Most adults I know who study a foreign language do so in order to speak it, perhaps visit that country. In languages that build words from letters, the phonemes are important to meaning. Obviously “heresy” is very different from “hearsay,” but sow and sow are different words that sound different, while sew and so are also different but sound the same. It’s especially important in order to appreciate literature, poetry, music, and jokes.

When English-speaking kids are taught to read, and to spell, it’s very much an out-loud process, using phonics, and methodically covers the various pronunciation of all the letters’ sounds. “Sound it out” is the first step in decoding written words. Then of course there’s using context clues to figure out what word you’ve heard before could be spelled using those letters’ possible sounds. And it’s not until later, once all the common rules and exceptions of pronunciation are automatic, that you start “reading to learn” and attempt words you’ve never heard before.

Tbf, you’re not wrong about the inconsistency of English, it’s because we stole words, phrases, entire dialects from so many sources. And sometimes we kept the original pronunciation, other times we rudely imposed our phonetic expectations of the time and place when we stole them. Also the “correct” pronunciation for many words is different in different English-speaking countries.

On the plus side for you, that means most people are pretty lenient about what we consider “fluent,” and make allowances for accent. Unless they’re a racist asshole in the first place. When you mispronounce a word because you’re following phonetic rules but that word breaks them, most of us can recognize that version because we did the same thing when learning to read.

Israeli experts in using sexual violence as a genocidal strategy, eh?

Agreed, although I prefer silicone rather than rubber these days, it holds up better with heat.

Ron Perlman

Oh sorry, family word maybe? A child cheater is a flexible spatula (rubber or silicone) rounded on one side, that scrapes all the yummy cake batter out of the bowl and into the baking pan, leaving not enough to lick.

Let’s see Mr and Mrs Bezos out there volunteering first. It’s a wholesome honeymoon activity!

64 fluid ounces = 128 servings of 1 Tablespoon = 11,520 total calories, if you use a child-cheater to scrape out every drop.

Article says the camp has been there for a century, and the water washed away the cabin while the girls were asleep… Sounds like climate change to me. Even though the building is surely newer, they’d know where the river had risen to in the past.

Once you’ve cooled it and applied polysporin, you should put a bandage to keep from smearing off all the polysporin onto your clothes and keep it clean. If you don’t have a bandage that clean long sleeve will do, but it might get a greasy mark you’ll need to treat later for laundry: try rubbing in a dab of Dawn before laundering it.

Bear in mind, it may randomly start hurting and feeling burny again later, because the nerve endings hate burns. Cold water will help again. Fridge temp is fine, helps numb it without causing ice damage.

We did also get a reminder from our Congressperson today that fireworks aren’t just illegal and dangerous to the user, they can cause devastating wildfires. Which we don’t need any more of. Agreed, but what about the dumpster fire over there where you work, Representative?

The Onerous Bloated Billionaire Boondoggle

Ain’t no MAGAs running to the field or up the ladders to take these hard jobs at any price.

The Onerous Bloated Billionaire Boondoggle

Big Billionaire Boondoggle

Big Billionaire Boondoggle

FDNY indicates it’s in the US, so they’re googling: “What’s the nearest hospital that’s in my health insurance network?”

Yes making jam is easy in a small amount like this, but canning it so it’s shelf-safe is a whole process.

Storebought is fine if you need jam and don’t have time or energy.

But if you aren’t up for eating all of those fresh berries in the fridge before they go bad, there’s a reason it’s called “preserves.” And you can mix different berries, even pitted cherries, or I’ve added a pouch of açai before, it’s all good, just different. If you want it smooth, use a blender or scrape it through a strainer. I’ve subbed Xylitol for the sugar and it works too.