The Off Topic Topic

[Duque de Bragança]

Spanish is spoken by 400 million and can be used to somewhat communicate with Portugese speakers (another 200 million).  German is spoken by 100 million. I fail to see how German can be way more useful.

A hundred million in Europe makes it one of the top languages there.There is also less people studying it and of course fluently speaking which makes it more valuable. As a translator, there's been more demand for German to French than Spanish to French. Germany is a much more important business partner for France than Spain, yet Spanish is more studied.
400 million is nice and dandy but that's namely in Hispanic-America, less international than French or even Portuguese which has an African position as well and even remnants in Asia and Oceania.
Also, somewhat communicate is pretty vague since while Portuguese understand most of Spanish, the opposite is not true so this would be an argument for learning Portuguese. For doing business, some Spanish won't do it be in Lusophone countries. As for tourists, that's not even recommended in Portugal.
All of that does not mean Spanish should not be studied, only that's not the one and only second foreign language to learn.
The French high school system has been using German as a marker to differentiate the elite classes (First foreign language German? top class Second foreign language very good etc.) like Latin so it kind of scared people away.

[CountDeMoney]

So I shaved.  Facial hair maintenance is a pain in the ass.

[katmai]

So I shaved.  Facial hair maintenance is a pain in the ass.

I haven't shaved this year

[CountDeMoney]

I'm starting over with it.

It was really weird to have it at first, and now it feels weird without it.

[Syt]

A group of Munduruku Indians carrying bows and arrows occupied the headquarters of Brazil's Indian affairs bureau on Monday.

The Indians from the Amazon Basin are demonstrating against violations of indigenous rights and calling for the suspension of the huge Belo Monte hydroelectric project, on the Xingu, Teles Pires and Tapajos rivers, which is aimed at feeding Brazil's fast-growing demand for electricity.

I love how the staff just carry on with their work.

[Liep]

Journalism today: "Here's 3 apps to ready you for the heatwave".

[derspiess]

Journalism today: "Here's 3 apps to ready you for the heatwave".

To take it a bit further, it should be slideshow of 10 apps, 7 or 8 of which have little or nothing to do with the actual subject.

[Admiral Yi]

I just got a telemarketing call for Branson. 

[CountDeMoney]

The mother of late Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley is taking legal action against her son's former bandmates, claiming they've not made good on royalties owed on the band's music.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that Nancy McCallum claims that the surviving members of Alice in Chains owe her half of the money that would have gone to the late frontman, which equates to about 16 percent of their income, and that the group has attempted to cut her out of any further payments.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the band contend that McCallum illegally filed to trademark the band's name and that she has already been paid more than she's due. The group also states that the singer's heirs will be able to continue to collect royalties on the songs he wrote or co-wrote. However, McCallum alleges that it was at a lesser portion than they had been receiving. The band added that McCallum no longer has a role in their business decisions. They also allegedly threatened legal action should McCallum not drop her trademark attempt.

According to the lawsuit, an attorney representing the band told McCallum in September 2012 that Staley's interest in Alice in Chains' works was being liquidated and that the revenue sharing agreement that had seen her paid over the past decade was being terminated.

McCallum has reportedly asked for the court to establish her right to 16 percent of the band's revenue as well as any of her son's assets currently controlled by the band. The group has yet to respond to the lawsuit, which was filed May 2 in King County Superior Court.

Staley passed away in 2002 at the age of 34 and the band remained out of commission for several years while mourning his passing. Eventually, they decided to revive their career with co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell and the band's new member William DuVall handling singing duties. The group made a triumphant return with their 'Black Gives Way to Blue' album in 2009 and is ramping up to the release of their second album without Staley, 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.'

[derspiess]

So as long as I've been in this company, it's been an unwritten policy to always have a relatively fresh pot of coffee in my floor's breakroom throughout the normal workday (and beyond, since we have 2nd and 3rd shifters).  Just in the past few days, some fuckface has taken it upon himself to shut the coffeemaker down around 2:30pm, rinse out the carafes and put them away.  Not the end of the world to have to fire it back up again, but it's a pain if you're running through to get a quick fill on your cup before a meeting.

Too damned many old people here. 

[Neil]

ha ha! employment! no no. What we are doing now is more akin to gyokusai. Employment may emerge from it, though.

-naturally- I was in Oarai to sample their famous sweet potatoes and white radish, as well as their Angler Fish, the deliciousness of which is rumored from afar. There is no other reason for sure. But no, It was charming. One could feel the decay and mono no aware in the air, and the scarce inhabitants of the deserted streets were invariably elderly. I would like to live there.

Fukuoka is of course very charming, unlike Kansai. But I dscourage you from coming here- we cant have foreigners stinking up the place.

Yokosuka is the best place in Japan.  Try and guess why.

[CountDeMoney]

So as long as I've been in this company, it's been an unwritten policy to always have a relatively fresh pot of coffee in my floor's breakroom throughout the normal workday (and beyond, since we have 2nd and 3rd shifters).  Just in the past few days, some fuckface has taken it upon himself to shut the coffeemaker down around 2:30pm, rinse out the carafes and put them away.  Not the end of the world to have to fire it back up again, but it's a pain if you're running through to get a quick fill on your cup before a meeting.

Too damned many old people here.

That sounds more indicative of gender than age.

Don't know why you're bitching, the individual responsible is simply fulfilling her traditional gender-based role. 

[Habbaku]

So as long as I've been in this company, it's been an unwritten policy to always have a relatively fresh pot of coffee in my floor's breakroom throughout the normal workday (and beyond, since we have 2nd and 3rd shifters).  Just in the past few days, some fuckface has taken it upon himself to shut the coffeemaker down around 2:30pm, rinse out the carafes and put them away.  Not the end of the world to have to fire it back up again, but it's a pain if you're running through to get a quick fill on your cup before a meeting.

Too damned many old people here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ndrxzi3omg

[MadImmortalMan]

We got a Keurig machine here so it's not an issue anymore.

[garbon]

Most people in my office use the cappuccino machine.