I wanna talk about language and the importance of it. I was watching a video of a USian talk about looking back at the US after 5 years in Europe. And she mentioned in the US it's a cool party trick.
For me it was a little more than that. I'm a cook and that means I interacted with a great deal of spanish speakers. Speaking spanish got me more hours but ultimately the ability to speak multiple languages is one of the most powerful strengths that you can have. Ever.
I barely use calculus. I barely use Matrices or my advanced History or Science knowledge except for party tricks. Metric makes quick modular arithmetic unnecessary. You know what's actually one of my most important genius traits that I did not know until moving to Europe? Picking up on syntax and vocabulary very very quickly.
Turns out my code breaking skills would become essential in my future. My ability to do calculus was used to put some sexist guy in his place once in Germany. My ability to learn German, Spanish and now Croatian is infinitely more useful. My ability to say "Klein Reis Bitte" to receive blank stares and then say "Malo Reisa Molin" and get an immediate response is actually infintely more useful.
Even in the US my ability to speak Spanish helped keep me off the streets. I got more hours and more trainees even with my very limited spanish. The idea that you only need to speak English is a US fantasy for overprivileged, generally ham-colored Americans. In a great deal of industries, especially higher up in industry when you need to speak to other colleagues in other countries or in working class where you speak to immigrants is infintely useful.
If you want to learn a language in your free time. Do it. Just do it. It's not embarrassing or geeky. I would argue it's actually essential. You don't know where you go or where you'll be in 5 years. Before I came out I never thought I would ever move to Europe or have the confidence and outgoing nature to move continents and primary languages. I also didn't start working in kitchens until I was almost 30. You literally never know.
Aquamanile in the form of a #Unicorn
c. 1425–50, #German (Met Museum)
For #handwashing at table. Poured through a flap at the top, the water was later dispensed through the spigot in the unicorn’s chest.
If today’s “grow or perish” #capitalism is good for #innovation, how come that most of the exponential innovation in #computer technology (in #hardware) depends on a #German foundation which has in its rules to secure the right of the employees and to advance the craft — but not #economic growth?
In #Polish the word for Germany is Niemcy which is etymologically opposite to #Slavic. ‘[Slavic] … originally denoted "people who speak (the same language)", i.e. people who understand each other, in contrast to the Slavic word denoting "foreign people", namely němci, meaning "mumbling, murmuring people" (from Slavic *němъ "mumbling, mute").’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavs_(ethnonym)#german#etymology#linguistics#language
In the olden days, when bread was baked at home, bad luck would seep into the bread when one cursed while baking.
And if the loaf would be placed over the table's edge, sickness would soon enter the house.
A loaf placed upside down would sway, because the poor souls would try to turn it, & if the head of the house cut the bread crookedly, then he had just lied...
"Chancellor Olaf Scholz is putting Germans and all Europeans in danger. His current policy seriously risks defeat in Ukraine, which would embolden Moscow and raise the likelihood of a wider war with Russia..."
Mark Francois talks about Neville Chamberlain "denuding the British forces of funding until it was too late."
This is wrong. Even while Chamberlain was signing the Munich Agreement in 1938, he was agreeing to a huge increase in spending to increase Britain’s armament in preparation for war.
A #German teenager works as a software dev whilst literally living on the #train (he pays about 9952€ for a countrywide ticket). This is all perfectly above board, although requires quite a minimal lifestyle (I'm more intrigued as to how someone just out of high school manages to land a tech job that allows this level of remote working and pays enough for him to do this)
On the German-speaking internet, we write "orrrrr" (with a variable amount of "r"s and, to a lesser extent, "o"s) as an expression of annoyance or anger, especially (but not exclusively!) when we only play being annoyed. Examples (translated):
"orrrr that was the most awful pun ever"
"oorrrrrrr, the bus is 20 minutes late already!"
It's supposed to be a grumpy growl, like in the attached audio.
Is there something similar in English or other languages as well?
German Defense Minister Pistorius on conversations with generals intercepted by the Russians:
“The reason why it was still possible to record a telephone conversation among the ranks of the Air Force lies in an individual error… Not all participants followed the procedure of secure call.
According to reports, the data leak occurred on a participant from Singapore, who was connected via an unauthorized connection, i.e. effectively via an open connection" #AureFreePress#News#press#headline
I have long been wondering why on earth the #FSB would give up a huge intelligence advantage just to sow some dissension in #NATO.
The explanation now given by the #German defense minister, therefore makes great sense:
One 🪖 officer was "simply" too careless to follow security protocol.
He should face consequences for this irresponsible behavior. But that's it.
The West should move on, as any further dissension would only...
Now that everyone knows that it is not necessary to employ #German military personnel to enable #Ukraine's armed forces to use #HIMARS system, #BackbencherChancelor#OlafScholz should sit down on the bench and keep his misgivings, which are not shared by a majority of Germans or even his coalition government,to himself.
The longer this war drags on, the HIGHER the likelihood...