Researchers find a link between celiac disease and asthma

Swedish patients with celiac disease had a 60% increased risk of developing asthma compared with those without the condition, while those who had asthma also had an increased risk of developing celiac disease, according to a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson, the lead researcher, said vitamin D deficiency and immunological factors might play a role. Read more
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/24/us-asthma-linked-celiac-disease-idUSTRE71N4WF20110224

Chloe see China as No. 2 market in 2 years

Chloé, owned by Swiss luxury goods group Richemont, sees China becoming its number two market by revenue after Japan in two years, according to Reuters. Read more
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/25/china-chloe-idUSTST00081720110225

Arabic, Hindi and Mandarin not so scary to kids

Languages are different, but they're also a pathway to mutual understanding. Is your child studying the right foreign language?

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/02/24/2875414/arabic-hindi-and-mandarin-not.html#ixzz1FOI0g1Mb

Why language study is key to global competitiveness

Language learning is essential to ensuring global competence and national security, writes Clarissa Adams Fletcher, the 2011 National Language Teacher of the Year for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Fletcher advocates in this article for early and consistent access to sequenced language study for K-12 students to prepare them for a professional world that will require them to communicate in languages other than English. Language study also can help develop students' 21st century skills and offer them a better understanding of other cultures, she writes. 
 http://www.ajc.com/opinion/study-a-language-discover-855946.html

Dual immersion programs thrive in Utah schools

Utah schools are leading the nation in the expansion of dual language immersion programs for students. The state's leaders are behind the push, which includes a goal to quadruple enrollment in immersion programs, and a federal grant will allow some Chinese programs to continue through the summer. Educators say the language learning is giving students an academic boost. "You can actually see that those [students] are performing at and above their peer[s] that aren't in the immersion program," principal McKay Robinson said. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14481960

More restaurants serve gluten-free fare

Several restaurants in Columbia, Mo., offer gluten-free entrees, part of a national trend of increased gluten-free options in both eateries and at retail stores. Sales of gluten-free food rose 16% from 2008 to 2009, according to Nielsen, driven in part by people who do not have celiac disease but believe there are health benefits to cutting gluten. Read more
http://tiny.cc/373s3

New online program offers virtual language immersion

Middlebury College is partnering with online-learning company K12 to create an Internet-based immersion program for high-school students learning foreign languages. The program will modeled after an intensive summer language academy and will offer the equivalent of a school year of language immersion through online video, audio and avatars. Organizers say the program, which will be available first in Spanish and French, can be used in online schools, brick-and-mortar settings or as part of blended-learning models. Read more http://tiny.cc/u4c9l