BauLuo's picture BauLuo Submitted by Guest on Tue, 04/20/2021 - 23:43

Giovanni Martini wrote:

I wish I could get a Beijing's Best Burger for every time I ever said, say, "gar' (liver) and have people say, "No---it's 'gan.'" Then, a few days later say "Gan," only to have everyone chorus, "No---it's 'gar'!"

That is the old, old conundrum with foreign tongues. If one speaks like the book, you're criticized for not being colloquial. If the latter, then you're sneered at for not being the former. (Hey, as a teacher I did that all the time too.)

When I was in Neimenggu, bout half the people spoke the 儿化 and half didn't. Went goin to buy some beef liver one day, and asked where at be the 牛肝， got shown 牛干，to which i remonstrated `不不不，我说牛肝儿！。 Whereupon I was informed there was no beef liver available at that time. Now in the south they don't use that 儿化 at all , and even say crazy things like `哪里， which is never heard in the north. And sadly all the retroflex consonants are diminished in the south as well. If you don't listen closely, or you're drunk, 四块是十块， and vicie versa.

I am Doktor Aethelwise Snapdragoon.

WaqarOptimist's picture WaqarOptimist Submitted by Guest on Wed, 04/14/2021 - 18:58

Giovanni Martini wrote:

 I’m not here to judge anyone else’s relationships. (unquote)

Your entire article is exactly that---and RIGHTLY so. Judgments are how we steer through life. Example: when does someone become an adult? Different countries give varying answers. When it comes to sex, 18 was long a cutoff in the States, with plenty of creep down towards 16. Most of Europe was 16, last I knew. In China it is 14. Until fairly recently, in Japan it was 12. Clearly, it is not at all clear when one becomes an adult. Cultural judgment is called for. Never apologize for doing a necessary deed---in this case, judging.

18 feels right. Enough time to get mentally mature as well. 

~~“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” ~~.

WaqarOptimist's picture WaqarOptimist Submitted by Guest on Tue, 04/13/2021 - 16:58

100% agree. It's a matter of one's character and principles. Teachers are the custodian of our dearest and vulnerable little-selves...and they should honor our trust. If they don't do so then it means they are not sincere with their profession and also are shaming whole the humanity... 

~~“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” ~~.

Class4-teens's picture Class4-teens Submitted by Guest on Sun, 04/11/2021 - 12:25

Giovanni Martini wrote:
So true.

I mean, land o' Goshen, we uster get week-long tornadoes of asbestos particles and SARS virus. We hadder work 16 hour days in it too, outside and buck nekkid. But you tell kids that nowadays, and they don't believe you!

tomarnstein's picture tomarnstein Submitted by Guest on Thu, 04/01/2021 - 12:11

mr. modern wrote:

Considering there is a separate price for foriegners (RMB132 instead of RMB120) & an English registration page where you can enter your nationality & passport number but no place to enter your green card number, I don't think its right that this is only open to GC holders.

It seems you are correct! The system has been updated since we tried it yesterday to allow foreign passport holders - good news! The blog has been updated to reflect this.

Managing Editor, the Beijinger

Sikaote's picture Sikaote Submitted by Guest on Sun, 03/28/2021 - 17:12

Following a nasty onslaught of sandstorms recently, some Chinese officials in the country’s foreign ministry want to redouble efforts to block sands blown in from Mongolia. A big part of that is to finally apply an idea that has been kicked around for more than a decade: creating a remote sensing system to aid in monitoring the desertification of Mongolia. According to scientists at the Chinese Academy of Forestry, such a system could be used to implement more effective governance in the face of desertification and could have major environmental impacts beyond reducing sand and dust storms.

Wth is this word soup??? I tried two times to unpack this gibberish, but, nah. Just nah.

Pleasantry

Sikaote's picture Sikaote Submitted by Guest on Thu, 03/18/2021 - 18:08

Giovanni Martini wrote:

Ok, I know. I capeesh. I comprendo, too. I mean, hey, I used to be in hotel management. (Maybe two star. Blue dwarf stars.) I know "The Daily Special!" is generally food the chef'd have to throw to the crows tomorrow. Old food. A little off. Hell, nearing tipping-point toxic. But serving PRE-COLUMBIAN Mexican food?! That's utterly shameless. Last month is pushing it. We're talking half a millennium here, for Moctezuma's mothballed sakes!

COVID-19 will not end till public-health bureaucrats turned attention whor*s are strictly quarantined from the media.

Or until people are not forced to go to the hospital every week for their meds. Amirite?

Dirol