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[MetalSlimeHunt]

The linguistic meaning for it 1000 years ago doesn't mean anything! It's a language! Have you read 1000 year old English? It is completely unrecognizable and unreadable by modern English speakers. Even 600 year old English is really hard to understand, but you can generally gleam most of it. Only around 300-200 years ago is where it becomes clear, aside from now-esoteric word choice. And you have no basis for "The Ukraine" sourcing from Soviet oppression and illiterate immigrants.

[Svarte Troner]

I'm half awake, so I'll let this article do the talking for me:

http://www.infoukes.com/faq/the_ukraine/

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

English grammar does not require a definite article before the names of singular countries such as England, Canada or Ukraine.

Geographical regions such as the Arctic, the Atlantic, the North, the West, and the prairies all require the definite article, but these are not countries. Since 1917 Ukraine has had very definite borders so it cannot be regarded as merely a region. Some people have mistakenly thought that Ukraine is a general word meaning "the borderland;' "the steppes" or "the prairies;' which would require the article. A few neanderthal writers in the past have even promoted "the Ukraine" to reflect the original meaning "the borderland" in order to diminish the international political stature of Ukraine. They betrayed their ignorance of Ukraine, or their bias against it, with this usage. See for example, the view of Robert 0. Grover in the U.S. News & World Report (Dec. 9, 1991).

There appears to be virtually no grammatical or logical reason to use the definite article before the name Ukraine. But it is still encountered occasionally because of habit or because the writer is careless or ignorant about Ukraine. Sir Bernard Pares the eminent English historian of Russia suggested that "the Ukraine" came from French usage. We say Ia France, le Canada and l'Ukraine in French but not 'the France; 'the Canada' or 'the Ukraine' in the English language. The definite article the does not add anything to the meaning or clarity when used before the proper noun Ukraine.

[Hanslanda]

Ooookay. Someone has a bit of a Beserk Button. More like a 'Mildly Annoyed and Driven to Research Button' but whatever.
The Ukraine doesn't sound right though, I will admit. That'd be like saying 'The Texas'. We know it is The Texas. Just call it Texas. You don't need the The, it makes the sentence clunky and slightly pretentious, that's why they are proper nouns.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Ooookay. Someone has a bit of a Beserk Button. More like a 'Mildly Annoyed and Driven to Research Button' but whatever.
The Ukraine doesn't sound right though, I will admit. That'd be like saying 'The Texas'. We know it is The Texas. Just call it Texas. You don't need the The, it makes the sentence clunky and slightly pretentious, that's why they are proper nouns.

Like I said before: The Netherlands", "The Congo", "The Sudan", "The United States of America", "The Gambia", "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "The Republic of Ireland", "The People's Republic of China", "The Philippines", "The Azores", "The Balkans", "The Americas", "The Antarctic", "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics", "The Galapagos", "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".

Some places do, some places don't, and The Ukraine is just one where it is divided enough to be optional.

[Russisch]

I would say moving to Russia would be a good idea, but the way Russia has been acting as of late I do not think any one should be moving there until Putin is out of office.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Unfortunately, Putin's (And by extension, United Russia's) major opposition consists of a combination of nostalgic Communists and Ultranationalists of very questionable sanity. His minor opposition consists of Social Democrats, who are apparently the only force in Russian politics that doesn't seek to legislate oppression and maybe eventually start a nuclear or conventional war with the United States and the European Union at some point in the future.

Putin is bad. Communists and Ultranationalists are significantly worse.

[Russisch]

Unfortunately, Putin's (And by extension, United Russia's) major opposition consists of a combination of nostalgic Communists and Ultranationalists of very questionable sanity. His minor opposition consists of Social Democrats, who are apparently the only force in Russian politics that doesn't seek to legislate oppression and maybe eventually start a nuclear or conventional war with the United States and the European Union at some point in the future.

Putin is bad. Communists and Ultranationalists are significantly worse.

I couldn't agree with this more. Russia has to stay away from the pseudo government they are running before all of this goes to (more) hell.

[Cearnaigh]

The way it pans out, it seems more like Russia is just being more antagonistic towards the western world as of late, or I guess that specifically means us in some way, shape or form.

I'm optimistic enough to say, if that's unfounded paranoia (to some extent it must be), then I'm more than willing to change my point of view but the topic of getting out of the U.S has never crossed my mind regardless of what's been said about the U.S and people in it. Being "poor" or rather "staying afloat" in the United States is spoken of to the extent that it's some horrible caricature of misery by some people who don't realize that the stuff that gets doled out on a regular basis at homeless shelters is more than that which is seen by the average person in a third world nation. And these are people who are doing significantly better than someone living on the streets in the States. In the states, so much goes to waste. A guy can dig something edible out of the trash or bum a few bucks for a snack in no time at all. Can't do that elsewhere. Is it ideal? Does it mean that shit like corruption and fears of a corporate police state are completely fake? Of course not. It sucks.

I'm not saying nothing should be done to combat the problems the western world as a whole faces across the globe. But--

Being dead or absolutely miserable compared to when you're at least doing "adequete" or even moderately happy with where you are in the world? You tell me. A lot of it is unbearably annoying, but so far none of it is truly cause for mutinous action or up and moving out of the damn country. Legislate. Protest. Converse, discuss, make it pan out, change the way the world works. It doesn't happen in a day or a year or even a decade. It'll be the work of a generation. If not your generation, then the next one. If not that one, then the next damn one that actually gives a fuck about any of that stuff, because apparently you didn't. No one will change the world for you, and no one can change it alone.

I'm happy with where I live, the government isn't and can't scare me out of my own damn country. Not a single damn corporation, shoddy corrupt politician or misguided christian fundamentalist with way too many guns and way too little booklearnin' will make me budge on that either.

[GreatJustice]

Russia's a nice enough place to visit, especially if you have relatives, but living there isn't a good idea.

As said before, if politics is your problem in the US, you will have a bigger problem in Russia. You have a choice between voting for Putin, voting for a distinctly right wing Russian billionaire, voting for a nationalistic fellow who wants to assimilate Belarus and Ukraine, voting for the Communist party that isn't really communist and is composed more of bigoted nationalistic types these days and voting for the insignificant party where all the actual Communists and soft-core Socialists went.

[Phmcw]

May 68 in france and the hippy movement in the US were started by highly intelligent students from the most evoluted countries of the times.
The problem is, in less educated countries with less educated substrat, any evolution or revolution won't go as well as that.

[DJ]

If you don't like it in USA I'll be happy to trade places. I hope you like 50%+ unemployment

[Jopax]

Seconding the reccomendations of NZ, simply because it's so damn green (green grass is incredibly relaxing).

Plus you can always reenact the trip to Mordor

Also trip to Chernobyl/Pripyat is on a to do list for me, if I do run into you Gamelord don't count on staying alive/unlooted

[DarkWolfXV]

NEVER, just NEVER visit Poland, ever, ever, EVER.

I recommend Sweden/Norway if you want good life standard and cash.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Is there....some story behind why you dislike Poland so much?

[Ancre]

I'm pretty sure it's because he lives there