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Helvetica can be fatal
by loiswakeman @ 30 Aug. 2007 - 10:43:49

"Fifty people are dead as a result of violent weather that has raged across Yemen since early this month ... Fatalities and injuries caused by lightning strikes are also common due to the state's typography" - UPI news item, 25th August

Another example of when relying on a spell-checker is a bad idea - proof read it!

Thanks to my virtual friend Marjolein Katsma for spotting this.

I shall refrain from being really crass and commenting on the last item on that page ("next in Top News: Iraqi soldier kidnapped on Shiite holiday" - to be read in a Channel 4 announcer's Geordie accent for most impact).

Full article:

Severe weather kills 50 in Yemen

5 comments | Permalink | Recommend this post
Tags: proofreading, spellchecker,

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kevinwilsonkevinwilson pro
30/08/07 @ 11:03

i went to garamond for my holidays once.

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loiswakemanloiswakeman [Member]
http://lois.co.uk
30/08/07 @ 12:16

Did you get hit by any drop caps whirling through the air?

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LissaTLissaT pro
30/08/07 @ 17:50

Lying on the sunny beach of Batang looking across the bay to the islands of Tahoma and Tungi, Lucida Console met her fate in the form of Estrangelo Edessa. More handsome even than Raavi, the waiter who had made her visit to Gautami so entertaining the previous year, he came upon her as she watched the little furry marletts playing on the sand. He summoned SimSun, the barman, across and ordered two Shrutis, and before she knew what was happening she was married with Vrinda, the chamber maid, as her bridesmaid and witness while her favourite CD by M V Boli played and then she was whisked away to begin the rest of her life as Mrs. Estrangelo Edessa in the village of Latha in mountains of Kartika.

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loiswakemanloiswakeman [Member]
http://lois.co.uk
30/08/07 @ 18:02

Thanks for that rather wonderful flight of fancy!

Do you remember the San Seriffe supplement of the Guardian by any chance? I expect you are too young :-)

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LissaTLissaT pro
02/09/07 @ 13:30

Not only was I twenty-two when it was published, but the Guardian was my newspaper of choice in those days. It must be right up there with Panorama's Spaghetti Harvest and Spike Milligan's radio talk (as Professor somethingorother) on the danger to red-heads from Dutch Elm Disease.

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