Present Tense

  • Write a sentence using the following phrase…

    May 20, 2008 @ 7:58 am | by Shane

    The Perfect Storm is on TV3 tonight, but you can see it in the papers several times a day, every day.

    Here is a selection of its use in recent days:

    The New York Times, Sunday:

    ”Park Slope is a perfect storm of stereotypes that provoke derision,” said Steven Johnson, a local writer and a father of three.

    The Guardian, Saturday:

    Despite the impact over the past year of what some have called the perfect storm for ethical funds, Coates is unfazed.

    International Herald Tribune, Saturday:

    ‘Perfect storm‘ ravages Somalia; Global food crisis meets local chaos

    The Irish Times, Saturday:

    In the end, though, the stores perished in a perfect storm caused by these difficulties, a dramatic fall-off in business and a dip in business confidence that decimated the line of potential suitors for the franchise.

    The New York Times, Saturday

    ”It’s been a perfect storm,” said Harry Chang, president of marketing for Black Cat fireworks…

    The Irish Times, Friday:

    There are a lot of talented people out there, but not many of them get that one song. For us, Umbrella is the perfect storm.”

    Miami Herald, Friday:

    A perfect storm of hype and unmet expectations, the Seinfeld finale - that silly trial scene, remember? - remains a watershed moment in popular culture.

    Washington Post, Friday

    The perfect storm of events have put more than 1,200,000 homes in foreclosure with an additional 3,000,000 forecast during the next two years.

    I could spend the day listing examples. USA Today actually use it twice yesterday, in different articles. It’s a good phrase, that suits many situations, but it has reached the tipping point after which it will slide quickly into becoming a cliche.

    To make something a cliche, it takes suitability and ubiquity to come together in a kind of perfect storm.

    • 19 Comments »

    1.
    May 20, 2008
    8:11 am

    What, like “tipping point”?

    Comment by Brock Landers
    2.
    May 20, 2008
    8:15 am

    Brock, I get an immediate sense that my subtle gag may have been too subtle.

    Comment by Shane
    3.
    May 20, 2008
    8:21 am

    It’s the new going forward, going forward.

    Comment by 73man
    4.
    May 20, 2008
    8:37 am

    Yeah right. “Subtle”.

    Comment by Brock Landers
    5.
    May 20, 2008
    9:39 am

    Looks like the third one down is talking about an actual perfect storm… does that get an exemption?

    Comment by emordino
    6.
    May 20, 2008
    9:50 am

    73man - Using Going Forward would just produce a Race to the Bottom.

    Brock - I’ll stick smiley icons on everything from now on. :)

    Emordino - No, it’s to do with a quote by economist Jeffrey D Sachs.

    Comment by Shane
    7.
    May 20, 2008
    10:49 am

    Now you’re really thinking outside the box, or is it pushing out the envelope??

    I’m confused and off to jump the shark.

    Comment by 73man
    8.
    May 20, 2008
    11:07 am

    I don’t know what a tracker mortgage is…

    Comment by Sean
    9.
    May 20, 2008
    11:51 am

    Damn. I was going to write about the bloody “perfect storm” outbreak.
    At least you’re doing something about it. I see it as a “defining moment”. Please, please, Shane. Launch a campaign against “defining moments”.

    Comment by annoyed rival
    10.
    May 20, 2008
    11:55 am

    Awesome!

    Comment by Vandala
    11.
    May 20, 2008
    11:56 am

    Oh, and while we’re at it…
    Niceies, funsies, barfsies, etc.

    Comment by Vandala
    12.
    May 20, 2008
    12:25 pm

    I think we should explore the synergies around these conditions and pro-actively engage with the various stakeholders involved to coalesce around a solution space that we can all buy into.

    Comment by Dan Sullivan
    13.
    May 20, 2008
    1:03 pm

    @Dan: I agree. Perhaps a 24/7 strategy in implementation, 5 days a week, would assist the client?

    Comment by 73man
    14.
    May 20, 2008
    1:19 pm

    @73man, I concur. We should get that in hardcopy and get sign off pronto.

    Comment by Dan Sullivan
    15.
    May 20, 2008
    1:47 pm

    Should we not run it up the flagpole to see who salutes, first???

    Comment by Sean
    16.
    May 20, 2008
    1:47 pm

    People who think outside the box just had too small a box to begin with.

    Comment by dealga
    17.
    May 20, 2008
    2:35 pm

    And using too small a box would inhibit blue sky thinking…

    Comment by Sean
    18.
    May 20, 2008
    7:54 pm

    I just heard the journalist Jon Wilson describe the causes of the Luzhniki Disaster as a ‘Perfect Storm’ on Off The Ball. Not that there’s any humour in that, all things considered.

    Comment by dealga
    19.
    May 20, 2008
    11:16 pm

    Let’s just savour that sentence again:

    “Umbrella is the perfect storm.”

    For that alone, the phrase deserves to be kept and cherished. “Tipping point” can fuck right off, however.

    Comment by Richard M

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