cdemundo

So in Thailand you can aspire to the top quintile in IQ someday, good for you.

Half-hearted slaps, teacher didn't even follow through. No hip rotation or trunk rotation to generate force, not much of a slap at all. If it was my kid I would not be upset. However, if it was my granddaughter it would be a different story...

"Why do many people call themselves Irish American when they have never been to Ireland and don't have dual nationality?" Of course it isn't just people with Irish ancestry who do that, with the exception of "Native Americans" every one in the US either descended from an immigrant or is an immigrant. I think it comes from the tendency to depend on the community from the home country when first coming to the USA. Then it becomes part of family history: "Grandpa swam across the Atlantic with a piano on his back" and other stories of the older generation. Some of my siblings are obsessed with that kind of thing, reading Irish history, having Irish-themed decorations in their home, visiting Ireland, getting Irish passports.. I guess it's a kind of family pride, I'm not big on it myself. Interestingly my grandfather is quoted as saying "There are reasons we left Ireland" when asked to reminisce about the old country. Myself I confine myself to Irish jokes like Q: "Lotta Irish-American families have a lot of boxers. Why doesn't the Kennedy family have any boxers?" A: "Kennedys can't take a shot to the head." Rimshot please.

Many Brits speak a variant of the language that would not pass muster with a language snob like you. I know very little about Britain but have seen British celebs who didn't speak Oxbridge English, and the Brits on the reality shows also speak a different variant than the one you favor. You single out Americans but a significant number of Brits don't conform to your standard of language use. I will try to avoid using an American slang phrase but you seem to have a large arthropod lodged in your posterior with respect to this issue. An example of Brits speaking English variants: this show appears to take most of it's entertainment value from the fact that the judge finds it difficult (or pretends to find it difficult) to understand the speech of those Brits that appear before them. Point being, Brits diverge from you your idea of perfect English speech just as much as Americans.

"I think I have a voice that is valid. " Yeah, everybody thinks that; no matter how limited their information. For example, wrestling may be "huge" but I don't follow it and i have never known anyone who follows it. The United States is a big diverse place; trying to describe it based on your self-judged "wide spectrum" of people is naive. I would guess that the difference in opinions, interests, and aspirations between me and many other Americans is wider than the differences between me and some Asians, Europeans, Africans. Does everyone in Amsterdam smoke weed? Do all Brits have a fanatical attachment to their football club and their "local" pub? Are all Frenchman adulterers? Are all Swedes suicidal? Are all Scots violent drunks? (Well ok, bad example). People like to characterize other nationalities, mostly harmless, but the point is every nation has diversity in their people.

There used to be signs in the Taiwan airports warning that smuggling drugs was punishable by death. I don't think they have been up in recent years so maybe laws there have changed.

No argument there. What nation worships differently with respect to the money?

I used to look down on Mylie Cyrus. Then I heard her sing, talented singer and very knowledgeable about the history of popular music.

I would say that most Americans think about Britain..... never.

Reminds me of this:

.Statutory rape, I think this exists in nearly every country. Sex between an adult and a young person who is younger than the age of consent. Surely you are aware of this?

Glasgow kiss?

Absolutely, that 60฿ bill was padded out with "lady drinks" (plural) when all he had was a magnum of Dom Perignon.

I took a Chinese airline with a stopover in the PRC (Guangzhou? i don't remember). Entering the airport a number of people passed me hurrying to the restrooms. I saw them enter the restrooms and immediately exit and go on looking for another. When I got closer I discovered why. Even in the corridor outside the restrooms the sewage smell was overpowering to the point that no one was using the restroom. The challenges of indoor plumbing have not been successfully met in at least one Chinese airport.

If you or I had concealed our possession of classified docs, obstructed the investigation and made public statements denigrating law enforcement, I am guessing we would be cooling our heels in Federal Prison promptly. It seems that Trump has been treated with extraordinary leniency.

No. No we have not.

"British people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy." Would the following statements not get agreement? "American people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy." "Australian people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy." "German people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy." "Russian people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy." You could say it about any nationality which indicates that nationality has nothing to do with it. And no, I am not British, shows the lack of subtlety and sophistication of your thinking that you would assume that. And this "Maybe you're just not observant?" looks like another reader of "Pee Wee Herman's Big Book of Snappy Comebacks".

"British people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy." Nasty people are known for drinking a lot of alcohol and being noisy; not just British. I have not noticed any particular nationality having a monopoly on this type of behavior. Maybe I am just not observant.

Funny, before I saw this thread I was just thinking it would be interesting to know if frequent posters here on ASEANNOW had been diagnosed with dementia. I feel it would clarify a lot of things.

I was expecting the narrator to say puh-TIE-uh, which is the mispronunciation I often hear. this guy didn't say it that badly IMHO.

People ignore the dangers of asparagus but mark my words, no amount is safe.

Oh so he was drunk and in a fistfight then.

QED

Sometimes I have to remind myself that some folks here were born during the reign of Queen Victoria and quite naturally have dated ideas of morals, ethics and gender roles. They are not going to respond reasonably to a topic like this and although I find their ideas offensive, I need to understand they cannot be reasoned with or expected to change their minds.

"The day he got diagnosed with TB, he should have been on a plane to the USA, and used his Medicare. Plan A is available & free, almost. At least in the USA, they can't kick him out of the hospital, if life threatening." I gotta agree with this part, if he is below poverty also Medicaid so between Medicare and Medicaid should be OK. Too late for this guy, but for others best to keep in mind.