"The Birds" and the "Five" Continents of the World

[Mark LoPresti]

I just saw "The Birds" again and was reminded of something that has bothered me
for a long time. There's a scene in a bar featuring an older woman who knows a
lot about birds. In a very know it all style, she begins offering her knowledge
to the others in the bar. In doing so, she says something about birds
"throughout the FIVE continents of the world". I don't have the exact quote,
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. Since this a major feature film and since you'd
think a mistake like this would certainly have been caught, I always figured
that there must be some good reason for her to mention only five continents.
Perhaps she was discounting the north & south poles for some reason, but it's
not apparent as to why as I remember. Any bird/continental experts out there?

Mark LoPresti, Buffalo NY
______________________
"That's one of the tragedies of this life - that the men who are most in need
of a beating up are always enormous."
- Rudy Vallee in "The Palm Beach Story"

[John Harkness]

Post by Mark LoPresti
I just saw "The Birds" again and was reminded of something that has bothered me
for a long time. There's a scene in a bar featuring an older woman who knows a
lot about birds. In a very know it all style, she begins offering her knowledge
to the others in the bar. In doing so, she says something about birds
"throughout the FIVE continents of the world". I don't have the exact quote,
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. Since this a major feature film and since you'd
think a mistake like this would certainly have been caught, I always figured
that there must be some good reason for her to mention only five continents.
Perhaps she was discounting the north & south poles for some reason, but it's
not apparent as to why as I remember. Any bird/continental experts out there?
Mark LoPresti, Buffalo NY

There's no continent at the North Pole, you know.

John Harkness

[Tom Cervo]

The line between Europe and Asia is a mapmaker's conceit, and the birds of
Antarctica are not native to it.

[Bob Flaminio]

Post by Tom Cervo
The line between Europe and Asia is a mapmaker's conceit, and the
birds of Antarctica are not native to it.

Penguins?

[l***@webtv.net]

Two possibilities..

1] I recall long ago hearing of a branch of schooling that refers to
Europe and Asia as Eurasia.
2} In the scene in question the woman has just quoted the estimated
number of birds in North and South America, so maybe she expects her
audience to understand that she means the five [remaining] Continents of
the World.

[Tom Cervo]

Post by Bob Flaminio

Post by Tom Cervo
The line between Europe and Asia is a mapmaker's conceit, and the
birds of Antarctica are not native to it.

Penguins?

The thought of Bodega Bay under attack by killer penguins is so delightful that
I quite forgot that Monty Python had thought of it first.

[T]

Post by Mark LoPresti
I just saw "The Birds" again and was reminded of something that has bothered me
for a long time. There's a scene in a bar featuring an older woman who knows a
lot about birds. In a very know it all style, she begins offering her knowledge
to the others in the bar. In doing so, she says something about birds
"throughout the FIVE continents of the world". I don't have the exact quote,
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. Since this a major feature film and since you'd
think a mistake like this would certainly have been caught, I always figured
that there must be some good reason for her to mention only five continents.
Perhaps she was discounting the north & south poles for some reason, but it's
not apparent as to why as I remember. Any bird/continental experts out there?
Mark LoPresti, Buffalo NY
______________________

Well, lets think like a bird 'snob' if you will, were are there a
significant amount of birds:

N. America
S. America
Africa
Australia
Asia, and this is were it gets sticky. We are ignoring Antarctica on
purpose, despite penguins being birds and forgetting all about sea going
and migratory species.

Europe and Asia, to me, are all the same land mass. This excludes
England et al, but they don't like to be called European anyway (afair).

So, how's that for covering up the stinking pile with some deft flicks
of roadside dust?


TBerk
Europe is one but Greenland isn't?

[KING B MAN]

Ahem! Australia is an island not a continient.
Mike
Order your copy of the Monster Club DVD today.
And now an act of shameless promotion.
Check my website on the best and the worst of British films for sale.
http://hometown.aol.com/kingbman/myhomepage/intro.html

[Bill Anderson]

Post by KING B MAN
Ahem! Australia is an island not a continient.

From "Ask Yahoo" just last week:

http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20040409.html

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by Mark LoPresti
I just saw "The Birds" again and was reminded of something that has bothered me
for a long time. There's a scene in a bar featuring an older woman who knows a
lot about birds. In a very know it all style, she begins offering her knowledge
to the others in the bar. In doing so, she says something about birds
"throughout the FIVE continents of the world". I don't have the exact quote,
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. Since this a major feature film and since you'd
think a mistake like this would certainly have been caught, I always figured
that there must be some good reason for her to mention only five continents.
Perhaps she was discounting the north & south poles for some reason, but it's
not apparent as to why as I remember. Any bird/continental experts out there?

As others have pointed out, Mark, your count is a little off. The usual
count these days is six: Europe, Asia, North, South America, Australia,
Antarctica.

But in the mid-50s it was by no means settled that Antarctica was a
continent, its land mass not having been fully mapped yet. Further,
Australia was considered by many to be a very large island rather than a
continent.

(Nowadays, a lot of people prefer to count the Eurasian land mass as one
really big continent.)

[d***@DROPsocal.rr.com]

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
As others have pointed out, Mark, your count is a little off. The usual
count these days is six: Europe, Asia, North, South America, Australia,
Antarctica.

Africa sunk!
Africa Screams!

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by d***@DROPsocal.rr.com

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
As others have pointed out, Mark, your count is a little off. The usual
count these days is six: Europe, Asia, North, South America, Australia,
Antarctica.

Africa sunk!
Africa Screams!

Believe or not, but I woke up in the middle of the night and said out loud,
"I left out Africa." Lyndol hates it when I do that kind of stuff.

My only excuse is that I was distracted by some remodeling action going on
around me as I was typing. That and I forgot to proof my posting.

[frank habets]

***@aol.com (Mark LoPresti) wrote in news:***@mb-m07.aol.com:
I don't have the exact quote,

Post by Mark LoPresti
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. <snip> Any bird/continental experts out there?

When I was a kid, I was taught there were five too:
Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand).

I switched schools at age ten, and suddenly there were seven.

[T]

Post by Mark LoPresti
I don't have the exact quote,

Post by Mark LoPresti
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. <snip> Any bird/continental experts out there?

Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand).
I switched schools at age ten, and suddenly there were seven.

By this reasoning (nothing personal), if the Americas are a single
continent, then Europe and Asia are certainly one unit.

And why include NZ?

People are so funny.


Tberk

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by T

Post by Mark LoPresti
I don't have the exact quote,

Post by Mark LoPresti
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. <snip> Any bird/continental experts out there?

Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand).
I switched schools at age ten, and suddenly there were seven.

By this reasoning (nothing personal), if the Americas are a single
continent, then Europe and Asia are certainly one unit.
And why include NZ?
People are so funny.

This whole subject does point up the artificiality and conventionality of
the concept of "continent".

[frank habets]

Post by T

Post by frank habets
Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand).
I switched schools at age ten, and suddenly there were seven.

By this reasoning (nothing personal), if the Americas are a single
continent, then Europe and Asia are certainly one unit.

The whole seemed silly to me too, even at age 9.
Ah, to be back in Gwondanaland.

Post by T
And why include NZ?
People are so funny.
Tberk

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

[deletions]

Post by frank habets
The whole seemed silly to me too, even at age 9.
Ah, to be back in Gwondanaland.

[deletions]

I miss Pangaea.

[frank habets]

Post by T

Post by frank habets
Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand).
I switched schools at age ten, and suddenly there were seven.

By this reasoning (nothing personal), if the Americas are a single
continent, then Europe and Asia are certainly one unit.

The whole seemed silly to me too, even at age 9.
Ah, to be back in Gwondanaland.

Post by T
And why include NZ?
People are so funny.
Tberk

[A Tsar Is Born]

Post by Mark LoPresti
I just saw "The Birds" again and was reminded of something that has bothered me
for a long time. There's a scene in a bar featuring an older woman who knows a
lot about birds. In a very know it all style, she begins offering her knowledge
to the others in the bar. In doing so, she says something about birds
"throughout the FIVE continents of the world". I don't have the exact quote,
but she clearly says something about "the five continents". As we all know,
there are seven continents. Since this a major feature film and since you'd
think a mistake like this would certainly have been caught, I always figured
that there must be some good reason for her to mention only five continents.
Perhaps she was discounting the north & south poles for some reason, but it's
not apparent as to why as I remember. Any bird/continental experts out there?

Her logic is the same as the presenters of the Olympics: Five Rings
for the Five Continents. And yes, they're aware of Australia -- it has
hosted two Olympics, one in 1956, before The Birds was made.

The Americas are sometimes regarded as one continent -- as far as
bird-life goes, they tend to migrate from one America to another, but
very few cross the oceans east or west.

There is no continent at the North Pole.

Jean Coeur de Lapin

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

"A Tsar Is Born" <***@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:***@posting.google.com...

[deletion]

Post by A Tsar Is Born
Her logic is the same as the presenters of the Olympics: Five Rings
for the Five Continents. And yes, they're aware of Australia -- it has
hosted two Olympics, one in 1956, before The Birds was made.

In the case of the Olympics logo, five rings according to a website I found
"represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia,
Europe, and Oceania."

(Source: http://www.janecky.com/olympics/rings.html )

However, a PDF document that I accessed through the official IOC website,
www.olympic.com, asserts that the rings represent the five continents
permanently inhabited by humans and that have countries. (Antarctica would
have to field a team of scientists and techies, which would be amusing in an
Eddie the Eagle or Jamaican bobsled kind of way.)

(Source: http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_672.pdf )

At least one of the five ring colors plus the white of the Olympic flag can
be found on every national flag, btw, in case anybody is wondering.

[deletion]

[frank habets]

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
In the case of the Olympics logo, five rings according to a website I found
"represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia,
Europe, and Oceania."

Holy shit, my grade 3 teacher was 'right.'

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by frank habets

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
In the case of the Olympics logo, five rings according to a website I found
"represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia,
Europe, and Oceania."

Holy shit, my grade 3 teacher was 'right.'

Maybe, maybe not, if you read the rest of that post from your humble
correspondent, viz. "rings represent the five continents permanently
inhabited by humans and that have countries" to quote a doc from the IOC.
Oceania is not a continent, although it presumably includes the continent of
Australia, unless you're a believer in the lost continent of Mu. Come to
think of it, Oceania was one of the superstates in "1984", although I don't
remember Orwell being specific about what was included.

[frank habets]

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney

Post by frank habets

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
In the case of the Olympics logo, five rings according to a website I

found

Post by frank habets

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
"represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas,

Asia,

Post by frank habets

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
Europe, and Oceania."

Holy shit, my grade 3 teacher was 'right.'

Maybe, maybe not, if you read the rest of that post from your humble
correspondent, viz. "rings represent the five continents permanently
inhabited by humans and that have countries" to quote a doc from the IOC.
Oceania is not a continent, although it presumably includes the continent of
Australia, unless you're a believer in the lost continent of Mu. Come to
think of it, Oceania was one of the superstates in "1984", although I don't
remember Orwell being specific about what was included.

Goodness gracious me, I did read the rest of your most informative post (no sarcasm intented, I appreciated it).
I put the 'right' in quotes as to indicate (perhaps poorly) that I was taking my teacher's claim with a grain of salt.
<time out here for a search on google>
Wowza. There's still some people who think of Oceania as a continent, after all.
http://lessites.service-public.fr/cgi-bin/annusite/annusite.fcgi/etr5?lang=fr&cont=5http://lessites.service-public.fr/cgi-bin/annusite/annusite.fcgi/etr5?lang=fr&cont=5
It's a site from France, and it categorizes the continents the same way my old teacher did.
BTW, I'm French and so was my teacher. This could be some cultural meme thing.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose. : )

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

"frank habets" <***@aggg.com> wrote in message news:***@66.185.95.104...

[deletions]

Post by frank habets
Goodness gracious me, I did read the rest of your most informative post

(no sarcasm intented, I appreciated it).

Post by frank habets
I put the 'right' in quotes as to indicate (perhaps poorly) that I was

taking my teacher's claim with a grain of salt.

Post by frank habets
<time out here for a search on google>
Wowza. There's still some people who think of Oceania as a continent, after all.

http://lessites.service-public.fr/cgi-bin/annusite/annusite.fcgi/etr5?lang=fr&cont=5http://lessites.service-public.fr/cgi-bin/annusite/annusite.fcgi/etr5?lang=fr&cont=5

Post by frank habets
It's a site from France, and it categorizes the continents the same way my old teacher did.
BTW, I'm French and so was my teacher. This could be some cultural meme thing.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose. : )

There'll always be a France?

I look at your site and was interested that the countries listed for the
"continent" of Oceania did not include the Territory of French Polynesia
(Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, etc.).

[frank habets]

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
I look at your site and was interested that the countries listed for the
"continent" of Oceania did not include the Territory of French Polynesia
(Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, etc.).

I suppose the best way would be to list the names of the continental plates instead:
Africa
N. America
S. America
Pacific
Australia
India
Eurasia
Cocos
Juan de Fuca
Phillipines
Scotia
Nazca
Phillipines
Arabia

At least this isn't arbitrary and has a solid grounding (no pun intended) in Geology.