-=> Quoting Robin Arnhold to Jim Casto <=-
 RA> And energy.  I don't happen to have much of either at this point in my
 RA> life.
 That happens.
 RA> Reading the newsgroups is actually more in the way of
 RA> recreation for me.  If it seemed too much like 'work', I'd probably
 RA> move on to something that provided more relaxation.
 
 That's why I retired.  Someone asked me once why I never became a
 professional musician. I said: "Because I enjoy it too much." 
 RA> I hadn't heard that.  Thanks for mentioning it.  I understand Congress
 RA> is starting to debate the various changes to ICWA that have been
 RA> proposed. I wonder how the departure of this particular Congresscritter
 RA> will affect the outcome of the proposed changes, if it all.  
 
 Hard to say. We'll have to see if someone else picks up her "cause".
 RA> I think the implication is that these particular children were judged
 RA> as lacking in the ability to learn.
 Sounds like a defensive mechanism kicking in. The etacher can't find a way
 to "teach", so it now becomes the child's problem in not being able to 
arn.
 RA> Certainly they were placed in a
 RA> special education class and not in a class to teach them English as a
 RA> second language.
 
 That's why school boards get "fired" or taxpayers grumble about the public
 education system.
 
 JC> Virtually every culture/country in the world has an "official"
 JC> language. 
 RA> 
 RA> And some like Switzerland have as many as four.  However, just because
 RA> other countries have official languages doesn't necessarily mean that
 RA> the US should have one.
 
 Note that I put the word "official" in quotation marks. I don't know a lot
 about Switzerland, but I suspect that ALL documentation and ALL literature
 is NOT written in four languages. For example Encarta '97 says that the
 "more imnportant (literatures are) German-Swiss and French-Swiss". If all
 languages were treated equally "offical" ALL literature would be printed
 in ALL languages. Is ALL government business (in their Federal Council,
 Federal Tribunal, and Federal Assembly conducted in all four official
 languages.
 Encarta '97 also says that schools are conducted in the language of the
 local canton, but that students can learn other languages if they want to.
 That would be like the U.S. declaring Metropolitan Los Angeles a _separate_
 "canton" and the offical language (used in the schools) would be Spanish.
 
 RA> Heck, I have trouble at work understanding our Spanish-speaking
 RA> customers.  However, that's another can of worms, especially since
 RA> I've been advocating for some time things such as having our
 RA> publications in Spanish.
 
 (playing 'devil's advocate here) Assuming the Spanish-speakers in your
 "canton" are in the minority, which makes more sense? They learn to "cope"
 in English or the majority learn Spanish? Or just how many languages do
 you propose the documents to be printed in?
 
 Brings to mind our bus/mass transit system... There are a lot of Spanish
 speakers that ride the bus in/from my area. Should they be expected to
 know enough English to use this system or should all the drivers be
 bi-lingual. 
 
 RA> Depends on what kind of test it is.  My two years of high school
 RA> Spanish 35 years ago is very rusty, but I can more or less muddle
 RA> through nonspecialized Spanish.
 
 At the local supermarket there is a rack of magazines (some are national
 titles like "Time" and/or "Newsweek" (I don't pay that much attention so
 I can't give you the Spanish titles.) Also the local paper prints a Spanish
 insert, but I can guarantee you that the insert is not a _total_
 translation of the newspaper. No cartoons, for example.
 
 RA> Ah, but in France they love it if one makes an effort to speak French
 RA> and will go out of their way to be helpful if one does make that
 RA> effort. 
 
 That was _definitely_ NOT my experience.
 RA> Well, since Quebec is still a part of Canada and Canada is officially
 RA> a bilingual country, yes, they are obligated to have their highway
 RA> signs in both French and English.  However, since Quebec thumbs its
 RA> nose at the rest of Canada and likely wouldn't use the pictoral signs
 RA> used in Europe, it would be a real good idea to understand things such
 RA> as 'lente' and 'arret' before driving there.
 
 Or simply avoid Quebec.
 RA> No, I don't think he did.  He was basically a character in search of
 RA> an identity and died because he couldn't find one.  The killer was
 RA> acting out of an identity.
 
 That's kinda sorta what Alexie says.
 
 BTW, the "discussion group" on another "service" I might have mentioned to
 you or Sondra has decided NOT to read/discuss "Indian Killer" as it might
 be construed to be too "anti-white" and "angry". They are going to read and
 discuss "Reservation Blues" instead. 
 
 Jim
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