You could get more by just giving Godel's proof and explaining why the Principia was doomed from the start.

True. To be honest, I just picked the first thing that came to my head and used that.

When I was a kid, a Strat was a dream machine that only the likes of a Jimi Hendrix or a Dave Gilmour could play. Now that I can afford one, it would appear that 'Autotune' or something equally levelling is top of the wish list of most would-be rock stars.

Still, I'll go with the title of this thread and give my Strat ratings in favour of the aforementioned legends. One sadly long gone, the other, mercifully, still playing. Long live the Stratocaster!

Where is everybody? It's not as if there were a football match on...

The end of civilisation as we know it?

Perhaps I should start a new counter cul with Hip Ho as my baseline, reduce the intellectual demands of monorhyming to the theoreti min and ADHD all my

whatev

Bonjour monsieur Flashman, comment ca va?

I am well thank you - having returned from a European adventure and now facing the usual Academic Watershed that is a new school year.

Yea, as I'm sure you can tell, I have French as an elective this year, first few weeks my teacher already expects us to speak perfect French.

responder si vous plait!
c'est ne pas un pipe.
je t'aime.
moi aussi!
Parlez-vous frances?
have I contributed enough?

parles un peu francais.
Redcrane, please decipher lines 1 through 4

Respond if you please (as in RSVP)
This is not a pipe.
I love/like you
Do you speak french?

Oh wait,
moi aussi is me too.
In response to je t'aime it means "I love you too".
Although not to be pedantic it's "Respondez s'il vous plait" and "Ceci n'est pas un pipe" and "Parlez-vous francais?"

comment ca va mafialligator?

Ca va bein. Merci, et vous?

ca va bien, merci.

Avez-vous etudié le francais apres cette classe?

oui

et toi?

Ah bon.

Let's Parlez Franglais:

Moi aussi = I am Australian

@Flash - how did your team do in the comp?

Bonjour monsiere diplomat, comment ca va?

We had two teams, known rather creatively as Hong Kong 1 and Hong Kong 2. Both broke (reached the knock-out phase), with HK 2 losing to Canada West in the Quarter Finals. HK 1 then stuffed said Canadian team and reached the final where we were beaten by the bloody South Africans. As the South Africans were also bloody good fellows (and lasses) all round, the loss was acceptable if not ideal.

Overall? Very good indeed. Oh, and HK 1 stuffed the USA in the preliminary rounds and HK 2 actually beat South Africa at that stage. So, a good time was had by all.

We are now gearing up to select the squad for the next World Championships. I am very positive about our chances.

congratulations flashman, sounds like it's a good time

I mean:
Félicitations Flashman, sonne comme un bon moment

Still on the debating theme:

As a mark of eternal shame, the Canadians, who had three teams (East, West and a so-called East-West combined), actually tried to cheat. Amazing stuff. Mind you, part of their team cheated in the World Individual Championships in Lithuania earlier this year (yours truly being there in a multi-faceted official role), so precedent had been set.

Honestly, they have been the only nation I have known to both cheat and attempt to cheat in these competitions. Can anyone from the Maple-leafed country suggest an explanation? And in case you don't know, Canada are currently reigning world champions for both World Schools Debating and World Individual Public Speaking. They can actually be pretty damn good.

They won the debating crown in Doha this year without cheating so why try now?

They took first place in the World Individuals this year with a blatant disregard for the rules and an even more disgraceful defence of said actions in a meeting called to discuss the irregularities (long story but rest assured that the tactics used were exposed, noted and will be negated at the next event).

So, Canadians, rise up and defend/trash your nation's honour!

Never really thought of Canadians as cheaters before

I must stress that some of the team at the World Individuals in Lithuania were as disgusted by the cheating as the rest of us were, so it is clearly not a national characteristic - more of a problem with a few of the coaches and their charges.