The KellyGram

Wisdom and Wit About the Wonderful and Often Wacky World of Words

Published by Bob Kelly

Resident Wordsmith and Quotemeister

WordCrafters, Inc.

www.wordcrafters.info

Providing the Right Word for Speakers, Writers, Ministry Leaders and Business Executives – since 1979!

________________________________________________________________________

Volume 5 – Number 4 April 2007

In This Issue:

Fun with Words
The Quote Corner (Humor)
Using Quotations: The Copyright Conundrum
A Web Site Worth Checking
Smile Awhile
Odds and Ends
The Last Word

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FUN WITH WORDS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are two common seven-letter words in the English language which end in "-shion." What are they? Youll find the correct answer elsewhere in this issue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE QUOTE CORNER (Humor)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April has once again arrived, the month when Uncle Sam dips his greedy paws into our pockets to relieve us of much of our hard-earned income. However, there is a brighter side, as April happens to be National Humor Month.

No, its not any sort of official designation, but was begun 31 years ago by best-selling humorist Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel (Calif.) Institute of Humor. "Since April is often bleak and grim," he says, "and taxes are due on the 15th, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year."

On his Web site, www.larrywilde.com, Wilde emphasizes the importance of humor in relieving stress and promoting good health. The long lives enjoyed by so many famous humorists certainly indicate that humor and health go hand in hand. For example, Jack Benny, Victor Borge and Milton Berle all lived past the age of 90, while George Burns and Bob Hope reached the 100 mark.

How does one define humor? Well, as in the case of beauty, its often in the eye of the beholder. Borge defined it as "truth," and Mel Brooks described it as "just another defense against the universe." To Mark Twain, humor was "mankinds greatest blessing," and Leo Rosten, author of many books, including my favorite, The Joys of Yiddish, called it "the affectionate communication of insight."

Bill Cosby maintains that "If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it," and Irvin S. Cobb, an early 20^th century author and humorist, wrote that "Humor is merely tragedy standing on its head with its pants torn."

The quotations which follow present some other views on this important subject.

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springsjolted by every pebble in the road. (Henry Ward Beecher)

Theres not a lot of good humor in medicine, but theres a lot of medicine in good humor. (Josh Billings)

Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig. How many of them will own up to a lack of humor? (Frank M. Colby)

I have never understood why it should be considered derogatory to the Creator to suppose that he has a sense of humor. (William Inge)

Whence comes this idea that if what we are doing is fun, it cant be Gods will? The God who made giraffes, a babys fingernails, a puppys tail, a crooknecked squash, the bobwhites call, and a young girls giggle, has a sense of humor. Make no mistake about that. (Catherine Marshall)

Think of what would happen to usif there were no humorists; life would be one long Congressional Record. (Thomas L. Masson)

Humor is a hole that lets the sawdust out of a stuffed shirt. (Jan McKeithen)

Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their earthly pedestals. (Agnes Repplier)

Theres no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you. (Will Rogers)

The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a sense of humor. (Lincoln Steffens)

God likes a little humor, as evidenced by the fact that He made the monkey, the parrotand some of you people. (Billy Sunday)

Good humor is one of the best articles of dress one can wear in society. (William Makepeace Thackeray)

A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your step as you walk the tightrope of life. (William Arthur Ward)

(Note: These quotations are taken from our collection of nearly 400 published volumes of quotations and 1.5 million entries. If youre looking for some quotes on virtually any subject, send us an email at bob@kellygram.com, or call us at 480-895-7617. Or, if you have a quote topic youd like us to feature in an upcoming issue, email it to us and well get it on the schedule.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

USING QUOTATIONS: THE COPYRIGHT CONUNDRUM!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do I have to get permission to use third-party quotations in my new book?" Within the past month, two authors have asked me that question, and a publisher who has expressed interest in a book Im writing has stipulated in the proposed contract that I get permission to use such quotes, of which therell be many.

I covered this subject in some detail in the October 2006 issue of The KellyGram, and its available on our Web site. Ill also be happy to send you a copy of an article Ive written about using quotes. Just send an e-mail to bob@kellygram.com, with "Quoting Other Sources" in the subject line.

Unfortunately, theres no simple answer to the question those authors asked. It would be nice if copyright law stipulated that its okay to use quotes of 25 or 50 or 500 words without permission from the copyright holder. But theres no such stipulation. Instead, there are several important considerations. For example: Are the quotes you want to use in the "public domain"? Does the quoted material constitute "fair use"?

The stipulation made by the publisher I referred to in the opening paragraph came as no surprise. My earlier books have been published by four other publishers, each of whom included that same requirement in their proposed contracts. And, in each case, after reading my article, they agreed to publish my books without any permissions.

If youre concerned about using quotations in your materials, talk with an intellectual property attorney. And, if you want to do an Internet search yourself, youll find lots of information on copyright, fair use, public domain, etc. by entering those words on Google or another search engine.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A WEB SITE WORTH CHECKING

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Until recently, I must confess that Id never heard of BJ Hoff, despite her prominence as a writer. Then, two people I know quoted from her writings, and got my attention. So I went to her Web site, where I discovered that shes a best-selling author of historical fiction, and has won several literary awards. Her main focus is on stories of Irish immigrants, and her books have been translated into many foreign languages.

I read very little fiction, which explains why I hadnt heard of her, despite her focus on the Irish, one of my favorite subjects. However, as I explored her site, I found some things which can be helpful to every writer.

I recommend you visit her website, www.bjhoff.com, and click in the "For Writers" link. There youll find a list of more than a dozen books she recommends for writers, including many about fiction writing, plus a list of recommended Web sites.

Before leaving that page, click on the "vocabulary of a writer" link, where youll find several other helpful resources listed. And, for still more good information, be sure to check out BJs blog while youre on her site.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SMILE AWHILE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recently, when the doctors at a local hospital were asked to vote on adding a new wing, these were the results:

The plastic surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."
The obstetricians stated they were laboring under a misconception.
The neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve.
The surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
The anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas.
The ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.
The urologists felt the scheme wouldnt hold water.
The proctologists said, "Were already in arrears."
The internists said: "Thats a hard pill to swallow."
The podiatrists thought it was a big step forward.
The gastroenterologists had a gut feeling about it.
The cardiologists didnt have the heart to say no.
The dermatologists preferred no rash moves.
The radiologists could see right through it.
The psychiatrists thought it was madness.

AND, finally,

The allergists voted to scratch it!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ODDS AND ENDS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back Issues:

All previous issues of The KellyGram, dating back to January 2003, are available on our website: http://www.wordcrafters.info/back_issues.html.

Privacy Policy:

Your privacy is very important to us. We assure you that under no circumstances will we share, distribute, publish, give away or sell our mailing lists or other information about you to any other party.

Reprint Permission:

You may copy or distribute excerpts from The KellyGram by using the following credit line: "The following is taken from the April 2007 issue of The KellyGram, and is used with permission." We will appreciate receiving copies of any publications in which you use materials contained herein. Thank you.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe:

If this issue was forwarded to you and youd like to receive it regularly at no cost, please subscribe either by email at bob@kellygram.com or by using the form at http://www.wordcrafters.info/newsletters.html.

If you are currently a subscriber but no longer wish to receive The KellyGram from us, you may unsubscribe by clicking on the link above.

If you know of others who might like to receive The KellyGram, please forward this issue to them.

Comments/Questions:

Your comments and questions are always welcome. Please contact us at bob@kellygram.com, or call Bob Kelly at (480) 895-7617.

Answer to Fun with Words:

The words are "fashion" and "cushion."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE LAST WORD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was always taught to respect my elders but it keeps getting harder to find one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------