Mango Languages

It’s football time! Well, sort of

Countries around the world are gearing up for this year’s World Cup, which is set to be held from June 11^th to July 11^th in South Africa.

A little background: the first World Cup was held in 1930 by the Fédération Internationale de Football (that’s soccer in the U.S.) Association (FIFA), and was won by Uruguay.  Since then, it has been held consistently every four years except for 1942 and 1946, when it was not contested due to international involvement in World War Two.  Currently, Brazil leads all other countries in number of titles won (5 cups), followed by Italy with 4, and Germany with 3.

The last cup, in 2006, was held in Germany and saw Italy as its champion. The final match between Italy and France drew an estimated 715.1 million viewers. Compare that to the 106 million viewers who tuned in for the Superbowl, or even the entire population of the U.S., for that matter, which comes in at around 310 million people, and you can see just how popular this event really is.

What country are you rooting for in this year’s World Cup?

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-04-10

• PHOTOS: The Most Beautiful Beaches In The World http://huff.to/cZv932 #
• Two of our owners have a treadmill desk. Mike walked over 6 miles yesterday while doing work. Wow #
• the kids and I have started to learn Italian using @mangolanguages via @deltatwplibrary. Ciao! (via @mary_rze)–great! #
• PHOTOS: The Best Places In The World To Live http://huff.to/5cQHCA #
• Ford technology is a hit with younger consumers http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_15980/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=enKZtabs #
• @jasonxgilmore be careful of that @bchesnutt. . in reply to jasonxgilmore #
• Digital reading platforms can collect data about how we read books potentially changing way we buy http://su.pr/16vTHL (via @fastcompany) #
• Europe’s poorest country looks for friends in the West http://econ.st/d004EG #economist (via @TheEconomist) #
• The 10 most expensive cities in the world this year http://bit.ly/ahU6VI Will be surprised about some of them. (via @culturalrealms) #
• The History of the Shang-ssu Festival in China and Japan
  http://ow.ly/1uhCP (via @travel_all_over) #
• Libraries are not what they used to be…they are busy, noisy, crowded & fun. They serve as the city’s social & artistic center. #
• RT @Somers_Library: RT @ABBEYBOOKS: Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. ~James Russell Lowell #
• RT @JohnAByrne: In the past 25 all net job creation in the U.S. came from firms less than five years old. http://s.nyt.com/u/H7t #
• 34 Little Ways to Share With the World: http://zenhabits.net/2010/04/share/ (via @imjustagoyle) #
• RT @AirTreks: Guest post by @ahikerp: Hiking in Korea. a hilarious cultural phenomenon. http://su.pr/2nCeiC #travel #lp (via @lonelyplanet) #
• Going to #FLA10 – We hope you stop by the Mango Languages Booth #518 & say hi to Robert! You may end up with some free goodies for doing so! #
• @EstrellaBella10 I thought that tweet was pretty cool too! Thanks for the retweet! in reply to EstrellaBella10 #
• Do you know a foreign language? Or are you learning one? Do you want to guest blog for us? We would love to hear your story! #
• @MkIXI Maybe talk about ways that helped you or things not to do? in reply to MkIXI #
• @infoactivist Hello – I ran across your tweets and blog post tonight. I am so sorry for this situation, I am here to help find a solution. #
• @infoactivist I have already alerted several staff members at home and we promise to make your concerns a priority in the morning. #
• @infoactivist What is the best way to contact you tomorrow? #
• All I have to say is @bchesnutt rocks right now. #
• What is your favorite iPhone app and why? #
• @infoactivist We would love to chat about what actually happened as well as exactly what you are looking for. Is phone ok? in reply to infoactivist #
• Libraries protect American freedom to read. Knowledge is power and libraries provide a platform for power. #
• Want to support one of our nation’s most important resources…Libraries? Check out http://ow.ly/1vyf2 #
• Great article: “Connect to the world at your library.” http://ow.ly/1vyjB Mango is mentioned! #
• @infoactivist Hi – Tried calling you this morning to help. I hope we can connect today. #
• Just celebrated with Justin Peters – he just hit a sales milestone at Mango. We are so proud of him! He works… http://bit.ly/caJEzr #
• RT @PatriciaVance: The Capital of the salsa (music…not chips and salsa) in the world… http://bit.ly/7xJ8Z2 #travel #
• @ClickOnMarina4 I hear it is a secret…but I do know he gets a lot of traffic! lol in reply to ClickOnMarina4 #
• Support Save Libraries, add a #twibbon to your avatar now! – http://bit.ly/cJGeIu #
• @infoactivist thank you! Glad to help any way I can. I look forward to connecting at ALA. in reply to infoactivist #
• Is music the language everyone around the world can speak? #
• @smittytabb thank you for sharing! in reply to smittytabb #
• @InvasiveNotes Hi John, thanks for sharing! in reply to InvasiveNotes #
• Check out our awesome A-Z list of 24/7 resources, including Mango: free online language learning (via @mesacountylib) #
• Traveling abroad this summer? Learn a new language. Mango is an online language-learning system free through our Library. (via @ManhattanPL) #
• The world is small …A Global perspective is a must. (via @MCHammer) #
• RT @NOVALanguages Saving Native American languages: http://bit.ly/aIQgG0 (RT @morsmal) (via @pocketcultures) #
• Clear Lake Library in Iowa is Mango Crazy! http://ow.ly/1wdyd #
• Hey! Where did the summer weather go? It’s 45 degrees and raining today! http://bit.ly/9RoYLN #
• Like Mexican food? Check out this awesome event http://ow.ly/1wegA #
• Digital Librarian’s guide to what’s good on the web in arts and culture. http://bit.ly/a0esf (via @MarkShepard) #
• @MatthewDibble sounds, um, frightening! :-/ in reply to MatthewDibble #
• RT @davos: #WEF Coca Cola commits to producing mango juice in Haiti, providing income for 26,000 families (via @Ask2Recv) #
• On April 12th, BPL will begin offering Mango Languages for free. It’s an easy and fun way to learn a foreign language. (via @bossierlibrary) #
• @smittytabb thank you Linda for the shout out! very nice way to start a Friday. in reply to smittytabb #
• @wsstephens I am always looking for good swag to give. What kind of stuff will be available? New ideas are welcome! in reply to wsstephens #
• @retweat great quote but wasting can be viewed in many different ways…it is personal. in reply to retweat #
• Good Morning ☂ Buenos dias ☁ Bonjour ☂ Gute Morgen ☁ Buon Giorno ☂ Dobry Den ☁Twitterville! It’s rainy & Cloudy here. (via @SharneseLaNier) #
• @BMorePRGuy I know…just wrong! in reply to BMorePRGuy #
• New blog post: Linking sounds: http://wp.me/pC2OH-1x A pronunciation activity. #tefl #efl #esl #tesol #elt (via @hoprea) #
• Today, in 1917, the Canadians triumphed at Vimy Ridge. April 9 is Vimy Ridge Day in Canada – Honour and remember. (via @JulieTyios) #
• Nice article on free language learning. http://ow.ly/1wtrh #
• RT @bleaning: The #campchamp @Champlib recently licensed a product called @MangoLanguages. Learn a language for free! http://bit.ly/9vQeGt #
• RT @languagechicks: RT @actfl ACTFL covers all languages…bilingual Navajo language classes growing at New Mexico school http://bit.ly/cCA8TJ #
• RT @maureenatcmrls: My town library just got @MangoLanguages! Yahoo!! — Yahoo is right! #
• Try Mango Languages to learn a new language. Go to http://www.coppelltx.gov, click on Library, Catalog & Mango Language icon (via @Coppell_Library) #
• Learn a foreign language by clicking on Mango Languages link on our website and entering your library card number! (via @readabook_today) #
• Are you at #FLA10 than please stop by and give Drew a hard time…I mean say Hi He has a few Mango goodies too, maybe you can earn one! #
• Polish leader, 95 others dead in Russia jet crash http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16026/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=AuLm401S #

Ukrainian Easter Egg

We can almost feel the breeze of spring in the air and for many Catholics throughout the world spring time is often associated with Easter. If someone sent you an Easter postcard with the following message

would you be able to read it?
Don’t worry, after reading this blog you will be an encoding pro!

Signs and symbols had been the means of ancient communication for ages.  These particular signs and many others are used in Ukrainian pysanky and mean wishes for good health, fortune, and prosperity.  Pysanky is the ancient Eastern European art of egg decorating, and Ukrainian pysanky are famous throughout the world.  The name comes from the verb to write (pysaty), as you use a stylus to write with wax on the egg shell.

Ukrainian Easter egg decorating has been handed down through generations of Ukrainian people.  Over 2,000 years ago, before the time of Christ, people decorated eggs believing that great powers were embodied in the egg.  Eggs symbolized the release of the earth from the shackles of winter and the coming of spring with its promise of new hope, new life, and prosperity.  With the advent of Christianity, Easter eggs came to symbolize the Resurrection and the promise of eternal life.  Legend has it that as long as pysanky are decorated, goodness will prevail over evil throughout the world.

A completed Ukrainian pysanka may look like one of these:

While a standard pysanka is the size of an egg, some countries are known for building the world largest pysanky. For example, a 13-meter pysanka was built in the year 2000 in Ukraine in the city of Kolomyya as a part of the museum structure.  Almost 45 feet–pretty amazing!

So, if you would like to get a little more creative this year and send either an Easter postcard or an egg, be proactive and intrigue the recipient with one of the messages encoded in signs.

Click here to see a few examples of other commonly used pysanka signs.

Happy Easter! What are some of your Easter traditions?

Haiti Needs Your Support

Over the weekend, I was at the Boston ALA Midwinter Conference and every time I had a chance to look at a newspaper or the TV – pictures of the absolute devastation in Haiti due to the Earthquake flashed across the page and the screen.

The images are devastating for any part of the world, let alone this already impoverished country. The pictures are almost too hard for me to look at or watch. It makes me sick to my stomach to see what these poor people are having to face. Losing their homes, families and I am sure much of their sanity in such a dire situation. We need to care.

According to Wikipedia -
Haiti has a very interesting history. It was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbors, Haiti is the only predominantly Francophone independent nation in the Americas. It is one of only two independent nations in the Americas (along with Canada) that designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France.

But on January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, with its epicenter 16 miles west of the capital and largest city, Port-au-Prince, which was devastated. Approximately two hundred thousand people were killed and counting, although it will take time to determine the exact number of dead; the Presidential palace, Parliament and many other important structures were destroyed, along with countless homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and shantytowns.

How can you help? We are suggesting you go to the Unicef website and donate money to help this country but more importantly to help the people rebuild their lives.

If you know of other ways to help please comment here!