Stories about English from July, 2010
Qatar: Residents survive change to eight-digit phone numbers
In an effort to meet future demand, Qatar changes most mobile and landline numbers from seven to eight digits. Residents complain, but find the transition to be easier than expected.
Georgia: Frozen conflicts, frozen happiness
With a little over a week to go before the second anniversary of the short war fought between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, Evolutsia turns its attention to another one of the country's two frozen conflicts, Abkhazia.
Wikileaks’ Japan data on Afghanistan
Richard Smart at the Tokyo Digital Journalism blog posted a summarized list of Wikileaks’ Japan data on Afghanistan. Raw data can be found on his blog.
Japan: Abandoned Building Clock
@MaripoGoda crowd sourced Flickr photos to build Haikyo Tokei, which shows a different photo of broken clocks in abandoned buildings to tell the time every minute. @mazzo shared [ja] his...
Kenya: Netizens Discuss Kenya's Referendum
Bloggers are discussing Kenya's referendum on the proposed new constitution, which will take place on on August 4, 2010.The campaigns for the referendum involved two camps: “Yes” camp led by the Kenyan President and the Prime Minister and “No” camp led by the church.
Qatar: Expats Question Future Plans
If you are a long term resident in one of the GCC countries, what are your long-term plans? What will you do when you return home? At Qatar Living, expatriates attempt to answer the inevitable question: What will you do when you return home?
Egypt: Do Egyptians have a natural aversion towards women?
Do Egyptians have a natural aversion towards women? Zeinobia is very unhappy with this emerging social trend, Mohaly is wondering where we are going with segregation, Diptychal wonders why they want to shut them up, and Eman Hashim is begging mothers to love their daughters!
Brazil: Nomad Tribe Protest to Prove Its Existence
Altino Machado blogs on the tribe Awá-Guajá, a group of nomad indigenous who emerged from the heart of the Amazon forest to prove their existence [pt] and to demand that...
Vietnam: Agent Orange at Danang Airbase
Thuy Vu of Vietnam Reporting Project visited the Danang Airbase where Agent Orange was stored. Agent Orange is the highly toxic herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam...
OneVietnam Network
The OneVietnam.org social network was launched this month to connect Vietnamese expats and young migrants to the culture and history of Vietnam.
South Korea: Court Reaffirmed Its Strict Stance on Chinese Medicine Licencsing
South Korean Constitutional Court ruled in favor of a law that allows only licensed acupuncturists and Oriental medicine doctors to perform Chinese medical practice of moxibustion. The court dealt with...
Philippine Cartography
Torn and Frayed in Manila blogs about a book on maps of the Philippines by Carlos Quirino.
Philippines: Santa Rosa City Photos
FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES posts more than a dozen pictures of the church, old houses, and other historical sites of the Philippine city of Santa Rosa.
Philippines: Opposition to Rail Transit Fare Hikes
Metro Manila commuters of the Metro Rail Transit will be facing fare hikes as the Philippine government plans to abandon subsidies for the public transportation because of rising operation and maintenance costs. Bloggers react
Haiti: Displaced Women and Girls Victims of Gender Violence
In the aftermath of the devastating Haiti earthquake, women and girls are still facing gender violence, as some of them not only experience rape, but then have to face an absent judicial system and less than adequate medical care.
Latvia: Concerns Over the Future of the Largest Daily, Free Press
With the ownership of the largest daily newspaper, Diena, in question, many journalists in Latvia fear business interests and political influence would rule the news coverage ahead of the October parliamentary elections.
Madagascar: Pillaging of Rain Forests Was Supervised by National Special Forces
The Malagasy field researcher who contributed to the report on rosewood illegal logging in Madagascar entitled “Between Democracy and Conservation” explains the method they used in conducting their18-months-long secret investigation...
Pakistan: Wikileaks Documents And Corrective Actions
Raza Rumi at Pak Tea House analyzes the disclosure of Wikileaks documents on Afghan war and opines that the civil-military leadership of Pakistan should take corrective actions against the extremists...
Pakistan: Floods Cause Death And Misery
Hundreds have died and more than a million people in Pakistan have been affected by floods caused by monsoon rains in the last three days. Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing...
Trinidad & Tobago: TTFF 2010
Repeating Islands has the lowdown on this year's Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.
Trinidad & Tobago: Up Paramin Way
“This village is stunning – the scenery, the variety of panoramic views, and even the crops on the steep hillside are mesmerising”: MEP Caribbean Publishers visits the village of Paramin,...