Posted on 07/10/2008 9:38:38 AM PDT by Dukes Travels
The growing importance of clearly communicating in another language was lost on President Bush this week as he called Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi “amigo.” Berlusconi did not protest, however, since he was spared the backrub treatment German Chancellor Angela Merkel received at last year’s G8 Summit.
This year, the environmental crisis and elections in Zimbabwe were issues of top importance for national leaders from Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the U.S., Japan and Russia. Meeting in Japan, they decided to seek targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s government in response to last month’s rigged elections. While reaching a consensus on how to react is a rarity among the top industrialized nations (Russia had previously refused to condone financial measures), a single strategy from the G8 nations does not equal a solution.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
“The growing importance of clearly communicating in another language was lost on President Bush this week as he called Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi “amigo.””
ROFLMBO!!! Oh, poor president Bush. Well, I must admit when I went to Tahiti a few years back and they spoke french, I was rattling off Spanish like you wouldn’t believe! lol
Meh, he was close enough. It’s “amico” in Italian though I honestly don’t know how close it sounds. lol
Agree..how 'bout English?
The reason there was no protest was Berlusconi took it for what it was intended to be, a friendly greeting.
Yeah, I missed the memo that states I can only call Spanish-speakers “amigo,” German-speakers “dummkopf,” etc.
If I read your comment correctly, you should have expected yourself to communicate in a language you cannot understand (just as Bush should be expected to communicate in Italian). Yet no one will laugh because you couldn’t speak French in Tahiti. Why the double standard?
You are making something real simple very difficult. I made the same mistake Bush made and admitted it that’s all. Except I didn’t do it to a head of state. You know, rudeboy, making a mistake, admitting it....perhaps a foreign concept to you.
Stop it with your irrational fear of foreigners. I am simply not as willing as you to assume that this was a mistake in the first place.
“Stop it with your irrational fear of foreigners. I am simply not as willing as you to assume that this was a mistake in the first place.”
Are you looking for a fight? What the hell are you talking about....irrational fear of foreigners??? I said the concept of admitting you are wrong was a foreign concept to you....WHAT the hell is your first language?
Go play with the other children and leave the adults alone.
Some people poke fun and that's all right,
But when I start pokin' back they get all uptight.
“We’re simply trading insults at this stage. In the words of the immortal philosopher Kid Rock:
Some people poke fun and that’s all right,
But when I start pokin’ back they get all uptight.”
Well, sweetheart you started it for NO REASON at all. Happy now? Just like your free traitor buddies, start a mess and expect everyone else to clean it up for you. Try to follow along, you might learn something.
Now, go away. Done with you.
I challenged your observation (and underlying assumption), that’s all . . . if you are so insecure with it then it makes no sense to tell people to “go away” on an internet bulletin board. I don’t need your permission to do so.
My girlfriend and I were just in Italy for the past week and she kept slipping into Spanish and I kept slipping into French. The Italians were very nice about it. They would say “It’s OK, we can speak English.” Como se dice . . . trying our best?
Not a thing on this thread about zimbabwe.
Ref post #8.
That is why he called rudeboy, which he is.
he called = his is called
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