New livery in new office...

Just a micro blog post from me to show the new livery that is now live in the new office… We have frosted all of the glass in the office and put the logo onto the various rooms. We also have Milton Keynes’ tallest door… … and the smallest. and some really cool new stools Move date is still the end of August – all details will be posted here nearer the time. Richard

Earliest Known Example of Cherokee Alpha...

According to the New York Times, carvings found in a cave in Kentucky are the earliest known examples of the Cherokee alphabet. The Cherokee alphabet is a syllabary devised by Sequoyah, a well-known Cherokee silversmith and soldier. Sequoyah observed how European settlers used writing to communicate, and was inspired to devise a similar system for his native Cherokee language. The carvings found in the cave don’t spell anything. Instead, they are just a series of symbols, similar to the handwriting primers you may have used to practice your penmanship in school. This suggests...

Welsh to Headline Top American Arts Fest...

The 10 day Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place in Washington DC from the 24th June. The 2009 festival focuses on Wales and Welsh heritage. Over 100 firms, artists and experts will be attending the festival to showcase contemporary Welsh culture, industry and traditions under the theme of sustainability. The annual Smithsonian Festival is held at the National Mall, which is where President Obama was inaugurated in January. The Welsh programme of events includes talks by five up and coming Welsh writers, the woodland charity Coed Cymru who will showcase their affordable...

Welsh Language Opera Company Launched...

A new Welsh language opera company was launched this week. Opera is performed throughout the world in various languages for example Italian, Spanish and English. Wales is known for being the ‘land of song’ but there are not many operas performed in the Welsh language. The company has been set up by Patrick and Sioned Young, the Welsh opera company was launched on Sunday 21st June with a concert which featured eight soloists and an orchestra. Mr Young, an opera director who has worked with the Royal Opera House told Walesonline, “We wanted to set up the company because...

Welsh Language Activist Denied US Visa...

Arfon Gwilym, a Welsh folk singer, author and the director of Gwynn Music Publishers, has been denied a visa to visit the United States, according to Celtic News. Mr. Gwilym had been invited to perform at the Smithsonian Institute’s cultural festival, which takes place next week. However, the US Embassy denied him a visa based on “moral turpitude” for acts he engaged in many years ago as a Welsh language activist with Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society. What does it take to get denied a visa on grounds of “moral turpitude?” Not that much,...

To Tweet or Not To Tweet-That Is the Que...

Well, its official. “Twitter” has officially joined the English language as a verb, at least according to the Associated Press. The latest addition of the AP’s Stylebook (the style Bible for most of the press) includes the verb “to Twitter” as acceptable usage. Of course, if you use Twitter, you may be aware that some people say “to tweet” instead of “to twitter.” Snotty grammar geeks on both sides of the divide often step up to ostentatiously correct each other in blog comments and forums. Currently, it’s almost impossible to talk about Twitter...

Google Analytics gets Spanish Blog...

Web giant Google have just launched a Spanish version of their analytics blog. The blog covers a range of Google measurement tools including Google Analytics, Website Optimizer, Insights for Search, AdPlanner and others. Both Googlers and Google Analytics Authorized Consultants (GAAC’s) who speak Spanish will use the blog to share basic tips and advanced web analytics techniques which will hopefully help the decision makers integrate data from these tools into their business strategies. The blog has been named ‘Central de Conversiones’. Important posts from the English...

If It’s All Greek to Us, What̵...

Almost everyone is familiar with the saying “it’s all Greek to me”. We use it to mean that something is utterly incomprehensible, whether it is a foreign language film without subtitles, the incoherent speech of a lunatic, or calculus. According to World Wide Words, the phrase probably comes from the Latin phrase “Graecum est; non potest legi,” which means “it is Greek; it cannot be read.” It was commonly used by monks translating books in medieval times. Most of them knew Latin, but not Greek. Hence, whenever they encountered Greek text, they copied it as...

K International Staff at Race for Life...

The girls at K International put their best foot forward last weekend, taking part in the Race for Life event at Campbell Park in Milton Keynes. Five ladies from the Milton Keynes office took part, raising money for Cancer Research. The girls had great fun going round the course together and completed it in a respectable 44mins!! Well done from everyone at K International!

English is About to Get Its Millionth Wo...

The English language is about to hit a new milestone next month, according to this article on UPI.com. Paul JJ Payack is predicting that the millionth new English word will be coined on June 10, 2009 @ 10:22 am Shakespeare’s time. How can Payack, the president of the Global Language Monitor, tell when the millionth word will be added? Is he psychic? Not quite. The prediction is based on analyzing how fast words are currently being created-about once every 98 minutes, according to this earlier article about the researchers. At that rate, on June 10, 2009, the Global Language...