Who but the AP?

We came across this surprising slip-up in an AP article on FoxSports.com titled, "Zednik awake after surgery on severed artery":

"Attending surgeon Sonya Noor said there were no initial signs of brain damage, which is a fear whenever the coratid artery is clamped."

Some readers might be tripped up by what they perceive to be a spelling error; however, we at The Grammar Wall of Shame can only stand in wonder at the marvels of modern medical-metaphysical mastery, wherein doctors can perform elaborate surgeries on body parts that do not exist. We're not sure which degree program prepares eager young minds for such feats, but it sounds...challenging. Is challenging the word we're looking for?

For this error, the AP is awarded a C for Creative Spelling and the following Drunken Proofreading rating:

*** (three stars) - I needed a shot just to look myself in the mirror this morning.

The AP: Too good to resist!

We are having a hard time keeping ourselves from laughing out loud at this error, which we found in an AP article titled, "Sources: Mitchell Report to name MVPs, All-Stars, won't address amphetamines":

"The Web site cited an unidentifried source close to the trainer."

We confess, we are not exerting ourselves very strenuously to keep from laughing; we are mostly just laughing inappropriately and getting some strange looks from the gentleman refilling the vending machine. We are aware that this error is likely due to the fact that the writer was rushing to break a story about baseball steroid use (snore); nonetheless, um, spell check? Anyone?

The AP earns a Totally Giggleworthy, C for Creative Spelling, an Oops! Is my lazy showing? and the following Drunken Proofreading rating:

**** (four stars) - Yesh, I take thish water bottle everywhere I go. It'sh water. No, you can't have any.

What's Wrong With This Picture: Cardinal and Gold Edition

Although we have a particular fondness for the University of Southern California due to a familial connection, our unwavering sense of justice impels us to publish this item. In addition, we cannot resist the irony of a sign welcoming scholarship recipients that prominently features a spelling error. We have little more to say on this matter; we believe it speaks for itself. Spend a few moments pondering and we believe you'll see what we mean. 'Fess up. You've got a smile on your face.

This error merits the following awards:

- What's Wrong With This Picture?
- C for Creative Spelling
- Oops! Is My Lazy Showing?

This error also earns the following Drunken Proofreading rating:

**** (four stars) - Yesh, I take thish water bottle everywhere I go. It'sh water. No, you can't have any.

What's Wrong with This Picture: Special Video Edition

Here's a special video edition of What's Wrong with this Picture, brought to you by Mexicana Airlines. This commercial was shown on Saturday, October 27, 2007, on Fox Sports West in the mid-afternoon time slot.

**3:25 p.m. Note - we are currently experiencing technical difficulties with the video. Please be patient. We have been informed by YouTube that some monkeys are working on the problem.**

**3:49 p.m. Problem fixed! We believe. Thank you, monkeys.**

**Saturday, November 17, 2007, Update: Apparently YouTube was highly offended by Mexicana's error and has pulled the video content from its site. We say apparently because they did not offer us any explanation at all, so we are forced to draw our own conclusions. They do not seem to have the same sense of humor about these things that we do.**



Here's a still photo too, just for laughs:



Resisting the urge to rant and rave about all the problems in the world a simple spell-check can prevent, we have spent some time trying to dream up how this special spelling error occurred. Here are some of our ideas:

- "Fligth" is a new term created by Mexicana's promotions department to reward passengers taking their eighth flight this year. It is pronounced flyd-th (like heighth).

- The commercial is in actuality a secret message being sent from Max to 99 in conjunction with the search for the Tequila Mockingbird.

- Those crafty ad folks at Mexicana were trying to garner a spot on The Grammar Wall of Shame in the misguided belief that all publicity is good publicity. (To clarify, this belief is misguided only because they fail to realize that a spot on The Grammar Wall of Shame is actually equivalent to no publicity at all.)

While any of these options is a possibility, this spelling screw-up is most likely the result of an astonishing lack of effort and initiative on the part of a member or members of the professional writing world. Thus, you witness the birth of a new designation for this type of error: Phoning It In. In addition to being the first recipient of this designation, Mexicana Airlines has earned a C for Creative Spelling, an Oops! Is My Lazy Showing, and the following Drunken Proofreading rating:

**** (four stars) - Yesh, I take thish waterbottle everywhere I go. It'sh water. No, you can't have any.

Oh dear...

We discovered this flat-out faceplant on foxsports.com in an AP article titled, um, "After 104 years, Havard sheds light on football." (emphasis ours)

As you can see, astute reader, we didn't get very far before we found something alarming. We would like to believe that this titular trip-up is a tribute to the dialect of the citizens of fair Cambridge; we would like to believe it, but we don't.

Our dear friends at the AP can add to their many accolades and accomplishments the following awards from The Grammar Wall of Shame:
C for Creative Spelling
Oops! Is My Lazy Showing?

They have also earned the following Drunken Proofreading rating:
**** (four stars) - Yesh, I take thish water bottle everywhere I go. It'sh water. No, you can't have any.

Oh AP, whatever shall we do with you?

Well, our friends at the AP are at it again. When perusing an article titled, "Charges reduced for 2 Jena suspects," the following sentence grabbed our attention:

"Shaw himself has dreams of attending Gramling State University." (emphasis ours)

We have never heard of Gramling State University, but the article's author assures us it has a strong writhing program and an outsanding marching band.

This blooper earns a C for Creative Spelling and the following Drunken Proofreading rating:
**** (four stars) - Yesh, I take thish waterbottle everywhere I go. It'sh water. No, you can't have any.

What's Wrong With This Picture at Disneyland

What's wrong with this picture? This is a serious gaffe, especially for a worldwide company like Disney that trades so heavily on its reputation. We wonder whose head ought to roll for this mistake. (As we have recently watched the rerun of The Office with the watermarked paper recall, we suggest Michael Scott.)

This entry onto the Wall of Shame can be classified under multiple categories: C for Creative Spelling (self-explanatory), and Incompetence Starts at the Top - it represents gross grammatical negligence at every step of the creative process: concept, design, manufacturing, approval, etc. It is particularly egregious because it could have been such a simple fix. Missle is not a recorded word. Any spell-checking program would have easily identified this problem.

This entry also qualifies for the following Drunken Proofreading rating:
***** (five stars) - Whaaahhaa? Whodrankshaaallllthershcotch?