At least that's my guess given the other errors in the piece. But I found this one funny:

It's not as bad as "diversity suppliers," (would you like some diversity with your computer paper?), but "poverty population" instead of "poor" irks me. I guess I've kind of gotten inured to "low- and moderate-income," alas.

Thanks to everyone who voted in and commented on my poll!

Now you can continue the conversation over at the post I made about it at Strollerderby.

Yell at me for my lukewarm feelings about "vagina" (and my argument that it's hardly "medically accurate" for this use). Debate the benefits of the gender neutrality of "private parts." Laugh at me for using phrases like "the c word." Tell me I'm either a cop out or too provocative for my final conclusion (depending on which part you decide is my final conclusion). Have fun.

From a book description: "Brooklyn is not only one of the most culturally diverse parts of the world; it is also a Mecca for unique architectural heritage."

Does heritage make pilgrimages? What would that look like?

"Cookbook Americanizer"

Courtesy of a missing space in a news article about Buffalo, NY:

"Buffaloonly"

(In context: “Sadly, this is not a Buffaloonly problem”)

I'm thinking the definition ought have something to do with unproductive city-county feuds while everything goes to shit. (I'm not, by the way, hating on Buffalo. Some good work is being done there, and they're certainly not alone in having such dynamics...)

Best misspelling in a long, long time:

At a Chinese buffet in Cobleskill, NY: "Fried Wages"

(After a good 30 seconds of staring, I realized it was referring to the fried potato wedges.)

Trying to talk about race politely in this country is miserable. It leads to ridiculous coinages like "majority minority" (i.e. a situation in which races other than whites, who for now are still the racial majority in the country though that's not going to last for long, are in the majority).  That sounds absurd, but I can grudgingly accept it if your terms and context have been defined.

Then there's this one I just came across: Diversity owned businesses.

Sorry. No. Diversity doesn't own businesses. I can't work with you here.

In an online ad for a "pajama party" at a club:

"Cash prizes for sexist lingerie!"

I know you all will have funnier comments than I about this. I just find 'em.

Somehow I doubt that the Capitol Region Education Council really meant their name to say that they cover the region around the building where the legislature meets, as opposed to the capital city of Hartford. Alas.

My favorite misspelling of the week: "Stradivarious"

Most unexpected example of sexism built into the language: Adventuress. n. A female adventurer, especially one who seeks position or livelihood by questionable means. (A similar negative connotation is only one of several definitions of adventurer.)

In context, apparently early 20th-century plays had villains and adventuresses (not villainesses). Even if they weren't being all that adventuring (i.e. being a low-life black-mailer attached to some domineering male villain). Very strange.

Much more modern example of subconscious sexism: Take several hundred speaker bios for a large conference. Nine out of ten will refer to women by their first name on second reference, and men by the last.

schmutzdecke

(the gelatinous biofilm of useful microorganisms that forms the top few inches of a slow sand water filtration system)

I just contacted this researcher and got the questionnaire, so it's current. And it's quite an interesting read. E-mail her if you'd like to participate.

--
From: Dahlia Sabry dsabry2007@gmail.com
Subject: Assistance Needed in a Ph.D. Survey Study on Qur'an Translation

I am an assistant lecturer of English and I am doing my Ph.D. at Cairo University on issues related to Qur'an translation.  After 9/11, about six million translations were sold in Germany and bookstores ran out of their Qur'an translations worldwide. 

I am doing a survey study to investigate the preferences and problems of non-Arabic speaking Muslims and non-Muslims in reading Qur'an translations and how they need the translations to be like to get the message through.

I need non-Arabic speaking Muslim as well as non-Muslim respondents for my questionnaire.  The questionnaire does not test information based on knowledge of the Qur'an. Respondents NEED NOT be well-versed in the Qur'an or its translations to be eligible for answering the questionnaire. It simply investigates their personal preferences as to the method of translation required.

It is a 10 page questionnaire that needs some time and thinking but you learn something out of it. Respondents can take one month for completion if needed.  Respondents should have a good command of English to be able to understand and answer the questions and should be depending on English Qur'an translations. They should be above 16 and can be students, scholars or laypersons.

From the Environmental Impact Statement for Columbia University's planned expansion into neighboring Manhattanville:

"Demolition of the former Sheffield Farms Stable at 3229 Broadway in the Academic Mixed-Use Area constitutes a significant adverse impact on this historic resource."

This morning Nadia and I went to a local playground with kombu and hyoter and their kids. It's a nice little playground with good slides and swings and one of those spinning metal contraptions that kids can't get enough of.

To our amusement, several of the structures were tagged, maybe five or six times total. Nothing fancy. Just a name in black spray paint:

Worriers.

(Photos to come.)

From my package of Garden of Eatin' Organic Whole Wheat Tortillas:

"We are mindful of the soil, the water, biodiversity and even worker health."

Wow. That's really going above and beyond, you know, to care about even worker health. As Robin put it, "We not only care about soil microbes, we even care about Mexicans!"

"CROSSING SEXUAL BOUNDARIES PROGRAM PLANNED FOR JUNE 2"
It was actually a talk by a transgender author. But it does sound rather like it's promising a game of XXX Capture the Flag.

(This is not new, but I just saw it while browsing the NYS Museums press archives for something else.)

Just noticed that my warranty card for my new vacuum cleaner actually says, in the official stamp location, "No postage necessary if mailed in the Untied States."

It may be a matter of opinion, but I figured that no postage was necessary.

In December 2005, Kalamazoo, Michigan, launched perhaps one of the most elegantly simple economic development initiatives I've ever heard of. Anonymous donors set up a fund and promised to pay full tuition at a state college or university for every graduate of the public school system. (Well, actually 100% of tuition if you've been there since kindergarten down to 65% if you got there in 9th grade. But still, a lot.) Maintain a 2.0 when you get to college. That's pretty much it. It's called the Kalamazoo Promise. It has generated a ton of excitement. People are moving back to Kalamazoo, property values are rising, the city is building new schools for the first time in decades. And as major philanthropic investments go, well, there are more expensive ones out there certainly.

It's a great example of how investing in people can be investing in place also.

Not surprisingly, other places are trying to emulate it. This makes me wonder if the idea will remain effective if you can move to any old struggling city in order to get your college tuition paid. But I get way ahead of myself here: having a half-dozen other programs is a *long* way from that.

And besides, some of the ones doing the replicating don't quite get it. Hammond, Indiana's, for example, is just creepy. In the name of promoting homeownership (often a good goal, within reason), they're only offering scholarships to children of parents who own their homes. (I kid you not.) Not only that, if your parents own a home in Hammond and you go to private school elsewhere, you still get the scholarship. (So people can still flee the school system.) But no matter where you went, you only get it if you've maintained a 3.0 in high school. If they'd sat down and tried to figure out how to make the most regressive scholarship program possible, this is something like what they would have come up with.

On a lighter note, I leave you with this, from another community in Michigan explaining why it wants to create its own promise: "The community is becoming a magnate for families who value education and teachers who want to teach motivated students." Ah, benevolent, influential Kalamazoo, a magnate of good education. Amusingly, this may be becoming true, though I'm sure the writer meant to say magnet.