BURNING BUILDING

A headline from the Indianapolis Star over the weekend: WAREHOUSE BURNS NEAR AIRPORT. How about, "WAREHOUSE NEAR AIRPORT BURNS?" They make it sound like someone picked up a warehouse and moved it to a location near the airport, then set it on fire. I know their headline isn't exactly incorrect, but, as James Kilpatrick would say, it could have been stated with greater clarity.

PURDUE GAME

From Sunday's Lafayette Journal/Courier, "For most of the first half, a typically strong group of defenders were not on the same page." A group WERE??? But a group is a singular entity. True, it is comprised of more than one, but the word is singular, therefore a group WAS. And furthermore, the group was not on the same page as what? As each other? As some other group? Clarification required, people!

PURDUE GAME

NBA in New Orleans

Apparently, this year the NBA is going to have a season-long effort to help re-build New Orleans. When teams visit New Orleans for games, they will perform various community service endeavors, from building public basketball courts to bolstering learning resources in the area's schools. This sounds like a great idea to me.

But the Indianapolis Star reported that NBA Commissioner "David Stern said he is determined to do help for the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina." DO help? Good Lord, there must be a thousand better ways to say that. How about "to help," "to assist in rebuilding," "to perform rebuilding work," etc.? Do they hire 3rd graders as writers & editors? I guess it keeps their costs down.

NBA in New Orleans