And it seems like the truncated spelling trend is going to persist... Email is drastically changing typed English and I know as a result that people's spelling is getting even worse - and what's worse, they don't really know they're in error - enough time and examples have gone by that some people think misspelled words are actually correct... or acceptable. The dumbing down of America is real and unfortunately people think it's ok. They laugh and exclaim, "Oh, I'm so stupid". Let me tell you, folks, a scant few years ago (20) people used to be ashamed to be stupid - not any more... We've made stupid acceptable by publishing "books for dummies" and by not correcting people when they're wrong - that's not politically correct. And being politically correct basically means lying to people (don't hurt their feelings - omit, omit) which we in America seem to prefer over learning and being corrected. When I was a kid, there was a phrase, "Use your head". Can anyone honestly remember when they last heard anyone say that? We weren't just given answers - we had to think. It was even ok for a stranger to tell a kid to use their head... not anymore. I'm only 40 and in 20 years I've seen this country change into a country where a lot of people don't take responsibility for their actions (or anyone else's) and whose people have willingly become dolts... and it is definitely not the country I was told I would be an adult in. Our social mores have changed completely - and we've got a couple generations coming in now who have no idea how we used to be so the country I knew is almost effectively gone... Wow, Sorry for the slight veering into off-topic. It is likely that I've wanted to tell a 'mass' that for a long while. : ) Dave