· August, 2008

Stories about LANGUAGES from August, 2008

Russia: How to Spell ‘Blogger’ in Russian

  30 August 2008

There are two ways to spell the word ‘blogger’ in Russian – with two g's or with just one. The former seems to prevail among Russian bloggers, according to LJ user oleg_kozyrev (RUS), who has posted a screenshot of the Yandex Blogosphere Pulse search and also examined spelling preferences of...

Georgia: Photographs of Tskhinvali and Gori

  30 August 2008

Regional Reporters [RU] posts photographs from Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, and Gori, the strategic town until recently under Russian occupation, in the aftermath of the recent military conflict and war of words between Moscow and Tbilisi.

Audio slide of Bangkok rallies

  30 August 2008

Newley Purnell has uploaded an audio slide about huge anti-government rallies in Bangkok. The protesters are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Libya: Rain and Sewers

“We had rain today. It rained for about five minutes. Just long enough to churn up the sewer system. Now all of Tripoli smells like sewer gas,” writes Khadija Teri, from Libya.

Angola: Going, going, gone!

  29 August 2008

The historic Kinaxixi Market of Luanda, the Angolan answer to Corbusian modernism in architecture, has been knocked down to make way for a modern shopping centre. Is this a sign of the times or an example of the devaluation of heritage in the face of economic power? Clara Onofre reports.

South Africa: Zuma in Hollywood?

  29 August 2008

Zuma in Hollywood?:”There are more little Zumas popping around. The latest news out of Hollywood are that rock chick Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale named their second son Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale.” Jacob Zuma is the president of the ruling party in South Africa, the African National Congress.

Saudi Arabia: Independent women

While there are no doubt restrictions for women living in Saudi Arabia, they do not necessarily match the oppressive image that many foreigners have of the country. In this post we have advice for women wanting to visit Jeddah alone, a review of a women-only hotel in Riyadh, and a plea to those foreigners who feel they want to speak on behalf of oppressed Saudi women.

Madagascar: Barcamp set to foster ICT collaboration.

  29 August 2008

The date for the first Barcamp in Madagascar is set for October, 4th 2008 in Antananarivo. The user-generated unconference will follow in the steps of previous Barcamps organized in sub Saharan Africa (Nairobi, Kampala and Mauritius) . Other Barcamps related to ICT in Africa are also planned in Abidjan and Silicon...

South Africa: The final insult

  29 August 2008

JC writes about the final insult on the South African national rugby team: “The Springboks are expecting gracious favour from Lady Luck, God and the Highveld hoodoo but none of these intangibles will be enough to prevent another historic Australian win.”