Get a damn life

Hydrant · 06-04-2010, 08:16 AM

I wish I had nothing better to do all day.

In DC, even the Spelling Bee draws protesters
Buzz up!102 votes Send
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Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print ..By LAUREN SAUSSER, Associated Press Writer Lauren Sausser, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jun 3, 3:55 pm ET
WASHINGTON – The nation's capital always draws its share of protesters, picketing for causes ranging from health care reform to immigration policy.

But spelling bee protesters? They're out here, too.

Four peaceful protesters, some dressed in full-length black and yellow bee costumes, represented the American Literacy Council and the London-based Spelling Society and stood outside the Grand Hyatt on Thursday, where the Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held. Their message was short: Simplify the way we spell words.

Roberta Mahoney, 81, a former Fairfax County, Va. elementary school principal, said the current language obstructs 40 percent of the population from learning how to read, write and spell.

"Our alphabet has 425-plus ways of putting words together in illogical ways," Mahoney said.

The protesting cohort distributed pins to willing passers-by with their logo, "Enuf is enuf. Enough is too much."

According to literature distributed by the group, it makes more sense for "fruit" to be spelled as "froot," "slow" should be "slo," and "heifer" — a word spelled correctly during the first oral round of the bee Thursday by Texas competitor Ramesh Ghanta — should be "hefer."

Meanwhile, inside the hotel's Independence Ballroom, 273 spellers celebrated the complexity of the language in all its glory, correctly spelling words like zaibatsu, vibrissae and biauriculate.

While the protesters could make headway with cell phone texters who routinely swap "u" for "you" and "gr8" for "great," their message may be a harder sell for the Scripps crowd.

Mahoney had trouble gaining traction with at least one bee attendee. New Mexico resident Matthew Evans, 15, a former speller whose sister is participating in the bee this year, reasoned with her that if English spellings were changed, spelling bees would cease to exist.

"If a dictionary lists 'enough' as 'enuf,' the spelling bee goes by the dictionary, therefore all the spelling words are easier to spell, so the spelling bee is gone," Evans said.

"Well," Mahoney replied, "they could pick their own dictionary."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100603/...ng_bee_protest

Smittie61984 · 06-04-2010, 12:32 PM

IDK wut his prob is LOL.

Cass · 06-04-2010, 12:35 PM

That pains me.

karl_1052 · 06-04-2010, 01:25 PM

Ebonics FTL

Dave · 06-04-2010, 02:17 PM

More wiffle bats and more beatings. Some people just need the stupid beaten out of them

Papa_Complex · 06-04-2010, 02:50 PM

All well and good if people who spoke English all did so in the same way, but we don't.

Particle Man · 06-04-2010, 05:15 PM

Wow, people with bitch about everything and anything

Rider · 06-04-2010, 05:22 PM

Fuck the protesters....... literally..... with broom sticks.

Dave · 06-04-2010, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rider

Fuck the protesters....... literally..... with broom sticks.

Baseball bats. More insertion

azoomm · 06-05-2010, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

All well and good if people who spoke English all did so in the same way, but we don't.

Not all the words in the spelling bee are English. Fun times.....

06-04-2010, 08:16 AM	#1
Hydrant WERA Yellow Plate Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Moto: 2003 Suzuki TL1000R, 2002 Honda CBR 600 F4i Posts: 660	Get a damn life I wish I had nothing better to do all day. In DC, even the Spelling Bee draws protesters Buzz up!102 votes Send Email IM .Share Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print ..By LAUREN SAUSSER, Associated Press Writer Lauren Sausser, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jun 3, 3:55 pm ET WASHINGTON – The nation's capital always draws its share of protesters, picketing for causes ranging from health care reform to immigration policy. But spelling bee protesters? They're out here, too. Four peaceful protesters, some dressed in full-length black and yellow bee costumes, represented the American Literacy Council and the London-based Spelling Society and stood outside the Grand Hyatt on Thursday, where the Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held. Their message was short: Simplify the way we spell words. Roberta Mahoney, 81, a former Fairfax County, Va. elementary school principal, said the current language obstructs 40 percent of the population from learning how to read, write and spell. "Our alphabet has 425-plus ways of putting words together in illogical ways," Mahoney said. The protesting cohort distributed pins to willing passers-by with their logo, "Enuf is enuf. Enough is too much." According to literature distributed by the group, it makes more sense for "fruit" to be spelled as "froot," "slow" should be "slo," and "heifer" — a word spelled correctly during the first oral round of the bee Thursday by Texas competitor Ramesh Ghanta — should be "hefer." Meanwhile, inside the hotel's Independence Ballroom, 273 spellers celebrated the complexity of the language in all its glory, correctly spelling words like zaibatsu, vibrissae and biauriculate. While the protesters could make headway with cell phone texters who routinely swap "u" for "you" and "gr8" for "great," their message may be a harder sell for the Scripps crowd. Mahoney had trouble gaining traction with at least one bee attendee. New Mexico resident Matthew Evans, 15, a former speller whose sister is participating in the bee this year, reasoned with her that if English spellings were changed, spelling bees would cease to exist. "If a dictionary lists 'enough' as 'enuf,' the spelling bee goes by the dictionary, therefore all the spelling words are easier to spell, so the spelling bee is gone," Evans said. "Well," Mahoney replied, "they could pick their own dictionary." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100603/...ng_bee_protest

06-04-2010, 12:32 PM	#2
Smittie61984 I give Squids a bad name Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Fly Over State Moto: 1996 CBR600 F3 (AKA the Flying Turd) Posts: 4,742	IDK wut his prob is LOL. __________________ lifts - R.I.P.

06-04-2010, 12:35 PM	#3
Cass Cassolicious! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Austin, TX Moto: SV Posts: 1,377	That pains me. __________________ Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

06-04-2010, 01:25 PM	#4
karl_1052 sergeant hatred Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ottawa Moto: The bus Posts: 2,723	Ebonics FTL __________________ My wife was afraid of the dark...then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the light.

06-04-2010, 02:50 PM	#6
Papa_Complex Nomadic Tribesman Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Brampton, Canada Moto: '09 ER-6n Posts: 11,150	All well and good if people who spoke English all did so in the same way, but we don't. __________________ "Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge, "Dorkness Rising" http://www.morallyambiguous.net/

06-04-2010, 02:17 PM	#5
Dave Chaotic Neutral Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cherry Hill NJ Moto: GV1200 Madura, Hawk gt Posts: 13,992	More wiffle bats and more beatings. Some people just need the stupid beaten out of them

06-04-2010, 05:15 PM	#7
Particle Man Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central NY Moto: 2003 SV650S Posts: 14,959	Wow, people with bitch about everything and anything __________________ I'm not "fat." I'm "Enlarged to show texture." Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.

06-04-2010, 05:22 PM	#8
Rider Moto GP Star Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 12,156	Fuck the protesters....... literally..... with broom sticks.