The Scraper's Thesaurus

I just got a link to an article about Governor Christie's plans for rolling back renewable energy targets in New Jersey.  Sort of.  Here's the actual text from the first few paragraphs of the linked article.

Christie rolls out appetite plan, rolls behind renewable appetite goals


TRENTON – Gov. Christie οn Tuesday summarized a thουght fοr Nеw Sweater’s appetite probability wіth thе goal οf focuses οn nuclear, healthy gas, аnԁ blurb solar power, аnԁ retreats frοm desirous renewable appetite goals.

Thе director introduced a lingering-awaited appetite master credentials аt a scuttle-butt discussion some-more thаn a time аftеr hіѕ administration accepted іt wουƖԁ correct thе request civic next thе before administration tο simulate thе mercantile downturn.

Thе recover follows thе administrator’s argumentative proclamation final week tο change Nеw Sweater out οf a multistate cap-аnԁ-trade agreement fοr conservatory gas emissions, a pivotal раrt οf Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s appetite preparation.

Sοmе environmental advocates accepted thе preparation, entrance ѕο shortly аftеr thе withdrawal frοm thе Regional Conservatory Gas Initiative (RGGI), wουƖԁ drop thе disorder’s care οn immature energy, bυt a cover οf commerce asker called іt business-friendly.

Thе Board οf Public Utilities wіƖƖ reason hearings over thе summer οn thе preparation.

Ummm...what?

The "New Sweater" thing threw me for a loop.  What the hell was this about? Was that a nickname for something? Then I realized: that had to be a mangling of "New Jersey," if you accept that "sweater" = "jersey."

Scrapers are plagiarists; they exist by copying content from others. Sometimes they try to cover their tracks by altering the language of the copied text slightly. How? My guess is that they run it through a translator into another language, and then translate it back into English, and let the translation hijinks cover their tracks for them.

For reference, here are the corresponding paragraphs as they appeared in the original article in the Philadelphia Enquirer:

Christie rolls out energy plan, rolls back renewable energy goals

June 08, 2011
By Maya Rao, Inquirer Trenton Bureau

Gov. Christie on Tuesday outlined a vision for New Jersey's energy future that focuses on nuclear, natural gas, and commercial solar power, and retreats from ambitious renewable energy goals.

The governor introduced a long-awaited energy master plan at a news conference more than a year after his administration said it would revise the document developed under the previous administration to reflect the economic downturn.

The release follows the governor's controversial announcement last week to pull New Jersey out of a multistate cap-and-trade agreement for greenhouse gas emissions, a key part of Gov. Jon S. Corzine's energy plan.

Some environmental advocates said the plan, coming so soon after the withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), would damage the state's leadership on green energy, but a chamber of commerce lobbyist called it business-friendly.

The Board of Public Utilities will hold hearings over the summer on the plan.

TITLE REFERENCE: The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce