List of German expressions commonly used in English

Biergarten, open-air drinking establishment. Blitz, taken from Blitzkrieg (lightning war). It is a team defensive play in American or Canadian football in which the defense sends more players than the offense can block. Delicatessen, speciality food retailer, fine foods (German spelling Delikatessen) Doppelgänger, literally double-goer, also spelled in English as doppelganger; a double or look-alike. …

Communist party in China facing public anger as corruption gets exposed

Even more interesting considering that both this Economist article and the Bloomberg exposé are currently blocked in China.   In recent years China’s leaders have become increasingly concerned that the public’s awareness of the growing wealth gap could lead to social instability. In Beijing, displays of gratuitous overcompensation are a daily reminder that some people, in …

Progress in the Middle East – if you measure by the number of Facebook users

There are growing signs of progress in the Middle East, if you measure by the total number of Facebook users. That number has skyrocketed since 2010, going from 15 million to near 40 million. Of those users, a growing number are starting to prefer using the site in their own native language, Arabic. Of the …

Email in any language – auto-translate now available in Gmail

Did you ever dream about a future where your communications device could transcend language with ease? Well, that day is a lot closer. Over the next few days, everyone who uses Gmail will be getting the convenience of translation added to their email. The next time you receive a message in a language other than …

Apple goes on hiring spree in Israel, Ireland (to start domination of Europe?)

Apple is to hire 500 people in Ireland. The consumer electronics giant will increase the headcount at its European headquarters in the southern city of Cork over the next 18 months from 2,800 at present, a spokesman for the company said. He said the jobs would “support our growing business across Europe.” The Cork operation provides …

UNESCO World Heritage Map

This large format full-color map features the World Heritage sites and brief explanations of the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage conservation programmes, as well as superb photos of World Heritages sites with explanatory captions. Download the PDF version – English, French, Spanish, & Korean. Order a wall map for $15 – 31×20 inches   …

144 places to educate yourself online for free

The most extensive listing of free online education I have ever seen. Bookmarking for later. 12 dozen places to education yourself online for free All education is self-education.  Period.  It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in a college classroom or a coffee shop.  We don’t learn anything we don’t want to learn. Broken down by …