Chat about whatever you like: the weather, good stuff, bad stuff, family or pets! Showing 6,001-6,050 of 26,036

[Mark]

G'night! Sleep well!

[Reinette]

Mark wrote: "Salut, Brigitte!

I hope you didn't think that was an authentic phonetic representation of the way I usually speak! :) I can actually manage French without much of an accent, but it would have be..."

Tja Mark, ich spreche Deutsch; es ist meine Muttersprache. Yes, I do speak German. I'm sure it was you who wrote "bitte" in one of your posts the other day. That was the word that alerted me, so to speak, um...write.
How come you are multilingual? Not many Americans learn another language, well maybe Spanish.
But I have seen Americans in Germany speaking German. That's so cute. Less so in France. French is a difficult language to master. There are so many 'exceptions' in EVERYTHING. Hmpf....
You have been to France, then? Did you come to Paris? Have you been to Germany or other European countries?

I have to check out the other groups you are active in, especially Francophonie. GR does not exist in French. Maybe there is a Quebecois group?

And no, I didn't think it was an authentic phonetic representation of your accent. But sooo funny though! :)

Ah yes, and "salutary"?? I think I would have taken the dictionary, or www.reverso.net, to find out what you meant exactly by that; :)
Cheers

[Mish]

Mark wrote: "Mish wrote: "Mark wrote: "Mish wrote: "Mark wrote: "BTW, guys,

Have I mentioned how I loathe the Android self-correcting keyboard? It initially rendered my "Salut, Brigitte!" as "Salutary, Brigit..."

Lol! You’ve lost me most of the time Mark but I’m with you here :)

[Margaret]

Good morning, everyone!

After about a week and a half of almost unbroken gloom, a sunny start to the day, here in Sydney.
It may not last, so we'd better make the most of it.
Off to the park, to take Chicki Rose for a walk beside the river. I'll bet there will be others doing likewise.

Catch up later.:)

[Mark]

Salut, Brigitte!

(And yes, you are entirely "salutary" ("having a beneficial effect"), but it wasn't deliberate. It truly was the product of the schizophrenic AI algorithm that informs the crazed decisions of my Android keyboard; I'm constantly having to override it -- if I notice. When I type extended stretches of French, Spanish, German or Danish, it makes me rave incoherently, but since this is indistinguishable from my normal mode of communication, no one notices. Android is evil. :))

"Tja Mark, ich spreche Deutsch; es ist meine Muttersprache.

Yes, I do speak German. I'm sure it was you who wrote "bitte" in one of your posts the other day. That was the word that alerted me, so to speak, um...write.

Ah, you're very observant; that hadn't even occurred to me. The only thing I'd been aware of having posted recently in any language other than English, French or Spanish, was a brief note on Danske Læsere, "Jeg er i gang med 'Spire,'" and I thought maybe you'd been looking on my page to do a book comparison, and had somehow, subliminally, noticed it. It seemed unlikely that you (or anyone but an American) would confuse Danish with German, but I couldn't think of another explanation. Of course, if I'd been sure you spoke German, I couldn't have imagined any explanation at all! Except magic!

How come you are multilingual? Not many Americans learn another language,

Not many Americans can find France or Australia on a map, but please don't hold it against us. We are, on the other hand, exceptionally good at electing idiot sociopathic right-wing politicians to start pointless wars and wreck the world economy, so obviously we're good for something. :) You know the old chestnut, of course:

What do you call a person who speaks three languages? "Trilingual."

What do you call a person who speaks two languages? "Bilingual."

What do you call a person who speaks one language? (Hint: the answer isn't "European.")

Anyway, I do have a semi-plausible excuse for my anomalous multilingualism. I'm a retired "computational linguist" and prof. of computer science who was involved in some of the early research on mechanical translation back in the paleolithic, so it was imperative that I be able to read hydraulic plant manuals and The Princess and the Pea in 27 languages (we had funding from the Siemens corporation; as for who chose Prindsesse på Ærten, I couldn't say...), and I do have an undergraduate degree in French literature and maths, so that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)

...well maybe Spanish. But I have seen Americans in Germany speaking German. That's so cute.

Yes, we're like bunny rabbits. Really bellicose bunny rabbits with bad accents. :)

Less so in France. French is a difficult language to master. There are so many 'exceptions' in EVERYTHING. Hmpf....You have been to France, then? Did you come to Paris?

Yes, I studied there one summer, loved it! My ex- happened also to be fluent in French, and we used to speak it together in public when we wanted a measure of (illusory) privacy. In Texas, Spanish is the default acoustic linguistic parsing option for anything that doesn't sound like English, so I think most people thought it was just really-badly-mispronounced Spanish. :)

Have you been to Germany or other European countries?

Passed through Germany in the Cretaceous, spent some time in Copenhagen. I've read any number of novels in German, though. I love Rilke, and can recite whole swaths of Duineser Elegien. :)

Maybe there is a Quebecois group?

Well, there's Quebecois et fier de l'être! (I'd be, too :)), but it has only twelve members, hélas!

Cheers!

[Margaret]

Hi Mark,

We're back from our rather solitary walk, our main companions being a terrifyingly huge bull ant, and a solitary sea gull. (Yes, we have the occasional gull or several on the river.) And the sun's still shining.

Thanks to Brigitte, we now now a lot more about you.:) What a great asset to be multi lingual. My little grey cells have enough to do, remembering English. You may be interested to know that the lady reader I mentioned to you in a very recent message is also multi lingual.

Cheers!

[Mark]

Hi, Margaret!

Thanks to Brigitte, we now now a lot more about you.:) 

Probably vastly more than you could plausibly want to! :) Brigitte did ask, though, and I felt expansive (really unusual for me, right? :)) I still have a lengthy missive to you in progress that's accreting an undue number of words. I'll probably send it before Tolstoi turns over in his grave. :)

As for the multilingualism, once I migrated away from natural language understanding and into even more annoying forms of AI, it ceased really to be all that useful, except for purposes of indulging my "frivolous" literary interests. I guess, once I moved back to Texas, the Spanish started to be of some limited utility, and I used to speak French to my wife all the time, but these days, I really don't speak even English very much -- that is, verbally. Of course, I blather on the internet... Do you know that King Charles/Karl/Carlo V famously said, " I speak Spanish to God, Italian to Women, French to Men, and German to my Horse." I think this is *extremely* unfair to German, unless the horse particularly liked Goethe, but still very funny. It suggests that I should, perhaps, have been speaking Italian to S. She didn't speak it, but then, as Sancho Panza said to Don Quixote, "I'll tell him all the troubles I have had, And since he doesn't hear, At least he won't feel bad." :)

[Margaret]

Mark wrote: "Hi, Margaret!

Thanks to Brigitte, we now now a lot more about you.:) 

Probably vastly more than you could plausibly want to! :) Brigitte did ask, though, and I felt expansive (really unusual fo..."

Thanks, Mark, for your unfailing good humour! Never fails to put a smile on my face!

Yes, the quotation sounds familiar, but fresh enough to be both funny and appropriate.

In my third book, 'The Essence of Life and Love in Australia', I have a little , rather humorous story entitled 'Language of Love'. This book needs work, I hasten to add, since I've uncovered a dreadful typo, repeated many times, the French way of saying 'joy of life' which I dare not even try to write here. And there are other, equally disturbing typos, too. If and when my books show real signs of winning an audience, I'll have to revise this one, or be forever condemned as sloppy. :)

[Mark]

Hi, Margaret!

Honestly, I don't think you need worry about typos -- I haven't encountered a book that was free of them in about 30 years -- but you can readily correct errors dynamically if your book is available in electronic form, and I think it'll get you the wider readership you deserve, so I'm going to continue to chivvy you to get that done. :)

[Margaret]

Mark wrote: "Hi, Margaret!

Honestly, I don't think you need worry about typos -- I haven't encountered a book that was free of them in about 30 years -- but you can readily correct errors dynamically if your b..."

Thanks, Mark!

Something must have happened to publishing, thirty years ago.

I'm currently reading a volume in the 'Mary Poppins' series, and no typos. The book was printed over forty years ago.

Typos don't worry me as much as they seem to concern Ron, though doubtless they detract.

E-books do seem to be the way of the future, and are well represented in the present. I'll keep talking to Ron about them.:)

[Reinette]

Thanks Mark for being so expansive.:)
I think I'm able to hold my own in English, but what the heck does 'the old chestnut" mean? Never came across that expression; unless it's one of your own??

Degree in maths?! Oh wow, I'm at your feet; I'm so worthless with numbers. Better at languages, though, and cake, yes definitely cake. I love baking; must have been a baker in my other life, I'm sure. :)

Now why did you say you had to be able to read "Prinzessin auf der Erbse" in 27 languages? Is it an arbitrary number or were you referring to the 27 members of the European Union, and thus 27 different languages??
Because I'd say there are probably only 22 different languages in the EU. One language, more or less, in Germany/Austria, France/Belgium, UK/Ireland, in Luxembourg they speak French & German and I'm not sure what language they speak in Malta.

I love Rainer Maria Rilke too. I have a book of his poems. So lovely.

Oh, almost forgot. Hubby (he's French) is also of the opinion that German is a language for horses!!
:))

[Mish]

Brigitte wrote: "Thanks Mark for being so expansive.:)
I think I'm able to hold my own in English, but what the heck does 'the old chestnut" mean? Never came across that expression; unless it's one of your own??

D..."

Maltese Brigitte, it sounds very similar to the Arabic language

[Tracey]

Talk about a fascinating discussion :) Just wish I could participate lol.

It's been clear, blue skies for a couple of days now in my part of QLD. Finally got all the washing done, folded and then the dogs decided to play with my clothes - sigh - now I have to re-fold them all and I've learned my lesson. Next time once they're folded - put them away!

Other than that writing away madly to reach my end of June deadline. The stories are coming thick and fast and each one of them is unique and fun in its' own way. I'm really enjoying exploring the lives of my Witchcraft Wars characters when they were younger and there's some excellent material there. Now I just hope when I do release it that it sells well.

[Mark]

Salut, Brigitte!

Thanks Mark for being so expansive.:)

Thanks for thanking me (rather than throwing a heavy projectile)! :)

I think I'm able to hold my own in English, but what the heck does 'the old chestnut" mean?

You more than "hold your own" in English. The only reason I wouldn't assume you were American is that you speak it too immaculately and eloquently (and also, of course, that you're on an Aussie blog). Aussie or British I'd readily believe, though, and wouldn't have thought twice. "Old chestnut" is somewhat self-referential, because it's not much used anymore, but it refers to a joke, usually, that is extremely dated, and has been heard a thousand times before, and is thus notably lame. :)

Degree in maths?! Oh wow, I'm at your feet;

Oh, good heavens, no! My favorite math book (for teaching from) was Daniel I.A. Cohen's "Introduction to the Computer Theory." Cohen states in the preface (paraphrasing a bit) that "if an idea can be conveyed using abstruse sequences of Greek letters, then it can almost certainly be conveyed (and better) using clear and simple English." I think the reason that most people claim that they're not any good at maths, is that most math teachers don't understand this, and want you just to learn to manipulate the funny symbols.

Better at languages, though,

Well, that's abundantly obvious! :) (that you're good at languages; not that you can't do math)

and cake, yes definitely cake. I love baking; must have been a baker in my other life,

I'm clueless at "cake," and cannot do it at all. I can eat it, though, and am always happy to. :)

Now why did you say you had to be able to read "Prinzessin auf der Erbse" in 27 languages? Is it an arbitrary number or were you referring to the 27 members of the European Union, and thus 27 different languages?? Because I'd say there are probably only 22 different languages in the EU. One language, more or less, in Germany/Austria, France/Belgium, UK/Ireland, in Luxembourg they speak French & German and I'm not sure what language they speak in Malta.

"27“ was just an arbitrary number (it's three-cubed, though, so that's nice). We actually did far fewer than that, perhaps eight or nine in my prototype. And yes, Malta's a Semitic language, descended from a branch of Arabic. I have a bit of Arabic (and Hebrew), but not enough to translate "Prinzessin auf der Erbse" without getting laughed at. :) It would end up being something like, "There was once a prince who wanted a princess and where is your elephant from?" (Min eyna fiilka?) Not helpful... :)

I love Rainer Maria Rilke too. I have a book of his poems. So lovely.

"...und wir bewundern es so, weil es gelassen verschmäht, uns zu zerstören. Ein jeder Engel ist schrecklich." (...and we are so awed by it, because it serenely disdains to annihilate us. Every angel is terrible.") Happy stuff! :) :)

Oh, almost forgot. Hubby (he's French) is also of the opinion that German is a language for horses!! :))

But what is the opinion of the horses?? :) :)

[Mark]

Hi, Tracey!

Curiosity compelled me to get 'hold of a copy of "Erich's Plea." Haven't started it, but I loved your illustrator's picture of a dragon on the first page. Looks as though it'll be immense fun, though. Good luck on your current frenzied writing efforts, and on meeting your June deadline!

[Margaret]

Hi Mark!

Your line, "but what is the opinion of the horses??"
reminded me of the last lines of a humorous piece:

"You can tell a man who boozes
By the company he chooses
With that, the pig got up and walked away."

Hope I got it right!
:):)

[Mark]

Margaret wrote: "Hi Mark!

Your line, "but what is the opinion of the horses??"
reminded me of the last lines of a humorous piece:

"You can tell a man who boozes
By the company he chooses
With that, the pig got up..."

Hi, Margaret!

Hilarious! I don't know it, but I'm sure you remembered it right, because it scans so well! Reminds me of a poem from Huxley's Ape and essence:

The leech's kiss,
The squid's embrace,
The prurient ape's defiling touch,
And do you like the human race?
No, not much.

Don't endorse the sentiment, but it stuck in my mind. :)

[Margaret]

Mark wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Hi Mark!

Your line, "but what is the opinion of the horses??"
reminded me of the last lines of a humorous piece:

"You can tell a man who boozes
By the company he chooses
With tha..."

Good one, Mark!:):)

[Reinette]

Mish wrote: "Brigitte wrote: "Thanks Mark for being so expansive.:)
I think I'm able to hold my own in English, but what the heck does 'the old chestnut" mean? Never came across that expression; unless it's one..."

Thanks Mish, didn't know that.

[Reinette]

Oh Margaret, sooo funny!! Do you know where that comes from?

[Reinette]

Hallo Mark,

Thanks for the explanation of "the old chestnut"; will be stowed away in the appropriate drawer in my brain. I wonder, if that make me a cupboard??
I speak English too immaculately?? *blushing furiously* over here...

Bad at maths, well....you don't know me. My brain is not wired that way. It's a logic that I don't "get". Don't ever ask me to reason in maths (is that correct? "faire un raisonnement mathématique",) you'd be surprised by the results. Ahem, took me awhile to figure out what you meant by three cubed;
Maybe that's why I'm married to a CPA; I hand over ALL that stuff to him!

I admit, Rilke has some bad stuff too, but many poems of his are so poetic and roll off the tongue.

As to the opinion of the horses, well, when I go to my daughter's riding centre, I always speak German to the horses. And you know what? They prick up their ears and listen to me; without a doubt they are interested and understand me; :):)
When I speak French they just look at me and continue doing their stuff. Maybe my voice goes better with German? No idea.

[Margaret]

Brigitte wrote: "Oh Margaret, sooo funny!! Do you know where that comes from?"

Sorry, Brigitte, for once I'm at a loss...:)

[[deleted user]]

Margaret wrote: "Chicki Rose is a Maltese cross, probably 90% Maltese. She's 20 months old, and we adopted her early last November from the RSPCA shelter at Yagoona.
I saw her on the internet for a few days before ..."

Oh awesome story!! Malteses are super cute! I love German Shepherds too... I've had two of them, a golden lab and my current border collie! Dogs are so cute :) They make the best of pets! And they are especially good for the kids :)

[Margaret]

✧ąƈε✧ wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Chicki Rose is a Maltese cross, probably 90% Maltese. She's 20 months old, and we adopted her early last November from the RSPCA shelter at Yagoona.
I saw her on the internet for a..."

Yes, aren't dogs wonderful? Chicki Rose is the ninth in my life, and I've had up to three at once.:) Until four or five years ago, we had a Border Collie cross named Bessie, in the family. She was a lovely dog, but a bit strong for me when we went for walks. I looked after her from the age of six weeks till she left us aged sixteen years, one month and five days. She was very unusual to look at because she had a deformed tail which twisted, making it appear to have been docked ( which is something I deplore, and thankfully seems to be losing popularity.)

[[deleted user]]

Wow! Nine! Yes, mine is quite strong too lol. That's sad about It's tail :( and it's aweful when they die. I too am very glad that the docking is becoming less popular. My next door neighbor used to do that with their dogs tail, and every time I saw it I felt terribly sorry for it. It was an aweful dog though, some poor ones have just been brought up by the wrong type of people and badly mistreated :(

[Margaret]

Yes, it's dreadful when they go to people that don't love them, and just use them for whatever reason. These days, though, there are many, many people that treat their dogs as important family members. It's good when you see people out walking with dogs that are obviously happy and cared for.:)

[Tracey]

Mark wrote: "Hi, Tracey!

Curiosity compelled me to get 'hold of a copy of "Erich's Plea." Haven't started it, but I loved your illustrator's picture of a dragon on the first page. Looks as though it'll be imm..."

Thanks Mark - I hope you enjoy it :)

I've had the best day today, caught up with my best friend who I haven't seen for a couple of months due to her work commitments and we spent nearly the whole day together catching up. It was wonderful, like a cool bath on a hot day.

[Margaret]

Hi Tracey,

Good to hear you spent the day with someone positive.
It rained all day here, but at least I put a few lines down on my next book, after a break of several days.:)
Glad I can still do it!

[Mark]

Salut, Brigitte!

Bad at maths, well....you don't know me. My brain is not wired that way. It's a logic that I don't "get". Don't ever ask me to reason in maths (is that correct? "faire un raisonnement mathématique",)

Perfectly fine!

Americans (generally) don't say "maths," but I'm partial to the (British) usage because I tend to think of mathematics as a kind of collectivity of concepts and symbolic tools. In America, people would probably say, "reason in math" or "reason mathematically" (while refusing to do either), but hey, this is an Aussie thread, and I think "maths" is probably the preferred usage. Anyway, I'm going to be refractory and refuse to believe that a brain that obviously works well can't do math inherently. I'd still maintain, based on long experience, that you've had teachers who couldn't explain it properly. (Not that there's any *need* for you to "faire des raisonnements mathématiques." Most properly functioning adults don't bother. :))

Rilke has some bad stuff too, but many poems of his are so poetic and roll off the tongue.

I was just joking about Rilke. I actually love that passage, or I wouldn't have it committed to memory. He's admittedly dark with his "clamo ad te" theme, but it resonates.

As to the opinion of the horses, well, when I go to my daughter's riding centre, I always speak German to the horses. And you know what? They prick up their ears and listen to me

Chouette! I have no trouble believing that. Animals can be very responsive to rhythms and inflections, which certainly vary by language.

[Mark]

Margaret wrote: "Hi Tracey,

Good to hear you spent the day with someone positive.
It rained all day here, but at least I put a few lines down on my next book, after a break of several days.:)
Glad I can still do it!"

Hi, Margaret!

Very happy to hear it! Writers have to write, else the muses get upset, and the planet goes all wonky. :)

[Mark]

Margaret wrote: "Yes, it's dreadful when they go to people that don't love them, and just use them for whatever reason. These days, though, there are many, many people that treat their dogs as important family memb..."

I was recently importuned by a doctor's asst. to take a dog from a shelter (to keep me company, and to save the dog), but I didn't feel I could take care of it properly, and didn't think it would be good for the dog, so I demurred once I knew that she could find it anothet home. Love dogs and somewhat regret it, though. *sigh*

[Tracey]

Oh Mark, you are soooo right, writer have to write. I know I was just born this way and could no more stop writing than stop breathing, it's just who I am.

[Mark]

Tracey wrote: "Oh Mark, you are soooo right, writer have to write. I know I was just born this way and could no more stop writing than stop breathing, it's just who I am."
It's evident from your book. I view it as one of the few redeeming aspects of humanity. :)

[Tracey]

I hope that means you're enjoying the book Mark? The rest of the series just keeps getting better btw ;)

[Mark]

Tracey wrote: "I hope that means you're enjoying the book Mark? The rest of the series just keeps getting better btw ;)"
Very much so! I will review it when I'm done, so deposing in suitably enthusiastic terms! :)

[[deleted user]]

Margaret wrote: "Yes, it's dreadful when they go to people that don't love them, and just use them for whatever reason. These days, though, there are many, many people that treat their dogs as important family memb..."

Yeah, it's great! I love my little Collie!

[Margaret]

✧ąƈε✧ wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Yes, it's dreadful when they go to people that don't love them, and just use them for whatever reason. These days, though, there are many, many people that treat their dogs as impo..."
When I was a child, I always wanted a Collie like Lassie! Lucky you!

[Monica Lamperd]

Today I cooked muffins for the first time since leaving home! There is something very satisfying about pulling a tray of baked goodies out of the oven knowing you're responsible for creating them :)

[[deleted user]]

If anyone else is interested their are a couple of new poems over here http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

including a fantastic one by our own Tracey...(-:

[Mish]

Monica wrote: "Today I cooked muffins for the first time since leaving home! There is something very satisfying about pulling a tray of baked goodies out of the oven knowing you're responsible for creating them :)"

Good on you Monica. And isn’t the smell amazing while they are cooking. :)

[Monica Lamperd]

Yes, incredible! I would bake 24/7 just to have that smell in my kitchen all the time :)

[Bec]

Monica wrote: "Today I cooked muffins for the first time since leaving home! There is something very satisfying about pulling a tray of baked goodies out of the oven knowing you're responsible for creating them :)"

I baked bread rolls for the first time on the weekend to go with the pumpkin soup I made. They were so easy & delicious.
I also made a chocolate cake from scratch (I normally make them from the packet!) A big baking effort from me :)

[Bec]

The downside being that I feel compelled to eat them which is not so good on the hips! haha!

[★ Jess]

^ Story of my life.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Bec wrote: "The downside being that I feel compelled to eat them which is not so good on the hips! haha!"

Know the feeling, but oh so yummy!!! Home made is the best by far!!

[Reinette]

Monica wrote: "Today I cooked muffins for the first time since leaving home! There is something very satisfying about pulling a tray of baked goodies out of the oven knowing you're responsible for creating them :)"

Monica, you are a girl after my heart; you have been baking! :):)

[Reinette]

Mark wrote: "Salut, Brigitte!

Bad at maths, well....you don't know me. My brain is not wired that way. It's a logic that I don't "get". Don't ever ask me to reason in maths (is that correct? "faire un raisonne..."

Mark, you are so good at slapping me on the back in a gesture of encouragement!! Maybe I should have had you as my maths teacher? :)
I do agree that teachers carry a major part of the blame while transferring knowledge in mathematics. (btw I like your definition of "collectivity of concepts and symbolic tools");
But their job is a difficult one and generally there are too many students in the classroom. Some understand quickly, and some need to go over a new concept several times. Repeatedly. That would be me, there; :)
I found that 1/3 of the children in an average class do very well in math, 1/3 try to hang on, and the last 3rd doesn't follow at all. How can a teacher do justice to such a diverse group?
My daughter has, unfortunately, taken after me in the math field. Unfortunately too, that the French education system is globally based on the performance in that field; all doors are wide open to those who do well in math and little is left for the others; In the 60s the selection was made through Latin and German. Go figure...

[Mark]

Mark, you are so good at slapping me on the back in a gesture of encouragement!! Maybe I should have had you as my maths teacher? :).

Brigitte -- I'd have been happy to have been your maths teacher. Rendering funny sequences of symbols into intelligible human language was the one I ever actually thought I did objectively reasonably well. To be clear, I really don't visit the onus on most math teachers -- most of them either understand math intuitively and in a manner that doesn't cross the corpus callosum for purposes of verbal explanation, or more usually, not at all, and I've been on enough search committees to know that it's a widespread problem even at the college level. And to be fair, math teachers' own teachers were usually not notably intelligible, and there's no financial incentive at all to let oneself in for 30 years of execration by confused students, so nobody's to blame except the system. Each generation of graduate students seems to be a worse-resolution copy of the one preceding it, and if you really want to understand a theorem, you usually have to go back to the source materials of the guys who actually solved the problem. But that's my issue. Anyway, ego te absolvo... :)

I found that 1/3 of the children in an average class do very well in math, 1/3 try to hang on, and the last 3rd doesn't follow at all. How can a teacher do justice to such a diverse group?

I think your intuitive sense of the breakdown is pretty accurate, and of course, she or he can't. Students ought, in my view, to be segregated by levels of competence and experience, not by age.

My daughter has, unfortunately, taken after me in the math field. Unfortunately too, that the French education system is globally based on the performance in that field; all doors are wide open to those who do well in math and little is left for the others;

It does seem a tad unreasonable, especially since relatively few professionals are called upon to solve differential equation equations in their sleep... but I guess there has to be *some* criterion -- I'd actually rather it had to do with verbal analytical skills: just having reached Piagetian formal operations. Mais, que sais-je? I object also to the notion that there's this big dichotomy, and literary types can't do math, and conversely.

But enough blather... short version: the system stinks, whether here, in Australia or in France, and it isn't going to change, unless somebody wants to start paying for effective math instruction. (Sooner shall green pigs jump over the moon.) :) Most universities, these days, actually hire math (and other) professors on the basis of their inability to teach, but their devotion to churning out teams of papers and grant applications. Not that I have an axe to grind... :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Carmel, thank you so much for sharing that...it's beautiful, sad, touching and very poignant!

[Bec]

Carmel that was beautiful.. my mascara is running!