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BAGHDAD — A Nov. 18 ribbon-cutting ceremony here in the International Zone marked the opening of a new English language testing facility for Iraqis. The mission of the facility is to provide an improved environment for English language testing and to allow military and civilian candidates from the Government of Iraq to achieve their full performance potential. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Judith Resendiz, test control officer, said, "This new facility will support Iraqis who need to validate their English proficiency so they can participate in specialized schooling and pursue opportunities in other English speaking environments that will help them get...

Without a doubt every picture ever painted was made with but three primary colors. Black is no color at all and they say all colors are found in white light. So many things can be made with a few basic building blocks. So understand that I realized all of this when I found myself on a roll this morning churning out strange sentences. If they had not formed such an unique strange pattern and story I wouldn't bother you people with them. The other day something inspired me to write a halloween message that would add up to 666 in...

LOS ANGELES—More than a quarter of English learners don't make it into mainstream classes by the eighth grade in Los Angeles and most of those who don't were born in the United States, according to a study released Wednesday. The study by Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California showed 29 percent of English learners in the Los Angeles Unified School District were still in these classes in the eighth grade. More than half of these students were born in the United States and were in classes for English learners for more than eight years. "They're staying...

MAISONCELLE, France — The heavy clay-laced mud behind the cattle pen on Antoine Renault’s farm looks as treacherous as it must have been nearly 600 years ago, when King Henry V rode from a spot near here to lead a sodden and exhausted English Army against a French force that was said to outnumber his by as much as five to one. snip...They devastated a force of heavily armored French nobles who had gotten bogged down in the region’s sucking mud, riddled by thousands of arrows from English longbowmen and outmaneuvered by common soldiers with much lighter gear. It would...

A Dallas rookie police officer erred when he cited a woman earlier this month for being a non-English speaking driver, police said. Officer Gary Bromley issued a citation Oct. 2 to 48-year-old Ernestina Mondragon after stopping her for making an illegal U-turn in the 500 block of Easton Road, near East Northwest Highway, according to a copy of the citation.

When Utako Sakai was changing the background music in her beauty parlor recently, she did not opt for the classical piano pieces she usually chose. Instead, she picked her favorite CD: “President Obama’s Inaugural Address,” released by Asahi Press, a Japanese publisher of language books. She says the speech lifts her spirits and helps her to learn English all at once. “All our customers love it,” said Ms. Sakai, who is based in Ayase City, in Kanagawa Prefecture, outside Tokyo. The speech CD and its accompanying book have been a resounding success, selling 200,000 copies since its release in January....

Dear Tolerance Sucks Rocks: Did you know that English is the official and international language of aviation and that all repair manuals are printed only in English? It shouldn't be surprising since English is also the international language of business. But it is even more critical for aviation because, when it comes to the safety and reliability of aircraft, multiple languages would open the door for misinterpretation and mistakes. That's why Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA) was shocked when he learned of an investigation launched by a Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas television station which revealed the alarming fact that hundreds of aircraft...

Well, the day finally came for me to actually be a first-hand witness of why knowing and understanding English is so vitally important when one gets a driver's license. My Florida license expires next month and I will be on tour so renewing it in Florida will be impossible. So I decided to finally get a Tennessee license although I still claim Florida as my legal domicile. I gathered my official documents as required by the state of Tennessee for anyone getting a TN license for the first time. It was a busy day at the DMV (when isn't it...

As the debate and discussions about the health care bill take front and center positioning, it is important to note that at the core of being alive and a human being, it is our innate will to survive. Yes, times are tough these days. But it is the inner desire of oneself to survive, to make it happen, to succeed that is vital to our existence. When one chooses to rely on government, then the pure sense of being alive, of being in control of one's own life begins to erode. Sure, government is needed to provide for roads, infrastructure,...

Lawmakers pass bill to protect language freedom California would protect the freedom of a person to speak any language he or she chooses in a business establishment under a measure approved by the state Legislature today. The bill, authored by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, is the lawmaker's response to a controversial proposal by the LPGA last fall requiring golfers to speak "effective English." The organization scuttled the proposal after loud objections by Yee and others, and the Democrat says this legislation will ensure it does not happen again. "No one in the state of California should be compelled to...

The Obama administration believes that an inability to speak English is a civil right. It is even more distressing that the administration, legally speaking, may be right. In April President Obama's Department of Justice threatened to cut off federal funding to Oklahoma if that state's voters approve a state constitutional amendment making English Oklahoma's official language, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) revealed. The threat came in the form of a letter (PDF) from Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King to Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. King wrote that "implementation of this amendment may conflict with Oklahoma's obligations to protect the civil...

The Virginia Frontier Culture Museum's English Farm installation features a yeoman farmer's house that was built in 1692 in Worchestershire, in west-central England, and more recently reconstructed in Virginia. Many yeoman farmers and other English commoners migrated from the western shires to America during colonial times, although their numbers most certainly did not include the builder of this house, who had to have been successful enough to own a small parcel of land on which to built a nice home.

Crackdown on 80,000 immigrant wives with free pass to Britain By SIMON WALTERS, POLITICAL EDITOR 01st August 2009 A highly controversial crackdown on immigrants accused of abusing welfare handouts is to be unveiled by Home Secretary Alan Johnson this week. He plans to ban wives brought here, mainly from India and Pakistan, from receiving child benefit and a wide range of other state aid unless they learn English, support British values and do voluntary work in the community. The move could affect up to 80,000 immigrants who are allowed to settle permanently in Britain each year after marrying a UK...

But anyways, for me, it wasn’t that great. At least, for playing “문명” (Civilization, if you don’t have a Korean font installed). But, you see, as an English teacher there I saw a parallel. The funny thing is that you would think that Korea would have the largest market for books teaching Koreans English from a Korean perspective. But, I cannot tell you how many times I came across expensive, no, very expensive textbooks published by large American or British companies that were published to teach the domestic market (Americans or the British) English. In America, the last time I...

It's no secret that Martin High School has been in trouble academically for several years. In fact, the state has threatened to take the school over if things don't change. Some say it's so bad that most students are having a tough time graduating, let alone getting ready for college. That’s why interim principal Dr. Severita Sanchez has been put in place. As our Concetta Callahan reports she's ready to get Martin High on the right track by having students speak English. Dr. Sanchez says her team has already started working on a plan of action because she says there...

Please use "a lot", since those words are actually in the dictionary. </grammar rant>

BAGHDAD — As Iraq continues to partner with U.S. forces to train, man and equip its Police forces in accordance with the Security Agreement, the Baghdad Police College plays a tremendous role in this training and professionalization of the Iraqi Police (IP) force. Part of this training is to teach the IP important language skills to ensure they have all the tools needed to be successful. The English Language Center is a major part of this critical training. Currently the Baghdad Police College has two classrooms dedicated to English language training, with a capacity of 36 students each. There are...

Doesn't Tehran hate all things Western?

PHOENIX — State senators took the first steps Friday to protect businesses from winding up in legal trouble for failing to provide translators for customers who don't speak English. Existing law prohibits discrimination in places of "public accommodation against anyone because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry." That category includes restaurants, hotels, theaters and any place that offers services or goods to the general public. SB 1199, as unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would spell out that the law doesn't require any business owner to provide a "trained and competent bilingual person" to assist customers....

During this upcoming Independence Day, we need to honor and remember the soldiers who are risking their lives for us. Whether it's a soldier on the front lines or one in peace times, their sacrifice for America is great with a heavy price. Freedom, liberties and all the values we cherish as Americans aren't to be taken lightly or for granted. I had two friends give their lives in Iraq.

Why are Iranian police markings written in English? June 17, 2009 Post-election protests continued in Tehran for the fifth day on Wednesday. In many photos, riot police wear uniforms with the English word police on them. Ambulances, too, bear the word ambulance in English. Why not use Persian words instead of their English equivalents? Because everyone knows English. Like many capital cities, Tehran has its emergency personnel wear markings that are internationally recognizable. Street signs, too, are translated into English, and police cars are generally inscribed in both English and Persian. That makes the city more tourist-friendly without sacrificing clarity...

One of the baffling issues to me has been the argument by Democrats against making English the official language of the United States. President Obama displayed his commitment to Hispanic Americans by appointing Justice Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. If he really cares about immigrants and the poor, he would make English our official language and assure that all people learn to speak it in the United States. I have had the good fortune of travelling to a vast part of the world. The people we encounter almost everywhere we have traveled speak English. I’m not referring only to hotel...

... Next month, after 17 years of litigation, the United States Supreme Court will rule on the Flores case, deciding whether Arizona is complying with federal laws requiring public schools to teach children to speak English. The case has been long and tangled, splitting state officials along party lines. In 2000, a district court ruled that the state’s financing for English language learners was not “reasonably calculated” to cover the extra costs of educating them, and ordered the district to come up with a better plan. Last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the...

Question : What is the official language of the United States of America? Answer : None. That is the reality, America actually has no official language, and this causes problems - especially when we have idiotic "press 1 for English" services, and even some voting rolls in Spanish. According to a poll released last night on Rasmussen Reports, 84% of Americans support legislation to make English the language of the land (which should have been already).

Eighty-four percent (84%) of Americans say English should be the official language of the United States. Only nine percent (9%) disagree, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Seven percent (7%) are not sure. The support for English as the country’s official language remains steady from three years ago. Eighty-one percent (81%) say a U.S. company should be allowed to require employees to speak English on the job, up four points from November 2007. Thirteen percent (13%) disagree. Eighty-two percent (82%) also reject the idea that requiring people to speak English is a form of racism or bigotry,...

News 8 Investigates: Airline mechanics who can't read English 10:03 AM CDT on Saturday, May 16, 2009 By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV News 8 has recently revealed serious flaws in the way the FAA licenses mechanics who fix planes. There is evidence of years of problems in testing these mechanics. There is also evidence that hundreds of mechanics with questionable licenses are working on aircraft in Texas. Now there is evidence of repair facilities hiring low-wage mechanics who can't read English. Twenty-one people were killed when U.S. Airways Express Flight 5481 crashed in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2003. The plane...

Molina wants Spanish translation for Gold Line. “La Linea de Oro”? April 22, 2009 When light rail returns to the Eastside neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles this summer, many Spanish-speaking residents will undoubtedly talk about taking el tren. But will commuters say they are riding La Linea de Oro? L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina will propose during an MTA board meeting today that the Eastside extension of the Gold Line be officially named La Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal. If the motion is approved, it will be the first time the name of an MTA facility,...

Alarmed that a professional golf association proposed to exclude competitors who don’t speak English, the state Senate acted today to prohibit businesses in California from discriminating against customers, including refusing them service, based on the language they use.(snip) State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) said the policy raised an issue that required changes to state civil rights laws that already protect employees from discrimination based on language.(snip) SB 242, which now goes to the Assembly, was approved on a 21-15 vote, with Republican lawmakers opposed based on concern it would open businesses up to a rash of civil rights lawsuits...

A Foothill Ranch health care company has agreed to pay up to $450,000 to settle a federal discrimination suit alleging that it banned employees from speaking Spanish at work. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit also maintained that while Spanish was forbidden, Filipino employees at facilities owned by Skilled HealthCare Group Inc. were not disciplined or terminated for speaking Tagalog at work. An attorney for Skilled Healthcare denied that such discrimination ever occurred, adding that the case was based on events dating back to 2002, before the current management had acquired the firm. The EEOC filed a class action...

Growing numbers of children of illegal immigrants are being born in this country, and they are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty than those with American-born parents, a report says. The study released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center highlights a growing dilemma in the immigration debate: Illegal immigrants' children born in the United States are American citizens, yet they struggle in poverty and uncertainty along with parents who fear deportation, toil largely in low-wage jobs and face layoffs in an ailing economy. The analysis by Pew, a nonpartisan research organization, found that the nation's estimated 11.9 million...

Ga. could require drivers to take test in EnglishPosted: Tuesday, March 31st 2009 at 7:28am By The Associated Press ATLANTA - The Georgia Legislature appears on the verge of approving a measure that would require driver's license applicants to take the written exam in English, which could make Georgia the only state to have such a rule. The measure passed the House Monday by a 104-58 vote. The proposal, which has already passed the Senate, would go to Gov. Sonny Perdue's desk if the chambers hash out minor differences in their versions of the bill. **SNIP** State Rep. Pedro Marin,...

Roadkill on the Information Superhighway by: Deborah Lambert, March 30, 2009 Charlotte Allen reminded readers on mindingthecampus.com that when you hear the words “for the 21st century” in conjunction with an educational topic, “you know it’s time to run for cover.” Here’s why: During a recent conference of English teachers in San Francisco, a report released by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) suggested that teachers should “quit emphasizing essays and formal papers” . . .and “bring 21st-century writing habits into the classroom.” Allen noted that as recently as five years ago, this would have meant “blogging, e-mailing,...

In an age when a waiter is a server, an actresses is a female actor, and a dubiously-competent socialist cult leader is an American president, it was only a matter of time before the “Global War on Terror” became an “Overseas Contingency Operation” (OCO). Thus Spoke Zarathustra this week via a memo sent to the Pentagon and select speech writers, officially establishing Team Obama’s redesigned terminology.

Deva Kumarasiri looks remarkably unruffled. His royal-blue shirt is clean and crisp, his stripy tie is immaculately knotted, his trousers beautifully creased, his glasses polished to a shine and his mobile phone clipped to his belt in a neat, Velcroed holster. Indeed, as he sits behind his Post Office counter, smiling through the smeared glass and dolling out stamps, family allowance payments and helpful advice to a queue of customers, he couldn't look more professional and composed. Which is a bit of a surprise, because he's had a pretty torrid few days. Vilified and cheered in equal measure, he's been...

BAGHDAD — At 9 p.m. on Muthana Army Base, home to the 6th Iraqi Army (IA) Division, the work day ended hours ago. But one small classroom is still lit up where a multitude of voices breaks the relative silence that has overtaken the rest of the post. “Everybody together now: ‘I, we, you, they, he, she, it.’” A group of Iraqi Soldiers are learning basic English skills, thanks to Sgt. 1st Class Gabriel Ramirez, logistics non-commissioned officer in charge with the 6th IA Div. Military Transition Team (MiTT). Using an interpreter to communicate the meaning of words into Iraqi...

Saw this on fark.com today, and frankly, this gentleman is an example we should hope to follow. I'm glad some people still have principles in the world today. "So proud, in fact, that he's insisting all his fellow immigrants embrace our culture and pride with the same enthusiasm as he does. Mr Kumarasiri, who taught his two young daughters every word of the National Anthem and is encouraging them to join the RAF when they grow up, introduced a controversial new regime at his post office counter. If his customers can't be bothered to learn English, he tells them, they...

Odd NewsBriton needs English test for Aussie jobPublished: March 17, 2009 at 6:25 PM SYDNEY, March 17 (UPI) -- A British woman who moved to Australia last year said officials told her she needs to take an English language test before she can work as a nurse. Julie Dutton, who moved to Sydney last year with her Australian husband, said she applied to have her British nursing qualifications recognized in New South Wales and was told by government workers that she could not apply to work as a nurse because she had not passed a test proving that she...

I was at a meeting last night and a members daughter was ecstatic! She just got an A on a paper where no one else dared to go titled, "Welcome to America, Now Speak English!". I hope this posts ok, had to share this young Lady's thoughts.

2008 MLA Unplugged by: Bethany Stotts, February 17, 2009 When the Modern Language Association (MLA) held its 2008 Convention in San Francisco this December Executive Director Rosemary Feal decided to blog the conference. Among the notable Convention experiences Feal covered were her packing supplies, flight experiences, community college workshops, “Welcome to the MLA” socials, and pedagogical seminars, and award ceremonies. “I’m really looking forward to this convention, because it showcases what’s best about the MLA,” wrote Feal the day before the Convention started. “We are, first and foremost, an association of teachers.” She marks out sessions such as “a roundtable...

SNIPPET: "Many citizens get messages from al-Qassam organization threatening to kidnap, kill Israeli officials. 'This is jihad, victory or martyrdom,' email says" SNIPPET: ""More than 1330 of Islamist fighters had entered Palestine," said a threatening email received by many Israelis on Thursday night. The message warned that several prominent people would be abducted and killed. "This is jihad, victory or martyrdom," it concluded."  SNIPPET: "The message was sent in English, Arabic and Hebrew from an email account registered on Google's Gmail service, which enables any person to open an account for free without requiring identification." SNIPPET: "Surfers reported of...

In announcing the defeat of a measure to make English Nashville’s official language, The New York Times could barely contain its glee. In a special election last week, the proposed ordinance — which would have required city workers to speak English on the job — “drew only 43.5 percent” of the vote, The Times reported. In other words, only 43.5 percent of the city’s residents are so bigoted, intolerant and hateful as to expect immigrants to learn our native tongue. Hooray for diversity. Typical of what The Times considers balanced coverage, the story only quotes opponents, like Nashville Mayor Karl...

That the French resent the global supremacy of the English language is nothing new, but as Hugh Schofield finds out, a newly evolved business-speak version is taking over. They were giving out the annual Prix de la Carpette Anglaise the other day. Literally it means the English Rug Prize, but doormat would be the better translation. As the citation explains, the award goes to the French person or institution who has given the best display of "fawning servility" to further the insinuation into France of the accursed English language. Also the Paris band Nelson (it is the Admiral, not Mr...

State requires all to pass test in English WATERBURY — The city has agreed to appoint a Latino barber or salon owner to the advisory board that is helping to implement a new public health inspection process and translate all educational materials into Spanish. These efforts will help an estimated 100 hairdressers and barbers in Waterbury who do not speak English, but the city does not have the authority to fix their biggest problem — Connecticut requires people who cut hair for a living to speak English. The state Department of Public Health doesn't put it that way, but it...

France has long claimed Rwanda as part of its francophone fold even though there is only one language common to all citizens of the tiny central African nation — the indigenous Kinyarwanda — and only a minority of the population speak passable French. But now Paris will not even be able to make that claim after the Rwandan government announced an ambitious plan to switch the entire education system to English and effectively purge the country of French as it is forced out of the workings of government.

Gov. Phil Bredesen and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean are urging rejection of a controversial English-only amendment on the Nashville ballot. They said they will cast early votes on Monday in the referendum election on proposed amendments to the Metro Charter, including the English-only amendment. Gov. Bredesen and Mayor Dean will vote at 8 a.m. CST at the Davidson County Election Commission, which is located at 800 2nd Avenue.

Education professionals sometimes call them English Language Learners, and increased numbers of ELL students in Nebraska is among the highest in the nation, according to Education Week magazine’s latest edition.  The number of ELL students in the state grew by more than 200 percent between 2000-2005. Only 12 other states reached or exceeded that level. Those numbers compare with a nationwide increase of just 57 percent during the same period. With a total enrollment of 8,588 students, for example, the Grand Island school district includes 2,300 ELL, the Grand Island Independent reported. The Education Week nationwide study, reported in a...

NEW YORK (AP) — You're standing in line at a deli behind two day laborers fumbling with cash and struggling with English, when the clerk begins spewing hatred. Go back to your country, he says, or go eat at Taco Bell. What would you do? Stand in uncomfortable silence, hoping simply to leave as quickly as possible? Tell the clerk to shut up? Or join in with the bigotry, kicking the men while they're down? When ABC News set up that scenario in a New Jersey deli, hiring actors to portray the clerk and laborers and hiding cameras to record...

NASHVILLE - The presidents of eight Nashville universities call the possible adoption of an English-only ballot initiative "a distressing prospect." The proposed charter amendment would prevent the city from translating written materials into other languages or using interpreters to communicate with people who don't speak English well.

LEVALLOIS, FRANCE — Yvon Portier begins teaching his sixth-grade physical education class at College Jean Jaures with a few simple and increasingly vehement instructions. “Pair up. Choose your partner. Stop running please. Mind the stairs. Don't push your classmate! Be quiet please! Shut your mouth!!” Mr. Portier's exhortations may sound perfectly normal to anyone who has ever been in a gym class with 11- and 12-year-olds. The difference is that Mr. Portier is speaking English at a junior high school in the heart of France – a country that still falls into existential crises over whether musicians who sing in...

WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Education today announced a new program to raise awareness of racial diversity among students. The program, Rap As A Second Language, translates rap music into a form understandable to students from all socio-econimic backgrounds. The Department released this training video, which is targeted for suburban students...