?

I am interested in learning Norwegian before I go there to visit (and eventually move there in about 3 years or so), and was wondering how difficult it would be to learn if I already know a language that is similar (German). Has anyone had experience learning Norwegian?

Any and every politician elected in last week's landslide victory for the Republican and Tea Party candidates will not hesitate to tell you that socialized medicine is un-american, that it is far too expensive, and that there is also far too much government spending occurring right now in general. This is in fact the basis of the Tea Party and Republican platform(s) that propelled them to victory in last week's midterm election.

All that said, do you believe it would be okay for the newly elected congressmen and senators to have taken such a stance against the idea of a government health care option for the general public, but not take issue with the fact that they, as multimillionaires at least 5 times over, have stellar health insurance plans that are, ironically, paid for with the tax dollars of their constituents?

If you are about to say that Obama (and all the other democrats) do the same thing, you are absolutely correct in that assumption- but don't forget that Obama also tried very hard to give YOU and every other "mortal" American at least a similar kind of option which all the politicians in Washington reap the benefits of.

So do you think it's okay for them to have stellar health insurance plans that are funded by tax dollars, or should the public insist that they also take out private plans with the private insurer of their choice so that we really DO start to save money and reduce the tax burden on ordinary American citizens?

what are the republicans going to do with all the money they plan to save in the next two years or so? what do they mean by cutting spending? are they going to put themselves on the chopping block as well? will we, the people, still be paying their salaries and health insurance, or will they take that ever so important personal responsibility and insure themselves and their families out of their own pockets from now on? if i can't be on welfare and live off the back of others, then neither can they, right?

i'm all for it and will be the biggest republican supporter ever in the history of this great nation, but i want them to keep their promise to get ALL government out of my life and out of my pockets. will they pay for their own travel, transportation, and houses from now on as well? that's plenty of money for me and everyone else in this nation if these politicians (democrats, republicans, and tea party baggers) would get off our backs, don't ya think?

so are they going to keep their promises to us, the American people, and pull their own weight just as they expect everyone else to do? what do you think? i think probably not, but they sure as hell convinced a lot of gullible people that they will!

is it an organization or a political party? who or what organizations bankroll the Tea Party, and what are its political goals? where does the money come from? why do the Tea Party candidates appear to be reluctant to give interviews?

Just curious- i know it must take a lot of money to make a reasonable, competitive run for a senate seat, so i was wondering how many of them are NOT multimillionaires and yet still aspire to become senators.

Newt Gingrich has referred to the policies of the Obama administration as "Kenyan anti-colonialism" in nature, and I'm wondering what exactly that means, and whether Mr. Gingrich is knowledgeable on the subject of colonialism in Kenya, or any other country around the world that happens to be a former colony of a European nation.

I'm just curious- is there any biblical verse that alludes as to why that region of the world was chosen to receive Christ, or was his birthplace purely coincidental? Why not, say, somewhere in South America, or Norway, or Cameroon, for example?

Where did she attend school, is she a medical or academic doctor, and does she also have a private practice somewhere?

Also- Palin apparently came to her defense in this latest faux pas involving the use (or not) of the dreaded N-word; is Palin aware that Dr. Laura has an extremely poor opinion of her and spoke very badly of her during the election, and that the good doctor also has disturbing views on "special needs" children? Don't understand why Palin would support and defend someone like that, unless of course she's not even aware of the things that Dr. Laura said about her......

I don't understand the concealed carry laws. The logic I've heard from gun proponents goes like this: "If criminals know you could be carrying a gun, they won't do anything, and that in and of itself helps to prevent crime!"

Now, if this is the case, why shouldn't gun owners be REQUIRED to carry their firearms out in the open for everyone to see if they are going to insist on carrying a weapon on their person? What good does carrying a concealed weapon serve? Why not brandish it from the start? Wouldn't that make more sense if their intention is to intimidate criminals?

Would you mind explaining what factors contribute to the overall happiness and satisfaction of people in your respective country?

Name one or two things that you personally, as an individual, with abilities or skills that have nothing to do with the country you were born in or your race, have accomplished in your life. Are you more proud of your race and your country, or of what you as an individual regardless of race or country of origin have been able to accomplish in your life?

How often do we break records for freezing temperatures and snowfall? How high is the number of people who freeze to death compared to the number of people who die of excessive, prolonged exposure to heat? What do you think the ratio of the number of days of extreme summer weather to extreme winter weather is?

I have to go with Columbo!

lol I read some guy's comment on Paris Hilton being arrested again for marijuana possession, and he referred to smoking as "sparking the owl". Cracked me up, as I've never heard that before- anyone know the origin of this expression?

What if, say, French, Russian, British, Norwegian, and German troops had military bases set up here throughout the U.S. that were strictly off limits to us "natives", along with some artillery ranges to boot where they could go on maneuver and practice their fire power? Would you like that? Why or why not?

lol cracks me up- this week, I've received several harsh, profanity laced messages from other users who did not agree with something I said in a comment I made here or there.

I enjoy the attention guys, and I appreciate the fact that my words inspired you to write to me and voice your own opinion, even if it is very crude and not well thought out- and the more vulgar you are in your response, the more amusing I am likely to find it, that's just my sense of humor. But if you write to me, please don't block your email, because sometimes I would like to respond to your messages!

Thank you!

I'm curious and would like to know. Currently living in the Midwest, and it is an absolute DISASTER in terms of the weather- hot, humid, and a constant barage of ridiculously violent storms more often than not. I don't mind extreme winter weather that involves hardcore cold and/or ice and snow, but the constant heat and humidity, and the big storms on a regular basis that have fairly good chances of spawning tornadoes is something i'm tired of dealing with. I have a chance to move to wherever i want to now, and i want to make very good use of this opportunity by moving to an area that has a minimal amount (or preferably none at all) of this violent summer weather crap.

i'm curious- compared to today's living standard (in terms of houses), those people probably had no kind of shelter, so i wonder how they dealt with the twisters back then, say in the middle of the 19th century?