My Wife is Funny
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We live in Texas. In the United States. One of the few countries that is not brave enough to specify a "national language". This weekend, we were in a furniture store being helped by a Hispanic guy. In the middle of our visit, one of the warehouse monkies came up to him and started a conversation about some furniture that we were inquiring about. The conversation was entirely in Spanish. This really irritated my wife, so she interrupted them. "My husband and I speak English and .45ACP. How would you like to proceed?" Looks like I'll be getting a new t-shirt soon. :)
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997That's really pretty sad. I'm also from Texas, but I speak English and Spanish fluently, having taught engineering courses and written engineering reports in Spanish and made a living as a translator. My mother was German and I was at one time fluent in German. I learned conversational Khmer and Vietnamese and Laotian, but now only remember some phrases and the names of the characters/letters. When I went to Indonesia, after 2 weeks, I taught the last day of class in Bahasa Indonesian. I also worked for a French company and learned to read that pretty well, although I never practiced enough to get the pronunciation correct. Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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Alright, that's it. I'm from Ireland, where these days it is unusual to be able to acquire almost any item of household goods, furniture or food without having to negotiate a fairly thick Eastern European or Far Eastern accent due to the hordes of foreign students paying their way through our colleges with their labours. Certainly many people may find it trying, and the less well-off/educated denizens of the Emerald Isle aften take out their frustrations on them, particularly when drunk and coked out of it at 4 in the morning on their re-mortgaging profits. But the idea that two Hispanic shop attendants who are trying to help you and your redneck wife receive that kind of treatment for speaking in a language more familiar to them when speaking amongst themselves is abusive and disgusting, if not outright racist. Dressed up as humour, it's even more nauseating. The fact that this was presumably during office hours, and presumably without the malign influence of alcohol, means that there is even less excuse. If you write code abroad as part of a team of foreign contractors, do you get laughed at for discussing things with your associate in English? No probably not because you spend all of your time knee deep in Raytheons or whatever, or building moats and congratulating yourself on living in the land of the free. You get away with this puerile line of gun-totin', right-on horseshit on these forums because you're a good coder and generally funny, but on this occasion It's anything but. You, sir, are a disgrace.
Smokie, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules. www.geticeberg.com http://melpadden.wordpress.com
Mel - while I agree with most of your sentiment, I believe that you stepped over the line insulting his wife. That's not cool.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
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I get 5280 hits for ingabitants, the first of which is "Who were the first ingabitants of Florida". Apparently it was either Robert Martínez or Ponce de León.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
Funny again. I get nothing. Absolutely zero. It must be a regional setting of some sort. All I see are listings for "inhabitants". Actually the native Americans were the first inhabitants of Florida. I of course could be wrong but I don't think it was Ponce de Leon or Mr. Martinez.
Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
"No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) -
Albert Holguin wrote:
everyone else speaks multiple languages...
no they don't. Most people who speak other languages, "know" these other languages out of necessity instead of desire. America's mother tongue is bastardized English. This is my mother language. I shouldn't have to learn someone else's language in my own F'n country.
Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
"No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)Slacker007 wrote:
Most people who speak other languages, "know" these other languages out of necessity instead of desire.
That "necessity" genrally comes from school requirements. My wife's family is from France and Portugal and all but one speak English, though they have virtually no day to day business with others who speak soley English.
m.bergman
-- For Bruce Schneier, quanta only have one state : afraid.
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Well maybe you need to learn another language... you know, most people in Europe speak 3-4 languages... And yes, I am hispanic and speak both English and Spanish (and I'm also from Texas). Edit: I also speak bad German, understand Italian (minus heavy accents) and Portuguese.
As an American I speak bad English and understand about half. :-D Too bad I only took one year of French thirty some odd years ago in high school. I would like to learn Spanish as I believe that will be the language of choice in the near future. :)
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ahmed zahmed wrote:
it's not a threat to quote the caliber of a bullet.
Suppose someone said to you: "Please move your truck. I fire .45ACP." or "Don't look at my wife. I fire .45ACP." All they are doing is quoting the calibre of a bullet, but I don't see how you could consider it anything but a threat.
First, she didn't say "I fire .45ACP" she said "I speak .45ACP". And like I said, I sincerely doubt the guy understood what she was talking about. So, no it wasn't a threat. And no I wouldn't feel threatened either. I'd say "So?"
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braun -
That's really pretty sad. I'm also from Texas, but I speak English and Spanish fluently, having taught engineering courses and written engineering reports in Spanish and made a living as a translator. My mother was German and I was at one time fluent in German. I learned conversational Khmer and Vietnamese and Laotian, but now only remember some phrases and the names of the characters/letters. When I went to Indonesia, after 2 weeks, I taught the last day of class in Bahasa Indonesian. I also worked for a French company and learned to read that pretty well, although I never practiced enough to get the pronunciation correct. Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
Wow, some morons are downvoting your rather polite post. :wtf:
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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First, she didn't say "I fire .45ACP" she said "I speak .45ACP". And like I said, I sincerely doubt the guy understood what she was talking about. So, no it wasn't a threat. And no I wouldn't feel threatened either. I'd say "So?"
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braunahmed zahmed wrote:
First, she didn't say "I fire .45ACP" she said "I speak .45ACP".
What's the difference? You are splitting hairs to try and justify using threatening language where none was justified.
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That's really pretty sad. I'm also from Texas, but I speak English and Spanish fluently, having taught engineering courses and written engineering reports in Spanish and made a living as a translator. My mother was German and I was at one time fluent in German. I learned conversational Khmer and Vietnamese and Laotian, but now only remember some phrases and the names of the characters/letters. When I went to Indonesia, after 2 weeks, I taught the last day of class in Bahasa Indonesian. I also worked for a French company and learned to read that pretty well, although I never practiced enough to get the pronunciation correct. Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
Walt Fair, Jr. wrote:
Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
Why should this be considered a bad thing? It's apparently keeping the translator business going. Most people have better things to do than learning to say "Where's the bathroom" 50 different ways.
Kill some time, play my game Hop Cheops[^]
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Alright, that's it. I'm from Ireland, where these days it is unusual to be able to acquire almost any item of household goods, furniture or food without having to negotiate a fairly thick Eastern European or Far Eastern accent due to the hordes of foreign students paying their way through our colleges with their labours. Certainly many people may find it trying, and the less well-off/educated denizens of the Emerald Isle aften take out their frustrations on them, particularly when drunk and coked out of it at 4 in the morning on their re-mortgaging profits. But the idea that two Hispanic shop attendants who are trying to help you and your redneck wife receive that kind of treatment for speaking in a language more familiar to them when speaking amongst themselves is abusive and disgusting, if not outright racist. Dressed up as humour, it's even more nauseating. The fact that this was presumably during office hours, and presumably without the malign influence of alcohol, means that there is even less excuse. If you write code abroad as part of a team of foreign contractors, do you get laughed at for discussing things with your associate in English? No probably not because you spend all of your time knee deep in Raytheons or whatever, or building moats and congratulating yourself on living in the land of the free. You get away with this puerile line of gun-totin', right-on horseshit on these forums because you're a good coder and generally funny, but on this occasion It's anything but. You, sir, are a disgrace.
Smokie, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules. www.geticeberg.com http://melpadden.wordpress.com
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There was no threat. She wasn't carrying and don't try to tell me that quoting a bullet size to someone who's probably ignorant of its meaning is a threat. Especially when it's out-of-context and you're not carrying.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von BraunWhere you there too, or did you just forget to switch from the sock puppet account John?
Pete
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That's really pretty sad. I'm also from Texas, but I speak English and Spanish fluently, having taught engineering courses and written engineering reports in Spanish and made a living as a translator. My mother was German and I was at one time fluent in German. I learned conversational Khmer and Vietnamese and Laotian, but now only remember some phrases and the names of the characters/letters. When I went to Indonesia, after 2 weeks, I taught the last day of class in Bahasa Indonesian. I also worked for a French company and learned to read that pretty well, although I never practiced enough to get the pronunciation correct. Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
Countering the uni-hole ass-voter(s)! 5+
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine."
Ross Callon, The Twelve Networking Truths, RFC1925
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Mel - while I agree with most of your sentiment, I believe that you stepped over the line insulting his wife. That's not cool.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
Fair enough - I will recant. Although, strictly speaking he brought her into it so... they were both laughing in dystopian zeal at this gleeful haranguing of someone earning probably a tenth of what they earn, trying to help them out, so do you mind if I modify it by calling them both morally bereft sinkholes of the human spirit who should take a look at themselves in the mirror before this irate Paddy gets the next flight to Texas, with the express intention of fetching them both a clip about the ear and telling them to mind their manners? I mean, seriously. The problem with behaviour like this is that the people who are doing it always seem to think it's somehow justified by their own petty frustrations, people are out of work so why are these guys here, why should I have to listen to Spanish in my own store, and solipsistic twaddle like that. It behoves the rest of us to administer a forum-friendly slapinthefacewithawetfish, if you ask me. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/5267392.stm[^] Go forth ye fish-wielding vigilantes.
Smokie, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules. www.geticeberg.com http://melpadden.wordpress.com
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We live in Texas. In the United States. One of the few countries that is not brave enough to specify a "national language". This weekend, we were in a furniture store being helped by a Hispanic guy. In the middle of our visit, one of the warehouse monkies came up to him and started a conversation about some furniture that we were inquiring about. The conversation was entirely in Spanish. This really irritated my wife, so she interrupted them. "My husband and I speak English and .45ACP. How would you like to proceed?" Looks like I'll be getting a new t-shirt soon. :)
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997I use this tactic but in reverse (not in the cusomter service field... er shoudl be obvious seeing as I am here on CP most the time). Buying a car and need some you and wifey time? Hmmm Chyototakakunain? Or maybe the clerk is really freaking slow. Now I could say, "Dude hurry the EF up!" But that is quite rude. Instead I choose to insult him while speaking with wify... Maybe rude, but this way his mind can be creative and think I may be talking about the large butted women bending over. Which I also comment on :-\ Just to be clear though, I would not do this if I was working. As a citizen it is my right to insult anyone anyway I see fit. If I want money from them, not such a good idea.
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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That's really pretty sad. I'm also from Texas, but I speak English and Spanish fluently, having taught engineering courses and written engineering reports in Spanish and made a living as a translator. My mother was German and I was at one time fluent in German. I learned conversational Khmer and Vietnamese and Laotian, but now only remember some phrases and the names of the characters/letters. When I went to Indonesia, after 2 weeks, I taught the last day of class in Bahasa Indonesian. I also worked for a French company and learned to read that pretty well, although I never practiced enough to get the pronunciation correct. Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
Walt Fair, Jr. wrote:
Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
Didn't you read the whole post?... They speak 2! American-English and Texan! ;P
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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Walt Fair, Jr. wrote:
Doesn't it bother you to be so limited as to speak only 1 language?
Why should this be considered a bad thing? It's apparently keeping the translator business going. Most people have better things to do than learning to say "Where's the bathroom" 50 different ways.
Kill some time, play my game Hop Cheops[^]
What makes you think that "Where's the bathroom" is the only thing to say? There's usually a cure for those problems. Sounds like you may need some medical help! ;P
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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ahmed zahmed wrote:
First, she didn't say "I fire .45ACP" she said "I speak .45ACP".
What's the difference? You are splitting hairs to try and justify using threatening language where none was justified.
viaducting wrote:
to try and justify using threatening language
I'm not justifying anything. Just disagreeing with your characterization.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braun -
We are talking about 3-4 languages, they speak 3 in Switzerland? Don't really know been a long long time since I went there so my memory is a bit fuzzy.
4 Official/Administrative languages; French, German, Italian and Rumansch. Factor in the near-ubiquity of English in Zurich and its environs, and the recent Swiss move to make it an administrative language (the ability to apply for a driving licence in English, etc.) and I think we have a winner.
Smokie, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules. www.geticeberg.com http://melpadden.wordpress.com
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What makes you think that "Where's the bathroom" is the only thing to say? There's usually a cure for those problems. Sounds like you may need some medical help! ;P
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
I wasn't thinking of it as the only thing. Merely a very important thing to know in foreign lands so I would assume the thing to be learned first. Most everything else can probably be handled by a series of grunts and pointing. Grunting and pointing to get across "where's the bathroom" may result in problems with law enforcement. ;P
Kill some time, play my game Hop Cheops[^]
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Wow, some morons are downvoting your rather polite post. :wtf:
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
He got a straight 5 votes from 17 in my last look, which reflects the views of the CP audience, John in this case was "Bang out of order", and sorry for the pun.
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