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#1: Gary Webster (glwebste) on Aug 11, 2013

To all y'all. You puzzle makers make my mind better, and my thoughts happier. Thank you all very much.

:)

Thanks, Kim! And Gary. :)

If Thomas wants to be a troll as his online presence, that's fine. I'm sure he has plenty of real-life friends, and doesn't need to worry about alienating people he's never met. I wash my hands of the matter.

nice thought Kim

ditto #4 :)

Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Kim and Gary. It is much appreciated, and I agree with Kristen.

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I also want to thank you Kim and Gary,and let's not forget how much it means to us who create puzzle,that we have wonderful friends like you who enjoy and appreciate our puzzles. Without you and your encouraging comments there would be no fun in creating puzzles at all. As for Thomas,we all need to realize including Thomas,that the world is full of all types of people and personalities and we need this,because it would be a boring place otherwise. Thomas is misinterpreting what we are saying and seems to be hell bent on generalizing that all Americans think that they are better than everyone else. He also thinks that all Americans are too lazy to learn about other cultures and what's important to other nations. We all know how unfair it is to generalize. I agree with Kristen and this will be the last I say on this matter. The fact that Thomas put a smiley face on here as a comment perhaps shows that he's ready to forget the whole matter and get on board with having a friendly relationship with the rest of us.:)

Maybe he has a lot of angst because he feels oppressed and is directing his anger at us. "Nuff said.

I missed out. I rarely do puzzles over 20x20.

I appreciate someone taking the time to create a puzzle. There have been times, having completed a puzzle, that my response was negative. Either way, I rarely comment.

Just because something is true doesn't mean it should be shared.

I too just want to avoid unpleasantness amongst creators and solvers without being relegated to rubber-stamping every puzzle as perfect.

Sometimes beginner puzzles are not that great, but I like it when I see people making encouraging and helpful remarks.

You make a really good point there, Norma. I hardly ever do any beginner puzzles any more. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I look for certain names and do those puzzles because I know I'll have a good time! 20 X 20 or less is my favorite size, but I'll do some of the 30's and even a 40 now and then if I know the creator's work. There's nothing worse that going through the browser troubles of a larger puzzle and finding out it's not a satisfying picture or solve...halfway through!

But everyone has to start somewhere before they get good at making puzzles...unless they're like me and can't seem to get a handle on the creation process lol. I haven't made a puzzle yet...but I am eternally grateful to those of you who do.

Thank you for the kind responses. I know the puzzle was rather basic, but I felt inspired to do at least something to promote goodwill and to let people know that I care.

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Nice puzzle Kim

Thomas, there are more benign explanations for many of those things.

1 People everywhere are more exposed to the latest media than they are to specific buildings - even in the city they live in, much less globally.

2 Your own parochialism shows a bit here. According to worldwide internet visitors to official sport websites, handball is not even in the top ten. ( http://mostpopularsports.net/ ) - however it is #3 in Hungary ( http://mostpopularsports.net/in-hungary ). So try to excuse it in others, since most of the commenters on this site are American.

(I seem to remember saying that I'd never heard of team handball. If you were referring to me, don't take it as being a typical American trait. I ignore ALL sports on an equal basis. They just don't interest me.)

3 I missed this argument elsewhere. I personally find jingoism (excessive and unquestioning patriotism combined with xenophobia) unpleasant *wherever* it comes from. It's been on the rise in America since 2001. However it also happens all over the world. Much of the world's hatred of Americans is based on it (but unfortunately some is deserved).

Something to note is that the top 25 puzzlemakers have made slightly over half of all the puzzles on the site (9362 of 18659 currently). Of those puzzles, nearly 2/3 were made by people who have identified themselves as Americans (5841). 1413 were made by Canadians (specifically Aldege), 382 by Marz in Australia, 323 by conzick from Germany, and 186 by Jota in Venezuela. That leaves 548 from two people I think are Americans, and 669 from three who I have no idea about. With that preponderance of North American puzzlemakers, it's no surprise that the puzzles show an American-media bias.

I saw this mostpopular-sports list. It's sure it's qiute false or wrong. Tennis is not popular in wide (professionally), skating is not-enough wellknown. (30 years ago i was a speedskater, then all skaters not were more than 60 person. In figure skating we don't have any internationally known competitors. We don't have own ice-hockey league, there's a cooperated one with Roumanie, with 12 teams from the two countries. Our best team participating in the Austrian League...)
Really the 3 most popular sports are football, handball and water polo.
About the culture I wrote on the other forum. This is the most important. Every nation MUST know cultures of others... And I stated an average American citizen is quite poor in this knowledge. And it's true.
Puzzles: I think there were about 20 WPF World Puzzle Championship (till nowadays). Usually American puzzlers not were in the top 3 team (but Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Hungary and some others). There are culture- and language-independent logical puzzles, of course. Your representants were good (in the first half), but they'd never been on the top.

Thomas, I am willing to bet that if you were given a test to identify certain buildings, monuments, etc. that are very well know here in North AND South America, I bet you would fail. I know you would.

very interesting conversation. I started doing these puzzles because I could only find them in book form when I discovered this site I was overjoyed (and still am). I sometimes visit other sites, but this one has the format, friendships, forum and overall inclusiveness that I most enjoy. I solve these puzzles because I love logic and a challenge. I am not looking for perfection, or beauty necessarily, but I solve them because I want to know what the creator has to say. I don't care where the puzzle creator is from, or what he/she looks like, unless it is central to the puzzle. if you have created a puzzle, then I want to solve it. simple as that. I am most thankful to the many people who have taken the time out of their busy day to do one of my puzzles. and comment on them. that means a lot to me and humbles me. God Bless you all.

...and kim - thank you for a fun puzzle!

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