For literature I find 100 years of Solitude to be without equal. An absolute joy to read.

For nonfiction I have learned so much from 1491. It was recommended to me by a friend though I have never heard of it elsewhere. The premise is that basically everything we think about Native Americans before Columbus arrived is wrong. I could go on but here is one tidbit: we tend to think of Native Americans as peoples without government. Now of course there are so many different groups of peoples all over the Americas and across so many eras it’s foolish to even think of them as being this way or that way because who and when are you referring to? But there were many types of government. In fact the Incas were total bureaucrats! Anyway I’m doing a poor job selling it i know but it’s a great read.

For self-help try How to Win Friends and Influence People. I know the title sounds like it’s a guide to manipulation but it’s really not. It’s 100 years old but still holds up so well. Times change, but people don’t, you know what I mean? People 100 years later still appreciate it when you remember their name and look them in the eye and make time to listen.

Well I have hope. It might be unlikely but that doesn’t make it impossible. And if it ever happens that one is officially captured or whatever I want you to remember me.

Sister you might want to sit down for this surprising info: Bigfoot isn’t real. The thylacine is. And extinct animals are rediscovered regularly. Like the Galapagos tortoise that was officially extinct for 113 years and the Voeltzkows Chameleon was extinct for 107. The University of Queensland considers it “highly probable” that the thylacine was still alive at least until the 90s based on video and photograph evidence, which again- Bigfoot isn’t real. The thylacine is. So it’s apples and oranges to try and make that comparison between them. Even the ivory billed woodpecker has just last year been likely photographed again. Like am I crazy here? Thylacine isn’t a cryptid. It just hasn’t been seen in a long time. Have you heard of the coelacanth? We only knew about it from fossil evidence until a fisherman found one living!

Heres a list of other animals once thought to be extinct

Good news! There have been sightings and paw prints found. She’s out there!

We went to a bar where she immediately bumped into a friend. They talked for over 30 minutes about old times and friends I didn’t know. I felt so awkward I just left without a word. I doubt they noticed.

When someone uses “hesitant”

When they mean “reluctant”

I little email

Some you and me-mail

Haha that’s about as much as I can remember, aside from Trogdor

I’m digging a tiny hole and staying inside forever with occasional peeks outside to see if it day or night. Tell my wife I miss her

Okay that clears up a lot. So if the President manages military and foreign relations, does the PM manage bureaus? Who creates the budget?

Merci! This is well written. Good luck to you!

Thank you for the reply. Can you explain the bit about ‘dissolve the Parliament’? What does that entail?

Prime Minister Attal? I thought that was Macron?

Can someone ELI5 this system of government for me. I’m in the US where I’ve got a pretty good grasp on our Democratic Republic but I get a little confused by places that have President and Prime Minister. Also what does it mean when they say something like “Keir Starmer will try to form a government….”

Same! And then it even started the same way. I was already laughing at a good prank

I bet they were remembering the story of the Egyptian Archaeologists who discovered a jar of honey and they all had a taste. Then they found a fetus in the jar.

Oh you know what- Snopes says it didn’t happen! It’s maybe just an urban legend.

Dude awesome. I mean you gotta hand it to them. Killing it with affordable electric cars, solar panels and now this. It’s a step in the right direction, and that’s more than you could say about UK

So that’s where our PNW rain went

Okay, Biden

Scrub daddy is good because it lasts much longer than the standard sponge, and you put it in the dishwasher and it keeps going. Scrub mommy is the opposite IMO. It’s significantly more expensive than standard sponges while offering nothing different.

Meanwhile BYD is absolutely exploding in popularity. The problem isn’t “EV pessimism” it’s that some governments are fighting it so hard that it’s difficult out for citizens (USA) to make it work. Didn’t Biden promise a network of EV chargers across the nation?

And instead he made it illegal to import affordable Chinese cars. I’m sick of seeing articles phrased like this

Americans created jazz and blues, and hollywood movies. All people the world over know American movies to the point that things like “I’ll be back” or “and my axe” are universal. That’s American culture. You know the “great American songbook”? So does everyone in the world. This is American culture.

My friend I respectfully disagree. You can get a cheeseburger anywhere in the world. I’ve had one in Hong Kong, Kolkata, Copenhagen, and Croatia. I’ve heard American pop music everywhere. Visit any other country and listen to the radio. In Italy you will hear one station with Italian music, and several with American music.

Anywhere in Europe or South America or Central America or Asia you will find English speakers. Have you traveled ? Everyone speaks English. Not every person, but English is the universal language in this world. Do you know why? It’s not because of England. It’s because of the prevalence of American movies, TV, and music. In other words: America has so much culture people don’t even see the forest for the trees. Like OP said, and even you can’t see it. Bro go eat a Big Mac and think about life. EDIT: sorry for taking that tone at the end, that was unnecessary. I’m on vacation in Rome and I’ve had a bit of wine. I saw the Pantheon today! Its incredible! You just turn the corner and bam! “M Agrippa…”

Cool!