a small RANT, if you will

In article .com,
"Hazel" wrote:

I happen to be one of those ....who believes
that charity begins at home.

Last summer my dh bought about 40 kindly used Barbie dolls at a thrift
store because he knew I enjoyed making little wardrobes for them. The
idea was to donate the dolls to charities at Christmas. I've run
across a small snag, however. Nobody wants 'used' toys. Charities now
days only want new stuff and tho the clothes I make are new, the dolls
are not so... they are all still 'homeless' dolls.
Most of you in this charity discussion seem to be Canadians, I'm in
California... maybe things are differnt there?
I'm sure some little girl would love these dolls even tho they are not
as cuddly as teddy bears but it looks like they'll never find her.
Hazel

Hazel I am sure that someone would be deleighted with your old dolls in
new outfits. There must be some group out there that would love to take
your newly outfitted ladies in to make some girl or boy happy. Shelters
for women, hospitals, recreations centers, social workers, clinicks,
Schools, and afer school programmes, daycare centers, etc. the list is
endless.

Good luck with this.

Els

I was giving this some thought a while back, and really, using American
could technically cover anyone in both North and South America. For a
while, I felt it was presumptuous of US people to call themselves
Americans, but now I think it's just an easier way to identify. I am
curious though, as to how people in other countries refer to people
from the United States. When you hear "Americans", do you assume that
would be people in the US?


BB

In article , "Katherine"
wrote:

Hazel wrote:
I happen to be one of those ....who believes
that charity begins at home.

Last summer my dh bought about 40 kindly used Barbie dolls at a thrift
store because he knew I enjoyed making little wardrobes for them. The
idea was to donate the dolls to charities at Christmas. I've run
across a small snag, however. Nobody wants 'used' toys. Charities now
days only want new stuff and tho the clothes I make are new, the dolls
are not so... they are all still 'homeless' dolls.
Most of you in this charity discussion seem to be Canadians, I'm in
California... maybe things are differnt there?
I'm sure some little girl would love these dolls even tho they are not
as cuddly as teddy bears but it looks like they'll never find her.
Hazel

The Salvation Army takes used toys.

Higs,
Katherine

Yes the Salvation Army is another place where your dolls would be very
welcome, good advice Katherine.

Els

wrote in message
oups.com...
I was giving this some thought a while back, and really, using American
could technically cover anyone in both North and South America. For a
while, I felt it was presumptuous of US people to call themselves
Americans, but now I think it's just an easier way to identify. I am
curious though, as to how people in other countries refer to people
from the United States. When you hear "Americans", do you assume that
would be people in the US?

BB

Yes, to me (and all other Canadians that I know personally) the word
"Americans" is in referrance to people from the United States of America.
We (from Canada) call ourselves "Canadians", not "North Americans", as
Shelagh pointed out before. As I'm sure Mexicans likely don't call
themselves "Central Americans", or Argentinians (I have spoken to a few on
line) don't call themselves "South Americans".

Considering that your country has the word America in it "United States of
_America_", it would only seem natural to call yourselves "Americans". I
can't think of anything else you *could* call yourselves.... United
States-ers? That just sounds wrong in so many ways. ;o)

I know that people in the northern States used to be known as "Yankees"
(although, I never knew where that term came from), and I will admit that I
have heard some Canadian people referring to Americans as "Yankees", or
"Yanks"... just like we (Canadians) have been referred to as "Canucks". But
it technically would be wrong to call all Americans "Yankees", considering
that the people in the southern States used to call themselves "Rebels".
So, I can think of no better way of stating who you are or where you are
from than to just call yourselves "Americans"... it says it all.

Just my opinion!

Gemini

wrote in message
oups.com...
I was giving this some thought a while back, and really, using American
could technically cover anyone in both North and South America. For a
while, I felt it was presumptuous of US people to call themselves
Americans, but now I think it's just an easier way to identify.

Any U.S. Americans I've ever met call themselves "Americans". It's short &
to the point.

I am curious though, as to how people in other countries refer to people
from the United States.

As a Canadian, I call them Americans

When you hear "Americans", do you assume that would be people in the US?
Youbetcha

"The YarnWright" wrote in message
...

"The Jonathan Lady" wrote in message
...
Jan, AMERICANS *means* North Americans, duh!
Noreen

Americans can also mean South Americans or Central Americans. But for many
people, it just means U.S. citizens. This is the meaning I had in mind
because you said it would be better to give the teddies to American Katrina
victims.
--
Jan in MN

"Els van Dam" wrote in message
...
In article , "The YarnWright"
wrote:

Jan, AMERICANS *means* North Americans, duh!
Noreen

Hello Noreen,

Are you saying that, Americans are part of being North Americans, just
like the Canadians are part of being North Americans. However Canadians
are not Americans and Americans are not Canadians. BTW I have always
wondered what "duh" means is this an agronomy?? for what...??

Hope you have the same nice weather we are having here, sun is shining and
the spring flowers are bloming

Els

Els, I had to giggle when I read this because I think you meant acronym. To
the best of my knowledge it is a slang word and not an acronym. Go to
Google and search on "define duh" (without the quotes) to get an idea of
it's meaning. Here's an example of what you will find: "Another common use
is to suggest to someone that you are telling them something obvious, but
you're telling them anyway because you don't expect that they are all that
bright.

Instead of sun we are getting a pretty snowfall with big fluffy flakes. It
will be a long time before we see spring flowers.

--
Jan in MN

No, NO, NO!

W're " 'Meric'n"! 'Ca'se w've lost the skill of diction to properly
pronounce "America." It has to do with the way we have starved our schools;
and the way we depreciate learning and education.

Actually, GWB can speak with perfect diction and elegant phraseing. His
"good old boy" accent is an act that he puts on to appeal to " 'Meric'ns" in
the "Red States".

Aaron

"MRH" mthecarpenterATxcelcoDOTonDOTca wrote in message
...
wrote in message
oups.com...
I was giving this some thought a while back, and really, using American
could technically cover anyone in both North and South America. For a
while, I felt it was presumptuous of US people to call themselves
Americans, but now I think it's just an easier way to identify. I am
curious though, as to how people in other countries refer to people
from the United States. When you hear "Americans", do you assume that
would be people in the US?

BB

Yes, to me (and all other Canadians that I know personally) the word
"Americans" is in referrance to people from the United States of America.
We (from Canada) call ourselves "Canadians", not "North Americans", as
Shelagh pointed out before. As I'm sure Mexicans likely don't call
themselves "Central Americans", or Argentinians (I have spoken to a few on
line) don't call themselves "South Americans".

Considering that your country has the word America in it "United States of
_America_", it would only seem natural to call yourselves "Americans". I
can't think of anything else you *could* call yourselves.... United
States-ers? That just sounds wrong in so many ways. ;o)

I know that people in the northern States used to be known as "Yankees"
(although, I never knew where that term came from), and I will admit that
I
have heard some Canadian people referring to Americans as "Yankees", or
"Yanks"... just like we (Canadians) have been referred to as "Canucks".
But
it technically would be wrong to call all Americans "Yankees", considering
that the people in the southern States used to call themselves "Rebels".
So, I can think of no better way of stating who you are or where you are
from than to just call yourselves "Americans"... it says it all.

Just my opinion!

Gemini

"The Jonathan Lady" wrote in message
...
Hope you have the same nice weather we are having here, sun is shining
and
the spring flowers are bloming

Els
Instead of sun we are getting a pretty snowfall with big fluffy flakes.
It
will be a long time before we see spring flowers.
Jan in MN

Els, I'm jealous of your weather. Jan, we are getting the fluffy snowfall
too. We've had a weather warning for west of us, and I'm not sure we'll get
it here. I'll have to keep an eye on it. It was very windy last night. ;P

Shelagh

Gem

United Statians? lol

I was curious as well and found this about the origin of Yankee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee

BB