Wordsmith.org : the magic of words

Friday, May 13, 2016

Turner prize 2016 shortlist features buttocks sculpture and choo-choo train

(The Guardian)
NYC - Queens - Sculpture Center - Anthea Hamilton: Lichen! Libido! Chastity!

This year's Turner prize shortlist features buttocks sculpture and a choo-choo train = Crazy UK sculptor creates or fashions an unclothed tush (posterior). But(t)... is it art here?
Anagram: Jason Lofts, Photo: Car Los

Transgender toilet use: US schools 'must respect gender identity'

(BBC)
Transgender Bathroom Awareness Poster lgbtplusbristol 50079

Transgender toilet use = Gents? Ladies? Neuter? Rot!
Anagram: Julian Lofts, Image: Ted Eytan

Hillary Clinton romps in world vote; Canada chooses Bernie Sanders; Donald Trump blown out

(The Oregonian)
Hillary Clinton - Caricature

Have you ever wondered how the rest of the world would vote in our presidential election? = So, however we do it, we'd see overdue Hillary Clinton to overpower The Donald in the future
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Caricature: DonkeyHotey

Elizabeth Warren Unleashes A Tweetstorm At "Weak" Donald Trump

(Huffington Post)
Meeting US Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren at St. Anthony's Feast

"Weak" Donald Trump = Loud, dark man wept
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Photo: NorthEndWaterfront.com

The Secret Service investigates Donald Trump's long-time butler over his death threats to Obama in online racist rants about hanging the President from 'The White Mosque'

(Daily Mail)
Donald Trump

Donald Trump and his long-time butler, Anthony Senecal = The racist bully monster and mental gun-in-hand poodle
Anagram: Maurice Goddard, Photo: Gage Skidmore

The Anagram Times Q&A with reporter Josiah Winslow

From time to time we take you behind the scenes here at the world headquarters of The Anagram Times so you can meet reporters, correspondents, and editors who help us make sense of what's happening in the world.

Today we sit down for a Q&A with our youngest reporter, Josiah Winslow. He's a sophomore in high school, but don't let that fool you. Besides being a full-time reporter, he programs elite computer games. Not sure when he gets the time to do his homework, but we have never heard a complaint from his teachers. Perhaps they are simply afraid of his awesome powers of anagramming.

Q How did you get into anagrams?
A Back when I was about six or seven, I was given this book by my cousin: Never Odd or Even: Palindromes, Anagrams, and Other Tricks Words Can Do. Among other things, it included many examples of great classic anagrams, and I was extremely fascinated with them from then on out. I'm a sucker for a good wordplay game.

Q Do you remember the first anagram you made?
A The first one that I tried to make was of my own name, Josiah Winslow. My best result out of all of them was "I join law shows", which made it seem to me like I'd somehow end up on CSI: West Allis at some point. When I included my middle name, Ryan, I got "Joy! His raw son-in-law!"

Q Do you have a favorite anagram?
A I can't really say, it changes from day to day. I suppose I'm a fan of "Roast turkey? = Try our steak", or perhaps "He's a legend in his own mind = Neil Diamond, when he sings". Short anagrams also have a special place in my heart, and I rather like the apt example "Alive = La vie".

Q How do you pick a news headline to anagram?
A Sometimes I go out of my way to search for recent news articles with interesting topics, but many of my eventual picks are found on the Google News homepage. I look for headlines with interesting topics, like science and entertainment. However, if there's any huge current-events topic (like Prince's death or the 2016 election) that people are talking about, I just have to give it an anagram treatment at least once.

Q How do you make anagrams? Manually, software, a combination, etc.?
A I usually use a combination of Anagram Artist and Anagram Genius. I start with Anagram Artist, and I try and make anagrams with keywords I see in the letters. If I have some good ones after that, that's where it ends, although I usually also try and see if Anagram Genius spits something interesting out. In fact, my recent story "The White House Correspondent's Dinner = The President, our chosen winner, hosted" was made using Anagram Genius, giving it the compulsory keyword "President".

Q Describe the moment when you are working on anagramming a phrase and the last few letters just fall into place and you realize that you have an outstanding anagram on your hand.
A I wish I could say a giant trumpet fanfare would play around me, and then confetti would drop onto my head while I'm running all over the place screaming "Woooo!" But I don't have the allowance to pay for that. So usually, I silently celebrate to myself, show my mom, and then post it on the Internet (here, if it's a news story).

Q Approximately how long do you spend on an anagram?
A It really depends on how well the letters want to fit together. I could have a 60+ letter anagram and have it take a couple minutes (like with "Obama approves sending up to four hundred and fifty more US troops to Iraq = President's for moving a thousand equipped army troops out abroad for fun."), or I could have a 10- or 12-letter anagram take over an hour (like with "Prince is dead = I ascended. RIP."). It all depends on whether the letters cooperate with me.

Q What do you do in your non-anagram life?
A When I'm not working at school, I like to sing and dance to Michael Jackson songs. I'd like to say I'm pretty good. As well, mathematics is an interesting subject that I like to explore in my free time. Finally, I like to program games and learning tools on my TI-84+ calculator. I'm a member of CodeWalrus, and I'm currently an Elite Coder. My latest project is This Is The Only Level, the hardest one-level game you'll ever play, so if you're reading this, check it out!

Q Some people use anagrams for divination. Do you think there's a mystical angle to anagrams?
A There may be, but just a bit. Some anagrams are freaky predictions of events or names, like "The Russian Revolution = The over-ruinous Stalin" or "Nessiteras rhombopteryx = Monster hoax by Sir Peter S.!", so perhaps there's something to those. Some anagrams can really be random, however, like "Meg Ryan = Germany", so I'm not sure if there's a total mystical element to anagrams in general. I'll believe it once I either get cast in Law and Order: SVU or get a son-in-law.

Q Anything else you'd like to add?
A I am a devout Tau-ist. As well, even though I'm not old enough to vote yet, I can assure you there's one person I would NOT be voting for in 2016. If you've seen my recent stories, you know who exactly that person is.

Selected anagrams from Josiah Winslow:


Thursday, May 12, 2016

Apple Invests $1 Billion into Chinese Ride-Sharing Company

(Fortune)

Apple Invests $1 Billion into Chinese Ride-Sharing Company = Pay China to help one (1) simple driving car? No, it's insensible!
Anagram: Josiah Winslow

Doctors raise concerns after elderly Indian woman gives birth

(Daily Mail)

Doctors raise concerns after elderly Indian woman gives birth = In her seventies? Corblimey! A strain! Crowning factor: Dad's older!
Anagram: Maurice Goddard

Lowry rescues Raptors, scores 33 in 95-91 win over Heat

(NBA)
IMG_3953

Heat on Game Three Loss = Hear them let season go
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Photo: Gabriel Li

Welcome To Trump World: Immigration

(Huffington Post)
Donald Trump Caricature

Welcome To Trump World: Immigration = Turmoil tomorrow, electing mad wimp.
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Yanito Freminoshi

Live python falls from hospital ceiling

(MSN)
Python

Live python falls from hospital ceiling = Oh no! Lights! Panic! Slimy viper aloft fell.
Anagram: Russ Atkinson, Photo: Michael Ransburg

Turkey 'losing hope' for EU visa-free deal

(BBC)
turkey_political_flags

Turkey 'losing hope' for EU visa-free deal = Europe's unlikely to give a shared offer = Europe talking off very serious deal, eh? = "Unify soldier groups to leave here"? Fake. = If terror evoked...hopefully, see us again? = Oh, keep guidelines for your safe travel! = Leave flourished region! You kept fears! = You see, he led up risk of a foreign travel.
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Photo: openDemocracy

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

House GOP warns Ryan to back Trump

(CNN)
Paul Ryan Caricature

House GOP warns Ryan to back Trump = Arm to not back up power-hungry ass!
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Caricature: DonkeyHotey

Why Republicans on Capitol Hill Are So Wary of Donald Trump

(NBC News)
Donald Trump - The Celebrity Candidate

Why Republicans on Capitol Hill Are So Wary of Donald Trump = Sad, how all only push for liberal up in Democratic Party now. = Fully a bold, poorly unpresidential maniac who's worth crap! = Why lob power from us? Hillary Clinton's a popular candidate.
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Caricature: DonkeyHotey

Prince doctor focus of criminal investigation

(Mercury News)
Prince

Prince's family doctor Michael Todd Schulenberg = Profanely dim medic botches narcotic drugs. Hell!
Anagram: Julian Lofts, Photo: Ann Althouse

Eminem released 'Mom's Spaghetti' t-shirts for Mother's Day and the Internet can't cope

(The Daily Edge)
eminem

There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti = "Eminem's smooth rap has a very sweet T-shirt," I gloated
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Photo: Graciela Suzem

Sanders, Trump easily win West Virginia primary; Trump picks up Nebraska too

(Washington Post)
MSM spotlights Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders

Sanders, Trump easily win West Virginia primary; Trump picks up Nebraska too = Prickly gray man draws a brisk support; "presumptive nominee" awaits its ruin
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Caricature: DonkeyHotey

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Sadiq Khan shuns Donald Trump's offer to let him into US

(Financial Times)
Sadiq Khan speaking

Sadiq Khan shuns Donald Trump's offer to let him into US = "Help? I'd stuff, squash, and knot that red Mussolini moron!"
Anagram: Maurice Goddard, Photo: DIUS Corporate

Cruz opens door to kick-starting suspended campaign

(Fox News)
Ted Trump or Donald Cruz

Cruz opens door to kick-starting suspended campaign = Asking USA's crazed, con president Trump to pick. God, no!
Anagram: Josiah Winslow, Caricature: DonkeyHotey

Hillary Clinton Slams BDS Movement as "No Path to Peace" for Israelis and Palestinians

(Yahoo!)

Hillary Clinton Slams BDS Movement as "No Path to Peace" for Israelis and Palestinians = Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions appears as foolish plan. Islam remains hell, I learn
Anagram: Aronas Pinchas, Image: Wikimedia