This has bugged me for years and it’s becoming even more obvious now. Quick – what’s the capitol of Mainland China? 98% of you responded Beijing. But a few of you MIGHT have slipped in a Peking. How about the capitol of the Indian state of Maharashtra? Most of you pronounce it Mumbai but I’m old enough to remember when it was Bombay. But we never seriously say “Paree” instead of Paris “Bearlean” instead of Berlin. And President Obama intoning “Pokeestahn” used to cause me to erupt into peels of laughter.

And we’re seeing it again. US news outlets are doing a decent job differentiating the Ukranian-derived Kyiv from the Russian-derived Kiev … but why no Russiya, Moskva or or Ookrania? What’s the deal? Much of the rest of the world prefers Nueva York but WE don’t. What’s the deal?