The is giving you two options for your destination country: Country A and Country B, respectively.
In Country A, all of the waiters and waitresses are very invasive. They visit your table far too often; asking if you'd like refills when your cup is still 3/4 full, asking how your food tastes two seconds after it has arrived at your table, etc (You know the type). They're very cordial, but extremely annoying.
In Country B, all of the waiters and waitresses are very distant and apathetic. They visit your table far too infrequently; they never refill your drinks, they don't care about your dining experience at all, etc (You know the type). They're insincere and very annoying.
These are the only bits of information you are provided about these countries. As far as you know, other than having opposite sides of the wait staff continuum, these countries are nearly identical in every other category (geographic location, population, GNP, per capita income, et al.).
This is the beginning of a series of original weekly posts which pose hypothetical questions. I am fascinated by "what if?" and "would you rather?" questions, so I thought I'd write some and post them here just for fun. Join in by leaving a comment with your answer and/or explanation. [Photo courtesy of ]
You're sitting in the doctor's office, just having finished your annual physical exam. No news; you're in good health, so you stand up to leave and the nurse walks in again. The nurse assures you everything is fine, but he'd like to ask you an important question. You've been randomly selected to participate in a very important scientific experiment, one that less than one tenth of a percent of patients have the opportunity to do.
He gently explains that brain scientists have been researching and experimenting with drugs that produce instant knowledge by targeting nano-specific areas of the brain. You have the option of being administered a shot that has a 50% chance of immediately making you fluent in two foreign languages of your choice (while still retaining your native tongue). After taking the shot, he explains, you will immediately be fluent in these languages with no sign of an accent; they'll feel totally natural rolling off the tongue, as if you've been speaking them since infancy. But there's only a 1 in 2 chance of this happening. They're still working some kinks out, the nurse says.
Unlike most experimental drugs, which produce a myriad of side-effects, this shot only produces one, but it's a big one. If the shot fails in making you fluent (a 50/50 chance), there is then a %90 chance that you will lose the ability to taste for the rest of your life. You will still be able to eat and drink as normal, but you will have no recognition of taste.
Again the nurse reminds you that this has been thoroughly tested, and these are the only two possible effects of this experimental shot. It is not a requirement to participate, but all you need to do to opt in is sign the page and mark which two languages you'd like.
has passed the House of Representatives and is on its way to a vote in the Senate. It's not long at all; I encourage you to read the whole thing (if you can make it that far without vomiting). Here's an excerpt from the end:
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world;
(2) expresses continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide;
(3) acknowledges the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith;
(4) acknowledges and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization;
(5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide; and
(6) expresses its deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world.
So much for separation of church and state, I guess. And to top it all off, the congressman who introduced the bill, , is from Iowa. I'm ashamed.
When nine members of congress voted "No", King ,
I would like to know how they could vote... No on Christianity when the foundation of this nation and our American culture is Christianity… I think there’s an assault on Christianity in America.
The following acronym accurately defines my reaction: OMG.
Thanks to my older brother for the idea. The rules of this game are quite simple. Google your name followed by "likes to" and enclose the whole thing in quotes (i.e., "Jake likes to"). I will post the first ten results below, and you should do the same and leave a comment with the funniest one for you.
1) Jake likes to 'Flomp' wherever he can.
2) Jake likes to scare other monsters! Boo!
3) Jake Likes to be alone.
4) As a student Jake likes to play basketball and his favorite subject is Language Arts.
5) Jake likes to talk big, but he's really more of an executive assistant than anything else.
6) Jake likes to think he knows a thing or two about swimming, cycling, and running in needless succession, and is forever in pursuit of one day returning to his first job as a minor league baseball mascot.
7) Jake likes to eat poopoo
8) Jake likes to drive the tractor.
9) Jake likes to help with chores.
10) Jake likes to say "Wow-ee!"
JakeBouma.com is a weblog maintained since 2005 by Jake Bouma, an ecclesial junkie and (imprudently) aspiring polymath who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
