Which Homer was it—the Greek or the Springfieldian—who offered the following paradoxical encomium: “Ouzo: the cause of—and solution to—all of life’s problems”? (I may by paraphrasing; forgive me.) Anyway, this article from today’s New York Times points to a central contradiction in my new career. Bad writing causes some 75% of my problems at work...but the very abundance of that bad writing is largely the reason I have a job in the first place…

(I should specify that I’m mostly working in the realm of business and marketing communications. All you government folk: is the writing in your realm better or worse?)