Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

This is my level.


https://youtu.be/uGDWG7pPJoQ

Given I am not going to find a French/Spanish person to swap with right now, won't you get much of the benefit just by watching stuff for toddlers and reading kids books in French/Spanish.  At least that is how I understand it.

I have a bad O level in French, but need a refresher.  My eldest is learning French and though I can remember more than I thought I could, I still struggle to converse, as I am just remembering parts.  It would be good to get up to speed quickly.

Watching this baby stuff, especially that with no English seems to be working better for me (Total beginner) than the apps that, even as a beginner, want me to conjugate verbs.

I have no idea how to conjugate a verb, even in English. I probably do it, but I don't know I'm doing it.

[doubleup]

I'm a bit sceptical about "this is the way a baby learns" theory.  Mainly because the baby's brain isn't full of FCA compliance rules, draw advantage over thirsk's five furlongs and old frank always says "how much to me" when he has the nuts.

To learn a language properly "food","comida" and "essen" have exactly the same effect on the brain.  The sound acts on the brain and the information is created.  There is no translation.  A friend of mine said that his bilingual niece just mixes up the languages in a sentence.  I do think there is too much stuff in my brain to ever get fluent.

Talking of poker, I got a free ticket for a stars tourney before xmas and quite enjoyed it, so decided to see what the kids were up to and signed up for a free course. The course started with a link to the rules of holdem, so super basic.  Forty minutes later we were doing some "simple calculus"......

[Doobs]

This is my level.


https://youtu.be/uGDWG7pPJoQ

Given I am not going to find a French/Spanish person to swap with right now, won't you get much of the benefit just by watching stuff for toddlers and reading kids books in French/Spanish.  At least that is how I understand it.

I have a bad O level in French, but need a refresher.  My eldest is learning French and though I can remember more than I thought I could, I still struggle to converse, as I am just remembering parts.  It would be good to get up to speed quickly.

Watching this baby stuff, especially that with no English seems to be working better for me (Total beginner) than the apps that, even as a beginner, want me to conjugate verbs.

I have no idea how to conjugate a verb, even in English. I probably do it, but I don't know I'm doing it.

I missed a lot of grammar learning as a child, I think I must have moved schools at a bad time, so have little idea what the rules are. 

I have spent an enormous amount of my working life writing reports and documenting complex topics, and feel very comfortable doing so, so think much of my missing grammar knowledge isn't that useful.

I do still fear the grammar questions from my 8 year old.  Thank goodness we have google to help us get by.

[doubleup]

"Pendlebury" was the cry signifying an hour of boredom in my day.

[RED-DOG]

Click to see full-size image.

Who even wants to play poker like that?

[RED-DOG]

So I rocked up at the Peepul Center in Leicester for my vaccination. My appointment was for 6pm but I arrived at 5:30 and was told to go straight in.

I was temperature checked and had my hands disinfected, then I was ushered to a desk where I completed a form that required my name, address, age and NHS number.

I had been warned to take photo id and a letter to prove that I was shielding but neither of these were checked.

I was then shown to an almost empty waiting area.

Within a couple of minutes I went into another room and was given the vaccine by a nurse. She gave me a quick spiel about possible side-effects and that was that.

The surprising thing was they were obviously operating far below capacity.

The Peepul Centre is right in the middle of a very large Asian community, I would estimate that the population within in a 5 mile radius are 95% Asian and I think the uptake among that group must be poor.

Click to see full-size image.

[Doobs]

So I rocked up at the Peepul Center in Leicester for my vaccination. My appointment was for 6pm but I arrived at 5:30 and was told to go straight in.

I was temperature checked and had my hands disinfected, then I was ushered to a desk where I completed a form that required my name, address, age and NHS number.

I had been warned to take photo id and a letter to prove that I was shielding but neither of these were checked.

I was then shown to an almost empty waiting area.

Within a couple of minutes I went into another room and was given the vaccine by a nurse. She gave me a quick spiel about possible side-effects and that was that.

The surprising thing was they were obviously operating far below capacity.

The Peepul Centre is right in the middle of a very large Asian community, I would estimate that the population within in a 5 mile radius are 95% Asian and I think the uptake among that group must be poor.

Click to see full-size image.

Ben Goldacre and colleagues are producing lots of Covid Stats.  The take up is lower amongst South Asians, but not massively so.

https://twitter.com/bengoldacre/status/1354353492266246146

We observed a substantial divergence in vaccination by ethnicity within the over 80 group (White 42.5% vaccinated, Black 20.5%, South Asian 29.5%, mixed 27%, other 27%, Unknown 39.7%)

[RED-DOG]

So I rocked up at the Peepul Center in Leicester for my vaccination. My appointment was for 6pm but I arrived at 5:30 and was told to go straight in.

I was temperature checked and had my hands disinfected, then I was ushered to a desk where I completed a form that required my name, address, age and NHS number.

I had been warned to take photo id and a letter to prove that I was shielding but neither of these were checked.

I was then shown to an almost empty waiting area.

Within a couple of minutes I went into another room and was given the vaccine by a nurse. She gave me a quick spiel about possible side-effects and that was that.

The surprising thing was they were obviously operating far below capacity.

The Peepul Centre is right in the middle of a very large Asian community, I would estimate that the population within in a 5 mile radius are 95% Asian and I think the uptake among that group must be poor.

Click to see full-size image.

Ben Goldacre and colleagues are producing lots of Covid Stats.  The take up is lower amongst South Asians, but not massively so.

https://twitter.com/bengoldacre/status/1354353492266246146

We observed a substantial divergence in vaccination by ethnicity within the over 80 group (White 42.5% vaccinated, Black 20.5%, South Asian 29.5%, mixed 27%, other 27%, Unknown 39.7%)

Interesting.

Obviously I had to identify as "Other" on the tick box.

[RED-DOG]

The Google translate app is great for practicing on.

These are two of my attempts to ask for sausages with eggs.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[Karabiner]

Con is Spanish for with.

Hope this helps.

[doubleup]

 

he wants sausages on eggs - not to much to ask surely?  You're the wurst, Ralph!

[RED-DOG]

Have you seen that Lenor softner advert where people won't get out of bed because the sheets smell so lovely and scenty?

Well urrrg. I hate the idea of scented sheets. I can't believe that anyone could like it.

[RED-DOG]

Watch the Big Cats series on BBC iplayer.

[RED-DOG]

Well, what are you still doing here? I said watch it.

[RED-DOG]

I've been trying to decide whether the artist formally known as Prince Harry is a tit or a trailblazer.

I've decided on tit.

If he hadn't waited for Megan to come along and tell him what to do l might have decided differently.