06.23.2011 03:45 PM

Those Knew Democrats shure are smrt

28 Comments

  1. George in Richmond BC (the other Geoge) says:

    Nothing annoys me more than this kind of crap. Just yesterday, we had a special segment on our local Vancouver radio station (CKNW) and they were airing a programme discussing the HST. They called their programme “The HST: From A to Z” Except they pronounced the Z as “zee” and not the correct “zed”. That inattention to detail telegraphs just how worthwhile their reportage is.

    I still have my late 60’s Canadian Dictionary with the orange cover and Avro Arrow outline on it to guide my spelling and pronunciation.

  2. Bill From Willowdale says:

    I am not a good speller but I am smart enough to ask someone who is.

  3. bigcitylib says:

    This is how you know she’s sincere. Not a lying Lieberal that can spell.

  4. bigcitylib says:

    As for the blue background, this obviously matches the colour of her crystals, which help her get in tune with the Spirit of the waters around. You know this, lying Lieberal Fool!

  5. WildGuesser says:

    Maybe socialists don’t require one to be a winner in the genetic lottery of good spelling ability in order to be awarded a proofreading job? That is more of a liberal elite philosophy to keep the common man down. I actually find it refreshing.

  6. Simon says:

    So embarrassing! I also had to upbraid some of my Dipper pals who were laughing about how Dalton will be collecting UI come the end of October and I had to point out that it’s EI he’ll be collecting. The shame! The shame!

    I am sure the premier’s concession speech on election night will be perfectly spelled. I am sure they are proofreading the seventh draft of it in the Lib war room tonight.

    As for our pedantic friend George from BC, I suggest he consult any reputable style guide on punctuation. I am not in the habit of commenting on others’ usage errors, since I make plenty of ’em myself, but since we are casting the first stone around here, well . . . ‘ β€œThe HST: From A to Z” Except they pronounced the . . . ‘ Really? No period after “. . . A to Z?’ Then why the capital on “Except?” Tsk, tsk. Nothing annoys me more than this kind of crap.

    • ottawacon says:

      See, Simon, that is the difference between Dipper politicos and most of the rest – everyone else has possibilities for gainful employment elsewhere. Dalton will be fine either way.

    • George in Richmond BC (the other Geoge) says:

      Indeed. I shall correct the punctuation error before I send it to the printing company for final printing and distribution.

  7. MCBellecourt says:

    This is actually kind of funny. It also allows me some vindication because I caught a lot of flack from my daughter’s teachers about being “obsessive” about her spelling” (no kidding, WK, that was the word they used!).

    A short while ago you posted a Fox news flub in spelling on their marquee underneath the Osama Bin Laden death story. That was Hilarious!

    (for anyone that missed it, “Osama” was spelled “Obama”).

    Tells much about the deterioration of our education system.

    Oh, yeah, that reminds me.

    In 1981, in Edmonton, there was a power outage on my street, and it occurred as I was picking up a carton of milk from the corner store. The sales clerk’s till was rendered useless, and she didn’t know how to make change from a fiver. I had to show her how.

    But here’s the kicker, ladies and gents–she was bragging about getting through her second year of UNIVERSITY.

    ***groan****

    • Cath says:

      sounds eerily like our situation and daughter. Same kid in elementary school that we fought with who told us that because her teacher didn’t care about spelling words correctly that she(teacher) was right and we (parents) were wrong. Years later, like the post above, in university the truth of how much spelling DOES matter surfaced.

      Same child rec’d an awards certificate in Gr. 3 that had two spelling errors in the text of the document. “Obsessive” over spelling that we were (BAD PARENTS!) we asked for another, corrected one.

      I wrote to an MP last year and in the response there were several spelling errors.

      • MCBellecourt says:

        Although the uni student I mentioned had a brain freeze with a simple math problem, the point would stand along with your reply, Cath. The bigger picture, I always felt, was that both language and math are communications tools and that is what seperates us from other beings. It is these two tools that enabled us to advance in everything from medicine to physics, and it is those tools applied to technical knowledge that has the potential to save our sorry arses from ourselves.

        Some people seem to think that this is much ado over nothing, but when I see the deterioration of both those useful tools/skills, I see the deterioration of our ability to communicate, and when that happens, we lose part of our ability to advance in technological necessities.

        And those necessities are becoming more and more apparent. I just read an article where the world’s oceans are deteriorating faster than predictions stated. This and other pressing issues tell me that we need to maintain and improve our communications skills, not let them slide.

        When my daughter came home with that awful essay that prompted me to tutor her in spelling, I couldn’t understand what she was trying to say, That bothered me greatly, because I knew that without those basic skills, her future would look grim.

        I used positive reinforcement to get the message home–nothing negative was allowed to infect the process. It was a lot of work on my part–and hers–but both she and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If she brought home a well-written essay, I’d take her out for a burger or buy her a nice piece of clothing–her choice. We would celebrate her achievements in a tangible way, and if she had trouble with something, we’d sit down together and figure it out.

        Then we’d go for a burger πŸ™‚

        As busy as I was (also working outside), I found the time. I’m actually glad that time is past, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t hesitate. Both math and language have paid off for her in so many ways, that the importance of both is obvious to me when I see her in action. She has a good life now, and gave me a heck of a grandson in the process. She intends to do for him as I did for her, and she knows I’ll help.

  8. I do not mark students’ spelling as incorrect because they spell a word the American way. The students are exposed to American-style spelling every day. Computers have American-English spellcheck.

    I like listening to the “Zee”103.5 radio station.

    • I do think that there will be a generational shift in spelling patterns from Canadian English to American English.

      • TofKW says:

        There is no such thing as “Canadian English” or “American English” (contrary to anything Bill Gates’ software may tell you).

        There is only English, and Americans have been bastardizing it for generations now.

  9. ben burd says:

    Is that all you can critique anything to keep up the slams

  10. Pedro says:

    Wow, just wow!
    Progressives getting their shorts in a knot over spelling and grammar!
    Never thought I’d see the day.

  11. Peter Mumford says:

    I generally take a pretty relaxed view of spelling & grammar if it’s internal communications among colleagues or even on messageboards. Especially if I know it was hurriedly done on the go from somebody’s phone. But if it’s a mass produced item intended for public consumption, there is no excuse for this sort of thing. It’s amateurish and an indication of organizational laziness. You can be “real” and still project competence, and this doesn’t. And it does assuredly matter to the general public. And yes, whoever did the graphic design really needs a crash course on basic brand identity techniques.

  12. Lipman says:

    I agree with Peter M on this one. If that lit is a reflection of the party’s work ethic and attention to detail, then the prospective constituents are in big trouble.

    The cockiness of some Conservatives on this board is stunning, given the inherent weakness of Tim Hudak, his math, and his donut plan. McG is being underestimated yet again, and will surprise as things progress.

  13. I never cared for the desperate “use Canadian spelling/pronunciation conventions or we’ll lose our national identity!” arguments.

    However, whatever spelling you choose, be consistent. If you’re going to use “center,” always spell it that way (proper nouns notwithstanding); don’t flop between it and “centre.”

  14. M-J says:

    Great work! Your party’s attention to what matters to Canadians got you where you are today.

  15. Greg says:

    My favourite campaign spelling mistake was in a flyer we got in the ’99 election from the PC candidate in Prince Edward – Hastings, where the big take at the bottom said “Strong Leadership for a Stong Ontario”. My brother got on the phone to the candidate’s campaign office and asked how they were planning to make Ontario “stonger”.

    He didn’t get much of an answer.

  16. Who the hell cares if she’s a single mom? Half the country is made up of single-parent families. Was Trudeau a single dad?

    • Lipman says:

      I disagree. It is admirable that she juggled being a single parent with the demands of university and work. Trudeau had -what Robert Shaw famously accused Richard Dreyfuss of having in Jaws- city hands.

      • Michael Bussiere says:

        It’s irrelevant. Maybe she chose to be a single mother. Maybe she comes from a wealthy family. To a social conservative, single motherhood would be frowned upon as negatively as gay marriage. In any case, it is not a poster issue nor should it be worn as a badge of honour.

  17. MCBellecourt says:

    The English language was at one time rated one of the most difficult languages to learn.

    Then again, it’s easy to understand why.

    They call a sheep a ram, a donkey an ass, but then they call a ram in the ass a GOOSE??!?

    πŸ˜›

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