EVER FEEL LIKE YOU’RE HANGING BY A THREAD?

SIXTH ANNUAL WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PANEL DINNER

My Letter to the Editor of Newsday published on September 12, 2002

On Sept. 11, 2001, as I drove onto the Loop Parkway for my daily early-morning commute to work, I looked over my left shoulder to catch a glimpse of the World Trade Center. It was a ritual I had repeated every morning for many years. Some mornings, the Statue of Liberty was also within my view.

That afternoon, as I headed home following the most tragic day in our country’s history, I looked to the right as I exited the Loop Parkway. The glorious Towers had been replaced by billowing, putrid smoke.

This morning, as I have continued to do for the past year, I again looked over my left shoulder as I entered the Loop Parkway. The sky in the distance is empty now, yet I cannot stop myself from searching for the Towers. It is a fantasy that always ends in heartache.

We must never forget the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the day our American lives were turned inside out. We must never lose sight of what we had before that terrible morning, and what we live with now.

Mindy Ferrentino

Long Beach

Labor Day 2011: Not Everyone Will Be Celebrating

This excerpt from Knowledge@Wharton:

“If you look up the words ‘Labor Day’ on the web site of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), you will learn that this holiday — first celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City — ‘is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.’ The labor force, the site notes, ‘has added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known…. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.’

Unfortunately, for 9.1% of these lauded American workers, Labor Day 2011 finds them without a job and, in some cases, with little hope of finding one soon. The economy
continues to limp along two years after the financial crisis, and most economists don’t expect the employment situation to improve until the end of 2012, at the earliest. Department of Labor figures released on September 2 piled on more bad news: Not only did the unemployment rate remain unchanged for the month of August, but no new jobs were added to the economy despite expectations that the figures would show some improvement.”

And for those fortunate to have a job, here are a few timely quotations:

The end of labor is to gain leisure. ~ Aristotle

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~ Ovid

The only liberty an inferior man really cherishes is the liberty to quit work, stretch out in the sun, and scratch himself. ~ H.L. Mencken

10 Words Often Misused in Press Releases

It’s bad enough that some communicators overuse buzzwords in news releases and memos. Even worse is the sad truth that often those words aren’t even used correctly.

Any writer should pause and ask, “Am I saying what I think I am?” before
using these 10 words.

Quality. A lot of times you’ll see this word floating in a sentence, all on its own.
“Our products are quality,” or, “These are quality services.” Looking the word up in the dictionary does yield definitions that show the word “quality” by itself can mean excellence, but more often the word refers to a scale from good to poor. Something can be “low quality” just as easily as it can be “high quality.” Add in that modifier—”excellent quality, highest quality”—so people know for sure what you’re trying to say.

Unique. This word has the opposite problem. Writers often try to modify it, calling things
“very unique,” or “rather unique.” But the word unique already means what’s being described is like no other thing in the world. There aren’t any degrees of that. Either it’s unique or it isn’t. If you feel a need to modify the word with a “somewhat,” there’s a pretty good chance what you’re describing isn’t really unique.

Innovation. Much like “unique,” people trying to write compelling copy sometimes don’t
think “innovation” says enough on its own, so they modify it with adjectives such as “new” and “groundbreaking.” But if something is innovative, it is, by definition, new and breaks some kind of figurative ground. Old innovations are history.

Official. It’s common to see news releases touting the “official launch” of a
product or office emails about the “official kickoff” of some companywide initiative. It makes it sound like what’s going on is a big deal. But seeing the word raises some questions: Was there an unofficial launch? What makes this one official? Will someone need to contact a notary?

Exclusive. If you’re sending out a news release about something, there’s no way you’re giving anyone an “exclusive first look” at anything. News releases go out to numerous news organizations. If you were really granting an exclusive, the information you’re giving out should only be going to one. But what if you refer to a product, event or service as “exclusive?” If that’s what it is, that’s fine. If you aren’t going out of your way to exclude people from buying it, it isn’t exclusive.

Breaking. If news is “breaking,” it’s happening right this second. If you have
time to write a news release about it, it isn’t breaking. It broke.

Never/ever. Phrases such as “never before seen” and “for the first time ever” are tricky. Whether your organization is doing something it’s never done before is something you can probably verify, but who can say whether the public reaction to something will be the biggest ever or the world will “never be the same” after some product is released? Phrases like that reek of hyperbole. And, yes, it’s your job to sell the media or your employees
on your message, but they also want the truth.

Revolutionary. It takes more than something being new or a little bit different for it to be considered revolutionary. It has to be radically different, to the point where people completely rethink whatever came before. People talk about it, want to learn about it, change the way they do things based on it. In other words, if something’s revolutionary, it doesn’t need a news release.

Literally. If you don’t work for an amusement park or a fair, nothing you write about will be “a literal roller coaster ride.” Likewise, if you don’t work for NASA or perhaps an airline, nothing you do goes “literally into the stratosphere.” You mean “figuratively.” That’s the opposite of “literally.”

Social. In recent years, the term “social” has come more and more to mean “pertaining to social media,” especially in business. But that’s awfully confusing when the actual word “social” continues to mean “friendly,” or, more broadly, “pertaining to society.” Social
Security doesn’t have anything to do with Facebook. Calling your organization “social” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s big on Twitter. All it means is that it deals with people. If  you’re talking about social media, use the whole phrase.

Matt Wilson is a staff reporter for Ragan.com, where a version of this story first appeared.

“545 vs. 300,000,000 People” by Charlie Reese

A very interesting column…COMPLETELY NEUTRAL…Be sure to read the poem and tax list at the end. This is Charlie Reese’s final column for the Orlando Sentinel; he is retiring. Charlie has been a journalist for 49 years. .Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do
we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of
Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices
equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague
this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a
sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal
authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how
he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault.

They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the
President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is
the speaker of the House now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want.

If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who
stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to
the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table, At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes are the rule.

Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.

Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.

Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries Tax his tears.

Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass.

Tax all he has, Then let him know,  That you won’t be done, Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers, Then tax him some more, Tax him till He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he’s laid.

Put these words upon his tomb, ‘Taxes drove me to my doom.”

When he’s gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The inheritance
tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

CDL license Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)

Gross Receipts Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)

Liquor Tax

Luxury Taxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Personal Property Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax

Service Charge Tax

Social Security Tax

Road Usage Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

Sales Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax

Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Taxes

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened?

Funny De-motivational Quotes

Retirement: Because you’ve given so much of yourself to the company that you don’t have anything left we can use.

Potential: Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up.

Flattery: If you want to get to the top, repare to kiss a lot of the bottom.

Indifference: It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn’t take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face.

Individuality: Remember, you are unique. Just like everyone else.

Limitations: Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can walk.

Motivation: If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon.

Planning: Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress.

Strife: As long as we have each other, we’ll never run out of problems.

Teamwork: A few harmless flakes working together can produce an avalanche of destruction.

Achievement: You can do anything you set your mind to as long as you have vision, determination and an endless supply of expendable labor.

Success: Some people dream of success, while other people live to crush those dreams.

Change: It’s a short trip from riding the waves into being torn apart by the jaws of defeat.

Ambition: The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly.

Get to work: You aren’t being paid to believe in the power of yourdreams.