For obvious reasons (to those of you who are regular readers of the HAT BLOG), I subscribe to the Google News Alert Service where all articles with the word hat or hats in newspaper and magazine titles are regularly assembled by Google and forwarded to my email. But instead of the staying abreast of the latest and greatest hat news, what Ive learned is that every Tom, Dick and Harry journalist (and every Tina, Donna, and Henrietta journalist for that matter) title their articles with the same hackneyed clich: _________ (fill in the blank) Wears Many Hats.

I guess each one of these writers got a bee in their bonnet and believed that he or she came up with just a great little title for their article about an individual whose job or life is multifaceted (duh, welcome to life in the 21st Century). Im here to let them that their Eureka moment is old hat. They can hang their hat on the fact that their use of this metaphor is all hat and no cattle. It would be a feather in their cap if theyd hold on to their hats and try something more daring. I for one would tip my hat to the effort. Id keep my thoughts about this under my hat, but if I dont let these journalists know that they are talking through their hats, who will? So, I come hat in hand to let you know, that you dont need to throw your hat in the ring with those who believe this is a unique article title. Ill eat my hat if Im wrong.

I know you must think that Im mad as a hatter, but Ive particularly lost my patience for those of you who have the hat trick in using this heading. When your editors catch wind of it, youll either need to pass the hat or change careers try hard hats.

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com