To the Editor:

As a retired journalist and editor, I especially loved your column about newspaper copy style (May 1 issue).

Capitalizing “internet” wasn’t an issue in the days when I was a fulltime writer and editor, because the internet didn’t exist yet. The AP Stylebook that you refer to was our bible, and we regarded it with the same religious reverence we did the Gutenberg.

My biggest bugaboo with my reporters was grammar – commas in particular. Author Lynne Truss uses one example in her book “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”: Leave the comma in, and you have an undesirable guest who dines, murders his host and exits. Eliminate the comma, and you have a perfect description of a panda bear.

My favorite example is one that could be a life-saver: “Let’s eat, Grandma” vs. “Let’s eat Grandma.”

Nancy Jaslow Bader

Bluffton

To the Editor:

Palmetto Animal League’s 10th annual Bid for PAL Online Auction was held April 25-28, raising critical funds to support PAL’s no kill animal rescue programs and adoption center.

We are extremely grateful for the community’s enthusiastic response to this fundraising event, especially with regards to the registered bidders and generous donors who provided more than 380 fantastic items for our auction.

We would like to thank our Silver Paw Partners in Rescue: Gifted Hilton Head, Hargray, John Kilmer Fine Interiors and other area businesses that sponsored the auction.

Our appreciation also goes out to our Silver Paw Media Partners: The Bluffton Sun/The Hilton Head Sun, Dick Broadcasting (Bob 106.9, G100, Rewind 107.9 and FM 96.1 The Island) and other local media who publicized the event.

This auction, which helps rescue hundreds of abandoned, abused and neglected animals every year, would not have been possible without the commitment of marketing committee volunteer Terry Bergeron and dozens of other devoted volunteers who canvassed the community for auction items.

Special thanks to The Bluffton Sun/The Hilton Head Sun for going above and beyond to help us spread the word about PAL’s largest fundraiser benefitting homeless animals.

These are lives worth saving. We hope everyone will join the No Kill Movement by supporting PAL’s adoption center, located in Okatie’s Riverwalk Business Park, where we make it easy to adopt, foster, donate or volunteer.

Stephanie Bashaw

Development Coordinator

Palmetto Animal League