggars.

Erm, not quite. I did not imply India was a democracy, that's a fantastical conclusion you drew. I simply stated that evidence of a republic was found IN AN AREA OF INDIA that supposedly existed around 300 BC. That coupled with various other sources, Greece, Rome, France, the US was not the first, and does not appear to be a unique democracy, however, my knowledge of the governmental system is limited, so further clarification would be spiffing.

Oh. I see. I guess I just needed to vent that then. I've been having some rather intense rant sessions about india with my grandfather

As a Cornishman, I'd say

Best:
Our generosity and sense of community.

Worst:
Our conservatism and fear of change.




We really are Shire folk sometimes.

Thurs talk of strange folk abroad.


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You've bin takin' to that ol' Bilbo Baggins havn' you?