How to Refer to Former and Future States

How to Refer to Former and Future States How to Refer to Former and Future States How to Refer to Former and Future States By Mark Nichol A variety of prefixes and words that express former and future states of being are available to writers. Here’s a discussion of the possibilities. In reference to people who are no longer in a particular position or profession, the most common wording, for example, is â€Å"former stockbroker John Smith† or â€Å"ex-stockbroker John Smith.† Other, more elaborate terms, in ascending order of ornateness, include onetime, erstwhile, and quondam. One can also use once or â€Å"at one time,† but not as a simple description preceding the name, as in the examples above; one would have to write, depending on context, something like â€Å"John Smith, once a stockbroker himself† or â€Å"John Smith, who at one time was a stockbroker.† Descriptions might also use then as an adjective, as in â€Å"then stockbroker John Smith† (note that the phrase consisting of then and a descriptive word is not hyphenated), which is distinct in meaning from phrases that include former or ex-: For example, â€Å"The book was written by former stockbroker John Smith† means that Smith wrote the book after he was no longer a stockbroker, whereas â€Å"The book was written by then stockbroker John Smith† means that Smith wrote the book while he was a stockbroker but is no longer working in that profession. A more complex form is to use turned as a transitional term between a former state and a current one, as in â€Å"stockbroker turned mechanic John Smith.† (Note that hyphens are not used to connect the terms; that common error likely arises from confusion with phrases that include the term cum from the Latin word for â€Å"and† and therefore not synonymous with turned which appears in such constructions as â€Å"teacher-cum-coach John Smith.†) Unfortunately, this variety of solutions is not available for expressing future states. Future is the only simple description, as in â€Å"future stockbroker John Smith.† Otherwise, one might write, â€Å"John Smith, who will become a stockbroker† or, in retrospect, â€Å"John Smith, who went on to become a stockbroker.† (However, politicians who will take office on a specified date can be referred to as, for example, â€Å"President-elect John Smith.†) The effect on a job title of the insertion of former, ex-, or any other similar term (or any adjective, for that matter) before the title varies according to style. The Chicago Manual of Style and similar handbooks generally treat the job title as if has joined the adjective as part of an epithet, a generic description rather than a capitalized title. Therefore, someone who no longer holds a particular office would be described, for example, as â€Å"former president Bill Clinton,† as opposed to the designation â€Å"President Bill Clinton† for a sitting president. The Associated Press Stylebook, by contrast, does not make this distinction: The form most newspapers follow is â€Å"former President Bill Clinton.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingThe Parts of a Word20 Ways to Laugh

Tesla AutoPilot Review †Becoming a Car Supervisor

Tesla AutoPilot Review – Becoming a Car Supervisor Autopilot –assistance for driving If we say that the present day automobile industry is greatly developed, that can be even a huge understatement. This industry is one of the best developed nowadays and is evolving with ultra-rapid speed. Modern cars design and modeling can impress even an experienced automobile expert. But in any sphere, yet thoroughly investigated from many sides, there can be still found a lot of interesting facts and details. Among all the new features that the motor-car world provides for us, there can be distinguished the autopilot functions. First of all it is an assistant for any driver, but at the same time it is promised to make the driving process the most secure, eliminating the human factor. This feature is often argued, whether it is useful or not and whether it should be present. Apparently, Tesla Inc. has achieved great results in autopilot construction and the company devotes a lot of efforts to this aspect. Autopilot feature –life-saving or superfluous function? In regard to any situation there can be found different opinions and thoughts. And the situation with automation definite life areas, such as car driving, is not an exception. Attempts to automate the driving process have been takes a long time ago and for the present moment it is significantly developed. And anyway there are many doubts concerning autonomous driving, as when it comes to influencing the human’s participation in any process, it has much speculated and argued. If it will be adjusted for urban driving, it will be possible for almost all the drivers to use it all the time. On the one hand, autopilot-enabled cars will be really safer and will make the lives of drivers easier on the roads. Most of the drivers, who had a chance to try it, provided positive feedback and were rather happy to use it. Just imagine that you can safely talk by your cell-phone, repeat your notes before the lecture or review your essay, while you autopilot does the driving. But on the other hand, no computer system is perfect and flawless, no matter how complex and â€Å"clever† it is. And in urban conditions the system will not read road signs or obey stop signs. But anyway, this technology is worth attention of society and this contribution into technology development is significant. It has a great meaning for automobile technologies development and improvement. Autopilot is your safe assistant First of all, an autopilot function was designed and developed to make the driving process the most secure and safe. When some process is controlled by a computer, there can be no discredit that it is deprived of such human factors, as fatigue, bad health condition, blindness etc. Automation means that the process is going on constantly and no unexpected events can take place. And anyway, at the same time it means that the driver should be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any moment. In some way the driver is supposed to be â€Å"on alert† to interfere into the process of driving and to control it. But, for example, this system wonderfully suits for long-distance trips and can intensely help a driver to control the car in bad weather conditions. It has many sensors and the radar that can control a car, no matter what conditions are around. Autonomous driving is the future It is usual that new and unknown to some extent thing can appear as something strange and cause â€Å"fearful† feelings. The point feature is one of such things and it has many of those who adore it and also those, who think that it is superfluous. Anyway, Tesla autopilot proved that it makes the driving safe and there are known cases, when it greatly helped drivers in various situations. Tesla Autopilot is constantly developed and improved, so in future we will undoubtedly see new features and this function will be â€Å"must-have† for any driver some day.

Exploring the Metta Sutta Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exploring the Metta Sutta - Essay Example This is exemplified in the lines "This is what should be done by those who are skilled in goodness and who know the path of peace; Let them be able and upright, straightforward and gentle in speech. Humble and not conceited, contented and easily satisfied. Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways. Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful, not proud and demanding in nature." (Discourse On Loving-Kindness, n.d.). Also, the Metta Sutta develops towards the specific acts of goodness one should involve oneself in such as not going against the law. The fact that human beings are also emotional beings highly influenced by feelings in choosing a course of action, the law is an important guiding factor to successfully achieve peace and order in society. And as Buddhism accepts the idea of suffering which is inevitable in our society, the word "wise" in the lines "Let them not do the slightest thing that the wise would later reprove. Wishing: in gladness and in safety, may all beings be at ease,† for me, pertains to lawmakers who should be discerning in governing people and leading them to a better life so as to be able to avoid suffering (Discourse On Loving-Kindness, n.d.). After establishing ones responsibility to honing a peaceful society, it then likens the love and care people that people in position, people who are stronger, & richer should have towards those who are less fortunate to a mothers, which never fails, unconditional, forgiving, and enduring. This is being encompassed in these verses, "May all beings be at ease! Let none deceive another, or despise any being in any state. Let none through anger or ill-will wish harm upon another. Even as a mother protects with her life, her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart, should one cherish all living beings; radiating kindness over the entire world. Spreading upwards to the skies, and downwards to the

Ethics in Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ethics in Technology - Essay Example In contrast, the Trojan Horse was specifically classified as a virus which manifests damaging capabilities to the computer in terms of infecting the user’s files virtually undetected. Its origin was reported to have be sourced from the story in the Greek mythology regarding the invasion of Troy where Greek warriors reported hid in the huge wooden Trojan horse that was presented, supposedly as a gift. Part 2: Examining the Morality of Releasing a Worm 1. Through Kantian Ethics Explaining Kantian ethics in simpler terms, the ethical theory is expounded through the scenario where a perpetuator of an act focuses on the act itself, without apparent regard to the act’s repercussion or outcome. Kant asserted that by virtue of the task, duty, or job, actions are evaluated on their own precepts. Kantian ethics was also explained in terms of seeing one’s behavior or actions in terms of one’s duty or obligation. In the case of Morris, as a student, it was his duty to conform and adhere to the standards and ideals of the university where he was enrolled. As such, his actions were governed by the university’s rules, policies, and codes of coduct and ethical behavior. Therefore, looking at Morris’ actions regarding the issue of releasing the Internet worm that apparently created damage to more than 6,000 computers globally , the act still violated both ethical and moral standards using the Kantian ethics in terms of discerning that the act itself was already wrong at the onset. Releasing the worm as the act was found to be described as â€Å"the unfocused intellectual meandering of a hacker completely absorbed with his creation and unharnessed by considerations of explicit purpose or potential effect† (Eisenberg, Gries, Hartmanis, Holcomb, Lynn, & Santoro, 1989, p. 706). The committee who reviewed the ethical dilemma found that Morris’ actions failed to abide by the ethical standards of professionalism and of discerning that the act was initially morally wrong. 2. Through Utilitarian Ethics Utilitarian ethics, on the other hand was described as an ethical theory that focuses on the results or outcome, specifically, how the action affects the greater number of people for the greater good (National Endowment for Financial Education, 2006). With the premise that utilitarian ethics focuses on the outcome, Morris’ release of the worm is definitely seen as morally wrong since the results have been proven to be destructive. Likewise, as revealed from the Cornell Commission, while reviewing Morris’ actions, the committee tasked to impose sanctions to Morris revealed that by being a student of Cornell and who accepted accountability for releasing the worm through the Internet, he exemplified failure to take a proactive stance in seriously considering the repercussions of his actions and what the potential effects would be in the owners and users of the computers he infected. Therefore, the ac tion is also a violation of moral standards using the utilitarian ethics framework, since it resulted to negative impact on a significantly large number of people, whose files and databases had been compromised, lost and damaged due to his actions. Conclusion In evaluating the ethical issues pertinent to Morris’

Education Role in the United States Essay Example for Free

Education Role in the United States Essay Through out the history of our nation, education has played an important role in the United States. Republican and Democrats can both agree that education is absolute necessary in out country. Recently, the federal government has take control over the states duties. The education system was first set out for the states responsibility but the federal government has taken over.so, with educaiton being the one of the polices in the agenda, george bush passes the No Child Left Behind act. This law was put into affect to make sure that all students are finding sucess in school. while, this act has a intantion the act   had fail and has actually caused harm than good.

Admissions Essay - I Will Not Be Stopped :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay -  I Will Not Be Stopped    It is a late summer night and I have just gotten home from work. I work at a meat packing plant where I load tractor-trailers. Since my dad is permanently disabled as a result of a heart attack that occurred two years ago, I feel fortunate to have the job. I've been there three years now and have grown tremendously as a result.    The guys I work with are typical blue-collar workers in that they are poorly educated and lower middle class. Because I am an aspiring physician, many of them share their problems and anxieties with me. Through many interactions, I feel that have become very sensitive, compassionate and understanding. My job is very fulfilling because men of all ages look to me for support and as a role model for their own children.    I relate to the guys at work so well because I was raised in a lower middle class neighborhood and my dad was a blue-collar worker. Most of my neighborhood friends are now unemployed, doing manual labor, or in trouble with the law. I was fortunate to have parents who knew the value of an education and were willing to sacrifice to send me to excellent catholic schools. In retrospect, this was a turning point in my life because I was introduced to a new group of people of different races and different socio-economic backgrounds. Eventually, I became aware of the limitations that my background imposed and I was determined to overcome and far exceed those limitations.    I became interested in medicine through my grandfather who was an unlicensed veterinarian. He had no formal education and relied solely on practical experience; nevertheless, he was quite competent. I would go with him as a young boy to treat animals in our small community. The relief my grandfather provided and the subsequent gratification has left a lasting impression on me. Since his death nearly four years ago, I find myself with a profound desire to vindicate the educational shortcomings that so often frustrated him.    In the summer of 1983, before my college matriculation, I attended Xavier's Stress On Analytical Reasoning (SOAR) Program. The Program's main objective was to prepare students for college level math and science courses. One of the moderators was my cousin who is a Xavier graduate and now a senior at Louisiana State University Medical School.

The importance of early formal education Essay

Early formal education refers to the education that children obtain during early stages of their childhood. Early childhood is a crucial time period for the development of the mental functions of children. This development, including the emergence of the abilities and skills in areas such as language, motor skills, psychosocial cognitive, and learning, is now known to be greatly influenced by exogenous factors, including the nature of the educational environment to which the child is exposed during the first eight years of life. The benefits of early childhood education have long been disputed. For many years it was believed that children who receive early formal education have an advantage over those who start school at age five or six. Today, some educators challenge that view. They speculate that intellectual and emotional harm can result from putting very young children into structured learning situations. It is hard to deny the opponents opinion that children have always grown up to be intelligent and reliable young adults  without the benefits of early childhood education. However, in my opinion, I feel like children who receive early formal education will have advantages over those who start school at age five or six because early formal education can provide a good foundation for real learning for young children, encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people, and develop children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. First, providing a good start for real learning for young children in the future is one of the reasons that I think children should attend early formal education before first grade. Children can attend early formal education, such as preschool or kindergarten before they begin elementary schools. All human beings learn to speak a language that they hear.

Genuine Progress Indicator

Alexander Di Franco TA Victoria Fast Geography 108 18 November 2012 The Motor City: Industrial Hero to Zero The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a fantastic model to measure the overall well being of the economy in great detail. Opposed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which only takes into account total dollar value, the GPI does just that, but also includes figures that represent the cost of the negative effects related to economic activity. It gives the important details of the economy and the state of the citizens within in it that the GDP simply cannot.Look at Detroit, Michigan; the â€Å"Motor City†, was at one time one of the most prosperous cities in the world, and a global industrial giant. Today, it’s a ghost town, not to mention a hellhole. The collapse of the automotive industry from the early 2000’s to the present has completely destroyed the former global giant in every way. The precipitous decline of the Detroit economy can be substantiated by using both the GPI and GDP method. Using academic and popular media references, these two approaches will be compared using the issue of the collapse of the automotive industry in the â€Å"Motor City†.The GPI approach represents this situation most accurately, and is most relevant because it not only takes the financial state of Detroit into consideration; it takes the environmental and well-being factor of the citizens into consideration as well. The GDP does not. Through the disappearing population, the rising rates of unemployment and poverty, and the exploding crime rate, it is clear that the costs of the overall well being of this city are much more important than just the economic costs.The city of Detroit, Michigan was once the most prosperous, ‘booming’ cities in the world, especially in the second half of the twentieth century. This was thanks to their automotive industry, ‘the Big 3’. ‘The Big 3’ included Ford, General Moto rs, and Chrysler, who all have their world headquarters located in Detroit and its vicinity. During this time period, ‘Big 3’ sales had soared from 6 million units in 1950, to 17 million in 2000. To break this time period down in depth, from 1950 to 1991, the sales of the units increased by double-digit percentages annually.In contrast to that, from 1992 to 2007, figures of annual sales rarely fluctuated by more than 3 percent per year (Klier, and Rubenstein 36). Consumers had an insatiable appetite for American vehicles manufactured by the ‘Big 3’; they were on top of the world so to speak. This surge in sales was not only bringing in great amounts of money into Detroit and its vicinity, it was bringing in great job opportunity, whether it was factory jobs or office jobs. This was truly the golden era for Detroit, and its populous prosperity was to be found everywhere.The statistics don’t lie, stating that Detroit’s population peaked at aroun d 2 million in the 1950’s (Linebaugh). During that time, it was the fifth largest city in the USA only behind New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, and was in the top 10 as recently as 1990 (Linebaugh). With all going so well, it was just a matter of time before things turned for the worse. As the saying goes, â€Å"all good things come to an end†, and this describe Detroit’s ugly, disastrous transformation in a nutshell. According to CNBC, Detroit is the 3rd worst city to live in the USA, and is the most dangerous (Crowe).What was the catalyst for this metamorphosis from prosperity to urban decay? It’s quite simple; their automotive giants were getting out performed by foreign competitors such as Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai. One of the factors that lead to this was that the ‘Big 3’ became complacent and arrogant due to the fact that they had little to no foreign competition prior to this decade. Thus they had an extremely large po rtion of the North American market share. Because of this arrogance and complacency, both quality and reliability began to suffer.The foreign automakers rated consistently higher in both quality and reliability. Another was the fact that the ‘Big 3’ depended critically on selling large volumes of light trucks (minivans, SUV’s, and pickups); these vehicles were their backbone (Klier, and Rubenstein 36). As gas prices began to rise, and eventually soared, consumers were looking for more affordable alternatives, with regards to fuel-efficiency. This was one characteristic all of the ‘Big 3’’s light trucks lacked. What was the alternative? Foreign-headquartered automakers (such as Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, etc. fuel-efficient vehicles. These vehicles would cut down the time and money consumers would spend at gas pumps, which was extremely attractive. The statistics of the ‘Big 3’’s production of light trucks from 2007 to 2009 do not lie. In 2007, 10. 4 million light trucks were produced. In 2009, this number decreased by a staggering 46% to 5. 4 million (Klier, and Rubenstein 36). The foreign automakers fuel-efficient vehicles took the market by storm in that period, and completely dominated the US automakers in the market share.This was the nail in the coffin for the city of Detroit. The one main thing that drove their economy through its history was becoming more and more irrelevant as the time passed. No one was buying American made vehicles. It got to the point where General Motors and Chrysler had to be bailed out by the government. To Detroit’s fairness, the economy is on its way back up today, and the automotive industry is starting to regain some ground, but the city of Detroit will never be the same, not even close to what it used to be.How has this historical collapse affected the â€Å"Motor City† today? It begins with the population. As previously mentioned, Detroit’s popula tion peaked at about 2 million people in the 1950’s. This is the highest their population was, and ever will be. Kate Linebaugh of The Wall Street Journal states that as of 2010, Detroit’s population had fallen back 100 years. The population as of that date was 713,777, the lowest it has been since 1910, 60 percent less than it’s peak in the 50’s, and 25 percent less than it had been in 2000 (Linebaugh), which is absolutely unbelievable.Also, Detroit is now the nineteenth largest city in the USA behind Indianapolis, and Columbus (as it used to be in the top 5, and top 10 as previously stated) (Linebaugh). The population is literally disappearing as time moves on. Along with this issue, is the skyrocketing poverty and unemployment rate. The current unemployment rate is 19. 6 percent, which is almost double the national rate, and the highest the city has even seen (Daily Mail Reporter). This number has been on a steady rise within the past decade, and as a result has put ore and more people on the streets, being homeless. 34. 5 percent of Detroit’s population is below the poverty line (US Census Bureau). Also, the rate of violent crimes is at 2,137 per 100,000 residents, which is the highest in the USA above St. Louis and Oakland. This statistic makes the â€Å"Motor City† America’s most dangerous city for the fourth year in a row (Fisher). The city is in complete ruin; it seems like absolutely everything is going downhill. With all going so wrong, especially in the last decade, how on earth could the GDP of Detroit increase at all?Take a look at the numbers from the recent decade. From 2001, there is a steady increase in the GDP until 2007, until a short but steady decrease until 2009, where it goes up again from there (BEA: US Department of Commerce). This is a completely inaccurate representation of the state of Detroit overall. With the collapse of the automotive industry, which lead to all the problems previo usly mentioned (population diminishing, poverty and unemployment rate rising, and crime rate sky rocketing) the GDP is not an appropriate measure or representation of the Detroit economy overall.This is due to the fact that the GDP just takes into account total dollar value, and not the well being of the citizens or any environmental factors. According to the GDP, Detroit has been brining in increasing amounts of money from one year to the next in some periods of this collapse, but the overall state and well being of the city and its population has been on a constant downward spiral. To truly understand and represent the real state of the Detroit, and what is really going on within the economy and the well being of its citizens, the GPI must be used.If the GPI were taken in contrast to the GDP of Detroit since 2001, it would steadily be going downhill and opposed to the fluctuating GDP, which was mostly increasing (with exception to 2007-2009). All the situations Detroit is encounte ring as a result of the auto industry collapse bring the GPI downward. For example, take the cities record high unemployment rate. In Clive Hamilton’s article about the GPI, he talks about the issue of unemployment and underemployment. He says that social costs of unemployment lead to declining levels of health, increased amounts of suicide, and increasing levels of crime. Also there are the psychological osts of unemployment, which include trauma, stress, and family breakdowns (Hamilton, 20). Therefore, unemployment is a major negative factor on the GPI. Also, Hamilton talks about defensive expenditures, saying that GDP counts them as additions to output, however GPI deducts them, because they are undertaken to offset some decline in social welfare (Hamilton, 16). For example, this means that the record-high crime levels in Detroit create additions to the GDP because there would be a need for more police, more medical staff, and things would need to be repaired. On the other hand, the crime would deduct the GPI.This is because the cost of more police, medical staff, and repairs are undertaken to offset the decline in social welfare that crime causes. Lastly, the diminishing population of Detroit is a ‘no brainer’ as a deductive quality of the GPI. Clearly people want to leave, or avoid living in the city of Detroit in this era. The social welfare of the citizens is at an extreme low. It is clear that the GDP cannot represent the economic state of an area in nearly as much detail as the GPI can. This is why in my opinion the GDP is not relevant in terms of an indicator of an economy’s overall well-being.I strongly believe that the GPI gives a more accurate representation of the overall state of the economy thus should be used as the primary economic measure rather than the GDP. Detroit’s GDP was on the rise for most of this decade, even through the historical collapse of its worldwide automotive industry. However, it is clear that the welfare of its citizens and the state of the city are and will continue to be at a devastating low. This is made clear through Detroit’s disappearing population, the rise of unemployment and poverty rates, and the skyrocketing crime rate.With all of these factors considered in the GPI, as well as dollar value, the GPI ultimately triumphs over GDP and gives people a true assessment of an economy overall, that the GDP simply fails to do. Works Cited Klier, Thomas H. , and James Rubenstein. â€Å"Economic Perspectives. † Economic Perspectives. Q II (2012): 35-54. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. Linebaugh, Kate. â€Å"Detroit's Population Crashes. † Wall Street Journal 23 3 2011, n. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

PRESENTATION OF SELF IN EVERYDAY LIFE GOFFMAN essays

PRESENTATION OF SELF IN EVERYDAY LIFE GOFFMAN essays In the The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life Goffman seeks to show the reader how everyone sets out to present themselves to the world around them, always trying to maintain the role they have selected for themselves, since those whom they meet not only try to decide what role it is you are playing, but also whether or not you are competent to play that role. More significantly, impression management is a function of social setting. Erving Goffman portrays everyday interactions as strategic encounters in which one is attempting to "sell" a particular self-imageand, accordingly, a particular definition of the situation. He refers to these activities as "face-work." Beginning by taking the perspective of one of the interactants, and he interprets the impact of that person's performances on the others and on the situation itself. He considers being in wrong face, out of face, and losing face through lack of tact, as well as savoir-faire (diplomacy or social skill), the ways a person can at tempt to save face in order to maintain self-respect, and various ways in which the person may harm the "face" of others through faux pas such as gaffes or insults (209). These conditions occur because of the existence of self presentational rules. These rules, in turn, are determined by how situations are defined. For instance, there is greater latitude in social situations than in task-oriented situations. Situations also dictate available roles and how much self-importance people can sustain. Herewith one will try to analyze two situations that reinforce the desired interpretation of self that one wishes to convey. The first performance takes place in the university environment on the first day of school. The second scene takes place at the formal wedding reception among family and friends. Both interactions describe the Goffmanian concepts and schemas that the author uses throughout his book. The first situation is portrayed in the...

How to Write Great Ledes for Feature Stories

How to Write Great Ledes for Feature Stories When you think of newspapers, you probably tend to focus on the hard-news stories that fill the front page. But much of the writing found in any newspaper is done in a much more feature-oriented way. Writing ledes for feature stories, as opposed to  hard-news ledes, requires a different approach. Feature Ledes vs. Hard-News Ledes Hard-news ledes need to get all the important points of the story - the who, what, where, when, why, and how - into the first sentence  or two, so that if the reader only wants the basic facts, he or she gets them quickly. The more of a news story he or she reads, the more detail he gets. Feature ledes, sometimes called delayed, narrative, or anecdotal ledes, unfold more slowly. They allow the writer to tell a story in a more traditional, sometimes chronological way. The objective is to draw the readers into the story and to make them want to read more. Setting a Scene, Painting a Picture Feature ledes often begin by setting a scene or painting a picture of a person or place. Here’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning example by Andrea Elliott of The New York Times: The young Egyptian professional could pass for any New York Bachelor. Dressed in a crisp polo shirt and swathed in Cologne, he races his Nissan Maxima through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan, late for a date with a tall brunette. At red lights, he fusses with his hair. What sets the Bachelor apart from other young men on the make is the chaperone sitting next to him - a tall, bearded man in a white robe and stiff embroidered hat. Notice how Elliott effectively uses phrases like â€Å"crisp polo shirt† and â€Å"rain-slicked streets.† The reader doesnt yet know exactly what this article is about, but he or she is drawn into the story through these descriptive passages. Using an Anecdote Another way to begin a feature is to tell a story or an anecdote. Here’s an example by Edward Wong of The New York Times Beijing bureau: BEIJING - The first sign of trouble was powder in the baby’s urine. Then there was blood. By the time the parents took their son to the hospital, he had no urine at all. Kidney stones were the problem, doctors told the parents. The baby died on May 1 in the hospital, just two weeks after the first symptoms appeared. His name was Yi Kaixuan. He was 6 months old. The parents filed a lawsuit on Monday in the arid northwest province of Gansu, where the family lives, asking for compensation from Sanlu Group, the maker of the powdered baby formula that Kaixuan had been drinking. It seemed like a clear-cut liability case; since last month, Sanlu has been at the center of China’s biggest contaminated food crisis in years. But as in two other courts dealing with related lawsuits, judges have so far declined to hear the case. Taking Time to Tell the Story You’ll notice that both Elliott and Wong take several paragraphs to begin their stories. That’s fine - feature ledes in newspapers generally take two to four paragraphs to set a scene or convey an anecdote; magazine articles can take much longer. But pretty soon, even a feature story has to get to the point. The Nut Graph The nut graph is where the feature writer lays out for the reader exactly what the story is all about. It usually follows the first few paragraphs of the scene-setting or storytelling the writer has done. A nut graph can be a single paragraph or more. Here’s Elliott’s lede again, this time with the nut graph included: The young Egyptian professional could pass for any New York Bachelor. Dressed in a crisp polo shirt and swathed in Cologne, he races his Nissan Maxima through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan, late for a date with a tall brunette. At red lights, he fusses with his hair. What sets the Bachelor apart from other young men on the make is the chaperone sitting next to him - a tall, bearded man in a white robe and stiff embroidered hat. I pray that Allah will bring this couple together, the man, Sheik Reda Shata, says, clutching his seat belt and urging the Bachelor to slow down. (Here is the nut graph, along with the following sentence): Christian singles meet for  coffee. Young Jews have JDate. But many Muslims believe that it is forbidden for an unmarried man and woman to meet in private. In predominantly Muslim countries, the job of making introductions and even arranging marriages typically falls to a vast network of family and friends. In Brooklyn, there is Mr. Shata. Week after week, Muslims embark on dates with him in tow. Mr. Shata, the imam of a Bay Ridge mosque, juggles some 550 marriage candidates, from a gold-toothed electrician to a professor at Columbia University. The meetings often unfold on the green velour couch of his office or over a meal at his favorite Yemeni restaurant on Atlantic Avenue. So now the reader knows – this is the story of a Brooklyn imam who helps bring young Muslim couples together for marriage. Elliott could just as easily have written the story with a hard-news lede something like this: An imam based in Brooklyn says he works as a chaperone with hundreds of young Muslims in an effort to bring them together for marriage. That’s certainly quicker. But it’s not nearly as interesting as Elliott’s descriptive, well-crafted approach. When to Use the Feature Approach When done right, feature ledes can be a joy to read. But feature ledes aren’t appropriate for every story in print or online. Hard-news ledes are generally used for breaking news  and for more important, time-sensitive stories. Feature ledes are generally used on stories that are less deadline-oriented and for those that examine issues in a more in-depth way.

The Ethics of Selective Reproduction Research Paper

The Ethics of Selective Reproduction - Research Paper Example The ethical concerns touch on several issues, most of the complex and risky. For instance, there was the 1980s attempt to eliminate or least reduce neurological disorders of Parkinson’s by transfer of fetal brain tissues2. The attempts are yet to materialize. Scientific feats that were thought impossible before have been achieved with persistent research and trial. This has been observed in the successful cloning of non-human animals3.   Eugenics refers to the attempt to improve the human gene pool. Different mindsets have agreed on the same definition of the term although not everyone has the same idea of what counts as eugenics4. One of the aspects of eugenics that is a source of ethical concern is the significance of parental choice in the matter. Given the fact that parents have the free will to choose what kind of a child they want, it loses state enforcement of coercive methods5. Liberal eugenics leaves room for misuse by both reproductive health providers and parents. Whereas this looks like a state of coercion to some people, others believe that the nature of services provided in eugenics cannot go without the free will and choices of parents. Wilkinson states that, â€Å"But other people think that some procedures which prospective parents can choose, such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), with embryo testing and the subsequent disposal or donation of unwanted embryos, are clearly cases of eu genics, even where events are entirely a matter of parental preference and there’s no state coercion at all†6   Despite the bad image the term eugenics had from the Nazi era, the present meaning and context of the term can be argued to be a moral and ethical position. Unlike the Nazi eugenics that involved mass murder of targets that ranged from assorted ethnicities to children with disabilities by the State, today’s eugenics does not compromise the lives of citizens at all7.