I've always loved the section of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) website about their use of words in the news, called "Words: Woe and Wonder". They've compiled some of their shorter articles into a new format, very well-written as always. It's worth a look for those who enjoy learning about "other" versions of English besides the Big Two: http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/words/quick/queries_index.html

Thanks for this, Bean. I'll enjoy delving! Meanwhile, who's gonna set this poor Canuck straight (and tell him never again to believe a US ad man)? Or is there a kernel of truth in this? If so, which Pres. Roosevelt?

... I had a conversation with an American advertising executive while on a recent trip. He claimed that President Roosevelt had tried to write a purely American dictionary (with words such as "thru" and "nite") but that it failed. Is this true? If so, where can I find information about that dictionary?