WTF Stories of the Week - Page 371

Moonliner · 07-24-2013, 06:07 PM

Heh, Headliner is away at Journalism boot camp.

Today they had a closed book spelling test that included:

The Ex-Governor of California who's also the Terminator
The newly Ex-President of Iran
The surviving Boston Bomber suspect.
The soda you drink at 10:00, 2:00 and 4:00
among others.

I would not have done well.

Alex · 07-24-2013, 08:03 PM

Good to know they're focusing on core journalism skills. Watergate almost didn't happen because Bernstein kept spelling it Ehrilkmann and so Ben Bradlee kept rejecting the stories.

Schwarzenegger (easy to remember with this helpful mnemonic: a black German-American engaging in a Halloween prank)

محمود احمدی*نژاد

Царна́ев (this one I actually knew but still copied from Wiki because I'm not set up to type Cyrillic).

I have no idea what soda is being referenced.

Ghoulish Delight · 07-24-2013, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

Царна́ев (this one I actually knew but still copied from Wiki because I'm not set up to type Cyrillic).

More specific [/trebek]. It specified the SURVIVING suspect. That could refer to either of them.

Equally clueless on the soda. Huh?

Alex · 07-24-2013, 09:45 PM

I do like that the Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev page title on Wikipedia gets translated to The Brothers Tsarnaev on the Russian version of the page.

Makes it sounds more literary.

Moonliner · 07-25-2013, 06:39 AM

Now I really feel old.

The Soda is Dr Pepper

(The catch being that there is no period after Dr)

Alex · 07-25-2013, 09:24 AM

How old are you? What I'm finding is that slogan dates to the '30s and '40s.

(And I'll stand by a spelling test as a journalism boot camp seems like pointless make work.)

Moonliner · 07-25-2013, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

How old are you? What I'm finding is that slogan dates to the '30s and '40s.

(And I'll stand by a spelling test as a journalism boot camp seems like pointless make work.)

I think the idea behind the exercise was to drive home the point that in Journalism things like spelling and grammar are important.

Don't know about the rest of the country, but down in Texas "10 2 and 4" was a common thing to see well into the 80's.

Alex · 07-25-2013, 10:28 AM

But they're not particularly (well grammar and basic spelling are so that your editor knows what you're saying). And especially not when it comes to transliterated names for which there is not often a "correct" spelling but at best a house style.

To the best of my recollection as a child resident of the Pacific Northwest, I've never heard that slogan for Dr Pepper before. "Be a Pepper" being about where my awareness kicks in.

Ghoulish Delight · 08-01-2013, 11:54 PM

Why would he need training? He's clearly an expert.

Kevy Baby · 08-02-2013, 10:46 PM

This isn't an earth-shattering revelation: we all knew you were male

07-24-2013, 06:07 PM	#1
Moonliner 8/30/14 - Disneyland -10k or Bust. Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 9,022	Heh, Headliner is away at Journalism boot camp. Today they had a closed book spelling test that included: The Ex-Governor of California who's also the Terminator The newly Ex-President of Iran The surviving Boston Bomber suspect. The soda you drink at 10:00, 2:00 and 4:00 among others. I would not have done well. __________________ - Taking it one step at a time.
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07-24-2013, 08:03 PM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	Good to know they're focusing on core journalism skills. Watergate almost didn't happen because Bernstein kept spelling it Ehrilkmann and so Ben Bradlee kept rejecting the stories. Schwarzenegger (easy to remember with this helpful mnemonic: a black German-American engaging in a Halloween prank) محمود احمدی*نژاد Царна́ев (this one I actually knew but still copied from Wiki because I'm not set up to type Cyrillic). I have no idea what soda is being referenced.
	Submit to Quotes

07-24-2013, 09:45 PM	#4
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I do like that the Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev page title on Wikipedia gets translated to The Brothers Tsarnaev on the Russian version of the page. Makes it sounds more literary.
	Submit to Quotes

07-25-2013, 06:39 AM	#5
Moonliner 8/30/14 - Disneyland -10k or Bust. Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 9,022	Now I really feel old. The Soda is Dr Pepper (The catch being that there is no period after Dr) __________________ - Taking it one step at a time.
	Submit to Quotes

07-25-2013, 09:24 AM	#6
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	How old are you? What I'm finding is that slogan dates to the '30s and '40s. (And I'll stand by a spelling test as a journalism boot camp seems like pointless make work.)
	Submit to Quotes

07-25-2013, 10:28 AM	#8
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	But they're not particularly (well grammar and basic spelling are so that your editor knows what you're saying). And especially not when it comes to transliterated names for which there is not often a "correct" spelling but at best a house style. To the best of my recollection as a child resident of the Pacific Northwest, I've never heard that slogan for Dr Pepper before. "Be a Pepper" being about where my awareness kicks in.
	Submit to Quotes

08-01-2013, 11:54 PM	#9
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Why would he need training? He's clearly an expert. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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08-02-2013, 10:46 PM	#10
Kevy Baby Chowder Head Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Yes Posts: 18,500	This isn't an earth-shattering revelation: we all knew you were male __________________ The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot verify their validity. - Abraham Lincoln
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