CONTENTS FEATURE: 'Feeling' is inadequate to express convictions SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news WELCOME: The newest EditPros client NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FEATURE: 'Feeling' is inadequate to express convictions      The language of decision-makers often reveals their reticence to take risks and expose themselves to potential criticism. When confronting difficult choices, executives tend to use veiled terms to insulate themselves from accountability.      In a board meeting of a corporation struggling to extract itself from a sea of red ink, Richard, a top-level executive was asked to offer a solution.      "I feel the company ought to divest itself of the trucking division," said Richard. "We could buy shipping services and rid ourselves of all that overhead."      Not so quick, Rick. Stop right there. Put that cab into reverse and back up a couple of sentences. Richard "feels" the company ought to shut down the trucking division. An expression of feeling is a limp, tentative way of suggesting such a momentous action. Yet people frequently use "feel" in that way without getting questioned for it. A guy hauling in a high six-figure salary owes more than sharing his "feelings."      A feeling is derived from inference or internal impressions. A "feeling" is an emotionally based response or perception. A feeling can be a sensation, a state of consciousness, or an impression. While feelings are distinctly human, they're not intellectual. And they're certainly nothing to bank on.      A supposition is not much stronger. If Richard had said, "I suppose we should sell the trucking division," that would be indicative of shallowness, and would create the perception that the suggestion to get out of trucking was only the second thought to pop into his mind—the first being, "Gee, I really don't know what we should do."      What if Rick had picked "perhaps," as in "perhaps we should sell the trucking division"? The adverb "perhaps" sounds genteel, but it is weak and indefinite.      Or suppose Rick retorts, "I gather that we should sell off the trucking division." In that sense, the verb "gather" means to conclude or infer, but its use in this context transparently indicates lack of Rick's own analysis. He'd be more credible if he had said, "Folks, I reckon we oughta get out of the trucking business." That would at least indicate that he's drawing upon his own intuition rather than relying on prevailing opinion.      Trying to sound shrewd and analytical, Rick chooses slick rhetoric: "I suspect we should dissolve the trucking unit." Nope. The verb "suspect" really means to surmise based on distrust. You may suspect that Colonel Mustard is the culprit. Richard, however, doesn't have a clue.      What if he instead had used the word "surmise"? That's a cotton-candy word, utterly lacking in substance, because it means to arrive at a conclusion without sufficient supporting evidence. It's the functional equivalent of saying "speculate."      Rick may instead say, "I sense we should reduce overhead." Knowing what he thinks, however, would be more tangible and valuable than knowing what he senses. The act of thinking ordinarily involves conscious formulation of a position by reasoning and deduction, rather than mere emotional response to a stimulus.      But even that is not as compelling as knowing what someone believes. A person who believes in an idea accepts it as truth, and has placed faith or trust in its veracity based on analysis. Belief is far more powerful and convincing than feeling or supposition. Someone who issues a proclamation or advances a proposal as a firm belief based upon hard, supporting evidence is on firm ground.      In one important respect, however, stating what you believe is not much more motivating than telling how you feel, because both are qualifying statements that function as disclaimers. After boasting about optimal gas mileage, automobile manufacturers demur, saying in small print or in a quietly blurted sentence, "of course, your actual mileage may vary." If Jane says, "I believe we should organize the training department under the marketing division rather than human resources," she is also making an unstated but implicit acknowledgment: "Of course, that's just my opinion, and you and others may disagree."      The most effective approach is to clearly and unequivocally declare a conclusion derived from logical interpretation of relevant, indisputable evidence. Here's such a compelling statement: "My analysis shows that in addition to an immediate infusion of capital generated by sale of the trucking division, the company would recoup $350,000 annually in savings in salaries, maintenance, fuel, workers' compensation, liability and medical insurance costs, and other operating expenses."      Consider that approach when you want to instill certainty and convey conviction. You'll feel better when you do. Yes! EditPros can help refine the language in your written reports and presentations to make them more compelling. SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news Mental Health Institute uses case studies to document need for public policy refinements      A series of four documents just published by the California Institute for Mental Health (CIMH) starkly illuminates the need for refinements and improvements in welfare-to-work programs. Each of the four installments in the CIMH "Policy and Practice Brief" series examines the practical applications and limitations in aspects of the CalWORKs Project (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids), which is California's implementation of the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program.      The CalWORKs Project provides policy and practice-relevant information about CalWORKs participants who have problems involving alcohol and other drugs (AOD), mental health (MH), and/or domestic violence (DV). The Project disseminates information about the prevalence of these problems, and the ways in which they affect or compromise the effectiveness of CalWORKs services.      The series of briefs and other evaluative studies are intended to assist policy makers in enacting informed legislation governing identification, referral, and delivery of services to CalWORKs-eligible families. EditPros assisted the California Institute of Mental Health in producing the four briefs.      Policy and Practice Brief No. 1 focuses on the need for alcohol and drug, mental health, and domestic violence services among a research sample of adult female CalWORKs participants. Brief No. 2 examines the ways in which problems among TANF recipients interfere with their ability to find and retain employment.      Brief No. 3 presents the results of a study of the threats to the well-being of children of parents who have serious problems involving mental health, domestic violence, or alcohol and other drugs. Brief No. 4 contains riveting biographical profiles of four women who have confronted those problems with varying degrees of success and frustration.      Each of the briefs includes recommendations for welfare reform reauthorization.      The California Institute for Mental Health (CIMH) was established by mental health directors in 1993 to promote excellence in mental health services through training, technical assistance, research and policy development. The guiding vision of CIMH is a community and mental health services system that provides recovery and full social integration for persons with psychiatric disabilities, sustains and supports families and children, and promotes mental health wellness.      CIMH collaborates with local systems of care (providers and mental health boards and commissions), the California Department of Mental Health, the California Mental Health Planning Council, and involved community groups to define and provide for the training needs of mental health constituent groups. Funding for CIMH comes from numerous sources, including private contributions; charitable foundations; county, state and federal contracts; grants; fees; and product sales.      You may download the four reports in Adobe Acrobat PDF format on the California Institute for Mental Health Web site. We proudly welcome the newest EditPros client Evit Labs, Inc. McClellan, Calif. (916) 640-0485 Web: http://www.evitlabs.com/ Evit Labs Inc., based on the grounds of the former McClellan Air Force Base in the Sacramento metropolitan area, is a developer of medical inhalation devices for people with asthma and other conditions. Evit Labs has just introduced its patented Sonik LDI liquid dispensing inhaler, which enables consistent delivery of precise quantities of aerosol pharmaceutical compounds, including antibodies, proteins and peptides. The company offers drug and biotech companies an economical, efficient formulation platform by which to deliver treatments to the lungs. Net Notes: Captivating Internet resources Bugnosis detects 'Web bugs' http://www.bugnosis.org/      You may know that certain Web sites place "cookies" on your computer for use in gathering statistical information, particularly about return visitors. But did you know that Web sites also may be placing "Web bugs" on your hard drive? A Web bug is a tiny bit of spying software embedded in an invisible, tiny single-pixel "GIF" image file. Many Web bugs are benign, used only to track "hits" to a Web site without harvesting personal information about visitors. But the Web bugs hidden on some Web pages can extract not only the IP address through which you logged onto the Internet, but also the ID number assigned to your computer as well as your e-mail address. Bugnosis is a plug-in that works with the Microsoft Windows version of Microsoft Internet Explorer and sounds an alert when it detects an invasive Web bug. Bugnosis was developed and is offered by the Privacy Foundation, a Denver organization that conducts research into communications technologies and services that may pose a threat to personal privacy. WebWasher blocks 'Web bugs' http://www.webwasher.com      Software called WebWasher can remove "Web bugs" from your hard drive or block them from even reaching your computer in the first place. You can configure WebWasher to filter unwanted advertising banners, to eliminate pop-up windows contained on Web pages, and to suppress scripts intended to be executed when Web pages are loaded or closed. WebWasher operates with Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and Linux systems. It can be downloaded for use at home and at educational institutions free of charge, but purchase is necessary for commercial users. The firm Webwasher.com AG is based in Paderborn, Germany, and maintains a division in New York City. Other helpful resources are: Security Space Web bug report identifies Web sites that make most prevalent use of Web bugs; Electronic Frontier Foundation Web bug FAQ answers frequently asked questions. Body Mass Index Calculator http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm      Nutritionists and medical doctors emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight. A standard called the Body Mass Index (BMI) is an established criterion by which to judge the relative safety of body weight in relation to height. You can use a mathematical formula to calculate your own BMI—or you can use the nifty electronic BMI calculator at this Web site, maintained by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. You'll find it on the right side of the page. YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. We respond to all "grammar coach" questions personally, but delays may occur because we must place top priority on assignments from our clients. We appreciate your patience and your interest.      You also can change your e-mail subscription address. For an address change, please indicate your existing AND your new e-mail address. Thank you. 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