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William M. Dowd blazes opinion trails without limits

Archive for the ‘Headlines’ Category

This be a nice Web site

Posted by William Dowd on September 19, 2008

I enjoy trolling through the Internet to find sites that keep me up to date on cultural news and fads. So, when I came across Urban Hustler, I was anxious to give it a whirl.

I quickly realized that, while it may be a visually attractive site, it is in dire need of someone who knows a little something about the English language.

I’m not talking about slang, but just basic grammar and punctuation. A few examples:

• “Grammy Award-winning producer and artist, Dr. Dre’s cognac and vodka brands is set to hit liquor stores in the next 60 days … .”

Cognac and vodka brands “is”? Plurals, as we learned in first grade, require “are.” And, by the way, you don’t begin a sentence with a dependent clause.

Headline: “Is Your Savings Protected?”

Yes, they be.

 Headline: “Oprah Winfrey Get’s Richer”

So rich, I assume, she has extra apostrophes to throw around carelessly.

• “Oprah Winfrey, Americas richest black person … “

Apparently we are two nations as some politicians say. By the way, the Urban Hustler editors could take the unnecessary apostrophe from the headline and put it between the “a” and the “s” in “Americas” and have two correct items at no cost.

Headline: “Bill Gates Regains Worlds Richest Crown”

That apostrophe thing again. It’s “world’s.”

“Bill Gates has regain his position as the world richest person from pal Warren Buffet.”

“Has regain”? “World richest person”? This is pathetic.

I could go on. believe me. These examples are just from the home page. Another bit of support for the argument that, while everyone can be her/his own publisher these days, not everyone offers quality. The people who run Urban Hustler should be thoroughly embarassed.

Posted in Headlines, Language, Media, Pop Culture | Leave a Comment »

Another collection of 2-faced heads

Posted by William Dowd on July 2, 2008

Another collection, created with the help of my friends, of unintentionally double-meaning or just plain “Huh?” headlines:

• Highway chief resigns after death in tunnel
(New York Times)

• FDA eyes better regulation of body parts industry
(Associated Press)

A quartet of headlines from Australian publications:

• Eye drops off shelf

• Enraged cow injures farmer with axe

• Miners refuse to work after death

• Cold wave linked to temperatures

Posted in Headlines, Language, Media | Leave a Comment »

More 2-faced heads

Posted by William Dowd on June 11, 2008

Another collection, created with the help of my friends, of unintentionally double-meaning or just plain “Huh?” headlines:

• Pickup crashes on I-95 with boy seated in bed
(Baltimore Sun

• John McCain, senility America’s loss of the Pacific
(Pravda)

• There’s no easy answer for chronic interstitial cystitis
(Manchester, NH, Union Leader)

• Recreation injuries: 213,000 treated in ER
(United Press International)

• Baby-faced chief executives save face better for companies
(Indo-Asian News Service)

• Girl, 10, improves after fatal crash
(Chicago Tribune)

• Irradiated meet in markets soon
(Hilo Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

• Staples to attach Dutch business
(BBC)

• Leading scorpion on first Beijing tour
(Xinhua News Service)

Posted in Headlines, Language, Media, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Another batch of 2-faced heads

Posted by William Dowd on March 31, 2008

Another collection, created with the help of my friends, of unintentionally double-meaning or just plain “Huh?” headlines:

• Something went wrong in jet crash, expert says

• Drunk gets nine months in violin case

• Prostitutes appeal to Pope

• Panda mating fails; veterinarian takes over

• Squad helps dog bite victim

• Plane too close to ground, crash probe told

• Stolen painting found by tree

• Never withhold herpes infection from loved one

Posted in Headlines, Language, Literature, Media | 1 Comment »

The latest 2-faced heads

Posted by William Dowd on March 18, 2008

Another collection, created with the help of my friends, of unintentionally double-meaning or just plain “Huh?” headlines:

• Army sorry for urging dead, wounded officers to return
(Orlando, FL, Sentinel)

• Nation’s black history has darker side
(Evansville, IN, Courier & Press)

• Youth injured by cow released from hospital
(Dayton, OH, Daily News)

• Mastodon skeleton awaits sale in garage
(Reuters news service)

Posted in Headlines, Language, Media | Leave a Comment »

More of those 2-faced headlines

Posted by William Dowd on December 20, 2007

• Surgeon faces discipline for photo of genitals after newspaper tipped off
(Editor & Publisher magazine)

• Men who make inappropriate advances should be exposed
(Mississippi’s Delta Democrat Times)

• Deal reportedly reached to try bombing suspects
(Orlando, FL, Sentinel)

• Clay man shot to death in fistfight
(Syracuse, NY, Post-Standard)

• Volunteers needed to help torture survivors
(Lincoln, NE, Journal Star)

Posted in Current Events, Headlines, Media | Leave a Comment »

More 2-faced heads

Posted by William Dowd on November 30, 2007

Another collection, created with the help of my friends, of unintentionally double-meaning headlines:

• Seniors blow Cocks, future now unclear
(Wesleyan Argus, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT)

• Swiss court exonerates man who rescued Jews
(Washington Times)

• Green principals preached at expo
(Santa Monica Daily Press)

• A reason for odor found at sewer plant
(Albertville, AL, Sand Mountain Reporter)

• Man found dead at cemetery
(Hopkinsville, KY, New Era)

• Pregnancy an answer to terrorism
(Provo, UT, Daily Herald)

• New cleansing system at Regency helps to revitalize balls
(Bakersfield Californian)

• Bonus permits enable 809 hunters to kill two deer
(Associated Press)

Posted in Headlines, Language, Media | Leave a Comment »