EvilMonkey

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 28, 2008 -> 01:36 PM) Although this statement is a stretch to put it mildly, what if it is? Does it mean the people who wear it - as a fashion trend - support Islamic terrorism simply because it's worn by most Muslim women? I'd like to think not. How about replica Nazi army jackets? I remember a time in my youth that American army jackets were cool to wear, I guess it could happen. Just as an aside, I found this funny when I was looking at some info on the keffiyeh:

I wonder if the hijab will be the next fashion trend co-opted by the west. Hey, it's just a robe.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 28, 2008 -> 01:02 PM) Alpha, it's a scarf. I have one myself, and I bought overseas to boot. It's traditional Arab garb, nothing more.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ May 28, 2008 -> 01:26 PM) I am a conservative, and this is just as silly as the google argument. In the US we call that particular piece of clothing a scarf. In the winter, I take one of those, and I use it to keep my neck warm. LIke all things in the middle east, they have meaning, to someone. Palastinians have associated this scarf with martyrdom and other acts of violence. So, in this twisted world we live in, if allowing a religious group to hold a meeting in a school gym is 'endorsing religion', can't wearing of this scarf be seen as 'endorsing jihad'? I think both observations are overboard, but if one is ok, why not the other? On a different note, I am suprised that Huffpo linked Townhall. Must have slipped past the censors.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 28, 2008 -> 10:50 AM) OK, there are 3,000 people in this community who need to learn English, how does that happen? Where do they go? Who pays for it? I believe setting up English classes would cost less than hiring a few new offices and government employees that can speak Spanish. Hire some high school or college Spanish teachers to set up classes a few days a week. If they have to spend money on something,this would bring back the biggest return.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 28, 2008 -> 10:21 AM) As far as businesses, as noted in the article, many spring up that speak Spanish and make money. We expect private business to offer customer service for their customers, but we demand that government does not offer that same service. We point to how inefficient government is, but when they start acting like a private company, we complain. Read again the living conditions they are enduring to pick our crops. You think $4.00 per gallon gas sucks, we can drive less. Food costs are something we cannot escape. Businesses wouldn't print their order forms in 30 different languages if the cost to do so would outweigh the benefits of doing so. If the government doesn't do that, they get sued by the ACLU. Hell, we may have to redesign and print all our money because a minority doesn't like that they can't use it (blind people). So the cost to accomodate blind people will be in the billions, for both government and private businesses who have to adapt to whatever new money designs come out. Not a very efficient use of resources to offer 'service for our blind customers.' Should we start printing our money with Spanish words as well? If the people are going to work here, live here, use social services here, at least try to fit in, just a little bit. Nobody is asking them to become white, just learn a little language to get by.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ May 28, 2008 -> 09:02 AM) I'm almost certain permanent residents pay taxes.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 28, 2008 -> 08:49 AM) What education level are we dealing with here? Read how they are living for an opportunity to live in America and work our farm fields. Do you think these are University educated humans? Try and learn Spanish and see how far you get, I tried. I worked in Mexico. Just saying learn English discounts the realities of actually making that happen. The solution is getting our kids to take those jobs. To live in remanufactured cargo containers and pick crops. The solution is them making an effort to fit into the society they have chosen to live in and learn enough of the language to get by. You don't have to be university educated to pick up enough to survive. You had difficulty learning Spanish. If you decided to actually live there, surrounded by it all day, you would learn it, or at least enough to get by.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 28, 2008 -> 08:43 AM) I tend to agree. Mind you, I don't think its a bad thing for a police department in a town like that to try to recruit officers who are bilingual - that should give them an advantage in fact. But IMO, there is a far cry from the PD making an effort like that, and the feds coming in and requiring someone be available who speaks something other than English. People who defend these sorts of policies usually do so by way of saying that people shouldn't have to give up their culture. But to me, that's an argument no one is against. No one is saying people can't speak other languages, or practice whatever cultural idioms they desire. Do whatever you want to! But in order for society and government to function, there needs to be a common language - and since English is far, far and away the dominant language in this country, I'm afraid that's the one we need to standardize on. If you are going to force government agencies to deal with a language barrier, then do it in such a way that the legal residents of that area are putting in a little elbow grease and showing some respect for the country that is giving them these opportunities. Provide some free or low cost get-by English classes at the local JuCo. Its not that hard. The article did mention that they try and recruit people who speak both, but with no money, due to their small size and huge percentage of tax freeloaders, they can't compete with the surrounding communities. Your last paragraph is most excellent, and I agree with 100%.

Can police be next? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...ilingual26.html Again, why aren't these people learning English? Since they are called 'permananet' residents there, they are not migratory. They live here, do not pay taxes, use government services, and then need special treatment also? Not right.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 27, 2008 -> 07:53 AM) I find Google's reasoning perfectly acceptable unless you're saying that Memorial Day should be in the same category as the 50th anniversary of Sputnik, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday, and Halloween? The only other day that deserves that same treatment is MLK day. But see, they HAVE done serious holidays, like MLK day and Veterans day. So are you suggesting that they don't do serious and just stay funny?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 27, 2008 -> 07:42 AM) That guy kills me. He sells so much crap but he really does make me feel like I need to buy it all. You talkin' about the Orange Glow and Oxyclean guy?

I have the mlb Gameday on, as the tv in this room is Tivo-ing somethign for my wife. It says 'Boone Logan replaces Nick Massett'. Then it says 'Boone Logan replaces Boone Logan'. That is a neat trick, did they clone him? if so, why couldn't they have cloned Quentin instead?

The family two houses down from me is moving, they have been loading stuff up all weekend. Today, the guy puts his motorcycle up front with a for sale sign. I almost bought it. Almost. The thought of Mrs. AD's reaction when she comes back from Missouri this week and sees it is what kept me from doing so. That, and I would be scared to death to ride it on I-55 during any of the drive times.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 26, 2008 -> 04:31 PM) Wow Alpha, we came to almost exact opposite conclusions when looking at our search pages. I thought, wow, Google has enough respect to not turn it into a cartoon, which is how I remember all of their other special logos. So because they tend to be lighthearted, they can't be serious this one time? They finally did one for Veteran's Day, I don't recall that one being cartoonish. Is the Yahoo one cartoonish and/or disrespectful? With all the changing they do, how could they not do this one. "Don't be evil" is their motto. How about "Don't be stupid."? Or "Don't be short-sighted"? I am not 'deeply offended', no 'manufactured outrage' or going to start a boycot, I just find this sad.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ May 26, 2008 -> 02:05 PM) They regularly change logos for only a handful of holidays (Thanksgiving, Halloween, July 4th, MLK's birth, Earth Day -- not Arbor Day -- some others). Then they do it occasionally for random holidays and other events. They changes their logo to honor the 50th anniversary of Sputnik! They did it to honor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday! On April 20 (420) they changed it to some sort of trippy-looking artwork. They have done MLK day and even Halloween. Last year after some bloggers made a stink about it, they did Veterans Day. This just seems like a curious omission.

QUOTE (Reddy @ May 26, 2008 -> 01:29 PM) ... really? let's get offended by every freaking little thing why don't we? how is this a big deal? Like Pratt mentioned, my wording may have been a bit slanted, but I think it is still a fair question to ask. And there are different levels of offense. I am not going to start some Jihad against Google, it just disappoints me that they didn't change it this time, but did for Arbor Day and others.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 26, 2008 -> 01:39 PM) You better be wearing a flag lapel pin today. I made sure to take my boys outside, and while looking at our flag, reminded them of what the day stands for, and the sacrafices that many Americans have made so that we can live in a free country. For the last 2 years, my oldest son had talked about joingin the Marines, and neither my wife nor myself have tried to talk him out of it. I think it is a fair question to ask, since they change the logo for just about everything else, why not now?

Just about every holiday major and minor, Google changes their logo just a bit for fun to go along. Arbor Day had letters looing like trees. Valentine's day had hearts all around. Memorial Day? Nothing. WTF, Google. Are you afraid some of your more rabid anti-American users will get pissed off? I mean, even Yahoo, Ask and Dogpile have all made subtle changes for the holiday.

Juddling must be the one in the middle. C'mon Bil, your party wasn't that messy, and Mrs. juddling cleaned most of it anyway. Happy birthday to all 3, but especially my brother. Just wait, bro. 40 is next.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 25, 2008 -> 01:51 PM) Alpha, which is better for America's economy? An offshore customer service line where everyone speaks English, or a US based company where everyone speaks Italian? Tex, in the last 2 months, I have had to cal AT&T, SBC, Wells Fargo and Adobe several times. 3 different times, i have talked to someone named 'Mitch' who is no more a 'Mitch' than I am a 'Mary'. I don't care that they are told to adopt an American name, and you can say that they can 'speak' English. I cna't understand a damn word they say, or at least only every third one. I have gotten to the point that I refuse to talk with them, and ask for a manager. And when I get a manager that I can't understand (yes, SBC, I am talking about you!) I just go ballistic. As for what is better, the one that keeps dollars here in the states is better. I would never use any of those 4 I listed above again if I had a choice, but I don't. Well, the Wells Fargo I DO have a choice, and I am researcghing switching that one right now, but may take a bit.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 25, 2008 -> 12:22 PM) Oregon discover a safety problem with crews that have mixed languages. They could have ignored it because these guys were already employed, but instead chose to correct the problem before someone was injured or killed. You believe that no one should have lost their jobs over this, care to explain what you would have done? To require everyone speak English would have placed the greatest burden on the private companies, instead they chose the path that results in the least burden. What would you have done? So making people, who are not citizens, learn English, who are working in America, where English is the predominant (and SHOULD be the official) language is more of a hardship than demoting or firing Americans? Making these immigrants learn English would serve a greater good as that would ease the burden to the state to have to translate for them, increase thier job oopportunities, and better help them to cope with American society. Demoting the Americans merely pisses off a lot of people, and creates hardships for American families. Tex, I am very pro-business, as you know, but I don't care how hard it is to get firefighters, if they are going to work in this country on anything other than an emergency basis, they should know English. Maybe they should pay more? Increase recruiting? But an even bigger picture is missing here. how long until ALl the fire fighters have to know spanish? because rarely is just one crew working on a forest fire. It is usually crews from several states, if the fire is big enough. So do they start demanding that all fire fighers be bilingual? I mean, safety is the issue, right? Make them learn English.

QUOTE (Texsox @ May 25, 2008 -> 10:04 AM) It almost seems like a cliche but I first visited the wall on a drizzly night in DC. Almost alone, except for one other person. One of the most moving times of my life. Much better then the almost carnival like atmosphere the next day. I went to DC to visit a friend, and he still had a few hours of work to do, so I went and saw that by myself. That was all I saw the rest of the day as i didn't go anywhere else. However at that time, there were a lot of other people there. I think it went from a low of maybe 10 other people to a high approaching 75 when a class field trip came by.

I found $1.12 in change today while cleaning out my car. Also found 2 empty pop bottles, a pack of gum and a half bag of pretzels.