First European Commander of the ISS 190
RobGoldsmith writes 'ESA astronaut Frank De Winne became the first European commander of the International Space Station this morning with the departure of Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who had filled this role since April. De Winne is the first non-American and non-Russian to take on this role. Watch the videos and view images here.'
Let me be the first... (Score:3, Funny)
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...to welcome our European overlords.
Thank you. Now Europeans!
Vorwärts!
En avant!
Adelante!
Avanti!
Eteenpäin!
And to the rest of you: onward!
Re:Let me be the first... (Score:4, Informative)
There are 23 official languages in the EU. And many more in Europe [wikipedia.org]. They'll be offended if you exclude them ;-)
Re:Let me be the first... (Score:5, Insightful)
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I think British people are either confused, embarrassed or stuck when speaking in foreign countries.
- Confused, when they try and speak the language and screw up
- Embarrassed, when the person they're speaking to can speak better English than they can
- Stuck, when they eventually find someone that can't speak English
There's not much we can do about it.
I read a Dutch friend's blog this morning, and he'd written, "The [TV company] has finally modernised and produced the series in English". On the Debian German
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Do most German people really understand enough English that using their computer in English is acceptable?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Germany [wikipedia.org]
Main foreign language(s) English (51%)
Slightly better than 50/50 odds that you'll meet an English speaking German. Stupid people, old people, and little kids excluded, its probably much higher, perhaps 3/4.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_English [wikipedia.org]
"English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic invaders from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Netherlands."
Common anc
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The English are offended if you don't speak their language in their country if you visit and are offended if you don't speak English in your country when they visit.
A man who speaks many languages is called multilingual.
A man who speaks two languages is called bilingual.
A man who speak one language is called British.
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When you already speak the world language, what other language is there any benefit to learning? You can speak English all over the world, learn French and you might use it once in your life.
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When you already speak the world language, what other language is there any benefit to learning? You can speak English all over the world, learn French and you might use it once in your life.
Well as much as I'd wish that was true -- it's not. All countries speaking latin languages have a hard time coping with English, some of them horribly (Spain, France, Italy) and others ok (Portugal). Other than that Germany has slight difficulties with English as well, while e.g. most of Scandinavia speak fluent English. This is only Europe though, I'm not sure what goes for South America, but from what I've heard they don't speak too much english either. In business however English is the key in almost any
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Well, wit the British already knowing that they "are superior", the Germans hiding in the corner in fear of being called Nazis, the Spanish not understanding or noticing you anyway because all they ever speak or read is Spanish, and the rest being dominated by the former anyway, that's only natural.
Still, going to another country, and not speaking to them in their language, but expecting everybody to speak one's own language, in so incredibly egocentric, it boggles the mind.
With that attitude I could go to
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...and Russian is one of them (Score:3, Informative)
There are 23 official languages in the EU. And many more in Europe [wikipedia.org].
Interestingly the article lists Russian as one of those European languages so either this should be the second European commander or the first commander from the EU.
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Interestingly the article lists Russian as one of those European languages so either this should be the second European commander or the first commander from the EU.
Possibly, the other Russian commanders were from the Asian part of Russia.
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Well, the Kaliningrad region [wikipedia.org] is fairly deep into Europe.
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The joke was: those countries don't generally understand English. All except Finland, I just included Finland for shits and giggles.
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Being Belgian and their neighbors...Dutch people tend to speak English rather well. But their knowledge of other languages (except German maybe) is rather a myth. If you are looking for real polyglot, I suggest you to choose Flemish. They usually know French and English quite well and Dutch which is their native tongue....Learning German is easier for them (a lot of common roots) Just like for Dutchmen, . Franck De Winne is a perfect example of that fact (he knows, Dutch, English, Russian and probably othe
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That's crazy! You also have to change each "ij" to "ei".
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Except that Frank De Winne is Belgian (If I'm correct he was the first Belgian in space and has been knighted too) and thus speaks Dutch.
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Russia... (Score:5, Insightful)
isn't part of Europe?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gennady_Padalka [wikipedia.org]
But he's from the almost the furthest west bit (due south of Moscow)
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Its launches are all in Asia too.
Although, the European Space Agency's launches are all in South America...
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Yes, on the continent of South America but *in* the EU. French Guiana is part of France and therefore part of the EU.
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Most of it is in Asia
Geographically, there's just Eurasia, so the distinction is moot.
Politically and culturally, Russia is most definitely a part of Europe.
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Historically, it's a province of Mongolia [wikipedia.org].
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By that logic, so is China, India, pretty much the whole Middle East, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and so on.
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Re:Russia... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Russia... (Score:4, Interesting)
Frank De Winne of the EU is the first "European" commander (and all the Russian commanders don't count) in the same sense that people from the United States are "Americans" while people from Canada, Panama, Chile, etc. are not. It's not geographically accurate, but it's culturally/politically meaningful.
USian (Score:2)
ESA NOT EU (Score:5, Informative)
The ESA is not a part of the European Union and includes member nations outside of the EU and even Europe! Norway and Switzerland are members of ESA but not the EU. And Canada is a member but is not a European country!
The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states.
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Europe's Space Program (Score:2)
It is even more reasonable to describe it as Europe's space program.
The EU is not synonymous with Europe!
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Even though it has nothing to do with the EU whatsoever?
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Technically Russia is part of Asia.
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In a nutshell: geographically, Russia is in Europe as it is west of the Urals. Politically, it is
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We'll part of it is?
We rule the ISS and IOC now :-) (Score:4, Funny)
A Belgian is now commander of the ISS and president of the IOC... and next year probably chairman of the UN Security Council :-)
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Ah crap. Now this guy and his 15 year old love slave will raise the ISS to be evil!!!
Commander of what precisely? (Score:5, Interesting)
What does being commander entail?
In an emergency I suppose someone would be responsible for barking orders.
But realistically everyone up there, (now that the Cirque du Soleil clown is gone) are professionals and scientific types, and virtually all work schedules are managed by ground support teams.
Commanders in such a working environment generally are cajolers rather than of commanders anyway, but with the working environment I can't see them having much real need of a commander on a day to day basis, other than to lobby ground controllers for workload changes, or more snacks in the next cargo ship.
I suppose if they are still bickering over who gets to use which toilet they might have selected the Euro guy to take the edge off the situation.
seriously... (Score:5, Insightful)
Something happens on the space station and for some reason the station cant communicate with earth...whos in charge?
The station commander.
In an emergency he would make certain decisions such abandon the station or stay put.
While ground controllers can give direction, you always want to have someone on site who can actually
act on those directions and tell people what to do. A station commander is not for things you expect, its for the things
you dont expect.
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Captains log, OrbitDate 56723.4!
today the orbital toilet mark4 clogged up again....
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now that the Cirque du Soleil clown is gone
That provided 20 million dollars or so of value to the Russian space program. Aside from demonstrating orbital assembly techniques and an embarrassingly small amount of engineering and science research, the International Space Station doesn't do that much. You should be thankful that it's actually getting used, even if just for space tourism.
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That provided 20 million dollars or so of value to the Russian space program. You should be thankful that it's actually getting used, even if just for space tourism.
Nice of all these useful idiots to fund the slow Russian take over of the ISS. If Russia has a problem coming up with 20 Million maybe they should step aside and let the EU run the place permanently.
But I agree its probably a huge waste of time at this juncture as far as real science goes. Adding Tourism does nothing to make me even vaguely "thankful".
The money would be better spent developing a "runway to orbit" capability: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050527/050527_spacecom_whitek [msn.com]
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Nice of all these useful idiots to fund the slow Russian take over of the ISS. If Russia has a problem coming up with 20 Million maybe they should step aside and let the EU run the place permanently.
I'm not sure how this indicates that Russia has a problem coming up with 20 million dollars. But definitely, the EU seems the second most likely to get their money's worth out of the ISS.
And there are all sorts of ways $100+ billion could be spent better in space. Personally, I think launch infrastructure actually is a bad investment (at least for the US) since private industry already exists for that. They'd be better off creating valuable infrastructure in space and helping to find some useful commerci
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Feeling Left Out (Score:5, Funny)
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And a major gripe in the European psyche is that we keep invading them and they never let us win!
That's just bad form, old chap, bad form.
Russian Identity (Score:4, Funny)
There is an old Russian joke that goes like this:
A guy dies and ends up in hell. Before his punishment is due, he's shown around to know what is awaiting for him. At one moment, he and his demonic guide pass by three large foul-smelling pits full of dung.
One pit is bustling with activity - people climb out there every minute or so in large groups, and there are several demons with pitchforks running around the pit pushing the climbers down. The demons are sweaty and obviously tired.
The second pit is mostly quiet, but occasionally a single guy pokes his head outside, and immediately gets pushed down by a young lone demon, who is otherwise standing there yawning.
The third pit is absolutely quiet. There is a very old demon with chipped horns lying near the edge snoring and cuddling his pitchfork in the sleep. However, no-one climbs out of the pit.
The guy looks at all this for some time, and then asks what it is all about. His guide explains:
"The first pit is for Jews. They always stick together and help each other, and as soon as one climbs one step above the others, he stops and helps them get up to his level.
The second pit is for Europeans. They're hardworking, but individualist and way too proud of themselves, so they all climb alone, each on his own.
The third pit is for Russians. As soon as one of them climbs even a little bit higher than the rest, those below him pull him down by the legs into the dung so that he knows his place."
Russia Is Clearly European (Score:5, Insightful)
Have you even been to Europe? Of course we consider Russians Europeans! There is no doubt about that! People from the Soviet Republics however are a different matter, and even within the present Russian Federation there are many ethnic peoples!
We sometimes make the distinction because they are so large and have gone through a tough time lately (from Soviet times to Putin). Imperial Russia was at the heart of Europe, and only the Soviet era changed that. St Petersburg was the crown of Russias European identity!
Slavs are Europeans no matter what country in Europe they come from. Slavs are not limited to Russia you know, from Serbia to Russia Eastern Europe is full of Slavic people(s).
I'm a European, specifically a Scandinavian, and we absolutely see Russians as Europeans.
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Two Different Ethnic Groups (Score:3, Informative)
Russians are NOT related to us Scandinavians in ANY way. Russians are Slavs, Scandinavians are Germanic people(s).
I doubt you Americans think of Scandinavia as part of North America? Did you not understand I was a non-Russian, Scandinavian? It says so clearly at the end of my message.
The last Czar did indeed have some Danish blood, that does not make the country, people or history Scandinavian. Unless you think the US is now part of Kenya due to Obama?
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That is not entirely correct. Russia was founded by and ruled by vikings (Rørik, who built the city of Holmgård - nowadays Great Novgorod - and started the first Russian king dynasty). His fellow vikings were the first ruling class and even today very common Russian first names have got scandinavian roots (like Oleg/Olga - Helge/Helga or Igor - Ingvar)
A Few Drops Of Blood (Score:2)
That is indeed true, and well known here in Scandinavia.
However that was a tiny group of people in a huge empire of many, many ethnic groups! The ruling class was after all a tiny portion of society.
Drops of blood from a few Vikings in the vast genetic pool of millions of people does not make Russians Scandinavian or Germanic.
Or is America now partially "Kenyan" due to the "ruler" Obama having both Anglo-Saxon and Kenyan blood? :)
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Different times, different measures. The East Slav population was far far smaller than the current American population (the total Slav population even nowadays is smaller) and a warrior ruling class had pretty good prospects of fucking good looking commoners ;-)
Also, back then it wasn't an empire yet, only two or three towns of some Chud (aka Finn) and Slav tribes - two thousand people at most - ruled by Scandinavians so I estimate a lot of more Viking blood, certainly more than Mongolian, even after two ce
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Different times, different measures. The East Slav population was far far smaller than the current American population (the total Slav population even nowadays is smaller) and a warrior ruling class had pretty good prospects of fucking good looking commoners ;-)
Also, back then it wasn't an empire yet, only two or three towns of some Chud (aka Finn) and Slav tribes - two thousand people at most - ruled by Scandinavians so I estimate a lot of more Viking blood, certainly more than Mongolian, even after two centuries of occupation.
You significantly underestimate the size of Russian proto-state and the tribes that were united to make it. We're talking about ~20,000 on the territory of earlier Novgorod Rus (which is when Rurik took over), and ~100,000 people on the territory of Kievan Rus (which Oleg, who came after Rurik, established). Scandinavian varyags, at best, numbered in hundreds - remember, it was just a single Scandinavian konung with his followers. It's still a drop in the bucket.
To give another example, Bulgars were more nu
Finland Is Not Scandinavian (Score:2)
Actually, Finland is not Scandinavian, they're just a Nordic nation. The reason is exactly as you stated, they're not of Germanic origin.
The three Scandinavian Kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden share a common origin, people, languages and history. Finland does not.
While the Scandinavians speak Germanic languages and have shared genetic origins, the Finns do not share either with us. The Finns came from Russian territory, Scandinavians came from somewhere in Northern Europe/Germany.
Finns speak a non-Ind
Linked By History, Not By Blood (Score:2)
They are hardly related. I have read about the Kievan Rus. There is a connection, however it does not make the country Scandinavian.
The present British royal family is full of Danes and Germans, that does not make the country Danish or German!
The United States is ruled by a man of Kenyan ancestry, that does not make the US an African country!
Russia did indeed receive a number of mostly Swedish vikings in the past, that does not make Russia Scandinavian! The people of Russia past and present are not Germanic
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At the risk of burning more karma I disagree. Maybe perception is different up there in Scandinavia where Russia is a tangible presence, but down here in Brussels the feeling is generally different. In the very best case they are regarded as being on the periphery of Europe. Hell, people here were dubious about Poland joining the EU (same for Serbia, etc in fact). I made that sound like a bad thing, but it really isn't. They are set apart, bridging the gap between europe and asia.
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Well, a right wing nutjob has normally got a very limited circle of acquaintances - other right wing nutjobs. So it wonders not that they think the same.
Flaming Troll From "Sweden" (Score:2)
I highly doubt you are "Swedish". Russians have always been Europeans. You sound too stupid to be Swedish, and you would know better. Go away, troll!
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First: The European culture is not "just" the Western European culture.
Second see where most of Russians live. How they look like, What kind of language they speak (slavic language), their culture (their gifts to the European culture, classical music, literature), their religion (orthodox), their classical architecture, etc. The conclusion is so obvious (?).
I'm Belgian and frankly it is the first time I see people claiming that Russia is not an European nation. The need of a western civilization in front
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So am I and I certainly don't see them as Europeans. From this we conclude that 50 % of Europeans see Russians as Europeans and 50 % don't. No but seriously, there's no clear concensus - especially not among the Russians. Many of them (I don't dare to state percentages) don't see themselves as European. And how could they when their country borders China?
Australia has Papua New Guinea in its vicinity. Do you see the local population as Europeans?
In any case, speaking of borders doesn't make sense at all, because there's no clear border of Europe - the continent is just Eurasia. One of traditional definition of Europe is that its eastern border is Ural mountains. By that definition, vast majority of Russian population, its capital and most major cities, and virtually all cultural centres, all lie in Europe.
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What the hell are you talking about? All Slavic countries are in Europe, as are most of the Russian Slavs; most of the people living in the Asian part of Russia are, obviously, not Slavic.
I know it's shocking, but "Central Europe" and "Eastern Europe" are part of "Europe".
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American Show (Score:2)
European Commander? (Score:3, Funny)
Isn't thata great? He is full of De Winne!
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Civil Engineer (Score:2, Funny)
He received a Masters degree in telecommunications and civil engineering from the Royal Military Academy, Brussels, in 1984.
I have this image of him building the rest of the station with concrete. The slump test may not work so well in orbit.
His bio (Score:3, Informative)
I didn't check my tags above. Oh well. It's past my bed time....
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No (Score:2)
He's the second Belgian in space since Tin-TIn
Capitalization (Score:3, Informative)
His name is Frank de Winne, without the capital D. The D is only capitalized when his first name isn't written. So it's commander De Winne, or commander Frank de Winne.
Then again, I guess it's already impressive you guys put a space between "de" and "Winne".
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Then again, I guess it's already impressive you guys put a space between "de" and "Winne".
Or didn't outright replace "de" with "the" thinking it was a spelling error.
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Seriously? In Belgium they capitalize every first character in a name?
Well if that is true I sincerely apologize.
I guess it is true you learn something every day.
Re:Capitalization (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, when you see a little "d" it is usually used for noble title. It has been influenced by the French "etiquette".
For the non-beneluxians. :-)
"De" in Dutch means literally "the". for example: Jan De Boer (John the Farmer), Jacques De Ridder (Jacques the rider/the knight), etc. When you see names like Van Den Berg (it means from the hills), Jean-Claude Van Damme (Jean-Claude from Damme -> a Belgian town).
There is no form of nobility in those names so you use capital letters.
On the other hand: The King is in French "Albert de Belgique" or in Dutch "Albert van België").
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"European" (Score:2)
After reading the summary and all the comments, I still had to check Wikipedia to find out which part of Europe this dude is actually from (Belgium).
You guys know Europe is a continent and not a country, right?
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Michael Foale (Score:2)
Even Russians have a mixed view of Europe (Score:2, Interesting)
Offensive? I'd think a lot of Russians would be insulted if you said they were European. There's a long and mixed tradition of Russia wanting to be a part of Europe and wanting to be something else. On one hand, you have Peter the Great, and subsequent czars, who thought Europe was the cats meow. Then, on the other hand, there's plenty of people that worked for the czar, that thought speaking french in court was a bunch of crap and that europeans sucked anyway. As it is, I think the Russians would pref
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I remember your posts, and I think you're a right-wing nutjob. ;-)
But I agree, we don't like Russia, but we respect Russia. Some of us like Europe, but we definitely don't respect Europe.
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I remember your posts, and I think you're a right-wing nutjob. ;-)
Definitely... but some sort of a new right wing lunacy... I'm essentially an isolationist nationalist that sees unions as a helpful tool to keeping a healthy middle class.
Respecting Russia
In America we see Russia as a rival and Europe as a pet. Americans see themselves as having intervened to save Europe in two wars, then, intervene again in the Cold War, and give Europe some major help, but Russia, most think, particularly on the right win
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geographically russia is both in europe and asia
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We like Christmas more?
Thank you, I'll be here all week, try the veal, and don't forget to tip your waitress...
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Owned and hosted by US companies, sure. American site? Only insofar are there are any boundaries on this new-fangled interweb thingo, which is to say, it isn't. You want a US-only site, stop serving to the world (precisely what ./ers tell Murdoch to do with Google), and while you're at it, stop using news from the rest of the world.
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Some Americans are really wound up, originally the domain addressing without a country of origin ie .com versus , com.us were and are specifically defined as international. It is only after the republicans wanted to take over the international domains and portray themselves as the imperialistic world government enforcing it's rule, the rule of violent force using it's global military ie. a massive self driven ego trip. In fact to this day if you add .us on any American government web address it points now
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For example, the 'politics' banner is the stars and stripes, US-specific things generally aren't country-denoted, but foreign things are.
I'm not meaning to complain in the slightest, I'm just saying that to a non-american, this site is pretty american.
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From the Slashdot FAQ:
Politics
This section is for news relevant to United States government politics. It was created primarily to cover the 2004 US Presidential Election, but today exists for occasional stories that fit the bill.