Stories about LANGUAGES from May, 2007
Japan: On PM Abe's Yasukuni offering
Japanese blogger shigeto2004 comments on PM Abe's recent offering of “masakaki” to Yasukuni shrine during the shrine's spring festival last month. He also criticises the ambiguity of the series of statements the PM has made over the past months. [Ja]
Japan: “Parental Studies”
The Japanese government has recently come up with a proposal for introducing so-called “oyagaku”, or parental education, as part of its education al reform program. Japanese MP Hosaka Nobuto criticises this recent movement mainly supported by some conservative groups and argues that the state has no place in the nation's...
Angola: Two Angolan Authors Awarded with International Literature Prizes
High Browse Online announces that Angolan journalist and author Jose Eduardo Agualusa won the 2007 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his novel, The Book of Chameleons. The Portuguese novel is translated into English by Daniel Hahn. Jose and Daniel will be sharing the prize of £10,000. The winner was announced...
Code and Culture: Brazilians celebrate the advantages of being open
There is no clear consensus about the specific reasons that occasionally boost Brazil to the cutting edge of the open source revolution. For us here in the field, facing so many difficulties, ranging from simple misunderstandings to big resource constraints, the international acclaim sounds a bit exaggerated, and at times misinformed. But now that some fruits of the first generation of "seed" ideas are starting to ripen into visibility to bigger audiences and as principles of the 'open' protocol start to be tested in other sectors, more and more commentators are joining in the conversation focusing on specific areas that catch their attention.
Government campaign for “Beautiful Japan”
Blogger tokyodo-2005 came up with a rough estimate for the amount of money spent by the Japanese government (Ja) on an advertisement that recently appeared in major newspapers. The ad asks Japanese citizens to submit their ideas about what they think is “the essence of beautiful Japan”.
Japan: Bloggers cry foul over plans for Henoko Bay
Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, consists of some 160 islands in an archipelago stretching from Kyuushuu to Taiwan. For many decades, Okinawa has borne the brunt of Japan's post-war military burden, having been seized and occupied by American forces immediately following the end of World War Two. The latest chapter in the ongoing tale of America's military presence in Okinawa involves a plan to construct a new military airport in Henoko Bay, a plan which has been opposed fiercely by local residents and environmentalist groups.
