Reply to: Sh*thole countries

[BlasterBates]

[original PM]

Why on Earth are they bothering with Mandarin? Sounds just like the obsession thirty years ago with UK kids learning Japanese, and what would be the point of that these days?

No doubt in thirty years, after China has declined or been engulfed in debt and Africa is the up and coming country, everyone will be saying it is imperative our kids learn BongoBongo or whatever the latest trendy language there is called!

Lived in a flat at uni with a guy learning chinese/mandarin (back in about 1992)

But then his dad worked in the Hong Kong embassy and he was going to get a job there so it was probably relevant for him!

[darmstadt]

[woohoo]

Oh, so a sort of German version of the Independent?

Erm it's still a newspaper unlike the Independent. It's like the Guardian in many respects though it's quite depressing reading the comments section of anything related to the UK and the EU. Always on about the UK wanting their raisins and eating the cake.

[OwlHoot]

My son too. He goes to a welsh language school.

Apparently they had to get special permission though to teach the mandarin lession via English (you know what I mean!). Couldn't get a welsh speaking mandarin teacher apparently!

Why on Earth are they bothering with Mandarin? Sounds just like the obsession thirty years ago with UK kids learning Japanese, and what would be the point of that these days?

No doubt in thirty years, after China has declined or been engulfed in debt and Africa is the up and coming country, everyone will be saying it is imperative our kids learn BongoBongo or whatever the latest trendy language there is called!

[OwlHoot]

**** der spiegel - have you read that crap. It's anti-american but at the same times it's obsessed with America.

Also, it's pretty anti-UK but to a lesser extent.

Oh, so a sort of German version of the Independent?

[BlasterBates]

Doesnt hurt me. Just saying that the spiegel is about as anti-american as you can get.

Not really, just objectively reporting on Trump.

[Hobosapien]

Is there a single country that is not thought of as a tulip hole by anyone throughout the world?

If so list them.

List so far:

The facts may not represent the general view of a country's population let alone the view of the president of one.

[psychocandy]

Hahaha PC will no doubt be along shortly ...

Welsh isn't so bad and it is definitely getting more popular here, though this shocked me my daughter is in Year 8 at comp and they are teaching them Mandarin.

I think however this is just sheer luck as she is in the top class/set.

My son too. He goes to a welsh language school.

Apparently they had to get special permission though to teach the mandarin lession via English (you know what I mean!). Couldn't get a welsh speaking mandarin teacher apparently!

[psychocandy]

They only do that when they meet a new English person. Once you get to know them, a thoroughly lovely people with a beautiful country who could conquer the world if they could take the focus off the English for a while.

Take Languages. A second Language in primary schools is fantastic! They just need to switch to the widest spoken language in the world(Mandarin) instead of a language only spoken in one country in the world(and 50 people in Patagonia).

Don't tell PC I posted this - I have a reputation to maintain.....

BP mun! :-)

Mind you - you do live in a pretty anglicised pocket of wales ;-)

[psychocandy]

Wales is, because a large section of the population still bang on about the coal mines being shut down and not being able to find work when it was decades ago that it happened.

'ang on butti! Its 'ard getting work up the valleys mun. I want a well tidy job mun butt and I dont wanna have to go far like.

[woohoo]

No I don't read it, but their cover is amusing. As Original PM says, the truth hurts.

Doesnt hurt me. Just saying that the spiegel is about as anti-american as you can get.

[BlasterBates]

**** der spiegel - have you read that crap. It's anti-american but at the same times it's obsessed with America.

Also, it's pretty anti-UK but to a lesser extent.

No I don't read it, but their cover is amusing. As Original PM says, the truth hurts.

[woohoo]

**** der spiegel - have you read that crap. It's anti-american but at the same times it's obsessed with America.

Also, it's pretty anti-UK but to a lesser extent.

[BlasterBates]