Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[digitaldog]

New Mexico gives special recognition to Spanish.

It may be useful to point out to Pavlov's dog* that New Mexico is part of the US. 
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12512979
Is New Mexico a State? *Some Americans Don't Know
August 5, 20078:00 AM ET

[Robert Roaldi]

...  Contrarily, in Canada, all official documents have to be processed in both French and English.  How is this handled in their legislature when parliamentarians speak?

Same as everywhere else on earth, U.N., where multiple languages are supported/needed like contract negotiations, etc., i.e., translators. It's not a big mystery, done every day, simply routine.

An interesting side note is that leaning more than one language, especially at a young age (if I remember right) results in many cognitive health benefits as one ages. These findings are pretty widely accepted now, I believe. Funny because I know people, sons of immigrants like me, who insisted on not teaching more than one language to their kids "to avoid confusion". The end result is the opposite. Exposure to many different languages growing up is a benefit to the kids, they learn many things more easily and faster. I speak three languages, the current one, French and Italian and I would consider a massive loss to my life if I didn't enjoy this facility. I have never understood language xenophobia, makes no sense.

[Peter McLennan]

I speak three languages, the current one, French and Italian and I would consider a massive loss to my life if I didn't enjoy this facility.

Precisely my reaction when at the age of 19 I sat alone in bars in Montmartre and read French newspapers.
Learning French in high school proved invaluable for decades to come.

In Home Depot in the American west, signs and price tags are in Spanish as well as English. Nobody seems to care.

Except the assholes on my Sprinter forum who spit vitriol at the very idea.

[LesPalenik]

Same as everywhere else on earth, U.N., where multiple languages are supported/needed like contract negotiations, etc., i.e., translators. It's not a big mystery, done every day, simply routine.

An interesting side note is that leaning more than one language, especially at a young age (if I remember right) results in many cognitive health benefits as one ages. These findings are pretty widely accepted now, I believe. Funny because I know people, sons of immigrants like me, who insisted on not teaching more than one language to their kids "to avoid confusion". The end result is the opposite. Exposure to many different languages growing up is a benefit to the kids, they learn many things more easily and faster. I speak three languages, the current one, French and Italian and I would consider a massive loss to my life if I didn't enjoy this facility. I have never understood language xenophobia, makes no sense.

I fully agree. It's also easier to become a pope if you speak several languages.

[Chris Kern]

An interesting side note is that leaning more than one language, especially at a young age (if I remember right) results in many cognitive health benefits as one ages. These findings are pretty widely accepted now, I believe.

También muy útil para los viejos.  Mi esposa y yo empazamos a aprender español después de nuestras respectivas jubilaciones—y ¡ya somos más inteligentes!  Funciona a cualquier edad.

[LesPalenik]

Interestingly, in many European countries where they don't have two official languages, more people are multi-lingual than in Quebec.
Could be due to the exposure to music, youtube or Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.

[Alan Klein]

I'm only suggesting that there should be one official language in America to remind us that regardless of where we came from, we're now from the same nation and are the same people.  Americans.  Privately, anyone can speak whatever they want and do. 

[Alan Klein]

What's with Canadian truck drivers?  Have they gone American?  Eh?

What’s going on with the Canada trucker strikes?
Canadian truckers and supporters have created blockades in Ottawa and obstructed the U.S.-Canada border
A convoy of anti-vaccine mandate Canadian truckers and their supporters made their way to the country’s capital, Ottawa, creating a blockage and obstructing the U.S.-Canadian border crossing.
“Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods,” reads the convoy’s GoFundMe page.
“We are a peaceful country that has helped protect nations across the globe from tyrannical governments who oppressed their people, and now it seems it is happening here.”
https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2022/2/1/22912631/canada-trucker-strike-protest-border-justin-trudeau-go-fund-me-10-million-soup-kitchen

[LesPalenik]

The new Tesla Semi trucks will require fewer unvaccinated truck drivers than now.

[Robert Roaldi]

What's with Canadian truck drivers?  Have they gone American?  Eh?

What’s going on with the Canada trucker strikes?
Canadian truckers and supporters have created blockades in Ottawa and obstructed the U.S.-Canada border
A convoy of anti-vaccine mandate Canadian truckers and their supporters made their way to the country’s capital, Ottawa, creating a blockage and obstructing the U.S.-Canadian border crossing.
“Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods,” reads the convoy’s GoFundMe page.
“We are a peaceful country that has helped protect nations across the globe from tyrannical governments who oppressed their people, and now it seems it is happening here.”
https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2022/2/1/22912631/canada-trucker-strike-protest-border-justin-trudeau-go-fund-me-10-million-soup-kitchen

Interesting developments today. There are reports of much public peeing and some defecation, so much so that many downtown restaurants did not re-open yesterday, as provincial lockdown rules were relaxed on Jan 31. Some of the protestors threw rocks at paramedic vehicle and when the non-white driver stopped and came out to look at the damage, many racial slurs were heard and recorded (I believe). Downtown Ottawa has a lot of permanent residents, and their lives are being massively disrupted, since some local grocery stores have closed because no one can deliver product to them. The city has opened up an harassment phone line to report the various threats that people have been receiving.

From what I've read, it's not clear what the actual protest is about since both the US and Canada have mandatory vaccination requirements for people to cross the border so people are confused about what the proximate cause of this protest is, other than temper tantrum. It's doubly ironic as Ontario is now emerging from the recent lockdowns, although Quebec infections have gone up a lot in the past week.

But the single weirdest thing I saw was the Confederate flag on one of the trucks. Hard to believe the guy doesn't know he's in Canada, truckers are usually pretty good about geography.

Meanwhile, thousands and thousands of truckers are out on the roads earning their living as per usual.

I haven't gone downtown to have a look because I hate traffic jams.

[Robert Roaldi]

I fully agree. It's also easier to become a pope if you speak several languages.

Yeah but geez, no dating.

[Alan Klein]

This is going to be interesting.  It seems Democrats lost one vote in the Senate, at least for a while.  That gives Republicans a majority as soon as they all return from their own absences.  Then the votes will be 49 Democrats and 50 Republicans.  This could affect the Supreme Court vote and other important issues of the day.  Interestingly, it seems Breyer's resignation letter stated he only resigns if a replacement is approved by the Senate.  Biden can't get a break.

Luján stroke sends Senate Democrats reeling
While the 49-year-old New Mexico Democrat is expected to make a full recovery, Democrats lose their working majority in his absence.
Luján’s unexpected medical condition comes at a moment when Senate Democrats simply don’t have any votes to spare to pass party priorities, including reviving their social spending bill and now confirming a Supreme Court justice. The latest news could leave Democrats reliant on Republican votes to move forward on nominees and other priorities.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/01/democratic-senate-reels-after-lujan-stroke-00004432

[Alan Klein]

Interesting developments today. There are reports of much public peeing and some defecation, so much so that many downtown restaurants did not re-open yesterday, as provincial lockdown rules were relaxed on Jan 31. Some of the protestors threw rocks at paramedic vehicle and when the non-white driver stopped and came out to look at the damage, many racial slurs were heard and recorded (I believe). Downtown Ottawa has a lot of permanent residents, and their lives are being massively disrupted, since some local grocery stores have closed because no one can deliver product to them. The city has opened up an harassment phone line to report the various threats that people have been receiving.

From what I've read, it's not clear what the actual protest is about since both the US and Canada have mandatory vaccination requirements for people to cross the border so people are confused about what the proximate cause of this protest is, other than temper tantrum. It's doubly ironic as Ontario is now emerging from the recent lockdowns, although Quebec infections have gone up a lot in the past week.

But the signal weirdest thing I saw was the Confederate flag on one of the trucks. Hard to believe the guy doesn't know he's in Canada, truckers are usually pretty good about geography.

Meanwhile, thousands and thousands of truckers are out on the roads earning their living as per usual.

I haven't gone downtown to have a look because I hate traffic jams.

Probably the same Democrat who drives around with the Confederate flag at Republican rallies in the US to give them a bad name. 

[Robert Roaldi]

What's with Canadian truck drivers?  Have they gone American?  Eh?

What’s going on with the Canada trucker strikes?
Canadian truckers and supporters have created blockades in Ottawa and obstructed the U.S.-Canada border
A convoy of anti-vaccine mandate Canadian truckers and their supporters made their way to the country’s capital, Ottawa, creating a blockage and obstructing the U.S.-Canadian border crossing.
“Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods,” reads the convoy’s GoFundMe page.
“We are a peaceful country that has helped protect nations across the globe from tyrannical governments who oppressed their people, and now it seems it is happening here.”
https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2022/2/1/22912631/canada-trucker-strike-protest-border-justin-trudeau-go-fund-me-10-million-soup-kitchen

Another thing is that the actual number of truckers protesting isn't that large, but you don't need to park many trucks to clog up downtown streets.

Some Conservative politicians have shown up to give support to the protest and the consensus seems to be that will cause them to lose some votes. At the same time as that, a move is afoot in the federal Conservative party to remove their current leader, so things aren't going well for them at the moment.

[Alan Klein]

Another thing is that the actual number of truckers protesting isn't that large, but you don't need to park many trucks to clog up downtown streets.

Some Conservative politicians have shown up to give support to the protest and the consensus seems to be that will cause them to lose some votes. At the same time as that, a move is afoot in the federal Conservative party to remove their current leader, so things aren't going well for them at the moment.

Maybe Trump can apply.

[Robert Roaldi]

Maybe Trump can apply.

Trying to get rid of him? 

[Alan Klein]

Trying to get rid of him? 

Well, the republican party would be better off if he spent some time north of the border. 

[LesPalenik]

Trying to get rid of him? 

They should put him in a special truck.

[Alan Klein]

MCGA - Make Canada Great Again

[Alan Klein]

I think Putin blinked.  What do you think?

Putin Says the U.S. Wants to Push Russia into War
The Russian president blamed the United States for the crisis in Ukraine, saying Americans were goading the Kremlin to start a conflict as a pretext for enacting harsh sanctions.
President Vladimir V. Putin said on Tuesday that the United States was trying to pull Russia into an armed conflict over Ukraine that Russia did not want, cautioning that the West had not yet satisfied Russia’s demands for a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe but that he hoped “dialogue will be continued.”

The Kremlin has demanded in writing that NATO not expand eastward, guaranteeing that Ukraine will never join the alliance, and that NATO draw down forces in Eastern European countries that were once part of the Soviet Union or part of its orbit. American and European officials have dismissed such demands as non-starters.

Mr. Putin described the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO as an existential threat to world peace. He said that a Western-allied Ukraine strengthened with NATO weapons could launch a war against Russia to recapture Crimea, leading to war between Russia and the NATO bloc. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 was not recognized as legitimate by the international community.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/01/world/russia-ukraine-news#putins-public-remarks-today-could-be-his-first-on-ukraine-since-december