Enough is enuf.

Simplified Spelling Society: "Let's get phonetic"

By Paul MajendieTue Apr 17, 10:19 AM ET

The Simplified Spelling Society (SSS) is celebrating its 99th birthday by launching a new campaign to make it easier to read and write English.

It may be the world's most universal language but linguistic experts say it has failed to adapt for the last 500 years and now half the globe's English speakers have difficulty spelling.

With texts and e-mails revolutionising the way we communicate, SSS secretary John Gledhill says the time is ripe for phonetic reform and spelling simplification.

"Texts cut away the complications and take away the stigma of not being able to use an obsolete spelling," Gledhill told Reuters in an interview.

The SSS message is simple: "You can change the spelling without spoiling the language. People are scared of change and don't realise it is normal in language."

European children learn to read and write far quicker than the British, he said. Italians take just two years while the British can struggle for up to 12 years.

He said 40 million American adults are functionally illiterate -- for everyday purposes, they are not able to read and write.

Gledhill, who has a PhD in the history of Dutch consonantal spelling from 1100-1970, said the Netherlands updated spelling to keep pace with pronunciation.

"English is about the only language, apart from French, on the world stage that hasn't updated its spelling for 500 years. That is why it is in rather a mess," he said.

PHONETICS KEY

Gledhill sees phonetics as the key to improving literacy and spelling.

He complained that almost 4,000 English spellings make no sense. If head, said and friend were simplified down to 'hed' and 'sed' and 'frend' then kids would learn quicker.

But teachers begged to differ.

"Language has to be fit for purpose. The discipline of spelling is important. Children should learn to judge when formal and informal language is required," said John Dunford of the Association of School and College Leaders.

"Text message spelling may be appropriate for text messages. It certainly isn't appropriate for filling out an application form. Children should learn how to punctuate and spell properly."

The Simplified Spelling Society boasted 35,000 members in its 20th Century heyday. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was one of its most prominent supporters.

In Britain, where illiteracy is estimated to cost the economy 10 billion pounds a year, parliamentarians sought to tackle the problem by legislation. But enthusiasm waned.

"We are not sure why there was such a huge interest after the First World War. Maybe people thought it was a brand new world after the war to end all wars," Gledhill said.

Membership worldwide has now shrunk to 500 for the London-based society but Gledhill insists change is more urgent than ever.

"Spanish is easier to read and write and could challenge the dominance of English. The English language itself is in very good health. We just want it to be written down in a way that is readable and writeable."

You’re a Christian, you gotta take it!

The Diplomat Hotel was one of the flagship Miami Beach resorts during the 1970’s. Though actually located in Hallandale ten miles to the north from the crown jewels of the Doral, Eden Roc, and Fountain Blu the Diplomat drew the same clientele and possessed the same prestige.
At 19, I parked the cars of the wealthy and famous an all winter long, snowbirds from the northeast. Currently this service is usually called valet, but back in the day, we were called “runners”. Our outside lot at the Diplomat was enormous, parking over 1200 cars. Another 800 could be parked in the garages below the hotel. Some would be more than a quarter-mile away from the entrance which was ramped to the third floor displaying the opulent foyer widening to hold three lanes of traffic above the main beach road – A1A.
My best friend had been “running” cars there for about a year and through him I was hired. That was the good news, because in the mid-70’s a kid could make a lot of cash hustling tips. However, the bad news was that I would need to prove myself on the day-shift. This not only meant working in the South Florida heat, but also with the head door manager – Eddie.
Imagine of a combination between Louie from the TV show Taxi and a senile Yogi Berra put into a weeble-wobble toy body and you might begin to visualize Eddie.
I can still hear his squeaky voice – something between a transmission whining out and nails on a chalkboard – calling me. “Ritchie, Ritchie, let me tell you I’m the quarterback of this team, now go and hit me a homerun.” Oh, and as he spoke to you he had this habit of squeezing the muscle on the top of you shoulder with two fingers as his hand twitched, but enough of my fond memories.
To call my fellow workers on the day-crew slackers would be too high of praise. Their idea of running for a car was to toddle down the ramp until just out of sight and then stroll for the car.
During this time, I was participating in competitive cross-country races and saw the job as a way to be paid for interval training. Also a strong work ethic had been instilled in me so working hard was not an issue. The result, conversely, was that I ran for far more cars during a shift than my fellow runners. That by itself would not have really been a problem but we “pooled” our tips and they were happy to have me take their turns.
Eddie waddled around the lavish entrance of the Diplomat as a king in his own court. He generally had one runner who was in the “dog-house” upon whom Eddie spewed verbal abuse. This lasted until someone else messed up and would then become recipient of Eddie’s verbal wrath. Easy to figure out this system – don’t mess up.
This was not a problem for me since I not only worked hard but was able to consistently write down the correct location and description of the cars I parked. (Don’t be too impressed, I was in college and not hampered by chemicals that were either smoked or ingested.)
Nevertheless, a day came when Eddie realized he had been negligent in his attention of me, and since there had not been a damaged car or a lost set of keys in several days he decided to ride the kid from the Bible College.
The tropical sun was high in the sky. There were no clouds and even less breeze to temper the humidity. But the heat I was feeling had nothing to do with the tropics. Slowly with deliberateness, Eddie began his badgering.
He seemed to enjoy pushing, tormenting until a runner exploded in anger. Perhaps he gained some level of control that way, I just don’t know.
Well, I resolved to take what he dished out and to keep my mouth shut. My fellow runners worked like they had never before. They were uncharacteristically efficient in parking and retrieving cars. I rarely escaped to the lot for a few minutes respite. After several hours, I had held my tongue but was boiling inside, Eddie went for the throat.
Though I don’t recall his exact words, he could tell I was at a breaking point. I do remember, as if it happened five minutes ago, Eddie laughing as he moved closer and squeaked, “You don’t like this do you, Ritchie, You don’t like this at all. Well, you’re a Christian; you have gotta take it.”
He was right, but he did not understand that the idea of turning the other cheek was about freeing the downtrodden and changing the social order. Turning the cheek is not about masochism but power and authority.
I told him he was correct, I did have to take it, and then smiled and said, “But I don’t have to work for you.” Turning I headed to personnel to clock out.
Funny thing, Eddie began to squeak and ask me to stay, waddling after me down the ramp and into the parking garage. I couldn’t, at least not then.
A couple of weeks later the night manager contacted me through a friend and asked me to return and work the night shift. I did.
I am curious about why I was able to act with restraint and also so decisively. Upon reflection I believe it has to do with moralism. Moralism: the curse of the Christian witness on the public square. Eddie hoped to bind me with moral chains, not of his beliefs, but those he assumed were mine.
Moralism operates in a characteristic way. Grace is first removed, put aside from the conversation like an unwanted little sister. The issue then becomes only of moral dos and don’ts.
Followed close behind by the attitude of superiority which becomes the accepted moral judge, a weapon of choice to attack and keep others in their place. In other words: a weapon of mass distraction, keeping the grace of God hidden behind the illusion of moral correctness. The sadness is that in the end it reinforces hostility to God, who is blamed for the moralism dispensed in his name.

Happy New Year

The Thai New Year Songkran is celebrated every year on April 13 - 15. It is also celebrated in Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and by ethnic Dai in Yunnan, China. Sri Lanka also celebrates a similar festival called Sinhalese and Tamil New Year on the same dates.
An interresting celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People roam the streets with bowls of water, water guns or even a garden hose, and drench each other.
This festival emphasizes returning home to visit parents, paying respect to them, and usually bringing them a small gift. People also visit and pay respect to their older neighbors. For these reasons Songkran days are also considered the family days or the elderly days.

Memories

Kurt Vonnegut,
US novelist (1922 -2007 )

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.

I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.

If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.

Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

On the Catwalk

One of the pleasures of my current job is “walking a catwalk”. A catwalk is about 12” of form-work (plywood) that extends beyond the area formed for a concrete slab or roof. Back in the day, (early ’80’s) I thought nothing of nimbly walking, working, and carrying equipment on the catwalk 30 – 35 feet off the ground. Now in my early 50’s, returning to my “roots”, I am a bit more apprehensive.
Little did I realize how my present experience on a catwalk during a recent roof pour would assist me at our “second” home in North Carolina.
Walking a “catwalk” or runway as some insist, had never entered my imagination. So when I found myself and our dog, Rufus, at a charity luncheon showcasing Life IS Good apparel I had to smile at the irony.
A year ago neither activity was ever even a remote possibility, and in the course of a week I have done both.
At the fashion show, I must say we – that is Rufus and me – were the highlight. Rufus is our 15 year-old whippet/terrier. Though I usually describe him as a breed of Lee, you know, part Hom- and part Ugh-. He is a sweet gentle dog who no longer can see too good, or hear too good, or smell to good. Rufus has few teeth left, and those he has stick out of his mouth at an angle.
Little Rufus was styling in a green and yellow argyle sweater with the black boa trim. I lied to him when he was dressed and told him no one would laugh. The boa did little for his sexual orientation which is confused since the operation. However, no worry, his self-esteem does not appear to have been harmed.
The society ladies adored him, the store – The Stitchin' Post – we represented has had increased sales and I have a story to tell. Rufus also made the front page of the local paper. Not bad for two old guys.

Check out the The Stitchin' Post for Life IS Good summer wear.

Sisyphus Complex

Boulders
MY back is strong
Blunders
MY shoulders broad
Broken
I can take
Shove
all
Sweat
the guff
Sisyphus
Again, again, again…
(Small voice)
“my burden is light
my yoke is easy”
Groan
my effort
I do not hear.

Blogger Bill Kinnon has a post “The People formerly known as The Congregation” which I found through internet monk. It is worth a read.
He may be a bit harsh and a mite jaded, but he speaks with a voice I have found in many places.
However you feel about the institutional church Bill’s article will stir you up.