--- Forwarded Message from Ed Dente <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 17:15:53 -0500 (EST)
>From: Ed Dente <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #5461 acronym: heads up!
>In-reply-to: <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
On Thu, 3 Feb 2000, LLTI-Editor wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from Ursula Williams <[log in to unmask]> ---
> 
> >Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 08:47:11 -0500
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >From: Ursula Williams <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: acronym: heads up!
> 
> Just to clarify something: An acronym is a *word* that is made up of the
> initial letters of several words. So radar (radio detecting and ranging) is
> an acronym, as is scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus).
> PAL (phase alternating line) is; so is SECAM (buncha French words); but
> NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) isn't. If it were NATSAC it
> would be.
> 
> Just a bit of clarification from one who was recently enlightened.
> 
> Ursula

Ursula et al.:
To add to the brew, here's something I got in my "Daily Tip" e-mail from
PC World:
Cheers,
Ed Dente
ACRONYM FINDER
http://www.mtnds.com/af/

Remember when Y2K threatened to be TEOTWAWKI? Uh, what? In today's
increasingly confusing world, acronyms are common in conversation.
Sometimes--as in the sentence above--a combination of them can be pretty
overwhelming. The next time somebody spouts alphabet soup, you'd do well
to stop into the Acronym Finder to decipher what it is he or she is
saying. The interface is simple. Type in the acronym and the site
searches through nearly 70,000 known acronyms and returns what it finds.
We tried to stump it on computer arcania and scientific esoterica, but
it had us in every instance. A valuable bookmark.

> 
> PS: Gosh, this is a long winter!

You got that right, Ursula!!!
Ed
         "Leave the gun...take the cannoli."
                            -Clemenza <<The Godfather>>