jamesoblivion
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:27:56 AM new
Only a siege mentality would motivate the creation of such legislation.
A common language already exists. English. Every year many millions of immigrants come here and all but a few small percentage points learn English. This has been going on unabated for a hundred years and more and America is still an English-speaking country.
If you are on the telephone with a tech guy who doesn't speak English, demand to speak to his manager and when the customer serive survey comes, tell the truth. Eventually these companies will get the hint. Frankly I don't care if the guy flipping burgers speaks eloquent English or not. You have to start somewhere and I'd rather he has a job than an excuse to resort to crime.
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:29:29 AM new
OK, we agree then. Other countries are proximate and small and frequently share a linguistic root so it's both more necessary and easier for languages to cross boundaries.
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:34:37 AM new
"all but a few small percentage points"
Are you calling them stupid James? As in pointy heads? And why do you refer only to small pointy headed people? Isn't that discriminatory and a derrogatory comment about those peoples who are small in stature?
Regardless their nationality? Would you say the same thing about the poor unborn infants just because they are small and don't speak english?
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DWest
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:38:40 AM new
Toke - "I desperately needed phone tech support a while back, from my broadband provider. It was like a comedy routine. The tech was East Indian or Pakistani with very poor English skills...trying to answer (and understand) my questions...a woman with very poor tech-speak. It was unreal. We both gave up...laughing."
My husband and I experienced a similar situation when we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was having trouble with the cash register so she called the company she bought it from for technical assistance. Her english was not sufficient to get on-line help. She asked my husband to talk to the service person. She told him the problem and he relayed it over the phone. The service person told my husband how to fix it and everything was taken care of. It never dawned on us to complain about it. We were just glad that we could help her. It saved her the cost of an on-site service call.
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spazmodeus
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:39:39 AM new
How do you say "McNuggets" in Lithuanian, Spaz? Oh wait! I know! It's "McNuggets".
'Course..in there, can't you just point at the picture and grunt? LoL!
Sometimes it's necessary to communicate beyond the menu. Last week while eating at a McDonalds I accidentally left behind an item of personal property. When I got home I phoned the restaurant to see if anyone had turned it in (ha!). I tried to explain this to the non-English speaking person at the other end, without success. They had to put two more people on the phone before they found one who could carry on a rudimentary conversation with me. After hanging up, I was still not convinced they understood me, so I traveled back to the restaurant and plied the same questions in person. By way of reply, the first person I asked gave me a weak, uncertain smile and said, "No English." Finally I got the manager who thankfully spoke the language (although not very well). I left without my property (he said it had not been found or returned) but even today there's a small part of me wondering whether he really understood what I was asking, or even if he cared.
Spazmodeus eats at McDonalds--LOL!
By the way, krs, your familiarity with the picture-menu at McDonalds betrays something about your dining habits as well. LOL!
[ edited by spazmodeus on Aug 30, 2001 11:43 AM ]
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toke
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:40:38 AM new
If you are on the telephone with a tech guy who doesn't speak English, demand to speak to his manager and when the customer serive survey comes, tell the truth.Eventually these companies will get the hint.
Oh no. The very last thing I would do, is jeopardize her job. She was nice, she tried hard, and I'm sure she needed the work. Why else would she be doing a job that was so obviously difficult for her?
I simply called back and got another tech.
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jamesoblivion
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:42:04 AM new
I apologize to any percentage points I may have offended.
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:44:36 AM new
"krs, your familiarity with the picture-menu at McDonalds betrays something about your dining habits as well. LOL!"
Actually, no. I saw people doing that in a commercial. I desound commercials so I couldn't really tell whether they grunted or not but they looked like people who WOULD grunt.
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spazmodeus
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:47:03 AM new
Uh-uh, you're Mcbusted. LOL
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:48:19 AM new
But you actually GO IN! Yuck!
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spazmodeus
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posted on August 30, 2001 11:55:39 AM new
I go in for the international atmosphere. With all the different languages being spoken, it's like visiting a foreign country without having to leave home.
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arttsupplies
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posted on August 30, 2001 12:01:12 PM new
>...<
[ edited by arttsupplies on Sep 7, 2001 08:58 AM ]
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 12:14:21 PM new
LOL! Then you have nothing to complain about, Spaz.
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 12:18:44 PM new
arttsupplies,
I don't think that Rawbunz said that she had ever visited Sounthern California.
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arttsupplies
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posted on August 30, 2001 01:08:07 PM new
>...<
[ edited by arttsupplies on Sep 7, 2001 08:58 AM ]
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bunnicula
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posted on August 30, 2001 01:13:28 PM new
The fact that what happened to her regarding getting a job happened in the vicinity of a marine corp base, or in a town of smaller size, in no way invalidates her experience.
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spazmodeus
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posted on August 30, 2001 01:15:41 PM new
Don't know about other languages, but apparently sarcasm doesn't translate very well on these boards.
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arttsupplies
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posted on August 30, 2001 01:25:06 PM new
>...<
[ edited by arttsupplies on Sep 7, 2001 08:59 AM ]
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uaru
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posted on August 30, 2001 02:02:25 PM new
Does anyone remember earlier this year when the NEA was proposing schools teach about gay cultures and famous people that were gay? It got shot down after it started getting negative attention. I don't know how I'd feel if my child was being taught the virtues of a gay lifestyle. The lengths we'll go to be PC is sometimes amusing.
UPDATE: My wife just informed me (she's a backseat typer) that they were able to get it passed the first of this week by tacking it on to another proposal as an amendment. I've seen no news on it, so don't take that as gospel.
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rawbunzel
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:23:54 PM new
My goodness Arttsupplies. I had no idea I was somehow disparaging all of southern California by simply stating my experience in the area I was in. I think most people realize that S Cal is a large place and it is impossible for one to be in all of it at the same time.  It was not on the Marine base. It was in some town close to it where we had an apartment. Forgive me for not remembering the name of it. That is the place where I was unable to find work. I simply stated that it ...not being able to find work if you do not speak spanish...has been happening in some places for a long time. It is not a new thing. You may protest all you want but you cannot make my experience go away.
You can say all the bad things you want about Western Washington and I promise not to get mad. Heck, I'll probably even agree with half of them.
Allow me to apologize to you if I have somehow offended your homeland.
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NearTheSea
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:24:31 PM new
no ksr goes thru the drive thru only at McD's, then takes it home to watch the commercials with the sound off.... 
artsupplies, he was spellchecking you, look again
uaru-gonna have to get used to this PC sh!it, its everywhere. Even in pre schools.
[email protected]
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NearTheSea
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:27:13 PM new
Now wait, there are some places left in W. Wa that are ok!!! I like the San Juan Islands, say anything you want about Seattle though.... (and I live here) I don't care
[email protected]
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rawbunzel
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:32:59 PM new
Aw c'mon Nearthesea! I was just funnin'. I would only really agree with 1/4 of the bad things.
Dang! Had to edit 'cause I just now got the joke. 
[ edited by rawbunzel on Aug 30, 2001 04:35 PM ]
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krs
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:38:13 PM new
Yes. S.Cal. can mean many places. I went to Disneyland when I was seven, I think, but I had to be dragged. Another time when my first mother in law croaked.
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NearTheSea
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:43:25 PM new
Seriously rawbunzel, I've read here, that you live here, don't you agree that this town has changed, and not for the better?
A couple of my personal dislikes: I don't like the looks of Safeco Field (I know lots of people love it) and the Seahawk one going up right next to it, they just look FUGLY 
And the traffic is so bad, its made me change a lot of things so I do not have to go downtown, I used to love downtown!
Its getting to be a longer drive to get out and into the 'country' (its beginning to remind me of LA) I dunno.....
I mentioned the Islands, because I do love it there, but its way to expensive to live!
[email protected]
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NearTheSea
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:45:52 PM new
You must have had a strange childhood to have to be dragged at seven years old to Disneyland .... wierd 
[email protected]
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toke
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:49:32 PM new
That would be...wired.
But, NTS...think of the blackberries. The first jam I ever made...and totally free. I mean, I may have lost a lot of blood...but a small price to pay...heh.
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rawbunzel
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:54:43 PM new
Nearthesea, I agree completely. It used to be a great place to live. Not too big.Now we sprawl all over everywhere and it's not a good thing! This area is only a little strip of land between the mountains and the water and we do not have that much room for sprawling. The people are not nearly as friendly as they used to be. I liked it a lot better before Microsoft. That brought in a lot of people that are only here for the money but don't really like the place.I have to laugh at how many houses in my area have planted palm trees in the front yard! They look so out of place here.
I hate the stadiums too and wonder how having two huge stadiums right in the heart of the city is going to effect the traffic problems especially when a lot of the games are going to start right at rush hour. Stupid! They are an eyesore. I think they should have built them further out to alleviate the traffic problems. But hey, I didn't want either of them in the first place. I liked the old Kingdome.
[ edited by rawbunzel on Aug 30, 2001 04:57 PM ]
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NearTheSea
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posted on August 30, 2001 04:55:45 PM new
LOL toke!
[email protected]
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rawbunzel
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posted on August 30, 2001 05:01:26 PM new
Nearthesea, My sister is looking for property not on the islands but across the water...over twords Bremerton and around Gig Harbor and she has seen a lot of parcels that are still about $60,000 for 5 or so acres. Of course you'd have to build or live in a mobile. It is still nice over there. Around Southworth too.I would like to go north, up around Sedro Wooley. It's still ok up there but growing fast.
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