There has been a heated discussion about spelling going on in the FLEFO forum at Compuserve. It’s been alleged that some British members have suggested that American spelling is ‘inferior’. One strand of this thread discusses whether there are advantages in British spelling: for instance, is it useful to have the distinction between verb and noun (license/license, practise/practice – I suppose advise/advice doesn’t count because the spelling and pronunciation difference are there in American spelling too)? One argument against that is that the distinction is not there in the spoken language.

The thread is headed ZED. I do not think American spelling is inferior, nor do I get very heated about spelling, but I did enjoy this message, from Jim Elliott to Stephen G. Brown – both Americans, I think):

bq. (Quote:) American spelling wasn’t invented in 30 minutes by idiots with one eyebrow.
(Reply:) How long did it take them?

Sheherazade asks how to address a mixed-sex or purely female group in correspondence or email:

bq. I have occasion fairly often to send emails or letters that open with the greeting “Gentlemen:” and I must say I do like the sound of it — somber, well-mannered, a little old-fashioned. But in the same deals when I get correspondence back that begins “Ladies and Gentlemen:” the connotation for me is that of a circus ringmaster, about to announce a perilous and amazing stunt by a trapeze artist. And what if there were a deal where all those involved were women? Would “Ladies:” be an appropriate opener?

I have often followed discussions on whether one should write ‘Dear Sirs’. One possibility is ‘Dear Sir or Madam’. But this case is different – she knows she is writing to a group. Commenters suggested ‘Counsel’. OK, maybe they are all lawyers. That would be OK in the USA.

In Germany it has long since been the practice to write ‘Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren’, and in British English, it was customary to use ‘Dear Sirs’ at a later date.

Here’s a discussion on Leo.

(Via Boing Boing):
Skeptomai shows a photo of a label with washing instructions on a computer sleeve (whatever that is). The origin is Seattle. The French is longer than the English because the following has been added:

NOUS SOMMES DESOLES QUE NOTRE PRESIDENT SOIT UN IDIOT. NOUS N’AVONS PAS VOTE POUR LUI.

The Sixtus.Net blog points out that the abbreviation of ‘Windows Installer XML’ (WiX) sounds a bit rude in German.

I’m glad to know I’m not the only person with a dirty mind.

Die Times Online (Registrierung kostenlos, juristische Themen, dienstags) berichtet über die Methoden des Versorgungsausgleichs in England.

An article in the Times Online (registration free) (‘Never mind that cat, what about the pension?’) on a new pensions advice company set up by lawyers (www.penfam.co.uk).

It succinctly summarizes the methods available now (a few years ago, there was no public discussion of pensions splitting).

bq. Since 1996, through a succession of Acts, the Government reformed this area, bringing in a series of options for sharing pensions. There are now three choices: the husband keeps the pension and the wife is given a lump sum; some of the pension is “ear-marked” for the wife to have when the husband retires; and pension-splitting, which enables the wife to have some of the pension in her own name.

Vabanque is a weblog (in German) on the cultural study of bank robbery.

The last-but-one entry is on Dmitri Todorov, who was in prison for 30 years after the first bank robbery with hostages in Germany. I see there is a TV programme about him tomorrow evening, and there is a 30-minute radio programme from Radio Z to download.

Via plasticthinking, via muepe.de.