Humor Random Comments Thread

[Linguofreak]

After many, many years, the correspondence between Governor General Kerr and the Queen has now been released.

https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/kerr-palace-letters

May interest UK users.

In 1975, there was a constitutional crisis where the GG sacked the PM and held an election. It was unclear what if any, role the Queen had in the matter, but it is clear that none is the answer.

All the names with alphabet soup after them are interesting. In the US, people tend to get only their most important distinction (Professor, Senator, whatever) tacked onto their name. Of course, the Constitution forbids the US Govt from issuing titles of nobility, so an upper class American doesn't tend to have eight knighthoods and an earldom.

 

[Urwumpe]

All the names with alphabet soup after them are interesting. In the US, people tend to get only their most important distinction (Professor, Senator, whatever) tacked onto their name. Of course, the Constitution forbids the US Govt from issuing titles of nobility, so an upper class American doesn't tend to have eight knighthoods and an earldom.

Its like German public administration... while in most of Germany, the highest academic grade in its general form (Doktor, Professor) is more than enough and most R&D organisations don't use any titles in internal communication, in the administration, its still common to adress people with their full academic tail of titles. And especially in political circles, those people have many obscure academic titles from friendly organisations additionally to the honorary titles.



Oh, and German nobility is abolished since WW1. Still we have many von and zus fighting in German courts to get their estates back, despite the German distinction between "Besitzer" and "Eigentümer" making it likely illegal claims, if the owner of the fiefdom was actually the German Empire in the end....

---------- Post added at 12:35 ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 ----------

Oh, and if you really want to know what epic failure is:

The German Financial Investigation Unit is currently getting searched by the criminal police, after a warrant for "hindering the investigation of crimes" was issued, especially regarding money laundry.

Things escalated a tiny bit, after 36000 cases did not get investigated by the FIU, since its function was transfered from the criminal police to the customs department in 2017.

 

[tl8]

All the names with alphabet soup after them are interesting. In the US, people tend to get only their most important distinction (Professor, Senator, whatever) tacked onto their name. Of course, the Constitution forbids the US Govt from issuing titles of nobility, so an upper class American doesn't tend to have eight knighthoods and an earldom.

Knighthoods have fallen from favor (cost a PM his job 7 years ago), but Order of Australia etc are still conferred upon worthy people.



Australian of the Year is the top honor.


Wealth or celebrity status is unlikely to help you earn one of these.

---------- Post added at 09:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:59 PM ----------

Oh, and if you really want to know what epic failure is:

The German Financial Investigation Unit is currently getting searched by the criminal police, after a warrant for "hindering the investigation of crimes" was issued, especially regarding money laundry.

Things escalated a tiny bit, after 36000 cases did not get investigated by the FIU, since its function was transfered from the criminal police to the customs department in 2017.

The same PM relating to the letters, raided the domestic spy agency. Right wing terrorism was a concern and ASIO either wasn't looking or didn't report on it.


This annoyed the Americans a lot (He was also anti war).

 

[Artlav]

Hm, made me want to look up the full title of the Russian Emperor from back in 19th century.
Jules Verne, i think, found it quite impressive in one of his books, but i can't remember which.

We, by the grace of God, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias of Moscow, Kiev, Wladimir, and Novgorod, Czar of Kasan and Astrakhan, Czar of Poland, Czar of Siberia, Czar of the Tauric Chersonese, Seignior of Pskov, Prince of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volkynia, Podolia, and Finland, Prince of Esthonia, Livonia, Courland, and of Semigallia, of Bialystok, Karelia, Sougria, Perm, Viatka, Bulgaria, and many other countries; Lord and Sovereign Prince of the territory of Nijni-Novgorod, Tchemigoff, Riazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Jaroslavl, Bielozersk, Oudoria, Obdoria, Kondinia, Vitepsk, and of Mstislaf, Governor of the Hyperborean Regions, Lord of the countries of Iveria, Kartalinia, Grou-zinia, Kabardinia, and Armenia, Hereditary Lord and Suzerain of the Scherkess princes, of those of the mountains, and of others; heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Dittmarsen, and Oldenburg.

 

[Notebook]

He might have had a claim on some UK territory too.

http://www.berwickfriends.org.uk/hi...yal proclamations and,to date from about 1914.

 

[Linguofreak]

Its like German public administration... while in most of Germany, the highest academic grade in its general form (Doktor, Professor) is more than enough and most R&D organisations don't use any titles in internal communication, in the administration, its still common to adress people with their full academic tail of titles. And especially in political circles, those people have many obscure academic titles from friendly organisations additionally to the honorary titles.

Yeah, when I studied in Germany I noticed that most of the professors had a rather long list of titles posted next to their door. In the US, it just tends to be "Professor", unless they have a doctorate, in which case it's "Doctor" (and even then, they might not be known to the students as anything beyond "Professor"). Foreign language profs tend to just be known by the language's equivalent for Mr/Ms/Mrs, as that's the title students tend to have picked up for their teachers in high school. The head of the German department at my university was a full doctor, but generally went by "Frau Lastname" in class. In high school German classes, things get even more informal: female German teachers will generally just go by "Frau" (last name omitted), though I imagine at schools with more than one German teacher the last name is used to disambiguate. I'm not sure if male German teachers go by "Herr", as I didn't have a male German teacher before college. In any case, the simple use of "Frau" is quite informal even by American standards: teachers that aren't German teachers will generally not allow their students to address them as "Mr/Ms/Mrs" without using their last name.

Another interesting tidbit is that German teachers in the US will generally insist on being addressed as "Sie", so as not to form bad habits in their students, but Americans outside of classroom settings will almost always use "du" when speaking German to other Americans, regardless of differences in age or authority.

 

[Urwumpe]

In high school German classes, things get even more informal: female German teachers will generally just go by "Frau" (last name omitted), though I imagine at schools with more than one German teacher the last name is used to disambiguate. I'm not sure if male German teachers go by "Herr", as I didn't have a male German teacher before college. In any case, the simple use of "Frau" is quite informal even by American standards: teachers that aren't German teachers will generally not allow their students to address them as "Mr/Ms/Mrs" without using their last name.

That would be a rather archaic use of German language. Generally, it is Frau Lastname or Herr Lastname in schools. (Unless you are in a German trade school, over 30 and quite rebellious. Then its "Du", "firstname" or combinations of it)


Adressing teachers just with "Herr" or "Frau" was still common around 1950, like in the middle-ages for any kind of lower nobility. But quickly got phased out by more democratic society...

And when I should be using Sie or not becomes VERY complicated, when teenagers suddenly instinctively start adressing me with "Sie"... I never really felt as old as when this started.

 

[jedidia]

I never really felt as old as when this started.

Indeed...

 

[Linguofreak]

That would be a rather archaic use of German language. Generally, it is Frau Lastname or Herr Lastname in schools. (Unless you are in a German trade school, over 30 and quite rebellious. Then its "Du", "firstname" or combinations of it)


Adressing teachers just with "Herr" or "Frau" was still common around 1950, like in the middle-ages for any kind of lower nobility. But quickly got phased out by more democratic society...

That's interesting. In the US, the omission of the last name is generally seen as quite informal: most of my teachers would rebuke a student that referred to them as "Mister" or "Miss".

The difference is probably that "Herr" and "Frau" also translate as "Lord" and "Lady". It would indeed come across as quite formal and old fashioned for a student to address a teacher as "Milord" or "Milady".

 

[Urwumpe]

The difference is probably that "Herr" and "Frau" also translate as "Lord" and "Lady". It would indeed come across as quite formal and old fashioned for a student to address a teacher as "Milord" or "Milady".

Yessir! :lol:


Especially in contemporary German culture, this would be rather understood as overly sarcastic.



Sadly in my trade, there is no Meister grade. I would really like to have a "Meister der Anwendungsentwicklung" sign hanging on the road side of the house...

 

[jedidia]

Sadly in my trade, there is no Meister grade.

There is in Switzerland! :lol:
Though the Meisterprüfung has not much to do with development and everything with paedagogics (it just means you're qualified to train apprentices).

The difference is probably that "Herr" and "Frau" also translate as "Lord" and "Lady".

Using Herr without appending the last name would indeed put it into the context of "Lord". Not so for Frau, though, that instead gets put into the context of "wife", so better watch out for that! :lol: It's due to "Frau" not just being the formal address for women, but also literally meaning woman.
The actual word for Lady is "Dame", but that doesn't get used in that context at all anymore, and hasn't been for a long time. It is also the root for the adjective "dämlich", which means... stupid :shifty:
If you want to sarcastically (or even formally, though that kind of form is only common in a specific... errr... subculture :shifty refer to someone as "Lady in charge", ironically "Herrin" is the term used.

 

[Linguofreak]

Using Herr without appending the last name would indeed put it into the context of "Lord". Not so for Frau, though, that instead gets put into the context of "wife", so better watch out for that! :lol: It's due to "Frau" not just being the formal address for women, but also literally meaning woman.

However you slice it, the American usage of "Frau" alone as *the* form of address for German teachers in a classroom context (at least at schools where there is only one), or, in the third person, the usage of the term between students to mean "our German teacher", is quite odd.

"Woman? Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Ugh. Woman gave us so much homework!"

 

[jedidia]

the American usage of "Frau" alone as *the* form of address for German teachers in a classroom context (at least at schools where there is only one), or, in the third person, the usage of the term between students to mean "our German teacher", is quite odd.

What seems odd to me in the first place is the use of a different honorific based on a teachers nationality... Unless you mean it's being used in german classes specifically, in which case you're simply not learning proper german.

 

[Linguofreak]

What seems odd to me in the first place is the use of a different honorific based on a teachers nationality... Unless you mean it's being used in german classes specifically, in which case you're simply not learning proper german.

No it's not the nationality of the teacher, it's the subject matter. "Frau" is used, in English, to address or refer to women with the profession "German (language) teacher", generally by their students. It's odd given that the English equivalent is generally not tolerated by teachers in general ("Miss, can I go to the bathroom?" "Don't call me 'Miss', I'm Miss Lastname. Yes, you may go to the bathroom."), and given that it comes across even worse in German. I forget if my German teacher allowed us to refer to her simply as "Frau" in German. I think she did, but it's not a term that an American studying German would use for anyone but their own high school German teacher in either language, and probably wouldn't be used in the 3rd person unless speaking to a group of students that had had the same teacher. It doesn't just mean "German teacher", it means "*our* German teacher".

 

[Quick_Nick]

Since hearing about this a few hours ago, I have been STUNNED that this is not the top headline on every website.

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Apple, and others hacked in unprecedented Twitter attack

 

[Urwumpe]

Since hearing about this a few hours ago, I have been STUNNED that this is not the top headline on every website.

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Apple, and others hacked in unprecedented Twitter attack

It is more interesting, who was not target of that (not totally unexpected) hack.

Luckily the exploit got used for such a mundane way and in such a obvious way.... and not for secretly sneeking damaging messages into a political election campaign...

 

[Linguofreak]

Since hearing about this a few hours ago, I have been STUNNED that this is not the top headline on every website.

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Apple, and others hacked in unprecedented Twitter attack

I tend to get my news second hand from sources that link to other places in date order (Slashdot, Wikipedia current events, etc.), so I didn't really notice.

Anyways, in addition to the political/celebrity accounts targeted, apparently a lot of less universally well known accounts that are prominent in the cryptocurrency community were taken over, so it really does appear to have mostly been a smash-and-grab for bitcoin.

 

[Quick_Nick]

Some speculation: https://www.theverge.com/interface/...obal-security-crisis-nuclear-war-bitcoin-scam

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Zandy12]

C++ is to assembly language what a Formula 1 car is to a Drag Racer.

 

[Urwumpe]

I am sure it was some kind of quantum dynamic freak accident, an accounting error to my advantage. But I got a grade of 1.3 in my level boss exam "cost and earnings accounting".

That is it.

Only project phase and bachelor thesis left. And then the big question. How long can I survive without studying something...