*Style Invitational Week 906: Your mug here - design a mug for the
runner-up Losers*

By Pat Myers
Sunday, February 6, 2011;

As devotees of the Invitational Fine Print know, the third- and
fourth-place Losers of each contest "win" their choice of a coveted
Loser T-shirt or yearned-for Loser Mug. We've had only one model of mug,
pictured here
>, since we started giving it out almost four years ago, and our supply
is running low. So: */Give us a new design for the Loser Mug/* - it can
be just a slogan or it can be an idea for artwork (you can just describe
it rather than draw it). A very intricate design, or one with several
colors, won't work well.

Winner gets the Inker, the official Style Invitational trophy - plus the
new mug. Second, third and fourth place also get the new mug - which of
course will have someone else's idea on it. Loser.

*/Honorable mentions/* a lusted-after Loser magnet
.
First Offenders get a smelly, tree-shaped air "freshener" (Fir Stink for
their First Ink). E-mail entries to losers@washpost.com
or fax to 202-334-4312. Deadline is Monday,
Feb. 14; results to be published March 6 (March 4 online). Put "Week
906" in the subject line of your e-mail, or it may be ignored as spam.
Include your real name, postal address and phone number with your entry.
See more rules here
.
The revised title for next week's results is by Tom Witte; the
honorable-mentions subhead is by Beverley Sharp.

*Report from Week 902*, in which we asked you to find a line in one of that week's Washington
Posts and reword it in a more upbeat way:

*The winner of the Inker*

/Original:/ Maine's governor told critics Friday to "kiss my butt" over
his decision not to attend the state NAACP's annual Martin Luther King
Jr. Day celebrations.
/Spun:/ Maine's governor found it in his heart to turn the other cheek .
. . /(Dixon Wragg, Santa Rosa, Calif.)/

*2* /Winner of the //FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force mug
//:/ /Original:/
Tom DeLay, former U.S. House leader, sentenced to 3 years in prison
/Spun:/ DeLay will be following in the footsteps of Mandela, Gandhi and
King . . . /(Howard Walderman, Columbia)/

*3* /O/: Virginia school officials have seen 120 cases of sexual
misconduct over the past decade, most of them discovered and reported
after a teacher was arrested or prosecuted.
/S/: Many Virginia teachers have reached out to their students beyond
the classroom./(Jeff Brechlin, Eagan, Minn.)/

*4* /O:/ Dominican Republic resumes deportations of Haitian migrants
/S:/ A year after earthquake, many Haitians are returning home /(Ward
Kay, Vienna)/

*The upbeat goes on: Honorable mentions*

/O:/ Tom DeLay, former U.S. House leader, sentenced to 3 years in prison
/S:/ Government again calls DeLay to serve /(Roy Ashley, Washington)/

/O/: Winter weather gripped parts of the South on Sunday . . . causing
hundreds of flight cancellations.
/S/: The number of complaints about security pat-downs at the Atlanta
airport dropped enormously on Sunday. /(Marty McCullen, Gettysburg, Pa.)/

/O/: Longtime Truro Church minister fired for accessing online
pornography at work
/S/: Today we bid farewell to Reverend Brown. For some time now he's
been looking at missionary positions. /(Gary Crockett, Chevy Chase)/

/O/: Haitians see little rebuilding, few new jobs
/S:/ Haitians get a taste of American lifestyle./(Joe Godles, Bethesda)/

/O/: Incendiary mail goes off in D.C.
/S/: Innovation in packaging sparks interest from postal officials/(Sam
Wheeler, Alexandria, a First Offender)/

/O/: School board in N.C. . . . abolishes integration policy
/S/: School board in N.C. takes a step closer to America's roots /(Matt
Monitto, Elon, N.C., a First Offender)/

/O/: Griffith cut up and tried to store the body [of his girlfriend] in
containers filled with concrete.
/S/: After his girlfriend departed, Griffith kept mementos of their
relationship./(Nan Reiner, Alexandria)/

/O:/ The number of homeless families increased at an even greater rate,
according to a report.
/S:/ Despite the tough economy, many families are able to save on rent,
mortgage payments and home repairs. /(Ira Allen, Bethesda)/

/O/: Pennies stolen from collection at Md. church
S: Strangers find 'pennies from Heaven' /(Dave Prevar, Annapolis; Rick
Haynes, Potomac)/

/O/: Major delays from N.Y. Ave. bridge work/
S/: Commuters linger after work in D.C. neighborhoods /(Pam Sweeney, St.
Paul, Minn.)/

/O/: Arlington lawyer gets year in prison
/S/: Local attorney plans extended reunion with former clients /(Nan
Reiner)/

/O:/ Officials also presented the results "in ways that are incorrect
and potentially misleading."
/S:/ Incredible results! /(Kevin Dopart, Washington)/

/O:/ Deputy Prime Minister Clegg appears to be losing Britain's love/
S:/ Clegg's Popularity Closely Tracking Winston Churchill's /(Mike Gips,
Bethesda)/

O: To government workers: "You will find the pressures greater than the
pay. You may endure more public attacks than support."
S: "You will have the unequaled satisfaction of knowing that your
character and talent are contributing to the direction and success of
this free society." - John F. Kennedy, 1963 /(Jeff Hazle, Woodbridge)/

*/Next week: Bill us now, or Enacting up/*



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