Several members on this list have lamented their inability to read or speak French. Today's NY Times has an article about online social networking sites devoted to learning languages. http://tinyurl.com/3448lj (for the permalink to the article) "LiveMocha (livemocha.com), for example, is a free site where members can tackle 160 hours of beginning or intermediate lessons in French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Hindi or English. There is no charge for tutoring; instead, members tutor one another, drawing on their expertise in their own native language. Members chat online by typing messages, by talking or, if they have a Webcam, by video, in exchanges with others who want to tutor or be tutored. English speakers learning Spanish, for example, can write or speak descriptions of a vacation and receive feedback on their grammar and choice of idioms from native Spanish speakers on the network. A Spanish speaker, in turn, may seek advice from the English speaker about English assignments. “It’s a community of like-minded learners who can leverage their native language proficiency to help one another,” he said. The name “LiveMocha” is meant to evoke the relaxed atmosphere of a coffee shop." Sent 2/17/08 8:42 a.m. EST Best wishes, Lynda Jones Bloomsburg, PA USA Weberstedt, Thüringen, Germany – home of the Uttrodts Family names: Brong, Freitag, von Freitag, Miller, Prang, Savino, Schueller, Uetterodt, von Uetterodt, Utterodt, Uttenrodt, von Uttenrodt, Uttrodt, Ottrott, Van Etten, Van Horn Collateral lines: Dwyer, Eltus, LaFrance, Prentice, Smith