Stories about LANGUAGES from August, 2008
Russia: How to Spell ‘Blogger’ in Russian
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
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.
Appeal of Singapore-based Burmese patriots
Jacob's Weblog uploads a petition letter by supporters of the six Burmese activists who were denied of visa extension by Singapore's immigration authorities.
Singapore: Blogger-dissident still in jail
Gopalan Nair gives an update about his case. The US-based Singapore activist was jailed by Singapore authorities last May for insulting a judge and other officials.
Audio slide of Bangkok rallies
Newley Purnell has uploaded an audio slide about huge anti-government rallies in Bangkok. The protesters are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Rotaractors’ views on Indonesia
Rotaract Club Semanggi Jakarta has created a blog to gather the perception of other Rotaractors all over the world about Indonesia.
Egypt: Olympics Investigation
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has ordered an enquiry into why Egypt performed poorly in the Olympics, reports Tom Gara.
Egypt: Orange Ambulances
The Egyptian Health Ministry has introduced orange ambulances to replace their white ones. Zeinobia is not pleased.
Iraq: Fascination for Language
“I am no linguist, but as far as I can remember I have always held a strange fascination for Language,” notes Iraqi blogger Layla Anwar.
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.
Guatemala: Pizza and Blogs 2008
Javier Aroche invites Guatemalan bloggers to gather at Pizza and Blogs 2008 [es] on August 30.
Dominican Republic: Visit by Junot Díaz to Santo Domingo
Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Joan Guerrero writes about the recent visit to Santo Domingo by the author [es].
Slovakia: Top 10 Castles
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia posts a list of “the top 10 castles and ruins in Slovakia” (with maps and pictures).
Angola: Going, going, gone!
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.
Kenya: The making of an African activist
Afromusing posts the video of Kenyan blogger, Ory Okolloh, at TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Ory Okolloh is the founder of Mzalendo and co-founder of Ushahidi.
South Africa: Zuma in Hollywood?
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.
Kenya/Tanzania: Technology in the Maasai world
Rebecca writes about the Maasai and technology, noting that the mobile phone has made a significant difference in their community “…probably more than it has in many other communities.”
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.
South Africa: Don't insult our national anthem
Gwen criticizes the use of the South African national anthem in a radio ad. She writes, “Don't insult our national anthem.“
Madagascar: Barcamp set to foster ICT collaboration.
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
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.”