European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Pages the stars and stripes Friday. March 11, i9bb . Civil servants get the Short word Britain army of civil servants get new marching orders wednesday me Plain English citing such authorities As conf Iii and Winnie the Pooh a Cabinet office pamphlet appealed to the Burca Crais 10 he Clear and concise in talking to inc Public and to each other. Britain s Cuil sen ice he never Sci n known for using a word Hen Ilire would do. As the pamphlet notes in this Isle Century Noil from the ofe cow to the supervisor of Pontic frail i am ordered to acquaint you that in 0u hereafter continue that affected and Schoolboy Way of writing and to murder i he language in such a manner you will he discharged for a tin Duke of Wellington railed against official jargon As the futile driveline of Mere que some of the examples Given As goo writing would make those Quill Drivers Blanch. It quoted this role from a min ister in ancient Egypt to a senior civil servant Apollonius to Zeno. Greeting. Vou did Nghil to Send the chickpeas to Mem Phis. the pamphlet was written by John Wright head of information at the Cabinet office. The introduction is by prime minister Margaret Thatcher who likes to be thought of As the enemy of verbose bureaucrats. She s a very great Friend of the Plain Campaign and emr emely teen on the civil service using Plain English said Wright. She is a Plain speaking Thatcher writes too often clarity and simplicity Are overwhelmed hypo Pous words Long sentences and endless among the tips in inc pamphlet. A Shorter turds. Write try for attempt about for concerning More for additional Long words arc often a sign of a stodgy style thai sends readers to use Short sentences. Aim at an average of 15-20 words even Shorter if you can manage it you can still be polite and. If need be formal or use jargon and abbreviations Only when you re sure the Reader knows what they mean. Otherwise Diplain in suggests sentences with Active verbs such As the department decided thai employees should wort i rum 1 to y instead of the Demion of the department was that cup Loces should work Between 9 and 5." or As confucius would say if Lan Guage is not Correct then what is said is not what is meant if what is said is Ria what is meant Ihen what ought to be done remains remember says the pamphlet readers arc in a hurry to gel to inc Point. They Don t want to be stuck in verbal traffic Wright told the associated press the problem has been Clearing up it recent years. There s increasing use of Crisp and direct that would please Winnie the Pooh that Bear of Little brain who signs Uff the pamphlet Long words bother me world today state owned companies to be sold in Honduras Tegucigalpa Honduras Lui l Honduras is planning to put All state owned companies in the auction Block tit thin 9u Days in an ail met to reduce the swollen government deficit. The United slates has been suggesting the move for cars As a Way for Honduras to Siilvy its chronic eco nomic problems. The 15-Jear-old government investment Purpora tin known by ils Spanish acronym Conradi runs conglomerate of 64 companies with a Hook value of More than s200 million. Dario Lucr Nannc. Assistant economic minister. Tuesday said All the companies will be auctioned to the highest bidders during the not few year. Lie also said the government will close ils Chain of subsidized food stores and its Bank for banana Farmer cooperatives. The embassy has Long pressured Honduras 10 privatize c Yonadi a perennial Money loser thai has been plagued by corruption scandals Warsaw pact ministers to meet in late March i Rague c Echo Slovakia a foreign ministers of inc seven Warsaw pact member countries rescheduled to meet in Sofia. Bulgaria Ai the end of March the czechoslovak stale news Agency ctr re ported wednesday. To did not disclose other details Bui an official at in foreign ministry said she believed the Sofia meeting believed to be a regular session was approved when inc soviet woe foreign ministers were Here last month. In their meeting on feb.23. The foreign ministers Batki the so Iet Union s stand in the latest talks in Moscow Between soviet foreign minister Eduard she Vaidna a Anil . Secretary of slate George p. Shulti. Shevardnadze briefed the participants at that meet ing on his talks Wilh Shultz on fcb.21-22, 1188. Bavarian radio bans birth control record Munich ai1 bavarian radio wednesday banned a song by popular West German entertainer Udo Juergens thai links thu Catholic Church s opposition to birth control to the plight of millions suffering starvation in inc world Udo be incr director of bavarian radio s radio Divi Sion a Iid in a statement that the song would not be aired because ils lyrics Woultz offend religious feel station official. Who asked not to be identified said he decision came after station managers reviewed in song Mcm. We concluded Lizul the lyrics were unacceptable and that inc song if aired would vial ale broadcast mandates the official said. The song go Forth and multiply which plays Ona Well known digit passage a lacks the Catholic Church s prohibitions against the use of condoms inc birth control Pill and other birth control devices. Conservative Bavaria stale has a largely roman Catholic population. West Berlin police spokesman Pultr cheer to mines dimmed truck bad by three East Lrrrain a Ken. 3 East germans drive vehicle through barricade to Freedom West berlins a three East German work cars barrelled across inc Gnu Nick Bridge to Freedom in a Talon truck Early thursday smashing two barriers and a wire Fence before hailing their vehicle in the . Sector. A West Berlin police spokesman said no shots were fired Al the Trio when they made their bid about 2 . The men. Two 37-year-Olds and a 27-year-old, were taken to inc Mirie Felde refugee Center in West Berlin. The spokesman said the men drove their truck straight across the 140 Yard Long Span past a West Berlin police control Point before halting 220 Yards Down the Road near the cite Nick Castle police said. The escapees telephoned police rather than return to the Bridge control Point the spokesman said. The Gli Enicks Bridge also known As the Freedom Bridge crosses inc Havel River and connects 1 us spam to the forested wan see District of West Merlin the Ridge has been inc scene of numerous East West personnel Csc Hanges beginning in 1962 with the Swap of downed u-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powin for russian spymaster col. Rudolf Abel in 1986, russian dissident Nalan Sharansky crossed into West Berlin across the Span in the most publicised of the recent use is limited to official traffic. 11 is the Cross ing Point for personnel attached to the . Military Liaison Mission in Potsdam. Half the Bridge belongs la East Germany and the remainder lies within Wojt Ber Lin. 9 turkish areas under emergency Rule Ankara. Turkey a the turkish parliament Eilen Dett emergency Rule wednesday in nine provinces where the government has been lighting kurdish guerrillas. Under emergency Rule civilian governors can impose curfews Issue search warrants halt strikes Ami ban meetings and rallies. Wednesday s Vole in tends the emergency Rule for four months. Interior mini scr Halemi told parliament that kurdish guerrillas in eight Southeastern provinces killed 100 civilians and 30 soldiers Over the put six months. He said 53 people believed to be ice roots narc killed during the same period and 1.761 others were arrested. In the same period in Istanbul. Turkey s largest City two terrorists were shot dead and i us terrorist suspects were arrested he said. The kurdish labor party seeks to set up an Independent marxist stale in parts of Eastern and Southeastern Turkey. It has been fighting the government since a gust 1984. About one fifth of Turkey s 51 million population arc ethnic kurd
