One of the participants at the workshop I am attending did pronounce Appalachian correctly. There are about 28 teachers in the program and about 14 around the country. I am the only one from the southeast. This other person told me she was culturally aware and knew to use the latch sound That is a +.

On the way to the Red Sox at Yankees game Friday and I strike up a conversation with a Yankees fan on the subway. He asks if I am from Arizona. I was wearing a Block A baseball cap. That is a -.

The way the pitchers mound is watered and combined with the foot print of the pitchers at the end of their stride looked a lot like a block A to the point my hotel roommate commented. This is a subliminal +.