Lego still playing well

Maybe you wondered why Google used a special logo made of Lego bricks until yesterday. Well, it was to celebrate Lego's 50th anniversary last Monday! In spite of fierce competition from high-tech computer games, kids still love to play Lego! I think that it is some very good news, as games that help children developing their imagination should not be replaced by computer games where all it matters is killing enemies or driving fast.

Anyway, in case you're also wondering, the name Lego comes from the first two letters of the Danish words "Leg godt" or "play well" in English.

All US airports to fingerprint foreigners

Since 2004, nonresidents traveling internationally have been required to allow airport personnel to scan their two index fingers at airports as part of a program called US-VISIT. But now, foreign travelers will be asked to scan all 10 fingers, an enhancement the U.S. Department of Homeland Security hopes will help officials more closely monitor watch lists of suspected terrorists, criminals and immigration violators. By the end of the year, the devices are expected to be up and running in all of the nation's international airports, as well as seaports and border points.

Wow, travelling by plane is already becoming more and more of a hassle, especially with all the stupid regulations concerning liquids, but USA is now really treating anyone entering their country like a potential criminal. But surely this will help make the world a better place...

Buy a souvenir from Freelang and help an orphanage in Thailand

The souvenirs you can buy from our online shop are all nice and quality products. There are t-shirts of all sizes and colours, and also mugs, steins, mousepads and bags, all bearing the Freelang logo. More than a souvenir from our site, it is also a way to help children who lack a family, as the profit will be given to an orphanage here in Thailand.

Please visit our online shop and learn more about the operation, which is done in total transparency.

A dog-human translator?

Seen in the news this morning: "Hungarian scientists are working on computer software analyzing dog barks that could allow people to better recognize dogs' basic emotions. A possible commercial application could be a device for dog-human communication."

Well, don't they have anything better to do? People should rather learn again how to communicate between each other, don't you think?

England, Kenya or Colombia?

If you still don't know where to spend your next holidays, we have some exciting ideas for you: get yourself kidnapped in Colombia or try a riot safari in Kenya! If you are not on the adventurous side, then Liverpool in England is also doing his best to attract tourists.

Colombia is officially safe, according to... officials. It is now the "former kidnapping capital of the world" (so which is the current one, does anyone know?), and it received nearly 1.3 million tourists in 2007, twice as more as in 2002. I would also love to visit "Colombia's Caribbean beaches, cosmopolitan cities and Andean peaks", but maybe I'll get myself kidnapped somewhere else.

So what about Kenya? It used to be one of the most prosperous and tourist-friendly countries in Africa, but since the riots and ethnic violence erupted after the December 27 vote, travel warnings have been issued by most western countires and more than 5,000 tourists canceled trips at the last minute. Jake Grieves-Cook, spokesman for the tourism federation, said: The image of Kenya has changed from "giraffes, welcoming people and stability" to "the lunatic with a machete sharpening it on the road," he said. "So we have a lot of work to counter that image." Indeed!

If you prefer to stay safely in Europe, we can also recommend Liverpool, who is European Capital of Culture for 2008. A huge outdoor concert will launch the event, with Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart as presenters. Quoting the new item: "To give tourists a better impression, rundown buildings - including rows of dilapidated houses near downtown Liverpool - have been hidden behind billboards covered with paintings and poetry."

As for me, I might just choose one of the safest countries of the world, Singapore, just to see the new airport terminal they have just finished building, which has an indoor garden and waterfalls.

"Subprime" voted 2007 Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society

In its 18th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted "subprime" as the word of the year. Subprime is an adjective used to describe a risky or less than ideal loan, mortgage, or investment. Subprime was also winner of a brand-new 2007 category for real estate words, a category which reflects the preoccupation of the press and public for the past year with a deepening mortgage crisis.

The word of the year does not have to be brand-new, but it has to be newly prominent or notable in the past year, in the manner of Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

The runners-up were "Facebook", "green", "waterboarding" and "Googleganger". Do you know what a Googleganger is? It's a person with your name who shows up when you google yourself!

Founded in 1889, the American Dialect Society is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it. Its members are linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, historians, grammarians, academics, editors, writers, and independent scholars in the fields of English, foreign languages, and other disciplines. The society began choosing words of the year in 1990 for fun, not in an official capacity to induct words into the English language.

So, do you agree with this choice? What would be the word of the year according to you? Or what would it be in other languages?

Spanish language on American TV

As Hispanics have grown into the largest U.S. minority, it's now very common to hear Spanish being spoken in American TV series, for the sake of authenticity. But not all actors are fluent in Spanish, and sometimes words are horribly mispronounced, or the grammar is mangled.

Just an example: in a recent episode of Showtime's "Dexter," detectives Angel Batista (David Zayas) and Maria Laguerta (Lauren Velez) expressed their condolences to the family of a victim. But the way the actors pronounced "perdida" (loss), emphasizing the second syllable instead of the first, sent the wrong message. Instead of "I'm sorry for your loss," they told the grieving mother that they were "sorry that you got lost."

So Maria Elena Fernandez, journalist at the Los Angeles Times, asks the question: "Que pasa, TV networks? Is it that challenging to hire some tutors? In the same way that shows hire consultants to get medical or crime investigation procedures right, can't you hire some native speakers to work with your actors?"

Happy New Year!

We wish you all a very happy new year :-) May this new year bring you good health, love, happiness and success, to you and your loved ones...