Our flags are the same colors! Add Switzerland to the mix and get some great cheese, chocolate and watches. Japan can bring the sushi. They can even have Greenland/Japan fusion whale meat sushi.
Can Oregon get in on this action? We're not happy with our neighbors to the east either. The neighbors to the north seem *much nicer*.
In any case I am moving away from the USA in the next 6 months - I prefer the South Pacific and if I'm gonna not be here the place I am should be nice. And warmer than Canada.
How the fuck does that happen? Do they learn it in school? How does that work? Are they a nation of geniuses? I mean, two years of college French, and I'd have trouble ordering a drink in Paris.
Same deal with Swedes and Germans, too. Practically every one I meet speaks perfect English. Maybe I move in rarefied circles or something, but it's still a little intimidating.
If you consume your entertainment in another language from a young age it is easy to pick up the language. I learned English first from watching English cartoons with Dutch subtitles on the Dutch TV channels, and later from watching English cartoons with English subtitles (teletext page 888 ftw!) on the BBC.
If I remember correctly I watched Gargoyles on the BBC, and that is still the greatest cartoon ever, if you remember one thing: The third season does not exist and it is a real pity they never made a third season.
I had French from Grade 5 through Grade 12, but almost none of it stuck except for a few grammatical rules. I have to assume that my brain just isn't wired for two languages.
Roger Federer speaks perfect French as well as Swiss German and Italian along with perfect English
Serena speaks perfect French and Italian
I'm like - where do you find the time?
Because when I could practice every day I was proficient, and when I'm immersed I get better every day ... but I come back to the States and lose it almost immediately, which I loathe
So ... I donβt know, but if you find out please share
When I served in the USAF in Germany in '66-68 the locals that I worked with on the base all spoke, if not flawless, pretty darned good English. They told me that their kids were all taught English from first grade (or whatever they called it) all the way through high school so I'd assume the kids spoke it even better than the parents.
They figure they'd roll up in a military convoy and we'd throw Coffee Crisps and flowers at them. Maybe from Danielle Smith's and Scott Moe's offices but not many other places.
Here's my suggestion to the world community: It's called the "Fight Crazy With Even Crazier" strategy. We start with state governors like Gavin Newsom, for example. Newsom opens up a dialog with governors from other like minded states, like Oregon, Washington, Minnesota (maybe), Illinois, Wisconsin (maybe), New York, New Jersey, and most of the New England States. He suggests that all those inclined to do so band together and threaten to secede from the United States and to join Canada, and perhaps Mexico in a new federal system. In response, of course, the Mad King will say that he's going to sic the American military on these upstarts. But then, the upstarts say stuff like, "Okay. We're going to stop the flow of any federal tax revenues that originate in our various states to Washington, because we pay way more in than we get out. And, we are going to ask China to defend us. We are going to stop trading with all those dumbass states that remain aligned with the Mad King and we are going to focus all of our trading with China and the various other BRIC countries."
Now, I know that that sounds crazy. But does it sound that much crazier than what the Mad King is proposing? Make Canada the 51st state? Invade Greenland? Invade Panama? Turn Gaza into a Club Med?
By making such a crazy proposition, at the very least, it underscores the extent of the craziness of the Mad King's ideas.
And as a Canadian by birth, I would welcome the notion.
The Whiskey War was just about as Canadian as a war can get:
"Whenever the Canadian or Danish militaries were in the area, they would make a point of stopping at Hans Island, tearing down the rival nationsβ flag and hoisting their own. After every flag action, the Canadians would leave behind a bottle of whiskey while the Danes would leave behind a bottle of Scandinavian aquavit." https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-to-get-new-land-border-with-denmark-as-decades-long-hans-island-dispute-ends
Sorry, Canada. Denmark has its eyes on California:
https://denmarkification.com/
The best danishes have maple syrup and nuts in them. Fight me!
Our flags are the same colors! Add Switzerland to the mix and get some great cheese, chocolate and watches. Japan can bring the sushi. They can even have Greenland/Japan fusion whale meat sushi.
Can parts of New England get in on the action?
Only if they're willing to risk the fury of Susan Collins' furrowed brow.
Minnesota on Line 2, as well.
Such a nice Valentine's week post.
"At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Thinking I could live without you by my side
And after spending nights
Thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
And I learned how to get along
Now you're back
From outer space
And I find you here
With that sad look upon your face
I should've changed that stupid lock
Or made you leave your key
If I've known for a second
You'd be back to bother me"
Some of the most relatable words in the music world
I think most of us would want to be in a friends-with-benefits relationship even if it does turn sour in the end.
Can Oregon get in on this action? We're not happy with our neighbors to the east either. The neighbors to the north seem *much nicer*.
In any case I am moving away from the USA in the next 6 months - I prefer the South Pacific and if I'm gonna not be here the place I am should be nice. And warmer than Canada.
But, Darling, I need you -- OK, I need your Tylenol 3, but I can change!
86 percent of Danes speak English
How the fuck does that happen? Do they learn it in school? How does that work? Are they a nation of geniuses? I mean, two years of college French, and I'd have trouble ordering a drink in Paris.
Same deal with Swedes and Germans, too. Practically every one I meet speaks perfect English. Maybe I move in rarefied circles or something, but it's still a little intimidating.
One word explanation: Subtitles.
If you consume your entertainment in another language from a young age it is easy to pick up the language. I learned English first from watching English cartoons with Dutch subtitles on the Dutch TV channels, and later from watching English cartoons with English subtitles (teletext page 888 ftw!) on the BBC.
If I remember correctly I watched Gargoyles on the BBC, and that is still the greatest cartoon ever, if you remember one thing: The third season does not exist and it is a real pity they never made a third season.
I had French from Grade 5 through Grade 12, but almost none of it stuck except for a few grammatical rules. I have to assume that my brain just isn't wired for two languages.
Same here. (Parochial schools in a French-Canadian parish.)
I donβt think it is
Roger Federer speaks perfect French as well as Swiss German and Italian along with perfect English
Serena speaks perfect French and Italian
I'm like - where do you find the time?
Because when I could practice every day I was proficient, and when I'm immersed I get better every day ... but I come back to the States and lose it almost immediately, which I loathe
So ... I donβt know, but if you find out please share
When I served in the USAF in Germany in '66-68 the locals that I worked with on the base all spoke, if not flawless, pretty darned good English. They told me that their kids were all taught English from first grade (or whatever they called it) all the way through high school so I'd assume the kids spoke it even better than the parents.
They all really like Tom Waits albums.
What do you call someone who speaks one language? An American
The nurse at the school I taught at was from Algeria and spoke 5 languages fluently.
Guilty as charged, I probably would not have graduated from college if they hadn't given me a special exemption to my second language requirement.
This is the sort of international diplomacy I could get behind.
Latvia? Maroon and white, you're thinking of Austria. Or Poland. Or Monaco.
Accidental polyamory
"communicating our needs in bed shouldnβt be a problem"
"Many of my language students ask me about the quickest way to learn English, and I occasionally joke by saying, Get yourself a native speaker girl or boyfriend and practise [sic] some pillow talk! https://www.learnlight.com/en/articles/fast-track-learning-a-language-with-a-lover-from-another-country/
-----
"and pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen"
Don't forget some of the greatest rock bands from the 1960s though today: The Guess Who, BTO, Steppenwolf, Chilliwack, D.O.A....
fnord
Leonard Cohen, k.d. lang, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot.
And, I assume, some of the ones the kids listen to today.
Neil Young is a bit of a let down. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/neil-young-glastonbury-grunge-donald-trump-b2694259.html
The Tragically Hip
But will they let Canada into the Eurovision Song Contest?
Fuck it Australia is in.
Well, I am extremely comforted.
Trump's national security adviser: 'I don't think there's any plans to invade Canada'
- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-national-security-adviser-no-plans-invade-canada-waltz-rcna191374
Unrelated: Why Do Canadians Go Ballistic During War?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0230d9mp5WY
"I don't think there's any plans" covers 99% of the shit that the Orange-outang is babbling about between rounds of golf.
They figure they'd roll up in a military convoy and we'd throw Coffee Crisps and flowers at them. Maybe from Danielle Smith's and Scott Moe's offices but not many other places.
I think the Canada thing came out of a bet between his aides to see who could get him to do the stupidest shit.
Plans? PLANS? Since when does Herr Merdepants need plans?
Here's my suggestion to the world community: It's called the "Fight Crazy With Even Crazier" strategy. We start with state governors like Gavin Newsom, for example. Newsom opens up a dialog with governors from other like minded states, like Oregon, Washington, Minnesota (maybe), Illinois, Wisconsin (maybe), New York, New Jersey, and most of the New England States. He suggests that all those inclined to do so band together and threaten to secede from the United States and to join Canada, and perhaps Mexico in a new federal system. In response, of course, the Mad King will say that he's going to sic the American military on these upstarts. But then, the upstarts say stuff like, "Okay. We're going to stop the flow of any federal tax revenues that originate in our various states to Washington, because we pay way more in than we get out. And, we are going to ask China to defend us. We are going to stop trading with all those dumbass states that remain aligned with the Mad King and we are going to focus all of our trading with China and the various other BRIC countries."
Now, I know that that sounds crazy. But does it sound that much crazier than what the Mad King is proposing? Make Canada the 51st state? Invade Greenland? Invade Panama? Turn Gaza into a Club Med?
By making such a crazy proposition, at the very least, it underscores the extent of the craziness of the Mad King's ideas.
And as a Canadian by birth, I would welcome the notion.
I actually really like this idea. Fighting crazy with crazy. It's just so crazy it might work!
The Queen of Denmark is an Aussie. Can we get in on this?