Information is available by phoning

When people want to tell you that you can obtain information by calling 555-1212, why don't they just say so?  If you start a sentence with "Information is available," just about the only way to proceed is to say "at . . .."

I'm not sure how to diagram "Information is available by phoning 555-1212." I know what it means, but it's awkward at best and probably defective.

Former Labor Secretary

I heard a talk by Robert Reich the other day. He was introduced as a former Secretary of Labor in the first Clinton Administration. Reich served as Labor Secretary from 1993 to 1997, so he is now a former Secretary of Labor. During the first Clinton administration, however, he was not a former Secretary of Labor.

I hear this shortcut all the time. A better formulation would be to state the office and administration, leaving out the word "former." Say, "Robert Reich was Secretary of Labor in the first Clinton administration." Or say, "Robert Reich is a former Secretary of Labor. He served in the first Clinton Administration."