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Showing posts from January, 2017

Trudeau: Implement PR, or prepare to lose

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This is an open letter to Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. January 23rd, 2017 Dear Justin, You seem like a cool guy. We don't have a lot of time, so I'll get straight to the point. In 2015, you made a very specific promise (which is still online -- kudos for that). It reads: " We will make every vote count. We are committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system." Time is ticking away, and so far you haven't made very many positive steps towards moving to a PR (Proportional Representation) system that would truly satisfy this promise. Late last year, you released a survey that seemed to be designed to confuse people rather than find out what they really think. More and more, it looks like the Liberal government is preparing to renege on its promise to " make every vote count. " I assure you, this would be a huge mistake . If you decide to keep FP

Foreign expressions

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Over the years, I've picked up a few interesting expressions from places I've lived that I've incorporated into my everyday conversation :) People are often confused, so here are the explanations. Texas / Atlanta / The South "Y'all" Usage: Abbreviation of "you all" or "you guys" or "yous guys" "How are y'all doing today?" "What about the rest of y'all?" New Zealand Pronouncing many short vowel sounds as "ee". Examples: "Builder" = "Beelder" The name "Ben" = "Been" France "Comme vous voulez" (pronounced: Come voo voo-lay) Usage: When you don't really have an opinion. Literally: "As you wish." or "However you like." "What do you want for dinner tonight? -- Comme vous voulez." "Should we invite the Jones? -- Comme vous voulez." The Caribbean &q