Sometimes when I arrive home I turn on the TV and catch a part of some cooking show where the pixie-like host describes what she's doing to the audience. While I'm checking email, I hear, in the background, thunderous applause from the TV. It appears that when the host says, 'garlic' or 'thai', the applause light goes on in the studio and the trained seals (well, not actually seals, they're really tourists, plants or paid to be there) loudly and cheerfully respond with positive noises on command.
These are clueless idiots who, when offered the remote possibility to be "on TV", willingly behave like drones in return for the 5 minutes of potential fame.
These people are being subtly manipulated by the director of the show.
In many cases, 95% is good enough. Other times, well...
There are lots of manager-types who work a plan to 95% knowing full well that resolving the remaining 5% will take at least as many resources and time as getting to 95%.
Hey, I'm not a historian or native French-speaker, I just lived there for many years. Care to summarize the links you provided? To me, being able to speak French is an advantage for me and I genuinely like les Quebecois, my son is one!
Cheers,
Paul
Did I say I cared about that? Sorry if I gave you that impression, my point was that Quebec's "parent" country's language elite tends to consider it as a backwards child (linguistically). Maybe I have to provide a cite for that to you, since opinions based on observation apparently now need at least a Wikipedia entry or a bunch of hypertext links.
Perhaps Russia too? Gee, I wonder why this inconvenient truth never seems to be mentioned in news reports about how Global Warming/Climate Change is going to destroy the universe if western society doesn't pay up. China and India, as the fastest growing economies have a big part to play in this scheme (if in fact it isn't only a politico power grab attempt and scam spanning two centuries).
Anglicism seepage is indeed not limited to one continent, it just seems to me that trying to turn back the clock is silly. FYI, I'm half Acadian French, you know, that funny-sounding, hick-like accent that big town, sophisticated Quebecois find so "charming", amusing, quaint and backwards.
As for your question (it's a good one) I don't really care and never even thought about it. Maybe the Brits, Scots and Irish *do* think I sound like a rube, who cares? I work with some Aussies and NZers and we joke about accents all the time.
Did they make you sing the national anthem too? One guy I used to worked with was pretty pissed-off about that and pretty much let it define his younger years as a form of rebellion. As losers in a war, Quebec got some pretty decent terms, don't you think? Salut!
Do you think that vehicles with 10 airbags are "safer"? Is 100% safety desireable or even achievable (remember the law of diminishing returns)?
All the coming disasters claimed by the alarmists are projected to happen only in 100 years or so. "Ah-ha!" you may say, "You don't care about the future and probably eat newborns and burn kittens for fuel as well, evil denier!"
I won't admit to eating newborns but the fireplace is nicely stoked, and the mewing is getting annoying. Maybe I'll move to penguins next time.
Perhaps you are the sort of person who says, "even if it* saves one life it'll be worth it."
*Whatever "it" may popularly be today with the crusading do-what-I-say crowd.
Or is it a question of "Global Warming/Climate Change" being blamed for every "odd" thing that happens in the world's weather? Append to that the "known fact" meme that this is caused by human activity. Since AGW is a fait accompli and such a huge issue, why are those that have questions about the theory, data collection methods, source code for the computer models, etc., shut down by the proponents of the theory?
TWIAVBP, look it up. The "Think Globally, Act Locally" mantra ironically often causes well-meaning individuals to "act" on things they know little about as they are primed by "global" organizations whose main interest is self-perpetuation
Not to mention the inevitable seepage of Anglicisms/memes into Quebec French culture (which, I suppose, l'Office de la Langue Francais is trying to stem - bonne chance, mes amis).
I've been told that the France French consider the Quebec French dialect to be "crude" and "yokel-like". Dunno if it's true. In my estimation (sorry, no double-blind surveys) French-speaking Quebecers associate more with Americans than they do with France. In this evaluation I'm ignoring Canada itself, since it's not a real country anyway.
I've lived off-and-on in Quebec for about 20 years, I like the place and go back there a few times a year. I speak French (badly) as a second language and I have a lot of family in the province.
Culture is important, and the seperatistes seem to want to preserve their linguistic "purity", politics, history or somesuch, but it ain't gonna happen. Unilingual French youth in Quebec have discovered the internet and are exploring beyond the predetermined boundaries. If I were cynical I'd mention that keeping Quebec unilingual would be a nice way to keep the locals voting for single-issue politics and keeping the home boys down on the farm and ignorant of the rest of the world. Again, ain't gonna happen, the damn kids are too curious, good for them!
Ice shelves that don't calve would worry me more. But due to current media-promoted hysteria about "the environment", I think we should spend 100 trillion dollars to fix our planet. I mean, really, if we don't have a planet or environment, we're all dead. And think of the children!
"Some plants and animals may have to adapt"? Maybe we could collect them all and put them in an artificial environment so they can be safe from nature and man's evil nature. And then cuddle them - well, at least the ones that have comfy fur and cute eyes.
Slashdot Mirror
+6 Insightful.
...it was fashionable...
Sometimes when I arrive home I turn on the TV and catch a part of some cooking show where the pixie-like host describes what she's doing to the audience. While I'm checking email, I hear, in the background, thunderous applause from the TV. It appears that when the host says, 'garlic' or 'thai', the applause light goes on in the studio and the trained seals (well, not actually seals, they're really tourists, plants or paid to be there) loudly and cheerfully respond with positive noises on command.
These are clueless idiots who, when offered the remote possibility to be "on TV", willingly behave like drones in return for the 5 minutes of potential fame.
These people are being subtly manipulated by the director of the show.
What are you, 12?
I applaud your non-use of commas in 'CAPTCHAs'.
I think the .sucks TLD would also be popular.
In many cases, 95% is good enough. Other times, well...
There are lots of manager-types who work a plan to 95% knowing full well that resolving the remaining 5% will take at least as many resources and time as getting to 95%.
Can you extrapolate that to the new currency, Obamas?
Hmm, political language and twisty conditions. Why am I not surprised? Bureaucrats are the same everywhere, let's put them in power!
Merci, mon ami.
Me like, talk. You write "from whence" and use words like "inconsequential". Bravo!
No need for a cite on that, I need a cite on why that matters and why you would bring it up.
Shouldn't that read: "that which is referred-to"? I hope you are done toying with me now.
Hey, I'm not a historian or native French-speaker, I just lived there for many years. Care to summarize the links you provided? To me, being able to speak French is an advantage for me and I genuinely like les Quebecois, my son is one! Cheers, Paul
Did I say I cared about that? Sorry if I gave you that impression, my point was that Quebec's "parent" country's language elite tends to consider it as a backwards child (linguistically). Maybe I have to provide a cite for that to you, since opinions based on observation apparently now need at least a Wikipedia entry or a bunch of hypertext links.
Perhaps Russia too? Gee, I wonder why this inconvenient truth never seems to be mentioned in news reports about how Global Warming/Climate Change is going to destroy the universe if western society doesn't pay up. China and India, as the fastest growing economies have a big part to play in this scheme (if in fact it isn't only a politico power grab attempt and scam spanning two centuries).
Anglicism seepage is indeed not limited to one continent, it just seems to me that trying to turn back the clock is silly. FYI, I'm half Acadian French, you know, that funny-sounding, hick-like accent that big town, sophisticated Quebecois find so "charming", amusing, quaint and backwards.
As for your question (it's a good one) I don't really care and never even thought about it. Maybe the Brits, Scots and Irish *do* think I sound like a rube, who cares? I work with some Aussies and NZers and we joke about accents all the time.
Did they make you sing the national anthem too? One guy I used to worked with was pretty pissed-off about that and pretty much let it define his younger years as a form of rebellion. As losers in a war, Quebec got some pretty decent terms, don't you think? Salut!
Holy tabernac de calis! You seem to be right about the religion thing, 'hostee. Prost and well-wishes to you, goddamn it!
Do you think that vehicles with 10 airbags are "safer"? Is 100% safety desireable or even achievable (remember the law of diminishing returns)?
All the coming disasters claimed by the alarmists are projected to happen only in 100 years or so. "Ah-ha!" you may say, "You don't care about the future and probably eat newborns and burn kittens for fuel as well, evil denier!"
I won't admit to eating newborns but the fireplace is nicely stoked, and the mewing is getting annoying. Maybe I'll move to penguins next time.
Perhaps you are the sort of person who says, "even if it* saves one life it'll be worth it." *Whatever "it" may popularly be today with the crusading do-what-I-say crowd.
Sorry dude, the science is settled.
You bastard. All those times I modded you up, and now you criticize me!
:)
PS I love you too, but not in that Greek way you seem to be infatuated with.
Or is it a question of "Global Warming/Climate Change" being blamed for every "odd" thing that happens in the world's weather? Append to that the "known fact" meme that this is caused by human activity. Since AGW is a fait accompli and such a huge issue, why are those that have questions about the theory, data collection methods, source code for the computer models, etc., shut down by the proponents of the theory?
Or is Global Warming a convenient boogeyman?
TWIAVBP, look it up. The "Think Globally, Act Locally" mantra ironically often causes well-meaning individuals to "act" on things they know little about as they are primed by "global" organizations whose main interest is self-perpetuation
Are there some countries that are exempt from the global regulations?
Is CO2 actually a "pollutant", and how do we define pollution?
Has relatively recent human activity actually been proven to be the cause of something we can't even measure properly?
What percentage of the atmosphere does CO2 actually occupy and what is it's molecular weight?
Not to mention the inevitable seepage of Anglicisms/memes into Quebec French culture (which, I suppose, l'Office de la Langue Francais is trying to stem - bonne chance, mes amis). I've been told that the France French consider the Quebec French dialect to be "crude" and "yokel-like". Dunno if it's true. In my estimation (sorry, no double-blind surveys) French-speaking Quebecers associate more with Americans than they do with France. In this evaluation I'm ignoring Canada itself, since it's not a real country anyway.
it's often the case that the waste caused in planned economies is even worse for the environment.
Good point, nobody ever seems to mention the environmental horrors that existed/still exist in those failed planned economies you refer to.
I've lived off-and-on in Quebec for about 20 years, I like the place and go back there a few times a year. I speak French (badly) as a second language and I have a lot of family in the province.
Culture is important, and the seperatistes seem to want to preserve their linguistic "purity", politics, history or somesuch, but it ain't gonna happen. Unilingual French youth in Quebec have discovered the internet and are exploring beyond the predetermined boundaries. If I were cynical I'd mention that keeping Quebec unilingual would be a nice way to keep the locals voting for single-issue politics and keeping the home boys down on the farm and ignorant of the rest of the world. Again, ain't gonna happen, the damn kids are too curious, good for them!
Ice shelves that don't calve would worry me more. But due to current media-promoted hysteria about "the environment", I think we should spend 100 trillion dollars to fix our planet. I mean, really, if we don't have a planet or environment, we're all dead. And think of the children!
"Some plants and animals may have to adapt"? Maybe we could collect them all and put them in an artificial environment so they can be safe from nature and man's evil nature. And then cuddle them - well, at least the ones that have comfy fur and cute eyes.