The other day I saw a stunningly well-written caveat at the top of a bureaucratic report. It transcends the usual run of lawyerly language and seems applicable to just about any attempt to discuss a complex situation. The warning:

Recipients disposed to take action based on this information are strongly encouraged to contact the originator to ensure a clear understanding of what is represented by these data.

Don't you just love that phrase, "... disposed to take action..."?

(Confession: I changed "this data" in the original to read "these data" above. Yeah, I've got a problem. See also FiveOh)

TopicHumor - TopicOrganizations - TopicWriting - 2002-05-07

(correlates: ProtoProtagonism, ReallyGreat, MaryLandersForMathias, ...)