the archives of f/k/a . . .

When it comes to Truth-In-Tagline issues, it’s the news media that’s gotten all the attention this year. 

[mostly them, from guys like him, but also from myself]  However, a little column in this month’s Harvard

Magazine has suggested that another segment of snappy sloganneers may need closer scrutiny: institutions

of higher learning.    Muckrakers are urged to head over to The Great Stamats Tagline Repository, which

currently has 550 taglines in its searchable database and is seeking more.

Stamats is a “higher education integrated marketing solutions company.”  It’s

tagline, promises kept, is explained here.

The column includes the following sample taglines (”World’s Greatest Taglines?,” The College Pump,

Harvard Magazine, Nov-Dec 2004):

The directional. Seton Hill University, Pennsylvania: “This Way Up.”

The hortatory. University of Houston, Downtown: “Get a Life!”

The pecuniary. Amarillo College, Texas: “Give yourself a raise…Education Pays!”

The ominous. Boyce College, Kentucky: “The harvest is ready. Are you?”

The sassy. University of Alaska, Fairbanks: “Latitude with Attitude.”

  Here are the thirteen law school taglines in the Stamats Collection.  You can judge for

yourselves the efficacy and veracity of the slogans.   And, wonder along with your Editor just what

some of these folks are hoping to accomplish — and, whether a misleading tagline can be the basis

of a lawsuit.  [And, where should the querist apply who did this Google search today?]

 

Ah, back to haiku — our job #1. 

autumn evening –

yellow leaves cover

the plot reserved for me

 

 

 

Cold autumn twilight –

the garden slope’s stepping stone

edging out of line

 

 

 

by Rebecca Lilly, from A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices    

credits: “Cold autumn twilight” — Modern Haiku XXXI:2

            ”Autumn evening” — Modern Haiku XXX:2

We could sure use another Will Rogers in America — his sharp-but-gentle humor and

insights were enjoyed and appreciated by the entire Nation (except the pols).  Rogers

was born 125 years ago today — November 4, 1879.  It’s not hard to image what he 

would have thought of this last election. 

 

 

Enjoy some Quotes from the Will Rogers Memorial Archives, that speak to us today: 

 

`Nowadays it is about as big a crime to be dumb as it is to be dishonest.’

`This country is not where it is today on account of any one man. It is here on account of the real common sense of the Big Normal Majority.’

`I don’t care how little your country is, you got a right to run it like you want to. When the big nations quit meddling then the world will have peace.’

`People talk peace. But men give their life’s work to war. It won’t stop ’til there is as much brains and scientific study put to aid peace as there is to promote war.’

`You can be killed just as dead in an unjustified war as you can in one protecting your own home.’

`All I know is what I read in the papers.’

`Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead.’

`No man is great if he thinks he is.’

`It’s great to be great, but its greater to be human.’

`People are marvelous in their generosity if they just know the cause is there.’

`We’ll hold the distinction of being the only Nation in the history of the world that ever went to the poor house in an automobile.’

`We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.’

  And, a few more, from QuotationsPage.com:

 

Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘Nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.  

 

On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the

world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.

 

There’s no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.

 

We are all here for a spell; get all the good laughs you can.

 

The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.

 

You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

 

p.s. See Part II on Will Rogers and the Risk Pool.