Common Internet Abbreviations

 What is an abbreviation?

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a written word or phrase. Abbreviations may be used to save space and time, to avoid repetition of long words and phrases, or simply to conform to conventional usage.

Here are the most common Internet abbreviations:

LOL: laugh out loud

OMG: Oh my God

ILY: I love you

LMAO: laughing my a** off

FBO: Facebook official (when on one's facebook profile it says "In A Relationship" and your significant other's name)

SFW: Safe for work (describes a web page, picture, video, or other content that is not inappropriate to view in a formal setting, such as a workplace).

ASL: Age/Sex/Location ( is an article of Internet slang used in instant messaging programs and in Internet chatrooms. It is used as a question to find out the age, sex (or gender), and general location of the person one is talking to).

AFAIK: As far as I know

IMHO: In my humble opinion

IRL: In real life

ISO: In search of

J/K: Just Kidding

POV: Point of view

RBTL: Read between the lines (look for or discover a meaning that is implied rather than explicitly stated).

BTW: By the way

CTN: Can’t talk now

CYE: Check your email

dI: Download

ETA: Estimated time of arrival

FYI: For your information (It is often used in both personal and business correspondence to show that information is simply being shared and that no immediate action is required or expected).

gr8: Great

GTG: Got to go

OT: Off topic

PC: Personel computer

pls: Please

POS: Parent over shoulder

ppl: People

Txt: Text

BRB: Be Right Back

B4N: Bye for Now

TY: Thank you

w/e: Whatever

W8: Wait

XOXO: Hugs and kisses ( is an informal term used for expressing sincerity, faith, love, or good friendship at the end of a written letter, email or text).

Y: Why

Personal development retreats

 When the pandemic came, fear paralyzed the world. Borders and businesses closed. Loved ones fell ill, and some died. We were stuck at home (some of us still are) and in that isolation, we were forced to look inward. When that happens, the mind can’t help but wander. We tend to question our existence and wonder what we have done with our lives. Are we happy with our jobs, our relationships, and most importantly, ourselves?

When the world stopped, we were stripped of many privileges and forced to face reality without any distractions. Superficial living became less and less possible. We began to realize that gaining material wealth does not bring long-term happiness. In our isolation, we searched for answers and meaning and experienced an awakening of sorts. We had to face our own personal truths and how we fit into the world.

There’s no denying it; inner reflection has deepened our desire to resolve the many issues around us, and we long to reconnect with others. The need for community inspires us to seek like-minded people with whom we can share our thoughts and experiences, with whom we can discover and grow.

How does one go about finding that community?

The solution is retreats, and I’m going to tell you why. Let’s start with a definition.

Retreats are not vacations. Vacations provide a temporary escape from one’s life and don’t always resolve issues. Going on vacation to relieve mental distress may only add to it. If you’re mentally exhausted and then suddenly stop to decompress, psychological and physical distress can arise. Some people react to those sensations by seeking even more escapism such as drinking and keeping busy, only to return home more exhausted than they were before they left.

Retreats, on the other hand, are focused and transformational.

Let’s conclude that retreats are a form of wellness and group travel with a twist of relaxation and a drop of escapism, all while satisfying your urge to explore and providing you with a taste of your own personal truth. That may be a mouthful, but you get my point. They’re more purposeful than a vacation.

Examples of retreats:

1. At the new Chenot Molecular Lab at Chenot Palace Weggis in Switzerland, epigenetics has gone up a notch. New mRNA-based technology at the brand’s sleek flagship on Lake Lucerne analyses gene activity, determines biological aging and prescribes treatment via supplements, nutrition, stress control and lifestyle changes. Inflammation, oxidative stress, hormonal imbalance and the structural integrity of tissue are highlighted. It’s a modern approach, says Dr George Gaitanos, Chenot’s chief scientist and COO, “where health is defined as what is unseen”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MM2K1r6yU8&ab_channel=ChenotGroup

2. Since Clinique La Prairie opened in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva in 1931, cellular therapy has been part of its DNA. Now the clinic is offering the ultimate anti-aging treatment: harvesting stem cells and reinjecting them into the face, neck and hands. It is, according to Dr Stéphane Smarrito, its co-creator, “the most effective anti-aging treatment in the world today”. Mini-liposuctions collect the fat, which is reused in micro-injections. The stem cells can be stored for up to 30 years and reused à la carte at any time. Clinique La Prairie keeps secret the number of people who have undergone this treatment, but it is scientifically proven to pep up skin trophicity, vascularisation and collagen. LB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7A0MZSjvk8&ab_channel=CliniqueLaPrairie

3. On an island associated with downward-facing dogs and shamanic healing rituals, Sanctuary at Bali’s forward-thinking Desa Potato Head takes wellbeing into an unmapped higher-tech zone. Developed with the sound-healing masters of Ubud’s Pyramids of Chi, this turbo-smart wellness hub sits at the crossroads of spirituality and science – beach-front ice baths, mood-lifting breathwork and sound therapies. None is more enlightening than Sistrum, a dark, cavernous room with six waterbeds that are straight out of a sci-fi film. In each 90-minute session, the beds deliver synchronised light and sound frequencies to induce a deeply meditative flow and higher consciousness. Sessions range from gentle relaxation to hypnotic high-intensity blasts to unleash creative energy. It all chimes with the hotel’s plant-based dining at Tanaman and sun salutations on its Tropical Brutalist-looking rooftop. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UweMLvkCXpI&ab_channel=POTATOHEADBALI

 

Parallel Structure

 

Parallel structure adds both clout (prestige /βαρύτητα) and clarity to your writing. 

When you use parallel structure, you increase the readability of your writing by creating word patterns readers can follow easily.

 Understanding Parallel Structure

 Parallel structure (also called parallelism) is the repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence. By making each compared item or idea in your sentence follow the same grammatical pattern, you create a parallel construction. 

Example

 Not Parallel: Ellen likes hiking, the rodeo, and to take afternoon naps.

 Parallel: Ellen likes hiking, attending the rodeo, and taking afternoon naps. 

 OR Ellen likes to hike, attend the rodeo, and take afternoon naps. 

Using Parallel Structure 

With Coordinating Conjunctions 

When you connect two or more clauses or phrases with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so), use parallel structure. 

 Example 

 Not Parallel: My best friend took me dancing and to a show. 

 Parallel: My best friend took me to a dance and a show. 

With Correlative Conjunctions (σύνδεσμος) 

When you connect two clauses or phrases with a correlative (συσχετικός) conjunction (not only…but also, either…or, neither…nor, if…then, etc.), use parallel structure. 

Example 

 Not Parallel: My dog not only likes to play fetch, but also chase cars. 

 Parallel: My dog not only likes to play fetch, but he also likes to chase cars. OR My dog likes not only to play fetch, but also to chase cars. 

With Phrases or Clauses of Comparison (δευτερεύουσες προτάσεις σύγκρισης)

When you connect two clauses or phrases with a word of comparison, such as than or as, use parallel structure. 

Example 

 Not Parallel: I would rather pay for my education than financial aid. 

 Parallel: I would rather pay for my education than receive financial aid.

With Lists 

 When you are comparing items in a list, use parallel structure. 

Example 

Not Parallel: John Taylor Gatto criticizes public schools because they are compulsory, funded by the government, and destroy students' humanity. 

Parallel: John Taylor Gatto criticizes public schools because they are compulsory, governmentfunded, and normalizing.

 OR John Taylor Gatto criticizes public schools because they require students to attend, receive money from the government, and destroy students' humanity.

_______________________________________

Online exercises:

http://www.wilbers.com/part36.htm

https://www.learngrammar.net/practice/47/exercise-on-parallel-structure-with-explanation

BBC: "TikTok profits from livestreams of families begging"

 By Hannah Gelbart, Mamdouh Akbiek and Ziad Al-Qattan

BBC Global Disinformation Unit (Μονάδα Παραπληροφόρησης), BBC News Arabic and BBC Eye Investigations

Displaced families in Syrian camps are begging for donations on TikTok while the company takes up to 70% of the proceeds(έσοδα), a BBC investigation found.

Children are live streaming (σωντανή μετάδοση) on the social media app for hours, pleading for digital gifts with a cash value.

The BBC saw streams earning up to $1,000 (£900) an hour, but found the people in the camps received only a tiny fraction (μικροσκοικό κλάσμα) of that.

TikTok said it would take prompt action against "exploitative begging"(επαιτεία εκμετάλλευσης).

The company said this type of content was not allowed on its platform, and it said its commission from digital gifts was significantly less than 70%. But it declined to confirm the exact amount.

Earlier this year, TikTok users saw their feeds fill with livestreams of families in Syrian camps, drawing support from some viewers and concerns about scams from others.

In the camps in north-west Syria, the BBC found that the trend was being facilitated by so-called "TikTok middlemen"(μεσάζοντες), who provided families with the phones and equipment to go live.

The middlemen said they worked with agencies affiliated to (συνδεδεμένος με)TikTok in China and the Middle East, who gave the families access to TikTok accounts. These agencies are part of TikTok's global strategy to recruit livestreamers and encourage users to spend more time on the app.

Since the TikTok algorithm suggests content based on the geographic origin of a user's phone number, the middlemen said they prefer to use British SIM cards. They say people from the UK are the most generous gifters.

Mona Ali Al-Karim and her six daughters are among the families who go live on TikTok every day, sitting on the floor of their tent for hours, repeating the few English phrases they know: "Please like, please share, please gift."

Mona's husband was killed in an airstrike and she is using the livestreams to raise money for an operation for her daughter Sharifa, who is blind.

The gifts they're asking for are virtual, but they cost the viewers real money and can be withdrawn from the app as cash. Livestream viewers send the gifts - ranging from digital roses, costing a few cents, to virtual lions costing around $500 - to reward or tip creators for content.

For five months, the BBC followed 30 TikTok accounts broadcasting live from Syrian camps for displaced people and built a computer program to scrape information (απόξεση πληροφοριών) from them, showing that viewers were often donating digital gifts worth up to $1,000 an hour to each account.

Families in the camps said they were receiving only a tiny fraction of these sums, however.

With TikTok declining to say how much it takes from gifts, the BBC ran an experiment to track where the money goes.

A reporter in Syria contacted one of the TikTok-affiliated agencies saying he was living in the camps. He obtained an account and went live, while BBC staff in London sent TikTok gifts worth $106 from another account.

At the end of the livestream, the balance of the Syrian test account was $33. TikTok had taken 69% of the value of the gifts.

The $33 remaining from the BBC's $106 gift was reduced by a further 10% when it was withdrawn from the local money transfer shop. TikTok middlemen would take 35% of the remainder, leaving a family with just $19.

Hamid, one of the TikTok middlemen in the camps, told the BBC he had sold his livestock to pay for a mobile phone, SIM card and wi-fi connection to work with families on TikTok.

He now broadcasts with 12 different families, for several hours a day.

Hamid said he uses TikTok to help families make a living. He pays them most of the profits, minus his running costs, he said.

Like the other middlemen, Hamid said he was supported by "live agencies" in China, who work directly with TikTok.

"They help us if we have any problems with the app. They unlock blocked accounts. We give them the name of the page, the profile picture, and they open the account," Hamid said.

Agencies like these, known as "livestreaming guilds" (συνδικάτο)and based all around the world, are contracted by TikTok to help content creators produce more appealing livestreams.

TikTok pays them a commission according to the duration of livestreams and the value of gifts received, the agencies told the BBC.

The emphasis on duration means TikTokers, including children in the Syrian camps, go live for hours at a time.

Marwa Fatafta, from digital rights organisation Access Now, says these livestreams run contrary to TikTok's own policies to "prevent the harm, endangerment or exploitation" of minors on the platform.

source: {13/10/22} https://www.bbc.com/news/world-63213567 

Slang: Yiddish in movies

 

So...a common practice for most foreign students is watching english movies or tv series. Binging on them, to be more accurate. 

When we zero in on american cinema, we may observe that there are many phrases and words repeatedly used that do not sound English. Such as "Klutz" or "Tuches".

And they are not. So where do they come from? Well they are actually Yiddish. A language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews — Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. But, again, most of us do not have  experience with the enigma known as Yiddish and the only other instances we have heard of it has been in pop culture references such as SNL skits or other television shows. 

First of all, though, "how come"? Little do people know, but every major Hollywood studio was actually founded by a group of European Jews. The Oscar award? Founded by Louis B. Mayer — a Jew. The chairmans of Paramount Pictures, the Walt Disney  Co., Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., CBS Corp., MBM and NBC Universal? All Jewish. With all those Jews running those major corporations, it’s no wonder most people’s only experience with Yiddish comes from movies and T.V. shows.

So, let's break down some of those phrases and words:

Oy vey—An expression of woe, as in “Oy vey, we left the gefilte fish (Το ψάρι Gefilte είναι ένα πιάτο που παρασκευάζεται από ένα μείγμα αλεσμένων ψαριών χωρίς κόκαλα, όπως κυπρίνος, λευκόψαρο ή λούτσος. Σερβίρεται παραδοσιακά ως ορεκτικό από εβραϊκά νοικοκυριά Ασκενάζι) at the grocery store!”

Putz —A jerk, or a self-made fool, but this word literally means penis.

Schmuck (shmuck)—A jerk, or a self-made fool, but this word literally means penis.

Tuches (tuchis) — Butt, behind, sometimes shortened to tush or tushy.

Klutz — A clumsy person

Slang: "Florida man"

 

Florida Man is an Internet meme popularized in 2013. 

"Florida Man" refers to an alleged prevalence (συχνότητα) of male persons performing irrational or absurd actions in the US state of Florida. Essentially, a keyword used a lot to describe all the weird news stories about random Floridians committing weird and dumb crimes, due to the state law -regarding freedom of the press - about the fact that every police or court case must be public. 

Most of these weird stories, however, are related to white Florida men, the police and drugs. Due to this, this is why people outside Florida hate Florida. Can also be used as Florida Woman.

An example: