Russia is laying claims to the North Pole.

[amigo]

Say you take the North Pole, we get Mexico

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by Rissask

um, that it's tough (and pretty unlikely) to lay a claim to anything when your population/economy/military is virtually non existent.

what's the starting number of existent population/economy ?

and why does people need a military? isn't that a good thing that a country has no need for an army of men killing others and getting killed?

[PlayadelSoul]

Originally Posted by Sunny20

what's the starting number of existent population/economy ?

and why does people need a military? isn't that a good thing that a country has no need for an army of men killing others and getting killed?

I guess its good until you want to lay claim to something that others, with a military, want.

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

I guess its good until you want to lay claim to something that others, with a military, want.

maybe a good point..

I'm just defending the virtually non - existent populations..

greenland has the most land connected to the north pole right?

[Cosmo]

Santa Claus might have something to say about this...

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by Cosmo

Santa Claus might have something to say about this...

I have his phone number.. Should I ask him ?

[horizon200]

Originally Posted by Sunny20

I have his phone number.. Should I ask him ?

He has a phone???? and all this time I've been wasting time writing him letters!

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by horizon200

He has a phone???? and all this time I've been wasting time writing him letters!

yeah.. welcome to the 21st century...

[horizon200]

Originally Posted by Sunny20

yeah.. welcome to the 21st century...

21st??? what the hell happened to the 19th? I'm so out of touch!

[Thor Henning]

Norway is also making claims to the North Pole.

[Thor Henning]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

I guess its good until you want to lay claim to something that others, with a military, want.

That's not how it should work. Negotiation should be the word.

[ryberg]

This whole discussion reminds me of the quote famous in linguistics, though there exists some debate about how may have originated it, to the effect that

A language is a dialect with an army and a navy.

Steve

[Thor Henning]

Originally Posted by ryberg

This whole discussion reminds me of the quote famous in linguistics, though there exists some debate about how may have originated it, to the effect that



Steve

Are you saying that Iceland doesn't have a language?

[Cosmo]

Not if you've been naughty...

Originally Posted by Sunny20

I have his phone number.. Should I ask him ?

[ryberg]

Originally Posted by Thor Henning

Are you saying that Iceland doesn't have a language?

Now would I ever say that?

typical Western list of languages: dialects
Spanish
Italian
Portuguese
Norwegian
Swedish
Danish
Chinese: Cantonese, Mandarin, others

same list if history were different, and/or were written by the Chinese
Romance: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Norse: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Cantonese
Mandarin
others

Linguistically it gets hard to argue either way when Spanish and Italian and Portuguese speakers, or Danish and Swedish and Norwegian speakers, can sort of get along with others in their group and communicate without anyone switching from their native tongue, arguably rather better than speakers of different "dialects" of the "language" we call Chinese can (at least orally, not talking written, here).

Steve