Now it's 'Serbia' or 'Montenegro', not 'Serbia and Montenegro' (and its nobody's business but the Slavs!)

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2013/03/15 07:01 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2013/03/15/10402510.aspx

I have a song running through my head right now - Istanbul (Not Constantinople), the original version recorded by The Four Lads:

 The lyrics are something like this:

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople
Been a long time gone
Old Constantinople's still has Turkish delight
On a moonlight night

Every gal in Constantinople
Is a Miss-stanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed  it, I can't say
 People just liked it better that way?

[Chorus]
Take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks'

Istanbul!!
Istanbul!!

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it, I can't say
 People just liked it better that way?

[Chorus]

Istanbul!!

Like I said, it's running through my head now.

Maybe it's running through yours now, too!

You might be wondering why I gifted you so elegantly....

I'll tell you.

As of June 3rd, 2006, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, formerly known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, decided to not be together anymore.

Gratuitous flag art for Serbia and Montenegro:

And Serbia:

And Montenegro:

But now even all these years later, with Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, both the Language Pack and the Language Interface Pack go by the name in Microsoft products as:

 instead of the new locales created there for this noble purpose:

Although the Constitution of Montenegro recognizes a language known as Montenegrin, in an uncommon burst of sanity they decided to recognize that their actual language has always been Serbian

In the future that may change, but for now we'll leave it be.

So instead of Serbia and Montenegro, we have Serbia and Montenegro.

For now, the new locales exist, even though the LP and the LIP don't use them.

I pleaded, a little bit in Windows 7 and a lot in Windows 8, but no wanted to take the bait.

I really hope we'll make the change, soon.

One day!

But that song running through my head....

I'll add single quotes to make it easier to navigate:

'Serbia' and 'Montenegro' were 'Serbia and Montenegro'
Now it's 'Serbia' or 'Montenegro' not 'Serbia and Montenegro'
Been a long time gone
Old 'Serbia and Montenegro' still has Slavic delight
On a moonlight night

Every gal in 'Serbia and Montenegro'
Is in 'Serbia' or 'Montenegro', not 'Serbia and Montenegro'
So if you've date in 'Serbia and Montenegro'
She'll be waiting in 'Serbia'. Or 'Montenegro'

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed  it, I can't say
 People just liked it better that way?

[Chorus]
Take me back to 'Serbia and Montenegro'
No, you can't go back to 'Serbia and Montenegro'
Now it's 'Serbia' or 'Montenegro', not 'Serbia and Montenegro'
Why did 'Serbia and Montenegro' get the nod?
That's nobody's business but a Slav!

'Serbia'!!
'Montenegro'!!

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it, I can't say
 People just liked it better that way?

[Chorus]

'Serbia' or 'Montenegro'!!

Kind of catchy, right? :-)

I've been wracking my brains trying to decide whether it's geopolitically offensive or not. Maybe I'll have warble it in the weekly WR PM meeting (aptly named 'the WRPMS meeting'!), and see what they think....

Or maybe I should try to convince my amazing and talented singer/songwriter friend Holly Figeuroa to do a cover of it some time? She's a much better singer than I am! :-)

PastorGL on 15 Mar 2013 10:44 AM:

Alex Cohn on 15 Mar 2013 12:29 PM:

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