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.

https://oldsh.itjust.works/post/41805544

“ICE Predicts Record Month as Over 800 Mexican Search & Rescue Workers Deported to Honduras” The Onion

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

I live in Los Angeles and just happen to have a grocery store within easy walking distance. Like 0.5 km. But I don’t, because the old nice little convenience store got turned into stupid Whole Foods. Or Mold Foods, as we started calling it after trying some of their groceries. Now I drive a mile to where I can get fresher produce and dairy, and paper towels that don’t disintegrate with the first touch of liquid. Or we get our groceries delivered.

What do we think this kid really got into?

If he’s really scalded I don’t wanna be laughing

Good points, both would be good.

But, $GOP$

True, and maybe it would make sense for the county (or a cellphone company?) to invest in strategically located towers so that cell service would be less spotty in general there? Not just for this kind of emergency but also lost hikers etc.

Good points. It’s too bad someone ruined a pretty funny joke with AI slop.

…Or is it perhaps a sign the robots are stealing our boyfriends?!?

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

Well if you would just demonstrate that you know how to catch and kill your own, she could relax about trying to teach you.

You need to proceed immediately to a place which has a friendly pettable cat. Or cats.

You can look at a cat and do the Slow Blink a few times to say “I’m not threatening you, nor threatened by you.” Which is the closest cats get to “let’s be friends.”

Sad kitty is sad. Hope they fully recover soon.

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.

Great! If you haven’t already, shower and text her you’re clean and available, although of course you understand if she’s busy right now.

Solar rechargeable cat

Always keep at least three days worth of drinking water in your home, a gallon per person per day. So many emergency situations, large or small, can make water unavailable or unsafe. Having filters is also helpful, but you need actual full bottles on hand. For less plastic, go with the big bottles, you can drink from cups. And OP could have washed pits and crotch at least using some of his drinking water, since it’s not citywide so he could buy more on the way home from coffee.

That one made me snort!