2017年1月31日 星期二

Theresa May's industrial plan


對於開始啟動脫歐程序的英國來說,雖然外界一直不看好英國接下來的經…
FINANCE.TECHNEWS.TW|作者:財經新報


Industrial strategy - GOV.UK

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/industrial-strategy
PM unveils plans for a modern Industrial Strategy fit for Global Britain ... Baroness Neville-Rolfe's speech to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit.

Hurrah for the industrial strategy. At last Britain has a plan | Business ...

https://www.theguardian.com › Business › Manufacturing sector
Jan 22, 2017 - The prime minister established the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy soon after she succeeded David Cameron in ...

Theresa May's industrial plan signals shift to more state intervention ...

https://www.theguardian.com › Business › Theresa May
Jan 23, 2017 - “The modern industrial strategy … will be underpinned by a new ... of the government's post-Brexit strategy to keep others investing in the UK, ...

2017年1月29日 星期日

Chart shows 'what the British say, what they really mean, and what others understand'

Chart shows 'what the British say, what they really mean, and what others understand'

The table claims that when British people say it's 'quite good' - it's really 'a bit disappointing'

A chart that claims to show the differences between what British people say, what they really mean - and what non-British people understand by it - is being shared widely on social media.
But what is behind its success?
The three-part table was first reported in 2011, and is split into three columns. It details examples such as, "I hear what you say", a phrase commonly used by British people in a range of social and business situations.
Contrary to what Britons think they are saying, however, what they really mean when they use the expression is, "I disagree and do not want to discuss it further" - according to the chart. 
And as for what people from outside of Britain understand, it's another translation entirely.
The chart claims that rather than picking up on a lack of enthusiasm, non-native English speakers or those from other parts of the EU or beyond are actually likely to take Britons at face value and assume they are saying, "I accept your point of view".
And rather than realising that when British people murmur, "That's not bad" - and really mean "That's good" - non-Brits think they've done a terrible job.
What's more, the chart claims the phrase "very interesting", when spoken by a British person, really means "This is clearly nonsense" - while a fellow European would read it as, "they are impressed". 
language-web.jpg
The chart discusses veiled language and cultural stereotypes
The nuances of such loaded conversations, which have also been analysed by Business Insider, may seem rather baffling. 
Dr Matthew Melia, a senior lecturer in Performance and Screen Studies at Kingston University, who teaches about cultural linguistics and stereotypes, told The Independent the truth behind what we say and what we really mean may depend a little on individual - and regional - characteristics. 
"I’m from Liverpool and we just say what we mean," he said. "I teach television and in our first year classes we talk about how meaning is constructed and how an image can show you one thing and say something else.
"The thing that really pops into my mind is the kind of phrase you hear a lot, such, ‘I’m not racist, but…’. When people say that, it’s a subsconscious recognition that what you’re about to say is, actually, incredibly racist. And it shows that very often, people don't say what they're really thinking or what they mean because they're scared of being judged."
Dr Melia also said that the kind of language we use may depend on our career or the kind of business we're involved in. 
"When I’m with my students and giving them feedback I tend to be direct," he said. "If it’s bad, it’s bad – if it’s good then it’s good. As a lecturer and tutor I have a duty to be direct with students, whereas in business there’s likely to be a whole lexicon of sayings and language, such as the phrase, ‘blue sky thinking’. 
"As someone who works within academia, I don’t think it’s good to be indirect. Students need to be able to be on the same page and you can’t give them mixed messages. For me, the same rules apply with friends and family, which is probably why my mouth gets me into trouble sometimes!"
Dr Melia criticised the chart, however, for propagating an "us vs them" mentality. 
"By labelling these columns, 'what the British say' and making it appear differently to those from other parts of the EU, very much marks it out as an 'us vs them' mentality," he said.
"Whereas what we say depends very much on the situation, and I would question how applicable this chart is to a wider set of social interactions.
"The first column of the chart appears to me to be a very antiquated, softened, white middle-class, polite and decorous way of making a point. It's a very loose version of what we say, and disregards all nuance."
Dr Melia said he did recognise some of the phrases that the chart claims British people use often, but that he felt more familiar with the second column. 
He said: "I recognise the first column, certainly - but these kind of phrases are often ways of disguising someone making a bad point. From my own experience, I recognise the second column, 'What the British mean', much more.
"I think it is always better to be direct and to let people know where you stand. It kind of annoys me when people sugar the pill. There are occasions when it needs to be done – when you're trying to be sensitive or delicate. But if you’re down the pub with your mates and someone says something clearly ridiculous then you should make your case and challenge it directly. If you do that by going around the houses then it lacks impact.
"Language doesn’t have a fixed point, it changes, it’s culturally coded."
But as for the chart's popularity, Dr Melia says that while we may think we're comfortable with stereotypes, the reality is a little different. 
"Are we comfortable with stereotypes?" he says.
"Or is it actually cliche? The reason we are comfortable with cliché is because the words we say, or hear, have a recognised meaning to them."

No US papers put Theresa May's visit on their front page. It's time to face our insignificance

'Her visit will quickly be forgotten'

Tooting, London


Tooting is located in Greater London
Tooting
Tooting
Tooting shown within Greater London
Population16,239 (2011 Census. Ward)[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooting




Andy Haslam for The New York Times


FOOTSTEPS
The London of London’s Mayor

By KATIE ENGELHART

Mayor Sadiq Khan, the son of a Pakistani bus driver, has always made his home in Tooting, a gentrifying area that says much about the city’s evolving face.

Scotland considering making wolf whistling a hate crime

wolf whistle
ˈwʊlf wɪs(ə)l/
noun
  1. 1.
    a whistle with a rising and falling pitch, directed towards someone to express sexual attraction or admiration.
verb
  1. 1.
    direct a wolf whistle at.
    "fans wolf-whistled her as she took off her jacket"

How To Wolf Whistle - YouTube

The Independent
The right decision?

Diana Statue to be Erected on the Grounds of Kensington Palace

"It has been twenty years since our mother's death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue," Prince William of Wales and Prince Harry said in a statement issued by Kensington Palace.

Northampton, the most enterprising town in Britain


Northampton
Town in England
Northampton /nɔːrθˈæmptən/ is the county town of Northamptonshire in the East Midlands of England. It lies on the River Nene, about 67 miles north-west of London and 50 miles south-east of Birmingham. Wikipedia
Weather6°C, Wind S at 13 km/h, 93% Humidity

It has a whopping employment rate of 79% – the second-highest in the country. (BBC Capital)

Why this town is where it’s at if you want to start your own business.
BBC.COM|由 ANGELA HENSHALL 上傳

Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE (22 January 1940 – 27 January 2017)


雞年春節,影壇驚傳憾事,英國偉大影星約翰赫…
STORM.MG|作者:風傳媒


Sir John Hurt has passed away at the age of 77, leaving behind an insurmountable body of work spanning six decades.
In many ways, Hurt could be deemed the ultimate character actor - a versatile performer who possessed the ability to transform every project he found himself associated with be it on stage, television or film.
The actor - who was knighted in 2015 - racked up well over 140 performances, all of which you can see in the above clip from the actor's archives.
Featured are films The Elephant Man1984ScandalHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - in which he played wandmaker Ollivander - and the iconic 'chestburster' scene from Ridley Scott's 1979 classic Alien.

Top stories


More for John Hurt

John Hurt - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hurt

Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE (22 January 1940 – 27 January 2017) was an English actor and voice actor whose career spanned six decades. He initially came to ...




Obituary: John Hurt

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29343784