Outbox September 29, 2017

Inbox/Outbox September 29, 2017 Inbox (Books Acquired) This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins Jerkins is a powerful voice on my Twitter feed, so I leapt at the chance to download a review copy of this collection of interlinked essays. I cant wait to read what happens when Jerkins uses that form (not to mention her critical eye and writerly talents) to examine life in contemporary America. Dont Call Us Dead by Danez Smith If youve ever spent any time in the #blacklivesmatter hashtag on Twitter, youve probably read one of Smiths poems (like alternative names for black boys) that grapple with police brutality and the state-sanctioned murder of black people in America.  Dont Call Us Dead, Smiths second collection, promises to be just as cutting and even more capacious. Bearly A Lady by Cassandra Khaw This one stars a plus-sized werebear with a vampire roommate and a multi-gender, multi-species stable of love interests. Buying it was a no-brainer. Outbox (Books Finished) Binary System by Eric Brown Last year, I read and enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovskys Children of Time,  and this one hits similar notes (if in a less epic and less weird fashion). Sentient, cruel locust creatures, bright blue monkeys, and giant spider crabs are locked in a millennia-long struggle when a human survivor lands on their planet and gets caught up in their struggles. Its pretty classic sci-fi, without some of the genres more obnoxious obsessions (e.g. a relentless focus on technology). Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire I downed this one immediately after finishing Every Heart a Doorway, the first Wayward Children book, which recently won a Hugo. Theyre a little short for my taste (leaving not much time for rich, immersive world-building), but both books are clever delights. In the Queue (What Im Reading Next) The Red Threads of Fortune by JY Yang As I write this post, Im biding my time until September 26, when I can pounce on JY Yangs Tensorate Series. This pair of twin novellas (The Red Threads of Fortune  and  The Black Tides of Heaven), released simultaneously in a brilliant-if-anxiety-inducing move, sound so fascinating that Im reading them as soon as humanly possible. Now I just have to decide which to read first…

Teens as Victims of Cyberbullying - 1482 Words

â€Å"Around half of teens have been the victims of cyber bullies,† Richard Webster from the â€Å"Cyber bullying is when a person or a group is trying to embarrass and harm or intimidate those who are weaker than them†. â€Å"Cyber bullying to texting: What’s on your kids ‘Cell?† What is cyber bullying? The Stop bullying Organization explains what the meaning of cyber bullying is. Cyber bullies are able to use cells phones and the internet to make it very easy bully other people. Lawmakers and Schools should take more action towards people who are being bullies because it can lead to depression, suicide, and mental issue. Since bullying has increased; cyber bullying has become harder to control by parents teachers and peers. They feel embarrassed,†¦show more content†¦Schools should not be the only ones held responsible for cyber bullying. Lawmakers need to enforce laws about online harassment because people will most definably will stop an d think before they decide to bully anyone. In the provided graph show how the students felt what would for who to handle bullying situations. As seen in the graph the one that most students choose was the schools and lawmakers. This proves that most people believe that it takes more than one person to handle any bullying situation. Laws are needed against people who decide to make fun of anyone by using the internet or using the cell phones. Cyber bullying should not be tolerated when lives and feelings can be saved. By enforcing this law the bullies would be more afraid to bully anybody knowing there are consequences for their actions. The following consequences should include community service, the right to take away any electronics, and worst case jail time. The lawmakers need to shut down all of the social networks because it’s not needed, and that how people are people are easily getting bullied. Honestly social media is a big cause and it’s not needed it’s a waste of time and is hurting a large numb er of people. Just by changing that it could make a big difference change in society today. Nobody should not have the right to harass anyone and to hurt them in any way emotionally orShow MoreRelatedSuicide Among Teen Victims Of Cyberbullying Essay890 Words   |  4 PagesSuicide among Teen Victims of Cyberbullying Suicide among teens who were victims of cyberbullying has been an ongoing issue for quite some time. Legally, cyberbullying is very problematic not only for the victims and their families, but also the justice system. What is considered cyberbullying is and because cyberbullying is committed by school age children there is an ethical issue in what is considered as an appropriate legal punishment and which branch of the government should be the one to pursueRead MoreTeen Suicide : A Victim Of Severe Cyberbullying3502 Words   |  15 Pagesthe victim of severe cyberbullying. The boy she was talking to began to say hurtful things to her, which quickly spiraled into a situation where many of her â€Å"friends† on social media began posting derogatory comments about her. Despite her parents’ pleas to get off the Internet, Megan continued to read the comments. That night, Megan’s mom found her hanged in her closet (Megan Meir Foundation, n.d.). This story is one of the many that has caught the media’s attention over recent years. Teen suicideRead MoreCyberbullying, Prevention, And Results Of Cyberbullying1494 Words   |  6 Pagesas â€Å"a person who is habitually cruel or overbearing.† When these two words are combined, cyberbullying is best described as someone who uses the computer and access it provides to bully someone. However, there is much more to cyberbullying than they may possibly believe they know: background information about cyberbullying, the types of cyberbullying, prevention, and results of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying; the use of internet, cell phones, other electronic communication devices to spread harmfulRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Cyber Bullying1705 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of cyberbullying is truly frightening, and the arrival of modern technology and the rise of social network make it even worst. With the invention of the Internet and its mass commercial use, some people might not have foreseen the issue of â€Å"cyberbullying† and how harmful it can really be. Cyberbullying is a real phenomenon that has been present for some time. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of the Internet and technology to purposely harm another person in a hostile way. Cyberbullying has becomeRead MoreEssay On Cyberbullying969 Words   |  4 Pages Cyberbullying is growing and becoming one of the leading causes of teen suicide. Cyberbullying occurs when a person posts or messages someone in a negative way online. It can include threats, harassment, and even smearing someone’s name by spreading lies. The web’s anonymity provides the perfect cover for bullies to harass classmates or even mere strangers. Cyberbullying is usually not a hit and run, bullies target one teen and insult or spread rumors about them, not realizing that if caught, theyRead MoreBullying : The Causes And Effects Of Cyberbullying1508 Words   |  7 PagesCyberbullying is usually between a few students that are in the same class or even in the same age group. A lot of people think they know what cyberbullying and bullying is but they are not the same. Cyberbullying can affect a kid as much as physical bullying. Cyberbullying has been proven to affect one out of every three children. There are seven or more different ways a person can be cyberbu llied. It can lead to person a harming themselves or others being harmed. Cyberbullying has been provenRead MoreCyberbullying Is A Serious Problem1697 Words   |  7 PagesCyberbullying Bullying has existed for generations. Bullying use to occur face- to –face; you knew who the bullies were and where they lived. Because of available technology, a bully can be totally anonymous on the internet. Technology advancements, internet and social networks have produced a new method of bullying called cyberbullyimg. Cyberbullying incidents have become widespread in the past few years. According to DoSomething.org,† almost sixty percent of young people say that they have beenRead MoreEssay on Cyberbullying is a Serious Problem1536 Words   |  7 Pagesnew method of bullying called cyberbullyimg. Cyberbullying incidents have become widespread in the past few years. According to DoSomething.org,† almost sixty percent of young people say that they have been cyberbullied before. Sixty-eight percent of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem. Eighty-one percent of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person† (11 Facts 2013). Cyberbullying is a serious problem with devastating consequencesRead MoreEssay about Cyberbullying, the Downside of Social Media964 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Every child on Facebook likely has a bullying story, whether as the victim, bully or as a witness.† – National Bullying Prevention Center As technology as progressed over the years so to has society with it. The use of technology has infiltrated and changed society in an endless number of ways and it only continues to grow. The interesting thing about the advances of technology and their impacts on society are the ways that they adapt to a common facet of human society and evolve it. OneRead MoreBullying And Its Effects On Society1709 Words   |  7 Pagesneeds to understand that bullying is not something that happens just on the playground anymore where the bully stole your lunch money. Bullying has evolved just like everything else in the world. It has taken over the social network that today’s teens have seemingly become obsessed with. Social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram allow users to insult, bully and threaten other users without any fear of punishment. Along with the social network, bullying has taken over majority

Brief Analysis of The Works of Edgar Allan Poe - 1271 Words

Readers get an education when it comes to the role that the first-person narrator takes on some of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† (1843) the unnamed narrator is not trying to convince the reader that he is not guilty, just that he is not crazy. He was justified in killing the old man with the â€Å"vulture-like eye† and hiding the body under the floorboards of his home. He may be trying to save his own skin, but that is not the point. The crime is not in question; it is the narrator’s sanity. How can one trust the storyteller, if you only get one part of the story? This is what makes the journey as a reader more interesting. How do you discern the truth? This is what it is like going through Poe’s work. Most of†¦show more content†¦It is not until the end of the story when a servant shrieks in terror as he sees Egaeus and points at his master’s clothing â€Å"muddy and clotted with gore† and â€Å"indented with human nails.† There were some objects by the wall—a spade and a box inside â€Å"some instruments of dental surgery, intermingled with thirty-two small, white, and ivory-looking substances that were scattered to and fro about the floor.† Berenice was alive and Egaeus obsession made a bad thing even worse. He is in denial as to what he did that he identified Berenice’s teeth as â€Å"ivory-looking substances.† He turns something ugly into a beautiful thing as he describes what he sees. Egaeus does not want to believe that he did what he did. Just on that element alone, his story needs to be questioned. However in fiction things do not tend to be so straightforward and there are other elements that need to be taken into consideration. Things may not be as it seems. Among Poe’s short stories there are two that hint about the supernatural or the unexplained, but it is all left to the reader as to make his or her own interpretation of the story. Morella—A Tale of Obsession â€Å"Morella† involves a married couple who dabble in witchcraft and the Dark Arts. The husband is the storyteller. Morella, who is about to die while giving birth to their daughter, tells her unloved husband that she is never going to leave him. He may show love to his child, but she it may be shortlived. The daughter,Show MoreRelatedThe Tortured Poet : Edgar Allan Poe1312 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tortured Poet: Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"Beauty is the sole legitimate province of the poem† Poe, Edgar Allan. The Philosophy of Composition. 1846. The name Poe often brings to mind tales of horror and mystery, but this Poe was also a writer of sophisticated poems, capable of extreme poetic beauty within a dark genre of writing. Poe never lived the happiest of lives, but his writing is extraordinary, both for its execution, and for the sheer elegance of the words which he found to write upon the pageRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s Writing Style1303 Words   |  6 Pagesprovince of the poem† Poe, Edgar Allan. The Philosophy of Composition. 1846. The name Poe often brings to mind tales of horror and mystery, but this Poe was also a writer of sophisticated poems, capable of extreme poetic beauty within a dark genre of writing. Poe never lived the happiest of lives, but his writing is extraordinary, both for its execution, and for the sheer elegance of the words which he found to write upon the page. Death is amo ng one of the recurring themes which Poe explored. Dark andRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s Life1954 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout the many works that Edgar Allan Poe has written in his lifetime, whether the work is a poem, novel, analysis, or critique, Poe has incorporated many reoccurring themes that define him as a writer. A theme that has brought much criticism upon Poe is his Classicist aspect of writing. Poe was very clear and detailed when he wrote in prose. This way of writing proved him to be somewhat of a rebel and veered off the beaten path when it comes to form. In Poe’s time the Gothic style was notRead MoreAnalysing the Black Cat Using Labovs Narrative Structure5713 Words   |  23 Pagesthe elements of Labov’s Narrative Structure 2. discuss the way Edgar Allen Poe structured his short story to form the elements of tragedy, mystery and terror as presented in the short story In completing the task, I will use Labov’s Narrative Theory to conduct narrative analysis of the short story, The Black Cat written by Edgar Allan Poe. The structure of this essay begins with the introduction to narrative and narrative analysis. The second part develops in the literature review where I willRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe : A Literary Catalyst2302 Words   |  10 PagesEdgar Allan Poe: A Literary Catalyst Edgar Allan Poe created a new age of poem and prose though his articulate calculation of production and fantastic usage of poetic effect. His way of creating a work was to mathematically draw the poem from the atmosphere or effect backwards, running this idea throughout the piece. Many people consider Edgar Allan Poe as one of America’s greatest authors, but still question that without Poe, the unveiling of the human propensity represented in poetryRead More An Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes Psychological Thriller Essay3707 Words   |  15 PagesAn Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes Psychological Thriller Outline I. Prelude II. Brief introduction to Adgar Allan Poe 1. 1. Allan Poes Life 2. 2. Allan Poes Works and Literary Achievement III. Adgar Allan Poe -- A Post-Gothic Writer 1. 1. Gothic Introduction 2. 2. Analysis of Two Horror 1) 1) The Fall of the House of Usher a) a) Setting b) b) Characters c) c) Point of View 2) 2) The Masque of the Red Death a) a) Setting b) b) Characters Read MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart Essay1597 Words   |  7 PagesPoe’s Method to Madness [Hook] With his short stories and poems, Edgar Allan Poe has captivated the imagination and interest of readers all around the world. His creative talents led to the beginning of different literary genres, earning him the nickname Father of the Detective Story among other distinctions (Poe s Literary Contributions). It may be concluded he wrote such dark stories and poems because of the adverse situations he faced in life. Much of his life was surrounded by sadness, deathRead MoreRomanticism in American Literature2283 Words   |  10 PagesGetting to Know Thoreau Poe Within this paper will be an explanation of the ideals of Romantic writers in Early American Literature. We will also look at some aspects of Romanticism that were uniquely understood by the writers and artists in the United States. There will be a brief discussion of â€Å"bright† and â€Å"dark† Romantic writing and it is there that we will look at the lives, and one poem each, of Henry David Thoreau, a â€Å"bright† romantic writer and Edgar Allan Poe, a â€Å"dark† romantic writerRead MoreThe Raven And Ulalume By Edgar Allan Poe3442 Words   |  14 Pagesand Repetition Discussed in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and Ulalume Were I called on to define the term ‘Art,’ Poe once wrote, I should call it ‘the reproduction of what the Senses perceive in Nature through the veil of the Soul.’ The intense grief that is felt after losing a loved one can often result in despair and irrationality, but in some of Poe’s poetry it has resulted in the severe mental collapse of the narrator. In The Raven and Ulalume by Edgar Allan Poe, the adverse effects followingRead MorePoetry In Poes The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe937 Words   |  4 PagesEvery time we hear the word poetry we immediately think of romance and beauty. However, having read the poem â€Å"The Raven† by Edgar Allan Poe, we have concluded that even dark and gloomy poetry has its own meaning. While going through its stanzas, the magnificent style and rhythm of Poe’s writing made me feel like I also was in the room with the narrator. The poem itself is an incredible experience, filled with deep meanings and symbol s that if you’re not aware of them you can totally misunderstand

Case Study Air Transport Management And Operations

Air Transport Management and Operations Module AT502 TASK 3 Ben Matthews 30/10/14 CONTENTS Task 3: Perform a strategic analysis of your chosen airline. The analysis should take appropriate consideration of factors both internal and external to the organization. 1. Introduction 2. Main findings 2.1 Appraisal of airline’s operating environment 2.2 Appraisal of Airlines internal capabilities 2.3 Key Issues identification and analysis 3. Conclusions 4. References List 1. Task 3 Industry Overview The LCC industry first began in the United States with Pacific Southwest Airlines, evolving the model in the late 1940’s. The EU business did not develop until after deregulation came into force during the 1990’s, thus making air travel cheaper and more accessable for a larger proportion of customers. Moving forward on the ever evolving requirement for cost effective travel mainly by families and recreational individuals (average annual increase of 9.4% for leisure passengers between the mid 90’s and 00’s), aviation has experienced rapid incline since then. Most significantly, UK company EasyJet, established in 1995 and Irish carrier Ryanair, born in 1990. Both were able to shape the European market. 2. Main findings 2.1 Appraisal of the airline’s operating environment Political Factors The evolution of the LCC industry in the EU was only possible because of one major change in 1997 – the deregulation of the European flight market. Before, the market for flightsShow MoreRelatedThe Organizational Change And Development Of A Travel And Tourism Organization933 Words   |  4 PagesManagement for Travel and Tourism Name: BALKISU TEJAN, ID: 37007 ANALYSIS OF THE ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAVEL AND TOURISM ORGANIZATION: CASE STUDY OF BRITISH AIRWAYS It is essential that an organization undergoes growth and development, Organizational change and innovation. Many investigators have formulated theories related to change management once they begin to understand the importance of organizational change and innovation. This theoriesRead MoreThe Problem With Ageing Aircraft1411 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction In the present day, air transport is suggested to be safest means of transport we have at our disposal[1]. Studies state that over 50% of the fatality rate has been reduced over the past 15 years. Yet, the few major accidents that occur claim a large magnitude of life in such short space and time that it grabs the world’s attention[2]. It is a widely accepted notion that aged aircraft are a risk, but to consider them to be an unacceptable risk is a multifaceted question, since the majorityRead MoreLegal Landscape Of Air Charter Transportation1232 Words   |  5 PagesLANDSCAPE OF AIR CHARTER TRANSPORTATION The air transportation services in India are controlled by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (hereinafter â€Å"DGCA†), operating under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA). According to Rule 134 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, the DGCA is empowered to grant permission to individuals to operate an air transport service to, within and from India. The rules promulgated by DGCA for issuance of permits for air transport services are ensconced within Non-Scheduled Air TransportRead MoreTransportation Problem and Solution in Case of Bangladesh1652 Words   |  7 Pagesin Case of Bangladesh An adequate and efficient transport system is a pre-requisite for both initiating and sustaining economic development. Investment in improving transport efficiency is the key to expansion and integration of markets - sub-national, national and international. It also helps the generation of economies of scale, increased competition, reduced cost, systematic urbanization, export-led faster growth and a larger share of international trade. The transport systemRead MoreDelta Air Lines Airport Airspace Capacity Case Study1370 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Air Canada has four hubs and all are located within the country. They are Toronto Pearson International Airport, Montrà ©al–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport. Due to the large geographic area of the country, air transportation is the primary mode of travel for the Canadian population. Canada’s population growth rate was the highest amongst the G8 countries between 2006 and 2011 at 5.3%. Along with that, theRead MoreA Report On Southwest Airlines Essay1224 Words   |  5 Pagesunderserved city markets and secondary airports in the central urban areas. Nonetheless, the very success of this operation is putting stress on the airports it operated as well as the ATC systems. The continuation on growing profits depends critically on freeing up the infrastructure to respond to increased future demand. However, during the last year, the increase in air carrier operations at the airport caused opposition to growth Dallas Love Field from neighbor’s communities. This situation due toRead MoreQuestionnaire On Business Research Methods1415 Words   |  6 Pages(4490938) Kiranpreet Kaur (4492272) Statement of the Research This Questionnaire is designed to address the â€Å"Management problem in Airline industry due to the rapid growth of Low Cost Carriers† (LCCs) which especially increase the demand of Low cost travel. With the help of this survey, we will help the department of Infrastructure and Transport to get a better understanding of the factors such as brand image, experience, satisfaction that influence future behaviour intentionRead MoreWhat Is The Sustainable Supply Chain?1331 Words   |  6 PagesIn recent years sustainable supply chain management is one of the most interesting issues among supply chain experts. The sustainable supply chain focuses on social, environmental and economic performance measures as main pillars of sustainability. Environmental aspects of the sustainable supply chain include input- oriented factors such as renewable energy sources, natural resources, water and energy consumption or water quality, while output- oriented factors concentrate on waste and pollution[1]Read MoreEssay on Airline Portfolio: Delta Air Lines Analysis 1421 Words   |  6 PagesDelta Air Lines began in the early 1920’s as a crop dusting operation, known as the Huff Daland crop dus ting company, and was based out of Macon, Ga. This was the first agricultural flying company in existence at the time and grew into the world’s largest privately owned fleet of aircraft (18 planes) by the mid 1920’s. At the turn of the decade, co-founder C.E. Woolman lead a movement to purchase Huff Daland and re-branded the company as Delta Air Service, named after the Mississippi River DeltaRead MorePhilippine Environment Code1477 Words   |  6 PagesPhilippine Environmental Code is a body of laws settling forth management policies and prescribing quality standards for the environment in its totality. †¢ Provided a comprehensive program of environmental protection and management. The Code established specific environment management policies and prescribes environmental quality standards. AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT The purposes of this Title are: a. to achieve and maintain such levels of air quality as to protect public health; and b. to prevent to the

Termination - Litigation and International Law

Question: Describe about the Termination, Litigation and International Law. Answer: 1. In Paul Blakeslee v Shaw Environment and Infrastructure, an employee named Paul Blakeslee was terminated for reporting an illegal conduct of a senior supervisor. Paul Blakeslee learned that a project manager owned one third of a company which was leasing equipments to Shaw Environment and Infrastructure of an amount costing $2 million. In the said case, a good investigation team in the said company could help to avoid the said wrongful termination litigation as the wrongful conduct of the senior supervisor would be investigated way in advance or the employee who was fired could ask the investigation team to take an action against the senior supervisor. Additionally, a strict internal policy regarding illegal conduct would prevent the senior supervisor from engaging in illegitimate activities. Moreover, employee training programmes in a company can be adopted to ensure employees are told about the consequences of misconduct. Also, written acknowledgment to not engage in misconduct should be signed by all employees (Autor, Donohue Schwab, 2016). The appropriate manner to terminate an employee without a potential risk of litigation is after considering companies policies, employment contract, state and federal laws that protect employees and wrongful employment, reviewing the personal achievement file of the employee and then stating appropriate and just reasons for terminating the employee like poor performance or illegal or wrongful misconduct. It is important for the employer to provide good cause or justifiable reason to terminate an employee which can help in avoiding potential litigation for wrongful termination (Acharya, Baghai Subramanian, 2014). Reference List Acharya, V. V., Baghai, R. P., Subramanian, K. V. (2014). Wrongful discharge laws and innovation.Review of Financial Studies,27(1), 301-346. Autor, D. H., Donohue III, J. J., Schwab, S. J. (2016). The costs of wrongful-discharge laws.The Review of Economics and Statistics,88(2), 211-231.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Essays - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon The story starts out with 9-year-old Trisha McFarland going on a hike with her brother and her recently divorced mom. Her mom, who is determined to give the kids a good time on the weekends together, dragged them to go on a six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Trail. Her brother, Pete constantly fights with their mom since he's unhappy that they moved from Boston to small-town Maine. While hiking on the trail, Pete and their mom started bickering like usual, Trisha who had to go to the bathroom and was sick of hearing them argue, stepped off the trail for a little bit. She wanders a little too far off by herself, and tried to take a short cut back to the trail but soon realized that she was lost in the wilderness. While in the wilderness, she thinks about her loved ones: her Dad, who was the perfect father until his beer habit ruined him, her loving but stubborn Mom, and Trisha's best friend, Pepsi Robichaud and her saying "Don't go all GIRLY on me, McFarland!" It was tough for her since she had to improvise, and try to remember hiking and camping tips her mother used to give her to survive. After the first night in the wilderness, she started having hallucinations, both good and bad, and drifting in and out of the real world. The bad one was the monster that she imagined that watched her every day while she slept, and sometimes followed her, whom she named the God of the Lost. After walking a few days, she started to find cruelly slaughtered animals and claw marks on the trees. The good hallucination was Tom Gordon, the baseball player who she loved and adored. He always popped up when she needed help, or when she was afraid. Her Walkman was the one thing that kept her sane, voices in the wilderness calmed her. It made things seem normal. Her favorite thing to do was to listen to the baseball games and cheer for Tom Gordon, pretending she was there at the ballpark, actually watching him play. Nine days later, she somehow ended up walking until she was just about 4 miles from New Hampshire Route 96. There, she knew she had to face the God of the Lost who finally came out, and let her see it. The last thing she did, before a hunter came and found her, was through her Walkman at the God of the Lost baseball-style. The man then shot his rifle at the thing that he later questioned if it was a bear or something else. Turned out that Trisha's disappearance was all over the news. She was then brought to a hospital, where her worried parents and brother came to see her, each of whom blamed themselves for her disappearance.

Top ten writing tips for scientists

Top ten writing tips for scientists Top ten writing tips for scientists Ask most scientists, engineers and technologists why they got into the profession and theyre unlikely to say it was because they love writing. But love it or hate it, writing is an essential part of a scientific career. Report writing skills are crucial to communicating your research, ideas and recommendations. Losing the gems of months of research in confusing, convoluted prose helps neither you nor your readers. The way you write can be more important that what you write. An instantly readable report will usually have more impact than one that is difficult to decipher. Science doesnt exist in a vacuum. So if you cannot communicate effectively to colleagues and the general public, your work is likely to be perceived as less important. In fact, if you cant communicate what you do, you could argue that you might as well not do it in the first place. Here are the top tips and techniques that can transform your written work: 1. Ask the right questions Powerful writing starts from an ordered, clear structure. Begin ordering your ideas by asking yourself the questions: what? where? when? how? why? and who? When you know what you want to communicate, and why, you can then lay out your core idea first, and expand on it in the rest of the document. Always make sure you ask yourself the exact purpose of what you are writing. When you have a clear intent, you have a much better chance of crafting an effective document. 2. Avoid jargon where possible Abbreviations are a great shortcut when you and your reader speak a common language. But dont forget that there may be acronyms and abbreviations that people outside your organisation or area of expertise just wouldnt know. This doesnt mean that you have to avoid jargon at all costs. Just be aware of your readers knowledge and choose the words and phrases that you are certain they will understand. Most people overestimate how much their readers know and bombard them with too many technical words and phrases. 3. Focus on your reader Do your readers really know everything about thermodynamics or mass transfer? Or are they more concerned with how the science affects the companys bottom line? Ask yourself the following questions so that you can tailor your information to your reader. Who will read the document? How much experience do they have of the subject? How much do they know about it? What is their likely attitude towards it? How involved in the subject are they? How interested are they in the subject? 4. Dont show off In academia, the more knowledge, information and argument you display, the higher the marks. In the commercial world, only the most significant information is necessary. Summarising a wealth of related issues may at first appear to cement your expert status, but it doesnt help your reader. Managers often have several reports to read a day, so focus on becoming a solution provider. 5. Create a compelling opening paragraph Research has shown that when it comes to focus, people remember the beginning and end of something, plus a high point in the middle. This is as true for reports as it is for holidays or feature films. So make sure that your conclusions and recommendations are in the summary. If you bury your recommendations in the middle, theres no guarantee that your readers will get that far. 6. Be confident Say what you really mean and your readers will thank you for it. It can be a little disconcerting to write clearly and in plain English, especially if you come from an organisation that doesnt encourage having a definitive viewpoint. But it will help you to become recognised as a thought leader and means that your work reaches a much wider audience. 7. Learn how to KISS Keep it Short and Simple! Avoid long flowery phrases and make sure your sentences contain a maximum of 15 to 20 words. Presenting information in short, manageable chunks also helps you to keep the reader with you, so stick to the principle of one idea per sentence. To paraphrase Einstein: Make things as simple as they are but no simpler. 8. Get active Where possible, use the active voice rather than the passive one. Instead of writing, the reactions of various metals were tested, write we tested the reactions of various metals. Adding in the word we makes the document more personal. Dont be afraid to use the word you when writing reports for non-scientists. The idea is to engage the reader and active, personal language does just that. 9. Check for errors Always proofread carefully by printing out your document and combing through it word for word. You cannot rely on your spellchecker to know the difference between palate and pallet, especially if you have it on the automated setting. Print it out first. And if possible, put your work aside for a day and come back to it with fresh eyes. Its likely that any errors will jump out at you more easily. Also check for punctuation and make sure that your structure is as effective as it can be. 10. Use a style guide Grab a free copy of The Write Stuff to help you with the writing process. This 60-page guide contains the very essence of good writing. How Emphasis helped scientists to write more clearly One of Europes leading pharmaceutical companies asked Emphasis to improve its scientists report-writing skills. The problem? Many of their written reports were failing to communicate the results of their research and development work in a clear and concise way. The training programme changed how the scientists approach, plan and structure their reports. Before the training programme, most people saw writing as an irritating distraction from their research and their reports had to be heavily edited. Now, there are fewer amendments, the medical director explains. This has reinforced the lessons learned during the training, creating a positive cycle that has, in turn, promoted better writing throughout the company. To find out how to write technical documents as quickly and efficiently as possible, see our technical writing course. Robert Ashton is the Chief Executive of Emphasis.