How many languages can you speak (fluently)?

[Maq]

I'm in Español 3, but I couldn't carry on a verbal conversation with someone who was a native Spanish speaker.

 

The only way I could hold a conversation in Spanish was because I worked at a restaurant for a couple years and the Mexicans there would teach me Spanish while I taught them English.  I also took about 3.5 years of Spanish in school and learned more working at a restaurant then school  :-\

[Lamez]

You guys talk about America\Americans like that is a bad thing. Being an American does not mean having low standards.

 

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[Maq]

You guys talk about America\Americans like that is a bad thing. Being an American does not mean having low standards.

 

I don't think anyone meant it that way.

[Lamez]

I am not offended, I must of misinterpreted. 

 

Nah.  Americans just have really low standards.

 

 

[.josh]

I meant exactly what I said.  Studies show that our education standards and grades are far below the rest of the world (not including like 3rd world countries, of course).

[KevinM1]

I meant exactly what I said.  Studies show that our education standards and grades are far below the rest of the world (not including like 3rd world countries, of course).

 

Well, when only 3% of our national budget goes to education, it's bound to happen.

 

EDIT: Wow...what a crappy top page post.

[.josh]

Well...I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that, but percentages can be misleading.  You can make it look like countryX is doing a better job than countryY because countryX spends 10% of its budget on education, while countryY only spends 3%, by conveniently leaving out the dollar amount of the budgets.  For example, countryX could actually be spending 10% per 1 million dollars, while countryY could actually be spending 3% of 1 billion dollars.  That puts countryY significantly ahead of countryX in actual dollars spent. 

 

But tbh I don't really think it's a lack of money.  Other countries start their kids in school younger than us.  They expect more out of them.  It's a difference in morals, principles, ethics, discipline, value.  I don't think lack of money is one of the problems, so much as one of the resulting consequences.  In other words, education is not lacking because of lack of money, but rather, money is lacking because of lack of interest in education.

[Maq]

I am not offended, I must of misinterpreted. 

 

Nah.  Americans just have really low standards.

 

 

 

Must of missed that...

[KevinM1]

Well...I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that, but percentages can be misleading.  You can make it look like countryX is doing a better job than countryY because countryX spends 10% of its budget on education, while countryY only spends 3%, by conveniently leaving out the dollar amount of the budgets.  For example, countryX could actually be spending 10% per 1 million dollars, while countryY could actually be spending 3% of 1 billion dollars.  That puts countryY significantly ahead of countryX in actual dollars spent. 

 

But tbh I don't really think it's a lack of money.  Other countries start their kids in school younger than us.  They expect more out of them.  It's a difference in morals, principles, ethics, discipline, value.  I don't think lack of money is one of the problems, so much as one of the resulting consequences.  In other words, education is not lacking because of lack of money, but rather, money is lacking because of lack of interest in education.

 

Good points, all the way around.  Living in a rural, dare I say, redneck area of the country, the lack of intellectual curiosity and general anti-intellectualism around here is palpable at times.  It's not good to be different, and not blend in with the crowd.

 

So, as a wheelchair bound, liberal atheist with a college degree and some programming skill, I don't exactly fit in, despite the fact that I've lived here my entire life.

 

It does lead to some interesting moments, but I digress.

[DarkWater]

I love how off-topic things get. xD  (Not aimed at any particular person, just in general)  I could start a thread about toast and not long after, it'd be a discussion about socks.  (I should try that)

[Daniel0]

[DarkWater]

I may adopt a cat just to take LOLcat photos.

[dropfaith]

my house has 4 cats i should start taking photos

[JasonLewis]

Funny... I'm eating toast as I write this. Mmmmm... Vegemite, Australia's best invention...

[Zane]

that is one ugly cat...lol

[KevinM1]

that is one ugly cat...lol

 

It looks like some sort of Muppet man-cat.

[Zane]

If I had a cat that looked like that I'd throw it away...lol

[Daniel0]

 

Uglier...

[Maq]

Is that real?  I can't tell...  It looks like it's from the undead, no offense.

[Daniel0]

I believe it's getting washed and I'm quite sure it's alive. It was just a picture I found on the intertubes.

[jcombs_31]

I speak english and understand/speak some Spanish.  Although just about everyone is S. Florida speaks spanish including my wife and in-laws that are from S. America.