State of the ...What?
Due to a conflict, Plaintalker could not be present for the State of the District Address. A request later for the text of the address revealed that there was none. It had been a slide presentation.
Hmmm. And didn't our mayor offer 79 slides as her State of the City Address?
This new tradition is a bit disconcerting. Where are the memorable quotes, the sonorous rhetoric, the calls to action?
At least Chairman Angel Estrada of the Union County Freeholder Board Freeholder is keeping up the old tradition. Here's a rousing quote:
"The secret to this Democratic Freeholder Board’s success is really no secret at all. It’s about three elements—teamwork, synergy, and results.
It all starts with Charlotte DeFilippo, the architect of the Democratic Freeholder team. Charlotte has always preached teamwork first. Charlotte, we thank you for your efforts in putting—and keeping together our County Democratic team."
Click here to read the full address and here to read the 2008 State of the Union Address.
So not all leaders have gone over to PowerPoint. The ability to write a sentence, or to get a flack to write one, still lives. In keeping with that spirit and to urge that "State of the (Whatever) Addresses" always be given in speech format, Plaintalker is offering an example for your consideration. Imagine being in a gathering in an oak grove or a nice meadow and feel free to applaud at the end.
State of the Pedestrian Address
My fellow Pedestrians,
Our cause is a noble and storied one. To begin my address, I will describe both the past and present glories of walking around on foot.
Our dearest ancestors knew no other way than to explore the world one step at a time. By simple footsteps, they crossed from great land masses over narrow bridges to new worlds. From plains to mountains on continent after continent, they made their paths and created civilizations that endure today.
Expeditions on foot brought us knowledge of treasures previously untold in the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Gold, medicines and even our daily fare are all products of the inquisitive peripatetic class.
Today we have machines that convey us about without ever a foot on the ground. But Mother Nature does not want us to forget our earthly connections. We are now faced with the challenge of not enough false energy to foster our slothful habit of driving instead of walking.
Thus our credo is gaining ground among those who would substitute use of mechanical vehicles for the divine powers of locomotion residing in the muscles and sinews of our legs. These lovers of ease have come to see the price of their obsession and are now striving to reduce what they call their “carbon footprint.” They are learning anew to walk to the corner store instead of firing up their behemoth SUVs for door-to-door travel.
Time spent walking frees the mind to think of many things. I commend to you the lives of two heroes of our culture whose missions serve as beacons to us all. One is that icon of agriculture, John Chapman, known also as Johnny Appleseed for his custom of introducing the apple tree to orchards across our emerging nation. Another is Peace Pilgrim, who walked 25,000 miles on a quest for peace. Both wanderers touched the lives of thousands with their example of simple trust in their fellow creatures. As we walk with the sun on our cheek or even with wind, sleet or snow in our face, we can feel kinship with those souls who had no destination, but always knew the joy of a journey.
My fellow pedestrians, our charge is challenging. It is up to us to lead by example, buoyed by the memory of those two dedicated walkers and more whose names are too many to recount here. Since the Model T rolled off an assembly line in 1908, we have been seduced by speed. We have allowed a vast system of highways to replace the fields and forests of our country’s youth. We have come to think that assignment to a parking stall close to the door of our workplace is a signal honor.
But it is not too late to change our ways. Would you believe that the term “walkability” is gaining merit among both planners and residents of our cities and towns? Petition your elected officials to see that your hometown’s walkability score is increased in the next decade. Introduce to our children, who face all the ills of early obesity, the idea of taking a walk to a friend’s house or rediscovering on foot the parks they knew as babes in strollers. Our elders need not sign up for expensive exercise classes to retain their motor skills and improve circulation when a vigorous walk will do just as well.
Our society has come to believe that that which is costly is more valuable than that which is free. But it is a fallacy, my friends. Recent events have made us question why bottled water, merely somebody’s tap water with a fancy label, is any better than water from our own tap. Similarly, to some, a walk around the block is seen as less glamorous than walking on a $1,000 treadmill. We must reclaim, indeed we shall be forced to reclaim, simplicity in our daily lives. America was not built on shopping and driving, and it may collapse if those two false ideals continue to dominate our lives.
So walk, my friends, walk the path of true energy and spirit! It lies within you to recapture the vigor and refreshment of the mind that walking produces. Expunge the notion that a pedestrian life is commonplace or boring! Put your best foot forward! Walk into the future knowing you are the new leaders of a noble cause! WALK!
Thank you my fellow pedestrians, for your attention today.
--Bernice Paglia
Hmmm. And didn't our mayor offer 79 slides as her State of the City Address?
This new tradition is a bit disconcerting. Where are the memorable quotes, the sonorous rhetoric, the calls to action?
At least Chairman Angel Estrada of the Union County Freeholder Board Freeholder is keeping up the old tradition. Here's a rousing quote:
"The secret to this Democratic Freeholder Board’s success is really no secret at all. It’s about three elements—teamwork, synergy, and results.
It all starts with Charlotte DeFilippo, the architect of the Democratic Freeholder team. Charlotte has always preached teamwork first. Charlotte, we thank you for your efforts in putting—and keeping together our County Democratic team."
Click here to read the full address and here to read the 2008 State of the Union Address.
So not all leaders have gone over to PowerPoint. The ability to write a sentence, or to get a flack to write one, still lives. In keeping with that spirit and to urge that "State of the (Whatever) Addresses" always be given in speech format, Plaintalker is offering an example for your consideration. Imagine being in a gathering in an oak grove or a nice meadow and feel free to applaud at the end.
State of the Pedestrian Address
My fellow Pedestrians,
Our cause is a noble and storied one. To begin my address, I will describe both the past and present glories of walking around on foot.
Our dearest ancestors knew no other way than to explore the world one step at a time. By simple footsteps, they crossed from great land masses over narrow bridges to new worlds. From plains to mountains on continent after continent, they made their paths and created civilizations that endure today.
Expeditions on foot brought us knowledge of treasures previously untold in the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Gold, medicines and even our daily fare are all products of the inquisitive peripatetic class.
Today we have machines that convey us about without ever a foot on the ground. But Mother Nature does not want us to forget our earthly connections. We are now faced with the challenge of not enough false energy to foster our slothful habit of driving instead of walking.
Thus our credo is gaining ground among those who would substitute use of mechanical vehicles for the divine powers of locomotion residing in the muscles and sinews of our legs. These lovers of ease have come to see the price of their obsession and are now striving to reduce what they call their “carbon footprint.” They are learning anew to walk to the corner store instead of firing up their behemoth SUVs for door-to-door travel.
Time spent walking frees the mind to think of many things. I commend to you the lives of two heroes of our culture whose missions serve as beacons to us all. One is that icon of agriculture, John Chapman, known also as Johnny Appleseed for his custom of introducing the apple tree to orchards across our emerging nation. Another is Peace Pilgrim, who walked 25,000 miles on a quest for peace. Both wanderers touched the lives of thousands with their example of simple trust in their fellow creatures. As we walk with the sun on our cheek or even with wind, sleet or snow in our face, we can feel kinship with those souls who had no destination, but always knew the joy of a journey.
My fellow pedestrians, our charge is challenging. It is up to us to lead by example, buoyed by the memory of those two dedicated walkers and more whose names are too many to recount here. Since the Model T rolled off an assembly line in 1908, we have been seduced by speed. We have allowed a vast system of highways to replace the fields and forests of our country’s youth. We have come to think that assignment to a parking stall close to the door of our workplace is a signal honor.
But it is not too late to change our ways. Would you believe that the term “walkability” is gaining merit among both planners and residents of our cities and towns? Petition your elected officials to see that your hometown’s walkability score is increased in the next decade. Introduce to our children, who face all the ills of early obesity, the idea of taking a walk to a friend’s house or rediscovering on foot the parks they knew as babes in strollers. Our elders need not sign up for expensive exercise classes to retain their motor skills and improve circulation when a vigorous walk will do just as well.
Our society has come to believe that that which is costly is more valuable than that which is free. But it is a fallacy, my friends. Recent events have made us question why bottled water, merely somebody’s tap water with a fancy label, is any better than water from our own tap. Similarly, to some, a walk around the block is seen as less glamorous than walking on a $1,000 treadmill. We must reclaim, indeed we shall be forced to reclaim, simplicity in our daily lives. America was not built on shopping and driving, and it may collapse if those two false ideals continue to dominate our lives.
So walk, my friends, walk the path of true energy and spirit! It lies within you to recapture the vigor and refreshment of the mind that walking produces. Expunge the notion that a pedestrian life is commonplace or boring! Put your best foot forward! Walk into the future knowing you are the new leaders of a noble cause! WALK!
Thank you my fellow pedestrians, for your attention today.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 5:20 PM
2 Comments:
Bernice -- Powerpoint Presentations can be printed...either by slides, by note pages or what they call handouts that capture the slides and allocates a handy dandy note section for the folks to capture their thoughts as the presentation progresses. I personally love PPT... so... much like walking -- it's not the tool (foot/screen)its the one making use of it or not.
Bernice:
You provide an invaluable service to your readers in general and to the Plainfield community in particular. I truly enjoyed your “State of the Pedestrian Address”. Continue your great work and thanks for all that you do. The pen is still mightier than the sword. Keep on writing and I’ll keep on walking.
Adrian
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