Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Valmy]

This just shows I am living in the past 

[Valmy]

Is this like the Ohio State University?

More like the America, the Scotland, the Russia, the Valmy, etc.

That is absurd.  I have never once been referred to with a bolded article.

[mongers]

In English, the definite article is used with geographical identifiers primarily in one of four situations: 1. if the name is plural ("the Philippines", "the Netherlands"); 2. if a common noun is included ("the United States", "the Central African Republic"); 3. if the region in question is a sub-region of another ("the Sudetenland", "the Saar");[36] 4. if the country is essentially synonymous with a marked geographical feature ("the Republic of The Gambia [River]", "the Ivory Coast"). Prior to its 1991 independence, the technical name of Ukraine as a constituent part of the Soviet Union was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and thus by reasons likely stemming from 2 and 3 above was often referred to in English as the Ukraine. As none of the four conditions now hold (and conditions 1 and 4 never applied), the use of the definite article is now obsolete. Since the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine the English-speaking world has largely stopped using the article.[37][38][39][40] Since November 1991, several American journalists started to refer to Ukraine as Ukraine instead of the Ukraine.[39] The Associated Press dropped the article 'the' on 3 December 1991.[39] This approach has become established in journalism and diplomacy since (other examples are the style guides of The Guardian[41] and The Times[42]). In 1993 the Ukrainian government requested that the article be dropped.[43]

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

These people are rather touchy, trying to convince the world how they should refer to things. 

[garbon]

In English, the definite article is used with geographical identifiers primarily in one of four situations: 1. if the name is plural ("the Philippines", "the Netherlands"); 2. if a common noun is included ("the United States", "the Central African Republic"); 3. if the region in question is a sub-region of another ("the Sudetenland", "the Saar");[36] 4. if the country is essentially synonymous with a marked geographical feature ("the Republic of The Gambia [River]", "the Ivory Coast"). Prior to its 1991 independence, the technical name of Ukraine as a constituent part of the Soviet Union was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and thus by reasons likely stemming from 2 and 3 above was often referred to in English as the Ukraine. As none of the four conditions now hold (and conditions 1 and 4 never applied), the use of the definite article is now obsolete. Since the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine the English-speaking world has largely stopped using the article.[37][38][39][40] Since November 1991, several American journalists started to refer to Ukraine as Ukraine instead of the Ukraine.[39] The Associated Press dropped the article 'the' on 3 December 1991.[39] This approach has become established in journalism and diplomacy since (other examples are the style guides of The Guardian[41] and The Times[42]). In 1993 the Ukrainian government requested that the article be dropped.[43]

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

These people are rather touchy, trying to convince the world how they should refer to things. 

teh horror!

[derspiess]

Wow.  Long Live Languish.

[Barrister]

In English, the definite article is used with geographical identifiers primarily in one of four situations: 1. if the name is plural ("the Philippines", "the Netherlands"); 2. if a common noun is included ("the United States", "the Central African Republic"); 3. if the region in question is a sub-region of another ("the Sudetenland", "the Saar");[36] 4. if the country is essentially synonymous with a marked geographical feature ("the Republic of The Gambia [River]", "the Ivory Coast"). Prior to its 1991 independence, the technical name of Ukraine as a constituent part of the Soviet Union was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and thus by reasons likely stemming from 2 and 3 above was often referred to in English as the Ukraine. As none of the four conditions now hold (and conditions 1 and 4 never applied), the use of the definite article is now obsolete. Since the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine the English-speaking world has largely stopped using the article.[37][38][39][40] Since November 1991, several American journalists started to refer to Ukraine as Ukraine instead of the Ukraine.[39] The Associated Press dropped the article 'the' on 3 December 1991.[39] This approach has become established in journalism and diplomacy since (other examples are the style guides of The Guardian[41] and The Times[42]). In 1993 the Ukrainian government requested that the article be dropped.[43]

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

These people are rather touchy, trying to convince the world how they should refer to things. 

Well it goes right back to what we're seeing now in Ukraine.  You have a large, powerful neighbor that fundamentally doesn't think that Ukraine is a "legitimate country" - it's just a break-away region of Mother Russia.  Using "the" can be seen as implying Ukraine is just a region of Russia.

[Valmy]

Damn I have been saying 'the Ukraine' my whole life.  I had no idea I was making such a bold political statement there.  I just thought it was like 'the Netherlands' or something.

[grumbler]

That is absurd.  I have never once been referred to with a bolded article.

I have referred to you using the bolded article several times.  I caught myself and corrected the error before posting, though... unlike you, who didn't catch-and-correct your error using the article in refernce to Ukraine.

Now, as to why you think Mongers meant Ukraine when he referred to "this thing,"  I have no idea.  Insofar as I know, he uses "this thing" to refer to the UK, because that's where he is.  Had he meant Ukraine, he would have said "that thing."  References to "Scotland in the Ukraine" still baffle me, even given the misused definite article.  I presume it is some sort of euphemism, since the only other use of it I can find on the internet is the following sentence from a 2006 blog post:

The six-man, gout-riddlit BOOBs, average age 42, defeated a much fitter workman-like DD team by the odd goal in eleevin through sheer guts n determination, n a well-marshalled back 5 led bi Tricky adopting a Cattenachio-type defensive system similar to that favoured by Walter Smith's Scotland in the Ukraine last night.

http://theboysofoldboness.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

[Barrister]

Damn I have been saying 'the Ukraine' my whole life.  I had no idea I was making such a bold political statement there.  I just thought it was like 'the Netherlands' or something.

But now you know better.

[Eddie Teach]

The US.

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

[garbon]

That is absurd.  I have never once been referred to with a bolded article.

I have referred to you using the bolded article several times.  I caught myself and corrected the error before posting, though... unlike you, who didn't catch-and-correct your error using the article in refernce to Ukraine.

Now, as to why you think Mongers meant Ukraine when he referred to "this thing,"  I have no idea.  Insofar as I know, he uses "this thing" to refer to the UK, because that's where he is.  Had he meant Ukraine, he would have said "that thing."  References to "Scotland in the Ukraine" still baffle me, even given the misused definite article.  I presume it is some sort of euphemism, since the only other use of it I can find on the internet is the following sentence from a 2006 blog post:

The six-man, gout-riddlit BOOBs, average age 42, defeated a much fitter workman-like DD team by the odd goal in eleevin through sheer guts n determination, n a well-marshalled back 5 led bi Tricky adopting a Cattenachio-type defensive system similar to that favoured by Walter Smith's Scotland in the Ukraine last night.

http://theboysofoldboness.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

Grumbler jokes. Rough!

[Solmyr]

Damn I have been saying 'the Ukraine' my whole life.  I had no idea I was making such a bold political statement there.  I just thought it was like 'the Netherlands' or something.

The Netherlands are just a breakaway region of Germany.

[Ed Anger]

China got out of crazy. Russia can.

I don't see the similarities.  Chinese insanity was imposed from the top down.  Russian insanity is there at the grassroots, Putin is merely tapping into it.

You feeling a bit nutty DG? Since it is ingrained as you say.

I'm not Russian.

[Razgovory]

China got out of crazy. Russia can.

I don't see the similarities.  Chinese insanity was imposed from the top down.  Russian insanity is there at the grassroots, Putin is merely tapping into it.

You feeling a bit nutty DG? Since it is ingrained as you say.

I'm not Russian.

You are not a lot of things

Not Russian, not an accountant, not Dorsey4AR, not this, not that.

What are you?

A guy who lives near the Holland tunnel, and frankly drinks to much.

[Eddie Teach]

A guy who lives near the Holland tunnel, and frankly drinks to much.

He doesn't drink that much. For a Russian, anyway.