Hello, Readers!
I really hate to make mistakes. Especially in print. Once
in a while, I'll find a mistake in a Funnies that I've just sent,
and realize hopelessly that there is nothing I can do to correct
it. The best I can do is to patch the website version and hope
few of you will notice or mind. Amazing how easy it is to miss
the simplest mistakes. And how painful it is to realize that
hundreds of you have already seen it.
How much worse it must be to be a newspaper or magazine
editor and find that a quarter million copies of your paper all
have the same stupid mistake. In big letters. How would you
like to explain this to your boss:
DNR HUNT SURVEY TO QUESTION DOGS
- The Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Journal
Or, how about the famous error in The Seattle Times that put
the birth announcements with photos of smiling mothers holding
their newborn babies under the suggestive heading: "NIGHT SPORTS
FINAL."
With millions of words printed every day all around the
world, just random chance will say that a few unexpected mistakes
will creep in. Every so often, we go back through the files and
dig out a few of the gems that we've found. Some of these are
classics, that have been passed around for years, and some are
newly minted.
Writers with a SUNFUN byline this week include: Sylvia Libin
He (and nice to see you, too!), Carol Becwar, Timothy McChain,
Nnamdi Elleh, John Wallner, Dale Frederickson, Sue Yan, Jerry
Taff, Beth Butler, Meredith & Yasmin Leischer, Alison Becwar,
Tomoko Naito, Karen J. Crooker, Lou Masaru, Paul Roser and Peter
Adler. Thanks for all of your contributions, enthusiasm and
friendship. Now let's go to press...
Have An Error-Free Week!
--:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)--
A SPELL OF TROUBLE...
------------------
The famous British Library celebrated the recent opening of
their new building in central London by hanging a banner on the
side of their new building. Unfortunately for the literary
librarians, the banner had a typo. The huge letters read:
"The British Library. For the nation's
written heretage [sic]".
Of course, the press thought that this was pretty funny. The
wire service AFP was so amused that they didn't bother to check
their own spelling, producing the headline:
"British Library Embarassed [sic] by
Mispelling [sic] its Heritage".
--:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)--
STUDY THIS!
----------
- DOCTOR'S ORDERS: DRINK MORE WINE, HAVE LOTS OF SEX
- REUTERS
[ Thanks, Doc! ]
- SCIENTISTS SEE QUAKES IN L.A. FUTURE
- The Oregonian
[ No kidding... ]
- STUDY FINDS SEX, PREGNANCY LINK
- Cornell Daily Sun
- BRITISH STUDY FINDS LESS TRAFFIC WHEN ROADS CLOSE
- SURVEY FINDS DIRTIER SUBWAYS AFTER CLEANING JOBS WERE CUT
- The New York Times
- CHOCOLATES, KISSING COULD HELP FIGHT CAVITIES
- AFP
[ Like a dream come true! ]
- RATS TICKLED PINK WITH NEW RODENT LAUGHTER RESEARCH
- AP
- STUDY: ECSTASY CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE
- AP
[ Good reason to stay unhappy? ]
- HAPPINESS CANNOT BE BOUGHT BUT IT LENGTHENS LIFE
- Reuters
- ECONOMIST USES THEORY TO EXPLAIN ECONOMY
- Collinsville Herald-Journal
- RECREATIONAL USE OF VIAGRA DANGEROUS
- UPI
[ Recreational? Isn't it always? ]
--:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)--
FULL OF HOT ERROR...
-----------------
- LINGUIST ATTEMPTING TO PROTECTED ENDANGERED LANGUAGES
- Brookfield, Missouri, Daily
News-Bulletin
[ Like English? ]
- "Sen. Weicker With New Bribe, Camille DiLorenzo Butler"
- Photo caption in the Ann Arbor
(Michigan) News
- DEFECTIVE SHOW OFFICIALLY STARTS NEW SEASON
- Toronto (Canada) Star
[ Yes, they really meant "detective." ]
"The photograph of Earth on the front page of
yesterday's Horizon [section] was reversed
inadvertently. It shows what an astronaut leaving the
planet might have seen if space-craft had rearview
mirrors. But they don't."
- Washington Post
"Ernest Ray 'Ernie' Stiles, 80, died ... at Rogue Valley
Medical Center, after a successful open heart surgery..."
- The Herald and News, Klamath
Falls, Oregon
[ Successful? ]
- BEARS SURPRISE FAMILY IN THEIR KITCHEN
- AP
[ I didn't know that bears even had
kitchens... ]
"A headline on a story ... about a woman afflicted with
a rare brain disease inadvertently said the illness was
mad cow disease.''
- Florida's Citrus County
Chronicle
- VIRGIN OWNER DRESSES AS RABBIT TO CELEBRATE NEW ROUTE TO
SHANGHAI
- AP
[ Look, I don't care about his personal
life... ]
"Miss America 1997 Tara Holland discusses her campaign for
litewracy awareness and volunteerism in an address at the
annual meeting of PBS' Learning Services Committee."
- AP
[ A slightly illitewrate report? ]
- BOND ISSUE IS READIED FOR CITY INCINERATOR
- The Berkshire Eagle of
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
- CHIROPRACTOR OFFERS FREE TEATS
- A Bonita (Florida) Banner
headline about free tests for
schoolchildren
"An 1899 snowstorm mentioned in today's Horizon section,
which was printed in advance, is erroneously said in some
editions to have been measured at National Airport.
Actually the airplane hadn't been invented yet. The
snowfall was measured in the District [of Columbia]."
- Washington Post
- NEWSPAPER IS AMERICA'S MOST VALUABLE EDUCATIONL AGENCY
- The Indianapolis Star
- POLL SAYS THAT 53% BELIEVE MEDIA OFFEN MAKE MISTAKES
- San Diego (California)
Union-Tribune
--:------:------:------:------:------:------:------:---
CLUES FOR THE CLUELESS...
----------------------
Newspapers sometimes print headlines that are so obvious
that you wonder what they think of our intelligence. Then there
are the headlines that make us wonder about their intelligence:
- SOME TEENS HAVE AIR OF DEFIANCE
- Washington Post
- FOOD IS BASIC TO STUDENT DIET
- Bridgeport (Connecticut) Post
- COURT RULES BOXER SHORTS ARE INDEED UNDERWEAR
- Journal of Commerce
- BITING NAILS CAN BE SIGN OF TENSENESS IN A PERSON
- The Daily Gazette of
Schenectady, New York
[ Really? What an amazing insight! ]
- 'LIGHT' MEALS ARE LOWER IN FAT, CALORIES
- Huntington Herald-Dispatch
- FISH LURK IN STREAMS
- The Democrat & Chronicle,
Rochester, New York
- HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OURSELVES IS THE CORE OF SELF-ESTEEM, SAYS
AUTHOR LOUISE HART
- Boulder (Colorado) Sunday
Camera
- OFFICIAL: ONLY RAIN WILL CURE DROUGHT
- The Herald-News of Westpost,
Massachusetts
[ Thank you, Mr. Obvious! ]
- TEEN-AGE GIRLS OFTEN HAVE BABIES FATHERED BY MEN
- The Sunday Oregonian
[ As opposed to... ? ]
- BIBLE CHURCH'S FOCUS IS THE BIBLE
- Saint Augustine (Florida)
Record
- RUSSIA UNSURE OF WHERE FUGITIVE IS
- AP
[ "Hey, anyone know what 'fugitive' means?" ]
- FLYING CARS AND DOGGIE DIAPERS: DO WE NEED THEM?
- Reuters
- BANKRUPT ASSOCIATION TERMED IN POOR SHAPE
- Journal-World, Lawrence,
Kansas
- SUN OR RAIN EXPECTED TODAY, DARK TONIGHT
[ ... And scattered light by morning. Your
generic weather forecast. ]
- "He said the township's sewage officer, Walter Reidel, has
determined the ice problem clears up during the summer."
- ASHEVILLE SIGHTING OF WOMAN REPORTED
- Asheville (South Carolina)
Citizen-Times
[ A woman? They saw a woman in Asheville?! ]
- LAWMAKERS TO CONSIDER HOUSING FELONS IN JAILS
- TOMATOES COME IN BIG, LITTLE, MEDIUM SIZES
- The Daily Progress,
Charlottesville, Virginia
- FREE ADVICE: BUNDLE UP WHEN OUT IN THE COLD
- Lexington (Kentucky)
Herald-Leader
- TEXAS IS A PART OF THE UNITED STATES
- Reuters
- DEATHS OF TWO MEN IN PUTNAM APPEAR HEALTH-RELATED
- Hartford (Connecticut) Courant
- INCREASED ARRESTS RESULT OF RISE IN LAW VIOLATIONS
- The Rhinelander (Wisconsin)
Daily News
- SEARCH CALLED OFF WHEN MAN IS FOUND
- North County, California,
Times
[ "We really wanted to keep looking, but it
seemed kind of pointless since we knew where
he was." ]
--:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)--
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
---------------------
- COST OF BEING POOR RISING
- The Denver Post
[ Pretty soon, only rich people will be able
to afford being poor. ]
- LOUISIANA GOVERNOR DEFENDS HIS WIFE, GIFT FROM KOREAN
- The Milwaukee Journal
- LOW WAGES SAID KEY TO POVERTY
- Newsday
- OLATHEANS HELP BURN VICTIMS IN KYRGYZSTAN
- The Daily News, Olathe, Kansas
[ Try to say that ten times fast! ]
- THIEF NABBED RETURNING FOR ASS
- UPI
[ There MUST have been another way to put this. ]
- JUDGE NOT CONVINCED MURDER VICTIM IS ALIVE
- The Baltimore (Maryland) Sun
- TWINS' BIRTHDAYS ARE THREE WEEKS APART
- Reuters
[ That is one LONG labor! ]
- FIRE DEPARTMENT WANTS TO SEE BUILDINGS BURN
- The Reporter, New Holstein,
Wisconsin
[ And THAT should make you sleep better at
night, right? ]
- ROSES ARE RED, FLORIST
IS BLUE, PLANTS ARE
TAKEN, POLICE SEEK CLUE
- Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Journal-
Sentinel
--:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)--
IN THE TOP OF THE NEWS TONIGHT...
------------------------------
With all of the electronic media available, some people
think that newspapers no longer matter very much. One person who
apparently doesn't share that view is Scott Eric Smith. Smith
was arrested in Oakdale, California last June on suspicion that
he had stolen 800 copies of the Oakdale Leader newspaper.
According to police, that particular issue of the paper contained
a report of Smith's earlier arrest on drug charges. He stole the
papers to prevent his family from finding out.
--:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)-----:-)--
© 1999 by Bill Becwar. All Rights Reserved.
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