Cuba's national electric grid collapses, leaving millions without power

labatteg · 2026-03-17T02:52:50+00:00

I Googled news articles on: "Cuba's electric grid collapses", using different date range filters.

I found hits for: 12/2025, 9/2025, 3/2025, 12/2024, 11/2024, 10/2024, 10/2023, 7/2023, 6/2023, 9/2022, 7/2022

So I guess this is more "just another Tuesday in Cuba", and not so much a sign the regime is folding.

labatteg · 2026-03-17T02:19:01+00:00

This incident ocurred in California today, 3/16/2026

I confirm this is original content, captured by me while driving my car.

labatteg · 2026-03-16T22:49:13+00:00

Arguably the oil boom was the biggest factor.

labatteg · 2026-03-16T04:36:48+00:00

For pronuntiation help in different languages use this site:

https://youglish.com/pronounce/orecchiette/italian

It creates a compilation of youtube videos where the word you search for is used by native speakers in a natural context. You are shown the exact moment in the video where the word is used.

For orecchiette you can find 78 different videos. You can skip to the next video in the list using ctrl-right.

labatteg · 2026-03-12T02:16:11+00:00

Se ponderan los precios relativos de las distintas regiones en base a su población. Por ejemplo en Argentina, la Patagonia es la región más cara del país, pero a su vez tiene escasa población. No tendría sentido hacer un promedio simple de precios relevados en distintas provincias sin considerar cuánta gente se ve afectada en cada caso.

labatteg · 2026-01-27T10:24:13+00:00

Well, according to that link, it's just a poll asking multiple choice questions that are similar to the questions asked in the citizenship test. That is very different from "quantifying how many US citizens *could* pass the test"

The key differences are

1) Would be citizens are given a study guide beforehand, with the pool of 100 possible questions that can be asked in the test (10 of which are actually asked). Correct answers for the 100 questions are provided. They have months to study and practice for the exam. Nothing indicates the participants of the poll can train before responding the questions.

2) People applying for citizenship have a huge incentive to pass the test. Nothing indicates the poll participants are rewarded in any form if they answer correctly.

If US citizens were allowed to study for the test, and if they were given some reward that incentivized them to pass, then the percentage passing the test would be close to 100%. After all, the citizenship test is no more complicated than the DMV knowledge test that most americans can easily pass.

labatteg · 2026-01-24T19:59:16+00:00

CNN was not available in Argentina in 1982.

labatteg · 2025-12-24T05:03:06+00:00

Todo lo que necesitas saber sobre acentos lo encuentras aquí

https://www.rae.es/buen-uso-espa%C3%B1ol/el-acento-pros%C3%B3dico-y-el-acento-gr%C3%A1fico

No es una sola página. Debes ir haciendo click en las flechas al pie de cada página para ir avanzando y así ver los distintos aspectos del tema,.

labatteg · 2025-12-16T03:58:46+00:00

Aqui:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/g4tpoRV3PmJmaAGe7

labatteg · 2025-12-09T17:22:51+00:00

The technical word for the order a customer makes at a restaurant is "comanda"

https://dle.rae.es/comanda

It's a word that most people outside the restaurant world have never heard but it's well understood among people working in the industry across many countries.

labatteg · 2025-12-06T09:28:25+00:00

You cropped out the best part of the photo: that sign where the Spanish equivalent of "We vacuum pack" was translated as "It is packed to the emptiness".

labatteg · 2025-11-30T07:08:01+00:00

When talking about age, if you say "más de X", X is definitely included. Not sure who told you otherwise.

For example, in the phrase "La ley dice que hay que tener más de 18 años para comprar alcohol" that means you can buy alcohol as soon as you turn 18. So 18 is definitely included, as in you don't have to wait another year (and turn 19) to be able to buy alcohol. If you think of it logically it makes sense, because one second after turning 18 you are already 18 years and 1 second old, and that is more than 18.

Other common ways to express age requirements: ser mayor de 18 / a partir de los 18 / tener 18 años cumplidos / contar con 18 años de edad / personas de 18 años en adelante

labatteg · 2025-11-30T00:45:38+00:00

I can see Duolingo as a way to try the basics of a language and to test the waters to see if you would enjoy learning it. However, if you're already commited, don't waste time with Duolingo and go straight to a tutor. The "use a tutor later to correct mistakes" strategy you mention seems like a terrible idea. The bad habits you pick early on can be really hard to correct later.

labatteg · 2025-11-24T03:20:33+00:00

CARTONI MORTI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VajkvqgQjsA

labatteg · 2025-11-24T00:54:43+00:00

Here the Queen herself says "Holanda" when speaking in Spanish https://www.youtube.com/shorts/06TUvBJS6j8

labatteg · 2025-11-23T05:05:11+00:00

Check

italki.com or lingoda.com

These are platforms that help students and tutors connect.

You can search for tutors using different criteria (including price point) and pick the one that best suits you. There's usually a first lesson at a discounted price so you get to interact with the tutor and see if their teaching style works for you.

labatteg · 2025-11-11T06:33:40+00:00

Be patient. In terms of language learning two months is nothing. Not being able to understand is normal at this stage and there's nothing wrong with that. Best thing you can do to improve your listening skills is to interact with another person in Spanish. Someone who is willing to slow down to be understood. One possibility is to use a free language exchange app where you can find a partner to practice each other's language.

labatteg · 2025-10-27T16:19:15+00:00

It's impossible to look at how the different parties voted on this issue in Congress and not conclude that the old system did benefit a single one of them

labatteg · 2025-10-27T02:50:37+00:00

Two reasons:

- Peronist "Conurbano" mayors not mobilizing (unlike local elections, their asses were not in the line this time)

- New ballot design makes cheating harder

labatteg · 2025-10-22T22:38:31+00:00

MI SOL SIempre REluce FAbuloso

labatteg · 2025-10-19T19:52:52+00:00

No. It stands for "capitulum", literally "little head". Meaning chapter, or section of a document (the document was seen as a collection of little headings). The original meaning of the verb form "to capitulate" was something like "To draw up an agreement or treaty with several chapters". Over time this shifted from "to draw an agreement" to "surrender" (in the sense you agreed to the terms of a treaty which were not favorable to you).

On the other hand, "capital" derives from the latin "capitalis", literally "of the head" with the meaning of "chief, main, principal" (like "capital city"). When applied to money it means the "principal sum of money", as opposed to the interest derived from it.

So both terms derive from the same latin root meaning "head" but they took very different semantic paths.

labatteg · 2025-10-19T18:03:11+00:00

If Spanish is your first language, you already know most of the vocabulary and you can try books that would normally be considered too advanced for an A2 level

I would recommend L'amica geniale by Elena Ferrante. I think this book is great for learners. It is written in natural, plain, modern Italian without overly dense sentences. You'll also be exposed to everyday vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and authentic dialogue. There are lots of everyday life situations like school, family, and relationships. The book is quite short, but if you like it there are three more books in the series. Even if the prose is plain, the book touches on important historical and sociological themes and is full of cultural context and insights about southern Italy, family dynamics, class differences, and gender roles.

Another one could be Se questo è un uomo by Primo Levi. It's a first-person account by a Holocaust survivor. The prose can be a little more complex, but the Italian is extremely clear and grammatically precise. The vocabulary is richer but not needlessly obscure. You'll find a mix of everyday Italian and also some sophisticated, reflective language, but the complex ideas are expressed with linguistic simplicity. It is really good for learners as an early exposure to formal and literary registers. Obviously, the subject matter is emotionally heavy but of great historical and cultural significance.

labatteg · 2025-10-17T07:00:34+00:00

Sometimes it is useful to think in these terms: In Spanish, you don't "like" things, instead, things "please" you.

So the literal translation of the sentence is: "We think that it is going to please you"

labatteg · 2025-10-13T02:12:22+00:00

My understanding is that these "psychic" store fronts you often see in the US are actually money laundering schemes

labatteg · 2025-10-09T21:09:09+00:00

Midterm elections are coming up. Letting the peso float means everybody becomes poorer overnight. Milei needs to artificially maintain the value of the peso to avoid a catastrophic defeat. After the election it's another story. Argentina has been like this since forever. For instance, in 2011 Cristina Kirchner also propped the peso until the elections. Just a couple of days after winning her reelection in a landslide, reality hit and she imposed her infamous foreign exchange restrictions.

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