What you’ve read in the Readers Digest (Is that still around? Back
when I was a kid my grandmother used to read it so I thought she was an
intellectual because nobody else I knew ever read anything), is substantially
what I have read. One book I read lately tried to make the case that all
languages come from one original root language, but I don’t know if they ever
made their case. The thing is we are just wired for language, and if two babies
are separated at birth from adults they will develop their own language, much
like twins do. I should do some research on that twins thing. I’ve heard about
it anecdotally, but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything on the subject.
I think the reason English is the world language has more to do
with conquest than anything else. I can’t imagine how horrified a person
learning English must become when he learns that every word is spelled every
which way. I, of course, have long been a proponent of phonetic spelling, and
never tire of talking about its benefits. Unfortunately other people never tire
of not listening to me.
The Chinese guy said he was forty, though he looked twenty, you
know how that is. How do they do that? I think most Chinese are happy with
their government. They have always had authoritarian governments, and a booming
economy is all most people care about. I don’t know how Uncle Sugar boosted the
Chinese economy, but if he did, it’s a good thing, because who else would loan
us the piles of money that they are so willing to do?
This boots on the ground thing is kind of slippery. I remember
maybe a month ago Obama made a speech about throwing some ‘advisors’ (How much
advising do these guys need?) into Iraq, but I think that hinged on changing the
government (Malaki) in Iraq, and I don’t think that ever happened. The latest I
heard was we were going to put some guys in to help those Yazidis get off the
mountain or something. But I’m not sure if that ever happened either, so I
don’t know.
Was just now listening to an interview with some general on NPR,
and he thinks we need to send in weapons and advisors to defend the
homeland from ISIS. I agree these are bad guys and a force in mideast, but I
don’t see where homeland comes in, and I just hate the expression homeland. Why
don’t we just call it the fatherland and be done with it? How come none of
these other armies can stand up to ISIS? One of the things is they have those
nifty weapons that they took from the armies that we gave them too. Aren’t they
going to take them from them again?
Still there are those Yazidis sitting on those mountain tops, and
the penchant of ISIS of killing prisoners and civilians. In principle I was
against the war with Serbia, because it really had nothing to do with us, but
then I saw those photos of the guys in the concentration camps. Shouldn’t we do
something?
I have heard about the Scots seceding, but I have never read to any
depth on it. Why do they want to secede, what horrible things have the English
done to them lately? Aren’t they still allowed to speak that burry language of
theirs, can’t they wear kilts if they want to, and eat all the haggis they can
stomach? I suspect they have just watched Braveheart too many times while
drinking Scotch whiskey.
During my research on tartar sauce I learned that there are
different groups of tartars all over southwestern Russia, and they are Turkish
people, who to my eye have always seemed half Caucasian and half Asian. Try
looking up catsup some time. it has an interesting story, what with the two
spellings, and I believe it started out as fish oil.
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