The British classical studies teacher Adrew Wilson has finished the translation of the first Rowling novel: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. In Old Greek!!
It looks like the teacher stroke the right note in his translation. It is already called “for sure one of the most important works of prose in centuries”.
Okay…
Based on this [German] article
The Swiss-Belgian firm Barry Callebaut is going to increase production in the African country Ghana.
This sounds great. The economy of Ghana is further stimulated by this.
Still there are some thoughts about ‘working environment’ in cacao producing countries. I have no idea about the situation in Ghana, but they signed the Harkin-Engel Cocoa Protocol and it should be okay then, right?!
This is good news, but what about other countries like Congo? It isn’t easy to get get out the truth, but if the situation isn’t okay, then we are talking child labour or even child slavery here.
I am afraid of this because of this part in the article: “Last month Barry Callebaut announced plans to cut costs in Europe as the Swiss firm posted a fall in revenue for nine month figures.” So they are going to pay less and less money for their cacoa, I think.
Let’s wait…
Based on this article
Related : this article
Visiting other countries is great. It gives you the chance to to sniff other cultures, different food and drinks for instance.
Still it is sometimes difficult to communicate with people over there. I speak three languages about fluently (, but not without mistakes ;) ) and understand one more, more or less.
We are forming a European Union now, but still there are people that only speak their own language, because of nationalistic reasons. Like in France it wasn’t easy in Barcelona, Spain, to explain that I do eat vegetarian only and that this means no meat, no fish or other animal food.
Could people at least learn one language extra to their own language?
This would cost less victims in air crashes too. How?!
The captain of the Airbus 320 from Barcelona back to Amsterdam tried to speak English, but it was pretty unintelligible what he meant with it. I am sure he is talking the same English with traffic control and control tower.
There have been proven air crashes because of pilots speaking their languages (English) very bad.
Can the pilots start with their language courses?
Now we’re talking environment, I would like to share this with you… Again about environment and recycling.
On La Rambla in Barcelona you have these guys (and girls) that do mime performance arts.
There are quite some okay ones, a few bad ones and just a few that I really like.
I liked this guy, because he made his Don Quixote armour and (bike)donkey totally out of PET bottles.
He was talking recycling his own way too!
2005/photo copyright edX
Still being in Barcelona you meet people that have their own way of living.
This guy I liked. He was sitting on the street making ashtrays out of old beer and soda cans, and sells them for 1 euro. It was quite simple what he did (as he showed me later), but I liked it.
We started talking and I did hear what his life was about.
He left Liverpool at the age of 14 to never get back there. He has been travelling Europe since. Now in a bus with his wife. Their grown up kids are living about the same life.
The most interesting thing this man told me was the fact that Spain doesn’t have a recycling program for waste. He thinks he pays a little contribution to the world environment. And this is a small but welcome start, to my opinion.
A few weeks ago I was on a camping in Belgium and took my wi-fi stuff and everythings else with me. It wasn’t possible to use it.
Last weekend I was in Berlin and again tried to make a wireless connection. This would have cost me 9 (read: nine!) euro for one hour! No chance!!
Now I am in Barcelona and are using this connection for free. Hotelchain Apsis understands what a modern traveller needs. The
I want a free, secure and wireless Internet in every hotel I stay in.I have the right to!
