Missed a few trips to the Speakeasy?
Find all the blog posts here, organized by subject matter.
Working with Words
Chanukah begins December 24. Christmas follows on December 25. It’s a time for gifting, and we don’t want to be remiss. So here are a few stocking stuffers and a little gelt to add to your growing pile of presents. We’re not sure we saw everyone’s wish list, but we’re pretty sure these are things everyone desperately wants to know at holiday time.
Less or fewer? Number or amount?
Do you care if you get this right? I’ll assume you do; if not, we’ll catch you next time.
Do you feel a little queasy saying “We found fewer negative responses than positive responses”? Think it might sound a little funny, so you fall back on “less responses”? Or maybe you’ve always thought that “few” couldn’t possibly have an “-er” at the end.
And how about conveniently using “amount” to describe things that are counted when, in fact, they are to be numbered? Doesn’t “amount” cover just about everything. Uh uh.
Preserve or Repeal - just say it correctly!
With just few minutes of research you can learn the history of this institution and quickly understand why Democrats want to repeal it and Republicans want to preserve it. What might give you trouble, though, is how to pronounce it. If you, like me, haven't discussed this strange institution of our democracy since eighth grade civics class (because there wasn't a lot about the electoral college to discuss until recently), you might have forgotten the root of the word: "elect." And I think every American has got that word down pat, right? If we can pronounce "elect," we can all pronounce "electoral."
He might! He might!
I’ve gone searching for a word, and instead I found a great candidate for President of the United States! And we’ve still got 24 hours left before we vote. Talk about serendipity!
Do you remember that I asked you in early September whether you thought we “might” have lost the word “might”? It seemed everyone around me was misusing the word “may” to mean possibility or likelihood. Losing a simple, functional word from our language is tantamount to losing a species from our earth. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and there’s really no substitute for it. The fewer words we have at our disposal for clear, correct, finely nuanced communication, the less our communication will be clear, correct and nuanced. Simply, we humans communicate with words. We can’t afford to lose our words any more than we can blissfully lose our teeth or our hair or our children.
These pairs are tricky little devils!
You’ve heard it often. Maybe you’ve said it yourself: That just doesn’t jive with the data we’ve collected. Or how about this one: We should have an answer soon – we’re honing in on the truth. Both incorrect, but in each case, an understandable mistake.
The little one is the better choice.
Everyone should have a friend with whom they can silently roll their eyes, in unison, while politely listening to a speaker who chooses overstuffed words that, one would suppose, are meant to indicate intelligence, sophistication, or such. My friend-in-eye-rolling is Sharon Green, and I’ve got to tell you, Sharon’s got way more English language creds than I do. (That said, I can roll my eyes with the best of them.)
It's also mood!
You may be forgiven if you no longer remember what Sister Mary Madonna said about “subjunctive mood.” Why, I haven’t had a conversation about subjunctive mood for at least 15 years; I’m pretty sure you haven’t either. But you might sometimes wonder whether your verb should be “was” or “were.” Your first instinct, probably, is to ask whether it’s singular or plural, and that’s smart. (Joe was a baker. His two brothers were bricklayers.) But there’s more to it than that – and it’s a guideline you can learn without using any arcane verbiage.
Punctuation inside or outside the closing quotation marks?
Isn’t that a tough one? You see quotations punctuated every which way, mostly wrong. It’s just not easy, but we do have some helpful rules.
Another good word bites the dust...
Or so it seems. Having been virtually dropped now in modern parlance in favor of a closely related word that does not mean exactly the same thing, we are left again with a little less precision and a little more fog.
It's easy if you can count!
When it comes to correct word usage, the beautiful truth is that a few simple rules can go a long way toward developing your confidence in your writing and speaking. Why? Because if you commit to just a few simple rules, you’ll be right more of the time! Here’s one of those rules:
Well, if you are, who could blame you?
I have found these three words confounding to just about everybody. Recently an organization asked me to review their web site content. I found all three of those “sure” words on one page; one of them was used correctly. It’s no wonder people have trouble. The words are so similar in spelling and pronunciation and even in meaning, and they’re all just ordinary, useful words that find their way, appropriately, into our daily vocabulary.
. . . but How Much Communication?
Recently I was riding a Seattle metro bus along with a friend who visits this Speakeasy regularly and follows the conversation. Shortly after we boarded, the bus stopped to admit a bevy of eight young teenage girls, immediately effecting a complete change in the volume within the bus. Oh, the streaming! Oh, the volume! The cacophony!
I’m a political news junkie. I admit it. I kicked the sugar dependency, I can limit myself to four ounces of wine each evening, and I refuse all opiates for the rare pain I might have, but I suck up political news and reporting and “speeching” like nobody I know. I watch it all. (Yes, I’m of that generation that still has a thing in her living room called a television.) How bad is my affliction? I watched ALL the debates.
I know what you’re thinking: “There are a myriad of ways to use that word.” If your mind immediately goes to “of” after “myriad,” just stop it, please! That construction, which we hear at every turn, is just plain wrong. I heard it again this afternoon; I hear it almost everyday. A beautiful Greek word that means, literally, ten thousand, has been adopted – and very poorly – by just about every Tom, Nick and Shari.
It's "preventive medicine." Does that sound funny to you? Sure, that’s why you want to call it “preventative.” All those syllables just feel right. They make it sound like quantitative or qualitative or administrative. “And “preventative” is a perfectly good word – it’s just not an adjective, so it can’t describe medicine or anything else – not now, not today, not ever.
But listen for five minutes to TV news or any political speech, and you'd start to wonder. Recently I was listening to a youthful (and quite exuberant) newscaster on TV delivering breaking news on a rather serious subject. In her effort to emphasize the seriousness and drama of the situation, she regularly pronounced “a” as “ay,” a long A sound. She seemed to think that such an incorrect pronunciation ramped up the emphasis or importance
It seems, in recent years, that most of the population has ceased believing in the existence of abbreviations. You rarely hear anyone refer to an abbreviation anymore; it’s all “acronyms” now. Too bad, because there is a distinct and simple difference.
Marketing
... to paraphrase the U.S. Air Force
I didn’t mean to misquote the Air Force, but perhaps simply to get your attention. And this is a topic that cries for attention. Nobody wants to do it. Most organizations don’t want to stop their forward momentum to figure out where the heck they’re going.
Maybe repeating that last phrase would be a good idea: “…stop their forward momentum to figure out where the heck they’re going.” So often small businesses and nonprofits simply continue to move forward, to keep on keeping on, turning the wheels and taking care of business, without taking the time to regroup and reconsider the destination and the resources needed to get there. And, most important, how they’ll measure their progress to the goal.
It's worth the effort.
Whether you’re a big, powerful corporation, a tiny nonprofit struggling to be heard, or a small business hoping to grow, you have a brand, and it’s worth some attention and valuable staff time. Failure to pay attention to how your staff or membership or reps are communicating about your organization is a pretty sure indicator that, eventually, if not already, your brand is going to be fuzzy, feckless or forgotten. Does it matter? Only if you hope to have a future.
But don't expect the work to do itself.
I think we all agree on this: It is less costly and more profitable to retain the customers you have than to convert new ones. Everyone says it, and I think we all believe it. But do we pay only lip service to it? With competition for attention, money and loyalty, it behooves every company, association and nonprofit to consciously work to retain their current customers.
Maybe I should just get a life...
Recently I made a bold assertion to my friend with whom I often commiserate about the ills of the world, Citizens United, Seattle traffic, and the price of tea in China. I said something reckless like this: “You know, almost every commercial I see on TV is for a drug or medication – just one after another. It looks like big pharma owns the airwaves.” The next day I thought, Boy! Was that irresponsible! Do you know it to be true?
Get attention and drive action
Isn’t it every marketing professional’s dream to write unforgettable copy that gets attention – real attention? Even if you have no aspirations to marketing fame (or even if you’re not a marketing professional but you’re just stuck “doing the marketing”) you want to write copy that will get attention and cause your readers to take action.
Guest Feature, reposted with permission from the blog of Peter Bolognese, ProForma Brand X.
(I have not yet met Peter, but I will soon at the conference that has brought us together though email. I have been so impressed by his professionalism, thoroughness and friendliness, that I asked to borrow some of his wisdom from time to time.)
Over the past week or so, you may have noticed an increase in the number of kids running through your yard talking about PokéStops and Pikachu’s (or who knows, maybe you’ve been running all over trying to catch ‘em all). Pokémon GO has swept the nation and captured the attention of children and adults alike. Here are a few things we can learn about marketing in today’s world from this unique game.
Here’s an idea: If you want to sell your expertise, first give it away. If you want people to pay you for your wisdom or knowledge or understanding, start by giving them some really good free samples! Share what you know, with no strings attached. In that way you develop your reputation as an expert.
Whether you’re a true marketing professional or a staff member who has simply been tasked with taking care of marketing (or a chief executive who has no marketing specialist but understands that someone must do marketing), the very first, critical step is to accept that fact that it’s the perspective of the audience that counts.
Speeches and Presentations
Don't sabotage your own presentation.
Recently I had the pleasure of sitting in on an excellent presentation about aging. It was co-presented by two highly qualified, very experienced women – professionals in every sense of the word. They split their presentation time, each taking on half the job. The first speaker broke the three rules that I consider absolutely basic, beginner-level advice. The second one offered a polished, accessible, engaging presentation that was a pure pleasure to watch. So what were the three basic differences between these two presentations?
Trade Shows
It simply can't be all about print collateral
Recently I was walking through a moderately sized expo hall with a wide variety of small exhibit spaces – tables, not booths. At one point my eye caught two tables, side by side (pure coincidence, I’m sure), just covered with stacks of literature. Each stack must have contained several hundred copies, and the piles competed with each other for the meager table space.
I’ve always liked an expo hall that runs smoothly with all the exhibitors content – busy when they should be, and happily quiet when the traffic clears out. But you know what? There’s something to be said for a fun expo hall! The booths that gather a rowdy crowd or produce a lot of laughter tend to get a lot more traffic.
After a number of years as the expo hall manager (or “concierge”?), when I was working strictly in non-profit fund development, I finally got a chance to stand on the other side of the table. Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege of representing one of my corporate clients at a healthcare conference. Having been the one to recruit and contract the exhibitors and sponsors, to assign the tables and see that each one’s display packages were available for set up, to check on everyone’s access to electricity and satisfaction with the flow of traffic – finally I got to be one of “them.”
Fund Development
If you’ve been producing events for a few years (conferences, conventions, annual meetings, colloquies, etc.) and you’ve started thinking about adding exhibitors to your event as a new revenue stream, may I share a little of my experience with you? As you might know, I’ve been working in the fund development space for a number of years now, helping nonprofits secure sponsors and exhibitors, teaching them how to nurture those relationships into long-term support. But my business, Tamarack Communication, works “across the aisle” as they say (but apparently don’t do) in our nation’s capital. By that I mean that I also represent for-profit corporations and companies that sell products and services to my nonprofit clients! Now, if that sounds a little like playing both ends against the middle, rest assured: It’s just the opposite.
... to paraphrase the U.S. Air Force
I didn’t mean to misquote the Air Force, but perhaps simply to get your attention. And this is a topic that cries for attention. Nobody wants to do it. Most organizations don’t want to stop their forward momentum to figure out where the heck they’re going.
Maybe repeating that last phrase would be a good idea: “…stop their forward momentum to figure out where the heck they’re going.” So often small businesses and nonprofits simply continue to move forward, to keep on keeping on, turning the wheels and taking care of business, without taking the time to regroup and reconsider the destination and the resources needed to get there. And, most important, how they’ll measure their progress to the goal.
Are you putting the cart before the horse?
Whether your ultimate goal is a solid marketing plan, a sound fund development plan, or, even more broadly, an overall direction for your organization for the next three years, it’s important to consider the significant differences between strategic planning and tactical planning. Both have a place, but one comes before the other – that is, if you hope to continue moving forward on a clear path toward a meaningful goal without a lot of costly side trips and unforeseen rerouting.
Partners or Vendors?
Do you ever walk down the street when you’re visiting an unfamiliar city and catch sight of some forlorn looking vendor with a mobile display of goods that are of mild curiosity but not of real interest? The poor fellow makes eye contact, and you easily see that he’s trying to hide his desperation for a sale behind a sad smile. He’s just a “vendor” – doesn’t really belong here, has no right to consider you his target market. That's a vendor, not a partner.
More about creating win-win relationships
Once you have a well crafted message about your organization and the specific marketing opportunity you’re promoting, the real fun begins: As you pitch the opportunity to your prospects, you will have a chance to learn about their business, including their strategic marketing goals.
It's not begging; you're offering opportunities.
Successful fund development begins with the right attitude, based on a key principle: You, as the development representative, are not begging; you are offering opportunities. Making that philosophical leap involves no magic, no mystery, no proprietary secrets. Believe it or not, once you’ve seen the job done successfully by one who embraces the challenge and enjoys the exchange, you will want to play an active role in fund development for your organization. My own introduction into the art of fund development might illustrate that.
Fund raising is matchmaking, plain and simple. You have a marketing opportunity to offer, and somebody with money recognizes that good opportunity and will pay for it. So, communicating exactly what you have to offer, and sincerely listening to determine whether it’s truly what the prospect needs, is your first exciting challenge.
We think fundraising success is more about attitude – yours – than about knowledge or skill. If you work for or volunteer with a worthy nonprofit, it’s likely you can successfully raise money from the corporate world, but you might need to change your attitude just a bit.
Miscellaneous
I’ve never been on a skateboard or a scooter, and I never want to try. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love skateboarding and all the other amazing activities that sizzle in a skate bowl. I’ve spent probably 15 hours over the past few summers, my little Yorkie (bored silly) at my feet, mesmerized by the activity in Green Bay’s Joannes Park skate bowl. I’ve watched my youngest grandson ride some special kind of bike up and down the curved walls, and I’ve held my breath as my 48-year-old son has sailed down those slopes in homage to a lifetime of skateboarding thrills. But 99% of the time I’m watching kids and young adults I’ve never met doing what they love – and I love to watch them do it.
Yesterday I attended another one of those amazing classes through the Lifelong Learning Institute at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. This class was about our national debt, taught by a very smart gentleman named Bob, an economist with a corporate background. I learned a lot, but it made me mad, because I soon discovered I’ve been snookered into helping a major player evade taxes and contribute to our growing national debt.
On Monday evening I rolled my beautiful green and gold Titletown garbage cart down to my driveway’s apron and lined it up proudly with those of my neighbors. Tomorrow would be garbage pick-up day in my neighborhood, and each household would have its trash out for collection in the rolling cart the city of Green Bay had issued it. No city is prettier on garbage day than Green Bay.
It’s always a good idea for a business establishment to take stock mid-year and determine what’s been selling well, who the customer base seems to be now, and what might be a good product to offer in the future. Places of social gathering are no different: Who’s been coming in our doors lately, and what have they been ordering? As we pass by the clusters of patrons absorbed in animated conversation, what are they actually discussing?
At this time of year, I like to look back on the traffic to this web site and, more specifically, to the Speakeasy blog, and see what I can see. I think it’s fun to tell my readers in whose company they might have found themselves, were they able to look around and see other visitors. I also think it’s fun to know how many people shared their reading preferences.
It’s a fascinating story this year (at least it’s fascinating to me). I hope you enjoy a quick look back, this time over two years: 2017 and 2018.
By Lynn Gerlach and Steve Leahy
We like to get together for coffee every few weeks and gripe about the state of the union, the pain of polarization, the danger to democracy, and the dearth of wise, open-minded leaders. We finally decided to do something positive about it: Together we assembled a list of thought leaders with whom we’d be willing to trust our democracy – with no concern for political affiliation or line of work. We simply listed individuals whose perspectives and judgments we’ve grown to trust, demonstrably respectable leaders who seem to us like true, loyal Americans. And then we invited America to weigh in.
Wednesday: Today a detective knocked on my door. What a thrill – a first for me. I had just finished reading Michael Connelly’s newest detective novel, The Late Show, so I was well prepared. When the man (dressed in shorts and tee shirt and wearing a baseball cap) introduced himself as Detective Someone from the Redmond Police, he immediately showed me first his wallet badge and then the badge clipped to his belt. I knew that was the right protocol, because, in The Late Show, Detective Renee Ballard always makes sure to show both of them right away. (See how my reading of contemporary fiction gives me context for real life challenges?)
Oh, for a good, old fashioned soap opera – a mindless, unrealistic, silly daytime TV show one could easily turn away from. You might know what I mean if you’re of an age. In fact, as I recall, in the heyday of soap operas (TV dramas largely sponsored by detergent companies selling to bored housewives), most of us didn’t even have our TVs turned on when “soaps” were airing. And we felt darned good about that. Silly old soaps! Waste of time! Who would watch that?
Let’s kick that “scarcity” perspective for 2017
Yes, I know this is meant to be a space to talk about communication. On the other hand, what element of human interaction does not involve communication? So I’m giving myself wide latitude here today, and I’m going to share with my readers the bounty – the uplifting, optimistic, promising bounty – I have discovered over the past year in two works that nicely bookend a world perspective based on positive expectations.
Read 'em and weep.
Well, just a few post-election observations, tossed out at random. Draw your own conclusions.
Sixty-two percent of Americans now say they get their news from social media. Social media! News! And forty-four percent of Americans say they get their news from Facebook, specifically. Have you ever, in your wildest dreams, considered Facebook a source for news? I must be a real dinosaur!
Twenty percent of Americans still claim to read newspapers.
Last summer Facebook apparently got rid of the humans editing its trending topics list. Now veracity is checked by an algorithm. (And I’m sure “al” is smart and all.)
Last July Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump for President of the United States. I know it’s true because I saw it on Facebook.
Personal Communication
Now, don’t get too excited. We’re just talking daydreams here – nothing terribly romantic but, still, life-changing. This is about a very “appropriate” and “mature” and “sensible” daydream. You’ll find the dream itself pretty tame; that it came true and was right there, under my nose, waiting for me with open arms – that’s the cool part.
[Author’s note: This actually happened about two weeks ago, but immediately thereafter our 2023 city budget was in peril, and I paused to co-author the piece called “There’s Still Hope, Green Bay.” It got lot of attention, and the budget was saved from decimation. I’ve caught my breath, and so now I share with you this unbelievable sequel to “The Garbage Can Caper.”}
I’ve ridden roller coasters only a few times in my life for the very practical reason that they scare the hell out of me. I get no thrills from terrifying climbs and death-defying falls. However, today I’ve been riding a roller coaster – from highs to lows all day – and guess what: I think it’s a pretty interesting story. So I’m going to tell it. If you don’t want to hear about the nutty ups and downs of this day, why, you just quit reading now.
I remember my mother worrying about going into the “Medicare donut hole.” I recall it had something to do with money, and the donut hole was a bad place to be, but I’ve always found Medicare far more confusing than should be necessary. I dismissed the donut hole as something I’d never have to deal with. After all, I’d never “been on medication” in my life. At age 64, healthy as a horse, a long-time cancer survivor and a recent total hip recipient now walking without pain, I saw Medicare as an annoyance, a necessary evil I’d now have to face. I dutifully researched my health insurance options prior to my sixty-fifth birthday. Lord knows, I never thought about the donut hole.
And then, last week, I woke up in the donut hole.
Did lockdowns work against COVID? A week ago that question would never have crossed my mind. Of course “lockdowns,” such as they were, helped slow the spread of the virus. Of course anything we did to slow the spread “worked,” right? I mean, I’m here and I’m safe and I never had COVID, nor did my kids or their spouses. I stayed safe at home, wore a mask, did all the right things… why would I even question whether that was smart?
But then I heard someone casually toss out this comment: “They’ve found that lockdowns didn’t work, you know.” So I did what I always do in such situations: I did some research…
Note from the author: I wrote this article in 2008! Tamarack Communication did not exist then, nor was the Speakeasy open. It’s been archived and ignored for years. Today a friend’s reference to Carl Sagan and his warning about “bamboozling” brought it to mind, and I dusted it off and brought it into the Speakeasy. Imagine! We’re still wrangling with the same communication issue that plagued us 13 years ago!Why we “forward” without checking. Please check your facts before forwarding those titillating but inflammatory or prejudicial (or just plain stupid) email messages to unsuspecting voters or impressionable readers who might believe everything you send their way.
Ah, this pandemic. As an elected official, I listen to citizens complain about schools being closed, the affront of being asked to wear a mask in public places, and the frustration of seeing traditional parts of our local economy collapse inward and die. As an officer of my neighborhood association, I witness the frustration of trying to hold meetings for a population that just won’t (or can’t) learn to use Zoom. But, as the communication consultant for a cutting-edge nonprofit whose focus is reading signals and spotting trends in order to actually shape a preferred future, I view this pandemic as a wakeup call.
On my own anniversary of becoming sugar free (7 years today), I am publishing this abstract of the book that started it all for me. In January 2013 I saw Dr. Lustig on TV, touting his new book; I had it downloaded to my Kindle before the end of his interview. I read it carefully. (He’s an endocrinologist; this is not light reading.) Then I bought a paper copy so I could mark it up, and I read it again.
Hard to believe, but public speaking is still the #1 fear of American adults. Twenty-five percent still list this as their biggest fear – greater than their fear of heights, bugs, snakes, drowning, blood, needles, claustrophobia and flying. As one who has taught public speaking and done a lot of it herself, I can only conclude that people afraid of public speaking might overcome that fear simply by engaging in some good instruction and coaching.
But that’s not the kind of “speaking” to which I’m referring today.
Boy, it feels good to watch TV these days! I know, I know – I’ve recently trounced TV programming for offering little uplifting entertainment, as it did in a bygone era. And last August I boldly reported (perhaps “complained”?) that I’d watched 250 commercials in seven hours of television viewing (which was true). I noted that NBC Nightly News aired 34 different product commercials in 30 minutes of programming! In that same article I also reported that, according to my data, 15% of commercial spots are sponsored by pharmaceuticals, which seemed a much smaller percentage than I’d expected.
Drowning in words, overwhelmed by thoughtless tweets and angry posts, consumed by conjecture that spins out of control as the day unwinds, deafened by TV “news reporters” who no longer even try to differentiate between hard truth, allegations, guesses and opinions… That’s communication today. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk… Say, tell, opine, assert, claim, blather… Not much time for listening. Not much interest in reflection. Noise.
How amazing, then, to be plunged into the world of communication by touch. Tactile talk. Messaging via proximity. Shoulder to shoulder, cheek to cheek, arm in arm, chest to chest – hugging!
That’s right, communication by hug!
Government and Politics
Abstract: The Emperor of all Maladies: a biography of cancer
Written by Siddhartha Mukherjee – abstracted by Lynn Gerlach
Published in 2010; given to me by a friend in 2015; abstracted in 2023
Note to my reader: The author, Siddhartha Mukherjee, calls cancer “a lethal shape-shifting entity… the defining plague of our generation.” He refers to his book as “an attempt to enter the mind of this immortal illness” which is, in its many forms, the abnormal growth of cells.
The book is a 4,000-year history of cancer and the “hypnotic, obsessive quest to launch a national ‘War on Cancer’” by two key individuals: Sydney Farber, “the father of modern chemotherapy,” and Mary Lasker, a Manhattan socialite. Mukherjee notes that the book is also “a personal journey of my coming of age as an oncologist.”
For me, the reader who hopes to cull for you an abbreviated but authentic version of this 400+ page history, it is also “a personal journey” that has allowed me to find my own cancer story within the context of the 4000-year war. This is a long book and a long abstract. My hope is that, when you’ve finished reading my abstract, you’ll go directly to Dr. Mukherjee’s book.
It’s the iconic image of the decade - the inexplicable and infuriating juxtaposition of the Amazon rain forest ablaze and the U.S. President lying to skip out on the G-7 climate crisis meeting! What Donald Trump will never understand - and what you and I simply must grasp - is that climate change is a fact now, not something coming down the pike someday, perhaps.
My house has been on fire twice. I’m not talking about the house I live in now in Green Bay’s Olde Preble neighborhood. I mean the house in Astor neighborhood where Tom and I raised our kids. That one’s in Green Bay’s historic district; the plaque from the National Register of Historic Places says it was built in 1917. Yeah, that one – twice on fire.
About a year ago a journalist I find most trustworthy recommended a book that seemed well suited to my unease about the direction our nation was headed. Fareed Zakaria pitched How Democracies Die by Steven Livitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. I read the book; it did not quell my fears for our country. In fact, it convinced me that our democracy might be in more serious danger than I’d first thought.
What a breath of fresh air! A book in 2018 that has no political bent and no ax to grind. Fifty Inventions that Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford doesn’t even claim these are the fifty most important inventions. He just treats us to a delightful history of fifty inventions and shows the undeniable impact each has had on today’s economy. Even if you’re not a student of the economy, it’s a fun read with no hidden agenda and no allegiance to any political party.
Probably not. But have we ever seen a period in our lifetime when more people hoped more fervently to change more minds – but were ever so nervous about trying to do so? Did you ever before walk on eggs like you’re walking on eggs now? Biting your tongue? Holding back with strangers – nice, friendly folk you genuinely like – because they might be “on the other side”? Carefully remembering not to tread on certain ground with family because one can never be sure who’s in what camp?
But, oh, how we’d like to change their minds! And how they’d like to change ours! In many cases, I think, we also long to change our own minds.
Each week Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Global Public Square, recommends another book for me to read. I listen to Fareed because I believe he is one of the smartest, most balanced and intellectually curious journalists of our time. Consequently, each week my reading list grows. When Fareed recommended How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, I moved it to the top of my list
Let’s kick that “scarcity” perspective for 2017
Yes, I know this is meant to be a space to talk about communication. On the other hand, what element of human interaction does not involve communication? So I’m giving myself wide latitude here today, and I’m going to share with my readers the bounty – the uplifting, optimistic, promising bounty – I have discovered over the past year in two works that nicely bookend a world perspective based on positive expectations.
Retreat from the crush of communication.
Take refuge in a book. That’s the best I can offer, and I offer it with confidence that it is, indeed, the best advice you’re going to get today!
I’ve been wounded (perhaps not mortally) by the use of language over the past year to bully and frighten, cudgel and cajole the great unthinking masses. And it continues, as if neither the losers nor the winners can be satisfied with the results. It is hard to bear.
Now for the good news: I have borne it with the help of one of North America’s most fabulous novelists.
Books!
Abstract: The Emperor of all Maladies: a biography of cancer
Written by Siddhartha Mukherjee – abstracted by Lynn Gerlach
Published in 2010; given to me by a friend in 2015; abstracted in 2023
Note to my reader: The author, Siddhartha Mukherjee, calls cancer “a lethal shape-shifting entity… the defining plague of our generation.” He refers to his book as “an attempt to enter the mind of this immortal illness” which is, in its many forms, the abnormal growth of cells.
The book is a 4,000-year history of cancer and the “hypnotic, obsessive quest to launch a national ‘War on Cancer’” by two key individuals: Sydney Farber, “the father of modern chemotherapy,” and Mary Lasker, a Manhattan socialite. Mukherjee notes that the book is also “a personal journey of my coming of age as an oncologist.”
For me, the reader who hopes to cull for you an abbreviated but authentic version of this 400+ page history, it is also “a personal journey” that has allowed me to find my own cancer story within the context of the 4000-year war. This is a long book and a long abstract. My hope is that, when you’ve finished reading my abstract, you’ll go directly to Dr. Mukherjee’s book.
It’s the iconic image of the decade - the inexplicable and infuriating juxtaposition of the Amazon rain forest ablaze and the U.S. President lying to skip out on the G-7 climate crisis meeting! What Donald Trump will never understand - and what you and I simply must grasp - is that climate change is a fact now, not something coming down the pike someday, perhaps.
My house has been on fire twice. I’m not talking about the house I live in now in Green Bay’s Olde Preble neighborhood. I mean the house in Astor neighborhood where Tom and I raised our kids. That one’s in Green Bay’s historic district; the plaque from the National Register of Historic Places says it was built in 1917. Yeah, that one – twice on fire.
About a year ago a journalist I find most trustworthy recommended a book that seemed well suited to my unease about the direction our nation was headed. Fareed Zakaria pitched How Democracies Die by Steven Livitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. I read the book; it did not quell my fears for our country. In fact, it convinced me that our democracy might be in more serious danger than I’d first thought.
What a breath of fresh air! A book in 2018 that has no political bent and no ax to grind. Fifty Inventions that Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford doesn’t even claim these are the fifty most important inventions. He just treats us to a delightful history of fifty inventions and shows the undeniable impact each has had on today’s economy. Even if you’re not a student of the economy, it’s a fun read with no hidden agenda and no allegiance to any political party.
Probably not. But have we ever seen a period in our lifetime when more people hoped more fervently to change more minds – but were ever so nervous about trying to do so? Did you ever before walk on eggs like you’re walking on eggs now? Biting your tongue? Holding back with strangers – nice, friendly folk you genuinely like – because they might be “on the other side”? Carefully remembering not to tread on certain ground with family because one can never be sure who’s in what camp?
But, oh, how we’d like to change their minds! And how they’d like to change ours! In many cases, I think, we also long to change our own minds.
Each week Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Global Public Square, recommends another book for me to read. I listen to Fareed because I believe he is one of the smartest, most balanced and intellectually curious journalists of our time. Consequently, each week my reading list grows. When Fareed recommended How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, I moved it to the top of my list
Let’s kick that “scarcity” perspective for 2017
Yes, I know this is meant to be a space to talk about communication. On the other hand, what element of human interaction does not involve communication? So I’m giving myself wide latitude here today, and I’m going to share with my readers the bounty – the uplifting, optimistic, promising bounty – I have discovered over the past year in two works that nicely bookend a world perspective based on positive expectations.
Retreat from the crush of communication.
Take refuge in a book. That’s the best I can offer, and I offer it with confidence that it is, indeed, the best advice you’re going to get today!
I’ve been wounded (perhaps not mortally) by the use of language over the past year to bully and frighten, cudgel and cajole the great unthinking masses. And it continues, as if neither the losers nor the winners can be satisfied with the results. It is hard to bear.
Now for the good news: I have borne it with the help of one of North America’s most fabulous novelists.
The utilization of our English language has changed markedly just in the past decade. I hope you will utilize this little essay to reflect on your own utilization of English. You can utilize it to question your own choices, but you might also utilize it to reflect on the English you hear utilized daily by on-air personalities. Happy utilization!
Barf!
Do you see how we’ve gone off the rails? Or do you actually believe that “utilize” is the proper or formal version of “use” and we just never realized it until recent years?