A Pirate's Life For Me

Ahoy ! -

Linguists speak up for Singlish
They say it reflects mix of languages here, and won't hurt standard English

SINGLISH may be the bane of teachers, but it is music to the ears of linguists.
More than 40 academics worldwide, drawn by the evolving nature of Singapore English, or Singlish, have published research papers or books on it.
It is immensely valuable as a living tongue that is evolving all the time, and reflects the multicultural linguistic background of the country, they said.
'Singapore is an exciting place for a linguist, with people moving from one language to another,' said sociolinguist Anthea Fraser Gupta.
'For a linguist, it's the equivalent of a really well-equipped laboratory for a chemist.'
Dr Gupta, 57, developed a strong research interest in Singlish during her 21 years as an academic in Singapore. She left in 1996 and is now a senior lecturer at the University of Leeds, but continues to track the use of Singlish in blogs.
Other than local academics at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, other researchers hail from countries as far away as Germany and Portugal.
Dr Edgar Schneider, 54, from the University of Regensburg in Germany, developed an interest in English in post-colonial countries when he became the editor of a journal called English World-Wide in 1997.
'Singapore is one of the more interesting ones. I don't think there's another post-colonial country where English is so embraced. English is used widely but not as thoroughly as in Singapore.'
Dr David Deterding, 51, originally from Britain and now teaching at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, previously taught at the National Institute of Education here.
He said: 'One characteristic of Singapore that makes its English special is the fact that the four official languages are all completely unrelated.
'The emergent maturity of the English of Singapore in a society with such a rich mixture of languages makes it of special interest.'
Singlish and standard English can and do co-exist, said Dr Gupta. 'There is no evidence that the presence of Singlish causes damage to standard English.'
The organisers of the Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) say they are not anti-Singlish.
Their aim, they said, is to make sure that everyone can speak standard English first.
A spokesman said: 'The presence of Singlish causes damage to standard English only when people do not have a good grounding in standard English.
'That is why an environment in which good English is spoken is so important for young children.'
Added Dr Deterding: 'To the extent that organisers of the SGEM try to enhance awareness of standard forms of pronunciation and grammar, they do a worthwhile job.
'When they try instead to eliminate Singlish, they are probably fighting a losing cause.

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 9.12.08

Ahoy ! -

Chocolate version of the Big Ben

Clock watchers with a sweet tooth, here's something to tickle your taste buds.
A chocolate reproduction of Britain's famous Big Ben stands tall in the mediaeval town of Macerata Feltria in the province of Pesaro in Italy.
The chocolate version is 11m tall and is made from 8,000kg of chocolate. It is on display during the town's Wonderland festivities.
PHOTO: REUTERS

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 9.12.08

Ahoy ! -

Hey, good looking

It glides slowly, showing off its glorious shades of blue and yellow and grey. This beauty is a chambered nautilus, which belongs to the marine family of cephalopods. It is one of four new species on display at Sentosa's Underwater World Singapore. The others are the mimic octopus, the giant Pacific octopus and the pharaoh cuttlefish. All are equipped with different abilities to camouflage themselves for survival. According to Dr Jeffrey Mahon, the attraction's curatorial director, cephalopods are regarded as the smartest form of invertebrate life.

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 12.11.08

Ahoy ! -

November 11, 2008
Andy Cole announces retirement from football

Ex-Red Andy Cole has announced his retirement from football, bringing down the curtain on a 19-year career.Cole enjoyed spells with 13 clubs including Arsenal, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, where sadly his career came to an end not befitting his impresssive contribution to the game."It's not the ideal ending," Cole told The Times. "It just wasn't working out. I told them from the outset that I didn't want to go there to sit on the bench because I didn't want to be perceived as sitting back and making easy money."Despite the slightly sour taste of his career's final act, Cole has plenty to look back on and feel proud about. "I wouldn't change a thing. I've lived the dream," he said.Undoubtedly his most successful spell came during his six trophy-laden years at Old Trafford, where he won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League winners medal as part of 1999's famous Treble.He served as United's no.9 with distinction, scoring 121 goals in 275 appearances. In his first season following a then-record £6.25million transfer from Newcastle, Cole scored five goals in the 9-0 rout of Ipswich Town at OT - still an individual and team best in the Premier League.Cole left United in December 2001, and understandably did not scale the heights he had with the Reds. However, he did score the winning goal for Blackburn in the 2002 Worthington Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.The 37-year-old has already been tipped to pursue a coaching career. Blackburn are reported to have expressed an interest in giving him his break behind the scenes.

Cole's achievements at Manchester United

Premier League
Winner (5):1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01
FA Cup
Winner (2): 1995-96, 1998-99
Runner-up (1): 1994-95
FA Community Shield
Winner (2): 1996, 1997
Runner-up (3): 1998, 1999, 2000
UEFA Champions League
Winner (1): 1998-99
UEFA Super Cup
Runner-up (1): 1999
Intercontinental Cup
Winner (1): 1999

Cole's Manchester United career

On January 10, 1995, Cole was suddenly sold in a shock deal to Manchester United for a deal worth £7 million - £6 million cash plus £1 million-rated Keith Gillespie going in the opposite direction, setting a new record for most expensive British transfer at the time. This record was broken five months later by Arsenal's £7.5million acquisition of Dennis Berkamp from Inter Milan.
He scored 12 goals in his first 18 Premiership games for United, including five in the 9-0 rout of Ipswich Town, a Premiership record, and two goals in United's 3-2 victory away at Coventry City. However, he missed two simples chances against West Ham United on the final day of the season as they could only manage a 1-1 draw and the league title went to Blackburn Rovers instead. Cole's first goal for United had come against Aston Villa on 4 February, the only goal in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Exactly one month later, he scored five goals as United hammered Ipswich Town 9-0 and pushed their opponents closer to eventual relegation.
He was cup-tied for the FA Cup final a week later. Without him, United lost to Everton 1-0. United were also without the banned Eric Cantona and the injured Andrei Kanchelskis, the club's next two highest scorers that season after Cole.
Despite a difficult first full season in Manchester, Cole scored in four successive games during the winter, including an important opening goal in United's 2-0 defeat of title rivals Newcastle United on December 27. Cole collected a Premiership title winners medal and scored the second goal in United's 3-0 defeat of Middlesbrough on the final day of the season which won United the Premiership title. He also played in their FA Cup final victory to become part of England's first ever side to win the double twice.
The arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjær - and being the victim of two broken legs suffered after a tackle by Neil Ruddock in a reserve game against Liverpool - restricted Cole's first-team chances in 1996-97, but he still played in 20 Premiership games (10 as a substitute). He ended the season with several goals to complete his comeback, and qualified for another Premiership title medal. Before the season began he had been offered to Blackburn Rovers as part-exchange in a £12 million deal which would have brought Alan Shearer to Old Trafford. But the offer was turned down and Shearer opted for Newcastle instead.
For the 1997-98 season Cole found his best form ever for the club, becoming the joint top goalscorer in the Premiership during the course of the season with 18 goals, including a slew of goals, including a chip against Everton that fans voted the Manchester United goal of the season. Cole also developed a strong partnership with Teddy Sheringham. However, United finished trophyless for only the second time in 9 seasons. Cole scored his first European hat-trick for the club in an away match at Feyenoord. Cole ended the season runner up in the PFA Players' Player of the Year award to Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp. But despite this and being the leading goalscorer in all competitions that season with 25, Cole was omitted from England's 1998 World Cup squad by then-manager Glenn Hoddle.[3] When asked about his new found success, Cole claimed that he had found freedom in his life after the injuries of the previous season, saying he had great joy with his newborn son, and lived for him and in his faith as a Born again Christian. He also claimed the friendship of Ryan Giggs, his room-mate on away games, was a major motivating factor even though times were hard and fans doubted him at United.
Cole faced competition from Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær during the 1998-99 season but developed a partnership with Yorke, which saw him play a key role in the side's unique treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. Cole scored the winning goal in United's final Premiership game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, a result which meant United finished 1 point ahead of rivals Arsenal to win the Premiership title. He also scored United's third and winning goal in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Juventus, sealing their place in the final for the first time in over 30 years. The striking partnership with Yorke contributed 53 goals between them. Also in this season, Cole scored his 100th Premiership goal in a top of the table clash against Arsenal at Old Trafford on February 17. The match ended 1-1.
He was United's top scorer again in 1999-2000 with 19 goals in 28 Premiership games. He collected his fourth Premiership title medal in five seasons, and scored over 20 goals in all competitions for the third successive season. Cole scored many goals for United including the only goal of the game in their top of the table clash against their closest rivals Leeds United. He also joined an elite group during this season by scoring his 100th goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Wimbledon. Injury just prior to Euro 2000 led to Cole missing out on another major competition for his country.
Another title followed in 2000-01 when, despite suffering from an injury that restricted his appearances, Cole scored 13 goals in all competitions, including four in the European Cup allowing him at the time to become Manchester United's record goal scorer in the competition.
He made one last appearance for Manchester United in the UEFA Celebration Match on 13 March 2007, coming on at half time for a friendly game between Manchester United and European XI in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Community and 50 years of Manchester United in the European Cup.

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 12.11.08

Ahoy ! -

Just wondering why the human anatomy contains many 3-letter words for the parts.

Rather strange but amazing nevertheless!

1. Eye

2. Ear

3. Lip

4. Jaw

5. Gum

6. Arm

7. Leg

8. Toe

9. Rib

10. Hip

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 10.11.08

Ahoy ! -

Lost in translation

LONDON: Officials in Wales mistakenly erected a road sign that read 'I am not in the office at the moment' in Welsh after a translation mix-up.
The sign originally said in English: 'No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only.'
But when Swansea Council officials sent it to be translated, they received an automated e-mail written in Welsh that read: 'I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated.'
Unaware of the actual meaning of the e-mail, officials had the sign printed and put up near a supermarket, only realising their mistake when Welsh speakers pointed it out.
'We took it down as soon as we were made aware of it and a correct sign will be installed as soon as possible,' said a Swansea Council spokesman.
All road signs in Wales have to be in English and Welsh.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

cjs: It's astonishing & hilarious!

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 5.11.08

Ahoy ! -

Sky's no limit for long-legged Dutch?

THE HAGUE: Changes to the cockpit of a new fighter jet could offer hope to would-be pilots who are turned down by the Dutch Air Force because their legs are too long.
'We had a list of operational requirements, and one of these was that Dutch pilots should fit in the cockpits,' air force spokesman Sascha Louwhoff said, referring to the new aircraft currently under development.
'It may be funny, but it's true...Our pilots are obviously taller than Italian or Turkish pilots. Over the years, the Dutch people have grown taller, and we've had to keep up with that.'
To this end, producer Lockheed Martin has agreed to make changes to the cockpit of the Joint Strike Fighter, which is being jointly developed by nine nations, including the Netherlands, said Ms Louwhoff.
The fighter is one of three shortlisted to replace the Netherlands' ageing fleet of 85 F-16s. Currently, the Dutch Air Force is compelled to turn down aspiring pilots who are too tall in spite of their other qualifications, she added.
'There is a limit if you simply don't fit into the cockpit. Obviously this is not something we want to do, and we want to be able to choose from a bigger group,' she said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

-MySelf - PiratePlans - Gibberish - Mateys -

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 9.12.08

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 9.12.08

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 12.11.08

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 12.11.08

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 10.11.08

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 5.11.08

Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl on 5.11.08