Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Survey: Most writers need better grammar BOSTON, May 14 (UPI) -- A writing software maker says most people don't have the language skills they think they have, with 85 percent of "all writing" flawed by grammatical errors. Advertisement WhiteSmoke Inc. of Boston, designers of "an advanced English language grammar and writing engine," said its recently completed survey of 1,000 users showed that even though nearly half the respondents claim good grammar and spelling were important to them, 85 percent of their documents contained grammar and spelling mistakes. The company said it conducted the text analysis and research in conjunction with the release of its latest product, WhiteSmoke 2008 Extended Edition. It said the company's team of linguists analyzed 5,000 writing samples. "The poor quality of writing is troubling," said Amit Greener, the company's vice president of sales and marketing. "However, it is encouraging to know that despite getting basic sentences wrong, the majority of survey participants regard quality writing as important." Advertisement The most common errors were omissions of such words as "be," "have," "do," "in," "on" and "at" -- with 27 percent of the surveyed writers forgetting to include the words in simple sentences. Also frequently missing were "a," "an" and "the." Han Solo and Princess Leia get hitched EPSOM, England, May 14 (UPI) -- A British couple obsessed with "Star Wars" said they decided to tie the knot dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia as an homage to the epic saga. Not only did groom Bramwell Brightey, 33, and bride Tamsyn Lofts, 29, attend the matrimonial event decked out in "Star Wars" duds, some of their guests jumped on board as well, sporting Chewbacca, Obi Wan Kenobi and Stormtroopers costumes, The Sun reported. "We didn't want a traditional wedding, I get bored sitting in churches and listening to hymns and readings, so it would've been a bit hypocritical of us to have it in a church as we're not big church-goers," Brightey said. The Epsom, England, newlyweds said they even decided to model their cake after Yoda and replace the traditional first dance with a lightsaber battle. Courthouse murals go up 70 years late NEWARK, N.J., May 14 (UPI) -- Seventy years after a federal judge declared two murals too controversial for his New Jersey courtroom, copies of the banished artworks have been installed. Advertisement The murals by New Jersey artist Tanner Clark were meant to suggest the importance of federal courts in protecting children, with one showing kids playing basketball and the other a child injured in an industrial accident, The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., reported. U.S. District Judge Guy Fake feared that the murals might influence juries. The murals are long gone. Clark's son, Caleb, said that they were left behind by mistake when his family moved years ago. But two years ago, the historical society at the courthouse found good photographs in the National Archives and hired two artists to reproduce them as exactly as possible. "People joke that the wheels of justice turn slowly. This is the perfect example of that," said Michael Weinstein, a lawyer who heads the historical society's art committee. Tanner Clark, who died in 1997, always regretted that the murals weren't hung as intended, Caleb Clark told The Star-Ledger. "He put two years of his life into them and really was torn up when they didn't get accepted," he said. Meowing kittens alert humans to fire JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 14 (UPI) -- Residents of a Jacksonville, Fla., boarding house gutted by an early morning fire credit two kittens with saving their lives. Advertisement Lisa Kimmerle said the kittens were meowing so loudly they woke her up early Tuesday, WJXT-TV reported. Then she heard popping noises and realized something was wrong. By the time she was out of bed, flames were shooting up the stairwell. She and other second-floor residents were able to get onto the roof, and a neighbor helped them to the ground. No one was injured in the fire, which gutted the building. "God woke the kittens up, and the kittens woke us up," Kimmerle said. Both kittens survived, although one disappeared for several hours after the fire.
