Articles, tagged with "philip yaffe", page 1
How spelling reform would promote good writing
by Philip Yaffe
I know that what I am about to say may seem to be somewhat off the wall. However, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that a major reason most people write so poorly is the chaotic state of English spelling.
It see...
Resurrecting the Bullet Point: The Return of an Old and Valued Friend
By Philip Yaffe
I have recently been reading and hearing comments that bullet points for slide presentations are dead, as evidenced by the rapidly-becoming-legendary presentations of Steve Jobs, co-founder and head of Apple Inc.
There are three...
If you want them to read, teach them to write
by Philip Yaffe
How often have you gone to see the film that won the Oscar for best picture of the year, only to be disappointed? Probably more than once. Did this mean that there was something wrong with you or something wrong with the judges who vo...
A half-century tribute to John F. Kennedy
If you were there at the time, you will find it hard to realize that the 50th anniversary of the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy is rapidly approaching. The iconic 35th President of the United States was elected in a close-run contest against then Vic...
Questions of faith I am dying to have answered
by Philip Yaffe
To try to pre-empt people from misreading between the lines, let me clearly declare that the purpose of this article is in no way to challenge anyone's faith, but rather to better define my own.
I am now approaching the proverb...
Pithy Prose: The Wit & Wisdom of Gertrude Stein
by Philip Yaffe
Part 17 of an occasional series
I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school.
I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". The...
How an ugly duckling became a swan
by Philip Yaffe
Over the past 40-plus years as a journalist and marketing communication consultant, I have frequently been told that I am an exceptionally good writer by teachers, friends, colleagues, and clients. But I wasn't always a good writer;...
Pithy Prose: The Wit & Wisdom of Simone Veil
by Philip Yaffe
Part 16 of an occasional series
I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school.
I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". The...
Public speaking: Why using the right word is not always the right thing to do
by Philip Yaffe
Mark Twain famously said: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
Of course he was absolutely right -- and partially wrong.
As every profes...
Pithy Prose: The Wit & Wisdom of Friedrich Schiller
by Philip Yaffe
Part 15 of an occasional series
I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school.
I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". The...
How a Polish immigrant in the USA directed a major victory over hepatitis B
by Philip Yaffe
Because they were extracted from human blood, the first-generation hepatitis B vaccines developed in the early 1980s had significant drawbacks, including high cost, low availability, and the possibility of unsuspected contamination ...
How to make dull information exciting
by Philip Yaffe
Someone once said (it may have been me): "There is no dull information, only dull writers."
We have all had the misfortune of reading very dull texts and sitting through very dull presentations. But were they inherently dull? O...
It's a strange, strange world
by Philip Yaffe
As someone once said (it may have been Einstein, but it may have been someone else): "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we can imagine."
Whoever may have said it, in 1929 a certain Robert Riple...
The secrets of writing a truly useful executive summary
by Philip Yaffe
In virtually all walks of live -- business, education, politics, research, etc. -- documents of more than a few of pages consist of the body and an executive summary. Unfortunately, most writers treat the executive summary as an aft...
Pithy Prose: The Wit & Wisdom of Ambrose Bierce
by Philip Yaffe
Part 5 of an occasional series
I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school.
I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". These ...