TGIF – Brain Power!

As the week winds down, we wind down with some tidbits for your information, education, health, and enjoyment.

Quote of the Week: “Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck were among the few early 20th century American writers to incorporate the Spanish language into their work, making vanguard experiments in bilingual fiction. More often than not, this was to show their affinity for the working-class Spanish or Mexican people they were depicting.”

Humor Break: A few years back Russian immigrant and comedian Yakov Smirnoff brought bilingual humor to life with such witticism as

“I have a Russian Express Card.  It says, ‘Don’t Leave Home!’”
 
“One of the biggest differences between America and Russia is that in America you can always find a party, but in Russia, the party always finds you.”

Stat of the Week: 2 is better than 1.  There is a fascinating article in the New York Times about “The Bilingual Advantage”  Among other findings, being bilingual aids in multitasking and delays the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.  The article concludes with this quote: “Bilingualism is good for you. It makes brains stronger”.

Action Tip: Want to learn a new language?  Try Rosetta Stone.  It teaches a language the natural way and best of all, no one screams at you when you make a mistake. Works for me and the children I teach in Southern Mexico. 

Volunteering: If you live in northern Oregon or southern Washington and speak a second language, consider planting some bilingual seeds.  This creative organization deserves the sound of two hands clapping.

[tags]bilingual, rosetta stone, envisia, envisia learning, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.