There are pros and cons for either demographic: whilst being older may be ideal since not only you bypass age restrictions, you also have the capability on purchasing it with your own money without having to ask parents for that given that you have employment and recurring income. Gaming as a kid gives more time without having to dwell much on responsibilities that adults have to worry about but at the same time are held by school.

I mean, there are countries where tourists don’t have to pay tax on top of items (meaning they pay for it tax free given if they presented their passport upon purchase proving they’re merely only a visitor, that won’t work on expats though). There are countries who have tax refunds when visitors are leaving (basically reclaiming VAT whilst at the airport), they have already purchased the goods with VAT paid but gets refunded upon them departing.

This is evident when I show what handwritten Japanese (Kanji only without any Kana) looks like, they still mistake it for Mandarin (due them being logographic), the same applies towards google searches too, as when I type a Japanese word in Kanji (despite having the UI and browser set in Japanese or English) I still get results in Mandarin since all the websites contain the TLD .cn or .tw when I am looking for Japanese websites ending with (.jp).

If a person is clueless about distinguishing the differences between languages (especially ones that look similar when written even though they're different, kind of like when writing in French & English but they're still different languages), then they fall into the trap of "Is that French?" or vice versa for example, when in fact it's written in English. Does this word all look the "same" to you or not when telling the difference between 日本語 or 中文?.

You get the point, I still get comments equivalent to "is that Chinese?" when there's kana present within the sentence (which Mandarin does not have, as they write entirely in Hanzi). Some words are written the same but pronunciation is very different as they're unrelated languages. Does the same thing happen to let's say Norwegian & Danish (or any other European language) since both pairs use similar alphabets and have an identical writing system?

From Japanese or Mandarin, there are characters that look the same but have different pronunciations altogether like:

I know that there are prisons where the interaction isn't face to face, rather via phone where the only thing separating both inmate and visitor is a window (from that type of interaction, the conversation is definitely recorded but can languages alone hide the nature of the conversation?) That depends on the language spoken and it's similarities to English (like Spanish) while languages that are very different (like Japanese or Korean) making it hard to translate.

I mean, most languages can be translated but the nuances from the mother tongue won't be 100% retained since changes can be made plus different languages have their own cultures attached to them. As in what is considered profanity and offensive in the mother tongue translates as a normal word in English (unless you clarify the context), as in what is 100% accurate won't be to the other party since languages are different the same way cultures are.

I mean, it's a game where you just read text on a screen where voice acting is present on higher budget ones or titles made by an established developer (ideafactory, otomate). Most "anime" type VN's have Japanese text and voice acting only, since translating a visual novel isn't that simple (even if you have all the game files, the written script is originally intended to be conveyed in Japanese now having the task of translating that properly into English).

If a localization team were to translate a game that's already developed from its mother tongue into another, they would have to be bilingual or have high proficiency in that language (which is key for retaining the nuances and cultural references of the source material), simply pasting the text into Google Translate doesn't cut it. Those types of games are lore heavy carrying a larger emphasis on the game's progression (words need to maintain consistency).

Translations from JP > EN can suck (it irks me when they just romanize さん as -san when a real equivalent is closer to Mr. / Mrs.) Besides the text, there's voice acting (all dialog is originally recorded in Japanese, the lip sync reflects that) so most translations only focus on the text rather than adding an English dub. If wanting to rework voice acting, that's another expense plus reworking lip sync matching English phonetics (original one is in Japanese).

Not only do you have to rework lip sync starting all over regarding voice acting if wanting a "pure" ENG dub: you will need to have sufficient funds on hiring professional voice actors (ones who have experience with being on The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, South Park etc). with a accurately translated script reflected from the game's original files (JPN > ENG) matching nuances from the source material if you want the translation to be that good.

To put it into perspective: an upside down American flag is a recognized signal of dire distress which is often meant "extreme danger towards life & property". Historically, it was only flipped when sailors signalled to allied forces that they were in immediate peril (such as fire, mutiny, or sinking) needing assistance.

Nowadays: both individuals & groups started adopting the inverted flag to mainly express political discontent, dissent, or a deep concern for the direction of the nation. I mean, what happens if you inverted the Australian flag either during demonstrations or if the individual has distrust towards the government?

To reiterate: if given a summons by the court, in person attendance is mandatory (applies to all 50 states). After voir dire, if either the lawyer or judge has selected you as the juror and being presented with evidence relevant to the case: what types of cases were you assigned whilst being a part of the jury?

Also, what happens if the individual fails to willingly show up (non-excusals) in court on the appointed date when they've been handed a summons in the US? For reference, in my country where Jury Duty also exists: the offense for failing to show up in person incurs the equivalent of an ~800 USD fine.

The answer is subjective as it depends on where you live, which impacts commute time (those living in the North Shore have it fast as they reside closer to the city center while those living in the West have to compensate 60 minutes or more in order to reach the CBD by train) and the worst lines to take are T2 and T3 in my opinion due to them stopping pretty much 31 stations (some are skipped, more like 24) along the way before reaching the city.

Well, you have no choice but to take either line if you reside in those areas (Liverpool, Fairfield, Granville, Regents Park) meaning the commute will take longer opposed to those residing in Revesby, Glenfield or Campbelltown where the T8 line is present since it skips 8 stations reaching Wolli Creek then through the Airport. Even from Parramatta you're taking it through T1 which intersects with Granville. Don't even talk about the delays or "industrial action".

T3 begins at Liverpool while T2 starts from Leppington in which both stop almost at every station (after Glenfield: from Casula, Liverpool, Warwick Farm, Cabramatta, Canley Vale and so on, literally about 31 stations or so before you even reach Central). They skip Flemington, Homebush, Croydon, Summer Hill, Petersham, Lewisham, Stanmore or MacDonaldtown during peak hour at least, so there's that but the journey's quite long.

It takes like 65 minutes until you reach the city while the same Journey is quicker via T8. However the commute is still a slog to sit through as it takes forever and no other option if you live within areas of T2 (it's why T8 exists via the Airport and skips like 8 stations after Revesby heading for Wolli Creek) but it's only accessible for those living within the Campbelltown area. Don't even mention the commute time via T3, it's worse.

Both lines exist within the Sydney Trains network although are slow and long (well... people living in those areas don't really have an option, at least they have a station) with having to wait a while before they can even reach Central. T3 just heads via Regents Park then via Lidcombe intersecting with the existing T2 line to Central, regardless it's still takes forever due to the train stopping again, at every station on the way.

Either were the only option (alongside T1 via Parramatta) before T8 expansion via the Airport was constructed, and my parents who commuted during the 90s told me it sucks ass due to that stopping at 31 stations before reaching the city, when the Airport line finished construction: it was a godsend as it saved time on reaching the city circle deeming T2 or T3 a joke! T8 via Airport was only made because of the Olympics back in 2000.

I know that both the T2 or T3 (City Circle via Granville from Liverpool) including T6 (City Circle via Regents Park from Bankstown) line are a joke when it comes to daily commute from home to work or school (both ways) as it stops at like almost every single station adding travel time, it sums up to around 65 minutes if lucky but can be longer hence why often the T8 (Airport & East Hills from Glenfield) line is better if you live within that area.

It's a contrast since countries who share borders with Yemen (Oman & Saudi Arabia) are stable & wealthy in comparison. As in, it's considered a "third world" country while their neighbors are already in "first world" tier, Yemen also has crude oil but people would rather purchase that directly from Oman instead. Also, is their geographical proximity towards Somalia not helping at all (due to piracy)?

Whether you travel abroad, in regards to cash withdrawals: the ATM knows the card is from your home country, so it brings up dynamic currency conversion (which is the ATM's own quoted rate), giving you the option to choose that or continue without it (leaving that up to your home bank instead). For example: you decide to withdraw 300€ from the ATM but the machine's exchange is 300€ = $410 (which is a rip off).

But, if one continues to not use DCC: the bank does the conversion from their end, in this case it comes out as $358 including a $5 transaction fee (more like $353). The same applies to contactless payments, as at some establishments, the reader will give you a choice between local currency or the one from your home country, do you pick the one that's already converted or pay in local currency leaving it up to the bank?

It's funny, since they are fixated on framing China as a "mass surveillance" dystopia (and propagation of their so called social credit score) but there's hypocrisy since they implement similar tactics in the Anglosphere (though less obvious) while China is openly flexing that.

Snowden can't be called a conspiracy theorist as he showed evidence that the NSA is spying on everyone behind their backs (first, he managed to smuggle the intel out of his workplace which was difficult to execute) turning him into a whistleblower who's now living in Russia.

I've heard of a case where an American man was ranting about "why can't they speak English" despite him being in a country where it's not even spoken (in this case: Japan), like WTF? He's literally in another country where a different language is spoken, isn't that already common sense? Yes, there are (some) Americans who are like this: assuming that everyone all over the world just knows English from the get go, but that's not always the case.

Another was when an American woman wanted to pay for the bread at a French bakery using a crisp US$20 bill, but that was not accepted since France uses Euros as their main currency. I guess it stems from the fact Mexico accept that assuming that's universal in countries where their own currency (like the Korea uses Won, UK uses the Pound, Oman uses Rials & etc). I mean, why do (some) Americans think that every country uses US Dollars?

To put it into perspective, the USA is making the draft system automatic from the end of this year and there's opposition to it since the current system is that the individual is registered via the Selective Service System (it's put into the database when one gets a driver's license for example). From their case, the American government's argument is: "it saves money from military recruitment campaigns" which is a pile of horse shit.

I mean, there are European countries where the draft is normal and expected for men over 18 (Austria, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece, Cyprus & Croatia) including both Norway & Switzerland (despite them NOT being EU members at all). And yes: Ukraine has the draft, since men ages from 18-60 cannot leave the country due to them being made to stay behind on fending off against Russia.

But there are also European countries where the draft is non-existent, remains dormant or abolished: France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Belgium, Netherlands, Albania, Ireland or the United Kingdom. However, what would happen if your country's government suddenly enacts an automatic register for conscription?

As in, your country's government refers to a name list of guys who possess EU identity cards, driver's licenses or passports verifying if they're over 18 by putting their name on a database. Like this: your name refered from your EU identity card now put into a conscription register meaning you can be called up at any time when the circumstances deem it necessary, like all of that done behind everyone's back.

What I mean is that: they either use the Israeli New Shekel or Jordanian Dinar to process and conduct transactions due to them not having an official currency of their own that deems it Palestinian. Why don't they have their own, since they are using someone else's currency for daily purchases or transactions.

It's weaker than let's say Pound Sterling or the Euro for example. But, does a weak CAD affect international travel towards Canadian travelers? Since they'll be paying more whilst abroad requiring CAD in higher amounts to exchange for larger sums of cash (like if 1000€ = C$1617 that alone is a steep hike while C$1000 = 618€ see the difference?). Also, when you travel: do you bring CAD or exchange for USD first prior due to that having a better exchange rate?

I know for instance, between Japanese & Mandarin there are a few words that are written the same despite them being pronounced differently along with having different meanings altogether:

In hindsight: if you are bilingual, do you know any false friends between two languages (i.e. English & French) or (i.e. Spanish & Portuguese) that are spelled the same but have different definitions across both languages?

It's a country that's overlooked since UAE has skyscrapers or high rises while Oman doesn't have that (since their focus is more on culture and maintaining the "old Arabia" look & vibe whilst being rich in their own way). I mean, you can look up travel content about the UAE and there's tons of results while for Oman the amount of travel content is kind of sparse in comparison even though people do go there.

I know that for example, Japanese has words starting or ending with りゃく, りょう or りゅう which is difficult for English speakers to pronounce when they are learning the language. There are words such as 遠慮 (えんりょ), 留学生 (りゅうがくせい) or 略奪 (りゃくだつ) to mention a few, even Japanese names that have those sounds (i.e. 久常涼 or ひさつね・りょ) but they often mispronounce them (り・よ / や / ゆ) which are separate sounds in Kana but clustered together from り (like り + よ becomes りょ).