Life & Times in Port "A"

Everything is slowly coming back together, everyone is coming back from their hurrication. Most of them look pretty hurricated. O.K. enough about hurricanation. Does that mean if your their during a hurricane that you are hurricanating? Damn I'm acting hurricanatingly awful. (I love being punny and making up new words)

Things to Share - 08/15/08

Hooters Girl of the Moment       Picture of the Day

Quotes of the Day

Zoo: An excellent place to study the habits of human beings.
  - Evan Esar

My own business always bores me to death; I prefer other people's.
  - Oscar Wilde

In all recorded history there has not been one economist who has had to worry about where the next meal would come from.
  - Peter Drucker

Useless Knowledge

Early Roman fashion designers combined the Greek perzoma, the first fabricated underwear, and the Etruscan succinta, a belt, and produced the bikini for use by athletes. Little did they realize their innovation would one day revolutionize swimwear, plus boost sales of Sports Illustrated.

New Links

Quotes for Sisters & Brothers

Can you find the faces?

Facts

The whale's heart beats about 10 times a minute.

Margaret Knight invented a shuttle restraining device at age 9.

Housefly lives for about a month.

Something to Ponder

If you're cross-eyed and have dyslexia can you read all right?

                                                                                    

Weird Stuff

Naked reveller sparks search, runs away

Meet the dog that loves UB40

Men claim to have found 'Bigfoot'

Jokes of the Day

Seven Words

"In honor of the late George Carlin, here are seven more words you can't say on TV: ''And the Emmy goes to Bob Saget."
- Jeffrey Ross

Deadbeat in a Bar

A man walked into a bar on a slow night and sat down. After a few minutes, the bartender asked him if he wanted a drink.

He replied, "No thanks. I don't drink. I tried it once, but I didn't like it."

So the bartender said, "Well, would you like a cigarette?"

But the man said, "No thanks. I don't smoke. I tried it once, but I didn't like it."

The bartender asked him if he'd like to play a game of pool, and again the man said, "No thanks. I don't like pool. I tried it once, but I didn't like it. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be here at all, but I'm waiting for my son."

The bartender said, "Your only son, I'm guessing."

Sensitive Men

Why is it so difficult to find men who are caring, sensitive, and good-looking?

They already have boyfriends.

You might be a REDNECK if...

...your Junior/Senior Prom had a Daycare.

                                                  

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

blackguard: a scoundrel.

And now, last but not least.....

Today's Reason to Drink

August 15, 2008

It's time for a toga party! Today is Ferragosto, which is in remembrance of an ancient Roman holiday for Augustus.

 

Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.  Make the best of it.

Words to Avoid

Author: David Bowman, Precise Edit
About the author: David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

10 Words to Avoid When Writing

Writing is a combination of art and craft. The art comes from much reading, talking, thinking, dreaming, and writing. The craft is primarily technique. Some techniques are complex, but a few are very simple and will instantly strengthen your writing. In many cases, however, strengthening writing simply means avoiding those things that weaken it.

We have identified 10 words that nearly always weaken writing. In no particular order, they are as follows.

1. Really: "Avoiding this word is a really great idea."

Reason: A really great idea is the same as a great idea. If you need to emphasize something, such as the "greatness" of an idea, use a single word that means what you are trying to say, e.g., "Avoiding this word is an excellent idea."

2. You: "Sometimes, you feel like writing is too hard."

Reason: I never feel this way, so this statement is not true. The writer probably means "I" or "some writers," e.g., "Sometimes, I feel like writing is too hard." "You" should only be used when you are actually writing to, and about, the reader, not when making general statements.

3. Feel: "I feel the government should stop people from writing poorly."

Reason: Which emotion is being "felt"? What is the writer touching and, therefore, feeling? Usually, the writer means "believe" or "think." "Feel" is also used by authors to describe a character's emotions, as in "He felt despondent." Instead, the writer should show the emotions through the character's words and actions.

4. Think: "I think the government should stop people from writing poorly."

Reason: If you write an opinion, the reader understands that you also think it. Just say what it is you think, e.g., "The government should stop people from writing poorly."

5. As: "As you write this word, poke out your eyes. It's weak as it can cause confusion."

Reason: A person usually cannot do two actions simultaneously, so "as" doesn't make sense in the first sentence. It could be rewritten, "Write this word, then poke out your eyes." In the second sentence, the writer should use "because." Until reading the rest of the sentence, the reader doesn't know if "as" means two actions are occurring simultaneously or means “because.”
6. A lot: "A lot of writing could be made better."

Reason: How much is "a lot"? 100 documents? 50% of everything I have written? 1% of one million books? The term "a lot" is meaningless without the context, but if you give the context, you don't need the term "a lot." Also, this is highly subjective. "A lot" to one person may seem like "some" to another.

7. Sort of/Kind of: "Using these words is sort of annoying to the reader."

Reason: If using these words is only sort of annoying, you haven't told the reader exactly what it is. If it is annoying, say so: "Writing this way annoys the reader." If it is not annoying, tell the reader exactly what it is, e.g., "Using these words bothers readers." Use words that mean what you are trying to say, and give the reader exact descriptions. This also applies to "kind of."

8. Like: "Using these words is like baking with spoiled milk."

Reason: If this is like something, then it is NOT that thing. Giving accurate descriptions and using correct verbs will reduce your need to use "like," e.g., "These words spoil your writing." A good simile can enhance your writing, but using too many makes writing tedious, so try to think of a different way to express your ideas.

9. Just: "Some people are just persnickety about writing. It's just the way they write."

Reason: The word "just" doesn't add any real value to these sentences. Leaving them out results in the same meanings and makes the sentences much tighter and more direct: "Some people are persnickety about writing. It's the way they write." Doesn't that just sound better?

10. Used to: "He used to write like this when he started writing."

Reason: Using fewer words to express an idea is almost always a good idea, so "used to write" can be written "wrote," as in, "He wrote like this when he started writing." The problem is that "used to write" and "when he started writing" both express events in the past, which is redundant. In nearly every case, "used to . . ." can be replaced with a past tense verb.

The sample sentences demonstrate poor uses of these words, but you will find good uses, too. In fact, some of them are perfectly fine in some contexts or when used in particular ways. Your level of formality, purpose, voice, and audience will determine whether or not to use these words. If you're not sure whether or not to use them in a particular sentence, our advice is to avoid them.

Precise Edit editors keep a sharp eye out for these troublesome and confusing words. We evaluate their use and, in most cases, find a way to revise the sentences so we don't use them. The result is stronger writing that more clearly and more professionally communicates the author's ideas.