[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0][quoteost_uid0]Growing up, though, I always heard it pronounced like "apart-hide".[/quoteost_uid0]
That's what I thought most non-Dutch people would pronounce it.

[quoteost_uid0]The ei sound falls somewhere between a long A and a long I sound.[/quoteost_uid0]
It sounds better. I think it's the best description I've ever heard, although if I didn't know, I wouldn't know what to make of it.

[quoteost_uid0]Pim Fortuyn? He was assassinated, wasn't he? And wasn't he, like, a fascist?[/quoteost_uid0]
Yes and yes. He thought the Netherlands are for dutch people, so he wouldn't have let any refugees in. The assasin, ahem, murderer, thought he was a very dangerous man for the Netherlands. Which, obviously, he was.
That's my opinion anyway. A lot of people would have voted for him, and even more people still did. It was some kind of remembrance. I think that's completely nuts and very stupid. You do NOT vote for a dead man! :S

[quoteost_uid0]Ah, fascism, AKA "national socialism". It's great! unless, you're, y'know, gay, Jewish, Black, female, or poor![/quoteost_uid0]
Actually, he was gay. :lol:

[quoteost_uid0]Hmmm, let's see, who would be speaking german now if the U.S. hadn't interveined?[/quoteost_uid0]
I guess I would, but I also guess I wouldn't have minded. Do Irish people mind they speak English? And then I wouldn't have as much trouble with German as I do. Would have more with English, maybe.

[quoteost_uid0]Hmmm, let's see, who planted trees all along their roads because the Nazis were feeling hot marching in the sun?[/quoteost_uid0]
Who was that? I don't remember anything in my history lessons about that.

[quoteost_uid0]Hmmm, let's see, who surrendered?[/quoteost_uid0]
We only surrended after four or five days. Which is four or five the time they expected. And only after they completely bombed down one of our most important, if not the most, cities. But what would you do, if you have almost no defenses at al?

[quoteost_uid0]1. The hanging chad /"I meant to vote for Gore!" stuff.
2. The supreme court stuff[/quoteost_uid0]
3. I wasn't allowed to vote.

[quoteost_uid0]Yes, I seem to remember though that it took a direct attack on American soil by the Japanese before the US deigned to enter the fray. Never mind the fact that an evil fascist dictatorship was intent on taking over the the whole of Europe and Russia. How much quicker would the war have been over if the US had joined in two years earlier? How many less lives would have been lost? How many less Jews would have been murdered? As it was Britain came perrilously close to losing.[/quoteost_uid0]
Well said.

[quoteost_uid0]I guess in a perverted way we can thank the then Japanese govenrment for bringing the US in at all.[/quoteost_uid0]
I never thought of it like that. But I guess you're right.

[quoteost_uid0]Yes, it does the French's position that they were going to say no to any Resoloution is on the face of it unreasonable, but not when you consider the fact that they rightly saw that the US was going to declare war on Iraq no matter what, in which case I feel that they should stand up and take a bow for refusing to let the U.N. be used in such a manner.[/quoteost_uid0]
I wouldn't have joined if I were the French goverment either, although I can understand why our government joined (only official). Picture defendless little Holland vs. big powerfull US. It doesn't end well.[/colorost_uid0]