Aino

Good riddance. She ruined the lives of millions of people, and I feel like pseudo-feminists who praise her are either a) Rich. b) Not British.

I am overjoyed about the election results!!! Yay!!

I can't say I'm excited for this. My state was completely flooded by Irene last year. We're more equipped to handle snow, but that doesn't mean the damage is going to be any less intense. Better go shopping tomorrow and stock up, just in case.

I live in Vermont. I don't know how I feel about it sometimes.

I agree, Shyguy. I would also advise EVERYONE against getting their information from Autism Speaks; they are an incredibly corrupt organization that does a lot of harm to the autistic community. I would recommend instead looking into the Autism Self-Advocacy Network.

.....Wow. First thing you need to come to understand is that we are not a monolith. Furthermore, that statistic is actually a myth with no factual basis. I have yet to find any reliable source backing it up. We are not soulless robots; we are fully capable of expressing love and affection just like everyone else. It is just that we are wired differently to do so in a world that is not designed for the way we are, which is simply "not neurotypical."

Thank you! I am familiar with their language program and knew that they taught Vietnamese. I was also interested in their music program, but they are absurdly expensive, even though they are an excellent school. ???

I apologize if this is too personal, but may I ask where he studied? I have been searching for institutions that teach Vietnamese, but they are very scarce.

Hebrew was one of the first languages I was exposed to as a child. My aunt came back from Jerusalem with a tape of children's songs in Hebrew, and I learned them all. She tried to make me study more, but I was a stubborn child and was not interested. It's funny that you mention that; Tolkien was a philologist who was inspired very much by the Finnish language and culture, and his Elvish languages were very heavily influenced by Finnish. That is one of the reasons that I became interested in the language. Congratulations on your patriarchal blessing!

I apologize if this has been posted before, but I have been unable to find a post regarding this topic after searching. English is my first language and I like to think that I am fluent. I am simultaneously studying about seven languages at once because I'm quite fickle due to a very short attention span. Vietnamese is my absolute favorite language; I've been studying a bit and I love it so much. I watch a lot of Vietnamese cooking shows, movies, and listen to music in Vietnamese so I'm picking up some vocabulary in addition to studying. Recently, I decided to learn Khmer/Cambodian. I was intimidated by learning the alphabet at first, but it wasn't as difficult as I had imagined. I just really like Austro-Asiatic languages, I think. Next on my agenda is Finnish. I have a fascination and love for the language and I have been studying it for the purpose of personal research to do with Finnish composers (finding resources), history, literature, etc. I hope to be fluent one day. I also really love Arabic and have been studying the script lately. I listen to a lot of music in Arabic and I don't trust romanizations, so I'd like to learn the lyrics from reading it properly in its Arabic script. I am starting with Modern Standard Arabic and may move onto a dialect later. I studied French and Spanish in school years ago. I fear that I am losing what I have lost, so I am reading and studying to keep both fresh in my mind. I was never fluent in either, but oh well. Due to my obsession with Korean dramas and Korean pop music, I have picked up a little bit of Korean here and there, but I haven't studied it in-depth. I learned how to read a bit of Hangul so I can learn lyrics properly, rather than relying on romanizations. I might want to study Russian and German eventually, but that is not a priority right now. I have been studying the Cyrillic alphabet, which is quite useful. I am also fond of Mandarin and Cantonese, so I think I may study both before I consider Russian or German. I love languages; I am perhaps a bit overzealous. I am interested in everyone else's language endeavors. What languages do you all speak?

I also practice belly dancing sometimes. I am worried about the lack of modesty that goes with the dance, but a lot of the costumes that go with it show just as much skin as a ballerina would. Judging from the types of belly dance, I don't technically have to show my stomach, and there are other modest dresses for the dance out there (especially the cane dance).

The tabla is a really beautiful instrument. I don't think there would be anything wrong with continuing to listen to it; not all music we listen to has to be directly linked to our church. I have yet to learn the Arabic script; it seems incredibly daunting and challenging. Right now I am focusing on Vietnamese, Spanish, French and Finnish (because of the Finnish composers I study).

I'm fond of Lee Hyori, especially the song "U Go Girl." It's pretty silly but very fun and catchy. Her song "10 Minutes" was the first song kpop song I heard, actually. My favorite kpop act would have to be Girls' Generation/Sonyeo Shidae/소녀시대. is a song by Psy that has, somehow, gone viral. Needless to say, he and his management are pretty confused. It's a huge hit due to its humor and weird dance. He's going to be performing at the MTV VMAs.

I love classical music and baroque. As an aspiring opera singer, I am partial to Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, etc. I also love lieder, especially Schubert. I will be auditioning for vocal performance/classical opera programs in the fall. I spend an alarming amount of time studying choral music, particularly Finnish, Russian and German liturgical arrangements. I have had an obsessive love for Korean pop music for the past three years. It is infectious, and I am happy with the sudden Gangnam Style craze. I love classic rock music, including Cream, The Who, The Beatles, really just rock music in general. I've also come to love Rage Against the Machine recently.

I don't disrespect anyone unless given a very solid reason to.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors, anyone? This one gave me nightmares as a kid.

I am happy for those who are fortunate enough to live in a heavily populated enough area that has access to a variety of ethnic foods. I grew up in Oklahoma City, which had no shortage of Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, Korean (and more) restaurants. I then moved to an area where the nearest Indian restaurant is 50 miles away. So, I turned this inconvenience into a hobby of finding recipes and ingredients for various dishes I wanted to try. It's helped my cooking a lot. Those who cannot find ethnic restaurants near them may want to check a few recipes or demonstration videos on youtube if they're interested. I learned how to make curry this way and while it isn't ideal, it isn't bad.

It is more likely that he will be in seclusion and separated away from the others, particularly with a high-profile case such as this one and considering his charges. I would be very surprised if they just tossed him in with the rest of the population, otherwise he would probably be killed immediately. It isn't "special treatment" as was mentioned above, but a precautionary measure regarding what is a very real situation in prison hierarchy.

This is rather well-researched and enlightening. I may send this to a few people.

Phish Food-- chocolate ice cream, marshmallow and caramel swirl, with fudge fish. It's a joke, because the Ben and Jerry's company is from Vermont, and so is the band Phish, and... yeah. Note the psychedelic design.

For all intensive purposes, I see what you're saying.

...I don't even know, really.

Converting to Islam will do nothing. Terrorists kill Muslims of every sect. Other than that... I recognize your point.

Same here. I remember liking it, actually. I really want to try lutefisk, just to say that I did.

What a waste of calories... Most of these don't even look tasty.