Columbus: The City That Never Bathes
Columbus has landed the 2009 APWA International Public Works Congress and Exposition, which bills itself "the best show in public works" and is possibly the hottest conference for civil-engineering-type people anywhere. Maybe. I have no idea if their claims are true. But, thanks to a reader, I am sure Columbus wasn't their first choice:
(Offer not valid if you're wearing blue, or thinking about wearing blue, or asphyxiating, in which case banner should read "COLUMBUS – IT'S MORE HAZARDOUS THAN YOU THINK!")
April 16th, 2009 at 11:33 AM ^
FAIL.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:36 AM ^
BAGHDAD: IT'S COOLER THAN YOU THINK!
April 16th, 2009 at 11:40 AM ^
Their other option must have been Gary ("It smells better than you think!").
That slogan seems like the advertising equivalent of a "Most Improved" award: it used to be a failure, but now it's less of a failure.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:53 AM ^
I've been there. It's really not.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:54 AM ^
Funny how the colors are reversed this week: I'll be rooting for the Red Wings versus the Blue Jackets.
In moments like these, I find it comforting to remember the Red Wings are all actually maize and blue at heart.
Gå Rödvinges!
Does anyone know Swedish?
The term "Red Wings" I believe is supposed to be a reference to a Michigan-based air combat wing from the First World War. It was a nickname.
In English, then, it's a double-entendre, meaning a wing, i.e. a type of Air Force combat unit, or wing, i.e. the flight-enabling appendages on most aeronautically locomotive animals.
But in Swedish, they have two translations of "wing"
The flight group is "flygel"
The bird appendage is "vinge" (which seems to have the same proto-Germanic root as "wing." A birdwing is a "fågelvinge."
Which 'entendre' is it?
Any Swedes out there wanna tell me what they use? Or is it just "Goa Redd-veengs?"
April 16th, 2009 at 10:28 PM ^
I doubt they'd translate the name of a sports team. They might even keep the English spelling.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:56 AM ^
Wait. This is seriously their banner? Brian didn't photoshop it? It looks photoshopped. Badly photoshopped, actually.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:10 PM ^
Being a civil engineer type, I wouldn't mind going to this... if it weren't in Columbus.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:33 PM ^
They needed to schedule something the whole city could enjoy after USC gets done with them the night before.
EDIT: This also makes me wonder on the rare occasion that they beat USC the night before can you imagine how disgustingly dirty that city will be when these people roll in for their conference? I'm almost pulling for them to win now.
No I'm not.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:16 PM ^
COLUMBUS-
WE PICKED UP THE EMPITES AND SCRUBBED OFF THE URINE, SO GET HERE BEFORE SEPTEMBER ROLLS AROUND AGAIN!
Visiting any Ohio city makes me thankful we have a bottle-deposit law here in Michigan. The difference is incredible.
"Visiting any Ohio city makes me thankful we have Michigan. The difference is incredible."
Fixed.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:17 PM ^
I'm a board member for my local chapter, and was contemplating going to this years event, until I learned where it was being held. I can't verify the voracity of the bottom half (Columbus - It's Cooler than You Think), but the top half is the actual logo for the event (apwa.net/congress). I did notice a while back though that the colors they chose for the text/background are pretty ironic given the location.
they have one of the finest interstate state highway systems in the nation.
yes, the best part of ohio is it's infrastructure that allows you to transport out of that craptastic armpit of america as painlessly as possible.
Grandma's couches are in great shape, too. Of course, they still have the plastic cover on them, and nobody's ever allowed to sit there...
I'm sure the highway system's in great shape; nobody's allowed to drive more than 65 mph on them!
It sucks 'cause I love going down to Kentucky every summer. I'd go every weekend if they'd put any other state between us.*
*Except Texas.
The two big water shows probably win for most civil engineers. I don't think either show would be caught dead in Columbus.
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