More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)

[anona]

Burger King: Not me, Jack. Might have been my cousin, who has a warped sense of humour.

I'd have had a go, given we were the only ones in the place with no-one to overhear (my not being a first language speaker). I'd probably be more help than someone speaking at speed, anyway https://youtu.be/fHxO0UdpoxM  Not that he actually sounds at all Welsh when speaking English.

[Ozzyjack]

Oh, I don't know.
'Tiger Woods' is not too difficult to say!

 

Touché

[Ozzyjack]

Burger King: Not me, Jack. Might have been my cousin, who has a warped sense of humour.

I'd have had a go, given we were the only ones in the place with no-one to overhear (my not being a first language speaker). I'd probably be more help than someone speaking at speed, anyway https://youtu.be/fHxO0UdpoxM  Not that he actually sounds at all Welsh when speaking English.

Hi Anona, he makes it sound so effortless. Sounds like your cousin is just the sort of person we need in the forum.  Good to hear from you again.

I just saw my friends off from a big dinner with a little too much wine.   I don’t know how I will face gym in the morning 

[anona]

Although it would be more fun if your friends were still with you, if you had too much wine now is the time to learn how to pronounce double L in Welsh, if you don't know:
1. Part the lips and stretch them sideways a bit (as a learner - perhaps Welsh speakers don't need to stretch)
2. Put the front edge of your tongue all along the hard palate behind the upper front teeth
3. Blow out air into the cheeks through the gap each side between the edge of the tongue and the upper teeth, keeping the mouth open
4. Practice saying Llanelli, or Llanfair P G etc, of course. It sounds a little like a cat spitting - no, correction, it doesn't sound like anything else.

If your mouth is too dry, this won't work very well. Take another sip of wine, keeping a drop in the mouth, and try again. Repeat until you've forgotten why you're doing it.

Welsh speakers might rubbish this, but it's how I was taught in school (without the wine).

[Hobbit]

I have been kept on the hop this weekend.  We have two old (perhaps I should say long-standing) friends who we have not seen for more than 20 years visiting from the Gold Coast.

They told me about two of their friends who recently toured in Wales.  On their way they saw a sign for a place called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and decided to go there.

In the main street, they had a big blue about how to pronounce the town’s name.  They were hungry and went into an establishment for lunch.  The only other customer was a woman called Anona.  They asked Anona, “could you please settle an argument for us?”  Anona nodded.

“Would you please pronounce where we are for us – very slowly?”

Anona says very slowly, “Buurrrrgerrrrr Kinnnnggg.”

Practice keeping your toes apart, Pen, that way you wont get webbed feet.

Morning Jack
Monday again (for you) already
I thought the poem very excellent indeed.  I will share it with my friends at work tomorrow.
I think it's best that you say your friends are long standing rather than old!
I have a vision of you hopping about all weekend!

I love listening to Welsh people.  Richard Burton could have read the telephone directory & still sounded wonderful. Oh & Max Boyce who I think we've already discussed.
I'm not liking the sound of a windy dust cloud   Sounds worse then windy rain.
Anyway off to search for a few words & contemplate work tomorrow.
Ciao
Pen

[Hobbit]

Sorry forgot to say the Burger King story was hilarious
I think my mind was wandering a bit!

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Anona,

I tried your prescription for LLs but I must confess to being a failure.  I tried it in front of the dogs and they would go berserk if I could make a cat hissing noise but they just had amused looks on their faces.

I do agree with Pen that the sound of Welsh voices is charming.

I’ll have another practice next time I get a glass of red in hand.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen,

I survived a gym session and a game of golf today despite waking very lethargically.   I rounded off today by going to a dinner and drinks Christmas party with the gym crowd.  But I am too tired to go hunting for jokes and cartoons tonight so I will leave you with a trivia question.

How many people do you have to get in a room before there is a 50% chance that 2 of those people have the same birthday?  Let me know your best guess (the challenge is open to all forumites).  I will give the answer tomorrow. Hopefully, I will be also be able to make a better contribution to the conversation.

 

[Hobbit]

Hi Jack
My work colleague, Kathy, & I have racked our brains & come up with 2 people
We have no idea if we're right & look forward to finding the answer & explanation when you're a bit perkier
We're having a typical Monday - the inmates are most definitely in charge of the asylum today


It sounds like you a very busy & enjoyable day today (sorry yesterday by the time you read this)
Pen

[anona]

Birthdays: I seem to remember there's quite a high or a very high chance in a class of 30, so I'll guess at 20 people.  Probability is completely beyond me, though I can remember finding Simpson's Paradox quite a fascinating if almost incomprehensible concept.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen, Anona and any interested spectators.

The answer to the trivia question I posed is well known among people who have studied probability theory as the the birthday paradox, aka the birthday problem, which states that in a random group of 23 people, there is about a 50 percent chance that two people have the same birthday.

When the question was posed to me many years ago I answered in the range 100-150 which on face value would seem reasonable.  

I am not expert in probability theory but I do enjoy puzzles whose answer is counter-intuitive and to explain the explanation for the counter-intuitive answer I googled "birthday paradox explained simply".  The articles were somewhat less than simply explained.  The best explanation I found was this one on YouTube

This graph also depicts the probabilities



So, well done, Anona.  But even better you have alerted me to Simpson's Paradox that I had not heard of.  So I have something new to study.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen,

I've been a bit slack answering some of your comments.

Dust storms:  They are defined as reduced visibility to less than a kilometre (5/8 mille) because of dust.  Although common in Central Australia they rarely reach Sydney and the Southern Highlands because you need a number of factors simultaneously in play: ongoing drought across central Australia,  gale force winds. and a relatively rare wind direction.  You are right they can be quite unpleasant.

Me hopping around all weekend.  Those days are gone even if it would be good for weight control



Response to Raving Nutter cartoon:



Typical Monday:  How's this look for the rest of the week?

[Hobbit]

Hi Jack
I have to admit that I know little or nothing about probability & have never heard of the birthday paradox.  Kathy & I were well off the mark with our guess
Great cartoons   I especially like Snoopy & the working week!
Work is quite busy this afternoon which I quite good in some respects as it makes the time pass quicker.  I'm not convinced that it's good to wish your time away though!

Simon's Cat

I hope my little offering today doesn't offend your dogs

Chin Chin
Pen

[Ozzyjack]

I have to admit that I know little or nothing about probability.
Work is quite busy this afternoon which I quite good in some respects as it makes the time pass quicker.

Probability is not all serious stuff, Pen, the odds are it can provide amusement.



Sounds like you need to read up on time management.



Time to wind down, Pen

[Hobbit]

Very funny Jack!
I listen to Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2 while I drive to work.  Not on the topic of probability but he was talking about Edward de Bono this morning.  I had totally forgotten all about him but he used to do very interesting programmes back in the 1970's I think.  My memory being what it was I'm probably a decade or two out   I think he was famous for lateral thinking & looking at things differently.
Back to the grindstone

Nothing to do with anything this cartoon just tickled me.
Pen