The much-awaited 79th Annual Academy Awards was presented yesterday to recognise some of the best in the film production industry.

There were no surprises in the acting categories. British actress Helen Mirren won Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, while Forest Whitaker won Best Actor for his scary turn as African dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland.

Inexperienced, Jennifer Hudson clinched best supporting actress for playing a struggling singer in Dreamgirls. She made the remarkable leap from seventh in American Idol to winner at the Oscars, edging out a field that included Cate Blanchett for Notes On A Scandal.

However, there were some surprises at this year’s Oscars.

Happy Feet was awarded animated film feature, beating warmly favoured Cars.

Veteran Alan Arkin, the grumpy grandpa from the comedy Little Miss Sunshine, beat the hotly favoured Eddie Murphy. Guess Norbit's crudeness just didn't sit well with the voters. Or, as internet buzz has been hinting, maybe Eddie Murphy made a few too many enemies over the years.

The highly favoured Pan's Labyrinth, a fable about a child's view of the Spanish Civil War, was beaten for best foreign language film by Germany's The Lives of Others, a drama about a Berlin couple who come under police surveillance in the 1980s.

Out of luck too was sound engineer Kevin O'Connell, whose unsuccessful streak continued when Apocalypto was beaten by Dreamgirls. He is now winless after 19 nominations.

However, after 26 years and six nominations, Hollywood director Martin Scorsese finally won a Best Director Oscar, for The Departed. Even if The Departed isn't his best work, it's still one of the best movies of the year. A surprised Scorsese even asked for the envelope to be double checked.

For those who missed the 79th Oscars, here are some highlights of the winners:

Best Motion Picture: The Departed

Lead Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Lead Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen

Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Directing: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Foreign Language Film: The Lives of Others, Germany

Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan, The Departed

Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine

Animated Feature Film: Happy Feet

Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth

Cinematography: Pan's Labyrinth

Original Song: I Need to Wake Up, An Inconvenient Truth, Melissa Etheridge

Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth

Documentary Short Subject: The Blood of Yingzhou District

Red Carpet Moments:

Direct Links:
(1) Complete List of Oscar Winners
Associated Press News Service, The February 26, 2007 By The Associated Press
Taken from: Newsbank

(2) 79th annual Academy Awards: Arkin's award a surprise among top categories
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA) February 26, 2007 Author: ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE Staff
Taken from: Newsbank

(3) A golden night for dreamers - The Oscars
Sydney Morning Herald, The (Australia) February 27, 2007 Author: Garry Maddox.
Taken from: Newsbank

(4) After 26 years, Scorsese finally bags an Oscar
Straits Times, The (Singapore) February 27, 2007
Taken from: Newsbank

Images taken from: Newsbank Electronic Image Edition
: Factiva

Posted by digitalk team at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The poor old pig gets a really bad press - very few of the phrases in English which contain the word "pig" seem to be complementary and some are downright inaccurate!

"Stink like a pig"
To say this would insult any average pig. Pigs are very clean animals and have virtually no odour.

"Sweating like a pig"
Pigs do not sweat, they have no sweat glands - this is why they like to roll in the mud to cool off.

"Eat like a pig"
Well finally smething right! A pig does love to eat and eat ... and eat!

"I can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear"
This is apparently a mistranslation of "can't make a silk purse from sousier". Sousier (from the 16th century French coin the Sou) is a rough, French purse peasants used to keep their coins in; the phrase says you cannot make something quality from something rough and cheap.
but could also come from 'Pig's ear' Cockney rhyming slang for beer. 'A pig's ear' is a mess or muddle perhaps caused when one is drunk?

"Make a pig's ear out of it"
Meaning making a mess. Could be from cooking or sewing procedure where some sort of curling up was called for and again it could be cockney rhyming slang for "beer" no doubt relating to the effects of imbibing too much!... but no one is sure

"Pig-headed"
holding tenaciously to an uninformed opinion Again we do not know if a pig has ever had an opinion!

Police described as "pigs"
Apparently dates from 1809, Sir Robert Peel entered the House of Commons in London - he developed a passion for Sandy Back pigs found in Ireland and began to breed them in Tamworth. Soon, these pigs were known as Tamworth pigs. Pig slang was commonplace in Tamworth because of this, it was around 1829 that the connection to police was formed with those Tamworth pigs. Pigs do tend to be a little like this especially when food is near!

"Road Hog"
Pigs, as far as we can make out, do know what they want and not much will stop them getting it. This, however, does not justify calling them pig ignorant and rude. The word hog takes the meaning of over indulgent, or to take more than one's share. The relationship to the pig is clear.

"Hogwash"
This term is acceptable, the word means "absolute rubbish". And that is the etymology behind this word. Wash, in this sense, is "swill"; which is partly liquid kitchen waste usually fed to pigs.

"Pigs Might Fly"
Dating from the 1586 edition of John Withal's English-Latin dictionary for children; "Pigs fly in the air with their tails forward" was the Scottish proverb.
A better known usage of this phrase was in Alice in Wonderland where Alice says "I have a right to think" and the Duchess replies; "As much right as pigs have to fly".

"Male Chauvinist Pig"
Nicholas Chauvin was a fictional character in a play by Hippolyte Taine. Chauvin was excessively devoted to Napoleon, this led to the term 'chauvinist' being used to describe those who are extremely patriotic. Over time, the
meaning changed to define those who believe males are superior.... add the pejorative piggish reference and bingo!

"In a pig's eye!" - an expression of scorn or disbelief - origin obscure and now a very dated expression

"Don't buy a pig in a poke" - something bought without inspection; goods accepted and paid for blindly. A "poke" was a small bag dating from Norman French "poque"

"Your room is a pig's sty" - again a bit of uncalled for abuse - pig are quite clean apart from their love of mud glorious mud

"Don't be a pig" (related to "as dirty as a pig" "as fat as a pig") - again an undeserved reputation follows our porcine friend

"Bleeding/sqealing like a stuck pig" - refers to the quite disturbing volume and pitch of a pig's distress when it is being slaughtered and also to the copious flow of blood after the slaughter - charming

Feel like continuing this discussion? Are there any other expressions or phrases in your language which refer to pigs in a more complimentary way?

You can find more about pigs and many other derivations of words and phrase in our Language and Literature databases

[Image of pig with piglets courtesy of EBSCOHost Animals Database]

Posted by digitalk team at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The FY2007 budget has been the talk of the town for the past several weeks, here in our Lion City. Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong has described this year’s budget as a fair package, carefully balanced to provide something for everyone (1).

According to analyst Claire Innes, from Global Insight World Markets Research Center, the FY2007 budget continues aggressive policy measures to bolster the economy’s competitiveness. She mentions that major social security reform is introduced in the form of the Workforce Income Supplement Scheme, which aims to give direct credits to low-income employees, to eventually increase the incentive to work and participation levels. The FY2007 budget also allocates a further S$800 million to projects, to support the elderly. (6)

Definitely generous giveaways for Singaporeans in the low-income group indeed, but these are “to meet a pressing need,” said MPs. They also added that fears of breeding a crutch mentality could be overcome with various measures. Referring to the Workfare Bonus, they noted that it is tied to work and is a one-off bonus. (For more on the Singapore budget, visit here.)

“We have the Workfare scheme and the old folks have the Senior Citizens’ Bonus, which is a new thing we are doing this year,” PM Lee had said during his visits to Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang bus interchanges and Jurong East MRT Station to thank those working over the Chinese New Year last Sunday. (1)

PM Lee had agreed that, “emphasis was given to helping the lower-income group and elderly.” He also mentioned that the government “ also had to be fair to everyone.” (1)

Middle-incomers welcomed the news of needy groups getting help. However, some were disappointed with what was given to the middle-income families. Madam Elaine Ho, who’s from a middle-income family mentioned, “Money is always appreciated. But for people like us who are in-between – not poor but not rich either – I didn’t feel there was anything that would really help me.” (2)

Middle-income group?

The term ‘higher-income’ is pretty much well defined. They’re the rich people, period. But it is rather unclear what ‘low-income’ and ‘middle-income’ refer to.

Neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Ministry of Manpower had an official definition for low and middle-income groups. According to a Ministry of Finance spokesperson, the middle-income is a “less definitive concept,” and that the government has considered very carefully who to include as low-income for purposes of Workfare. (3)

Economists’ own perceptions of the middle-income vary. Middle income, this could refer to anything from $2,500 to $6,000 in monthly wages, DBS economist Irvin Seah suggested. CIMB-GK’s Song Seng Wun however saw it as monthly wages from $3,000 to $3,500. (3)

PM Lee ensured that those in the middle-income group were not forgotten. “At the same time, we also made sure the 3-rooms, the 4-rooms, the people in HDB flats and even the people in the smaller private properties would have something,” he stated. (1)

So do you know what you’ll gain from the Singapore Budget?

Let these useful databases assist you:

- Asia Intelligence Wires
- EIU - Economist Intelligence Unit
- Factiva.com
- Global Insight World Markets Research Center
- ISI Emerging Markets Express- LexisNexis
- Newsbank

What do you think? Share your views with us! Leave your comments.

Direct Links:
1) “Budget is fair and has something for everyone: PM.”
Hussain, Zakir. Straits Times, The (Singapore). February 20, 2007.
Taken from: Newsbank

2) “GST offsets seen as more to help elderly and poor - other groups welcome package but say not enough is done for them.”
Soh Chin, Ong & Lynn, Lee. Straits Times, The (Singapore). February 17, 2007.
Taken from: Newsbank

3) “Who’s middle class?”
Business Times, The (Singapore). February 12, 2007.
Taken from: Newsbank

4) “A challenge for fiscal policy in a globalised world - Singapore fortunate to have investment income but it may not always be there in the right amounts.”
Khee Giap, Tan. Business Times, The (Singapore). February 16, 2007.
Taken from: Newsbank

5) “Securing our future, engaging the world - This is an excerpt of Second Minister of Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s Budget Speech 2007 delivered in Parliament yesterday.”
Straits Times, The (Singapore). February 16, 2007.
Taken from: Newsbank

6) “Singapore: Budget 2007: Drive for Competitiveness Dominates Singaporean Fiscal Package.”
Innes, Claire. Country Intelligence - Analysis. Published on February 16, 2007.
Taken from: Global Insight World Markets Research Center.

7) “Singapore: Natural correction.”
Business Asia - Main report. February 19, 2007.
Taken from: EIU - Economist Intelligence Unit

Posted by digitalk team at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Image from Factiva.com

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.

- Shakespeare, William, A Midsummer Night's Dream, I:1, 1596

Quote taken from xreferplus Quotations.

Image from Factiva.com

Posted by digitalk team at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again, the Digital Library Services Promotions team (yes yours truly) organised yet another database training session. This time round, it was titled “BUSINESS Exclusive Training Session.” Yes, it was as exclusive as it could get.

Five business databases were covered in this session namely Global Insight World Markets Research Centre , ISI Emerging Markets Express , Euromonitor GMID, Factiva.com and last but not least REALIS.

Members of the public keen on business resources attended this session and reaped the benefits (yes, we're confident of that). Ms Satwant Khaira, one of the participants, mentioned that the session “opened up a new world” for her.

We reckon the participants gained some enlightenment as they were amazed with the digital library resources (which we have in great abundance). “Wow! I did not know that the library has so much information resources that can be tapped,” literally exclaimed Ms Balber Kaur, in her feedback form.

So anyway, we (wannabe pro photographers) captured several moments of the training session and here they are.

Exclusive Pictures

Our proactive participants at work.

Ms Pei Lin Tay, reference librarian, introducing everyone to the NLB Digital Library's several online services and resources (yes, there’s so much available which you may not be aware of).

Bubbly Ms Poonam Ramchand presenting Euromonitor GMID.

Need facts? Ms Faraliza shows exactly how to gather them using Factiva.com.

Learning to go global with Ms Miki.

Mr Foong doing a demo on REALIS.

Aren’t we all inquisitive, wondering how much all those beautiful condominiums could possibly cost?

Afraid that you missed such a good opportunity? Be not afraid, as we’ll be having more of such training sessions due to the popular demand.

If you would like to be in the loop of our training sessions, please email:
Ms Privina
Email: Privina_ABHISEGARAN@nlb.gov.sg

Posted by digitalk team at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are you concentrating? Just to show that this blog occasionally looks at the world from a slightly complex angle we bring you the Diamond Light Source synchrotron! Wot? Yes, its nothing to do with diamonds and a little to do with light and it synchronises. Got it?

OK you didn't - so let me try to unpack it a bit - you do want to be in on "the dawn of a new era of scientific endeavour" don't you?

Diamond will produce infra-red, ultra- violet and X-ray beams of exceptional quality and brightness, a thousand billion times brighter than from a hospital X-ray tube. These beams will enable scientists
and engineers to dive deep into the basic structure of matter and materials, leading to another level of breakthroughs in the fields of biotechnology, medicine, environmental and materials science.

Diamond Light Source is a new scientific facility in South Oxfordshire on the Harwell Chilton science campus totally UK-funded. In addition, this week seven experimental stations, or beamlines, will came online, these will steadily expand to some 40 research stations being available to scientists from both academia and industry. These stations will be designed to support the specific needs of the biology and medicine
As we are all aware the world of medical science and pharma is permanently striving to develop new drugs, so that both emerging and long-standing diseases can be prevented or eradicated. The fight against illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis and cancers will be the main focus of Diamond's work.

What is a Synchrotron?
A synchrotron is a huge machine which can work at nano levels. It is designed to produce very intense beams of x-rays and ultraviolet light. This “synchrotron light” penetrates deep inside matter allowing scientists to investigate the world around us at the nanoscale of atoms and molecules.

Throughout the 20th century, used different types of electromagnetic waves. We all know about, if not wholly understand radio waves to transmit television and radio signals; microwaves to cook foods; radar to locate moving objects; infrared pulses to remotely change the channel on your TV; and x-rays to image the body in hospitals.Synchrotron light takes this further, probing deeper into materials, to investigate miniscule objects, revealing hitherto unknown aspects of the our world.

So how does it work?
Strap yourself in here - you are with amateurs in a totally specialist area- it may get bumpy!

Basically it seems that electrons are accelerated in a thin, doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber. As the particles whizz around and around, almost reaching the speed of light, they lose energy in the form of synchrotron light. This intense light, which falls in the range of x-ray, ultra-violet and infra-red, is then channelled off into beamlines, where it passes through samples of material, probing deep into their fine-structure. In phase one of its construction, Diamond has seven beamlines as mentioned above, each designed to carry out different kinds of experiments. For example, one beamline has a special microscope that can image magnetic structures at these very small scales. Other beamlines are dedicated to studying materials under intense pressure; looking at the chemical make-up of complex materials, such as moon rocks and other geological samples; and understanding diverse biological samples. In the medical field one of the beamlines is being used to investigate the structure of protein molecules found in human cells, to understand the molecular basis of diseases such as cancer.

Currently new synchronotrons are being built in France, the US, Australia and China. With Singapore's emphasis on the biosciences perhaps it would come in handy here? Cost £300m; area required approximately five football pitches - any one liable to be interested?

Check out our Science and Technology databases for more information on this and other technical and scientific innovations

Image 1: courtesy DLS Ltd
Image 2 : courtesy Diamond

DIRECT LINKS
UK's Diamond Light Source Synchotron Facility Opens Its Doors http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=7714

Welcome to Diamond Light Source
http://www.diamond.ac.uk/default.htm

Posted by digi.talk team at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the rationalist to the devotee of whatever persuasion - it seems we can't resist saying something quotable about love. Here's a selection of our favourites from first flush to dealing with the debris:

At First Sight

"Where both deliberate, the love is slight: Who ever lov'd, that lov'd not at first sight?"

Christopher Marlowe 1564-1593, British Dramatist, Poet

"I do not think that what is called Love at first sight is so great an absurdity as it is sometimes imagined to be. We generally make up our minds beforehand to the sort of person we should like, grave or gay, black, brown, or fair; with golden tresses or raven locks; -- and when we meet with a complete example of the qualities we admire, the bargain is soon struck."
William Hazlitt 1778-1830, British Essayist

"You can't blame gravity for falling in love."
Albert Einstein

Lust

"Lust is to the other passions what the nervous fluid is to life; it supports them all, lends strength to them all ambition, cruelty, avarice, revenge, are all founded on lust."
Marquis De Sade 1740-1814, French Author

"This is the monstrosity in love, lady, that the will is infinite and the execution confined; that the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit."
William Shakespeare 1564-1616, British Poet, Playwright, Actor

Attachment

"The lover of life makes the whole world into his family, just as the lover of the fair sex creates his from all the lovely women he has found, from those that could be found, and those who are impossible to find."
Charles Baudelaire 1821-1867, French Poet

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love."
Mother Teresa

"There exists, between people in love, a kind of capital held by each. This is not just a stock of affects or pleasure, but also the possibility of playing double or quits with the share you hold in the other's heart."
Jean Baudrillard French Postmodern Philosopher, Writer

"One who has not only the four S's, which are required in every good lover, but even the whole alphabet; as for example... Agreeable, Bountiful, Constant, Dutiful, Easy, Faithful, Gallant, Honorable, Ingenious, Kind, Loyal, Mild, Noble, Officious, Prudent, Quiet, Rich, Secret, True, Valiant, Wise; the X indeed, is too harsh a letter to agree with him, but he is Young and Zealous."
Miguel De Cervantes 1547-1616, Spanish Novelist, Dramatist, Poet

"Lovers who love truly do not write down their happiness."
Anatole France 1844-1924, French Writer

"I would not miss your face, your neck, your hands, your limbs, your bosom and certain other of your charms. Indeed, not to become boring by naming them all, I could do without you, Chloe, altogether."
Marcus Valerius Martial 40-104, Latin poet and epigrammatist.

Disillusion
"Forget love... I'd rather fall in chocolate."
Author: Anonymous

"I leave before being left. I decide."
Brigitte Bardot 1934-, French Film Actress

"There are few people who are not ashamed of their love affairs when the infatuation is over."
Francois De La Rochefoucauld 1613-1680, French Classical Writer

Feeling in the mood for love - why not click over to xreferplus Literature or Language or if you want a longer wallow in the love soup Granger's World of Poetry Online

Image of Renoir's "The Lovers" courtesy of Bridgeman Art Library (part of xreferplus Art)

Posted by digi.talk team at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."

- Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist (1875 - 1961)

Posted by digitalk team at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Valentine's Day is nearing ...

We should be reminiscing about all those love stories with fairytale endings (most of which are fictional, unfortunately) and basking in the mood of this widely romanticized month. Instead, we figured we should spare a thought (or many thoughts) for those who had tragic endings to their love lives.

Several names come to mind, at the mention of this. There were star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, passionate and power-hungry lovers Antony and Cleopatra, and not forgetting tabloids' favourites ex-happily married couples Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, and ex-match made-in-heaven Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

There does seem to be an innumerable amount of tragic love stories. Forget about keeping count, as it is constantly increasing. Kylie Minogue is single again, after her recent breakup with Frenchman Olivier Martinez. Mandy Moore is currently single too. There you have it, tragic love endings in many people's lives almost daily (we wonder how Saint Valentine feels).

We couldn't resist imagining how the above-mentioned couples' (excluding the fictional couples, introduced by dear William Shakespeare) love stories would have been if they had some form of self-help.

Perhaps, with the enlightenment from the eBooks we selected below, there would be lesser love tragedies. Maybe Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston would have been together right now, and forever. Now, wouldn't we love that?

Help yourselves to these:

Title: 10 Stupid Things Couples Do to Mess Up Their Relationships
Author(s): Schlessinger, Laura.
Subject(s):
Man-Woman Relationships

Title: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dating
Author(s): Kuriansky, Judith
Subject(s):
Dating (Social Customs)
Man-Woman Relationships

Title: The 7th Floor Ain’t Too High for Angels to Fly: A Collection of Stories On Relationships & Self-understanding
Author(s): Eades, John M.
Subject(s):
Self-help Techniques
Conduct of life
Interpersonal Conflict
Self-management (Psychology)

Title: Is It Love or Is It Addiction?
Author(s): Schaeffer, Brenda
Subject(s):
Relationship Addiction
Love

Title: Enjoy the Journey Along Your Marriage Highway: Nurture Joy Forever With the 6 Practices for Thriving Relationships
Author(s): Tanner, W. C. Tanner, Susan
Subject (s):
Marriage
Husband and Wife
Man-Woman Relationships

Title: Boundaries and Relationships: Knowing, Protecting, and Enjoying the Self
Author(s): Whitfield, Charles L.
Subject(s):
Interpersonal Relations
Self Concept

Title: The Dark Side of Close Relationships
Author(s): Spitzberg, Brian H.
Subject(s):
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Conflict

Interested in MORE? We’ve got MORE. Visit NLB netLibrary Collection here.

Direct Links:
1) “Girl who broke Kylie’s heart – Cheating Oli runs to new love.”
Caines, Catherine & Moran, Jonathon. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia). February 4, 2007.
Taken from: Newsbank

Posted by digitalk team at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A mixed bag this time around from the newspapers beyond Singapore shores courtesy of Newsbank

No nudes is good nudes - Directions
Singapore's foray into the seedy world of adult entertainment ended last week with the closure of the city's first strip joint. The Crazy Horse Paris Cabaret, on Singapore's glitzy riverfront, blamed advertising restrictions forits closure, saying that a ban on promoting the charms of its topless cast had forced it out of business with losses of Pounds 2.3m.
Sunday Times, The (London, England) ... February 4, 2007

Private eyes and public affairs - Interview
Vikram Singh, private investigator, shadowed a fraudster through Delhi's chaotic streets. It had taken him four months to track down his mark, a Sikh conman, who had defrauded several Singapore banks of $24m (Pounds 12m). The chase had taken him to the Far East, Mumbai and eventually to Chandigarh in the Punjab. There, Singh had discovered a chink in his quarry's armour.
On apprehending the fraudster Singh said:
"It was like a Bollywood film. When we finally caught him, he offered me half his fortune to let him go free."
Sunday Times, The (London, England) ... February 4, 2007

Good, clean fun - DESTINATION ASIA: Travel & Indulgence Special
Anita Roberts tracks down 10 kid-friendly experiences in Singapore HOW can you beat Singapore as a destination for young kids? It's safe, friendly and staggeringly clean with accessible transport, world-class attractions and a fascinating mix of cultures -- all of this, and a year-round climate that favours, even demands, swimming and ice cream. Singapore Botanic Gardens The fabulously stroller-friendly Singapore Botanic Gardens offer 52ha of tropical vegetation and
Australian, The (Australia) ... February 2, 2007

Posted by digitalk team at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The art of obfuscation(1) has long been with us or is it that just that it seems that way? Everyone seems to love telling everyone else as little as possible in order to dress up, obscure, or shade the actuality of what is going on. On the other hand a professional facade, image or (in the jargon) brand is pretty much expected these days - it gives people confidence that what they are seeing, buying or wearing has "cred"

Obvious culprits are the IT industry, the advertising profession and of course our politicians. Whether it be buzzwords(2), trendy phrases for those wish to appear "cool"; acronyms, the dizzying alphabet soup of obscure abbreviations; or technical or specialized phraseology created by a particular niche world- it all adds several layers to the already huge amount of plain information we seem to be required to soak up in order to just function day-to-day. ...and of course with the web it has all got a lot more deeper, fatter and taller. What has been spawned is a network of nets made up of management-speak, corporate-speak, marketing-speak, geek-speak, business-speak, therapy-speak, art-speak, lawyer-speak, media-speak, government-speak, consultant-speak, technospeak or adspeak.

So it is refreshing to find that someone out there cares and logs what is going on. First up is the Plain English Campaign which celebrates in the Golden Bull Awards some of the choicer pieces of lingual buffonery

For instance this from a job advertisement
"Our client is a pan-European start-up leveraging current cutting edge I.P. (already specified) with an outstanding product/value solutions set. It is literally the right product, in the right place at the right time… by linking high-value disparate legacy systems to achieve connectivity between strategic partners/acquisition targets and/or disparate corporate divisions. The opportunity exists to be the same (i.e. right person etc. etc) in a growth-opportunity funded by private equity capital that hits the 'sweet-spot' in major cost driven European markets."

...if you understand that ... you should begin to worry or seek early retirement

and who can forget - or even remember what he was saying when D. Rumsfeld (Former United States Secretary of Defense) spouted these immortal words:
"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know."

as they say, words fail you.....

The other upholder of lingual clarity is the Doublespeak Award for "public speakers who have perpetuated language that is grossly deceptive, evasive, euphemistic, confusing, or self-centered"
Some shining examples come from the Pentagon which skillfully erased terms like the Vietnam era "body bag" which became "human remains pouches" during the Gulf War and is now known as "transfer tubes."

As with all things there is an upside to all this experimentation and general messing around in that on occasion our language gets enriched. How up-to-date are you with the lingual zeitgeist? Test yourself out on these! [Answers at the bottom of the post - guess before you peek!!]

shape
John Wayne contract
stained glass ceiling
controlled-atmosphere killing
global weirding
prehab
gaysted
steg

DIRECT LINKS
(1) From xRefer Plus Dictionaries

(2) The Year in Buzzwords 2006. Time; 12/25/2006, Vol. 168 Issue 26, p33-33, 1/3p
from EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier

(3) Truth, honesty and spin. By: White, Aidan. Democratization, Dec2005, Vol. 12 Issue 5, p651-667
from EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier

(4) http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/goldenbulls.htm

(5) http://www.ncte.org/about/awards/council/jrnl/106868.htm

(6) with thanks to the Double-Tongued Dictionary for the new coinings

Photo courtesy Keystone/Getty Images- Cuban President Fidel Castro shaking hands with American vice-president Richard Nixon during a press reception in Washington. from EBSCOHost

The Answers
shape v. - Each weekday Hispanic workers “shape”—search for work—by driving throughout Manhattan and the Bronx and visiting job sites.…

John Wayne contract n. - an unspecific medical work agreement obligating a doctor to treat any patient and any health problem.

stained-glass ceiling n. -a barrier to the advancement of women within the hierarchy of a church.

controlled-atmosphere killing n. - With CAK, birds are moved directly from transport trucks to chambers without ever leaving their crates making life more bearable for the workers who have to work in very unpleasant environments handling thousands of panicked birds.

global weirding n. - an increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming.

prehab n. - booklets and other materials, which prepare patients for what they have to endure, before and after their operation.

gaysted v. - A situation which occurs when there has been an over indulgence in alcohol to the extent that you begin dancing enthusiastically with other men beyond mere politeness hence the usage - “dude, i got so “gaysted’ last night.” derived from "wasted"

steg n. - from steganography, an encryption technique that lets you hide embedded messages, documents, etc. within a normal-looking image. Much beloved in these times of ad people

Posted by digi.talk team at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

- Robert F. Kennedy, US Democratic politician (1925 - 1968)

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A recent article (1) in the Sunday Times made us think about the power of food. The author highlighted that food can be seen as a bonding tool – connecting people to home and family, even in this rapidly borderless world.

I’m sure many of us can agree with that. No matter how exotic and delicious foreign specialties can be, even the most seasoned globetrotter will eventually start to crave local delicacies like nasi lemak and carrot cake, when overseas for too long.

In South Korea, Singaporean expatriates hold regular potluck gatherings where local fare, like curry puffs and chilli crabs are immensely popular. (2) Likewise, for the close-knit Singaporean community in Bahrain, gatherings centered around food are frequently organized for a reminder of home. (3)

Food cravings are not unique to Singaporeans alone. In cities with large expat populations, many stores have started stocking items for overseas tastes. In Milton Keynes, England, a specialty food store stocks over 2000 items, most of which are American products sourced directly from suppliers in New Jersey. For American expats living in the area, his store is a lifesaver, never mind the fact that a box of cereal at his store costs about 3 times what it would cost in a U.S. grocery store! (4) Even in Singapore, the expats are not at lost. The wide variety of Seafood Plattercuisine available in Singapore ensures that expatriates here, whose palettes might not be accustomed to the spicy local fare, can still enjoy the taste of home. This article (5) reveals the favourite spots frequented by expatriates longing for hometown food.

There are two theories that can possibly explain our craving for comfort food when we’re far away from home. (6) Firstly, researchers believe food aromas can trigger memories. Hence, it might be the comfort and memory of home that we crave, and not necessarily the food. Secondly, there is a strong relationship between food and emotions. For instance, carbohydrates release a chemical agent, serotonin, in the brain. This chemical gives a feeling of well-being. Hence, this can explain why we crave foods that make us feel better (such as home fare) when we’re in stressful or unhappy situations.

So keep that in mind the next time you long for mee siam on your jaunts abroad!

Direct links:

(1) “A plateful of memories.”
Hsueh Yun, Tan. Straits Times. January 28, 2007. From Factiva

(2) “Chilli crab keeps S’pore spirit alive in S. Korea.”
Tee Jong, Lee. Straits Times. January 7, 2007. from Newsbank

(3) “Close-knit ties of Bahrain’s S’poreans.”
Straits Times. April 10, 2006. from Factiva

(4) “Parcels of memory, a bite at a time Stock the shelves for overseas tastes. The food issue: Nourishing the soul by sampling from the world's banquet.”
Emling, Shelley. International Herald Tribune. June 24, 2006. from Newsbank

(5) “A taste of home.”
Xinyi, Hong. Straits Times. November 5, 2006 from Newsbank

(6) “Killer cravings; Whether it's chocolate and chips or pizza and beer, giving in is easy . . . but resisting is easier when you know just why and when you crave a hit of that certain something.”
Shuttleworth, Joanne. Guelph Mercury. March 24, 2006. from Factiva

"Seafood Platter" Image courtesy Getty Images from EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier

Posted by digi.talk team at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I heard someone say recently that gamers, in order to make their experience feel more real, are requesting that the racing circuits, the mean streets and the alternative half-worlds they inhabit be populated with advertising. And here's me thinking that gaming was a brave attempt to get away from reality! So they asked for it, now they have got it - "in-game advertising"(1) is the latest ad person's dream.

With the decline of physical advertising and the drop in appeal of the broadcast variety - (truthfully how many times can you stand to watch that alluring scent ad before turning the sound down, changing channels or downright switching off?) The advent of ad-free TV as an option for the discriminating viewer is another ominous sign for the aspiring ad executive chasing those commissions. So where better to go than into the cyber nether world where the teen market lurks with their faddishness, their impulses and their viral marketing potential. But they had better hurry according to this report(2) from Jupiter Research the "opportunity window" is closing fast

The in-game advertising market is still very small related to the online ad spend, but is growing in appeal factor. Gaming companies have begun to let in the ads on the basis that it enhances the gaming environment, by boosting the realism of the environment, such as adboards on a highway, or a game feature where an avatar can work on his/her/its look by getting some designer threads or fancy gadget. The companies stipulate that these enivironmental or fashion additions should not detract from the experience, or diminish a fantastic world.
Advertisers who have tested in-game advertising have generally done so to target males ages 18 to 34, who represent 52 percent of total console gamers. Currently, males ages 18 to 34 average six hours per week playing console games, while teen males play for an average of eight hours per week. The preferred form of contact with an ad is to stay in the game rather than jumping to another page for more information or purchase.

Microsoft launched its next-generation console, the Xbox 360 (X360), last autumn, and this year Nintendo's new WII platform launched and Sony not far behind. The industry is officially in the middle of the start of the "next console cycle." The lure is more from the online gaming world due to how fast the game shape can change when the experience is not tied to a console release. The change of "game shape" is more and more being dictated by the gamer rather than the developer - making for an extended interactive experience driven by the gamers themselves.
The online world as an alternative to reality is about to morph - and it's time to think again about where you escape to. So all of you gamers out there - when you find yourself chased out of Narnia by the plush toy vendors, driven off the road trying to click on that ad board or find yourself a fashion victim in your cyberworld remember when you asked for it to be more like the "real world"

DIRECT LINKS
(1) In-Game Advertising: Playing to Win Concept Report - January 24, 2007 from Jupiter Research

(2) Demographic Profile: Teens Online
Concept Report - January 24, 2007 from Jupiter Research

(3) US Console Games Forecast, 2006 to 2011: Reaching Deeper into the Console Household
Vision Report - May 4, 2006 from Jupiter Research

Lead Image courtesy "Second Life"

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