English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

New Saxony

12:21 AM

@Cerberus So I hear y'all're talkin' 'bout the Bronze Age. Isn't that where they had the Phenocians?

Xanne

The Americas seem not to have had a Bronze Age.

Cerberus

@NewSaxony The Phoenicians were among those cultures that survived the collapse, yes.

@Xanne No bronze?

New Saxony

Elton John > David Bowie

btw.

Robusto

2:00 AM

Nice full moon out there tonight.

> The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you.

The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You

►

@Cerberus The Egyptologists call those "Intermediate Periods" between the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Which were all pretty much over with by the time the Bronze Age collapsed.

Cerberus

I suppose you could say there were dark ages between the Kingdoms.

And one after the New.

Although Egyptian culture was too strong to really collapse.

Robusto

@Cerberus The "intermediate" periods functioned as dark ages, when there was no dynasty to give Egypt order.

Cerberus

Yes, I know that.

Although there were dynasties, they were mostly unstable and they often did not rule over all of Egypt.

Robusto

I'm full of new enlightenment about ancient Egypt, so please bear with me if I indulge in immoderate coruscations of recently learned facts.

Cerberus

Haha.

Very good.

It was a great period.

Of a great civilisation.

Too bad we don't really much good literature left from it.

Or none that I am aware of.

But their architecture was sublime.

Robusto

2:14 AM

Yeah. We tend to telescope ancient Egypt into the time up to and including Cleopatra VII, but there was really about 3,000 years of history before that.

Cerberus

Indeed.

Robusto

@Cerberus Their art was pretty much the same for the duration, with minor changes. That was a conservative society.

Cerberus

Yeah.

So probably not a lot of fun.

Robusto

Well, they liked the stability.

Cerberus

Indeed.

Robusto

2:15 AM

Not having the pharaonic order was anathema to them. For look what happened when the system fell apart.

Cerberus

Well, I think Egypt still prospered under Roman rule?

Robusto

Rome despoiled Egypt.

Egypt was basically a farming satrapy or Rome.

Cerberus

It took away its pharaohs.

(All powers despoiled any others they could lay their hands on.)

Robusto

After Marc Antony was crushed by Octavian, yeah, that went away.

@Cerberus Yes.

Cerberus

Under the Arabs and the Turks, Egypt still remained important and prosperous.

It was for a long time independent under its own (Muslim Arab?) dynasty as well.

Robusto

2:18 AM

My recent learning only took me up to the Greco-Roman period.

Cerberus

It remained under Byzantine rule for some time after that.

Then I think the Arabs conquered it.

Then it became independent under the Arabs later.

Then it was conquered by the Turks (I think) as they reunited and expanded the Muslim world.

Then it became a British protectorate when the Turkish empire was dissolved.

Robusto

Yeah. A "protectorate" ...

Cerberus

Which is a euphemism for a lightly managed colony.

Robusto

Yes.

Cerberus

Like Puerto Rico? Guam?

Robusto

2:23 AM

@Cerberus Similar, to be sure.

I don't even know what Guam is to the US (glorified military outpost?), but I know Puerto Rico has been something the Democrats want given statehood and the Republicans wish would just go away once it has been squeezed of any value.

@Cerberus And does your country still have any "protectorates"?

Cerberus

@Robusto Sure, we still have colonies.

I think you have visited one or two?

Aruba perhaps?

Robusto

Curacao.

Cerberus

Right.

Many people want to dump them.

But some sense of inherited responsibility remains.

Robusto

I didn't notice a lot of Dutch down there. Buildings, yeah, but not people.

Cerberus

They speak mostly Papiamento but also Dutch.

Robusto

2:31 AM

The most common language there seems to be Papamientu.

Jinx.

Cerberus

Large loans are given and let off time and again by the Dutch government.

The endemic corruption is often combated.

There is little the motherland can do about the high unemployment.

Robusto

Yeah, that is a hard nut to crack.

Cerberus

They are basically typical Caribbean islands.

Robusto

The resort we stayed at was Dutch owned, but the staff seemed to be mainly other European (and native cleaners, etc.).

Cerberus

They could vote to become independent if they wanted.

@Robusto Isn't that the case in many places around the world?

We have tons of foreigners working in tourism in Amsterdam.

Robusto

2:34 AM

This is the resort where we stayed

It was very relaxing. A two-story, three-bedroom suite with a lanai for the main living area.

Cerberus

Looks nice.

Robusto

So you basically have a living and dining area outdoors, shielded by foliage but with screens you can pull down for additional privacy.

And you don't feel the least bit guilty about just loafing along, going in the water when it suits you, otherwise reading, playing cards, chatting, whatever.

Cerberus

I rarely feel guilty about that...

Robusto

This was our favorite restaurant there: google.com/maps/place/The+Wine+Cellar/…

The one at the resort was highly acclaimed, but we found it not very stellar. Although their breakfasts were decent.

Cerberus

Alas.

Robusto

2:40 AM

Just the opposite of Maui. We stayed at the Four Seasons resort there and only had one meal outside, which we all judged to be rather disappointing.

But whenever I'm away for a week, loafing and drinking and eating too much, I always come back burning to be active, clear my head, go back to eating normally. I just can't live a sybaritic existence for very long.

And, really, I can't manage more than a week at a time of that kind of existence.

Cerberus

I just miss the stuff I have at home.

Robusto

Well, yeah.

Cerberus

My computer, friends, stuff.

Robusto

On one vacation I had to visit a university book store while there to get a book on 3D trigonometry because I was working on a UI idea I wanted to implement.

Had to keep my mind busy.

Cerberus

Haha yes.

Robusto

2:49 AM

Face it, we're nerds.

CowperKettle

Cerberus

3:03 AM

A coil looking around a corner?

user 85795

A coil casting the shadow of a binder?

New Saxony

3:38 AM

*of a spiral-bound notebook?

wait, so which one of you, @Cerberus or @Robusto, is the American, and which is the Dutchman?

How do you, @Robusto, have so much time to go out and see the world like that? Are you tenured or something?

@Cerberus So, you live in Amsterdam? I've always wondered what it'd be like to live in a place like that where so many people ride bikes all the time? Do you ride? If so, do you know if The Netherlands has many/any MTB trails?

Cerberus

@NewSaxony Yes, everybody rides a bike.

It's the standard mode of transportation within the city.

Where are you from?

And what is MTB?

Xanne

4:11 AM

mountain bike

Cerberus

4:38 AM

Ahh.

How odd, that T.

New Saxony

5:05 AM

I'm an Okie.

Not from Muskogee

You're Dutch, then?

New Saxony

5:43 AM

second message is from a song: Okie from Muskogee"

CowperKettle

6:28 AM

Why yes, I would love to have my anus probed. — NoName 1 hour ago

@Cerberus Spring just around the corner

CowperKettle

8:04 AM

> "Who are we, where from, and where do we go?"

A sign on top of the former instrument-making plant, which is scheduled for demolition

It is a nod to

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (French: D'où venons-nous ? Que sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ?) is a painting by French artist Paul Gauguin. The painting was created in Tahiti, and is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, US. Viewed as a masterpiece by Gauguin, the painting is considered "a philosophical work comparable to the themes of the Gospels".The painting is notable for its enigmatic subject and atmosphere. Some scholars have attributed these qualities to personal conflicts that Gauguin experienced while creating this artwork. == Background == Gauguin...

Andrew Leach

8:29 AM

@Bohemianrelativist A ogonek is pronounced as a nasalised o in Polish and probably Lithuanian, akin to the French word en. The ogonek is a symbol of nasalisation. You may be able to get away with simply treating such a letter as if it were followed by n: the Polish town Kęty is pronounced Kenty (albeit with a slight nasalisation of the n.)

The diacritic appears to be used in quite a lot of languages.

Ogonek

The ogonek (Polish: [ɔˈɡɔnɛk], "little tail", the diminutive of ogon; Lithuanian: nosinė, "nasal") is a diacritic hook placed under the lower right corner of a vowel in the Latin alphabet used in several European languages, and directly under a vowel in several Native American languages. It is also placed on the lower right corner of consonants in some Latin transcriptions of various indigenous languages of the Caucasus mountains.An ogonek can also be attached to the bottom of a vowel in Old Norse-Icelandic to show length or vowel affection. For example, in Old Norse, ǫ represents the Old Norwegian...

CowperKettle

11:46 AM

In Russian, ogonyok is "small flame", as of a candle, or even "small light", as in a window

CowperKettle

1:41 PM

CowperKettle

1:52 PM

LOL

Conrado

2:33 PM

0

Q: How to describe Bipolar-like behaviour in a positive sense?

Little bit of background that might seem technical - I'm looking for a name for this common pattern in web design - if you are not logged-in, the homepage shows a marketing landing page. But once you log-in you see a completely different homepage e.g. Facebook shows a sign-up form first and your ...

> Janus-headed

@Cerb? (because of your avatar)

Seriously, although I'm not diagnosed as bipolar, I live almost constantly with conflicting ideas.

I think that many people have inner conflict and don't admit it.

And I think that bi bolar

Robusto

The glass is half full. — Robusto 1 min ago

Conrado

@Robusto :) ...is not descriptive enough. People who I've been close to, who were diagnosed as bipolar, were really beautiful personalities, albeit difficult to . Sometimes it is just a label attached to people who simply have extraordinary emotional depth or ability.

> Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind
The boughs drink in new beauty and the trunk
Sends down a deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief
Can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come
To stretch out spaces in the heart of joy.
–Edwin Markham (1852-1940)

Robusto

@Conrado It was a facetious remark. Bipolar is usually thought of as a curse, not any kind of blessing. If you're driving along and only staying on the road half the time, that is not a good percentage.

Conrado

Yes, that's true.

But it is also some people's reality, and we are all in some measure responsible to care about them as if we were them. Or something like that.

No Man is an Island - John Donne (Powerful Life Poetry)

►

Robusto

2:49 PM

@Conrado Cancer is also some people's reality, but that doesn't mean we have to say it is a good thing. Part of caring about someone is admitting the truth about their condition.

Alto Disagrees With Bernstein's Tempo

►

@RegDwigнt: ^

I didn't know altos could be divas.

CowperKettle

The problem is that the diagnostic process is hazy. There are no strong biomarkers, therefore nobody really knows what's inside there when they are given the bipolar diagnosis.

It's like depression, which has many different causes. Once the 20 thousand genes are researched deep enough, there will be real diagnoses.

Robusto

I agree, but we don't do the depressed or the bipolar any favors if we don't admit they have severe issues.

"The wish to be cured is itself a step toward health."

Conrado

@CowperKettle Yes, and in this way (although I don't have medical expertise) it is different from cancer, although it is still true what Robusto says, that it is not all good just because people experience it.

CowperKettle

I translated a case in which a young guy had a depression and no drug helped him. Turned out he had a rare form of BH4 deficiency caused by a yet unknown mutation or interaction. Once his BH4 metabolism was fixed, he was instantly cured, after years of trying to kill himself.

I'm now translating a consensus guideline on all forms of BH4 deficiency, in order to understand it better.

Robusto

I knew a woman once whose bipolar lows made her contemplate suicide. She was found outside in the middle of winter in her underwear. I don't celebrate that as being part of a "beautiful personality."

Conrado

2:54 PM

21 hours ago, by CowperKettle

Life is very complex.

So is the ELU chat quote protocol

Robusto

Mar 4 '11 at 1:50, by Robusto

"The wish to be cured is itself a step toward health."

Conrado

@Robusto You are right. Anyhow, thanks for taking time for this discussion. Cheers!

Navdeep Singh

3:29 PM

What's the error in this sentence: "We reserved tickets for a journey on train for the next morning".

And in this one: "Each student will have to carry his own lunch on the picnic"

Robusto

3:42 PM

@NavdeepSingh Should be "on a train" ... and you don't need the for there either.

Simpler would be "We reserved train tickets for a journey the next morning."

New Saxony

3:58 PM

Mornin'

No error on the second one

RegDwigнt

4:57 PM

@Robusto inorite.

Well, then again, maybe I can be a diva without being able to sing at all.

Maybe I already am.

I must check the requirements.

And to be fair, that is an impossible passage. People can't even speak in that tempo. That combination of consonant clusters is nothing short of trolling. Be a good boy, Gustav, translate it into Italian or something.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt Bernstein should have said, "Hey, whose idea was it to sing in German anyway?"

CowperKettle

6:19 PM

Seiryu Miharashi Station

Seiryu Miharashi Station (清流みはらし駅, Seiryū Miharashi-eki) is a railway station on the Nishikigawa Seiryū Line in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the Nishikigawa Railway, a third-sector railway company. == Lines == The station is served by the Nishikigawa Seiryū Line, and is located between Naguwa and Nekasa. == Adjacent stations == == History == The station opened on March 19, 2019, and can only be accessed by train, as there are no roads or footpaths leading to the station. Cost of the construction was approximately 112 million yen. It was built as a viewing platform an...

A train station without entry or exit.

M.A.R.

6:50 PM

@CowperKettle well, the US honored a captain that downed a civilian aircraft

. . . I hope by mistake.

Robusto

@M.A.R. Yeah, I do too. But I'm just sick of this kind of bullshit, which includes governments "sending a message" by killing civilians.

The planet is in peril and we can't find anything better to do than play our power games.

M.A.R.

@Robusto yeah sigh BTW I watched the language learning video you shared. It was fantastic!

@Robusto very GoT TBH

CowperKettle

@M.A.R. Recently? Governments have this tendency to commit crimes, and people must fight against it. For instance, the Guantanamo prison violates the right to a fair trial.

M.A.R.

@CowperKettle I dunno if 30 years ago is recently, but I think about the US there's always a trend where people say "oh, they're not that nuts anymore" ever since the end of WWII but people are proven wrong at every turn when declassified documents come out a generation later.

CowperKettle

Yes, it is a cognitive deviation. People think that somehow right now we are more civilized.

Robusto

6:57 PM

@CowperKettle Yeah, Guantanamo is just another ham-fisted, illegal clusterfuck.

Meantime we are still all about buying and showing military might—as if that would help the planet not burn.

M.A.R.

Yeah there are some things just people are told to ignore by the media, and they do, despite all their "media skeptic" clout.

Robusto

@M.A.R. Yeah, I thought it was great.

THAT is what we need. Not ships and planes and bombs.

M.A.R.

People believe the powers-that-be don't care about them, then they listen to the powers that be as soon as something's up. People claim rich people don't care about them, then the average farmer fantasizes meeting St. Trump. People claim the media is subservient to power, then taut Fox News or MSNBC at every turn

And it's the same at my country too, so it's fair to think it's more or less the same everywhere.

Robusto

It's crazy. Scary crazy.

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five, also known as The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a science fiction infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1969. It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the post-war years, with Billy occasionally traveling through time. The text centers on Billy's capture by the German Army and his survival of the Allied firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war, an experience which Vonnegut himself lived through as an American serviceman...

Worth reading. Still.

@Cerberus ^

CowperKettle

7:13 PM

Irish word of the day: rothar (bicycle) [ˈɾˠɔhəɾˠ]

Pronounced as rohr

CowperKettle

7:32 PM

> The Greek scholar took his torn pants to the Greek tailor. Studying the tear, the tailor asked, "Euripedes?" The scholar nodded. "Eumenides?"

I don't get it.

How To Say Eumenides

►

M.A.R.

7:46 PM

@CowperKettle "You ripped this?" "You mean this?"

Mitch

@M.A.R. Or maybe "You mend these?"

M.A.R.

@Mitch What do you call half a pair of pants? A pant? A leg?

Robusto

8:13 PM

@CowperKettle Of course. That's why Sean is "shawn" and Seamus is "shamus" and Siobhan is pronounced "shi-VON" ...

@CowperKettle Euripedes: "You ripped these?" Eumenides: "You mend these?"

Cerberus

@Robusto It's grown!

New Saxony

@CowperKettle Tf is Japan even doing? They have one of the earth's biggest economies, yet they're spending it on only-train-accessible viewing platforms? God.

Cerberus

I think something should be done about it.

Robusto

@Cerberus It's alive!

Cerberus

By the way, Dutch consumption of electricity is about 1/7th of total use of energy.

Robusto

8:15 PM

Frankenstein "It's Alive" Scene

►

Cerberus

I assume by "power" they mean electricity.

Robusto

Well, of course. Not many computers run on coal.

But those things can be equivalencies, I guess.

Cerberus

It would be most correct to use "power" for all kinds of power used, not just electricity. But I know people in various Anglo-Saxon places use the word to refer to electricity specifically.

A "power line" would not transport gas, even though it ought to.

Robusto

I would use energy as the umbrella term.

Cerberus

Yes.

And electricity for electricity.

Robusto

8:18 PM

Yeah. But power to me does imply electricity, as in "The power went out at our house last night."

Cerberus

I know it does.

Robusto

But different contexts are the issue here.

Cerberus

Yeah.

I hear rather loud music.

And it's past curfew.

Robusto

Were you barking?

New Saxony

Curfew?

Mitch

8:26 PM

@M.A.R. What do you call one post of a fence? A fent?

New Saxony

@Mitch A fencepost.

Mitch

@NewSaxony What do you call one half of some shears? A shear? A scissor? Do you call a soldier a troop?

Or one element of traffic?

a car?

Or when you're cleaning up a mess, and you pick up something, is it a meh?

@Cerberus Do you have Ruhezeit in the afternoon for old people to take naps?

I bet you have laws against kids playing soccer in the alleys.

New Saxony

@Mitch You have troops, then you have multiple divisions of those troops, which are each called a troop. Each soldier is a trooper.

Mitch

Super.

New Saxony

Idk about the mess

or the traffic

Mitch

8:33 PM

So you seem new here. Or are you?

New Saxony

I am new, yes.

Mitch

I am just screwing around

New Saxony

Indeed.

Do you play Minecraft, perchance?

Mitch

are you a native speaker of English?

New Saxony

yea

Mitch

8:34 PM

There's no such thing as a fent, that's from an old cartoon.

'troops' are ... there's a technical term for it (?) maybe? more question marks?

hapax legomenon?

something non tantum?

New Saxony

Idk. I'm in 10th grade English.

Mitch

it's like the opposite of a mass noun... something that looks grammatically plural but really is a single thing? Or maybe it is also a mass noun?

New Saxony

American grades

Conrado

Did I hear "Lego men"?

Mitch

@NewSaxony what tortured path brought you to elu chat?

an accident in the family?

time travel?

New Saxony

8:37 PM

@Mitch "elu chat"?

Mitch

@NewSaxony ELU = English Language & Usage

@Conrado you heard nothing

not even the wind

did you hear the wind on Mars?

Robusto

@Mitch What do you call one leg of a pair of pants? A pant leg is all I've ever heard.

Mitch

@Robusto I try to avoid referring to it at all.

Usually 'That'

Robusto

inorite

Cerberus

@Mitch If only!

No, I had to hurry home.

Was too late by one minute.

Mitch

8:39 PM

@Cerberus stupid kids with their music and partying and

New Saxony

@Mitch I just use English Stack Exchange for my etymology googles, and decided to make an account. After asking a question about the grammatical correctness of the word "each's", I had enough "reputation" to join this chat.

Cerberus

@Mitch I hear very loud music at the moment.

And last night I saw lots of tipsy kids walking in the street around 4.45 (curfew ends at 4.30).

Mitch

@Cerberus Are they in the same with you right now?

Cerberus

No, it must be some neighbouring house.

No idea where.

Mitch

@Cerberus Yay! The virus is o...

wait...those are those same stupid kids

@Cerberus OK...I'm just trying to rule out particular neurological phenomena

New Saxony

8:41 PM

They have stupid kids in Holland?

Robusto

@Cerberus Call the cops?

Mitch

@NewSaxony I'm pretty sure yes

Robusto

Also stupid adults. Probably stupid dogs and cats as well.

Mitch

Stupid cats? eff them man

cats and their cat-like ways

Conrado

But never underestimate them.

Mitch

8:43 PM

ruining everything for everybody else.

@Conrado si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses

with all their tacuissing, they must be hiding a lot of dumb

Robusto

Music really makes a difference

►

Cerberus

@Mitch Thanks!

@Robusto Nah, I'm no Nazi.

@NewSaxony Shocking, huh?

Robusto

@Cerberus You don't have to be a Nazi to call the Gestapo. (But it helps.)

Cerberus

So it does.

Mitch

@Cerberus no but you can be nosy

Cerberus

8:57 PM

Nosy people call the police?

Robusto

Well, be honest. You weren't really going to sleep just yet, were you?

Cerberus

9:15 PM

Certainly not, why?

Robusto

9:25 PM

Then it's not like your sleep is affected.

Cerberus

No, indeed.

Why?

Robusto

Usually people are annoyed with neighbor noise when they're trying to sleep.

But hey, I'm on your side. I hate barking dogs and loud cars and all that, no matter what time of day.

Cerberus

It is about violating Corona regulations.

Otherwise I wouldn't care.

Robusto

There are Corona regulations against loud music?

Cerberus

No, but against parties.

Robusto

9:42 PM

But do you actually know it's a party, and not just a loud stereo?

Johan Larsson

9:54 PM

Parties are allowed here, were all the time

Recommendation is to avoid gatherings though

Neighbor is having a party right now, dunno how many guests

Cerberus

@Robusto I can hear people laughing and yelling, too.

It's not super loud, but it could be some distance away.

@JohanLarsson Hmm.

Parties with alcohol in a crowded space would seem to be Corona hotbeds, just like the après-skis in Ischl etc.

Johan Larsson

Planted a tray of leafy greens tonight, spinach and salad etc.

Cerberus

Cool.

Johan Larsson

@Cerberus yes not an awesome idea

Cerberus

Private parties are strongly discouraged, but anything inside a private house cannot be officially forbidden.

Johan Larsson

9:57 PM

But lockdown in sweden is impossible in peacetime from what I've gleaned

Cerberus

So we thought as well.

Johan Larsson

No way to legislate in that way with current constitution.

But in practice it is not a huge issue as they can give recommendations.

Also they can shut down people selling alcohol as it requires permits, same with concerts etc.

I think they are only allowed to sell alcohol until 22:00 and max 8 people per table.

Cerberus

How are the hospitals doing?

Not too crowded?

Johan Larsson

Nope

Cerberus

Good.

Johan Larsson

10:03 PM

Gf is a nurse and worked with covid last spring, she changed job after that.

Cerberus

Scandinavia is doing something right.

Johan Larsson

Holland handled covid better than sweden

Cerberus

Low density of population may help.

I don't know about that, our figures are not great.

Johan Larsson

Sweden by far the worst in scandinavia, finland and norway did really wel

Cerberus

Still, considering how relaxed Swedish measures were, the number of dead is lower than perhaps expected.

Johan Larsson

10:04 PM

In december gf was moved to covid care again but was moved back end of january

Cerberus

Was it tough for her?

Johan Larsson

So fingers crossed maybe the worst is behind us

Cerberus

Nurse is a good profession.

I'm hoping spring may bring relief.

Johan Larsson

@Cerberus She enjoyed it, was fun to try new things.

Cerberus

People have been gathering outside for the past week and a half. That may make a big difference.

Johan Larsson

10:06 PM

The protective gear was not much fun, they had masks available if they wanted to use but she said it was hard to give good care with a mask.

Cerberus

Yeah, that sounds tough.

Johan Larsson

Cerberus

She really had to wear that?

Johan Larsson

Nontrivial to ask a 90 year old sick person how he is doing wearing that

@Cerberus No, was not required but they had them available

Last spring they had very little, home made stuff. Face protection made of overhead plastic.

Cerberus

Yes, there was scarcity around the world.

Johan Larsson

10:09 PM

Wonder where they found it, have not seen one of those machines in 30 years

RegDwigнt

@Robusto Yeah, that. I see no reason for the friggin Song of the friggin Earth to be in friggin German of all things.

Johan Larsson

@Cerberus There is reason to be optimistic, went away everywhere in europe last summer

RegDwigнt

Not that I'm saying it should be in Latin or Russian or Sumerian. Certainly not in English, God forbid.

And, like, I know that the language of Bach was German.
But it really wasn't. That's the thing.

Johan Larsson

Weird that the numbers were high in usa but chances are the protests and unrest contributed to that

Cerberus

Yeah, I don't know about that country.

Robusto

10:12 PM

@RegDwigнt Well, Italian is all open, rounded vowels. Much easier to sing.

And even better, all the words in Italian rhyme with every other word.

It is impossible not to write songs in Italian.

New Mexico has the worst website graphics during a pandemic. Like, ever.

Why are those people so damned happy? Don't they know there's a plague stalking the land?

Johan Larsson

How are things in usa now?

@Cerberus are things bad in holland?

> Months of planning can save days of work.

Robusto

@JohanLarsson Getting better, maybe backsliding a bit now.

Johan Larsson

Bring back trump?

Robusto

10:28 PM

Not that kind of backsliding.

I was talking the pandemic.

Xanne

10:40 PM

Dr. Seuss has been cancelled in Virginia owing to “radical undertones.”

Robusto

@Xanne What? You're kidding, I hope.

Xanne

I was reading a colleague’s paper the other day, and it mentioned the “hidden subtext.” I’m wondering how you hide a subtext.

Robusto

What, all of Dr. Seuss?

Xanne

@Robusto No, not kidding. Green Eggs and Ham, no longer acceptable for the little ones.

Robusto

That is just ... wrong in so many ways.

That is one of the best books I have ever read, and not just to my kids. And they absolutely loved it.

@Xanne Apparently that story just isn't true.

Mitch

10:59 PM

@Xanne Wait until the school board gets a hold of "Marvin K Moony will you please go now!"

Xanne

@Robusto It’s partly true. The annual reading day is to be separated from Seuss (the books willnot be burned, but what librarian would have the courage to recommend them?

> "As we become more culturally responsive and racially conscious, all building leaders should know that in recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss," the school district continued.

Learning for Justice, a liberal education advocacy group, was reportedly behind the pressure campaign against the celebrated children's author. The organization pegs itself as a group that seeks "to uphold the mission" of the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center, according to their website.

Cerberus

11:14 PM

Doesn't sound very liberal to me.

Repressive, rather.

Fuel for potential Trump voters.

@JohanLarsson Mediocre.

Mitch

@Xanne do you have a link for that?

Xanne

11:37 PM

@Mitch news.google.com/articles/…

Cerberus