New veg*an sites
Lately, I have joined two new veg*an sites with chat rooms, that I really like. Also, I’m waiting impatiently for the launch of another. This is a short ‘review’ of those sites.
First of all, Happy Cow. The site offers a list of veg*an and veg*an-friendly restaurants and shops all over the world. I have known about this site for years, but only joined recently. Members can post reviews of these restaurants and shops. They also get a profile page. They also have a blog, message boards, private messaging and a very nice chat room.
Veganchatroom.uk is a similar site, with chat room, directory, message board etc. Most, but not all, members are from the UK. You don’t need to sign up anywhere to join, but there are advantages to signing up. For instance, you can use the same ID all the time, so people recognize you. Also, you can get a short profile so people can check out who you are and what you stand for.
It’s been ages since I last had a veg*an chat room to hang out in, so it’s great. Most of the time, there’s at least one other person around to chat with. I can’t say that I’ve made any close friends, but at the moment, it’s just nice to hang out with like-minded people.
Bleat, finally, looks very promising, even though, of course, I haven’t used it yet, since it hasn’t been launched yet.
This is what it says on the site:
So, what’s all this talk about Bleat?
For vegans everywhere, something big is about to happen…
Say hello to Bleat.
If you’re a vegan trying to find vegan friendly restaurants, looking for the latest recipes or just interested in meeting other vegans, all you have to do is Bleat. If you’re a vegan concerned for the rights of animals, have questions about a raw-only diet or simply perplexed about pulses just Bleat. Even if you’re a non-vegan and you’re simply contemplating the idea of a vegan lifestyle – BLEAT!
What’s so great about Bleat?
There’s a lot to discover at Bleat, such as:
A vast comprehensive vegan resource
Interact with vegans from all across the globe
Advice on vegan friendly brands
Recipes, restaurant guides & reviews
Information on the welfare of animals
How do we sum Bleat up? Well, Bleat isn’t just a vegan social network and it’s certainly far from just a vegan directory. Simply put, it’s a whole new way to get the absolute most from your vegan lifestyle.
Go on, Bleat about it.
It seems like a great addition to my old favorites, Livejournal (and Dreamwidth), Tumblr and last but not least Care2.
Language 2
In general, I can say, that with the exception of English (Anglo), it’s difficult to become really fluent, unless you’re prepared to travel to the country where the language is spoken, to work or study, for at least a year. Sure you can do that, if you’re content to study one or two languages, but if you want to know several it could be difficult. The best I can do, is read as many books as possible and watch tv and movies in the language in question.
Another thing you can do, is to take advantage of the internet. There are news sites, in many different languages and sometimes free literature for download. Of course there are all kinds of web pages in many different languages. Apart from that, there are also sites dedicated to the study of languages, with forums and chat rooms, where you can use the language.
Without the internet, I would have been able to use so many of my languages.
I’ve chatted with people in French, German, Spanish and Italian (not always completely successfully, I might add). Unfortunately, not everyone you encounter want to help you out. Instead they choose to get by in their own, not always so great, English. But if you do meet someone who wants to help you, it’s the best. Much better than any dictionary.
You can also use the computer offline. I’ve bought a language software, Languages of the World. Most of the major languages of the world are available on those CD:s, but I think it might be best to just use the program to practice languages you’ve already studied, rather than starting out with a new language.
