It's been a very long time since polyglot from Free Language has actually published a list of the latest updates to the site. At last, this happened last night. So here goes with a healthy chunk of Mandarin Chinese language-learning goodness...

Foreign Language Translation Extensions/Tools/Plugins/Add-Ons for the Firefox Web Browser
SurvivalPhrases.com Survival Phrases in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, Swedish, Arabic, Spanish and Vietnamese
FSI-Language-Courses.com US Foreign Service Institute Mandarin Chinese Free Audio Lessons Downloads
ExpertVillage.com Instructional Videos on Learning Foreign Languages
The Alternative Dictionary: Slang, Profanities, Insults and Vulgarisms from all the World
Learn Chinese on YouTube with Mandarin Videos from ActiveChinese
Learn Mandarin Chinese Videos on YouTube AskBenny Channel
A Pinyin.info Article on Most Difficult and Challenging Aspects of Learning Mandarin Chinese
Dickinson College's Language-Exchanges.org Mixxer Free Skype Language Exchange Community
Quick Translation Firefox Extension to Translate Single Words in 17+ Languages
United Nations Declares 2008 the International Year of Languages
nciku.com nciku Free Online Mandarin Chinese Handwriting Recognition, Conversations, Radical Dictionary
open.ac.uk OpenLearn LearningSpace Open University with Free Courses in Modern Languages
italki.com Free Skype VoIP and IM Language Partner Community
Download Free Open University Courses from MIT OpenCourseWare Foreign Languages and Literatures Department
About.com Distance Learning Free Online Language Courses
MyHappyPlanet.com My Happy Planet Private Social Language-Learning Community
List of Free Foreign Language Courses Online at Education-Portal.com
English Language Learning and Teaching Article on Wikipedia
A Torrent File for 500 Free Mandarin Chinese Audio Podcast Lessons from ChinesePod.com
BYKI.com Download Free Language Software for Learning 42 Languages!
MangoLanguages.com Mango Languages Free Online Language Courses, Audio, Web Software
Word2Word.com Website
LiveMocha.com Live Mocha Social Language Learning Course and Networking Website
Lingopass.com Free Global Language Exchange Community

For a complete list of updates including languages other than Mandarin Chinese, zoom over here.

Below are the latest front page updates pertaining to learning Mandarin Chinese.

UMN's Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition
Newseum.com Free Front Page News from over 50 Countries in Loads of Languages
WordChamp Language Toolbar for Firefox
Wikipedia Language Portal
Free and Open Mandarin Chinese University Lectures from Archive.org

From site:

"The school superintendent is recommending that Mandarin be added to the district's language classes.

If approved, the district would offer an introductory class at the middle and high schools.

The decision to add the Chinese dialect will ultimately rest with the Board of Education, which may vote on the proposal on March 8.

As a course, Mandarin is growing in popularity. School officials say the reason is that students want to be competitive in a global market that includes China among the economic superpowers. The language's popularity is fueled by the Chinese government, which has made support for offering and continuing such programs available to the U.S. and other countries."

Read more...

From site:

"Plans announced by the government this week to change the language requirements on the curriculum, enabling schools to switch from European languages like French and German to tongues like Mandarin Chinese and Urdu, have come in for extensive criticism on the grounds of practicality.

The government announced the idea on the basis that there were 'economically useful' non-European languages that pupils could benefit from learning."

Read more...

From site:

" A Mexican financial newspaper has launched a Mandarin Chinese version of its online edition in a bid to meet demand for local news from a growing Chinese community doing business here.

El Financiero's Mandarin version has been live for two weeks, according to Enrique Quevedo, head of electronic media at the Mexico City-based daily."

Read more...

From site:

"Minnesota's education chief backed a push for grants to pay for Mandarin Chinese programs in public schools.

Minnesota education officials said Monday that they will seek money to help public schools start or expand Mandarin Chinese instruction."

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"Next year they'll be offering Mandarin Chinese to kids, a half hour every day, starting in Kindergarten.

“I know how to say Ni-How which means hello! We don't see another language that will be as important politically and economically as Mandarin Chinese”, says Burton Elementary School Principal Phil Holmes."

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From Post Star News in Glens Falls, New York:

"They hope the language will give their students an edge over others in the global economy. More people speak Mandarin Chinese than any other language in the world.

"We want our kids to be ready to compete. We felt this was a way to make sure they would have that opportunity," said Lake George Superintendent Bruce Levin.

Both high schools now offer Spanish and French.

Mandarin Chinese will be a Regents course offered primarily to freshmen at Lake George, although juniors and seniors can take it as an elective. The school will offer three courses on the language, introducing each one over a three-year period, Levin said.

At Queensbury, upper-level students who want to learn another foreign language can take Mandarin Chinese as a two-semester course providing an introduction to the language and aspects of the culture."

Read more...

Time Magazine just released two articles pertaining to Mandarin Chinese:

Study Aids: Homework
Language Barriers

Though mildly interesting in a very general sort of way, neither one gives as much info about actually learning Chinese for free as Free Language's Mandarin Chinese section.