This Page Intentionally Left Blank

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

----------- A tribute to my Summer 2005 internship experience ------------

One thing I’ve noticed in the glorious investment instrument known as the Mutual Fund Propectus is that there are these pages every now & then that state: “This Page Intentionally Left Blank”. Ok, so why are there these pages inserted into every Prospectus that I’ve printed out?

Any ideas? Do they think I need to make notes on what I’ve read? If so, then I would certainly not want those words “This Page Intentionally Left Blank” right in the middle of my notes!

Is this their subtle way of trying to stimulate the economy? Like Office Space (“Fractions of a Penny”), maybe they’re trying to spur the lumber industry to new levels while simultaneously benefiting Xerox, Cannon, HP, and any other office supply manufacturer or retailer in the country by adding 2-3 extra (non-value added) pages that my printer has to print out…

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After googling the matter, here’s another (somewhat romanticized) view:

In former times printed manuals had some blank pages, usually with the remark “this page intentionally left blank”. In most cases there had been technical reasons for that. Today almost all blank pages disappeared and if some still exist here and there, they present flatterly comments like “for your notes” instead of the real truth: This page intentionally left blank!

Nowadays the “This Page Intentionally Left Blank”-Project (TPILB-Project) tries to introduce these blank pages to the Web again. One reason is to keep alive the remembrance of these famous historical blank pages. But it is the primary reason to offer internet wanderers a place of quietness and simplicity on the overcrowded World Wide Web—a blank page for relaxing the restless mind.

http://www.this-page-intentionally-left-blank.org/

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The most obvious thing is that now, after you write “This Page Intentionally Left Blank”, it is no that the page is longer Blank.

Wouldn’t it be more appropriate instead, for you write on the page before it: “The Next Page Intentionally Left Blank”…..? Or….”With the exception of this sentence, this Page would be Blank.”….?

Which reminds me of another of my favorites:
"Do not remove this tag under penalty of law." I've often pondered who the arresting party would be and how they'd catch me…

Hmmmm…..

Don't forget to put the covers on your TPS Reports!!!!!!

PS: Do not click “back” on your browser under penalty of law. :)