Ok, this is not in any way a lead in to political discussion, as we have always thought that politics does not belong in forums do to the strong feelings it has provoked in the past, so this is not a political statement and I'm not going to share my opinion on the candidates in any way here... But I just had to share this:
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/1 ... anese-town (http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/14/1300716-obama-a-hit-in-japanese-town)
And in case you're wondering, no, I have never been there and as yet have no plans to go, but my friend did go and he has the T-shirt to prove it XD
Is it bad that I find this amusing?
:cheese:
I think its terribly cute. And so very Japanese. I mean, just imagine 30 people gathered in a room who have absolutely no connection to America other than the name of their town, all wearing t-shirts, headbands, probably happi-coats (festival coats) screaming "Bonzai", most likely drunk off their rears.... All in the hope that thier little town (for 32,000 people is practically a village in Japan) will gain international recognition and a bump in tourism because they happen to have the same name...
And I think Obama actually did send them a letter in the end, but I'd have to check that.
And btw, this was NATIONAL NEWS in Japan...
I find it even more amusing that it was National News.
:compress:
Well, their little gimmick does seem to be working... After all, my friends traveled there just to get the t-shirts... It's a fad, and fads are big here.
But you know, I've seen other towns try to capitalize on their fortunate/unfortunate names.
Vancouver, WA, sells T-shirts that say:
I'm from VANCOUVER (not BC) WASHINGTON (not DC)
And in Weed, CA, the truck stops all sell t-shirts, hats and mugs that say:
I got the munchies in Weed
or
I was high in Weed (elevation 3,425 ft) <--- (1,044 m for the rest of the world)
I''ve never even heard of those! Heh.
Vancouver, WA is on the Washington side of the Columbia River directly across from Portland, OR (they might as well be one city in a lot of ways). Weed, CA, is at the foot of Mt. Shasta in northern California.
Isn't there a town called Santa? Or Christmas? Or something like that?
I'm fairly sure I've mentioned this before but we used to live near a town called Bulls.
It amused us (and many others nearby) to tell people that 'our milk comes from Bulls'.
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Yeah, but THAT on your vegan/vegetarian recipe list...
We have a town called Humptulips in Washington. Only 216 people live there. I wonder why more people don't move there....
And of course everyone just loves to say Walla Walla, Washington. It was often used in Warner Bros. Cartoons back in the 40s.
We also have a town in Washington called George, oddly enough... Which is home to the Gorge Ampitheater. The Gorge in George, Washington.
I'm trying to think of weird places we have in Texas.
Kurt and I looked at a map. Just going west from our town we found:
Wizard Wells
Cundiff
Jermyn
Loving
Tokio
Whitehouse (whoo!)
Lessee...oh hey, there's an Abercrombie, Texas!
Nameless....
Scissors...
Kermit...
Tarzan (Hey, Jane, look! Your town!)
Uncertain...
Oh look...Glasscock...
We have a Tokio in Washington too! Although I'm not sure its nothing more than just a truck stop...
I like Uncertain XD Filling out forms must be a hassel. "City: Uncertain". "No really, where are you from?" "Uncertain." "You can tell me..." "Really, it's Uncertain"... It's like "Whose on First" Texas style!
here is a sit that gives you strange and unusual names of cities in the us.
http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/Cities.html (http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/Cities.html)
That's where I found most of those April! :)
some of them had my husband and I laughing hard. Thing is i used to live near Doolittle, Mo. I've always loved looking at the weird names cities have. I like to try to figure out what the people that came up with the names were thinking.
But there's a place in Austria that beats them all.... I apologise for using the word, but it's called F**king (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking,_Austria)
And I like these (http://home.freeuk.net/gobsmack/names.htm) too.
I want to move to Great Snoring!
Too funny!
I used to live near a place called Rotten End...
Also every time I drive back into Cambridge from the North I end up laughing at the road sign pointing to a village called 'Lolworth' :)
Would you say it was...lol worthy? :)
Quote from: "Kastaka"I used to live near a place called Rotten End...
Also every time I drive back into Cambridge from the North I end up laughing at the road sign pointing to a village called 'Lolworth' :)
So you're a northern lassie then?
Quote from: "emma"And I like these (http://home.freeuk.net/gobsmack/names.htm) too.
I've been to one of the places! Dent is on the road to nowhere and you have to really want to see the place to go there. And when you arrive you discover the roads are cobblestone! Nearly vibrates your teeth right out of your head.
Pretty church though.
(https://www.triadweyrs.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thirzajane.com%2Fdentfortriad.jpg&hash=890411e888cbc590d4a68a4bd24d86b768681b1f)
Quote from: "emma"So you're a northern lassie then?
Nooo, I just go to LARP events all over the country and most of 'all over the country' which has nice scout camps is to the north of Cambridge. I come from Essex, and the posh part of Essex at that, I'm a southern pansy through and through :-).
Ah well, you see I'm from Yorkshire (although exiled to Manchester for work). *Adopts broadest accent (Jane, imagine Emmerdale)* They makes us tough up north tha' knows!
Emma, I need to call you some time just so I can hear your accent!