Blog&News
Words that may immediately bring about a smile
2015-06-11There are some words that bring a smile to my face the minute I hear them. "Cahoots" is one, it sounds like a sneeze and I want to say "Bless you" when I hear it. "You were in Cahoots with that gang!" "Really?" "And bless you." You can take a senior vice president with an MBA and hear him saying to his people,"I want the thingamajig moved to the figahousits (I h
Where language is not a barrier to learning
2015-06-10It was that moment when the teacher’s attention wavered and seven-year-old Koel did a somersault on her classroom floor. “Koel, Nere Irrikku (sit straight),” the teacher commanded and the little one obeyed without any qualms. It comes as a surprise that Koel had Hindi as her mother tongue. The Government LP School, Bairayikkulam is a small educational institution with just four
Chinese greenhouse gas emissions may peak by 2025, says study
2015-06-09China’s greenhouse gas emissions will probably peak in 2025, five years earlier than its stated target, a study said on Monday, in a boost for hopes to curb climate change. On current trends, the world’s biggest carbon emitter will discharge 12.5-14bn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) in 2025, after which emissions will decline, it said. The work was carrie
Major body language don’ts at work
2015-06-08Success in your career can come from a number of things, many of which have little or nothing to do with your actual job description. There are proven ways to make a good first impression at work, and often decisions you've made before entering the workforce have a significant influence on your earnings and your job satisfaction. Beyond those types of factors, the day-to-day ways you int
How Many Languages Your Startup Needs To Know
2015-06-05Siri can handle questions and make jokes in 17 languages. Is that a lot or little? How many languages must your startup know to reach its entire target audience? We studied some of the most successful companies and found some interesting results. Functionality and price explain only part of the success of many startups. The popularity of many “go-to” services also owes to beautiful, easy-to
Why Are Some Languages Harder to Learn than Others?
2015-06-04It’s common for people to describe languages as being relatively easier or harder to learn than others. English speakers usually agree that languages such as Hungarian and Mongolian are particularly challenging but often find Spanish relatively easy to pick up. In many cases it’s the degree of similarity between the language you’re trying to learn and your or
Greece ‘has no money’ to meet IMF debt repayment
2015-05-25Greece warned Sunday it has no money to repay the International Monetary Fund on time in June unless a deal is reached with its creditors, in a stark warning that the country could be just days away from defaulting. Athens already had a close shave in May, when it was only able to scrape together the 750 million euros ($845 million) due to the IMF then by raiding its emergency reserve
China’s Would-be Apple Killer is Starting U.S. Sales
2015-05-19Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has quickly become a major force in Asia. Now it’s making a push into the U.S. and Europe, signaling its big ambitions. Xiaomi is about to open an online store for the American and European markets. For now, the retail sites are a test bed that offers only four electronic accessories for sale. But the move hints at the company’s bigger amb
We Finally Have an Accurate English Translation of Final Fantasy VII
2015-05-18Final Fantasy VII fans will never cease to amaze me. A fan over on the Qhimm forums embarked on a fan translation project that aimed to deliver a complete and accurate English translation of the original Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII. This means that errors like “This guy are sick” and “Midgar Zolom” were corrected, and replaced with a proper translation. Not
The Chinese Pecking Order for Luxury Brands
2015-05-13China’s love affair with luxury brands is well known. With incomes rising, consumers are following the well-trodden path of new money that the West went through in the eighties. New disposable income is being spent on status symbols such as designer handbags, with Chinese consumers now representing a huge market for the West’s luxury brands.
