Unordered Lists Vs. Div tags

I first learned to use unordered lists in 1999 while taking a highschool web mastering class. Regardless of the what the defenders of using divs for unordered lists might say, I would have got marked wrong even then had I used the technique that is used CNN/Money's website. My teacher would have grumbled, "What the hell are you thinking? You better start paying better attention! Why are your eyes bloodshot?"

For bulleted list items, unordered are the only reasonable choice of markup. The only real defense for CNN/Money's technique of using divs and hardcoded html entities for bullets is the inconsistent default margins and padding of unordered lists in browsers. But their technique is the mark of a beginner, an incompetent webmaster who hasn't updated their skills since 1995, or a lazy pothead. The CSS needed to make lists appear consistantly, in all of the many variations, be it block or inline, has been widely supported across all modern browsers for 4 years. (and yes, IE 5.5 mac is a modern browser, netscape 2.x isn't.)

So, lets get a coffin ready for divs and bullets appoarch for lists. Here's why CNN money [also known as fortune magazine] (and anyone who is coding HTML) should have used unordered lists.

I. For people with disabilities, semantic markup is more than a buzzword, or catch phrase of snobby html know-it-alls. Semantics are what allows them to enjoy the experience of navigating and reading pages on the web. In this case, a list would have alerted non-visual browsers that the latest items were part of a series -- something key for anyone using a text-only, or non-visual browser. However, since they used generic divs, there is no telling how confusing of a jumble it might actually be to blind people, or how difficult it might be for a quadraplegic to navigate through their latest items. Folks, be kind and help open up the internet to everyone. All it takes is a little bit of attention. Imagine telling a quadraplegic that this is too much to ask.

II. Semantics in markup are more than an accessibility issue. They are also a great way to boost traffic. Or to put it differently, google bots, like non visual browsers, treat all semantic markup differently. Well ranked sites nearly always use correct semantics in their markup. Incorrect semantics can hurt your traffic..

III. The markup for unordered lists would have been less than one half the size of the div they used. Maybe even 1/4th!.(this does matter at sites that deal with as much traffic as CNN/Money.

IV. With lists, you're taking full advantage of CSS's special list rules that are supported all but a few percent of browsers. Standards are here to stay. Netscape 2.x isn't. More importantly, proper knowledge of CSS gives you unimaginable freedom in terms of design and style. Many people have no idea how much you can do with a simple unordered list and CSS.

So, what was CNN/Money's defense for their markup again?