| Show wea"!-- - 1 i ZiA i t i 1 fl I I' t to II t 1 The Public Form11 The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday October 14 1990 -- : I I i ardzia goof° cosenswookeigootooll- -- r 11 - to I Tribune Readers' Opinions Rains on Parade Shocking Action' Rules v 1 4 saw— VPITEIPFEWIIIIMul to I oo I 1 Forum 7411:oille ri' t 4tof I l' - i l' i : i' a ' - - i ttili I I 00 ' w - ESA— I di Aeoorl"-11- I t : - 101& -- lama 1 111 fig V ------- ---- — 5 -- dc:t dr: e "'" --1 '116 700ect t t! 1 Il l‘kv 74'11111177 - IA IC111 nig I teri Jr - Ws — sa -- ims- i I t 11111116 ft r i Clear Sfinple Language Best Way By Shauna Ballou '!I Wastage That's what the sign says a garbage bin in the copy shop I frequent Every time I go in I want to Jump the counter rip off the sign and shove it in the trash The word wastage like so many other words today is clogging the thinking power of our nation People whom we assume know what they're talking about are mushifig words together to fill time and space and are saying very little that makes sense It's a way to mesmerize Ut into believing that they're smarter than we are And in defense we parrot the nonsense On t - i ' ' t t I t t 1 f f I ' i ' ' 'I :' r ' r t Today's Common Carrier author is S'hauna Salim 2930 Apple BiosI)m Lane Salt Lake City Utah Mrs Ballou holds a master VIA of education degree and is coordi)iator of Murray Alternative High School and Murray Adult High School She is an adjunct writing teacher at Westminster College She is a mother of four and says her passions Include chocolate 'biking and teaching The views ex pressed in the article are the per tonal views of the author ! t t tt t' i t t 1 I' f 3 1 !' ' ' : t - - - : i 1 : i I : f I ' : spend hours every year begging students to write and speak like huto motivate their read-et- a Man beings and listeners by using clear and simple language But they leave my classroom and are blasted with seductively sedate words like utilize prior to facilitate quantum and other fat slippery words The New York Daily News reported in February that when the new chancellor of schools for New York asked some of the top administrators of those schools to describe the most urgent issues that they faced he received memos like this one: "Extant data systems contain an : abundance of information which is underutilized due to deficit staff knowledge and abilities - due to inaccessibilities" This preposterous prose stinks! And it abounds as far as the eye can see and ear can hear Can someone who thinks and writes like this really help our schools? I'm tired of being continually smacked in the brain with such tripe We hear it from dignitaries on the news we read it in the paper we confront it in memos and reports daily My mentality can't take it any more It's time to smack the back A month of diagramming their own sentences I think would be appropriate If folks actually strung together tripe-prattle- t : '' ewe- all-nig- el ' f$ 1- ' - ii le' A - 1 ' vs—iv' - ' i - ' " - A '' s 'teo '"' b4 emeottedeV a Ae— Q 17T - '''' ' le A - 4 '' e 'It ' it CI rf x ik '''' ( 'A 'it 'rt Att ei 1 411 AA ' '12 ::r- Tr01 - 1 - ' ti ' 1 ' ' k ' the last time you yelled at your kids for underutilizing pons? When was ) ef Shauna Ballou these obnoxious words in normal conversation or if these words had unique meanings or if they were used correctly I might get off my soapbox Normal folks don't sit down in the evening and say "Well dear when should we facilitate that party we've been conversing about? By the way Jack wants to utilize the truck tomorrow prior to his meeting And since the kids are gone how about taking a quantum leap into the bedroom facility and practicing some new paradigms for romance? Normal folks wouldn't be caught dead talking like this But my dish washer repairman insisted the other day that the water in my machine must be utilized at 140 to 160 degrees And I've had professors who can't wait to take quantum leaps Into new paradigms and administrators who wanted to facilitate every other noun in the English language I don't think all pompous word pushers intentionally strain their necks upward but the academic and professional air has become so thick with pseudo English that the rest of us conform rather than appear to be less educated Semantic snobs are making it very difficult for teachers to convince potential lawyers politicians business executives and repairmen that plain English is the best English Do you know what utilize means? It means use I wouldn't lie I looked It up in a dictionary new edition Utilization is a five syllable word that also means use! When was the last time you utilized your pizza cou their heads? How about prior to? That means before — truly that's all it means Facilitate means to make easier How often do you hear that word used correctly? Paradigm means pattern and especially an outstandingly clear or typical example Paradigm like facilitate gets thrown around with very little thought to its meaning Quantum is a term used to describe micro physics A quantum jump is an abrupt transition from one discrete energy state to another Most of the quantum leaping we've been doing has had nothing to do with energy states but has had a lot to do with jumbled brain cells A speaker at a meeting I attended recently introduced his assistant and said we should utilize her anyway we wanted That got everyone's imagination going At yet another meeting a member of the group slipped and said the word use — but faster than a speeding bullet he corrected himself and said utilize I had to sit on my hands to keep from punching him After expounding the virtues of simple language to my students one day I walked into the school library and was affronted by "Profiling and Utilizing Learning Style" a book on how to educate There it was in full view of every plain English student that entered No wonder we can't decipher our insurance policies and wills with one reading No wonder politicians talk in wretched wordy circles No wonder educators drone on about facilitating every new program and utilizing every new paradigm that's sucked into the educational system Spewing big words when small words are clearer and more precise is confusing boring and uneducated Aristotle said "Clearness is secured by using the words that are current and ordinary" Malcolm Forbes updated that with "Don't put on airs" In some states plain English laws have been passed to try to halt the wordy mess we've been indulging in Yet most of us have pigged-ou- t for so long on this slop that we're ignorant of the mess we've made or we've filed the information under wastage I'm red in the face that so many of us are either putting on airs or are too lazy to think about the words we use The next time I hear the word utilize I'm apt to dangle somebody's participles or split somebody's infinitives If you're mad and embarrassed too roll up this newspaper and the next time you hear 'em use the "u" word smack 'em in their brain cells — make sure they're not sitting on them : Rules for Common Carrier Articles ' i '1 i - I1 Opinions expressed in Common Carrier do not necessarily reflect those of The Salt Lake Tribune or the Common Carrier Board of Lay Editors Articles in this department are selected by the lay board of editors which operates independently One Tribune editorial and re- F portorial policies i' i 11 ! i The Common Carrier board representing a cross section of the community is composed of E Jerome Battle supervisor of marketing customer service and produc tion systems for Northwest Pipeline Ted Arnow retired Utah district chief in charge of water operations for the US Geological Survey Jean Kelly a Bountiful and Utah State League of Women member Voters Wayne G Hol- Jr director of community land services department Utah State and Hanni Hochberg retired head nurse for general surgery at Cottonwood Hospital and a member of the Red Cross The board seeks articles from all segments of the community AFL-CI- Articles need not be profession ally prepared but should be between 950 and 1200 words long and be typed and double spaced They should pertain to the economic political and social wellbeing of the Intermountain Area Articles should be timely have a basic idea promote dialogue and be challenging "open letters" are not acceptable Material should be mailed to Common Carrier The Salt Lake Point of Law Court Deciding Cases With New Facts t ? o ' r r On the day Justice David Souter took his place on the US Supreme Court the court took action on a number of cases that were regarded by commentators as making "new" law including upholding a federal court order requiring a public high school to rent its auditorium to a reli gious group But the court is not making "new law" in the legislative sense The court is merely deciding cases with new and unique facts con tributing to the development of the law ' i Edward McDonough Is a lawyer practlelng In Salt An ! appellate court should strive to achieve balance between stability and development in the law by adhering to the principles which promote stability stare decisis and judicial restraint while allowing the facts of appealed cases to provide the impetus for the development of new legal theories and remedies only as needed to deal with factual contexts which are socially novel In this way development of the law through the process of case decisions can be evolutionary and therefore orderly and not violative of the reasonable expectations of litigants Stare decisis is the polity or - -- if 41 0 r) t - Edward McDonough '4 The common law of course cannot stand still As society changes so the law must adapt to meet the changes And in making those changes it is not intrinsically wrong for courts to lead the way to new legal principles for society's governance it's just usually unworkable for courts to do so because the very basis of the rule of law is trine adhered to by courts of following principles or rules of law laid down in previous cases unless to do so would contravene the ordinary principles of justice Principles and rules of law are laid down by courts in the holding of a case that ruling of the case which is made necessary by the issues and facts of the case Appellate courts rarely speculate as to what they would decide if the facts were different or make pronouncements of law that are not necessary to decide the case before them When they do indulge in such dicta unnecessary aside remarks lower courts are not obliged to follow Only the holding of a case is binding precedent This makes sense because it is usually only in the examination of the unique facts of a case that what is truly just in the situation can be perceived I r predictability Stability and predictability in the law with regard to known and knowable things and events is vital to a functioning society When new facts arise new law is made by appellate courts and new precedent set not because the court is "passing" new laws but because the unique facts of the case are new and the issues created by the clashing values of the parties have never been heard or decided upon by the court And the new rules or principles that will result from deciding the case will be evolutionary changes of constitutional law and substantive law that mirror the gradual changes in society as reflected in the workplace and marketplace of America Point of Law is published for information purposes only and should not be used as legal advice You should see your own lawyer for specific legal opinion With the approach of fall hunting : season I'm certain The Tribune will soon see fit to print yet another letter from Sudhir Amem- bal Remember last year's letter where be told everyone involved in any hunting activity to "go to hell"? People like Mr Amembal are unwilling to distinguish between a "sportsman" and the "slob hunter" which unfortunately seems to be increasing in Utah A true sportsman abides by) a set of ethics regarding wildlife Sportsmen are motivated by the total expe- rience of "the hunt" Out of their study of the habits and actions of animals they have developed respect and admiration for them Hunting is not synonymous with killing The tracking observing and testing of one's skills against the wilds is the sportsman's motivation A filled tag is not the singular criterion for a successful hunt The hunter in the sense the anti- hunters like Mr Amembal use the word has no respect for wildlife no regard for other hunters feels rules and regulations apply to everyone but him and is so focused on filling his tag that this is the only motivation for his activity The kill is everything This hunter litters leaves gates anyopen drives his where he pleases scatters and even shoots at livestock leaves campfires unattended shoots his gun indiscriminately at anything or even nothing if he has not found game and will poach if given the chance I agree this type of hunter must become extinct It is the responsibilg ity of the hunting and sportsmen to see this come to pass But it is also the responsibility of- g the public to learn the distinction between a sportsman that hunts and the hunter that lacks values and ethics and steals from all of us Until this occurs sportsmen who hunt will be unjustly discriminated against anti-hunti- Build in Utah - four-wheel- er Sorry Situation Look at History DAVE ' Salt Lake ? OcOi ry! to t)INTSERIES vi Ak : C81 WSN tniBIONT? The National Research Council has course you can published NEVINIT Ari' 0 ITOR It is also important to know that NutriSystem for the individual to dietary recommendations CRAVE-FRE- Meal Plans are but one component E of a maintain good health' Although these recomtrendations do not comprehensive specifically relate to weight loss good nutrition is especially essential elements of the program — behavior modification impottant if you are all losing weight the recom- CarbohYdrate More than 55 Total Fat 30 Saturated Fat Less than 10 and maintenance —are scientifically Weight lAss CRAVE-FRE- of calories or less of calories recommended for Ha& Meal flul experience Council physical activity NatiSystem° National Research Counal Recommendations' should be a health-- In general professional weight loss program The other Nutritional Guid ekes Compcnson losing weight After 62 Of calories 15 of calories healthy long term weight control? In addition mends a diet that is 11 Hunter Ethics Better Conjunction So-call- Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake City Utah 84110 e and the "article" was nothing more than a paid political announcement I hope equal time will be given to someone with a more enlightened and less vindictive opinion on this troubling matter Shame on the editors of this magazine for allowing this to get away with this kind of nonsense GAIL BERRY Alpffie - Of ' all-tim- low with the recent "article" by Patti Davis Her thinking about homelessness is embarrassingly sophomoric truck-mounte- Common Carrier c Parade Magazine hit an Recently I returned from a two Public Forum letters must be month visit with my daughter and her family in Amman Jordan submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer's full Jordan is a poor country having no oil King Hussein tries to maintain name signature address and a neutral atmosphere in his westerntelephone number Names must ized Arabic country be printed on political letters The tranquility of Jordan was but may be withheld for good reason on others Writers are tragically upset by the invasion of Kuwait Aug 2 My daughter's home limited to one letter of 300 is next to the American ambassawords or less every 14 days dor's and two houses down the Preference will be given to type street are the Iraqi embassy and written (double spaced) letters their ambassador's residence Immeuse of the writer's permitting anwas after invasion the diately true name All letters are sub more d nounced guards and Jed to condensation Mail to the machine guns were moved Public Forum The Salt Lake Into place Where we were was conTribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake sidered the "green line" It was very safe -- or else city Utah 84110 pM1M We Americans were shocked to hear what the president was doing To move into Saudi Arabia as though war had been declared was unbelievable! Why didn't he move ships into Judge BS Jenkins' article (Top the Gulf and flex military muscle ka vs Ferguson decision revisited at and say "Move out or we move in?" Charles Sumner Elementary School We couldn't understand such imKansas) was most enlightening It came across as an account of a pilmediate action When Russia invaded Afghanistan Israel invaded Lebagrimage and as such was enjoyable non and Syria invaded Lebanon no to read I believe that the conjunction one seemed to care! But then Af"and" might have been a better ghanistan and Lebanon have no oil! choice of words than "but" in the No one condones what Saddam Hussein did but have we been told sentence: "The principal was a woman She was a PhD and as observed the whole truth? We found how the news media by Paul Simmons a woman with a misconstrues and deletes the news or hyphenated surname" BRIGITTE LONG what people say in interviews both in Salt Lake City the United States and in England The Arab people do not want war! I was asked by many to let "my know are they people" peaceful find it very strange that the ads people who have suffered through- keep saying "Buy Utah" The Morout the centuries and want peace and mon Church is spending more money to be free! than anyone else outside of Utah I just hope and pray that with the and to make it worse outside of the thousands of our troops tanks air- United States planes and ships poised for war one Do they really have to have all trigger-happ- y finger does not fire those churches? Why can't they help the first shot as devastation and loss here in the state? of thousands of lives like we can't people I have been told you don't need a imagine will take place church to recruit or pray in MRS LESLE R BARWICK So LDS members build in Utah Salt Lake City like you want everybody else to do s LES SMITH Salt Lake City It is really a sorry state of airs to see this beloved country and its NATO allies preparing to quibble There are many different opinions over a few drops of oil with the Middle East when Russia sits atop the about our country's decision to "inworld's largest supply of oil and terfere" in the Middle East conflict Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait Mexico has untapped fields Reand made it an Iraqi province Our minds me of children squabOng over trinkets in their sandbox troops are sent there to stop him and What will the crooked politicians possibly to force him to change his think of next to promote a war? It' i mind If the Americans did not interfere truly amazing what the corrur greedy hyprocrites of this nation will with Hitler's occupation of Holland many years ago I most likely would stoop to to line their own pockets now live in a German province War no less! ED WISEMAN FJ KOHLSCHEIN Salt Lake City Sandy high in carbohydrates and gram provides per- Choleseol saturated fat cho- - and of calories Less than 5 sonal of calaies Less than KO mg Less than 100 mg Z4 grams or less sodium Per- Specialist sonal service in 24 grams so- dium NurriSystem guidance from a Nutritional lower in total fat lesterol the pro- fact has been the Not: The Naomi Limb Calmat mccomeditKos leo meaktolly foods conform to those recommendations NutriSystem foods ideas diaNy implement Nutrystem moreover are real foods — lean meats poultry cereals breads fruits vegetables and If you of the foundation ood alcohol cormomplim Program for 20 years would like further information about NutriSystem please call us at this toll-fre- e number: skim milk In short NutriSystem foods give you more of everything that's good for you and less of those things you should eat less of — total fat saturated fat and cholesterol In terms of These calorie levels are based on daily averages for NodSystem foods and grocery foods consumed during the weight-lophase Mine MuthSystem Pmgram and may vary according to on individual client's nutritional needs and taste weight loss the variety of NutriSystem Meal Plans provides I calories per day' — a prudent 100-15- approach Diet and Health Implication for Redwing Chronic Disease Risk Cotmtittee on Diet and Health Food and Nutrition Board National Rematch Council 1989 These romminendations should be used in combination with the Recommended Dietary Allowances pleferencen which is indhidualized to meet particular needs and preferences TURFS A LOU ' Weinskr RL MD Dr PH for Professional Weight Control V 40 865 - 1174 1984 WAY TO LOSE MIS CF FELSCItt - "Recoorenended Therapeutic Guidelines MST 9 Milbrsre767 23 et al Programs"Americiut Joanna of Chnic el Newt-no- n SIZOCE 8 centers In the Solt Lake City areal Note: Mention of any indual publicati or lbe Naticaal Research Council does not imply endersemat For reprints of this leries please said your name aid address to: Michelle Harding NuniSystittn Mc PO NutriSystan Pmparri Box 1525 Blue Bell PA 2 |
