In Memory of Ian Talty

This poem is in memory of my friend Ian William Talty, otherwise known as the Joy of the Mundane. This is also dedicated to all of his friends. I doubt that this is all I will have to say about this, but I finally found a way to express some of what I'm feeling right now.

In Memory of Ian Talty

Difficult as it is to understand
Surreal as all this may seem
These crushing moments are reality
And this is not a dream

Ceaseless curiosity brings transition
Beyond the ethereal boundary
To discover what lies along the path
Which may be followed once only

The hands of time pretend to still
Yet the world marches on incessantly
Seconds pass, minutes, hours, then days
Unfailingly, Unmercifully, Unapologetically

The sun sets, the sun rises
Lost opportunities like books stacked tall
Adventures incomplete, words unsaid
Activities undone - heartrending shortfall

We send our messages across eternity
To those passed beyond the veil
These sad events shake core beliefs
Yet ingrain them further still

Loved ones left behind pick up the pieces
Band together to fight the sorrow
And to keep the memory of his light
Burning brightly so others may follow

Recall the tears, but the laughter, too
Reminisce of the good times and bad
Above all, we must live as he would want us to
Smile, laugh, love: He wouldn't wish us to stay sad

Rest in Peace Ian Talty
October 25, 1978 - April 26, 2009

Friday Photography - 1953 Dodge Coronet

Not long ago, I had the chance to photograph a stunning 56-year-old model. She was beautiful at whatever angle I shot and the sunny day just seemed to further accentuate her great figure. Nice gams, a solid rear-end, and great pair of headlights!

She appears to be a 1953 Dodge Coronet V-8 Wagon. I asked the owner for permission to take her picture when I saw her at the shop for two reasons. The first is I love old cars like this. I couldn't tell you anything about the mechanics of them, but they're fun to look at, listen to, and drive.

The second reason is I wanted to recreate one of my assignments from "back in the day" when I was taking photography classes. The portfolio I made out of my homework got destroyed, which made me sad. But now that I've picked up the hobby again, re-doing some of the work will be good practice.

When I did this in school, the pictures had to be in black and white. I didn't think it was fair to the candy apple red and chrome, so I only made one black and white. It does look good, though. See the full set of 1953 Dodge Coronet photos.

More Friday Photography: You can see Saint Anthony Falls at Barker & Hedges. Additionally, My Green Side has a Friday photography theme, too.

The Word: Responsibility

Yes, The Word today is very similar to my accountability post from the beginning of April, but believe me, it is with purpose. So let's dig in.

responsibility: \ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\

Function: noun
Date: 1737

1: the quality or state of being responsible: as a: moral, legal, or mental accountability b: reliability, trustworthiness

2: something for which one is responsible : burden <has neglected his responsibilities>

Earlier, I stated that I was absolutely certain "accountability" was on the verge of seeing it's day in the sun. The reason, I stated, was in its definition of responsibility. Well guess what? Responsible, accountable, and their related variations are popping up everywhere in advertising, politics, and every-day life.

Case in point, when I went to good old Merriam-Webster's to get the definition of responsibility, their sponsored link was one of the advertisers I've been watching: Liberty Mutual. Now, Liberty Mutual is actually ahead of the curve. They've had an ad campaign for at least two years that has highlighted everyday personal responsibility. They're responsible for producing one of my all-time favorite commercials (pun intended):

Their Responsibility Project is really ramping up now that there is a spotlight shining on corporate and financial sector accountability. The commercial above, from 2007, was light-hearted, a little whimsical even, but its point came across. Their new ad campaign, which started about a month ago, reflects the present darker times by exploring heavier themes that are playing out in households all across the United States:

As predicted, these are the new buzzwords and organizations are beginning to latch on to them. CNN AC360's new tag line is simply "Accountability" (I can't provide a source, apparently CNN's commercials aren't YouTube-worthy). Counter Insecticide's is simply "Responsible." Even Doritos is getting in on the action with its Eat Responsibly commercial.

Additionally, I've probably heard our politicians, Republicans and Democrats, use the word "accountability" and "responsibility" in relation to taxes, spending, regulations, the environment, and any other major issues you can think of (and right now, the all seem to be major) over a hundred times in the last month or so. The mayor of Warren, Michigan, even made it a point to take responsibility when he got caught speeding, even though he'd been let off with a warning. He said that he "had to set an example." It's good to see that what is expected of regular folk is now beginning to be expected of our elected higher officials.

Bottom line? Responsibility: It's not just for beer commercials anymore.

It's also for beer flavored chips.

-----

Responsibility was also the Word of the Day today for the #wordaday Tweets I post on Twitter. Click here to see previous installments of #wordaday with #quote accompaniment.

Haiku News - April 20 2009

Bake, broil, grill, sauté:
I'm guilty of baiting my
loved ones with good food.

Feigning to do well
and truly doing good work
are like night and day.

I've said it before
and I will say it again:
Proofread first, then print.

Use of Twitter is
changing how businesses
reach their customers.

Retail, travel, news:
bloggers in force can sway the
public's opinion.

Friday Photography - Minneapolis in Perspective

Last week, I started a new post theme for Fridays. It's photography, if you haven't figured that out. :) Photographs are just a different form of language, really. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?


I'm showcasing a set of photos that, like last week, were captured in Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 8, 2009. They were taken at Mill Ruins Park, Philip W. Pillsbury Park, Father Hennepin Bluffs Park, and the historic Stone Arch Bridge between them. The two pictures I'm highlighting here are perspective shots of the Minneapolis skyline. They were taken from the bridge.


Isn't Minneapolis beautiful when it isn't covered in a layer of ice? Yeah, you're right, I guess it's beautiful then, too, but I'm ready for it to be summer. You can see the rest of the pictures taken of Mill Ruins Park and Pillsbury Park, including a set of alphabet blocks with which only giants could play.

The photography theme runs thick on Fridays. You can see Pillsbury Park and the historic Pillsbury "A" Mill over at Barker & Hedges. Additionally, My Green Side has a Friday photography theme, too.

Language Barrier: Got Milk?

I wrote yesterday about the meaning of the idiom True to Words and how similar phrases across languages are often unique to their native culture. I promised at the end of the post that I would write about how because of this, some popular American ad campaigns were lost in translation after they were exported to other countries. Well, this is the first in what is sure to be a long series of posts about marketing gaffes caused after language barriers were scaled.

Got Milk?

Oh, you've heard this one before. If you haven't heard the "Got Milk?" tag line of the California Milk Processor Board's ad campaign, you've been living under rock since approximately 1993. If you've forgotten what the original commercials were like though, the first is here for your viewing pleasure.

The gist: You just ate cookies or a peanut butter sandwich and your mouth is aching for that perfect beverage to wash it all down. Got Milk?

Who knew a peanut butter sandwich could cost you $10,000? Should you go without the gooey stuff, lest your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth? Of course not, get some milk, silly.

And people did. This simple little phrase helped to greatly increase milk sales nationwide after a 15-year slump. Celebrities wanted in on the action, and the list of endorsers goes on and on. When campaigns are such great successes, there are attempts to expand their messages to greater audiences. Funny how the "Got Milk?" Wikipedia entry doesn't mention any of this, but... that's where the trouble started.

Encouraged by the advertisement's early success, the Milk Board set their sights on the Latino community in California. As it turns out, they needed an entirely new slogan: "Got Milk?" translates to "Are you lactating?" in Spanish. Whoops.

Additionally, the premise of the campaign - avoiding the annoyance of running out of milk - needed to be redeveloped entirely. Due to cultural nuances, the idea of a Latina mother running out of milk or certain other staples is outright offensive and not funny. Even more to the point, the "Got Milk?" campaign was aimed at anyone of any age who might run out of milk, not directly at mothers and grandmothers who are the traditional providers of milk in Latina households.

Instead, a different, more appropriate approach was employed for the Hispanic campaign. The Milk Deprivation Strategy was replaced with Milk Generations Strategy. The campaign had the tag line "Y Usted, Les dio suficiente leche hoy?" ("And you, did you give them enough milk today?"). The ads highlighted family recipes that used milk as the main ingredient, like flan, bread pudding, and three-milk cake. Eventually, the tag line changed to "Familia Amor y Leche" ("Family, Love and Milk.").

The campaigns now successfully position milk as an essential part of the family and of the Hispanic culture, but it could have gone a very different way.

Another note I want to tag on before I finish is while researching this article, I found this Wikipedia article called "Got Rice?" This phrase was coined by an Asian American youth in the 1990s, shortly after the "Got Milk?" campaign became so popular. The humor is derived from the fact that rice is considered a staple food of many Asian cultures and milk is not a traditional Asian food. The slogan is seen as an Asian American response to American advertising. It has come to be used as a symbol for the cohesiveness of Asian American cultural identity and pride.

True to Words

I feel like I should explain why I chose the name of this blog. Believe it or not, I've had a few search term hits from people trying to find the meaning of the phrase "true to one's word." As the basis for this blog's name, I'm almost ashamed I didn't create this post earlier.

To be true to one's word is to keep a promise or follow through with one's intentions. An example sentence could be "True to her word, Samantha arrived just in time to meet her friend at the library." Or "True to her word, Sara finished her client's project with time to spare." (shameless plug)

There are a few related phrases of this ilk: True to form, true to type, true to principle, true to oneself. They all describe the same concept of commitment to something.

With that being said, when deciding what I would name this blog, I wanted it to be descriptive of both it's intended purpose and my personality. True to Words is perfect for a few reasons. First, it describes my commitment to communication and the written word. Second, True to Words: A blog about language and writing is a promise to readers of what to expect: The exploration of the meaning of words and their use in language. Third, it is in itself a linguistic curiosity and an example of what I like to talk about here because it is an idiom.

An idiom is an expression that means something other than the literal definition of its words. If you hadn't already heard the phrase "I smell a rat" or "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," you would probably be confused (unless of course a rat or gift horse were present). Because of this, idioms tend to be unique to the culture in which they are spawned. Idioms are often "lost in translation" literally because they do not translate to mean the same thing in another language.

I couldn't find many other blogs that talk about idioms, though I did find some translation blogs that mentioned their difficulty. I could barely find any information on gaffes in marketing that were caused by translation problems, even though they happen all the time when campaigns cross boarders. It looks like a have an idea for a new series of posts to do! Stay tuned to this blog to read how major-league campaigns turned into major pains.

Haiku News - April 13 2009

The Ethisphere list
is more important than the
Fortune 500.

Think your day's been bad?
Try having three accidents
in less than an hour.

I bet that my dogs
want me to get this Honda.
I bet yours does, too.

Friday Photography - Spoonbridge and Air

I think that here at True to Words and at the Barker & Hedges blog I write for, Friday's are going to permanently be for displaying photos. They are fun to look at and they don't require a lot of thought: Perfect for Friday posts! Plus, I think photos serve as an element of language that writing just can't quite emulate. You can paint a picture with words, but sometimes the painting is better!

Today, I'm showcasing a set of photos I took on Wednesday, April 8, 2009. I went to the Walker Art Center to get some pictures of the landmark Spoonbridge and Cherry, both for my own photo collection and to contribute to the photos that Barker & Hedges are putting together to visually represent the Twin Cities communities they cover. Much to my surprise, it was just a Spoonbridge, minus the Cherry.


















Apparently, it's out being refinished. When the Cherry returns, sometime between the end of April and the beginning of June (reports are conflicting), it is going to be redder and shinier than last we saw it. From what I can tell, this is the first time the Cherry has been removed since it was first installed in the Sculpture Garden between 1985 and 1988.

See the full set of Spoonbridge and Cherry minus the Cherry photos.

Language Obsessed

Okay, I think I have to confess something. When you're an addict, supposedly admitting you have a problem is the beginning of recovery, right? I'm coming clean, but I hope that I never "clean up," so to speak.

I'm obsessed with language. Even when I'm not working, my brain is still in work mode, constantly picking apart words around me, rearranging them, correcting grammar, condensing messages. Newspaper headlines, e-mails, packaging labels, each imperfect phrase is a word puzzle waiting for me to solve. Part of this obsession is due to a daily project that involves distilling news stories down to fewer than 200 characters. It has streamlined my writing by forcing me to increase my vocabulary, a pre-requisite for saying anything of substance in such a small space.

But what has really made my addiction worse is Twitter. Express full messages in 140 characters or less? Half the reason I like Twitter is because it's a personal challenge to convey the most information and tone with the least characters. It's truly a feat because I am generally wordy at minimum and "Are you seriously still talking?" at maximum.

Twitter's #haiku tag is also responsible for recent bouts of poetic expression. A scroll through my blog will tell you that Haiku News is a regular feature at True to Words. Crafting 140 character phrases is okay, but it isn't too challenging because unlike science or math, there aren't any hard-and-fast rules. But Japanese Haiku requires one to convey ideas in exactly seven syllables. Now everyday I get lost in an endless form of word Tetris, where fitting the correct phrase in the right place determines if I win or lose the game. A game that I find myself playing more and more each day.

So like I said, I'm addicted, but I'm not trying to sober up. Immersed in a world of wordplay as a freelance writer is heaven for me. What I really want to know is if anyone reading this finds themselves playing with language, too? If so, do you have rules for your "games" and what is your strategy for keeping your vocabulary well-stocked?

Haiku News - April 7 2009

The pride of New York,
the Empire State Building,
is soon to go Green.

It appears the shoes
thrown at George W. Bush
has started a trend.

The mystery solved:
International law snubbed
to buy Gatorade.

Finally Finished

The biggest project I have been working on for the past week or so has been getting my website up to par. Finally, after lots of procrastination and then a flurry of inspiration, I present my Twin Cities Freelance Writer website. What's a freelancer emphasizing website content writing without her own site?

I've had it up and running for a while, but it was bare-bones, skeletal. I wasn't particularly proud to call it mine. It took me a long time to revamp it and add all of my writing samples because it always seems so much easier for me to work on my clients' stuff rather than my own. But once I got into it, there was no stopping me. It's not 100% complete, but the meat and potatoes are there and the rest that I have left to pour on is just gravy.

Haiku News - April 2 2009

Two and a half hours
mulling Michelle and the Queen:
Now can we move on?

A robot that can
reason, theorize, and learn.
Could this be SkyNet?

Astronomers have
published a universe and
star map: You are here.

The Word: Accountability

My last entry for The Word explored "expert" and questioned it's definition as it applies to modern life. This time, I'll write about "accountability," which is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as:

accountability: \ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\

Function: noun
Date: 1794

: the quality or state of being accountable ; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions <public officials lacking accountability>

Further research indicates that root words accountable and account are even older, dating back to 14th century Middle English acounte and accompte, as well as from the Anglo-French acunte from acunter. You would think that in all that time, such an important concept would occupy a more prominent position in society.

Not so long ago, I was going through my mental repertoire of words trying to find the perfect one to slide into a sentence. It was at the tip of my tongue - but it wouldn't come out. Not to be stymied by a mental block, I asked my core-network if they could help me figure it out:

"What is the word or two-word phrase that means when you do something wrong, you accept responsibility for it without question or excuse?"

The next few moments were filled with contemplation and deep thought, but no answers. I was a little disappointed. Surprised, I was not.

Shortly, I did figure it out and when I looked it up at Merriam's, I was amused to see their example sentence of public officials lacking it. I don't usually like to get into politics on this blog, but I'd be lying if I said our political leaders weren't partly the reason why accountability is The Word today, but its not the only reason.

It's a word and a human quality which has been underutilized to the detriment of our society. If you pay any attention to the news, you've probably realized that it's definition is almost a foreign concept at all levels of our culture right now. Government waste, shoddy business practices, frivolous lawsuits, and mass personal debt litters our civilization. But there is hope.

Have you ever heard the phrase "Everything old is new again"? Similar to how "cool," "groovy," and "right on" tend to cycle in and out of popular vernacular (and "recession," "depression," and "stagflation" for that matter), words and concepts can come back into favor. Just like how "economical," "frugal," and "thrifty" are starting to replace "wasteful," "decadent," and "extravagant," I am absolutely certain that "accountable" is on the verge of seeing it's day in the sun. The reason is in its definition of responsibility, which simply means "able to answer for one's conduct and obligations." In almost all aspects of life, we have to answer to others for our actions, whether its our friends, family, government, creditors, employers, or clients - and whether we like it or not. Good or bad, all actions have repercussions that may not always be understood at first but will undoubtedly make themselves known despite whatever attempts are made to stop them or cover them up.

The trick is to realize first that as an individuals and organizations we will be held accountable for our deeds, then we should act accordingly. Just as importantly, we should hold others responsible for their actions as well.

It is said that the engineers building the great structures of ancient Rome stood accountable for their work by literally standing within the archways as the capstones were put into place. I know I could stand under my own arch. Could you?