Biological and Linguistic Hot Spots Cooling Off21 May 2012

As languages go extinct, so goes biodiversity, according to Penn State environmental science researcher Larry Gorenflo and team. The last few centuries have marked the kick-off of the latest geological era, the anthropocene, where human activity has ...

Why We Write18 May 2012

I just want to feel pretty. Is that so wrong? Every year the fans of this blog vote Translation Guy the best language blog in the Lexiophile Language Lovers contest, and every year we win the popular vote in all categories by significant margins.  B...

You Talking to Me?14 May 2012

As a Mother’s Day treat, my wife and I made Izzi, our 17-year-old, watch Taxi Driver (1976), Martin Scorsese’ dark masterpiece set on the mean and nasty streets of ‘70s NYC. This was our misguided attempt to show Izzi, my enriched little East S...

Autism and Language Research: “The Cost of Being Human”11 May 2012

Autism is the Trojan Horse of the gift of speech, according to Yale neurobiologist Nenad Sestan, “The same evolutionary mechanisms that may have gifted our species with amazing cognitive abilities have also made us more susceptible to psychiatr...

Cookie Localization10 May 2012

“Twist, lick, and dunk” is the marketing mantra of America’s iconic cookie, the Oreo. It’s also the manufacturer’s instructions for use for eating this sandwich cookie with a glass of milk. The phrase also describes the challenges Kraft Foo...

UK's Clegg sounds shift from austerity to growth - FT - Reuters UK23 May 2012

Telegraph.co.ukUK's Clegg sounds shift from austerity to growth - FTReuters UK| LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is looking at shifting its austerity programme toward a fresh emphasis on growth through state-backed investment in housing and infrastructure, Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Wednesday.Communist Clegg: Private school head hits out at Deputy PM after he says ...Daily MailSnobbery is nobbling the economy, says Nick CleggMirror.co.ukAlan Massie: Social mobility leaves the 'excluded' further behindScotsmanThe Independent -The Guardian -Telegraph.co.ukall 306 news articles »

Votes for villains: Prisoners must be given the right to vote, EU rules - Mirror.co.uk23 May 2012

Telegraph.co.ukVotes for villains: Prisoners must be given the right to vote, EU rulesMirror.co.ukThe court in Strasbourg said that banning inmates from taking part in elections was a breach of their human rights. The ruling sets the stage for a showdown with Parliament after MPs last year voted overwhelmingly to keep the ban in place.Opposition voiced to giving vote to inmatesScotsmanPrisoner vote row: European judges insist prisoners MUST get the voteDaily MailUK gets ultimatum on giving vote to prisonersThe IndependentBBC News -The Sun -Telegraph.co.ukall 250 news articles »

Diabetes: 24000 Deaths A Year Blamed On NHS - Sky News23 May 2012

Sky NewsDiabetes: 24000 Deaths A Year Blamed On NHSSky NewsWidespread failings in NHS diabetic care cause 24000 unnecessary deaths every year, a report has warned. The National Audit Office (NAO) report found treatment for diabetic patients is a postcode lottery with a massive variation in quality of care from ...Diabetes timebomb: Only half of NHS patients receiving acceptable careThe IndependentDiabetes care 'has been failing for decade'BBC NewsReport reveals diabetes 'lottery'The Press AssociationThe Guardian -The Sun -ITV Newsall 15 news articles »

Girl 'saw parents murder her sister' - Herald Scotland23 May 2012

BBC NewsGirl 'saw parents murder her sister'Herald ScotlandA TEENAGER told police she saw her mother and father murder her sister by forcing a bag into her mouth and suffocating her, a court has heard. Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed are accused of killing their 17-year-old daughter Shafilea in the family home in ...Shafilea Ahmed trial: Alesha 'watched her mother and father choke her sister ...Daily MailDead girl's sister tells of their parents' abuseScotsmanParents 'killed daughter by forcing bag into her mouth'The IndependentBBC News -The Guardian -Sky Newsall 572 news articles »