28/10/10

ENDURING VOICES: sobre lenguas en peligro


(vía Le Technoblog du LAC de Henri Willox el 28/10/10)


National Geographic lanza un nuevo canal en YouTube








Nuevos paises en el mundo

vía todocartografia de Juan Carlos el 24/10/10



Muchos creen que la geografía es algo estático, y casi inamovible a lo largo del tiempo. Pero, la geografía es algo muy dinámico, más que lo podemos creer.
Sin ir tan lejos, cómo ha variado toda la geografía política en la zonas de los Balcanes, o el proceso de independización de las repúblicas Soviéticas. A algunas personas, esto les puede parecer que fue hace mucho tiempo, y puede dar la impresión que las cosas cambian lentamente.
Los cambios son dinámicos, y muchas veces no nos damos cuenta. Sirva como ejemplo, la noticia publicada en el blog del diario "El Mundo", en el que habla del nacimiento de dos nuevos países en la zona del Caribe, concretamente desaparecen las Antillas Holandesas, y de las cinco islas que lo formaban, dos son nuevos países (Curaçao y Sint Maarten), convirtiéndose las otras tres islas en territorios especiales de Holanda.


antillas_holandesas


Como curiosidad, aquí tenéis los nombres, nombres oficiales, capital, gentilicio y moneda de todos los países del mundo y dependencias. Son las recomendaciones en castellano de la Unión Europea que aceptamos en España oficialmente, aunque la RAE discrepe en algunas.  Como podéis observar, la información ya se encuentra desactualizada.

19/10/10

Top 10 Rudest Place Names in Canada

vía Google Sightseeing de Chris Hannigan el 15/10/10

O' Canada, say it isn't so! From the Northwest Territories all the way to Newfoundland, we've got a list of the top 10 rudest (or just plain funniest) real Canadian places you'll ever see! It doesn't matter if it's a town, a lake, or even a street! It's all good, naughty fun eh?
10. Stoner, British Columbia – Nope there are no munchies involved, this town was apparently named after nearby Stone Creek and not… well you know.
9. Come By Chance, Newfoundland – The site of this town was reportedly found by accident in the 17th century. I guess even back then people were finishing a little too early.
8. Blow Me Down, Newfoundland – According to legend, this site was named after a very short ship-captain who prayed that the fierce winds here would not "Blow-me-down".
7. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta – A world heritage site, this buffalo jump really did "smash a head in". Legend has it the poor recipient was a young, curious member of the Blackfoot Native American tribe.
6. Ragged Ass Road, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – This road is so famous in Yellowknife that it even has its own Wikipedia page! According to Wiki, the street signs are constantly being stolen, which might explain why we couldn't find one on street view. However, we did spot one hidden behind this homeowner's garden!
5. Big Beaver, Saskatchewan – How could we not include somewhere referring to beavers? Especially big ones!
4. Crotch Lake, Ontario – Named by a naughty pilot, we have commissioned a top artist to create this awesome infographic to explain why.
3. Spread Eagle, Newfoundland – It has to do with the bird! Keep your thoughts on the bird! The bird!
2. Lake Minnewanka, Alberta – Perhaps the most entertaining name to pronounce, Lake Minnewanka also has the privilege of being perhaps the most beautiful rude place we've seen!
1. Dildo, Newfoundland – No, I'm not making this up.