Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Must not mention private schooling
You no doubt saw some of the press coverage of the young Indian girl who won the national spelling bee. But did you notice something odd? None of the reports mentioned what school she went to! Since learning to spell is very much an educational activity, you would think that her school had some relevance. Links to the BBC, ABCNews and AP coverage here, here, and here.
As far as I can see, it is only by viewing the Bee's website that you could learn learn that Speller No. 201, Anamika Veeramani, attended Incarnate Word Academy in Ohio, a private Catholic school.
Maybe there were some news reports that mentioned that but it sure stands out that so many did not.
The problem may have been the name of the school. "Incarnate Word" is a reference to John 1:1 and is a very religious name for Jesus Christ. We can't have people exposed to Biblical references can we? Has it come down to separation between church and spelling bees?
As an aside, I thought it was a bit unfair to ask her to spell a German word -- even if it is sometimes used in rarefied medical circles. Stromuhr is actually a very easy word to spell if you know German. It is just German for "stream clock". "Uhr" is related to our word "hour"
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6 comments:
I saw most of the media reports on this brilliant young girl, but not one mentioned of her school. Odd indeed. Obviously, the anti-Catholic mentality of the media is still going strong. BTW, those of us who were fortunate enough to get a Catholic school education are not at all surprised by her performance.
Anon 6:09, I think it was more anti-Christian than anti-Catholic, although the media does have a grudge against the Roman's for their stances on abortion and sex relations. I them mostly harping on her race and how Indians have been winning. Wait.. I thought race didn't matter when it came to ability? (Actually it has a lot to do with culture and the way quite a few Indian families raise their children)
Lets also not forget how much the state run media /hate/ private educational facilities.
It is foolish to underestimate India and her people. They are far more advanced than most people are aware of. Some of their technical schools have a higher academic rating than does MIT, and they're harder to get into.
Not "stream clock", but "electrical clock", as in a clock that runs on electricity (rather than, well, clockwork).
And yes, that word doesn't belong in a spelling competition focussed on the English language.
I doubt even most Germans would recognise it, as it's certainly not a word in common use.
Most people'd just talk about a clock, without referencing what it's powered by, unless that fact were relevant to the discussion.
Not "stream clock", but "electrical clock", as in a clock that runs on electricity (rather than, well, clockwork).
No, I believe that you are incorrect. IIRC, the German word Strom translates to stream or current (either fluid or electrical) and Uhr is commonly used in referring to a clock or watch. However, Uhr can also be translated as meter. A Stromuhr is a device that measures the volume of blood flow. Yes it is a German word, but it is also the name for a widely used medical device.
The girl is brilliant - is she not!! I too had found it surprising that most of the reports did not mention her school!
Keep observing!!
This is Ibrahim from Israeli Uncensored News
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