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January 1, 2006
Bo Short's Perfect Storm
By QBlog in Oasis LifeSciences
From former Quixtar Diamond Bo Short's recent press release:
Bo Short and his team are experiencing tremendous success with Oasis LifeSciences. He concludes, "Finding Oasis LifeSciences was like landing in the middle of 'The Perfect Storm.' It is incredible and such a rarity in this industry."
What is "The Perfect Storm?" Well, it was a Wolfgang Peterson film released in 2000 about an unusually intense storm pattern that "catches some commercial fishermen unaware and puts them in mortal danger." The film chronicled the devastating meteorological events that transpired in October 1991, in the North Atlantic.
Wikipedia defines a perfect storm as "a situation where, by the confluence of specific events, what might have been a minor issue ends up being magnified to proportions that are out of control."
Maybe Bo Short should hire a copy editor?
UPDATE: Ty Tribble has correctly pointed out that the term "perfect storm" has come to mean more than simply a meteorological disaster or the magnification of minor issues to "proportions that are out of control."
A quick Google News search yields results that use the term to explain positive situations as well as negative ones.
One question to ask is what Bo Short was trying to say with his press release. Clearly he was trying to say that his perfect storm was positive. However, I still wonder why he capitalized his use of the term. I can't find an instance of its usage in that manner (capitalized) when it does not refer to the Perfect Storm of the North Atlantic in 1991.
Should Bo Short hire a copy editor? Probably so. Does perfect storm mean something positive as well as something negative? Yes indeed.
Has this whole issue been taken way too seriously? Absolutely. It was funny. Like a Bushism. That's all.
Comments
Is this an MLM thing? All these metaphors used to create a mindset about how lucky people are to be involved in -INSERT MLM NAME HERE-
Based on what I've seen and for the most part, people do not actively seek out to join MLM for a career. They are usually prospected. People join because a buddy called them up, or they were otherwise prospected.
People being prospected is hardly the work of any coincidence or act of God.
I know that I've heard about people who would actually be seeking a MLM business, but I think it's safe to say that they are the exception rather than the rule.
It seems like this "Perfect Storm" of circumstances nonsense is just another line to make something seem what it ain't.
Which, as in Quixtar, I'm pretty sure that what it ain't, is profitable for most people.
What? Are you not comprehending this? The "situation" is a bad thing. Out of control. It's "perfect" in the sense that it's perfectly destructive and perfectly ballooning out of control. The definition that you're "correcting" me with only emphasizes this fact. If one element is removed the perfect storm doesn't happen. It's "perfect" because all the destructive elements are aligned!
He obviously made an error. We know what he intended to say, but intent is different than meaning, especially in a press release that he paid for. I'm just saying that it would behoove him to hire a copy editor.
I agree with you Eric. Intent is sometimes different than meaning. I read the statement from Bo to mean that conditions were of such a unique nature, that major elements were in place to provide compelling reasons to take the steps he has taken.
If someone told me it was a "perfect storm," I'd get off the boat.
PW
I've seen that movie. Everybody dies.
The Mayor's Office summoned its staff Copy Editor and asked him about using phrases like "perfect storm." Being quite learned, the young man suggested Bo Short read Orwell's Politics and the English Language. Moreover, he said such stock phrases, carelessly tossed around, are the mark of lazy writers and thinkers. Another example of self-defeating writing is "meteoric rise." The young man then asked if Bo Short would really be hiring a Copy Editor anytime soon.
Happy New Year, from the Mayor's Office.
I tried to post a comment, but had some technical difficulties. So, I turned my reply into a blog post entitled "Passport Minow -- What it Must Have Been Like For Those On board" on M.O.D.E. here: http://www.jerry.ipfox.com
From no outside influences other than my own -- I have taken down my post at M.O.D.E. that I linked to in my previous comment.
In my original comment (linked above), which became a post. I found myself caught up in the emotional feelings surrounding my experience with the Passport Opportunity.
After closer review and much forethought seeing my feelings posted for the world to see --I felt that it was inappropriate to display such perceptions publicly.
If none of this makes sense, then just disregard. I apologize for the confusion this may have caused any of you.
Sincerely,
Jerry
Did the Skipper threaten you Jerry? Or maybe Gilligan gave you a stern warning?
No....LOL
Nothing of the sort, actually.
Why are these guys so hesitant to admit to being hoodwinked by Gilligan's motivational sideshow? It's not like it some big secret. It's out there for the whole world to see.
Something is very, very fishy about all of this!
I love it when MLM leaders use useless phrases. Our Amway diamond was always telling us that to be successful we needed to "rotate the pattern".
WTF?!?
I think it was the old "duplication" chestnut. But that really makes no sense.
...or maybe Eric is wrong.
http://mlmblog.typepad.com/blog/2006/01/the_oasis_lifes.html
If you guys spent as much time complaining about ex diamonds as you did running your business, you would be wildly successful and happy. Instead, your business must really suck and you feel the need to bring other successful people down to your level.
Maybe you should learn a fundimental teaching: Stop overcompensating. You're not fooling anyone.
Peace.
Eric,
It could be that more was added to the Wiki definition about "perfect storm" since you posted. Here's the explanation that I see:
"A perfect storm is a situation where, by the confluence of specific events, what might have been a minor issue ends up being magnified to proportions that are out of control. In such a situation, it is clear that if one element was removed from the mix, the whole matter would have collapsed, but because just the right things were in the mix, the situation balloons."
Within the context of this definition, I think the use of this metaphor is appropriate.
Posted by: Dave S | January 1, 2006 9:53 PM