Wednesday, July 20, 2005
wednesday weirdness version 10.0
Ahh... once again it is Wednesday; time for some assorted and collected here for your enjoyment (and mine) worldwide weirdness!
In London, taking example upon a certain Jedi who once told his pupil semi-truths so that he would accept it a whole lot better and not dwell too much on it, the P.A.T. (the Professional Association of Teachers - what else) has proposed to "ban the word "fail" from use in British classrooms altogether" - yes sir! Henceforth, Britons will not "fail" - they will instead be experiencing "deferred success"... Okay... Such pats on one's back from the P.A.T. itself should encourage even the worst students of all to bring their teach an apple a day - mayhaps with a note that reads "To Sir, With Love" too...?!?
Luminous sarcasm... carry on!
In North Korea, they may despise America with all their hearts, however they are more than smart enough to realize that English is a language that can open doors, on the job market of course... Not really though if you choose to mimic, as a parrot would, the American slang used in B-movies and the like... They should go with a plan of studying carefully British films then - but not push it so far as to try to imitate the British accent; they would only meet with "deferred success" there I am afraid! Only then will they stand a truly good chance at scoring high on that TOEFL (what a weird acronym; Test of English as Foreign Language!) of theirs...!
Luminous witticisms - priceless, hmm?
In Taiwan, a restauranteur with a vision (though an odd one) has met with actual success - not deferred at all! It is true that eating and... what happens when nature calls (Ace Ventura knows all about that) are both very intricately linked... However, focusing too much on that link is somewhat... unappetizing... no? Still, this newstyle theme restaurant is a hit - and Planet Hollywood wasn't. Go figure...
Ha - a luminous barb directed at Tinseltown - I am on a roll!
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, an insidious case of home invasion of cataclysmic proportions since it attacked a historic 1930s house under protection by the T.H.P.D. (no - not the Police Department - the Tulsa Historic Preservation District rather! Not as "cool" an acronym as P.A.T. was either - but much better than the NHL's governing body - the B.O.G. - Board of Governors! No wonder they were mired in a morass of moribund and muggy so-called "negociations" for over 300 days...!!! But I digress... they don't have hockey in Oklahoma; lucky them. They have other bugs to bug them though...!).
And, to cap things off nicely; summer is here - why not go to the beach?
If in Seoul though, watch out for those long stretches of barbed wire...! They may not be done removing them quite yet...!!!
Eye-widening details and more - in the comments / luminous cornucopia section! ;)
In London, taking example upon a certain Jedi who once told his pupil semi-truths so that he would accept it a whole lot better and not dwell too much on it, the P.A.T. (the Professional Association of Teachers - what else) has proposed to "ban the word "fail" from use in British classrooms altogether" - yes sir! Henceforth, Britons will not "fail" - they will instead be experiencing "deferred success"... Okay... Such pats on one's back from the P.A.T. itself should encourage even the worst students of all to bring their teach an apple a day - mayhaps with a note that reads "To Sir, With Love" too...?!?
Luminous sarcasm... carry on!
In North Korea, they may despise America with all their hearts, however they are more than smart enough to realize that English is a language that can open doors, on the job market of course... Not really though if you choose to mimic, as a parrot would, the American slang used in B-movies and the like... They should go with a plan of studying carefully British films then - but not push it so far as to try to imitate the British accent; they would only meet with "deferred success" there I am afraid! Only then will they stand a truly good chance at scoring high on that TOEFL (what a weird acronym; Test of English as Foreign Language!) of theirs...!
Luminous witticisms - priceless, hmm?
In Taiwan, a restauranteur with a vision (though an odd one) has met with actual success - not deferred at all! It is true that eating and... what happens when nature calls (Ace Ventura knows all about that) are both very intricately linked... However, focusing too much on that link is somewhat... unappetizing... no? Still, this newstyle theme restaurant is a hit - and Planet Hollywood wasn't. Go figure...
Ha - a luminous barb directed at Tinseltown - I am on a roll!
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, an insidious case of home invasion of cataclysmic proportions since it attacked a historic 1930s house under protection by the T.H.P.D. (no - not the Police Department - the Tulsa Historic Preservation District rather! Not as "cool" an acronym as P.A.T. was either - but much better than the NHL's governing body - the B.O.G. - Board of Governors! No wonder they were mired in a morass of moribund and muggy so-called "negociations" for over 300 days...!!! But I digress... they don't have hockey in Oklahoma; lucky them. They have other bugs to bug them though...!).
And, to cap things off nicely; summer is here - why not go to the beach?
If in Seoul though, watch out for those long stretches of barbed wire...! They may not be done removing them quite yet...!!!
Eye-widening details and more - in the comments / luminous cornucopia section! ;)
Comments:
<< Home
CALL IT THE OBI-WAN SYNDROME; IT'S ALL IN THE WAY THAT YOU PUT IT...
"Deferred success", eh? - Jul 20, 9:02 AM (ET)
LONDON (Reuters) - The word "fail" should be banned from use in British classrooms and replaced with the phrase "deferred success" to avoid demoralizing pupils, a group of teachers has proposed.
Members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) argue that telling pupils they have failed can put them off learning for life.
A spokesman for the group said it wanted to avoid labeling children. "We recognize that children do not necessarily achieve success first time," he said.
"But I recognize that we can't just strike a word from the dictionary," he said.
The PAT said it would debate the proposal at a conference next week.
"Deferred success", eh? - Jul 20, 9:02 AM (ET)
LONDON (Reuters) - The word "fail" should be banned from use in British classrooms and replaced with the phrase "deferred success" to avoid demoralizing pupils, a group of teachers has proposed.
Members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) argue that telling pupils they have failed can put them off learning for life.
A spokesman for the group said it wanted to avoid labeling children. "We recognize that children do not necessarily achieve success first time," he said.
"But I recognize that we can't just strike a word from the dictionary," he said.
The PAT said it would debate the proposal at a conference next week.
DAMN UGLY AMERICANS - BUT WE COULD USE THEIR LANGUAGE THOUGH...
'Don't move or I will shoot...' Jul 20, 9:06 AM (ET) By Kim Yoo-chul
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea may be one of the most reclusive states on the globe, but a growing number of its citizens are taking a common test to measure their proficiency in American English as a second language.
English entered North Korea's education system in the mid-1960s as a part of a "knowing the enemy" program: phrases such as "capitalist running dog," imported from fellow communists in the former Soviet Union, were part of the curriculum.
But South Korean officials say that scoring well on a test for English proficiency is now increasingly seen in the North as a way to secure a good job that requires international communication skills.
The number of North Koreans taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has risen almost fivefold in less than five years, and scores for North Koreans have also improved, the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service said earlier this month.
The number of North Koreans taking TOEFL hit 4,783 in the July 2003-June 2004 period compared to about 1,000 North Korean test-takers before 2000, it said in a press release.
"The North Korean government has acknowledged the increasing importance of teaching its students English since about 2000," an official from South Korea's Unification Ministry said.
"RAISE YOUR HANDS"
The official, who asked not to be named, said English may soon supplant Russian as the top foreign language studied in North Korea. This comes despite repeated blasts in North Korean official media that vilify the United States, and a lack of native English-speaking instructors.
In the past North Korea's elite students were taught English translations of its late founder Kim Il-sung's collected works.
In 2000, the North started broadcasting a 10-minute weekly segment called "TV English" that focused on rudimentary conversation.
One North Korean defector in Seoul said English is also taught in the military, along with Japanese. Soldiers are required to learn about 100 sentences such as, "Raise your hands." and "Don't move or I will shoot."
TOEFL is not administered in North Korea, which has no diplomatic relations with the United States.
Most of the test-takers are North Korean residents in Japan, North Korean students in places such as China and the children of diplomats overseas, officials said.
TOEFL, introduced in 1964, measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings, ETS said on its Web site.
'Don't move or I will shoot...' Jul 20, 9:06 AM (ET) By Kim Yoo-chul
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea may be one of the most reclusive states on the globe, but a growing number of its citizens are taking a common test to measure their proficiency in American English as a second language.
English entered North Korea's education system in the mid-1960s as a part of a "knowing the enemy" program: phrases such as "capitalist running dog," imported from fellow communists in the former Soviet Union, were part of the curriculum.
But South Korean officials say that scoring well on a test for English proficiency is now increasingly seen in the North as a way to secure a good job that requires international communication skills.
The number of North Koreans taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has risen almost fivefold in less than five years, and scores for North Koreans have also improved, the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service said earlier this month.
The number of North Koreans taking TOEFL hit 4,783 in the July 2003-June 2004 period compared to about 1,000 North Korean test-takers before 2000, it said in a press release.
"The North Korean government has acknowledged the increasing importance of teaching its students English since about 2000," an official from South Korea's Unification Ministry said.
"RAISE YOUR HANDS"
The official, who asked not to be named, said English may soon supplant Russian as the top foreign language studied in North Korea. This comes despite repeated blasts in North Korean official media that vilify the United States, and a lack of native English-speaking instructors.
In the past North Korea's elite students were taught English translations of its late founder Kim Il-sung's collected works.
In 2000, the North started broadcasting a 10-minute weekly segment called "TV English" that focused on rudimentary conversation.
One North Korean defector in Seoul said English is also taught in the military, along with Japanese. Soldiers are required to learn about 100 sentences such as, "Raise your hands." and "Don't move or I will shoot."
TOEFL is not administered in North Korea, which has no diplomatic relations with the United States.
Most of the test-takers are North Korean residents in Japan, North Korean students in places such as China and the children of diplomats overseas, officials said.
TOEFL, introduced in 1964, measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings, ETS said on its Web site.
YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT SHITTY RESTAURANTS... THIS ONE THRIVES ON THIS SORT OF REPUTATION - BUT ONLY IN APPEARANCE...!
Taiwanese restaurant attracts diners with bizarre toilet bowl theme
03/06/2005 7:45:00 AM
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang has given new meaning to the traditional revellers' cry of bottoms up.
WALLY SANTANA
His Marton eatery in the southern city of Kaohsiung delivers its food not on conventional plates and dishes, but in miniaturized Western and Asian style toilets, both the flush and non-flush variety.
For anyone missing the point, diners are encouraged to stir up mushy, earth-coloured offerings like curry chicken rice and chocolate ice cream to conjure up - well, the real thing.
Located in a downtown area with a variety of competing eateries, Marton - the name means toilet in Chinese - attracts its customers through its some dazzling bathroom decor.
Walking in through an arched door, diners are greeted with a giant toilet bowl sitting between two urinals. White ceramic toilet sets comfortably accommodate their bottoms, and urinals grace the walls.
Giggling helplessly, high school student Chen Yi-lin gulps down a chocolate ice-cream sundae served in a miniature Asian-style squat toilet, and admits that she is smitten.
"This is fun," she says.
Wang, 26, opened the Marton last year after a roadside prototype - a stand offering toilet-shaped ice cream cones - achieved runaway success.
Now, he says, he has moved decisively upmarket.
"Diners come and walk away with the special experience," he said. "Many try to create more fun, stirring up curry and rice so it looks exactly like when you forget to flush the toilet. Then they gulp it down."
For all its scatological excess, the Marton is following in the noblest tradition of Taiwanese novelty restaurants.
Other successful ventures have purposely confined scores of contented diners to coffins or jail cells, or exposed them to full-scale pictures of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, Taiwan's political nemesis until his death in 1976.
Taiwanese restaurant attracts diners with bizarre toilet bowl theme
03/06/2005 7:45:00 AM
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang has given new meaning to the traditional revellers' cry of bottoms up.
WALLY SANTANA
His Marton eatery in the southern city of Kaohsiung delivers its food not on conventional plates and dishes, but in miniaturized Western and Asian style toilets, both the flush and non-flush variety.
For anyone missing the point, diners are encouraged to stir up mushy, earth-coloured offerings like curry chicken rice and chocolate ice cream to conjure up - well, the real thing.
Located in a downtown area with a variety of competing eateries, Marton - the name means toilet in Chinese - attracts its customers through its some dazzling bathroom decor.
Walking in through an arched door, diners are greeted with a giant toilet bowl sitting between two urinals. White ceramic toilet sets comfortably accommodate their bottoms, and urinals grace the walls.
Giggling helplessly, high school student Chen Yi-lin gulps down a chocolate ice-cream sundae served in a miniature Asian-style squat toilet, and admits that she is smitten.
"This is fun," she says.
Wang, 26, opened the Marton last year after a roadside prototype - a stand offering toilet-shaped ice cream cones - achieved runaway success.
Now, he says, he has moved decisively upmarket.
"Diners come and walk away with the special experience," he said. "Many try to create more fun, stirring up curry and rice so it looks exactly like when you forget to flush the toilet. Then they gulp it down."
For all its scatological excess, the Marton is following in the noblest tradition of Taiwanese novelty restaurants.
Other successful ventures have purposely confined scores of contented diners to coffins or jail cells, or exposed them to full-scale pictures of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, Taiwan's political nemesis until his death in 1976.
TALK ABOUT A HOME INVASION...!!!
Home sweet home: 20,000 bees infest Oklahoma family's home
01/06/2005 1:10:00 PM
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Beekeepers plan to remove about 20,000 bees from Eric and Jacque Scholl's home in the historic Swan Lake neighbourhood.
The Scholls called for professional help after their three-year-old son, Nicholas, was stung.
Beekeepers Bruce and Joyce Caldwell found several hives under the floor of the second storey of the Scholls' house. The bee combs under the floor were about 15 centimetres thick. They first noticed the bees two years ago.
A modified vacuum cleaner will be used to suck the bees out through a length of tube and deposit them in a sealed container. The bees will be taken to an apiary, where their honey will be harvested.
The Scholls said they have been delayed in removing the bees because they needed to find a contractor who could expose the insects by tearing out walls and flooring and yet stay within the guidelines of the Tulsa Historic Preservation District, which includes their 1930's home.
The family has not received an estimate of how much the bee removal will cost.
Home sweet home: 20,000 bees infest Oklahoma family's home
01/06/2005 1:10:00 PM
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Beekeepers plan to remove about 20,000 bees from Eric and Jacque Scholl's home in the historic Swan Lake neighbourhood.
The Scholls called for professional help after their three-year-old son, Nicholas, was stung.
Beekeepers Bruce and Joyce Caldwell found several hives under the floor of the second storey of the Scholls' house. The bee combs under the floor were about 15 centimetres thick. They first noticed the bees two years ago.
A modified vacuum cleaner will be used to suck the bees out through a length of tube and deposit them in a sealed container. The bees will be taken to an apiary, where their honey will be harvested.
The Scholls said they have been delayed in removing the bees because they needed to find a contractor who could expose the insects by tearing out walls and flooring and yet stay within the guidelines of the Tulsa Historic Preservation District, which includes their 1930's home.
The family has not received an estimate of how much the bee removal will cost.
JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE BEACH... EH?
Glistening beaches, very little barbed wire...
Jun 28, 10:38 AM (ET)
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea wants to make its beaches more user friendly and thinks a good place to start would be by removing enormous stretches of barbed wire from its shores.
The Maritime Ministry said Tuesday it will start removing barbed wire, used to slow down a possible North Korean landing, from some of its eastern coastal areas next year in order to make the sandy shores more inviting to South Korean tourists.
"The job of guarding the coast can be done by closed circuit TV," a ministry official said by telephone.
The ministry will eliminate about 3 kilometers (2 miles) of the 68-km (43-mile) barbed wire fence it has in an east coast province that is just south of the border it shares with North Korea.
The fence was installed to deter the possible infiltration of North Korean spies and soldiers. North Korean submarines have reportedly surfaced in waters off the province.
The ministry said the would not compromise national defense.
Glistening beaches, very little barbed wire...
Jun 28, 10:38 AM (ET)
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea wants to make its beaches more user friendly and thinks a good place to start would be by removing enormous stretches of barbed wire from its shores.
The Maritime Ministry said Tuesday it will start removing barbed wire, used to slow down a possible North Korean landing, from some of its eastern coastal areas next year in order to make the sandy shores more inviting to South Korean tourists.
"The job of guarding the coast can be done by closed circuit TV," a ministry official said by telephone.
The ministry will eliminate about 3 kilometers (2 miles) of the 68-km (43-mile) barbed wire fence it has in an east coast province that is just south of the border it shares with North Korea.
The fence was installed to deter the possible infiltration of North Korean spies and soldiers. North Korean submarines have reportedly surfaced in waters off the province.
The ministry said the would not compromise national defense.
If these are elementry kids, would they even know the meaning of the word ( deferred )? I doubt it, and so they wouldn't know what deferred success means. No matter what it still means that they did NOT succeed, so what is the differentce. If they are put back a grade because they didn't pass, they still will feel the same way no matter what word is used!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What the ....? DAMN UGLY AMERICANS?
They have no use for us, yet they want to learn our language. They only want to learn it so they can communicate with us before they shoot us? That is messed up! Now they want to learn it for business.
Did you notice, that the second article talks about the North Korean's. The Last article is about the South Korean's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GAG, GAG, GAG...
I don't think I could eat food out of something looking like a toilet, and the food looking like real crap! I just can't see how people think that is plesent!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That bee invasion sounds kind of like some movies I have seen. I hope they get them all, and don't forget the Queen bee!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The South Korean's just THINK that getting rid of the barb wire fences is a good idea to make the beaches user friendly. Duh, who wants to climb over or under barb wire fences to get to the beach? Like Nobody!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luciano,
Thanks for the fancinating weird topics for weirdness wednesday.
((HUGS))
Countess
Post a Comment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What the ....? DAMN UGLY AMERICANS?
They have no use for us, yet they want to learn our language. They only want to learn it so they can communicate with us before they shoot us? That is messed up! Now they want to learn it for business.
Did you notice, that the second article talks about the North Korean's. The Last article is about the South Korean's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GAG, GAG, GAG...
I don't think I could eat food out of something looking like a toilet, and the food looking like real crap! I just can't see how people think that is plesent!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That bee invasion sounds kind of like some movies I have seen. I hope they get them all, and don't forget the Queen bee!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The South Korean's just THINK that getting rid of the barb wire fences is a good idea to make the beaches user friendly. Duh, who wants to climb over or under barb wire fences to get to the beach? Like Nobody!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luciano,
Thanks for the fancinating weird topics for weirdness wednesday.
((HUGS))
Countess
<< Home
