Australia helps China into solar energy scheme

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/347888/cs/1/

Australia helps China into solar energy scheme

Malaysia Sun
Saturday 12th April, 2008

Australia has told China it will help develop the world's largest solar city.

Australia will fund a feasibility study into the development of the largest solar-powered city in the world at Weihai, in north-east China.

It will also fund a pilot project of Australian carbon-measuring systems in regional China.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd revealed details of the projects while visiting a power plant on the outskirts of Beijing on Friday.

[kestrel91316]

1. I hate how the Brits and Aussies call all sorts of projects "schemes".

In American English the word "scheme" pretty much equates with "plot" and has a really nasty negative connotation, lol.

This just bothers me. Especially when I am bored and have nothing else to occupy my mind.

[Bear down under]

2. "Scheme" is a shorter word

it has six letters, while "project" has seven. That matters to a headline writer, who has only so much space across the top of the page to make his point. Which is why they say "probe" rather than "investigation", "shock" rather than "scandal", and so on. Once ingrained the habit is hard to break.

That said, "scheme" isn't as pejorative in UK and Oz usage as it appears to be in American English. It implies a stage of development rather earlier than "project".

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. I believe "plan" is shorter still

A "plan" is what we're really talking about here.

[kestrel91316]

5. "Plan" would work so much better. I wince at "scheme" and imagine

smoke-filled rooms and mob bosses and financial hanky-panky.....

I'm also getting annoyed at radio news readers lately, and TV news readers, too - when referring to a foreign CONSULATE (CON-su-late) they call it a COUN-su-late.

Con.....Coun............two completely different sounds to them, last I heard.

[Dead_Parrot]

3. I know too many Brits and Aussies...

Believe me, "scheme" is perfect. :D

[Nihil]

6. In a similar vein ...

... I tend to smile when people go on about "projects" as the thing that
springs to my mind is the bodged together "cardboard, string & glue" type
of thing that small children have to produce for their school projects ...

I used to wind up one somewhat pompous "project manager" in the past by
reminding him that my son was also a "project manager" ... as well as a
"project engineer" and a "project technical writer" yet he didn't demand
anything like as many review meetings ...
:evilgrin: