The Word On The Street 2008 is fast approaching!
For more information on this year's festival check out our website at www.thewordonthestreet.ca as well as on Facebook (search for The Word On The Street).
It's going to be an amazing festival, with a huge and diverse exhibitor marketplace, as well as programming from some of the most celebrated authors in Canada. The festival really has something for everyone!
So mark your calenders: Sunday, September 28th, from 11am to 6pm at Queen's Park.
The Word On The Street 2008. Be there or be square. Seriously :).
J
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Pope
From the AP:
Pope texts Catholic youth
Pope Benedict XVI petted a koala and met other Australian native animals Wednesday during a low-key second day of a Catholic youth festival that has brought thousands of pilgrims to Sydney.
The pope, enjoying a final day of rest before joining the events on Thursday, held prayers at a private retreat Wednesday, then viewed some native Australian animals brought to him by wildlife officers, including a wallaby, a baby crocodile and a spiky echidna. He petted a koala, scratching it briefly behind the ear and smiling.
The World Youth Day celebration offered a relaxed schedule on Wednesday, beginning with "time for silence for reflection," according to the pilgrims' official handbook. The faithful attended barbecues at hundreds of venues around the city, browsed through souvenir shops and participated in a pilgrimage walk to St. Mary's Cathedral downtown. In the evening, a beach party at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach was to feature a rapping American priest.
Pilgrims also received the second of daily mobile phone text messages from Benedict: "The Holy Spirit gave the Apostles and gives u the power boldly 2 proclaim that Christ is risen! - BXVI."
The pope, enjoying a final day of rest before joining the events on Thursday, held prayers at a private retreat Wednesday, then viewed some native Australian animals brought to him by wildlife officers, including a wallaby, a baby crocodile and a spiky echidna. He petted a koala, scratching it briefly behind the ear and smiling.
Pope texts Catholic youth
Pope Benedict XVI petted a koala and met other Australian native animals Wednesday during a low-key second day of a Catholic youth festival that has brought thousands of pilgrims to Sydney.
The pope, enjoying a final day of rest before joining the events on Thursday, held prayers at a private retreat Wednesday, then viewed some native Australian animals brought to him by wildlife officers, including a wallaby, a baby crocodile and a spiky echidna. He petted a koala, scratching it briefly behind the ear and smiling.
The World Youth Day celebration offered a relaxed schedule on Wednesday, beginning with "time for silence for reflection," according to the pilgrims' official handbook. The faithful attended barbecues at hundreds of venues around the city, browsed through souvenir shops and participated in a pilgrimage walk to St. Mary's Cathedral downtown. In the evening, a beach party at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach was to feature a rapping American priest.
Pilgrims also received the second of daily mobile phone text messages from Benedict: "The Holy Spirit gave the Apostles and gives u the power boldly 2 proclaim that Christ is risen! - BXVI."
The pope, enjoying a final day of rest before joining the events on Thursday, held prayers at a private retreat Wednesday, then viewed some native Australian animals brought to him by wildlife officers, including a wallaby, a baby crocodile and a spiky echidna. He petted a koala, scratching it briefly behind the ear and smiling.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Donate
One of the most amazing things about Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign is that it's been a powerful, grassroots effort, encouraging people all across America to get informed, be active in their communities and raise unprecedented amounts of money for the campaign through a series of small donations. They're buying into Obama's vision: they believe in hope and the idea that they are the change that they have been waiting for. Yup. Something pretty inspiring about all of it. Think it's about time The Word On The Street gave it a try!
The Word On The Street is made possible with the support of funding partners and individuals that believe in this wonderful annual festival. Private donations are very important to maintaining the high-calibre level that our audiences have come to expect. Your continued support keeps this great event going.
Own a piece of the festival today. Contribute to The Word On The Street!
Donations can be directed to The Word On The Street Toronto Book and Magazine Festival through:
The Word On The Street Canada Inc.
67 Mowat Avenue, Suite 142
Toronto, ON M6K 3E3
(416) 504-7241
Charitable # 33 89232 5440 RR0001
A tax receipt will be issued for donations over $25.
See you at the festival!
J
The Word On The Street is made possible with the support of funding partners and individuals that believe in this wonderful annual festival. Private donations are very important to maintaining the high-calibre level that our audiences have come to expect. Your continued support keeps this great event going.
Own a piece of the festival today. Contribute to The Word On The Street!
Donations can be directed to The Word On The Street Toronto Book and Magazine Festival through:
The Word On The Street Canada Inc.
67 Mowat Avenue, Suite 142
Toronto, ON M6K 3E3
(416) 504-7241
Charitable # 33 89232 5440 RR0001
A tax receipt will be issued for donations over $25.
See you at the festival!
J
Hit
"In the first three months of 2008, Canadians sent 4.1 billion text messages, according to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. In 2007, Canadians sent more than 10 billion messages."
Remember when it was all about writing letters to people? There was something about taking the time to do that, really sitting with your thoughts you know? When I was in Banff at the PlayRites Colony, I was seeing a lovely young lady, and during my time at the Centre I managed to write her three love letters and man were they tough. Just sitting there in that love, trying to capture my feelings with words, words that were so unreliable. I just wanted to hug her. Or kiss her. Or better yet, "text" her a hug or a kiss.
Last year we sent 10 billion messages. And you know that somewhere in those 10 billion messages a million relationships ended, two million people were fired, and at least one unlucky dude sent a naughty text to his wife instead of his mistress. What a guy!
How things have changed. In the past, I could write "I love you" in a letter, mail it, and by the time you got it be in love with someone else. Now, I can tell someone I don't "luv" them anymore with my blackberry... which is pretty convenient in-between meetings.
What does all of this text messaging do to our language? To communication? Is it messing everything up? When I write: hey, how r u? Am I ruining the language for future generations?
Word has it that publishers are catching on to the texting craze, and some are offering books and graphic novels that can be read entirely through your cell phone. Because the readable space is smaller, the writing itself has to be more concise. You think Hemmingway was neat, wait till you see some of the masterpieces cell phone writers come up with: "I h8 u."
That means "I hate you."
KILLER!
Who knows what the future holds. But hit me up with a text. We can find out together.
J
Remember when it was all about writing letters to people? There was something about taking the time to do that, really sitting with your thoughts you know? When I was in Banff at the PlayRites Colony, I was seeing a lovely young lady, and during my time at the Centre I managed to write her three love letters and man were they tough. Just sitting there in that love, trying to capture my feelings with words, words that were so unreliable. I just wanted to hug her. Or kiss her. Or better yet, "text" her a hug or a kiss.
Last year we sent 10 billion messages. And you know that somewhere in those 10 billion messages a million relationships ended, two million people were fired, and at least one unlucky dude sent a naughty text to his wife instead of his mistress. What a guy!
How things have changed. In the past, I could write "I love you" in a letter, mail it, and by the time you got it be in love with someone else. Now, I can tell someone I don't "luv" them anymore with my blackberry... which is pretty convenient in-between meetings.
What does all of this text messaging do to our language? To communication? Is it messing everything up? When I write: hey, how r u? Am I ruining the language for future generations?
Word has it that publishers are catching on to the texting craze, and some are offering books and graphic novels that can be read entirely through your cell phone. Because the readable space is smaller, the writing itself has to be more concise. You think Hemmingway was neat, wait till you see some of the masterpieces cell phone writers come up with: "I h8 u."
That means "I hate you."
KILLER!
Who knows what the future holds. But hit me up with a text. We can find out together.
J
Monday, July 7, 2008
Pass the prosecco: Merriam-Webster unveils new dictionary words, including "Texas Hold 'em"
By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer
Is it acceptable to serve edamame to a dinner guest who's a pescatarian?
Should you pour prosecco or soju for the winner of the Texas Hold 'em game you're planning near the infinity pool? And what's that wing nut in the corner saying about dirty bombs and nasty Noroviruses?
Before your next party, go ahead and consult the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which now includes edamame (immature green soybeans), pescatarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) and about 100 other newly added words that have taken root in the American lexicon.
The wordsmiths at the Springfield, Mass.-based dictionary publisher say they picked the new entries after monitoring their use over years.
"As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language," said Peter Sokolowski, an editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster. "If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it's ready to go in the dictionary."
Many of the new entries reflect the nation's growing interest in the culinary arts, including prosecco (a sparkling Italian wine) and soju (a Korean vodka distilled from rice). Others define new technology or products, such as infinity pool -- an outdoor pool with an edge designed to make water appear to flow into the horizon.
Others reflect current events and much-discussed news topics, including dirty bomb (a conventional bomb that releases radioactive material) and Norovirus (small, round single-stranded RNA viruses, such as the Norwalk Virus).
And then there's "mondegreen." In a category of its own, it describes words mistaken for other words. A mondegreen most often comes from misunderstood phrases or lyrics.
It comes from an old Scottish ballad in which the lyric "laid him on the green" has been confused over time with "Lady Mondegreen."
Among the best-known modern examples: "There's a bathroom on the right" in place of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "There's a bad moon on the rise" and "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" in place of "kiss the sky" in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic "Purple Haze."
Even Sokolowski, a word expert by trade, has a favorite mondegreen: "Lucy in the sky with diamonds," as sung by the Beatles in 1967, made obvious sense to the preteen Peanuts comic fan as "Lucy in the sky with Linus."
Merriam-Webster's editors were so amused by the mondegreen concept that they plan to ask people to submit their favorites on the publishing company's Web site.
Mondegreen, first spotted in print in 1954, was among tens of thousands of words the wordsmiths watched for decades. That and others make the cut for the dictionary based on how widely they are used in publications ranging from newspapers to technical manuals.
"They can float for decades. What that means for the most part is that they've been used in more spoken forms than they were found written until recently," Sokolowski said.
John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president and publisher, said the cleverness of many Web-related terms makes them easy to grasp and gives them staying power. Webinar (an online meeting) is new, along with netroots (political grassroots activists who communicate online, especially in blogs).
"There's a kind of collective genius on the part of the people developing this technology, using vocabulary that is immediately accessible to all of us," he said. "It's sometimes absolutely poetic."
Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society and an English professor at MacMurray College in Illinois, said he thinks the entries that grew from the popularity of cooking shows and international cuisine will be the among most lasting and useful of the newcomers.
"I'm kind of used to laughing at the choices these editors publicize, but this time I'm impressed," he said.
Is it acceptable to serve edamame to a dinner guest who's a pescatarian?
Should you pour prosecco or soju for the winner of the Texas Hold 'em game you're planning near the infinity pool? And what's that wing nut in the corner saying about dirty bombs and nasty Noroviruses?
Before your next party, go ahead and consult the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which now includes edamame (immature green soybeans), pescatarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) and about 100 other newly added words that have taken root in the American lexicon.
The wordsmiths at the Springfield, Mass.-based dictionary publisher say they picked the new entries after monitoring their use over years.
"As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language," said Peter Sokolowski, an editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster. "If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it's ready to go in the dictionary."
Many of the new entries reflect the nation's growing interest in the culinary arts, including prosecco (a sparkling Italian wine) and soju (a Korean vodka distilled from rice). Others define new technology or products, such as infinity pool -- an outdoor pool with an edge designed to make water appear to flow into the horizon.
Others reflect current events and much-discussed news topics, including dirty bomb (a conventional bomb that releases radioactive material) and Norovirus (small, round single-stranded RNA viruses, such as the Norwalk Virus).
And then there's "mondegreen." In a category of its own, it describes words mistaken for other words. A mondegreen most often comes from misunderstood phrases or lyrics.
It comes from an old Scottish ballad in which the lyric "laid him on the green" has been confused over time with "Lady Mondegreen."
Among the best-known modern examples: "There's a bathroom on the right" in place of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "There's a bad moon on the rise" and "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" in place of "kiss the sky" in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic "Purple Haze."
Even Sokolowski, a word expert by trade, has a favorite mondegreen: "Lucy in the sky with diamonds," as sung by the Beatles in 1967, made obvious sense to the preteen Peanuts comic fan as "Lucy in the sky with Linus."
Merriam-Webster's editors were so amused by the mondegreen concept that they plan to ask people to submit their favorites on the publishing company's Web site.
Mondegreen, first spotted in print in 1954, was among tens of thousands of words the wordsmiths watched for decades. That and others make the cut for the dictionary based on how widely they are used in publications ranging from newspapers to technical manuals.
"They can float for decades. What that means for the most part is that they've been used in more spoken forms than they were found written until recently," Sokolowski said.
John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president and publisher, said the cleverness of many Web-related terms makes them easy to grasp and gives them staying power. Webinar (an online meeting) is new, along with netroots (political grassroots activists who communicate online, especially in blogs).
"There's a kind of collective genius on the part of the people developing this technology, using vocabulary that is immediately accessible to all of us," he said. "It's sometimes absolutely poetic."
Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society and an English professor at MacMurray College in Illinois, said he thinks the entries that grew from the popularity of cooking shows and international cuisine will be the among most lasting and useful of the newcomers.
"I'm kind of used to laughing at the choices these editors publicize, but this time I'm impressed," he said.
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