Donna

Jenny and I are avid readers of Kim Lavine and a member of her community, Mommy Millionaire.  Today, I received this wonderful post from her that I would like to share with you:

“The passing of Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett yesterday reminded me of my own mortality in a startling way.

LIFE IS SHORT.

There is simply no time for anger, bitterness, or resentment. Nobody will be talking about how much money you had at your funeral. Live each day to its fullest: NO what-if’s, should-have’s, or could-have’s.

Success is a journey and the journey is the reward.“

Agreed.

Donna

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died today after suffering a cardiac arrest. Jackson was 50. According to reports, Jackson was not breathing when paramedics were called to his Los Angeles home this afternoon, June 25th. Jackson, was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman.  Referred to as the “King of Pop”, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world’s best-selling records:  Off the Wall(1979), Thriller - Special Edition(1982), Bad(1987), Dangerous(1991) and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I(1995).

Donna

Punctuation does matter.  As a misuser of commas, semicolons and the likes, I spend a lot of time reading books to improve my writing and proof reading skills.  But, we have to be honest; we live in a country where most people have no clue about writing.  How many times have you seen an advertisement that reads “3 DVD’s for $20.00” when it should read “3 DVDs for $20.00”?

The main problem with a bad punctuation is that it can change the whole meaning of a sentence.  Case on point:

An English professor wrote the words, “Woman without her man is nothing” on the blackboard and directed his students to punctuate it correctly. 
The men wrote: “Woman, without her man, is nothing.” 
The women wrote: “Woman: Without her, man is nothing.”

Do you see what I see? Same words, different punctuation, different meaning!

A bad punctuation that changes the meaning of a sentence not only can get you fired, but it can cost you or your company millions of dollars. 

That was the issue surrounding the 2006 case of the “million dollar comma.”  The argument over whether Bell Aliant, a telephone company, can cancel a contract it had with Rogers Communications, the large cable television provider.  The dispute turned on a single comma in the 14-page contract. The dispute was worth 1 million Canadian dollars.

The dispute was over this sentence: ‘This agreement shall be effective from the date it is made and shall continue in force for a period of five (5) years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five (5) year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.’

Bell Aliant argued that it could end its five-year agreement with Rogers at any time with a one year notice.  However, Rogers argued that the contract was for a minimum of five years and automatically renew for another five years, unless a telephone company cancels the agreement before the start of the final 12 months.

Citing the ‘rules of punctuation,’ a regulator of Canada’s telecommunications ruled that the meaning of the clause was clear and unambiguous and that the comma “[the comma before ‘unless and until terminated’] meant that the part of the sentence describing the one-year notice for cancellation applied to both the five-year term as well as its renewal. Therefore, the regulator found, the phone company could end the contract after as little as one year.

Well, not so clear and unambiguous after all. 

On August 20, 2007, the 2006 interpretation of the comma was reversed. In the 2007 decision, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issued a decision concluding that the French-Language version of the Bell Aliant-Rogers contract clearly indicated that Bell Aliant could terminate the contract only “upon notice one year prior to the end of the initial term or one year prior to the end of a renewed term.”

To have some fun while learning, check out Lynne Truss’ Eats, Shoots & Leaves (my favorite punctuation book) or check out “Clear Writing with Mr. Clarity,“ a wonderful blog about writing maintained by Mr. Clarity, Joe Roy.

Jenny

On Tuesday, May 26th, President Obama announced that he had nominated Sonia Sotomayor, as a candidate, to fill the Supreme Court seat of retiring Justice David Souter.  What a firestorm this nomination has set off.  The Republicans and conservatives have wasted no time in labeling this nomination as a poor choice.  In addition, the ad wars have begun.  The Judicial Confirmation Network, a conservative advocacy group, has wasted no time to put together an ad critical of comments made by Judge Sotomayor at a 2005 conference.

What do we know about this nominee for the Supreme Court?  Well, let’s begin with the obvious; she is a Hispanic woman, of Puerto Rican descent.  She is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.  After law school, Sotomayor worked as a prosecutor in New York, and then later on went into private practice.  She became a judge in 1992 when her nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York was confirmed.  Later, in 1998, she became the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

Below is Judge Sotomayor in her own words on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Justice Sotomayor has authored hundreds of opinions in her long legal career.  She attained fame in 1995 as the Judge who “saved baseball.”  Judge Sotomayor’s ruling against the baseball owners ended the 1994 baseball strike that had lasted for 232 days.  Her most recent and controversial ruling involved the city of New Haven’s decision to toss out tests used to evaluate candidates for promotion in the fire department because there were no minority candidates at the top of the list.  She was part of the panel of judges who rejected the challenge brought by the firefighters against the City.  The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering this case. 

If appointed, Judge Sotomayor will make history by becoming the first Hispanic to be seated on the Supreme Court.  What are your thoughts about Judge Sotomayor’s nomination?

Donna

Ladies, here is your break room conversation starter of the week!

When Susan Boyle first sang for the world, the expectations were low.  Not this time. This time, the world was expecting her performance to be as good as or better than the first one.  And, trust me, there was no disappointment.  The singing sensation’s performance of “Memory” from the Musical “Cats” earned her a standing ovation and secured her a spot in the grand finale.  Britain’s Got Talent audience voted Susan Boyle’s performance best of the night. I have to agree; she was just perfect.  Here is a YouTube video of her performance for your enjoyment.

Will Susan win “Britain’s Got Talent” next week? What do you think?