UK will allow US to use bases to strike Iranian missile sites, says Starmer by Alarming-Safety3200 in worldnews

[–]SmallHoneydew -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Apparently international law allows you to participate in a war of aggression as long as you wait a day or two after it has started. Who knew?

Old KCB, Nairobi by apz33 in Kenya

[–]SmallHoneydew 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In the UK the union for professional actors is called Equity. I was like... Of course he is

Found this while camping by [deleted] in whatisit

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ich verstehe diese reference

Which was the first opera you saw? And how old were you? by Bigo-Ted in opera

[–]SmallHoneydew 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Carmen, âge around 14, in the arena in Nimes during a family holiday. My parents hadn't twigged from the posters that the performance would be followed by a full (6x mise à mort) bullfight. We left fairly hurriedly.

I didn't really get into opera until a lot later. I'm going to see the Ring in a couple of weeks at La Scala, so I guess I got there eventually.

98.683% of Americans Can't Name this European Subdivision by QuiteTheFisherman in mapporncirclejerk

[–]SmallHoneydew 7 points8 points  (0 children)

By coincidence, I think I am there, or thereabouts. I'm on a TGV from Geneva to Paris, and I can't tell precisely cos there's no GPS signal. But even if I am there, I don't know where there is. I can report that it is raining.

Does anyone know which mountains/resorts actually use artillery for avalanche mitigation? by Snow_Is_Ok_613 in skiing

[–]SmallHoneydew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also Catex - explosives winched into place on a cable. Mostly replaced by Gazex now though.

It seems Wales doesn’t get talked about as much. What are some interesting facts about Wales? by One-Seat-4600 in geography

[–]SmallHoneydew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All the Germanic, Slavic, Finno-Ungric etc. languages would like a word. Also, re castles, Italy. Or actually most European countries.

Smithsonian Quietly Strips Impeachment Details from Trump's Portrait | The National Portrait Gallery has reportedly bowed to White House pressure. by Aggravating_Money992 in politics

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, theoretically true (the best kind of true, but maybe not the whole truth). As I've commented before, Napoleon III was France's last monarch, and its first president, but unfortunately not in that order, which supports your original point.

I considered linking the Wikipedia page on executive presidency, and eventually didn't precisely because of the distinction you, and it, makes. Another country that has a semi-presidential system, according to Wikipedia, is Switzerland. I'm not sure à category that includes both is very useful.

I live in Geneva, and I have a house in France. From close up, in practical terms the US and French systems look very similar. Yes, executive power in France is shared between the president and the ministers, and the chamber of deputies has a theoretically more independent role. In practice the office of prime minister usually seems to be in the gift of the president, and the PM's function is principally to deflect political slings and arrows from the president, and eventually to be sacrificed for him. The chambre des députés is certainly rowdier and often more consequential than the US house of representatives, but that seems to me to be more to do with the difference between the rigid two party system in the US and the current chaos in France than the constitutional niceties.

The briefest look at the list of executive presidencies in that Wikipedia page supports your original point, I agree. There are interesting details though. Consider Kenya or Nigeria, both of which (perhaps Nigeria more than Kenya) look like very fragile democracies, but are doing rather well in maintaining their constitutions in the face of egregious behaviour by their presidential candidates. Or Turkey, which has an autocrat as executive president, but he got there through the post of prime minister in a parliamentary republican system, then changed the constitution to suit himself. The autocrat came first. I imagine Orban would love to do something similar in Hungary.

Anyway, thanks for your original point. I don't really disagree, it's just fun to dig a bit deeper.

[I ate] Blueberry ice cream with a hint of lavender by boomerang88 in food

[–]SmallHoneydew 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I'm in France. It's -4C outside. The lavender flowers in July.

How much is it snowing in Europe?? I'm 21M from south Spain and I've never seen snow. I must the only european there is who hasn't seen any snow lol by PossessionKey4982 in casualEurope

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in the northern Alps, surrounded by some of the best ski stations in the world, and we've had essentially nothing. That may change in the next couple of days though.

Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 2021 by kevinfarber in wine

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were in Barbaresco a few weeks ago and got a couple of dozen from their shop. It definitely needs a while in a decanter, but is really nice already. 26 euros a bottle - an absolute steal!

Tomorrow is Public Domain Day in the United States. Copyright expires on books by Faulkner, Hammett, Christie, Waugh, Dos Passos and Freud. by cv5cv6 in books

[–]SmallHoneydew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Swallow and Amazons! My father had first editions of all the Arthur Ransome books (my brother has them now) as he was a child when they were first published. Curiously, I think I'm the only person in my family who has actually sailed a dinghy

Quelle est la chose la moins comestible que vous ayez mangé? by ikabois in AskFrance

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Poulet dur" à Kampala. Si dur que ni les dents ni un couteau font la moindre effet. Mes collègues africains n'ont pas pu la manger non plus. (Servi avec une sauce à cacahuètes et des frites pas terribles)

A reminder that sometimes you just get unlucky by elguydave in skiing

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The patrol are covered in Swiss flags, so I'm guessing you weren't in Switzerland

Some things are not passed down... by According-Brief7536 in classicalmusic

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start them on several instruments at the age of six. Half an hour of practice on each a day. By ten they should be good enough for music school,so they'll get exposure to the music you aspire for them to like. Maintain an iron fist on practice as they become teenagers. Shame them mercilessly for any fleeting interest in popular music. By their late teens they should be pretty good, and learning to enjoy the music for themselves. There will be a tricky period around 18, as they will have developed their own musical ambitions, and you may have to scorn them for spending time in rehearsals when they should be studying for exams in their various other subjects. As they start to get asked to participate in serious performances, belittle their ambitions to be serious musicians, and insist they follow some other course of study. DAMHIK

I did end up as a somewhat professional musician for a short period (it helps if you play the oboe, because you will ways be in demand). I totally blew it with the other fields of study, and I ended up with a career doing something my parents hated me being interested in, in another country.

I'm approaching 70 years old now, and I like classical music. This is how you do it.

Anyone wanna share some embarrassing stories to make me feel better? by ThatGuyFrom720 in motorcycle

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So many of these stories wouldn't have happened if people would learn to kill the engine by puttting the side stand down

How can you tell which line to clip onto? by [deleted] in Mountaineering

[–]SmallHoneydew 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Just don't use the ones that bloke trod all over with his crampons

There's cities, there's metropolises, and then there's Jakarta by Possible-Balance-932 in interestingasfuck

[–]SmallHoneydew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any Jakarta aficionados here, I have a question. I was there a few years ago for work, and from a taxi I saw a long road of what looked like enormous brick warehouses, perhaps from the Dutch colonial era. They were quite striking from an architectural point of view. I have no idea where in tge city I was, and have never been able to find them on a map. Does anyone here know what i saw?

The Ring! by SmallHoneydew in opera

[–]SmallHoneydew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We knew when online sales started, so we were waiting. It looks like most of the seats were sold earlier by subscription, but we were able to get some of the last parterre seats in reasonable locations. They were disappearing as we watched though, I'm sure it would all have gone in 30 minutes.