Sewing Her Way Out of Poverty
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: September 14, 2011

In Kenya, a former prostitute’s dressmaking business bought her children a better home and an education, showing how empowering women can lift families out of poverty.

Sewing Her Way Out of Poverty – NYTimes.com.

Meanwhile, back in Ohio my wife Mary (Mare) was working and taking care of our new son Michael. Graduation day from PI, Mare came down with some of my immediate family to see graduation, after which we drove back to Ohio.

Mare was raised in rural Ohio and for several generations her family had owned and operated a dairy farm. Like many young ladies raised by independent strong dads, Mare was very competent at outdoor activities. She owned a horse and was a masterful rider. She can fish, hike, climb, and weather the outdoors as well as anyone; a very tough gal.

After we arrived home, over the course of the weekend we were discussing the training and I mentioned the rifle range. She said, “oh that sound likes fun, let’s go do some shooting.” I had never shot with Mare (actually didn’t know she knew how), and wasn’t entirely sure what she was suggesting but followed along as she pulled out a small single-shot .22 and we headed out to the pasture.

There was a wooden fence that ran along the south side of the woods, essentially cutting the woods in half. We walked out and lined Coke cans along the fence, then headed back to the other side of the field, roughly an acre away.

The rifle was a single shot .22 with a pump so after each shot the user needed to pump the rifle, which chambered the next round. Having just arrived from PI I confidently shouldered the rifle and fired at the cans. Well the .22 is not as accurate as an M16 and I hadn’t sighted the weapon, I was firing from a standing, off-hand position, and it was a wooded area with distractions, and I was cocky as hell, a tad overconfident. I nailed the majority of the Coke cans but not all of them, cool enough as long as I did better than Mare.

We trotted down the hill, lined the cans up again and ran back to the firing line. Mare picks up the rifle. I started to say something and she gave me this interesting look that essentially said “I’ve got this but, thanks…”

I stood back and watched her. She shouldered the weapon, riped off a round, pumped, fired, pumped, fired, and so on.

Every single can hits the ground with a clean hit.

She lowers the weapon, looks at me and says, “were you paying attention?”

Yes ma’am I was.

That is one of many reasons why after two kids, seven grand kids, and a ton of life has passed, she is still one of my dearest friends.

Some lessons are learned very well, very quickly!

I have been studying the situation because I appear to be the weak link. All of the other folks are working together quite effectively and I am struggling. Then it dawned on me; these folks are all talking in technical double talk. It’s the same thing lawyers do except these folks are harmless (yeah I said it). As writers, especially technical writers, we are constantly looking for the opportunity to streamline communication and make it more effective, regardless of the publication medium. (Now look at that, we have our own buzz words. I mean, who says publishing medium?)

Every profession seems to need to create their own lingo, as though speaking in a manner that others will not understand if they aren’t in the club, enhances the value and prestige of the profession. I have often said that lawyers are really translators of an obscure language (legalese). As far as I can tell, from every transaction in which I have participated that required a lawyer, the actual task could be quite easily performed by a literate person who can follow instructions and engage in a little deductive reasoning. It’s the obscure, confusing language they use that creates their value, the “why” they are needed.

My colleagues aren’t doing anything wrong. They are simply communicating their way. If they could communicate the way technical writers do, we wouldn’t be needed.

Neat Article.     American Book Review.

via The Components of a Successful Client Relationship.

via Sonia Nassery Cole’s Battle to Make an Afghan Film – NYTimes.com.

via Op-Ed Columnist – Too Many Hamburgers? – NYTimes.com.