Can personally attest to Denmark having loads of English speakers.

I encountered exactly one person in my travels there who did not speak fluent English.

I’d learned a little, so I tried to use Danish to order things, ask directions etc, and everyone replied in perfect English.

Yep - this is the case in the UK too.

It literally took a second to confirm that this is the case in dozens of countries around the world.

Wikipedia: Prohibitory Traffic Sign

Are the books any good? If so, then I don’t see a problem.

Unless…

Are they plagiarising other books? If not, then I don’t see a problem.

Unless…

Have people lost their jobs because of this? If not, then I don’t see a problem.

If it’s just a content creator using technology to help them create something of value, that otherwise would not have existed, then surely this is a good thing.

AI isn’t inherently bad. It’s just a tool.

Maybe this is an Eng (UK) / Eng (US) issue.

You’re arguing that “every place” must mean shops.

I absolutely didn’t read it as that, I assumed they meant “other parts of Canada”. I mean, Canada is a gigantic country with tons of regional accent, dialect, even language differences.

Might be best to chalk it up to a misunderstanding and move on.

Genericisation. It happens all the time!

Other examples (that are at least used generically in the UK).

Astroturf, bubble wrap, hoover, hovercraft, jacuzzi, rollerblades and tarmac.

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TIL

I’ll admit, I thought “I’m sure I’d have heard that before if it was true”, but it appears to be the case! It’s apparently based on a gesture Leonard Nimoy saw during a blessing as a boy.

I guess it’s like the ICXC hand shape that vicars and priests use in Christianity.

These religious leaders and their hand gestures…

Back to the Future’s “Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan” definitely threw one of these 🖖

First time around, I thought the BL meant “Boy Love” and not “Black Library”, and surprisingly it reads much the same.

True, but it’s happened twice in the last six presidential elections. The fact that the system allows it at all is problematic, but it’s unfortunately becoming more common, not less.

That’s exactly why so many countries around the world roll their eyes when America bangs on so much about democracy.

It’s a marketing thing. Look around the world. Find any country with the word “Democratic” in the name, and odds are you’ll find a poor excuse for a democracy.

The actual democracies in the world don’t feel compelled to keep repeating the fact.

The reality is that America is only really a democracy in the loosest sense of the world. All you need to do is look at how often the wealthiest candidate wins to see that it’s true. Or how often the person with the most votes loses. Or how unregulated lobbying actually is. Or the insane amount of power the President actually has. The power doesn’t lie with the people - it lies with the super-rich.

Sorry if that came off as really negative! America has a lot of good stuff going for it, but its implementation of democracy is not one.

If you’re thinking yoga retreats etc, I’d consider building an Earthship or two first. They’re totally eco-friendly, almost hobbit-like buildings. They fit the vibe and would give you a base of operations for future plans.

Love it, especially the alt text.

Have you tried DAS clay? If you’re British, you can buy it pretty cheap from The Works, Hobbycraft or The Range.

It seems like it’d be exactly the right consistency to fill out these molds - a smidge firmer than playdoh, but much softer than plasticine.

Edit: just remembered, you can even get stone effect DAS clay for the same price, so no painting needed!

That’s my point - you can’t tell someone’s religion just by skin colour.

FWIW, there’s plenty of people with a similar colour skin who aren’t Muslim. India, for example, has a population of nearly 1.5 billion.

Unless someone tells you, or has some obvious sign, it’s bad form to assume someone’s religion from how they look.

Interesting addition here, we don’t even have an official national anthem. There isn’t even an “official” version of the lyrics for the song we use as the de-facto national anthem.

We just all kind of collectively agreed upon the first verse, and mentally update it whenever a monarch dies and a new gender is required.

I wouldn’t worry about it then. Sleeping babies are a lot floppier than you’d expect - it won’t be doing any harm :)

Maybe the baby’s just a bobble head.

Unless the baby looked malnourished or uncared for, I wouldn’t worry. Babies are far more resilient, bendy and adaptable than we give them credit for.

Also, unless there’s a developmental issue, a seven month old would easily be able to hold their head unassisted. Is it possible the baby was just trying to look at things?

No, you’re right, I stand corrected. Although I don’t know how much that had to do with McCarthy himself or the Un-American Activities Committee - it was an FBI investigation trail that had already begun before McCarthy kicked off with all his nonsense.