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[OT] 44 countries

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  [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-02 15:43 +0000
    Re: [OT] 44 countries wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> - 2026-07-02 17:56 +0200
      Re: [OT] 44 countries wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> - 2026-07-02 18:01 +0200
        Re: [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-02 16:24 +0000
          Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-02 19:03 +0100
            Re: [OT] 44 countries Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-02 20:08 +0200
              Re: [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-02 18:55 +0000
                Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-02 22:14 +0100
                  Re: [OT] 44 countries wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> - 2026-07-02 23:41 +0200
                  Re: [OT] 44 countries msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) - 2026-07-03 01:07 +0000
                    Re: [OT] 44 countries Janet <nobody@home.com> - 2026-07-03 10:08 +0100
                      Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 11:48 +0200
                      Re: [OT] 44 countries Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-03 12:14 +0200
                Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 11:16 +0200
                  Re: [OT] 44 countries "Blueshirt" <blueshirt@indigo.news> - 2026-07-03 09:59 +0000
            Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:28 +0200
              Re: [OT] 44 countries Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-03 09:09 +0100
                Re: [OT] 44 countries "Blueshirt" <blueshirt@indigo.news> - 2026-07-03 09:59 +0000
                  Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-03 20:10 +0100
                    Re: [OT] 44 countries Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-04 06:57 +0200
                    Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-04 09:50 +0200
              Re: [OT] 44 countries HVS <office@REMOVETHISwhhvs.co.uk> - 2026-07-04 16:20 +0100
      Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:46 +0200
    Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:22 +0200
    Re: [OT] 44 countries Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-03 09:09 +0200
      Re: [OT] 44 countries Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-03 09:09 +0100
        Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 11:48 +0200
          Re: [OT] 44 countries Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> - 2026-07-03 12:00 +0000
            Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 22:08 +0200
              Re: [OT] 44 countries Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> - 2026-07-03 21:30 +0000
                Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-04 11:16 +0200
        Re: [OT] 44 countries "Blueshirt" <blueshirt@indigo.news> - 2026-07-03 09:59 +0000
          Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 15:58 +0200
            Re: [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-03 14:11 +0000

Page 2 of 2 — ← Prev page 1 [2]

#1146174

On 03/07/2026 21:10, Sam Plusnet wrote:
> On 03/07/2026 10:59, Blueshirt wrote:
>>
>> Hibou wrote:
>>
>>> Le 03/07/2026 à 07:28, occam a écrit :
>>>>
>>>> Yeah. That includes Israel and Canada, IIRC. The Eurovision
>>>> contest is hardly a reference point for anything rational,
>>>> including tunes.
>>>
>>> Hmm. Is it related to Looney Tunes?
>>
>> If you've seen some of the performers in it, yes!
> 
> The last Eurovision contest I watched was at around the same time as the
> last World Cup game I watched - it was the final, and England beat Germany.
> 

Happy 60th anniversary!

P.S. I hadn't realised Eurovision had been going for so long (1956!)

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#1146205

On 03 Jul 2026, occam wrote

> On 02/07/2026 20:03, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>> On 02/07/2026 17:24, athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
>>> 
>>> wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> posted:
>>> 
>>>> Op 2/07/2026 om 17:56 schreef wugi:
>>>>> Op 2/07/2026 om 17:43 schreef athel.cb@gmail.com:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be
>>>>>> related to usage questions,
>>>>>> but it seems best to label it as OT.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that
>>>>>> Europe is a country
>>>>>> asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
>>>>>> consistent between
>>>>>> different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I list all
>>>>>> the countries
>>>>>> that are unambiguously European countries (Germany, Italy,
>>>>>> Spain, Belgium etc.)
>>>>>> I arrive at 40, so which are the other 4?
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Google AI answers 44 countries and gives a list. Mine was in
>>>>> Dutch. 
>>>>> 
>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
>>>> List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_Europe
>>>> 
>>> Hmm. Either I can't count or the person who prepared the main
>>> table can't count.
>>> There are 50 countries in the table, not 44. To my amazement, it
>>> includes Kazakhstan. In my own list, I forgot Montenegro: shame
>>> on me. 
>>> 
>> I doubt if it helps, but a total of 52 countries have taken part
>> in the Eurovision contest, at one time or another.
>> 
> Yeah. That includes Israel and Canada, IIRC.

I believe Canada is due to compete for the first time next year 
(2027), but non-European competitors have included Australia since 
(.....goes and checks....) 2015.

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#1146095

On 02/07/2026 17:56, wugi wrote:
> Op 2/07/2026 om 17:43 schreef athel.cb@gmail.com:
>>
>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to
>> usage questions,
>> but it seems best to label it as OT.
>>
>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a
>> country
>> asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
>> consistent between
>> different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I list all the
>> countries
>> that are unambiguously European countries (Germany, Italy, Spain,
>> Belgium etc.)
>> I arrive at 40, so which are the other 4?
>>
>> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts
>> that are
>> not: do I count them?
>>
>> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All
>> three?
>>
>> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but
>> it's
>> not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San
>> Marino obviously count.)
>>
>> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia and
>> Transnistria?
>>
>> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in
>> Europe?
> 
> Google AI answers 44 countries and gives a list. Mine was in Dutch.
> 

Careful Wugi. Last time Google AI was involved in geographic decision
making, Nicaraguan soldiers invaded Costa Rica.

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#1146092

On 02/07/2026 17:43, athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:

> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in Europe?

Whoa!  Of course Cyprus and Malta are European countries.  Not only are
they European, but also Member states of the EU. After Brexit, my Cyprus
passport was the only reason I could continue to live in Luxembourg.

(Iceland is not an EU country, yet.  If it was, Donald Duck would not
dare invade it.)

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#1146098

On Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:43:51 GMT, athel.cb@gmail.com
<user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

>
>I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage questions,
>but it seems best to label it as OT.
>
>I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a country
>asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite consistent between
>different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I list all the countries
>that are unambiguously European countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.)
>I arrive at 40, so which are the other 4?
>
>Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts that are 
>not: do I count them?
>
>What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All three? 
>
>What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but it's
>not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San
>Marino obviously count.) 
>
>What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia and 
>Transnistria?
>
>What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in Europe?

England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?

-- 
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web:  http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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#1146104

Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage questions,
>> but it seems best to label it as OT.
>>
>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a country
>> asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite consistent between
>> different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I list all the countries
>> that are unambiguously European countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.)
>> I arrive at 40, so which are the other 4?
>>
>> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts that are
>> not: do I count them?
>>
>> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All three?
>>
>> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but it's
>> not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San
>> Marino obviously count.)
>>
>> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia and
>> Transnistria?
>>
>> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in Europe?
> 
> England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?


Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are Scotland, 
England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?

It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states ('sovereign' 
poses a problem if they're members of the EU, though).

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#1146113

Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:

> Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> > athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> >>
> >> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage
> >> questions, but it seems best to label it as OT.
> >>
> >> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a
> >> country asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
> >> consistent between different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I
> >> list all the countries that are unambiguously European countries
> >> (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.) I arrive at 40, so which are the
> >> other 4?
> >>
> >> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts
> >> that are not: do I count them?
> >>
> >> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All
> >>three?
> >>
> >> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but
> >> it's not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein
> >> and San Marino obviously count.)
> >>
> >> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia
> >> and Transnistria?
> >>
> >> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in
> >>Europe?
> > 
> > England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> 
> 
> Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are Scotland, 
> England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
> 
> It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states ('sovereign' 
> poses a problem if they're members of the EU, though).

You may have to count by domain names, these days.
Flanders for example does not qualify. (like Wales, Catalonia, etc.)

They tried hard to get  .fl or  .vl accepted,
but some higher order bureaucracy refused them to have it,

Jan

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#1146128

On 03/07/2026 10:48, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
> 
>> Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
>>> athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage
>>>> questions, but it seems best to label it as OT.
>>>>
>>>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a
>>>> country asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
>>>> consistent between different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I
>>>> list all the countries that are unambiguously European countries
>>>> (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.) I arrive at 40, so which are the
>>>> other 4?
>>>>
>>>> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts
>>>> that are not: do I count them?
>>>>
>>>> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All
>>>> three?
>>>>
>>>> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but
>>>> it's not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein
>>>> and San Marino obviously count.)
>>>>
>>>> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia
>>>> and Transnistria?
>>>>
>>>> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in
>>>> Europe?
>>>
>>> England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
>>
>>
>> Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are Scotland,
>> England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
>>
>> It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states ('sovereign'
>> poses a problem if they're members of the EU, though).
> 
> You may have to count by domain names, these days.
> Flanders for example does not qualify. (like Wales, Catalonia, etc.)
> 
> They tried hard to get  .fl or  .vl accepted,
> but some higher order bureaucracy refused them to have it,
> 
> Jan
> 
but .sco does exit. I manage a website which uses that suffix.

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#1146152

Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> wrote:

> On 03/07/2026 10:48, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> > Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
> > 
> >> Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> >>> athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage
> >>>> questions, but it seems best to label it as OT.
> >>>>
> >>>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a
> >>>> country asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
> >>>> consistent between different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I
> >>>> list all the countries that are unambiguously European countries
> >>>> (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.) I arrive at 40, so which are the
> >>>> other 4?
> >>>>
> >>>> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts
> >>>> that are not: do I count them?
> >>>>
> >>>> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All
> >>>> three?
> >>>>
> >>>> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but
> >>>> it's not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein
> >>>> and San Marino obviously count.)
> >>>>
> >>>> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia
> >>>> and Transnistria?
> >>>>
> >>>> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in
> >>>> Europe?
> >>>
> >>> England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> >>
> >>
> >> Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are Scotland,
> >> England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
> >>
> >> It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states ('sovereign'
> >> poses a problem if they're members of the EU, though).
> > 
> > You may have to count by domain names, these days.
> > Flanders for example does not qualify. (like Wales, Catalonia, etc.)
> > 
> > They tried hard to get  .fl or  .vl accepted,
> > but some higher order bureaucracy refused them to have it,
> > 
> > Jan
> > 
> but .sco does exit. I manage a website which uses that suffix.

You can manage whatever you want, but .sco is not a recognised top level
domain code (aka ccTLD)

Jan
(easy, all recognised ones have two letters)

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#1146153

On 03/07/2026 21:08, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> wrote:
> 
>> On 03/07/2026 10:48, J. J. Lodder wrote:
>>> Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
>>>>> athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage
>>>>>> questions, but it seems best to label it as OT.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a
>>>>>> country asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
>>>>>> consistent between different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I
>>>>>> list all the countries that are unambiguously European countries
>>>>>> (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.) I arrive at 40, so which are the
>>>>>> other 4?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts
>>>>>> that are not: do I count them?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All
>>>>>> three?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but
>>>>>> it's not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein
>>>>>> and San Marino obviously count.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia
>>>>>> and Transnistria?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in
>>>>>> Europe?
>>>>>
>>>>> England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are Scotland,
>>>> England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
>>>>
>>>> It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states ('sovereign'
>>>> poses a problem if they're members of the EU, though).
>>>
>>> You may have to count by domain names, these days.
>>> Flanders for example does not qualify. (like Wales, Catalonia, etc.)
>>>
>>> They tried hard to get  .fl or  .vl accepted,
>>> but some higher order bureaucracy refused them to have it,
>>>
>>> Jan
>>>
>> but .sco does exit. I manage a website which uses that suffix.
> 
> You can manage whatever you want, but .sco is not a recognised top level
> domain code (aka ccTLD)
> 
> Jan
> (easy, all recognised ones have two letters)
> 

my error. it's.scot

and it works: www.nts-lmc.scot

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#1146176

Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> wrote:

> On 03/07/2026 21:08, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> > Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> wrote:
> > 
> >> On 03/07/2026 10:48, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> >>> Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> >>>>> athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I'm not sure if this is really off-topic, as it can be related to usage
> >>>>>> questions, but it seems best to label it as OT.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I see many answers on Quora to Americans who think that Europe is a
> >>>>>> country asserting that in reality it is 44 countries. The 44 is quite
> >>>>>> consistent between different people, but how do they arrive at 44? If I
> >>>>>> list all the countries that are unambiguously European countries
> >>>>>> (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium etc.) I arrive at 40, so which are the
> >>>>>> other 4?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, but have large parts
> >>>>>> that are not: do I count them?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> What about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Are they in Europe? All
> >>>>>> three?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the Vatican, but
> >>>>>> it's not everyone's idea of a country. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein
> >>>>>> and San Marino obviously count.)
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what about Abkhazia
> >>>>>> and Transnistria?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but are they in
> >>>>>> Europe?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are Scotland,
> >>>> England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
> >>>>
> >>>> It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states ('sovereign'
> >>>> poses a problem if they're members of the EU, though).
> >>>
> >>> You may have to count by domain names, these days.
> >>> Flanders for example does not qualify. (like Wales, Catalonia, etc.)
> >>>
> >>> They tried hard to get  .fl or  .vl accepted,
> >>> but some higher order bureaucracy refused them to have it,
> >>>
> >>> Jan
> >>>
> >> but .sco does exit. I manage a website which uses that suffix.
> > 
> > You can manage whatever you want, but .sco is not a recognised top level
> > domain code (aka ccTLD)
> > 
> > Jan
> > (easy, all recognised ones have two letters)
> > 
> 
> my error. it's.scot
> 
> and it works: www.nts-lmc.scot

I see.
It is a private not-for-profit company that provides them.
Nothing to do with states or nationalities.
<https://domains.scot>

Jan

For wugi: where is .vlam ?

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#1146119

Hibou wrote:

> Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> > athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> > > 
> > > What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the
> > > Vatican, but it's not everyone's idea of a country.
> > > Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino obviously
> > > count.)
> > > 
> > > What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what
> > > about Abkhazia and Transnistria?
> > > 
> > > What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but
> > > are they in Europe?
> > 
> > England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> 
> Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are
> Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?

John Lennon liked to imagine there were no countries... (It
isn't hard to do.)

> It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states
> ('sovereign' poses a problem if they're members of the EU,
> though).

The EU becomes the sovereign part on the aspects of sovereignty
that are shared within the EU.

Ireland recently had a fuel crisis (Thanks Donald) yet the
government stated it needed EU approval to reduce the excise
duty on fuel at Irish pumps as it's the EU sets the minimum
levels for excise duties, which member states have to adhere to.
So Ireland was not a sovereign state on that issue.

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#1146134

Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:

> Hibou wrote:
> 
> > Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> > > athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the
> > > > Vatican, but it's not everyone's idea of a country.
> > > > Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino obviously
> > > > count.)
> > > > 
> > > > What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what
> > > > about Abkhazia and Transnistria?
> > > > 
> > > > What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but
> > > > are they in Europe?
> > > 
> > > England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> > 
> > Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are
> > Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
> 
> John Lennon liked to imagine there were no countries... (It
> isn't hard to do.)
> 
> > It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states
> > ('sovereign' poses a problem if they're members of the EU,
> > though).
> 
> The EU becomes the sovereign part on the aspects of sovereignty
> that are shared within the EU.
> 
> Ireland recently had a fuel crisis (Thanks Donald) yet the
> government stated it needed EU approval to reduce the excise
> duty on fuel at Irish pumps as it's the EU sets the minimum
> levels for excise duties, which member states have to adhere to.
> So Ireland was not a sovereign state on that issue.

Of course not. EU rules are set to level the playing field.
So EU countries cannot subsidise their businesses
with low fuel taxes. (within limits)

The idea is to prevent a race to the bottom,
(same with many other rates)

Jan

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#1146138

nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) posted:

> Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
> 
> > Hibou wrote:
> > 
> > > Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> > > > athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the
> > > > > Vatican, but it's not everyone's idea of a country.
> > > > > Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino obviously
> > > > > count.)
> > > > > 
> > > > > What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what
> > > > > about Abkhazia and Transnistria?
> > > > > 
> > > > > What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but
> > > > > are they in Europe?
> > > > 
> > > > England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> > > 
> > > Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are
> > > Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
> > 
> > John Lennon liked to imagine there were no countries... (It
> > isn't hard to do.)
> > 
> > > It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states
> > > ('sovereign' poses a problem if they're members of the EU,
> > > though).
> > 
> > The EU becomes the sovereign part on the aspects of sovereignty
> > that are shared within the EU.
> > 
> > Ireland recently had a fuel crisis (Thanks Donald) yet the
> > government stated it needed EU approval to reduce the excise
> > duty on fuel at Irish pumps as it's the EU sets the minimum
> > levels for excise duties, which member states have to adhere to.
> > So Ireland was not a sovereign state on that issue.
> 
> Of course not. EU rules are set to level the playing field.
> So EU countries cannot subsidise their businesses
> with low fuel taxes. (within limits)

Luxemburg seems to get away with pump prices significantly lower than those in
Belgium and France. The only Slovenian euro coin that I ever acquired came from
a service staion in Luxemburg.
> 
> The idea is to prevent a race to the bottom,
> (same with many other rates)


-- 
athel

Living in Marseilles for 39 years; mainly in England before that,
with long periods in Singapore, California, Chile and Canada 

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