Hey Gang,

I seem to remember a discussion during the 100th show on Acronyms, and
in general that you two are both a little bit word nerdy.  At work we
use a government style guide in our writing, and it contains the
following interesting section:

"An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from the first letters of a
series of other words, such as NAFTA or NATO. An initialism is formed
from the initial letters of a series of words and may not be
pronounceable as a word. Examples are GST, RCMP. The distinction is a
fine one and is often overlooked in practice. Do not use periods or
spacing between the letters of an acronym or initialism.

In general, acronyms are not preceded by the definite article:
- The members of NATO rejected the idea.
- NAFTA may be expanded to Chile and other South American countries.

Usage varies with respect to initialisms. Those representing the names
of organizations generally take the definite article, while those
representing a substance, method or condition do not:
- The CLRB is reviewing the case.
- The unit has provided training in CPR for some time.

The correct form of the indefinite article (a or an) to use before
acronyms and initialisms is determined by the consonant or vowel sound
of the initial syllable, letter or number. The following examples
illustrate correct English usage. Note that ease of pronunciation is
the key:
- a 3M product
- a UFO sighting
- an NHL referee
- an FM station"

Neat...I'd never heard of an initialism before.  Just my addition to
the word nerdiness...

Later,