Urgh.
Harking back to due to/owing to:
I would say, "The concert was due to start at 8 pm, but owing to one performer's illness, it began late."
I wouldn't say, "The concert was due to start at 8 pm, but due to one performer's illness, it began late."
I would say, "The Weather Network claims a snowstorm is due to begin this evening." (if I wanted to phrase it that way - in reality I'd probably say, "The Weather Network says we'll have a snowstorm tonight.")
I would NOT say, "Due to climactic conditions, we're supposed to get a snowstorm this evening."
"Due" is an indication of something forthcoming; not an indicator of reason.
It's like "light years" - another usage that is often mangled these days. Light years measure distance, not time. You cannot ACCURATELY say, even in jest, "He's light years older than I am." You CAN say, "Your modification of this plan is light years from my original idea."
And it's not, "He's older than me." It's, "He's older than I [am]."
ron pedantic [/rant]
