Diamond Jubilee

source: CNN.com
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/europe/diamond-jubilee/the-queen-in-numbers/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

How offensive is the word "lunatic"?

Two US senators have proposed to excise the word "lunatic" from federal law, calling it outdated and offensive. What are the word's origins and why is it so offensive?

The word "lunatic" has been codified into US law so long it has outlasted its currency in the psychiatric profession. 

Many experts say they are surprised a term that in antiquity referred to madness influenced by the lunar cycle survives in such a prominent place in the US Code - its very first section.

read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

A language a day keeps a dementia away

Too good to be true?  The scientists have actually proven that the more languages you know, the more you wise up. Now it seems that the way we acquired them is crucial for the way in which our brain functions. Want to know more? Read about "The Benefits of Bilingualism" in The New York Times

The cult of the hyperpolyglot

 Many people want to speak a second language, but for some people two can never be enough. Welcome to the world of the hyperpolyglot. 

Follow this address to explore the unusual world of the hyperpolyglots: people for whom speaking two, three let alone ten languages is not enough: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17101370

Watch the amazing video in which Alex Rawlings demonstrates his 11 languages.

source: BBC