Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 1 of 6
June 30, 2007
ACCEPT, EXCEPT
Not commonly seen even from unpublished writers, who are probably familiar with the difference because they’re all waiting for an acceptance!
“We accept your invitation to your party, except for Bill, who will be away on that day.”
ADAPT, ADEPT, ADOPT
Adapt means to adjust, adept means skilled and
adopt means to take as your own:
“Some people cannot adapt to new surroundings.”
“He is very adept at dodging awkward questions.”
“He tends to adopt the attitudes of those around him.”
ADVERSE, AVERSE
Adverse means inauspicious, hostile; averse means disinclined, repelled.
“I’m very much averse to making a long, arduous journey under such adverse weather conditions.”
ADVICE, ADVISE
Advice is the noun and advise the verb.
“His advice was that we should advise everybody to either stay away or be extremely careful.”
AFFECT, EFFECT
Affect is a verb; effect is a noun.
“Bad weather will affect the quality of the fruit.”
“The effect of bad weather is a reduction in fruit quality.”
ALREADY, ALL READY
Already means by this time; all ready means prepared.
“Are you already packed?”
“Yes, I’m all ready to leave.”
Acclaimed Songwriter and Performer Michael Alan Releases New CD: Searching for the Heartland:
June 30, 2007
New York born singer songwriter Michael Alan, who records with the Indie-label Global Fish Records in Seattle, is an artist who creates without a prescribed musical formula. His approach to writing is purely straight from his heart, lyrically poetic and honest, and void of any sound-alike comparisons. Michael’s songs portray a myriad of lyrical expressions and images that moves the listener through a musical experience which evokes excitement, tenderness, passion, and sadness. His ability to write songs each with their own personality reveals the fact that he is an avid listener of all types of music including, pop, rock, blues, soul, jazz, classical, world music, etc.
What also distinguishes Michael as an articulate songwriter is his self-reflection about personal and social themes which touch upon our daily lives. Michael Alan’s CD release "Searching for the Heartland" is a testimonial that this songwriter expresses himself in a personal way sharing his deepest thoughts and feelings through his music.
Michael Alan’s songs have been categorized by music journalists in a variety of music genre; soft pop-rock, adult contemporary, adult alternative pop-rock, lyrical singer-songwriter, etc. However, an acute listener of his song tracks can hear a blend of different musical styles in his song recordings which allows the tunes to cross over music genre barriers.
The Fun of Do It Yourself Snake and other Reptile Cages
June 30, 2007
Are you nuts? You think banging your finger with a hammer is fun? No, I don’t. But building your own snake and other reptile cages can be a fun and rewarding experience.
Before you even start, it is important to spend some time planning your reptile enclosure and carefully examining at how other cages are manufactured. Check out all of the parts, examine the locks, joins and vents. How is the lighting done? What about the heating?
Use this information to design your own cages, based on the needs of your reptile and its size. Work out the size of cage you require and design it accordingly, altering the basic designs as needed to suit your purposes.
Building something yourself is a great feeling. I personally enjoy the process of shopping for materials and deciding which is best for the purpose.
There are quite a few questions to consider, such as:
? what should I make the base from
? what is the best way to make a vent
? how do you make the base water resistant
? what sort of lock should I use
? what sort of door should I use and how do I make it
? what is the best light fitting
? How should I heat it
An Inside Look at Proofreading
June 30, 2007
This is the ideal topic for us all to think about. We do it everyday, especially those of us that use the Internet the majority of the time. Web pages, business letters, articles, news releases, documentation and most certainly, advertisements.
I have at times found myself proofreading our local newspaper..and suspect their proofreader isn’t necessarily paying attention to his or her work. I have found scores of web sites with the same problem. Terrible spelling and common grammatical errors are high on the list. Of course, some of us do not pay attention to these little details, but entrepreneurs look for imperfections in a web page.
Do we all know how to proofread? Not necessarily. Looking for misspelled words is scarcely enough to polish your workmanship and neither is applying capital letters where needed.
I am touching the surface with the most common proofreading DO’s. You might think a little differently the next time you do the job.
1] Always proofread when you are at your daily peak. In other words, do not try it, if you are sleepy or distracted.You will definitely miss a number of errors. Proofreading requires concentration.
Preserving Thanksgiving Memories for Scrapbooking
June 29, 2007
Last year our family tried out a new way to preserve Thanksgiving memories, and the result was truly a treasured keepsake.
A day or two before Thanksgiving, my daughter and I used a turkey rubber stamp to make place cards for all of our family members. We colored the place cards with colored pencils and wrote people’s names on them with a metallic gold pen.
We then cut up strips of paper to put into a small basket to distribute before Thanksgiving dinner. The day of Thanksgiving, after all of the guests had arrived, we handed out the slips of paper and asked everyone to write down something they were thankful for.
Now you should have seen the looks I got! Keep in mind that there were family members of all ages, from young teenagers to adults. Most of them looked at me like I was crazy (because this memory-making stuff is all new to them), but I told them they had to do it before they could eat.
So they all sat to write down what they were thankful for. Some came up with something very quickly, and others sat there perplexed and worried they were going to spell something wrong. Several didn’t write anything down at all.
Why Build Your Own Reptile Cage?
June 29, 2007
When I first started my interest in reptiles I was only young. At that stage of my life I had little or no skills and did not understand the requirements of the wonderful creatures so I did not keep them effectively. We just kept the local lizards, so the cage temperature was not an issue.
I rekindled my desire later in life but I also had mortgages, the cost of raising a family and the daily costs of living to contend with. A reptile was expensive enough, without adding the costs of retail cages and accessories. So I built my own. It saved me a lot of money.
You do need some basic tools but the money you save by making it yourself will allow you to purchase some of those tools that help make the cage. The remainder can go into accessories so that for the cost of a basic cage with nothing else you can make a cage, get some tools and the cage accessories and still have money left over. That’s a big difference.
Flower Meanings
June 29, 2007
Certain types or colors of flowers mean different things, and you don’t want to send the wrong message if you give them as a gift! Of course, not everyone knows what a particular flower means, but you can never be too sure!
FLOWER NAME and/or COLOR — FLOWER MEANINGS
Carnations
Carnation (General) — Fascination
Carnation, Pink — Emblem of Mother’s Day, I will never forget you
Carnation, Purple — Antipathy and Capriciousness
Carnation, Red — Admiration, my heart aches for you
Carnation, Striped — No, Sorry, I cannot be with you
Carnation, White — Pure Love, Sweet Love, Innocence
Carnation, Yellow — Disdain and Rejection
Lilies
Lily, Calla — Majestic Beauty
Lily, Day — Coquetry
Lily, Orange — Hatred and Disdain, Wealth, Pride
Lily, White — Majesty and Purity, Virginity
Lily of the Valley — Purity and Humility, Sweetness
Roses
Rose, Coral/Orange — Enthusiasm, Desire
Rose, Dark Pink — Thank you
Rose, Light Pink — Admiration
Rose, Musk — Capricious Beauty
Rose, Pale — Friendship
Rose, Peach — Let’s get together, Closing of the deal
Rose, Pink — Love, Grace, Gentility, You’re so Lovely
Rose, Pink & White — Love, Desire, Respect, Courage, Job well done
Rose, Red — Majesty and Purity, Virginity
Rose, Red & Yellow — Congratulations
Rose, White — Charm, Secrecy, Silence, You’re Heavenly
Rose, White on Red — Unity/Flower Emblem of England
Rose, Yellow — Infidelity, Joy, Friendship, Welcome Back, Remember me
Rose, Yellow & Orange — Passionate thoughts
Writing Press Releases That Get Noticed
June 29, 2007
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to your site (ezine advertising, and search engine submitting, to name a couple) one method seems to be forgotten about by many new Internet marketers. That method is writing press releases.
Press releases are a way to get your business exposed to more and more would be customers. They are written as a news article and submitted to editors who would then print them or follow up with you for a story.
An example of a successful press release can be found at http://www.allprobizops.com/successrelease.html Take a moment to read through that article and then take a closer look.
You’ll find that this press release, just like any good news article, answers some basic questions for the reader. Not only that, there is a specific formula involved in constructing the piece.
Here are the questions:
Who?will bring or brought about the event?
What?is going to happen or has happened?
Where?will or did this take place?
When?will or did the event occur?
Why?will or did it occur?
How?will or did it happen?
West Highland White Terrier - Picking the Right Breeder
June 28, 2007
Do you want a Westie as a pet? What are your expectations? What do you know about the breed? You take time out to know these answers. Knowing your motives and being sufficiently educated about the breed, is key to getting the dog that’s right for you. It will also guide you in picking the right breeder, from the many West Highland White breeders around.
Your breeder should:
1. Be a member to the following: the West Highland White Terrier Club of America, a regional Westie club, or an all-breed club. Membership to all these organizations is ideal, but it’s not a strict requirement. It does indicate that they are committed to knowing all there is for the breed, and responsibilities attached.
2. Be concerned about what kind of buyer you are, and to whom they sell their dogs. This is a good indication that the breeder isn’t after a quick profit but genuinely concerned in doing what is right for both the dog and you.
3. Will allow you access to the puppy, so you can have this examined by a veterinarian. The veterinarian is a reliable third party who can give you the real situation with regards to health of the puppy. It also gives both you and the breeder, the assurance about the condition of the puppy upon sale.
Three Poems [Lima; Judges and Evils Creation]
June 28, 2007
1.
Evil’s Creation
Thou knowith evil clings
To tender peace-;
Nor does it heed one’s drowsy
Un-enthralled grief?
But softly it darkens
Twilight’s dunes-;
With sprinkling shadows
Straight from the moon.
O Night! Who giveth birth?
To Evils plight?
As mighty murmurs
Reached my breast?:
"His name has no beginning
And no end?!"
But why?! O why?
Everlasting King,
Have you created?!
Such a thing?
As mighty murmurs
Reached my breast?:
"To see, whom you love
The very best!…"
#609 4/1/05
2.
Lima,
City with the Stretched out Wings
It’s an ink-black night: no stars: no moon in sight
Just dots of: red, green and white-white lights
As the plane descends, descends, slides down
On the long-drawn-out-flat lingering city of lights
Flat as a pancake, lit up like a Christmas tree-
The sleepless city, with its stretched out wings
Stretching from the mountains to the sea-
Winding through the valley’s, forests, and streams
Stretching, stretching its naked wings-endlessly
As,
I’m descending, down, over and around the city
The city with stretched out winds-endless lights
Down, down, behind, downward, it’s immune to me
I’m just part of its evening, a baptism in its inky, sky
