The eNotes Blog Not At This Time Rejection Letters to FamousWriters

Not At This Time Rejection Letters to FamousWriters Why is dad so sad?   Probably because he just checked his mail and found his self-addressed stamped envelope in his box, his manuscript inside, and the dreaded form letter saying, We are sorry, but your manuscript does not currently meet our specific needs.   The first dozen or so times, Dad wanted to believe the closing line promising to review his work in the future but Dr. Seuss (aka Theodore Geisel) knew the feeling.   His now-classic childrens book   And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street  was rejected a whopping twenty-seven times before it was finally accepted by Vanguard Press.   This may be your fate as well. Putting your work out in the world is scary. Rejection sucks. It can make you afraid to do it again.   But you have to try.   Because the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth time might just be the one. Novelist Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees)  offers this advice to writers feeling wounded:   This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don’t consider it rejected. Consider that you’ve addressed it ‘to the editor who can appreciate my work’ and it has simply come back stamped ‘Not at this address’. Just keep looking for the right address.† To give you hope, here are ten rejections of famous writers as well as a some of their reactions and advice about coping with rejection: 1.   The  Left Hand of Darkness  Ã‚  by Ursula Le Guin 2.   Saul Bellow   â€Å"I discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, ‘To hell with you.’â€Å"   (Source) 3.   Tim Burton     Ã‚   A ripe, 18-year-old Burton, still in high school, submitted his illustrated children’s book to Walt Disney Productions for consideration. That was 1976, and T. Jeanette Kroger, author of his rejection letter, didn’t see inThe Giant Zlig  what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, BAFTA, Cannes, and, it’s fair to say, the majority of humanity saw in him in later years. Kroger thanked Burton for his mail and made no mention of the possibility of publication but did give the artist some tips.   (Source) 4.   Anita Shreve â€Å"To ward off a feeling of failure, she joked that she could wallpaper her bathroom with rejection slips, which she chose not to see as messages to stop, but rather as tickets to the game.†   (Source) 5.   Sylvia Plath    Plaths novel  The Bell Jar  was also rejected: The Knopf editor â€Å"jbj† knows all too well what difference a name drop can make; Plath originally submitted her novel under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, whose work received the original, terse in-house review printed below. When it was revealed that Victoria Lucas was in fact Sylvia Plath, an embarrassed jbj took a greater interest in the work, although he ultimately still rejected it. Plath’s only novel eventually became an American classic and staple of every high school curriculum, but before that, the rest of the Knopf staff seem to have agreed with jbj - unpublishable.   (Source) 6.   Ã‚  Chuck Wendig Rejection has value. It teaches us when our work or our skillset is not good enough and must be made better. This is a powerful revelation, like the burning UFO wheel seen by the prophet Ezekiel, or like the McRib sandwich shaped like the Virgin Mary seen by the prophet Steve Jenkins. Rejection refines us. Those who fall prey to its enervating soul-sucking tentacles are doomed. Those who persist past it are survivors. Best ask yourself the question: what kind of writer are you? The kind who survives? Or the kind who gets asphyxiated by the tentacles of woe?   (Source) 7.   Hunter S. Thompson Expresses His Displeasure to His Biographer, William McKeen    8.   Neil Gaiman â€Å"Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.†   (Source) 9.   Kurt Vonnegut     Ã‚   A decade and a half later, a writing sample by Vonnegut would have been accepted without a look beyond the author name, but in 1949, Kurt Vonnegut was a nobody, and the editors at  The Atlantic Monthly  had no big plans to lift him out of anonymity. After mailing the magazine three samples of his work, he received the above letter of rejection from editor Edward Weeks, which now hangs, framed, in Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis. The following decades of Vonnegut’s career were characterized by a prolific output of award-winning novels, including  Cat’s Cradle  and  Slaughter-House Five, the latter of which is rumored to have developed out of one of the rejected samples. (Source) 10.   On the Road by Jack Kerouac Now heralded as the beat bible, Jack Kerouac’s magnum opus  On the Road  was finally published by Viking Press in 1957, six years after it was written. But in 1951, given its provocative content and untraditional style, publishing houses wouldn’t touch it. Knopf was just one of many whose editors reviewed the manuscript harshly and reported it as untouchable to their editors.   (Source)

Violence in America †What it has shown me

Violence in America – What it has shown me Free Online Research Papers Violence in America is growing and it surprisingly is more prevalent in families rather than with strangers. Many causes of this are environmental problems that are causing stress between family members and are causing animosity. Violence seems to be an effect of some risk factors that put people in the line of having more of a chance of domestic violence in their homes. Although we are developed country we have just as much violence here as third world nations. Violence is causing so many homes to break up, people to get hurt, children to lose parents, and lives to be lost that there must be something that our society can do. Three articles from this class have also shown me how violence can change a family, person and society. The first article is â€Å"The Christmas Present,† by Caridad Souza, this is a heartbreaking story about a family ripped apart by violence on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve these children are left with their drunk Uncle and he tries to take advantage of one of the younger girls and instead of just being bystanders her siblings fight for her to keep her innocence. So they embark on this bloody battle against a man much bigger, stronger, and at times smarter. But they succeed and their young sister is not robbed of her innocence but they all have now witnessed violence first hand and what the effects are on children especially. This story is so sad because when the father gets home he blames the whole thing on the mother instead of being happy that his children are a little beaten but ok. Violence is a tricky thing because it creeps into usually happy families that are just down on hard times or are having a rough year. It prays on those who have more risk factors and exp loit them. Violence happens in any kind of family though no matter how much money, material goods, or kids they have. These kids have no witnessed first hand violence and it probably has had some major effect on them and unfortunately they probably will not get treated like they need to for psychological reasons. Violence like this happens frequently in high risk families. The next article is, â€Å"Notes on Oppression and Violence,† by Aleticia Tyerina, which is about that because of her race she is full of hate and violence. This story was great in my opinion because in the end she has a resolution that she should not fill her life full of hate and violence because she is disadvantaged. Her life before this resolution was filled with hate and violence because she was treated differently because of her skin color and she felt oppressed and by being hateful and violent she was releasing her anger. Although, this seemed to help at first she later realized that nothing will change if she cannot see past her hate and anger and she is only oppressing herself as well. This was such a step forward for her because I know if I was in that situation I would have a hard time pushing away all my anger and not taking my anger out and being violent. Violence is an escape for many people that are poor, unemployed, unhappy, and oppressed because really to fight back there aren’t many options but giving up violence is one of those. She escaped the trap that violence can put a person in, it can make great people go bad even for just a few minutes. This story though is inspiring for anyone who feels that violence is their last resort, their only answer. The last article is, â€Å"The Uses of Anger,† by Audre Lorde, this article is about how much anger that oppressed groups of people have to deal with daily. She takes a very different route in this article because she explains that anger for women of color can be very useful. It can help them keep going in life and propel them to never give up. She talks only of anger which is great because we know that she is not suggesting violence and when anger is used right it can change people, the world, or society. Anger is a way out for some women of color because their lives are so hard and by putting their anger out there they can identify it, see it, and maybe do something about it. Violence here is not even an answer because that does not lead to any change only hurt and terrible consequences. Research Papers on Violence in America - What it has shown meEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenCapital PunishmentRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and CanadaThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Effects of Illegal Immigration

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it Research Paper - 1

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it - Research Paper Example Poverty is a factor that is present in nearly all corners of the world. New Mexico is one of the nations strongly affected and hit by poverty (Garcia, 2006). This country has the highest poverty levels in the world, with a 22 percent of poverty levels. According to reports, New Mexico has the highest number of children under poverty. This is the highest level in the United States of America. New Mexico belonged to the Spanish empire for over two centuries and also the independent Mexico for more than two and half decades before being conquered by the United States in the American-Mexican war, in 1846 (Melzer et al, 2011). After the United States moved to conquer this state, many of the New Mexicans looked forward to the day that it would become a state and part of the United States. This took long, more than sixty years before it became a state. By the time this state was becoming a state of the United States; other nations had already gained their statehood. This delay in acquiring statehood is one of the factors that are attributed to its high poverty levels. Despite efforts by the New Mexican leaders and residents to support their nation, there are some factors that led to the delay in the acquisition of statehood. The first factor that hampered early efforts was a common ignorance on the state and unfair suspicion about its citizens. The other states of the United States were against the acquisition of statehood of New Mexico because of the high population of the Native Americans and the Hispanics who were considered foreign in terms of language, culture and religion. The people in the other states questioned the Hispanics and the Native Americans loyalty, who had for long lived under the Mexican and Spanish rule (Melzer et al, 2011). Secondly, territorial politics hampered New Mexico’s opportunities of acquiring statehood. The government was dominated by a bunch of corrupt politicians and businessmen. After the other states realized this, they tried to prevent New Mexico from becoming state by criticizing it. According to Melzer et al (2011), this led to the delayed statehood of the nation, which later culminated to the high poverty levels within the nation. In addition, the national policies adopted hampered the nation’s progress towards attaining statehood. Most of the policies adopted within the political arena had nothing to do with the New Mexico, and this immensely affected the progress towards statehood. Another cause of the delayed statehood of New Mexico was the prolonged Indian wars, which were very costly. In addition, these wars perpetrated the region’s reputation as a region typified by violent and primitive people. While some of the United States defeated some Indian uprisings, some Native American soldiers such as Geronimo fought many United States troops till 1886. The prolonged nature of the fights consumed a lot of resources (Melzer et al, 2011). These resources would have been used in developme nt projects, which would have assisted in alleviating the present high poverty levels. By this time, New Mexico was under the claim of United States, Spain, Mexico and numerous Indian nations. The Indian-Mexican wars started as early as the end of the 16th century, when the Indians tried to go against Spanish rule. Later, the Indians came together to fight, kill, and chase Spanish colonists (Saragoza et al, 2012). The Indians continued to fight against the Spanish till when the United States army general, Kearny, promised the inhabitants of New Mexico that they would defeat the rebelling tribes once the country became a state and made part of United States. The United States forged with numerous strategies that would defeat the other Indian and Spanish tribes.

EVIL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

EVIL - Essay Example Therefore, even the ideal moral judge like God has to draw arbitrary line even when deciding on the number of evil things he would allow; therefore, the vague line guarantees that some evils in the world are gratuitous (Sullivan 398-402). Inwagen’s strategy and enlightenments to the evil problem are very significant in enhancing people’s understanding, and rather than giving an entirely critical response, he offers contributions and then explains their significance. Inwagen condemns the normal taxonomy regarding the problem of evil and provides a substitute all of which are important (Ã… ukasiewicz 448-450). The disadvantage that Inwagen points out includes analytic philosophers haste in categorizing the argument from evil into two, which involves the logical argument and evidential argument from evil. The logical problem from evil purports to indicate that the existence of both God and evil is logically impossible; nevertheless, defenders of evidential argument from e vil grant that the existence of both God and evil to be possible (Van 8). However, Inwagen insists it is unlikely that God exists given the extent as well as the degree of evil observed; hence, he notes that logical as well as evidential distinction are only but relics of history. Furthermore, Inwagen points out historical differences that usually encourage theists to consider sufficient response concerning argument from evil (Shabo 107-110). Instead of the conventional classifications, Inwagen provides an alternative way of classifying all arguments from evil with their scope of evil that is given as evidence against God’s existence. Inwagen’s global argument from evil posits that if God existed, then the world would never have evil; however, the world has vast amount of evil, which points out that God never exists. On the other hand, Inwagen’s local argument from evil posits that if God were there, then the world would never have particular evil; however, the world

Surface Chemistry Essay Example for Free

Surface Chemistry Essay It is the phenomenon in which a substance is uniformly distributed all over the surface. Difference between adsorption and absorption: Absorption (i) It is the phenomenon in which a substance is uniformly distributed throughout the bulk of the solid. (ii) It is a bulk phenomenon. (iii) The concentration is uniform throughout the bulk of solid. Adsorption (i) The accumulation of molecular species at the surface rather than in the bulk of a solid or liquid is termed as adsorption. (ii) It is a surface phenomenon. (iii) The concentration of adsorbate increases only at the surface of the adsorbent. 7. 8. Sorption: When adsorption and absorption take place simultaneously, it is called sorption. Enthalpy or heat of adsorption: Adsorption generally occurs with release in energy, i. e. , it is exothermic in nature. The enthalpy change for the adsorption of one mole of an adsorbate on the surface of adsorbent is called enthalpy or heat of adsorption. 9. Types of adsorption: Get the Power of Visual Impact on your side Log on to www. topperlearning. com 2 a. Physical adsorption or physisorption: If the adsorbate is held on a surface of adsorbent by weak van der Waals’ forces, the adsorption is called physical adsorption or physisorption. . Chemical adsorption or chemisorption: If the forces holding the adsorbate are as strong as in chemical bonds, the adsorption process is known as chemical adsorption of chemisorption. It is highly specific (ii) It is irreversible (iii) The amount of gas adsorbed is not related to critical temperature of the gas. Physical adsorption (Physisorption) (i) It is non-specific (ii) It is reversible (iii) The amount of gas depends upon nature of gas, i. e. easily liquefiable gases like NH3, CO2, gas adsorbed to greater extent than H2 and He. Higher the critical temperature of gas, more will be the extent of adsorption. (iv) The extent of adsorption increases with increase in surface area, e. g. porous and finely divided metals are good adsorbents. (v) There are weak van der Waals’ forces of attraction between adsorbate and adsorbent. (vi) It has low enthalpy of adsorption (20 – 40 kJ mol-1) (vii) Low temperature is favourable. (viii) No appreciable activation energy is needed. (ix) It forms multimolecular layers. 11. (iv) It also increases with increase in surface area. v) There is strong force of attraction similar to chemical bond. (vi) It has enthalpy hea t of adsorption. High temperature is favourable. (viii) High activation energy is sometimes needed. (ix) It forms unimolecuar layers. Factors affecting adsorption of gases on solids: a. Nature of adsorbate: Physical adsorption is non-specific in nature and therefore every gas gets adsorbed on the surface of any solid to a lesser or greater extent. However, easily liquefiable gases like NH3. HCl, CO2, etc. which have higher critical temperatures are absorbed to greater extent whereas H 2, O2, N2 etc. re adsorbed to lesser extent. The chemical adsorption being highly specific, therefore, a gas gets adsorbed Get the Power of Visual Impact on your side Log on to www. topperlearning. com 3 on specific solid only if it enters into chemical combination with it. b. Nature of adsorbent: Activated carbon, metal oxides like aluminum oxide, silica gel and clay are commonly used adsorbents. They have their specific adsorption properties depending upon pores. c. Specific area of the adsorbent: The greater the spec ific area, more will be the extent of adsorption. That is why porous or finely divided forms of adsorbents adsorb larger quantities of adsorbate. The pores should be large enough to allow the gas molecules to enter. d. Pressure of the gas: Physical adsorption increases with increase in pressure. 12. Adsorption isotherm: The variation in the amount of gas adsorbed by the adsorbent with pressure at constant temperature can be expressed by means of a curve is termed as adsorption isotherm. 13. Freundlich Adsorption isotherm: The relationship between x and m pressure of the gas at constant temperature is called adsorption isotherm and is given by ? k P 1 /n (n ? 1) m Where x- mass of the gas adsorbed on mass m of the adsorbent and the gas at a particular temperature k and n depends upon the nature of gas and the solid x first increases with increase in pressure at low pressure but becomes m independent of pressure at high pressure. Get the Power of Visual Impact on your side Log on to www. topperlearning.

Inadequate Social Change of Booker T. Washington Essay -- African Amer

There has been much debate over Booker T. Washington and the effectiveness of his work at Tuskegee Institute. Some believe that he was a pioneer for black education in a time when few had the opportunity. Others believe that his conformity to the white ideal of what a black man should be hindered his ability to create real social change for his race. In his autobiography, Up From Slavery, Washington maps out his life from its humble beginnings as a slave up through the success of his school, Tuskegee Institute. He is quick to drop names of the important white businessmen and prominent citizens to ensure their support for his school. However, he is also quick to push his students to be productive members of their society. Through closer examination, can Washington's true views shine through? Did he win victories for his race through playing by the rules of white society or did he give in to their demands in pursuit of his own glory and "savior" status? Perhaps no one will ever know what was truly in his heart, but his public actions did not incite severe, complete, lasting social revelations for his African American brothers. In his Tuskegee school, he promoted the value of labor and hard work. The students built every building on the campus and took pride in their labor. They learned to read and write and many other industrial skills while working around the campus. Washington stated in his autobiography, My plan was to have them, while performing this service, taught the latest and best methods of labor, so that the school would not only get the benefit of their efforts, but the students themselves would be taught to see not only utility of labor, but beauty and dignity (Washington 103). Washington restricted t... ...ar that his intentions might have been good but his execution came out weak as he allowed himself to get consumed with desires for power and recognition. In the end, he became known in history as an "Uncle Tom" figure and unable to create any lasting change. But perhaps, his failure was essential to the development of the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. Leaders of that time saw his weaknesses and this time they would not make the same mistakes. They learned through Booker T. Washington's experience that playing by the white man's rules and moving up the ladder of their system would not give them the freedom they sought. Washington provided the experience needed to allow leaders that followed him to be successful in their fight for freedom. Works Cited Washington, Booker. Up From Slavery: The Autobiography Of Booker T. Washington: Aun Autobiography. Citadel, 2001.

Beowulf Literary Analysis

Nick Paine 3/11/13 Beowulf Literary Analysis In the poem Beowulf, the issue of whether or not this particular period is more barbaric or is more civilized. The author of Beowulf is trying to present a certain message in the poem. The message that can be pulled from Beowulf is that even within a society of thought to be malicious and barbaric, there is still room for it to be civilized. When you think of Vikings you don’t necessarily think of a civilized society.In Beowulf, the society of that particular era and people is thought to be fighting, dangerous and overall barbaric. This assumption is not completely because in the poem, the are big into fighting and most importantly there are monstrous creatures running amok, reeking havoc. With the monsters of Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon existing, it makes the society seem that much more horrid and barbaric. In the poem it describes Grendel by saying â€Å"He was spawned in that slime of Cain, murderous creatu res banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death. (35 l. 105-108 ). This just goes to show how elements like this can cause someone to believe this time period is more barbaric. However, after a closer evaluation of the poem you are able to see that this society is not as barbaric as it originally seems. Two examples of something that shows how this society can be considered civilized are the mead hall, and the armor worn by the people. In the poem it refers to the mead hall as the â€Å"Gold shining hall† (40, l. 239), this quote emphasizes the importance and pride they take in the mead hall.The mead hall is decorated with vast quantities of gold and it represents the respect it gets from the society. The armor is also regarded in the text when it says â€Å"Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt gleaming with a smith’s high art†(37, l. 139-140). This quote shows, once again, shows the pride of these people, this time in their a rmor. So, what you can conclude from this is that they can’t be so barbaric if they are taking the time and putting in the effort into these things.Their pride symbolizes how civilized the society actually was. Before analyzing the poem one may look at this society as being barbaric simply because of the monsters and what they know about Viking warriors. Yet, after further evaluation of the text you are able to find the messages the author has left, giving the idea that maybe the society is not so barbaric after all. Altogether, in the end it is safe to say the author has left a lesson saying not all things that are barbaric can’t be civilized.

Nazi Germany Totalitarian State

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Cooperation between respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals Essays

Cooperation between respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals Essays Cooperation between respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals Paper Cooperation between respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals Paper Introduction Amitav Acharya is Nanyang Technological University’s head of research at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, where he is also a professor. John McFarlane has had a long and successful career in the banking industry having been the head of Standard chartered Group and Citibank, retiring after having been chief executive for Australia’s Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. John Mcfarlane identified the following issues as being key in the context of Transactional criminal networks. Challenges facing law enforcement in fighting transactional criminal networks Traditional vs Non traditional hierarchical structures Mcfarlane noted that whereas in the traditionally most organizations had a hierarchical structure, that is there was a concentration of command, modern day organized crime has taken to specialization and the use of cells. This has gone further to the point that each cell has a specific function and are of specialization and separate cells are used for different jobs which facilitates concentration of skills and talents, making the law enforcement to have to cover several jurisdictions, complicating it to a large extent. Efficiency Focus has also shifted from the commodity that is being trafficked, or the service that is being provided, but rather the ability of the criminal organization to carryout these activities in the most efficiently and with minimal risk in of detection, while maximizing the profits that accrue from these activities. Investments of profits in legitimate businesses As opposed to the past trends, where the monies generated from criminal activities were used for lavish lifestyles, modern criminals are investing their money in legitimate businesses. Barriers to cooperation on countering transactional criminal networks Corruption ­ In the event that corruption exists within any law enforcement agency, they will be quite unwilling to share information, as they fear exposure. Economic considerations Both industrialized and developing countries tend to concentrate their efforts more towards trade and economic issues at the expense of developing ways to deal with crime. Nationalism and intergovernmental mistrust   Refers to the disagreement that may arise due to differing economic abilities of the states concerned wherein they may agree on matters of security but differ on economic issues. State complicity   Some states, especially the emerging markets, benefit marginally from the lawlessness and may therefore sabotage efforts to establish regional co-operation. Imperatives Global co-operation against terrorism ­Ã‚ ­ Most notable in the global fight against transactional criminal networks is the United Nations, which has formulated several tool and policy instruments in this regard. One such document is the United Nations Convention Against Transactional Crime of 2000. This resolution aims at cut the terrorists’ access to funding, weapons and safety by increasing cooperation between the UN and it member states. Regional multilateral cooperation against terrorism   Several discussion forums in the Asia – Pacific region have been formulated to deal with the barriers that were mentioned above. Some of the organizations include the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC). These bodies are engaged in the development of policies and strategies that will ensure that legal impediments to cooperation in fighting transactional crime networks are all straightened out and eliminated. They are also responsible for formulating and implementing policies that will ensure that the ASEAN states approach security threats regionally rather than individually thereby ensuring minimal overlapping and other problems associated with intergovernmental and interagency law enforcement. Reference McFarlane, John. (2004), Regional and International Cooperation in Tackling Transnational Crime, Terrorism and the Problems of Disrupte. Viewed on 13th March, 2008 at   URL: essex.ac.uk/ECpR/standinggroups/crime/members_files/mcfarlane.pdf. I am giving you a   shorter and less involving task today. I am expecting iot today. Use 275 words per page, 2 pages, 1 source and tutabian style. Istructions:: In Acharya text, John McFarlane examines the topic of Cooperation on Countering Transnational Criminal Networks in the Asia -Pacific. in Chapter 10, pp. 219-236. Please elaborate on the issue and evaluate TWO imperatives to be addressed in the context of multilateral cooperation at the regional level.

How to Measure Employee Business Writing Skills

How to Measure Employee Business Writing Skills One of the challenges of improving business writing in an organization is actuallymeasuringbusiness writing skills. "Good business writing" is a coveted skill for every analytical and collaborative employee. But, "good business writing" is also an fuzzy concept and tough to codify and measure. How then, can we measure "good business writing" skills? STEP ONE - Separate the measurement of content and analysis (the substance of a document) from thelanguageof the document (the syntax). Substance and syntax must be measured separately, because they are two distinct aspects unique to business writing. Business writing requires a keen analysis of the audience and decisions about matching the right document content to that particular audience. If this is wrong,syntax improvements will never correct content gaps or repetition or jumbled content. If the content is wrongly matched to audience needs, polish alone will never fix it. So, to first measure business writing skills, we have to separate the substance of documents from the syntax. STEP TWO - Analyze the substance of typical employee documents to measure what is working and what is not. Define the goals of the documents your employees need to write. What do you want a reader to know or do after reading this document? Then assess the skills required to achieve the document purpose. Every business document requires five core requisite skills. The first four are related to substance, while the last is related to syntax: Audience awareness Appropriate content Content logically categorized Content logically sequenced Syntax and grammar that is clear and correct and interesting The key is to identify the desired business outcome of key documents, and then break down the writing skills into measurable components. This will give you the content measurements you need to truly measure what is working, and not working. CLIENTS ONLY: Please contact us for templates you are welcome to use for your assessments. STEP THREE - Working with the same representative documents, next analyze the syntax. Good news. Syntax is much easier to evaluate than substance. And, syntax errors are very easy to fix. Typically, strong analytical employees, who likely work in finance, business analysis, technology, engineering, and energy, may not love business writing as part of their work only because they didn't write much in college. They preferred other courses. So, they may mistakenly feel their writing skills are weak. In fact, they possess the critical analytical skills so important for substance. I'm guessing you didn't hire a financial analyst for his or her ability with commas. You hired him or her because of keen analytical ability in finance! hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '934718b3-251a-45d6-8853-a7f94e43b92c', {}); Here are 2 resources to help you assess syntax in your employees' documents: 1. Syntax Measurement Resource #1 Microsoft's Readability Index. Run the documents through this tool, which will provide actual measurements for passive vs. active voice, and simplicity of sentence structure. This is an excellent tool to assess the all-important element of clarity since it reports on: 1. Words per sentence (average) 2. Percentage of passive sentences 3. Flesch Reading Ease score 4. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Words per sentence - In general, the longer the sentence, the harder it becomes for your reader to follow along. That's not to say you should always write in short sentences. Instead, strive for a variety that makes for lively reading. Percentage of sentences written in the passive voice measures the readability of your text as the ratio of passive sentences over active sentences. The lower the score, the better. Active sentences are nearly always easier to read and understand, making your message clearer and more persuasive. Aim for a score less than 20%. The Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) is the standard test of readability used by the U.S. Department of Defense for its documents and forms. The results can be between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier it is to understand what you have written. For example, a typical issue of Reader's Digest earns an FRE score of around 65 while Time Magazine scores in the low 50's. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address scores a 74.2. One way to score higher is to use shorter sentences. The results can be interpreted as following: * 0-29 - very confusing hard to read * 30-49 - difficult to read * 50-59 - fairly difficult * 60-69 - standard * 70-79 - fairly easy * 80-89 - easy * 90-100 - very easy Recommendation: A score of 60 or more. Higher is better. Even for business documents, a score of 60 is very achievable and it takes only a few edits to obtain it. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL)translates the Flesch Reading Ease measure to a grade level. The grade level means the number of years of education generally required to understand the document. For example, a score of 9.4 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in the 9th grade. Most newspapers in the U.S. are written at a seventh to eighth grade level. Recommendation: 8.0 to 10.0 is a good target, but lower is better because it reflects language clarity, not content complexity. Remember: these measurements only assess the syntax of documents, not content. But, they will provide useful snapshot measurements to diagnose the clarity and syntax in employee documents. Here are the Readability Scores for the article you are reading now: Passive voice is very low, so that's good. The Flesh Reading Ease score is just a bit above standard, which is fine since this is a complex topic and you, my fine readers, are smart business leaders! The Flesh-Kincaid grade level score assures me that even though the concepts in the article are complex, the language is easy to understand. 2. Syntax Measurement Resource #2 Microsoft's Grammar Check. It is not infallible, but you can use simple Grammar Check to discover the actual grammar errors presenting in employee documents. Then, summarize those errors. It's ineffective - and let's admit it's boring - to present general grammar training. Instead, address the actual errors presenting. This is much more productive. Consolidate and Analyze Your Measurements See where the gaps in content are occurring. The usual gaps for content are in audience targeting and content. We all tend to write a subject from our understanding, instead of what our reader needs. Categorizing content logically is another very common issue in analytical writing. The usual gaps in syntax are clarity and engaged tone. Grammar errors vary across organizations. Knowing what is working, and not working, in your employees' business writing is the first step in truly improving business writing. Armed with real measurements, you can then provide employee feedback and request business writing training that addresses actual gaps.

Sugar Cane Alley Video Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sugar Cane Alley Video - Assignment Example Indeed, formal education had thought him that nothing could be more enslaving than for his true identity to be missing. In his search for knowledge therefore, Jose was also seriously searching for his true identity and a self will that would make him accept his roots and identity as the best. After all it is said that even if the back of your teeth is sour, it remains where your tongue licks. This means that even if you shy away from your identity because of whatever negative tag it may have, it remains your roots. For Jose to have said that "tomorrow Ill return to Fort de France and Ill take my Black Shack Alley with me" therefore means that Jose had finally come to find the solution to the puzzle he had been trying to solve since the beginning of the movie. The puzzle of his identity – the puzzle of who he was! The solution was that he was Black and came from the true Black identity, which is of course Africa and for the fact that he admired and revered where he was coming from, he was ready to take his identity along with him without fear or shyness. The statement therefore means the discovery of Jose’s identity and his readiness to embrace his true and original identity without

Consumers' experiences of stigma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumers' experiences of stigma - Essay Example The same research also found out that at least 450 million people in the world suffer from mental health problems (Thompson and Thompson 1997, p.6). Another research also established that at least one in every 12 people suffer from depressive disorders. Like any other disease, a majority of those suffering from mental health disorders are capable of recovering fully when subjected to the right treatment and management and live a normal life like any other person. However, this is only possible when such people are helped at early stages. However, since people with mental illnesses cannot make rational decisions regarding their life, it is important that they receive the best care and physical and moral support from friends and families to enable them manage their health conditions. Nevertheless, research indicates that a majority of those experiencing mental health problems tend to experience strong social stigmatization from those who help them manage their health conditions because of their mental status. Byrne (2000) defines stigma as a sign, discredit, or disgrace, which separates a person from the rest. In other words, stigma is the negative view of someone based on his or her condition or status. Stigma is always accompanied by discrimination, since those who are experiencing stigma experience discrimination at the same time. Stigmatization is not good as everyone irrespective of mental status need equal treatment from others (Pande 2009). This is because stigmatization is likely to worsen the condition of the person thereby hindering recovery. Research has also shown that stigmatization of people with mental illness has many effects on the person being stigmatized (Thompson and Thompson 1997, p.8). This paper will explore the sources and effects of stigma for people experiencing mental health problems. To begin with, Corrigan and Watson (2002, p.16) argues that patients with mental disorders suffer doubly. This is because whereas they struggle to cope wi th the symptoms and disabilities occasioned by their health status, they also face the challenge of stigmatization that results from misconception regarding their mental illnesses. Research indicates that stigmatization effects adversely affects people with mental illness and acts as one of the chief barriers to their recovery process. Study has also shown that stigmatization against people with mental illnesses is real in the society (Thompson and Thompson 1997, p.6). This is after a research found out that millions of people with mental disorders experience stigmatization. The research found out that close to nine out of ten individuals with mental health disorders reported having been stigmatized and discriminated because of their mental health problems. Such people also reports having suffered negative consequences as a result of stigma and discrimination. To make matters worse, Coubrough (2008) also found out that stigma is being extended even to those taking care of people wit h mental health problems. As a result, this has made people shy away from taking care of people with mental health disorders. During the research, Coubrough (2008) noted that stigma originated mainly from immediate family members of the mentally challenged, which stood at 36%. This was followed by employers at 35%, 31% from neighbors while friends posted the least at 25% (Coubrough 2008). This is a clear indication that the mentally chal