Slog - Comments on The Future of English http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english On the very, very small list of useful recommendations that Zimbabweans have received from their permanent president, Mugabe, this one might be at the top: Stop learning English; start learning Chinese. CHINA'S strengthening ties to Africa were ambitiously tightened on Thursday October 25th. South Africa’s Standard Bank, the largest banking group in Africa by assets, announced that it was hooking up with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in a transaction worth a whopping 36.7 billion rand ($5.5 billion). ICBC, the most valuable bank in the world, is worth some $319 billion. It will take a 20% stake... Copyright 2008 Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:45:45 -0800 Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:03:41 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Bellevue Ave Start learning chinese while the chinese are learning english.

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833867 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833867 News Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:04:31 -0800 Comment by BB While we sleep in our post 9/11 haze, chasing shadows across Babylon and Persia, the Chinese are doing an excellent job cultivating the 3rd world, where China is increasingly popular. The deals the 3rd worlders can get from the Chinese are better. For example, the Chinese share technology. We don’t.

And the Chinese give not two shits whether the local resident leader is a murderous thug. Their position on Burma? Their position on Mugabe? Keep the money flowing, that’s their position. Theirs is a pure capitalism, unhindered by moral considerations.

]]> BB http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833935 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833935 News Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:24:40 -0800 Comment by jamier In 20 years the Chinese will speak English, Zimbabweans will speak Chinese, and Americans will speak Ndebele.

]]> jamier http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833936 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833936 News Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:26:58 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi @2,

Americans don't give a shit about despots either, as long as they're our despots.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833980 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c833980 News Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:22:53 -0800 Comment by Gloria Be more specific. Cantonese or Mandarin? Or Hakka? Or any one of dozens of dialects? I'm guessing the latter, since there are waaaaaay more Mandarin-speakers, but "Chinese" just isn't very helpful.

]]> Gloria http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c834053 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c834053 News Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:10:11 -0800 Comment by Big Sven Thank goodness Africans finally have a world power ally free of reflexive racism:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Anti-African_protests

You haven't really lived until you've had a "Darkee" brand mint, complete with Al Jolson blackface on the front.

]]> Big Sven http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c834536 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/10/the_future_of_english#c834536 News Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:03:41 -0800