Students performing at the 1966 National Day Parade
Source: www.nhb.gov.sg

National Day Parade, 9 August 1967
Source: www.nationalartgallery.sg

August marks a very special month in Singapore’s history as Singapore holds its national day celebrations on 9 August every year.

9 August is a significant date because on 9 August 1965, Singapore broke away from Malaysia and became a fully independent country. Prior to this, on 27 May 1961, the Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed merger between Singapore, Malaya and other British colonies like Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia for political and economic reasons.

However, due to political differences that later led to 2 racial riots in Singapore in 1964, as well as economic incompatability, on 7 August 1965, the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore signed the separation agreement and on 9 August 1965, Singapore became a fully independent country.

This year, Singapore will celebrate its 45th year of independence and the National Day celebrations and parade will be held at the Padang where the first National Day Parade (NDP) was held. The theme this year is ‘Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Flag’ as the organizers hope that Singaporeans will “reflect upon the nation’s achievements and be inspired to work towards their own dreams”.

Do catch the parade and the celebrations in action if you have a chance!

For more information on this year’s NDP celebrations, do log on to the NDP official website :
http://www.ndp.org.sg

Sources:
1) The Living Past
2) NDP 2010 Official Website: www.ndp.org.sg

Posted By:

Ms Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

A secretary for Anne’s father, Otto Frank, Gies helped eight Dutch Jews hide from Nazis, then kept the girl’s diary safe. Today, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the most widely read books in the world, with millions of copies sold in more than 60 languages. But the work would never have survived had it not been for the courage of Gies, who recently died at age 100 in the Netherlands on 11 January 2010.

The Austrian-born Hermine “Miep” Gies, along with her husband, Jan, and several coworkers risked her life to help hide the Franks and four other Amsterdam Jews from 1942 to 1944. Besides giving them cover, Gies and the others would “put on their most cheerful expressions, bring flowers and gifts for birthdays and holidays,” wrote Anne. After Nazis raided the annex, Gies retrieved Anne’s diary for safekeeping.

Following Anne’s death in a concentration camp in 1945, Gies gave the diary to Otto, who alone survived and published it in 1947. Sharp-minded until the end, Gies remained forever entwined with the young girl whose spirit she preserved for history.

(Source: ProQuest
MIEP GIES 1909-2010 SHE SAVED ANNE FRANK’S WORDS
Michelle Tauber. People. New York: Jan 25, 2010. Vol. 73, Iss. 3; pg. 111)

Check out the following books:

(All Rights Reserved, Holiday House, 2009)

The Anne Frank Case : Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for the Truth
By Susan Goldman Rubin
Call No: J English 940.53 RUB
Click here to check for item availability.

(All Rights Reserved, National Geographic, 2007)

Anne Frank : The Young Writer Who Told The World Her Story
By Anne Kramer
Call No: J English 940.53 KRA
Click here to check for item availability.

(All Rights Reserved, Evans, 2010)

Anne Frank : Her Life
By Marian Hoefnagel
Call No: J English 940.53 HOE
Click here to check for item availability.

Originally answered by Rosjihanah Mon
Associate Librarian, Children’s Services

[Congratulations Marcus Chua of P 4-Diligence from Opera Estate Primary, for winning the Primary 4 level Kids ASK! Competition held in his school!

This question stood out and got me thinking- if you could create a new image for pirates, what pirate pet would you pick for them?]

Image is a picture of Parrot Jack from Pirates for parties.com, performing a parrot show for a children’s birthday party with the Parrots of the Caribbean & is retrieved from: http://piratesforparties.com/images/parrot_show_4.jpg

There are no historical accounts to show that real pirates of the past carried parrots. However there are fictional accounts and many assume that this started from the popularity of the book ‘Treasure Island’ in 1881 by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the book, there is a pirate named Long-John Silver who kept a parrot for a pet. 

According to Tobias Gibson of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean, in Fact and Fiction’, it is safe to conclude that pirates probably had parrots as pets even though there are insufficient written accounts. This is because historical evidence shows that it was common for animals to be transported by ships, and during the time of the Golden Age of Piracy, selling and buying exotic animals was a common business and was popular among royalty in Europe.

Tobias Gibson wrote: “The more exotic the animal, the more in demand and the more valuable the animal would be. A talking bird would fetch a few doubloons in the Royal Courts of Europe, as would New World Monkeys. We also know that if something was of value, then pirates would plunder it. Some pirates were known to emulate the lifestyles of royalty. Whatever was good enough for the royal courts was also good enough for the well-to-do Pirate. To own an exotic animal would have been a status symbol. If parrots were popular with the upper class, then pirates would want them for either status or financial gain.”

Reference:
Tobias Gibson . (January 16, 2007). A Pyrate’s Life: pirates, parrots and pets. In Pirates of the Caribbean, in Fact and Fiction. Retrieved 26 November 2009, from http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/pirates.html.

Cecil Adams. (October 12, 2007 ). Why are pirates depicted with a parrot on their shoulder? . In the Straight Dope. Retrieved 26 November 2009, from http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2729/why-are-pirates-depicted-with-a-parrot-on-their-shoulder.

If you want to read more on the topic, here are books that you can check out at our libraries.

All Rights Reserved, Franklin Watts, 2008.

Pirate ship by Julia Bruce
Publisher: London : Franklin Watts, 2008.
Call No.: J 910.4 BRU

Click here to check for item availability

All Rights Reserved, Capstone Press, c2008.

The golden age of pirates : an interactive history adventure by Bob Temple
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2008.
Call No.: J 910.4 TEM
Click here to check for item availability

All Rights Reserved, PowerKids Press, 2008.

A day in the life of a pirate by Emma Helbrough
Publisher: New York: PowerKids Press, 2008.
Click here to check for item availability

All websites are last accessed on 26 November 2009. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Ms Sharifah A. Latif
Assoc. Librarian, Children’s Services

Even as we embark on the Speak Good English Movement, who can forget the Singlish lingo that makes Singapore stand out from the rest of her neighbours? Admittedly, even as we converse in proper English, Singlish is still the colloquial language that binds the people in the heartlands together.

How then did Singlish come about?

According to a BBC news article, “Singlish is the product of Singapore’s history as a melting pot of cultures, combining the influence of an English-speaking colonial master and a firmly multi-racial society. The result is an English-based vernacular, spiced up with terms from Hokkien, Malay, Tamil and whatever other language happens to come along.”

In an article by Ravi Veloo in 1994, sociolinguist Dr Anthea Gupta believes that “Singlish sprouted with the sudden rise of non-English speaking Chinese students enrolling in English-medium Straits Settlement schools from around the 1900s”. She says the single most influential group at the start was probably the Straits-born Chinese children. They spoke mostly Malay, with some Hokkien. That is why Singlish has a lot of Malay words such as malu, makan and sayang.

Sources:
(1999, August 30). Singapore declares war on singlish . Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/433745.stm

(9 August 1994), Singlish, by Ravi Veloo. Retrieved from Factiva E-Database

Here are more books on the subject!

1) Title: An essential guide to Singlish
Author: Illustrations by Miel ; [project editor, Samantha Hanna]
Call Number: SING English 427.95957 ESS

All Rights Reserved, Gartbooks , 2003

2) Title: The Coxford Singlish dictionary
Editors: Colin Goh, Y.Y. Woo
Call Number: SING English 427.95957 COX

All Rights Reserved, Angsana Books, 2002

3) Title: Sounds and sins of Singlish : And Other Nonsense
Author: Rex Shelley
Call Number: SING English 427.95957 SHE

All Rights Reserved, Singapore : Times Books International, 1995

Extracted By:

Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

There have always been doctors and healers throughout history. Before the modern doctor, tribes would have their tribal healer or their physicians so it is difficult to say who the first true doctor was.
However according to enote’s History Fact Finder, the first medical doctor we know by name is Imhotep, who was an Egyptian who lived around 2650 B.C. He was an advisor to King Zoser and made contributions to the world of medicine by way of a textbook on how to treat wounds, bones as well as tumours. He was so well revered that Egyptians used to worship him as a god.

Image is a picture of a statue purchased in Egypt & is retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Imhotep.JPG

Reference:
Saari, Peggy. “Medicine And Disease – Who Was The First Doctor In History?.” History Fact Finder. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie. UXL-GALE, 2001. eNotes.com. 2006. 30 Sep, 2009

If you want to read more on the topic, here are books that you can check out at our libraries.

All Rights Reserved, Rosen Central 2008

Medical breakthroughs by Gary Jeffrey
Publisher: New York : Rosen Central, 2008.
Call No.: J English 610 JEF

All Rights Reserved, Children’s Press, 2008.

Pills and potions: a history of remedies by Mary Atkinson
Publisher: New York : Children’s Press, 2008.
Call No.: J English 610 ATK

All Rights Reserved, Franklin Watts, c2004.

Health and medicine by Saviour Pirotta
Publisher: London : Franklin Watts, c2004.
Call No.: J English 362.1 PIR

All websites are last accessed on 25 Sep 2009. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Ms Felicia Chan
Librarian, Children’s Services

What makes Singapore unique? Unlike other sites that hype up the different tourist attractions, this blog gives our everyday mundane experiences an interesting and hunourous spin. Before we dismiss Singapore as just another concrete jungle, take a look at this blog post! You may come to appreciate the daily experiences and how these add up to more than just another visit to the shopping center.

http://www.magandeepsingh.com/blog/2009/05/30/10-things-not-to-do-in-singapore/

Is the Singapore you know just limited to what your daily commute? Have you ever wondered if there is more to life here than just looking out for the next opening of another shopping center or restaurant?

For more information on unique experiences in Singapore, here are some books that you can check out! Who knows, you may come to appreciate the little intricacies that weave this little nation together!

Stir-fried not shaken by Terry Tan
Call Number: English 641.5092 TAN

Singapore: Delicious and Delirious by Tan Ping and Serena Narain
Call Number: Call Number: English 959.57 TAN

Singapore Swing by John Malathronas
Call Number:English 915.957045 MAL

Posted by:

Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

ASK! about  Anything and Everything

Bible in the hotel 
According to the website, The Straight Dope (which answers imponderables and interesting facts of life), this practice originated from the International Bible Society, publisher of bibles. They started placing bibles in hotel rooms in 1823. Another group linked to this is the Gideons International, a Christian organisation. Their agents left behind bibles on reception desks during their work to spread their religion.

On the history page of the International Bible Society here, the society states that they began placing bibles in hotels in 1836.

At the same time, Gideons International’s role was highlighted in following news articles:
- Times Educational Supplement ran a series of questions in 2009 which contained “Which organisation is most famous for placing copies of the Bible in hotel rooms and hospitals?” The answer was the Gideons International.
- Associated Press Newswires also ran an article dated 2009, titled “Gideons celebrate 100 years of Bible distribution” which credited the organisation to the widespread availability of bibles in hotels which started since 1908. Both articles can be found on Factiva, available via NLB eResources.

Gideons International is also mentioned in Columbia Enclyclopaedia 2008, which stated that ”its program of placing Bibles in hotel rooms for use by commercial travelers and others has made the organization internationally known.” Enclyclopaedia Brittanica also confirmed this in the article about Gideons International, whose famous act was placing bibles in hotels since 1908. You can access this via CREDO Reference and Encyclopaedia Britannica on NLB eResources.

Hence, from these sources, it appears that Gideons International is famous for placing bibles in hotel rooms since 1908, though the practice dates further back to 1836, beginning with the International Bible Society.

Other books in the hotel
Today, as the world embraces a greater diversity of religions, some hotels carry the texts of other religions as well. A few news articles between 1995 and 1996 mentioned this. One of them was the N.Y. Times News Service’s article, Gideon Bibles Now Share Hotel Rooms With Other Texts in 1996.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Associate Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Won’t it be nice if Monday was called something else? Then we would not suffer from the Monday blues!
Well, according to the The World Book Encyclopedia, Monday is is derived from the ancient Anglo-Saxon and Germanic word for the Moon, known as “monandaeg”. Therefore, Monday means ‘the day of the moon’.

The moon, like the sun, was an object of wonder in the days of old, and was worshiped and hence Monday was named after the moon as a form of reverence. This practice was prevalent in most European countries as most other Western and Southern European languages use their own derivative of the word, “moon”, as a root for “Monday”. For example, the Latin word for moon is “luna” and from that comes the French word “Lundi”.

An interesting explanation why we have Monday blues is because Monday was the usual day for washing and a blue dye was frequently used to keep clothes from yellowing. Therefore, in olden times, having the blues on Monday means washing the laundry on Monday! But now, having the blues on Monday is just associated with feeling depressed because Monday is the first workday of the week.

Now, if only we start work later in the week, Monday would not be so disliked by most working people!

Originally answered by
Ms Marhama Mohamed
Librarian
Public Library Services

Kids ASK! about History

According to the World Book Encyclopedia 2001 (Call No.: YR 031 WOR), under the entry “Alphabet”, the English alphabet developed from many early writing systems, from the signs used by the Egyptians around 3000 B.C. to the Greek alphabet around 600 B.C.

Later on, the Romans learned the Greek alphabet and developed their own. Their alphabet had only 23 letters. For many hundreds of years, only capital letters were used. Small letters were developed later. The final 3 letters (J, U and W) were also added to the alphabet later. This formed the modern alphabet we use today.

Source: (2001). Alphabet. In The World Book encyclopedia Chicago: World Book.

For more information on history of the written word, here are some recommended library books:

The written word by Janet Weller ; illustrated by Colin Mier.
Publisher: New York : Franklin Watts, 1998
Summary: Presents a brief overview of writing as a method of communication including such topics as the development of the alphabet, calligraphy, writing implements, graphology, and the invention of printing.
Call No.: J 302.2 WEL

Top secret : a handbook of codes, ciphers, and secret writing by Paul B. Janeczko; illustrated by Jenna LaReau
Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2004
Summary: A handbook for the budding cryptographer including codes and ciphers, invisible inks, concealment techniques, spy stories and some history.
Call No.: J 652 JAN

Writing in ancient Egypt by Jil Fine
Publisher: New York : PowerKids Press, c2003
Series Title: Reading power / Writing in the ancient world
Call No.: J 493 FIN

Ox, house, stick : the history of our alphabet by Don Robb ; illustrated by Anne Smith
Publisher: Watertown, MA : Charlesbridge, c2007
Summary: See how the Roman alphabet began and how it has changed through the years.
Call No.: J 428.1 ROB

All websites were last accessed on 10 February 2009. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use. All book summaries were taken from the book descriptions. All images were extracted from www.bn.com and www.powells.com.

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Mr Lim Sieu Pin
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Posted by Ms Elizabeth Lee
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Found this post interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

 Image extracted from Britannica.com

According to Modern World History Online, the “bell tower of the cathedral of Pisa first began to lean after construction began in 1173, and the list, which can be attributed to the tower’s inadequate foundation material (soil rather than rock), increased steadily through the two centuries required for the completion of the project. Efforts are underway to halt and, where possible, reverse the tilt, which constantly threatens the magnificent eight-story tower” (“Leaning Tower of Pisa”).Work Cited:
“Leaning Tower of Pisa.” Modern World History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http:// www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
ItemID=WE53&iPin=WTR0042&SingleRecord=True (last accessed December 15, 2008).

Encyclopedia Britannica reveals more on how plans to make up for the initial list led to further sinkage. It also provides updates on the progress of correction works:

“[ . . . ] Bonnano Pisano, the engineer in charge, sought to compensate for the lean by making the new stories slightly taller on the short side, but the extra masonry caused the structure to sink still further. Work was suspended several times as engineers sought solutions, but the tower was ultimately topped out in the 14th century, still leaning.

The foundations have been strengthened by the injection of cement grout and various types of bracing and reinforcement, but in the late 20th century the structure was still subsiding, at the rate of 0.05 inch (1.2 mm) per year, and was in danger of collapse. In 1990 the tower was closed and the bells silenced as engineers undertook a major straightening project. Earth was siphoned from underneath the foundations, decreasing the lean by 17 inches (44 cm) to 13.5 feet (4.1 metres); the work was completed in May 2001, and the structure was reopened to visitors. The tower continued to straighten without further excavation, until in May 2008 sensors showed that the motion had finally stopped, at a total improvement of 19 inches (48 cm). Engineers expected the tower to remain stable for at least 200 years” (“Leaning Tower of Pisa”).

Work Cited:
“Leaning Tower of Pisa.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. 15 Dec. 2008 .

You can also read the following book for a full look at the story behind this magnificent and not-quite-toppling tower. Please search our catalogue (http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg) to check for locations and availability of the title.

Title: Tilt : a skewed history of the Tower of Pisa
Author: Nicholas Shrady
Call No.: 725.97094555 SHR

 Originally answered by Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment