As this seems to be a popular topic at the moment....

"riverman" wrote in message
...

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

Thus far we haven't found much from Europe, South America, South
Africa or any other region apart from those named above that suit both
our tastes and our budget. Either they don't make anything in those
places that meet our criteria or they're keeping all the good stuff
for themselves.......the *******s.


Wolfgang: Seeing as you are a red man, if you have a well-stocked
winestore
you peruse, ask them if they have any South African "Pinotage" on hand.
Its
a local thing and not well-exported, and many different growers bottle it,
however, if you can get hold of Jacobsdaal, any time in the mid 1990s,
you'll be pleasantly suprised. Its a very full-bodied red; well rounded,
etc. Since so many vinters make it, you'll find many different flavors, so
if you come across several brands, keep sampling until you find one you
like.

Our regular source, a neighborhood supermarket, isn't likely to have
anything that exotic, but we make occasional trips to shops with a very good
selection. I'll look for those next time we make such a pilgrimage. Thanks
for the tip.

Wolfgang

First, I am continually impressed with the high degree of proficiency you
and many of our other non-native English speakers show in the written
language.

Since the secret is out and I can't conceal it, I taught at Penn State
for 34 years. (Hell, it sure beat working for a living!)

I gave only essay exams, because I had no use for those ridiculous
"multiple guess" exams.

Over the years, I had a number of students from other countries. They
almost invariably wrote beautiful English. Wish I could say that for
the natives. Some did, but not the majority.

Of course, the "foreign" students who showed up at Penn State were the
cream of the crop in their home countries. Nevertheless, their skill
was impressive.

vince

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...
//snip//
Over the years, I had a number of students from other countries. They
almost invariably wrote beautiful English. Wish I could say that for
the natives. Some did, but not the majority.

Of course, the "foreign" students who showed up at Penn State were the
cream of the crop in their home countries. Nevertheless, their skill
was impressive.

vince

I've noticed similar things. I know a WASP with a liberal arts degree from
an Ivy League university who can't write worth a damn. And there's a fellow
named Patel here at the bank who one day said something to the effect of
"give me a couple of Chinese and a three guys from India and we'll show you
how to run a derivatives operation." Which is what we are doing, more and
more.

Really interesting implications.
Bob

I've noticed similar things. I know a WASP with a liberal arts degree from
an Ivy League university who can't write worth a damn.

Here's the explanation:

In grade and high school, teachers dare not flunk students, no matter
how badly they perform. Parent bitch at principals, or threaten to
sue, and pressure is put on teachers to give passing grades.

I've been told horror stories about this by several teachers.

In college, the basic English courses are taught by grad students, who
have more more important things to do than teach freshmen to write
well. They quickly learn that if they give their students good
grades, those students will not come to their offices for additional
help, or to complain about grades; and they will have more time to
work on their own theses, get their degrees, and start making money.

In other courses, teachers give multiple guess exams because they can
be graded by a machine, and because "It's not my job to teach
English."

"give me a couple of Chinese and a three guys from India and we'll show you
how to run a derivatives operation." Which is what we are doing, more and
more.

The definition of "terror" is: Walking into your math class and
seeing that all the other students are kids from Asia.

vince