Friday, April 4, 2008

Dear America,

Look down at your keyboard America. There, peering at you between the letters Y and I is a very important symbol. The letter U. Please observe the following.

Labour not labor.
Honour not honor.
Flavour not flavor.

And while we're at it, see that one between A and D? The letter S? As in USA? Yeah, that one. Let's review when you should use it.

Colonise not colonize.
Analyse
Organise

Love and cuddles,
The Commonwealth

P.S. However, the matter of aluminium/aluminum is problematic. The man who discovered it, Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, was British, but called in aluminum first (in keeping with platinum and molybdenum). It was only later that aluminium was used, with the -ium suffix of cesium, plutonium and so forth. However, the very first thing Sir Davy called it was alumium. And frankly, I think we should follow the wishes of the discoverer. So from here on, alumium it is.

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