Music in the Workplace

Over the ages, music has held a place in the working environment. From it’s use in the earliest of times until its near extinction during the Industrial Age to the present day, music has played a vital role to employees.

A Brief History

Music is a universal language that transcends boundaries. In Victorian times, handloom weavers sang as they worked. When the loud machinery of the Industrial Age came along, music in the workplace was nearly lost. During World War II, music was once again introduced to employees via radio.

Employees, often children, would lose fingers to the looms while attempting to remove something that was blocking it. Child laborers would sing to keep themselves awake.

Railroad workers and farmers sang to relieve monotony and to stay alert to dangers. With the advent of machines in the Industrial Age, singing was literally drowned out. In quieter factories, women or orchestras were hired to sing and play among the workers. Music all but died during this time. (le Roux, 2005, vol. 7)

Radio was mainly used as a means to convey news, but in 1940, the British Broadcasting Corporation began running a radio program called “Music While You Work.” It ran twice per day and was geared especially for the factory workers. The bands for the show were instructed to play medleys in order to keep the workers’ attention. Also vital was for the music to keep a rhythm that would keep productivity up.

In 1942, the song “Deep in Heart of Texas” was banned due to the handclapping section that encouraged workers to momentarily stop and participate. (le Roux, 2005) Even in these earliest of times, the benefits of music in the workplace were recognized:

o Increased productivity

o Fewer accidents

o Improved alertness

o Team interaction

In response to the positive reaction, the company Muzak was founded in the 1950’s to provide music to companies. The company is still going strong today.

Modern Study of Music in the Workplace

In modern times, studies have been conducted to gauge the benefits of music in a work setting. These studies have proved much of what was already known, mainly that music improves productivity.

One study indicates that “positive affect and quality-of-work were lowest with no music, while time-on-task was longest when music was removed.” (Lesiuk, 2005, pp.173-191) On the other hand, “positive mood change and enhanced perception of design” (Lesiuk, pp.173-191) were complemented with the addition of music.

Additional studies have shown that music in the workplace promotes positive mood, sense of team, improves alertness and can lessen the event of accidents. Music “motivates workers, decreases boredom and leads to increased productivity perhaps because people work in time with the beat.” (le Roux, 2005)

Employers do need to consider the type of music played in a workplace. The mood and style should fit the business. Experts suggest all-instrumental soundtracks so that workers don’t become distracted by the lyrics. (Guess, 1999, p. 42)

Personal Headphones in the Workplace

Today, there is some movement toward personal stereos for employees. A study by researchers at the university of Illinois shows listening to music may increase the output of employees in all types of jobs. (Oldham, 1996, p. 95) The idea of personal stereos is that when a worker is allowed to listen to the type of music he or she enjoys, the better the quality of their work. While this idea is fairly recent, it does show promise.

Conclusion

Music has been the soundtrack to humanity undoubtedly since time began. It speaks to people on a primal level. Before researchers even began to study the effect of music on workers, people were weaving, working in their fields or and other jobs while humming or singing along. Now, researchers are proving what these people knew all along: music makes work go by faster and keeps spirits up.

Works Cited

Can personal stereos improve productivity?, Oldham, Greg, 1996

hrmagazine.be

Work to the music, Guess, Terri P., 1999, blackenterprise.com

“Whistle While You Work”: A Historical Account of Some Associations Among Music,

Work and Health, le Roux, Gordon Marc, 2005, ajph.org

The effect of music listening on work performance, Lesuik, Teresa, 2005, pom.sagepub.com

Goal or also known as Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (in English: Get Set Goal) is a Hindi movie shown last 2007. The soundtrack of the film is composed by Pritam, while the lyricist is Javed Akhtar. This modern film revolves on football.

General Plot:

A rabble team of losers called Southall United Football Club from the British Asian community faces a difficult task. In order to survive, they have to pounce on every opponent to win the Combined Counties Football League in England. Loyalty to the team was tested. In the end, they were able to conquer the title and protect their football stadium.

Of course, all contemporary movies have soundtracks. These songs depict the general emotions of the film, which help convey what the actors are trying to portray. As this film is included in the action genre, it’s no surprise that the songs are racey. And for most films, these soundtracks often leave a strong imprint on the hearts of the viewers.

So here are the inspiring and action-packed Goal Hindi movie songs you would want to listen and jive to:

1. Billo Rani

It talks about a lover who remembers not his name, but his lover’s. This has a surprisingly fun and lively beat. The voices blended well and the result is a perfect duet that will surely entertain any listener.

2. Ishq Ka Kalma

If you want to rock the night with your special someone, then this song is certainly for you. You can be frog that awaits your princess’ kiss. The tune is very upbeat and makes you want to dance!

3. Hey Dude

It speaks on not messing up with someone. It is sang authoritatively that you certainly don’t want to mess around with this guy.

4. Halla Bol

The song is very festive and seems to be an anthem. The beat is fast and bouncy, meant to inspire football players.

5. Tara Ru

Among the movie’s soundtrack, this seems to be the only song with a moderate tempo and sang dramatically.

If you’ve never heard of Achmed the dead terrorist then just take a look over on some of the various video sharing websites or do a search for him. He really is one of the funniest things in the world right now. Just 10 minutes listening to him will have you laughing so hard you can’t stop!

Achmed the dead terrorist is a puppet created by the comedian Jeff Dunham, star of many TV shows. Achmed is one of the worst suicide bombers in the world. Totally incompetent and brings to comedy, a subject which is hard to deal with – terrorism.

Achmed is such a funny puppet that he deals with the subject of terrorism in a great way. He hands out some superb funny lines such as “The Suicide Hotline” and “Silence I Kill You”. Achmed is king of comedy right now!

He recently sang a Christmas special song called Jingle Bombs, making audiences laugh their socks off up and down the country.

Achmed does not realize he is actually dead but when Jeff points out that he is all bones, Achmed replies with “It’s just a flesh wound”. Hilarious. Really worth watching.

The amazing popularity of this famed puppet has brought a whole array of related products into the limelight, from other videos, ringtones and wallpapers! yep, you can have “Silence I kill You” from Achmed the dead terrorist as your ringtone, how cool!

Achmed is absolutely hilarious, and I recommend you take 30 minutes right now laughing your socks off! A totally great way to cheer yourself up.

Introduction

“If you wish to converse with me, define your terms.” – Voltaire

We have to get on the same page. There are far too many pages. There are far too many gimmicks, tricks, and tips spoken and written by people who do not share the same terminology. This makes for problems, misunderstandings and debates.

Turning to science, we can find ways of describing things so explicitly that guesses and opinions collapse under the weight of provable truths. From myths has come mayhem and may we make the distinction between reality and seek agreement as the truth sets us free from the past.

The Common Names of Vocal Registers:

Chest Voice

Low Middle Voice

High Middle Voice

Head Voice

Super Head Voice

Chest Voice got its name as a result of singers feeling a sympathetic vibration in the chest as they sang in the lowest part of their voices. Chest voice is not actually a sound, per se, but is a register. The size of the sound waves is such, that in the lowest register, the chest vibrates.

Low Middle Voice is just above Chest Voice. It should blend with chest voice and may sound exactly the same, except it is on higher pitches, above actual chest voice.

High Middle Voice is below Head Voice, but is above Low Middle Voice. Some prominent vocal coaches don’t differentiate between low middle and high middle and call it all the same thing. Some prominent vocal coaches call middle voice Mix or Mix Voice or Mixed Voice. This is misleading in that it sounds like a singer could or would mix two singing registers and that is not what is happening, as is easily demonstrated when you observe the vocal folds as a singer slides from chest to low middle to high middle to head voice. You do not have a magic blender or food processor in your neck which blends sounds in some imaginary way. The middle voice registers, low and high, are not a combination of head voice and chest voice. They are between those registers.

Head Voice got its name because singers noticed that they could feel vibrations in the head when they sang higher than where they typically speak.

Super Head Voice is above Head Voice. It also is called whistle register, but it is not a whistle. Some call super head voice flageolet, which is an actual “mechanical” whistle.

To recapitulate, vocal registers are the ranges of the voice, but they are not qualities of sound or tone. Some singers and vocal coaches do not know this and they speak of registers as if they are a specific tone quality or a timbre. The top music schools, conservatories, and universities are precise and explicit and do not interchange or misuse terminology. This is a great time to all get on the same page. By doing this, we can gain a deeper understanding of the structure and function of singing. We may even be able to get along.

Sound, tone, and timbre

Sound travels at about 750 miles per hour. We do not have valves, as such, inside our heads, to enable us to direct the sound or to place the sound to any appreciable degree. We also do not have muscles which expand the pharyngeal cavity and therefor cannot actually “open our throats” or “keep our throats open”. Don’t blame me. I did not design or build the human body.

When the vocal folds are in close proximity, as air is expelled through them, we will have a sound which is called full voice. Full voice is the sound we make in which we can “project” or have power or loudness. Many singers and some vocal coaches refer to full voice as chest voice but these terms are precise and are not interchangeable. Chest voice is a register and full voice is a sound. A register will be exact notes in your own vocal production. You may notice that they slightly vary up or down on any given day, but not much. Don’t call full voice chest voice. You can sing with full voice in every single register. When you do this, you are not stretching chest voice higher. That is a common fallacy. You can yell or scream and do a thing some call “pulling chest voice”, but it is yelling, not singing, and is potentially harmful to the vocal folds.

You cannot loudly sing with a breathy sound and you may even feel pain if you try doing that. Breathy tone production is achieved by the vocal folds not adducting enough to make the full voice sound. As a result, air escapes and we can hear that in combination with the tone of the vibrating vocal folds. A breathy tone could be called a sound characteristic, or timbre.

What are vocal chords? Vocal chords only exist when there are three singers singing together on three different pitches. Some vocal coaches have referred to vocal chords, but meaning to say vocal cords. Doctors normally do not say vocal cords, since they are not cords and definitely are not “chords”.

Video stroboscopy has revealed that the vibrating action of the vocal folds is quite complex. Using a microphone which allows the measurement of the frequency vibration and combining that with a strobe light has enabled physicians and speech therapists to visually observe the actual function and structure of the voice as it is in action. Videos of this may be found online.

You can think of full voice as a solid sound and a breathy voice as having air in it.

Remember this: “If you wish to converse with me, define your terms.” – Voltaire

So, hopefully there has been some clarification in the defining of terms, based on modern science, not on myths.

The Jonas Brothers grew up in a musical family in a small town called Wyckoff, New Jersey. It was but natural for the family to sing songs together and as the brothers grew up, they began writing songs and playing instruments together. The three brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick were born a few years apart and all of them are equally talented. However, it was Nick who initially caught the attention of a recording company.

The story goes like this. Denise Jonas, the Jonas’ mom, took Nick along to a salon as she was getting a hair cut. The young Nick sang and a lady who overheard him referred him to a record company. Nick recorded a solo CD initially, but then the manager heard that Nick had brothers who were equally talented. The three brothers sang “Please be Mine” together and managed to impress the manager a great deal. Realizing the opportunity in casting them together as a brother band, the Jonas Brothers was formed.

The first album of Jonas Brothers was called “It’s About Time.” It was released in August 2006 with a lot of publicity and fanfare. In spite of the promotions, the album reached only #91 on the Billboards. However, Mandy, a song written by the brothers about a friend whom Denise Jonas taught sign language so she could pursue a career helping the hearing impaired, was well received. The music video even got to the #3 spot on MTV.

In April, the brothers officially announced the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2010. The tour will feature the three brothers, their special guest Demi Levato as well as their co-stars and friends from Camp Rock films. The tour will feature songs from Camp Rock as well as some original songs by the Jonas Brothers.

There were some speculations that the Jonas Brothers are going to break up soon. But if the tour announcement is any indication, they are not likely to part ways any time soon. The trio is all set for an extensive trek across three continents this summer. North America, Latin America and Europe will be covered from summer through fall.

Nick Jonas says that the tour is going to be unlike anything they have done before. So fans have good reason to book the Jonas Brothers World Tour tickets as early as possible. The band is clearly focusing on their music as they explain to the fans that they are not worrying about rumors. The rumors of break up started as Nick Jonas released his solo album “Who I Am” in February. Nick says that they have grown closer as brothers and the rumors have made them stronger. However, you never know with these things. Split ups are just part of the normal landscape as far as the music scene is concerned. What is confirmed though is that the three brothers will appear together for the World Tour. This is another reason for fans to grab the Jonas Brothers World Tour tickets as soon as they become available without waiting till the last minute.

Fans who catch the brothers on tour will hear the group’s hit songs and those from Camp Rock films. Approach a reliable ticket broker to get confirmed Jonas brothers World Tour tickets.

University Studies on Prostate Health

With prostate cancer affecting increasing numbers of men in the United States, a great many university studies have been conducted into the causes of this potentially life-threatening disease. In the search for a cure, a number of these studies have come across several naturally-occurring plant extracts that appear to have beneficial effects on PSA levels and may be useful in promoting prostate health.

PSA, or Prostate Specific Antigen, is a substance produced by the prostate gland. While all men have small amounts of PSA in their blood stream, elevated levels have been associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, which is commonly referred to as enlarged prostate. In addition, high levels of PSA in the blood stream have been linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer, especially in men over 50.

Natural Supplements Demonstrate Potential Prostate Benefits:

The following naturally-occurring ingredients have exhibited beneficial properties, according to university laboratory studies on prostate tumor cells. Nutraceuticals containing these extracts may be indicated in supporting men’s prostate health.

• White Button Mushroom Extract – The extract of this edible mushroom has been shown to successfully inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells; the targeted cells subsequently experienced increased rates of apoptosis, leading to tumor death in vitro, as well as in vivo in experimental mice in a study performed at the Beckham Research Institute.

• Sang Huang Mushroom Extract – A recent Harvard Medical School study revealed that the extract of the Sang Huang mushroom, or phellinus linteus, effectively reduced the rate of prostate cancer cell growth in laboratory mice and caused tumor regression, or reduction in the size of the tumors.

• African Plum Tree Bark Extract – The bark of the African plum tree (pygeum africanum), which has been shown to be effective in treating enlarged prostate, has also exhibited favorable results in a university laboratory study into its effects on prostate cancer cells. This study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, demonstrated that mice that were given an extract of pygeum africanum had a reduced incidence of prostate cancer.

Preventing prostate problems and other men’s health issues depends in part on making the right lifestyle choices. Eating right, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy body weight, minimizing alcohol consumption and avoiding the use of tobacco products are indicated for optimum men’s health. The natural products mentioned in this article should be considered beneficial to men who have rising PSA, cancer diagnosis, or enlarged prostate.

Often actors will neglect one of the most important parts of their resume, SKILLS.

We all know that Experience, Professional Training, Education is MAJOR-the main categories that tell the industry you have what it takes to play a role. But WHY is it important to have a STRONG skills section?

Many roles from commercials to Movies require some skill or the appearance of a skill, talent, language or artistic ability. It’s important to let casting directors and your agent know what you can do comfortably.

Athletic Skills – Playing golf, swimming, diving, racing
Kevin Costner really does play golf and did many of his own shots in Tin Cup and the famous Johnny Weissmuller did dive off cliffs and stay underwater a long time in jungle streams for all the Tarzan movies. Paul Newman did drive race cars in a movie as did Jason Statham in The Transporter. Many actors do dangerous sports and stunts in their own projects. But for most action adventure movies there are stand-ins. For casting purposes they still need to know that you are relatively in shape and can move, run and do some “appearing to be dangerous” stuff. If you DO play golf or tennis bring your clubs and racquet to the audition and dress in your best golf shirt or Wimbledon tennis togs.

Dialects and Languages – If a film or series is set in a different country or your character is from there, you DO have to sound authentic. Yes, Meryl Streep and Even Robert DeNiro got expert speech coaching for some roles to learn an accent or get rid of one but it’s great if you’re already skilled in dialects.

Musical talent – Singing, playing an instrument
Sometimes a character will sing, play the guitar or be in a rock band. Kris Kristofferson sang and played in more than one film and of course Barbara Streisand sang in Funny Girl and others. But not everyone remembers that Meryl Streep sang the film’s theme song, Amazing Grace in Silkwood. You might just get hired to sing the theme song or appear within the movie as YOURSELF performing in a cabaret or nightclub.

World Traveler – Can you handle traveling or have a passport?
So many films are shot on location. If you’ve traveled there you’ll be familiar with the language, the customs and will certainly have your passport. I’ve met actors who got smaller roles in adventure films because they had been on safari in Africa, had surfed on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and climbed the Himalayas.

Other hobbies or artistic pursuits
Are you experienced in painting watercolors, sculpting, gardening? These may be part of a character so it’s more likely you’ll be called to play them if you ARE a painter, sculptor or have a real garden. You’ll even have the appropriate paint/mud splattered wardrobe for the audition!

Degrees in other professions- nursing, medical degree, MBA-business
These things will help if they need someone on the set of a Soap as an “advisor” and to speak the jargon/lingo for Corporate videos and in house training films.

How skilled must you be REALLY?
Never lie. Be competent but not necessarily professional in your skill or talent. For example if you’re on a sailboat for a toothpaste commercial you don’t have to “crew” but it might be best if you don’t get seasick easily, especially in close-ups.

If you have to play the piano for a coffee commercial, be able to do so for at least 8 bars. The whole commercial is only 30 seconds so it’s not going to be necessary after that. (I know!)

If you state that you are “conversational or fluid” in a language that might be sufficient for a 30 second commercial or short scenes in a movie. Fluent means you are really up-to-speed.

Any other sport–biking for example–even if the movie is about a 3,500 kilometre bike hike, the Tour de France, you’ll probably have a stand-in. You’re being hired as an ACTOR not a biker. The extras might have to be better than you or actually be real pro’s.

If they want a gold medal Olympic athlete for the movie or TV series they’ll probably hire one or have HIM stand in for your stunts while YOU act. So although you should be “proficient” at your sport or skill you don’t need to be brilliant. Even Ingrid Bergman didn’t play a note in her Academy Award winning role in Intermezzo where she portrayed a concert pianist.

So add all of your talents, skills, sports, languages, dialects and special “activities”-ballroom dancing to salsa and you might just double your auditions and bookings!

Successful Marketing!

Gwyn

At a time when Oasis sang of ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’, Suede sang of ‘New Generations’ and Blur had a jovial Phil Daniels talking about London suburbs, Manic Street Preachers unveiled an album so horribly downbeat even Robert Smith would have cried listening to it, releasing it one year before Radiohead released their miserable masterpiece, ‘The Bends’.

Where their previous two records had failed in their attempts to produce gigantic sounding albums, ‘Bible’ stripped everything but the basics away; Nicky Wire, their bassist and most vocal member, himself stated that the band didn’t need to use everything at their disposal, favouring a low rent studio in Cardiff, in their home-country. Rhythm guitarist Richie Edwards presided the recordings, but alcoholic priorities meant that he didn’t play on the album, leaving James Dean Bradfield to record the spiralling riffs. Never the greatest musician (he only ever played on a handful of Manic tracks), he proved to be an invaluable member in another area.

Where ‘Gold Against The Soul’ featured the joint lyrical partnership of Wire and Richie Edwards (Edwards’ the Lennon to Wire’s McCartney, if you will), ‘Bible’ turned out to be Edwards’ work primarily, as he attacked everything worthy of attack. Wire’ s songs ‘ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit’sworldwouldfallapart’ and ‘This Is Yesterday’ proved, however, that quality was more than a match for quantity.

The other lyrics were pure Edwards. “Scratch my leg with a rusty nail/sadly it heals” opened ‘Die In The Summertime’, a phrase that shocked the other members and gave an insight into the tormented mind of its author. ‘Faster’ proved more scathing still,as singer James Dean Bradfield spoke of art seen as butchery. A controversial appearance on ‘Top of The Pops’, with Bradfield sporting a balaclava, led to the show’s largest number of complaints and placated the song as Edwards’ masterpiece.

Quick on guitar play, loud in its shouting, ‘Bible’ was anything but subtle. No album since The Sex Pistols’ debut sounded so scary and so loud, particularly ‘Revol’, where its guitars sounded more like sirens than melodies. ‘Yes’ lured listeners into a pop structure, before scaring them with lyrics of prostitution and Bradfield’s sincerity on the topic. ‘Of Walking Abortion’ proved even nastier, a monster of profanities and guitar riffs. The title of ‘The Intense Humming Of Evil’ said it all.

‘She Is Suffering’ proved the album’s sole respite, a tender song for the pop masses, albeit one written from the perspective of a victimised love. An earnest piece of Beatlesque pop, the song gave the Welsh rockers an unlikely number 25 U.K. hit.

The album’s themes may have seemed daring and artistic, but for Edwwards’, many proved a reality he could hardly cope with. Hospitalised in August 1994, the band announced his disappearance in February 1995. Though physically absent, his shadow never truly left them. The other three soldiered on without him for fifteen years, before finding themselves in artistic withdrawal. Retreating to a scrapbook of unused Edwards’ lyrics, the band released ‘ Journal for Plague Lovers’ in 2009, a record which reclaimed ‘Bible’s glory and their most satisfying record in a decade.

The Christmas song Hard Candy Christmas has long been one of my favorites. Dolly Parton brings something to the song that no one else ever could. Not only is it a Christmas favorite everywhere but it tugs at your heartstrings at the same time. The music, the lyrics, and Dolly Parton’s sweet voice have made this a number one Christmas song for years now.

This Christmas song was originally written Carol Hall who was a composer/lyricist for the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The song was then recorded and made famous by Dolly Parton when the song was adapted to the big screen in 1982 when it was released by Universal pictures.

In the original version of the song, the girls sang it in refrain as they were leaving the whorehouse after it was ordered to close. In the movie, Dolly Parton sang it as a solo with the girls singing backup. It didn’t take long for the song to hit number eight on the country billboard charts.

There are many rumors floating around as to what Hard Candy Christmas stands for. However, two of them carry make the most sense. In the movie, Burt Reynolds who played the sheriff had broken Dolly Parton’s heart and she said it would be a hard candy Christmas but she would not let sorrows bring her way down. However, hard candy Christmas can also stand for the Christmases’ that Dolly Parton had growing up. In an interview, she once said that you always knew what kind of Christmas you were having as a kid by the kind of candy her parents bought. Hard candy was a rare treat and toys were unheard of on Christmas morning. Therefore, the title and the lyrics of the song can be taken both ways. Still no matter how you decide to interpret it Hard Candy Christmas is a timeless classic that will tug on the heartstrings of people every Christmas for generations to come.

While Dolly Parton is the name associated with Hard Candy Christmas it has been recorded by other singers over the years. Some of the most notable are Rupaul in 1997, Dan Bryk and Sixpence None the Richer singer Leigh Nash in 2006. The Venture Brothers also recorded the song in 2005.

I know I will be listening, humming at singing Hard Candy Christmas when the holidays roll around again this year and I am sure others will as well.

The origins of Singapore date back as far as the 14th century when the island was known as Temasek or also known as Tumasik. There was this prince from the island of Sumatra known as Sang Nila Utama. One day, on his visit to Tumasik, he spotted an unusual looking creature whilst hunting for wild animals.

It was a rather peculiar but interesting sight. Sang Nila Utama who was standing at the base of the hill on which this rather queer looking animal was perched on the top, unafraid and unperturbed by Sang Nila Utama’s presence. It was rather odd as animals are normally known to be very alert and react rather quickly if they sense any other presence whether animal or human being.

Cautious yet still enthusiastic about what he saw, Sang Nila Utama shouted at his men asking if any of them knew what type of animal this was. One of them replied that it was a lion. This animal was believed to have red hair on its head and red skin on its chest. Sang Nila Utama overjoyed, saw this as a sign from the Gods, happily called the island ‘Singapura’.

‘Singa’ in Malay means lion and ‘pura’ means city in Malay. Pronounced together it means lion city. Many historians beg to differ. Some say what Sang Nila Utama saw was not a lion but a mouse deer. Mouse deers then were very easily found in the Malayan Peninsular. One such Malayan or today known as Malaysian state that boasts very proudly of this animal called the mouse deer is the state of Malacca, located more to the south of the Malaysian Peninsular. In fact, the mouse deer is the mascot of the state of Malacca.

Other historians have another view in which seems to be more in line with the fact that Singapore during the time of Sang Nila Utama was full of jungles home to the tiger. Tigers were rampant in Singapore until the late 1940s when their numbers reduced sharply. What caused this huge drop in which only 100 years earlier on tigers were in thousands?

Well, many historians believe that tigers posed a serious and many a time deadly threat to the people of Singapore living during 1840s to the 1940s. As Singapore developed, so did ammunition. No longer did the villagers living a stone throw away from the jungles which were home to these tigers have to fend them off with sharp weapons, wooden sticks and whatever they could get their hands on to protect themselves as rifles were being sold; sold of course with a license from the British colonial government at that time.

In fact, the war against tigers that nearly wiped out the entire tiger population of Singapore had positive and negative consequences. Positive as villages were then safe from attacks but negative as this rare and powerful creature native not only to Singapore but also to other countries in Asia; those with tropical climates especially, and yes other countries outside Asia that have the 4 seasons, was almost impossible to be seen and admired. What an unusual name Singapore would have if it were called Tigerpore!

So as they say, legends are only legends. Strangely enough, some legends sometimes are connected with actual historical events. One must be cautious though as legends, especially those pertaining to Singapore’s history were created during the time when story telling was one of the very few forms of leisure. So it was the case at that time as Singapore was rather a backward and isolated island with hardly less than a hundred people, let alone a port. Therefore, stories of fiction were created to occupy the time of the bored island dwellers. They must have been rather creative to invent such captivating tales that both young and old can truly relish!