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about Asia Buzz
Asia Buzz: Linguistic Insights
Or ... Sushi-Sighting Listing
By ADI IGNATIUS
May 1, 2000
Web posted at 1:30 p.m. Hong Kong time, 1:30 a.m. EDT
The last refuge of humor columnists is, of course, the anagram. The deadline is bearing down, you're plumb out of ideas, so ... Anagrams! Take famous people, rejigger the letters in their names and watch the fun!
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 ASIA BUZZ
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Culture
on Demand: Sydney Sublime
It's amazing anyone gets any work done
- Saturday,
April 29, 2000
Asia
Buzz: Help Wanted!
Filling the gap in techie talent
- Thursday,
April 27, 2000
Letter
from Japan: Times Are A-Changing
My hot tips for the Japan of the future
- Friday,
April 21, 2000
Asia
Buzz: Spot The Fake
Web users need the real thing--fresh, original content
- Thursday,
April 20, 2000
Asia
Buzz: False Legitimacy
Vietnam and Cambodia should stop abusing the past
- Wednesday,
April 19, 2000
Asia
Buzz: Dead Cat Walking
NASDAQ's slide is an omen for local tech outfits
- Tuesday,
April 18, 2000
Asia
Buzz: It's A Bubble!
(I want in!)
- Monday,
April 17, 2000
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 ASIAWEEK
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The remarkable thing is, this little exercise actually can prove extremely illuminating. Indeed, experts have shown that anagrams can be 23% more reliable indicators of character than palm reading and nearly 57% more trustworthy than horoscopes.
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INTERACTIVE |
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Ticked off at Asia Buzz? Turned on? Talk back to
TIME
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Consider this perhaps-prescient anagram for the Philippines' embattled "President Joseph Estrada":
JESTED THRONE DISAPPEARS
Or this for China's "Premier Li Peng":
MR. PEP LINGERIE
Can this anagram for Taiwan President-elect "Chen Shui-bian" be a coincidence?:
I! HE SNUB CHINA
Here's what Beijing might like to do to his outspoken Vice President-elect, "Annette Lu":
ANNUL TETE
Speaking of China, here's what you get when you untangle the letters for "Mao Zedong":
DOGMA ZONE
Scary, isn't it? For Hong Kong, look at what happens anagrammatically with the territory's stiffly detached Chief Executive "Tung Chee-hwa":
WE CAN'T HUG HE
And with his tougher-than-nails top bureaucrat, "Anson Chan":
HAS CANNON
Singapore's "Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew" offers a range of possibilities. For disaffected citizens trying to cope:
WINK, USE ELEMENTARY IRONIES
For future times of economic trouble:
NUKE ELIMINATES YEN WORRIES
But the clearest indicator of character for the founder of the Nanny State is surely this:
MENIAL INTRUSIONS EVER WEEK
Then there's Malaysian Premier "Mahathir Mohamad." Take your pick;
HIM HATH MAD AROMA
or
MAMA, HIM HAD TORAH
So what about "Humor Columnist Adi Ignatius":
RIDICULOUS MOUTHING STAMINA
LUDICROUS SITUATION-HAMMING
MALICIOUS MARTINI DOUGHNUTS
and, for legal reasons:
UNANIMOUS OUTRIGHT DISCLAIMER
Want to try this at home? Just download any one of a number of anagram applications on the Internet. I used Anagrams for Mac users by Andrew Trevorrow (OVERT WORD WARREN) and Nicholas Spencer (CHRONIC PALENESS)
Ticked off at Asia Buzz? Turned on? Talk back to TIME
Write to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com
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