Monday 30 May 2022

the royals, the firm and the republic in england

You might have noticed that there'll be something happening later this week:

BBC to broadcast extensive coverage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations - Media Centre

Not everyone is excited:

Not another 70 years: Republicans seek to douse Queen Elizabeth celebrations | Reuters

‘Make Elizabeth the last’ anti-monarchy campaigners urge ahead of platinum jubilee | The Independent

And on Saturday there'll be something else happening:

International Anti-Monarchy Conference - Republic

And it goes further, believe it or not:

The Liverpool streets that won’t be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: ‘You’ll never see bunting here’

Queen Has 'Huge Problem' as Support for Abolishing Monarchy Rises

You could watch 'The Royals':

THE ROYALS | Official Trailer Season 1 | FOX - YouTube

Or 'The Windsors':

TRAILER: The Windsors | Friday 27th May 10pm | Channel 4 - YouTube

Or 'The Crown' instead:

The Crown | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

Tuesday 24 May 2022

north, east, south, west - what do they mean?

A fascinating look at maps - and the layers of meaning around the 'cardinal points' - has just finished on BBC Radio 4:

Disorientation


Author Jerry Brotton presents a five-part series exploring each of the four cardinal directions in turn – north, east, south and west – and the possibility that, in the age of digital mapping, we are being left disoriented.

Throughout history the cardinal directions have been crucial to virtually all societies in understanding themselves in relation to the wider world. More than points on a compass, they are ideas in their own right – creating their own political, moral and cultural meanings. They’ve shaped how we divide the world geopolitically into East and West (Orient and Occident) while contrasting the ‘Global South’ with the industrialised ‘Global North’ drives much current development policy, especially around climate change.

So why is north at the top of most world maps? The four cardinal points on a compass are defined by the physical realities of the magnetic North Pole (north-south) and the rising and setting of the sun (east-west) but there is no reason why north is at the top of maps, any other cardinal point would do just as well. The convention was developed by the western world. So why not put west at the top? Well, early societies refused to privilege the west because it was the direction of the sunset, where darkness and death reigned. For medieval Christianity, east was at the top, because that was the direction of the Garden of Eden, shown on many mappae-mundi. On early Islamic maps south was at the top, while Chinese maps used north because the emperor looked 'down' southwards and everyone else looked 'up', north.

Part 1 begins today with our apparent lack of any significant orientation. On a digital globe, and on Google maps, it seems cardinal points no longer matter - we place ourselves at the centre of the map. The result is an egocentric mapping whose only orientation is immediate gratification. We are left, quite literally, disoriented.

Series contributors include Google spatial technologist Ed Parsons, historian Sujit Sivasundaram, neuroscientist Hugo Spiers, author Rana Kabbani, journalist and editor for Bloomberg City Maps Laura Bliss, former head of maps at the British library Peter Barber, barrister and specialist in equality law Ulele Burnham, historian Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, author Irna Qureshi, geographer Alistair Bonnett, wayfinder and science writer Michael Bond, curator Rosemary Firman and historian of Islamic maps Yossef Rappaport.

BBC Radio 4 - One Direction, Disorientation

It's all very interesting:

Cardinal direction - Wikipedia

Points of the compass - Wikipedia

When it comes to language:

North, South, East and West - Usage | Vocabulary | EnglishClub

cross linguistic - What are the historical origins of terms for north, south, east and west? - Linguistics Stack Exchange

And culture and politics:

North–South divide in England - Wikipedia

East–West dichotomy - Wikipedia

Orientalism (book) - Wikipedia

The North of the South and the West of the East | Ibraaz

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Monday 23 May 2022

people know a lot about britain - but british people don't know very much about other people - so, what sort of questions could a british person ask people from other countries if they wanted to get to know them better?

Here's a nice list of all those things you know about Britain:

50 things we love about the UK (and know you’ll love too) ‹ GO Blog | EF GO Blog

And a list of what the British think they know about themselves:

Jay Doubleyou: brexit: and what the british think of themselves

But the British don't know very much about other people.

Including their nearest neighbours:

Why do British people know so little about Ireland?

“And that’s one thing that we actually find hard to understand because, you know if you grow up in Ireland, you know, we speak English as our first language, most of us do anyway. We watch the BBC, you know, we watch your television, your news. We really understand a lot about Britain, but I think a lot of British people don’t understand a lot about Ireland, including your politicians ..." 

Varadkar blames British ignorance of Ireland for Brexit impasse

Some of that has to do with not speaking another language:

Jay Doubleyou: why are native english-speakers "the world’s worst communicators"?

Jay Doubleyou: why don't the british learn foreign languages?

And some of it has to do with having had an empire:

Jay Doubleyou: inglorious empire - what the british did to india

Jay Doubleyou: what we think about the british empire - 70 years after the partition of india

So, what sort of questions could a British person ask people from other countries if they wanted to get to know them better?

50 Questions To Ask Someone From A Different Country

250+ Not-Boring Questions To Connect And Get To Know Someone

What will you ask someone from another country? - Quora

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Friday 20 May 2022

what is fintech?

computer programs and other technology used to support or enable banking and financial services.

"fintech is one of the fastest-growing areas for venture capitalists"

what is fintech - Google Search

Oxford Languages and Google - English | Oxford Languages

Financial technology (Fintech) is used to describe new tech that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services. ​​​At its core, fintech is utilized to help companies, business owners and consumers better manage their financial operations, processes, and lives by utilizing specialized software and algorithms that are used on computers and, increasingly, smartphones. Fintech, the word, is a combination of "financial technology".

Financial Technology (Fintech) Definition

FinTech, a combination of the words “financial” and “technology,” is a relatively new, and often nebulous term that applies to any emerging technology that helps consumers or financial institutions deliver financial services in newer, faster ways than was traditionally available. Think of the difference between walking into a bank to request your balance and the ability to pull up that information in real-time on your phone and you’ll have a good idea of FinTech’s impact.
Everything from a consumer’s ability to go online and see their financial transactions to apps that allow you to pay friends to tools that allow financial institutions to make quick lending decisions are all part of the evolution of financial services. The ability for investors to do their own research, choose stocks and see their portfolio performance in real time is also an example of FinTech in action.
FinTech is empowering consumers to take charge of their financial lives, leading to much greater financial literacy than ever before. It’s tearing down the old silos and helping to advance the consumers’ financial situation and outcomes by leveraging advanced technology.

What Is Fintech? The Fintech Industry | Envestnet | Yodlee

Think back, for a moment, to your pre-COVID-19 life. In those less socially distanced days, fintech was the unsung hero of your Friday night.
You deposited your paycheck by snapping a photo on your smartphone and uploading it to your bank’s mobile app. You checked Mint to gauge your monthly entertainment budget. At dinner, you and your buddy split the tab using Venmo. Later, you tapped your phone at the bar to pay for a drink with Apple Pay. When it was time to head home, you hopped in an Uber, where you paid for the ride with a stored credit card—or even in Bitcoin.
Even if you don’t realize it, fintech is likely a big part of your personal and professional day-to-day. Ernst and Young’s 2019 Global FinTech Adoption Index cites the adoption rate of fintech as more than two-thirds (64%) globally, up from 16% in 2015. According to the report, three out of four consumers used money transfer and payment solutions last year.
As with many emerging technology sectors, fintech can be an ambiguous concept due to the sheer breadth of tools, platforms and services that fall under its yawning umbrella. If you’re still asking yourself what exactly fintech is, here’s a breakdown.
What Is Fintech?
Fintech is a portmanteau for “financial technology.” It’s a catch-all term for any technology that’s used to augment, streamline, digitize or disrupt traditional financial services.
Fintech refers to software, algorithms and applications for both computer- and mobile-based tools. In some cases, it includes hardware, too—like smart, connected piggy banks or virtual reality (VR) trading platforms. Fintech platforms enable run-of-the-mill tasks like depositing checks, moving money among accounts, paying bills or applying for financial aid. They also encompass technically intricate concepts like peer-to-peer lending or crypto exchanges.
The annual Forbes Fintech 50 compiles some of the hottest platforms on the market worth noting. The 2020 list included companies like Chime, a financial technology company whose banking services are provided by, and whose debit card is issued by, The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank, and Affirm, a resource for instant, fixed-rate, point-of-sale loans. Stripe also emerged as an investor darling this year, with a $1 billion vote of confidence in the form of funding from Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst and Visa, among others.
Fintech branches off into a number of more granular industries: wealthtech (apps like Wealthsimple, an online investment management service), investtech (like Acorns, which lets users round purchases up to the nearest dollar, investing the change in a diversified portfolio) and insurtech (such as Next Insurance, a mobile-first carrier). It has use cases across nearly every industry, geographical market and business model.
Banks use fintech for both back-end processes—behind-the-scenes monitoring of account activity, for instance—and consumer-facing solutions, like the app you use for checking your balance. Individuals use fintech for everything from tax calculations to dabbling in the markets, with no prior investing experience necessary.

What Is Fintech And How Does It Affect How I Bank? – Forbes Advisor

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Monday 16 May 2022

political satire on film

Is Black Mirror 'political satire'?

Black Mirror S03E01 Airport scene - YouTube

Social Credit in China: Looking Beyond the “Black Mirror” Nightmare - NYU School of Law – CHRGJ

China’s ‘social credit’ system is a real-life ‘Black Mirror’ nightmare

And:

Black Mirror | Waldo Trailer - YouTube

The Waldo Moment | Black Mirror - YouTube

Boris Johnson and a monkey mayor inspired The Waldo Moment, which foresaw the rise of Donald Trump - Mirror Online

Black Mirror: The Unexpected Foresight of The Waldo Moment | Den of Geek

Charlie Brooker on Black Mirror, satire and politicians - BBC Newsnight - YouTube

Here are a couple of lists:

10 Scathing Political Satires to Stream This Independence Day | WIRED

10 Best Political Comedy Movies, According To IMDb | ScreenRant

And a couple more clips following on from these lists:

WAG THE DOG - Trailer - (1997) - HQ - YouTube

Wag the Dog: Two Meanings of the Idiom | Merriam-Webster

And:

THE DEATH OF STALIN - OFFICIAL TRAILER [HD] - YouTube

In Russia, nobody's laughing at Iannucci's The Death of Stalin | Russia | The Guardian

“The Death of Stalin” Dares to Make Evil Funny | The New Yorker

And:

Dr. Strangelove (1964) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube

An Analysis of a Political Satire: Dr. Strangelove | 123 Help Me

The film is often considered one of the best comedies ever made, as well as one of the greatest films of all time. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it twenty-sixth in its list of the best American movies (in the 2007 edition, the film ranked thirty-ninth), and in 2000, it was listed as number three on its list of the funniest American films. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress included Dr. Strangelove as one of the first twenty-five films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8] 

Dr. Strangelove - Wikipedia

And:

The Thick Of It - Massive irretrievable data loss - YouTube

ARMANDO IANNUCCI - The Thick Of It (trailer) - YouTube

The Thick of It - Wikipedia

Which came from this:

Yes, Minister - EuroSausage - YouTube

Yes Minister - Wikipedia

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linguicism

Linguistic discrimination (also called glottophobia, linguicism and languagism) is unfair treatment which is based on use of language and characteristics of speech, including first languageaccent, perceived size of vocabulary (whether the speaker uses complex and varied words), modality, and syntax.[1] For example, an Occitan-speaker in France will probably be treated differently from a French-speaker.[2] Based on a difference in use of language, a person may automatically form judgments about another person's wealtheducationsocial status, character or other traits, which may lead to discrimination.

Linguistic discrimination - Wikipedia 

"You're in America. Speak English!"


"You're in America. Speak English!": Challenging Racism & Linguicism with Dr. Rashi Jain - YouTube

Do you ever judge someone on "poor" grammar, syntax, or vocabulary? Do you have preconceived notions about certain accents? Linguicism is oftentimes a subtle, unconscious type of discrimination or prejudice. I offer a brief presentation on Linguicism, using a Critical Race Theory framework, and some of the implications for the field of Language Learning and Education.
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Linguicism & Critical Race Theory - YouTube


‘You can’t even talk English, so don’t talk!’ How linguistic racism impacts immigrants in the UK
ON: MAY 16, 2022
When Holan Liang was 17, she spent her holidays working at her father’s computer parts company. In her recent book, A Sense of Belonging: How to Find Your Way in a Fractured World, Liang, now a psychiatrist, recounts the racist ways in which customers would respond to her family’s Chinese roots.
Her father, who had a PhD in hydraulic engineering, was called “a useless Chinaman” who “can’t speak a bloody word of English”. Liang points out that he actually could speak fluent English, but did so with an accent and some grammatical errors because English was his second language.
What Liang’s family experienced – discrimination due to accent, dialect or speech patterns – is called linguistic racism or linguicism. It is directed at people who speak in ways considered to be non-standard or “foreign-sounding”. It is not based on the proficiency or intelligibility of a language speaker, but rather on their accent and verbal delivery.
Accentism sees people suffer comments and ridicule for regional accents and dialects. But as an extension of racism, linguistic racism in the UK centres whiteness by deeming any so-called non-standard ways of speaking English to be abnormal and inferior.

‘You can’t even talk English, so don’t talk!’ How linguistic racism impacts immigrants in the UK - Western Morning News

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Friday 13 May 2022

how do people access finance in the emerging economies?

To take Nigeria as an example of how difficult it is to get access to credit for a small business:

All around the world, businesses struggle to access the financing they need to expand. ... While most respondents can access a bank, the banks themselves have a role to play in outreach and reducing the perception of high collateral requirements.

Access to Finance in Nigeria - GeoPoll

Here's a government report looking at 'financial inclusion':

Financial Inclusion In Nigeria:Issues And Challenges

It's difficult though, as with this report from last summer:

Nigeria Misses Goal on Growing Access to Financial Services
Almost 36% of adults don’t have a formal bank account
Government had sought to reduce that to just 20% by 2020

Nigeria fell short of its goal to bring more of its citizens into the regulated financial system, with the effects of the pandemic and difficulty in penetrating rural areas weighing on the effort.
Almost 36% of adults in Africa’s most populous country didn’t have any kind of bank account at the end of 2020, according to EFInA, a U.K.-backed development organization that seeks to bolster inclusive finance in Nigeria. The figure was little changed from two years ago and well above the government’s goal of cutting the proportion of nationals without financial access to 20%, which it set in 2013.
The West African nation has sought to bring more of its citizens into the formal financial sector as part of efforts to modernize its economy, bolster tax collection and cut back on informal jobs that often exploit workers. It has licensed banks, wireless carriers and technology companies to offer services as part of efforts to broaden access, especially for the two-thirds of the population that live outside of cities. 

Nigeria Misses Goal on Growing Access to Financial Services - Bloomberg

Perhaps we need to go to 'fintech':

Harnessing Nigeria’s fintech potential

How stakeholders could position the fintech sector for growth now and beyond the crisis.
DOWNLOADS
Full Report (25 pages)
Banking in Nigeria remains an attractive sector, with over $9 billion in value pools, but despite high levels of competition, the vast majority of consumers are underserved. Lack of access to services, especially in rural areas, issues of affordability, and poor user experience all contribute to the frustration consumers experience right across the customer spectrum.
This has created an opening that fintechs have been quick to take advantage of, with many stepping up to develop enhanced propositions across the value chain to address pain points in affordable payments, quick loans, and flexible savings and investments, among others...

Friday 6 May 2022

alternatives to paypal

There are several 'alternatives' to PayPal:

4 Popular Alternatives to PayPal

The best PayPal alternatives | Advantages and disadvantages - IONOS

But it does depend which part of the world you are in:

Top 10 Best PayPal Alternatives To Send and Receive Money For Nigerians - Youth Entrepreneurship

10 PayPal Alternatives for Nigerians to Receive Money from Abroad

And:

Send money to Uruguay: Best money transfer services |

With a list of how to do different payments:

Payment methods in Latin America

Cash Payment Options

  • OXXO and 7-Eleven (Mexico)
  • Pagofacil, Rapipago (Argentina)
  • Boleto (Brazil)
  • Pagoefectivo (Peru)
  • Multicaja, Servipag (Chile)
  • Efecty, Baloto (Colombia)
  • Redpagos (Uruguay)

Local Card Schemes

  • Naranja (Argentina)
  • Carnet (Mexico)
  • Exito (Colombia)
  • Hipercard (Brazil)
  • Oca (Uruguay)

Digital Wallets

  • Contactless mobile wallets such as Apple Pay
  • eCommerce wallets such as Visa Checkout or Amazon Cash
  • Stored value wallets - “top up” their mobile money accounts.
  • Amazon Cash (MercadoLibre (Argentina)
  • Nubank, PagSeguro (Brazil)
  • Multicaja (Chile)
  • PayPal (operating locally in Mexico and Brazil)

Mobile Payments

  • Apple Pay
  • Alipay
  • Google Pay
  • Samsung Pay

Local mobile payment players in Latin America include:

  • Bim
  • Visa Checkout (Brazil, Mexico)
  • Apple Pay (Brazil)

The alternative payments landscape in Latin America | Insights | CellPoint Digital

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Monday 2 May 2022

which tv programmes should i watch to improve my english?

Is learning a language from watching TV a good thing?

Jay Doubleyou: how to learn english from watching tv

Or not?

Jay Doubleyou: i don't watch tv

It is difficult to say:

Jay Doubleyou: my favourite tv

Here are some lists:

15 of the Best TV Series for Learning English | Best English Shows

10 best TV shows to learn English with ‹ GO Blog | EF GO Blog

The 10 Best TV Series To Learn English in 2021 - YouTube

8 Best Netflix Series to Learn English in 2022

Here are some specific ways to watch TV and improve your language:

5 Science-backed Ways to Learn English with TV (Plus What Series to Watch!) | FluentU English

With some more tips here:

How to Learn English with TV Series: Best Shows + Tips

Here are a couple of favourites:

Norsemen (not in Norwegian):

Norsemen (Vikingane) Season 1 Official Netflix HD Trailer - YouTube

The Best of Norsemen (Funny Clips) - YouTube

Black Mirror:

Black Mirror S03E01 Airport scene - YouTube

Top 10 Black Mirror Episodes - YouTube

What Makes Black Mirror So Good? - YouTube

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Sunday 1 May 2022

two languages good, three languages better

Two languages are good:

Two languages are better than one | Family | The Guardian

And being really fluent in both is even better:

The amazing benefits of being bilingual - BBC Future

But maybe we should go for three:

One, dos, drei: Why speaking more than one language is good for the brain | Science | In-depth reporting on science and technology | DW | 01.08.2016

Two languages are good, but three are better? Issues of polylingualism and multilingual personality

Trilingual: What Happens When You Speak More Languages? | Beelinguapp Blog

Liz Granirer writes in the latest E L Gazette:

Three languages beat two

While many students in the UK struggle to learn one foreign language at school, they might be interested to learn that their Czech counterparts would have little sympathy for them. That’s because, under current guidelines in the Republic – as well as most of the EU – children there have been required to learn two foreign languages. The first foreign language they learn is usually English and instruction starts from the beginning of formal education. The second foreign language, which might be German, Russian, French or Spanish, is introduced as they enter the second stage of their education.

However, as part of sweeping changes to the curriculum in the country, the requirement to learn a second foreign language is being mooted, with a suggestion that it be dropped. This has sparked dissent from ambassadors of other EU countries, who cite the usefulness of knowing other European languages for getting jobs and that it flies in the face of the European Council’s objective of multilingualism.

Not sure if British schoolchildren should count themselves lucky to escape the extra homework, as they’re missing out on not having more words at their fingertips.







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