Is Twitter Killing English?

Are social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook freezing our brains? Is the younger generation turning into slobbering nerd? Recently, Hollywood Actor Ralph Fiennes held social networking websites such as Twitter responsible for thudding down the English language. The social media debate over language skill is there to stay for some time now.

The 48-year-old actor, best known as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, does not own a Twitter account, but he believes, "Our expressiveness and our ease with some words is being diluted so that the sentence with more than one clause is a problem for us, and the word of more than two syllables is a problem for us."

During the premier of Coriolanus, his directorial debut at London Film Festival, he gave words to his worries regarding the language used by today's youth. It looks like a side-effect of being a classically trained Shakespearean actor and turning out as a pretentious defender of the English language. Throughout his speech at the British Film Institute's London Film Festival, Fiennes lectured on the current state of the English language and how it's being wrecked. He thanked the social networking sites for making the students suffer at the drama school. "I hear it, too, from people at drama schools, who say the younger intake find the density of a Shakespeare text a challenge in a way that, perhaps, (students) a few generations ago maybe wouldn't have."

It's not only Fiennes who advances on this theory. Recently JP Davidson, author of Planet Word, debated that longer words are no more favored as shorter. The text language is slowly turning into the real language; the standard words are now Twitterised abbreviations. He said, "You only have to look on Twitter to see evidence of the fact that a lot of English words that are used say in Shakespeare's plays or PG Wodehouse novels " both of them avid inventors of new words " are so little used that people don't even know what they mean now."

Linguist Noam Chomsky in an interview with DC blog Brightest Young Things calls Twitter "very shallow communication". He says, "It requires a very brief, concise form of thought and so on that tends toward superficiality and draws people away from real serious communication. It is not a medium of a serious interchange."

Language has always been subjective to changes, feel some critics. Text messaging and tweeting are only accelerating the pace of this change. Social media is just making these changes visible as they arise. We no more speak high polished English like hundred years ago; sometimes we slip back to slang instead of soliloquies. It?s unlikely to halt any changes or reverse them, and there?s nothing bad in changing. Some feel Twitter is not demolishing the English language, rather it's making it better. It only allows for 140 character musings, providing abbreviations that don't accurately chase usual spelling or grammar rules.

It does not matter much if this type of communication doesn?t live up to English ideals. The New York Times's Ben Zimmer points out, "Social scientists can simply take advantage of Twitter?s stream to eavesdrop on a virtually limitless array of language in action.? Whether people approve or not, Twitter is happening and it's really not all that bad. Language evolves and Twitter is presently making it easier to pathway what's happening.

Source:- http://www.siliconindia.com/

10 Countries with Most Economic Freedom

Economic freedom is a very important term for any country to grow its economy and economic polices. Economic freedom of country emphasizes on free markets and easier trade policies to follow. It also means distributive justice and basic freedom to all individuals. Two thirds of the world's population's economic freedom is inhibited by bureaucracy, limited credit, and corruption.

In the case of India, economic reforms were made in the early 1990s which led to India's current economic growth.

There are several indices of economic freedom that attempt to measure free market economic freedom. Some empirical studies based on these rankings have found higher living standards, economic growth, income equality, less corruption and less political violence to be correlated with free markets. However, these results and their interpretation remain controversial.
Further, an open market attracts more investment. All these factors add up to long-term economic growth. Protectionism in economic policies holds off development, while economic freedom leads to prosperity.

Here is the list of the countries which enjoy the most economic freedom:

1. Hong Kong

Hong Kong has remained as the world's freest economy, according to Index of Economic Freedom since the inception of the index in 1995. As one of the world's leading international financial centers, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterized by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the ninth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong's economic strengths, including a sound banking system, virtually no public debt, a strong legal system, ample foreign exchange reserves, rigorous anti-corruption measures and close ties with the mainland China, enable it to quickly respond to changing circumstances. Its economy size is slightly bigger than Israel and Czech Republic and its GDP per capita at purchasing power parity is the 7th highest globally, more than Switzerland and Netherlands and slightly lower than the United States. Hong Kong has also had an abundant supply of labor from the region nearby. A skilled labor force coupled with the adoption of modern British/Western business methods and technology ensured that opportunities for external trade, investment, and recruitment were maximized.

2. Singapore:
Singapore remains the second freest economy in the world but ranks first in labor freedom in the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom. Singapore was ranked the second least corrupt country in the world, with a score of 92 out of 100. Flexibility and openness have been the foundation of Singapore's transformation into one of the most competitive and prosperous economies in the world. An efficient regulatory environment encourages vibrant entrepreneurial activity. Singapore's very competitive tax regime and highly flexible labor market encourage investment, attracting global companies and enhancing innovation. Foreign and domestic investors are treated equally, and Singapore's legal system is efficient and highly protective of private property.

3. New Zealand:
New Zealand has an impressive record of economic freedom and benefits from its openness to global trade and investment. The 2011 World Bank 'Doing Business' report ranked New Zealand third in the world for ease of doing business, first for ease of starting a business and first in the world for protecting investors. The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, ranked New Zealand as the fourth freest economy in the world and as number one for business freedom. New Zealand has a very simple taxation system, with no capital gains tax and no payroll taxes. New Zealand went up 0.2 on last year's score with 99.9 for business freedom, 86.6 for trade freedom, 64.7 for fiscal freedom, 49.3 for Government spending, 84.8 for monetary freedom, 80.0 for investment freedom, 80.0 financial freedom, 95.0 for property rights, 94.0 for freedom from corruption and 89.2 for labor freedom.

4. Switzerland:



Switzerland ranked as the European country with the highest degree of economic freedom. Switzerland is ranked 1st out of 43 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is much higher than the world average. Switzerland's openness to foreign trade and investment continues to provide real stimulus for a dynamic and resilient economy. A sound regulatory environment and minimal barriers to trade have contributed to the country's status as one of the world's most competitive and innovative economies. Macroeconomic stability and a highly developed and competitive financial sector reinforce Switzerland's position as a global financial hub. Switzerland, one of the world's richest and most investment-friendly destinations. Well-secured property rights, including for intellectual property, promote entrepreneurship and productivity growth. Flexible labor regulations and the absence of corruption also sustain vibrant entrepreneurship.

5. Australia:

While many large advanced economies have emerged from the recent economic downturn with growing debt burdens, Australia's gross public debt stands at less than 25 percent of GDP. With robust supervision and sound regulation, the banking system has coped well with the financial turmoil, and the government's budget deficit is much lower than those of other major economies. Australia's modern and competitive economy performs well on many of the 10 economic freedoms. The country has a strong tradition of openness to global trade and investment, and transparent and efficient regulations are applied evenly in most cases. An independent judiciary protects property rights, and the level of corruption is quite low. Australia is one of the Asia Pacific's richest countries. With a population of about 22 million and a land mass of 3 million square miles, it is one of the world's least densely populated countries and one of the most urbanized, with most of the population concentrated in coastal cities.

6. Canada:

Canada is ranked 1st out of three countries in the North America region. The Canadian economy continues to sharpen its long-term competitiveness. Scoring high in many of the 10 economic freedoms, Canada performs particularly well in business freedom, financial freedom, property rights, and freedom from corruption. Straightforward regulations and the competitive tax regime facilitate entrepreneurial activity and lure dynamic investment. The corporate tax rate is scheduled to decline further to 15 percent in 2012. Canada's strong and stable democratic political system is currently led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a conservative minority government. With rich natural resources and strong manufacturing and high-technology sectors, it is one of the world's leading free-market economies and a major exporter of oil, minerals, automobiles, manufactured goods, and forest products. Nearly 75 percent of its exports are to the United States.

7. Chile:

The Chilean economy has demonstrated great resilience in coping with the global economic downturn and the February 2010 earthquake. With openness to global trade and investment firmly established, economic recovery has resumed at a steady pace, and the earthquake caused only a transitory dip in Chile's healthy economic growth. Chile's dynamic economy has long reflected a solid commitment to economic freedom. Chile has pursued free trade agreements with countries around the world. The financial system remains stable, and prudent regulations allowed banks to withstand the global financial turmoil with little disruption. Other institutional strengths include sound public finance management and strong protection of property rights. There is room for improvement in business and labor freedom.

8. United Kingdom:

A dramatic expansion of government intervention has taken place in the U.K. in response to the global financial and economic crisis. The government has nationalized or seized ownership positions in some of the major banks. Public finance has deteriorated markedly. Newly elected Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government has unveiled a series of major austerity measures designed to stem the loss of economic freedom. Proposed spending cuts are an encouraging first step toward reforming the bloated public sector and the costly welfare system, but policies conducive to private-sector investment will be critical to reviving vibrant economic expansion and job creation.

9. Mauritius:

Mauritius is ranked 1st out of 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan African region, and its overall score is well above the world average.Mauritius is a regional leader in economic freedom. Efficient and transparent regulations underpin its status as one of the world's 20 freest economies and support broad-based economic development. Competitive tax rates and relatively flexible labor regulations promote innovative private-sector growth. While privatization of state-owned monopolies has stalled, the state does not play an overwhelming role in the economy, minimizing the drag on dynamic business activity. Corruption, the bane of many other countries in the region, is relatively low. Public financial management is generally sound. Public debt, at 60 percent of GDP, is nearly all held by the National Pensions Fund and commercial banks.

10. United States:

The U.S. economy faces enormous challenges. The government's recent spending spree has led to fragile business confidence and crushing public debt. Interventionist responses to the economic slowdown have eroded economic freedom and long-term competitiveness. Drastic legislative changes in health care and financial regulations have retarded job creation and injected substantial uncertainty into business investment planning. Ongoing regulatory changes, coupled with fading confidence in the direction of government policies, discourage entrepreneurship and dynamic investment within the private sector. The U.S. economy is the world's largest. While services account for more than 70 percent of economic activity, the U.S. remains the world's largest producer of manufactured goods.

Source:- http://www.siliconindia.com/

Interesting Updates About Technology

• 1. In 1982 the computer was named "Man of the Year" by Time magazine.
  
  
• 2. A Chinese Scientist discovered that the Earth is round during the Han Dynasty by measuring the sun and moon's path in the sky. He recorded this fact down in the imperial records but went unnoticed until it was unearthed recently.
  
  
• 3. The largest diamond that was ever found was 3106 carats.
  
  
• 4. A rocket-like device can be traced back to Ancient Greece when a flying steam-powered pigeon was built out of wood.
  
  
• 5. Before air conditioning was invented, white cotton slipcovers were put on furniture to keep the air cool.
  
  
• 6. In 1876, the first microphone was invented by Emile Berliner.
  
  
• 7. Research on pigs led to the development of CAT scans.
  
  
• 8. Sixteen percent fewer girls than boys reported ever talking to their parents about science and technology issues.
  
  
• 9. A cesium atom in an atomic clock that beats over nine billion times a second.
  
  
• 10. From the smallest microprocessor to the largest mainframes, an average American depends on more than 250 computers per day.
  
  
• 11. Dating back to the 1600s, thermometers were filled with brandy instead of mercury.
  
  
• 12. The first hard drive available for the Apple II had a capacity of 5 Megabytes.
  
  
• 13. Would you believe that the quartz crystal in your wristwatch vibrates 32,768 times a second.
  
  
• 14. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
  
  
• 15. The first words that Thomas A. Edison spoke into the phonograph were, "Mary had a little lamb."
  
  
• 16. While still in college, Bill Gates and Paul Allen once built a special purpose machine called "Traff-O-Data." It was a machine to analyze information gathered by traffic monitors. But they never found any buyers for their machine.
  

Source:- factsnfacts