Welcome to Creative Streams, the place for creative musings by Anne Schwab.
The Oath of the Soldier
by Johnny Q. Gogue III
Memorial Day – For most it is a three-day weekend, filled with bar-b-que’s and picnics . . . A time to get away from the normal humdrum of the week. For other’s it’s the beginning of summer, a time to look towards the long lazy days and a time to plan your summer get-a-ways. Though for some, Memorial Day holds a special significance.
On May 5, 1868, an order issued by General John Logan established a day of remembrance for those soldiers who died during the Civil War. May 30, 1868, was the day designated for this observance and flowers were placed on the graves of the fallen soldiers of both the Union and Confederate Armies. New York was the first state to officially recognize this observance in 1873 and in 1971 with the passage of the National Holiday Act; Memorial Day was designated as the last Monday of May.
Now for many of us, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, and the Korean War are ancient history. The Vietnam War a fading memory. But with the recent Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom we, the American people have once again been thrust into a position of remembering those who are fighting and dying today.
I, like my grandfathers, father, uncles and aunt before me, am a veteran. I am and was proud of serving in the Armed Forces. I served in the Army from 1985 to 1994. I was in Operation Desert Storm/Shield. I know what Memorial Day is about.
I have two brothers who are currently serving. One brother is serving in the Navy in Italy. My youngest brother, who is currently serving in the Army, is right now in Iraq supporting and defending his fellow soldiers. I know what Memorial Day is about.
Memorial Day for all soldiers is embodied in the words of the oath that you first take when you enlist into the service of the country:
I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR (OR AFFIRM) THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC; THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME; AND THAT I WILL OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE ORDERS OF THE OFFICERS APPOINTED OVER ME, ACCORDING TO REGULATIONS AND THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE. SO HELP ME GOD.
This oath taken by each and every soldier exemplifies the reason why soldiers do what they do each and every day. Soldiers are defenders of the same principles that made this country great. They stand as Patriots to defend and protect the ideals and sentiments espoused in the Constitution of the United States. Soldiers bear true faith and allegiance to that document and they work, and live, within the Codes of Military Justice. Soldiers also obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Officers appointed over them. These truths are self evident in the everyday lives of soldiers.
Now, as we see our fellow citizens arrive back from a foreign land, we should not forget those words that each and every soldier spoke upon enlistment. Because when we look upon a returning soldier from conflict, a disabled veteran, or a grave marker – those words should ring in your conscience.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic . . . streaming from the eyes of the returning soldier. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the Officers appointed over me . . . sounding from the stumbling gait of the disabled veteran. According to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God . . . blasting from the cold stone face of a grave marker.
Remember those that gave their lives, so that we may continue to live in freedom as spelled out in the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence . . . Lest we forget.
Improving Your Business Writing Skills - 5 Tips
From Skills You Need
You’d think business writing is
always carefully crafted, but the truth it’s often ridden with
misspellings, misused words and inaccuracies. The good news is that you
can easily improve your business writing in a few easy steps.
First, Know Your Audience
Often our writing suffers because
it’s inappropriate. We write convoluted emails, we format reports
poorly, and overall we don’t try to make our content reader friendly.
Knowing the purpose a piece of writing serves gives
you a sense of direction. Writing a business report should follow a
specific format; for example, an in-office email could be short and
informal, but a customer email or a PowerPoint presentation should
follow guidelines of courtesy, clarity and conciseness. Your audience
should be your compass; keeping in mind what the recipient seeks to
learn narrows down the possible directions your writing should take.Style, tone, and vocabulary use should be in line with your audience and situation. This is not just a matter of appropriateness and content effectiveness, it’s about your flexibility to communicate adeptly with different audiences, to empathize with them, and thus be able to connect at an appropriate and effective wave-length.
Focus on Content and Style
Is your writing organized along the following essential features and rules?
Simple Language – Create reader-friendly content
by avoiding adjectives, using the active voice, and opting for
commonly-known, shorter words. Your aim is to communicate your point
across as effortlessly and as quickly as possible. Avoid "hidden verbs"
by being conscious of unnecessary nominalization; for example, instead
of saying, "We’d love to be of assistance" say instead, “We’d love to assist you.” The second sentence is more effective and customer-friendly, because it’s direct, efficient, and comprehensible.Conciseness and Brevity – Business writing has to be succinct. Your audience doesn’t have the luxury to browse through multiple report pages to get the information they seek. Respect your recipients’ time; they should be able to access important information easily. You can achieve this when you:
- Stick to your subject matter
- Focus on facts
- Aim for clarity and avoid ambiguity
- Choose short words
- Avoid unnecessary décor (adjectives and adverbs)
Serving a Purpose – Each piece of business communication should serve a clear purpose. Make an effort to not divert from this purpose. If you’re emailing a colleague with a follow-up email about a report due, don’t include three other unrelated requests in the same email.
Use Formatting Wisely
Every piece of writing should be properly formatted to maximize efficiency. Use headlines, bullet points, numbering and other formatting features (bold, italics, different colors) to ensure the reader can skim and scan with ease through your text. But don't overdo it! Too many distracting visual elements take the focus off your message.This applies to all types of writing. Whether it's an email, a report, or a presentation, formatting helps your writing become clear and user-friendly. When possible, substitute text with visual presentations, graphics or charts.
Proofread Thoroughly, Revise Ruthlessly
Your first draft shouldn’t be
your final product. Especially if we’re talking about a business
proposal or report, it’s crucial that you review and edit it multiple
times until you’ve created a respectable version.
- Putting so much work in creating a professional piece of writing should wrap up with thorough proofreading. Ensure you check for syntactical, grammatical and typographical errors. If you cannot proofread your own work, have it proofread by someone else to make sure it has flow and readability and it’s free of embarrassing errors.
- You can also run it through an online spellchecker to catch common grammatical errors and misspellings, but remember that spellcheckers cannot detect contextual spelling errors (e.g. if the misspelled word is a properly spelled different word, like their/they’re, accept/except, right/write, here/hear). Spelling errors can best be avoided by improving your spelling skills using software like Ultimate Spelling.
- Being aware of commonly misspelled words or grammatical weaknesses you have will help you anticipate and prevent them from spoiling your writing.
Be Aware of Attitude and Perspective
This is a rarely emphasized aspect of business writing. It’s not enough to know your audience and what they want from you. It’s crucial that you also know the different layers of meaning your writing conveys. Word choice, sentence structure, viewpoints and expressions all reveal more than you think about your attitude and perspective on what you’re writing about.The "You"-attitude is an aspect of business writing worth considering. It suggests that your writing should adopt the point of view of the reader, rather than yours. By embracing the recipient’s perspective you’re more likely to elicit positive responses. When the reader is the focal point, then they’re more keen to help, support, partake or act in what you ask them to. The You-attitude more often than not motivates the reader to act towards your desired direction, makes you appear more trustworthy, and promotes a feel-good atmosphere.
It might seem like a lot
of work, but it’s worth it to focus on these five points and polish up
your business writing skills. The benefits of doing so are many; you’ll
find it easier to communicate your thoughts and people will be more
likely to understand and consider your ideas.
MARCH-ing to Brighter Days of Spring
March 20th and spring are just around the corner.
Hooray! But for the remainder of winter with lower levels of sunshine, some of
us still will deal with the “blues” and I don’t mean B.B. King or Bonnie Raitt.
Here’s why.
--First, the hypothalamus controls the timing mechanisms or
internal body ‘clocks’ known as circadian rhythms that oscillate throughout a roughly
24-hour day.
--These circadian rhythms refer to the cycles of
physiological and biological processes that control activity and inactivity and
affect body temperature, hormonal changes and mood and can disrupt work, school
and social engagements.
--Daylight cues our circadian rhythm. When the light hits
our eyes it signals the brain.
-- Sunlight controls our sleep-wake schedule. Mental
alertness tends to peak at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.; physical strength crests at 11
a.m. and 7 p.m.
--Lack of sunlight in winter can cause seasonal affective
disorder (SAD) and seasonal depression.
--When light exposure decreases, the hormone melatonin—linked
to depression—increases.
--When light exposure decreases, the brain chemical
serotonin—linked to the prevention of depression—decreases.
-- Normal circadian rhythms can be disrupted with an
imbalance in brain chemistry caused by shorter days.
To compensate for shorter days—
*keep your daily schedule year
round.
*increase your time outdoors in the
light: walk to work or stay out in the daylight for at least 15 minutes before
work and the same amount at lunchtime.
*Try phototherapy and expose
yourself to 30 to 90 minutes a day of a bright florescent light. This treatment
is successful for 50-70 percent of people with SAD. So, go from SAD to glad the
rest of the winter!
And be comforted by the inspirational words of Percy Bysshe
Shelley: “O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”
15 Habits of Incredibly Happy People
A wonderful article on increasing your happiness gauge.
http://bit.ly/1haVIvQ
http://bit.ly/1haVIvQ
Wanna Get Rich?
Can Warren Buffet Make You Rich in This Economy?
Enjoy this article from Motley Fool
http://onforb.es/1HJvTPq
July 4, 1776 the thirteen colonies declared their
independence from England which led to the creation of the United States. Every
year millions of patriot Americans celebrate this historic event on July 4th,
also known as Independence Day. But do we know why we celebrate?
Media analyst and author Mark Dice—among others—have questioned
the “man in the street” about the 4th of July. And the answers are
shocking.
http://bit.ly/1C2ToXI
The Positives of Negative Criticism
It’s so true. Get 100 positive comments, “You’re handsome,”
“Great physique,” “Dy-no-mite haircut,” and you barely notice. But one
perceived negative comment, “I think I liked your hair parted on the right side
better,” and you become defensive. Or at least annoyed. Even if the criticizer means
well, and you do look crazy better with
the part on the right, you balk. “What do they know about hair anyway?”
Rare is the person who says, “Tell me exactly what you
think,” and means it. Most of us want nothing to do with suggestions, opinions,
helpful comments, tips or alternative
ways of doing what we’re doing. But we
should.
With a little help. Often constructive criticism offers a new,
often better way to handle a job, problem or situation. Feel confident enough
to know you are on the right track and, as the Beatles’ song goes, “With a little
help from my friends” you can improve processes, strengthen relationships and
increase productivity.
Join the crowd. Going
it alone may not reveal the whole story. One perspective is just one opinion in
a swell of opinions. Hear what other folks have to say. You may reject most
options, but if you’re listening, really listening, you at least could pick up
some interesting tidbits and grains of truth.
Hold your horses.
Whoo Red Ryder, resist the temptation to hear a negative criticism and start a
rebuttal in your head. Just listen without taking offense and hear the person
through. Most often we do not recognize a kindly comment, but hear instead
carping criticism, “Hey stupid, only an idiot would wear their hair parted on
the left.”
Day of judgement. Most of us don’t want to be judged. We cannot
control what others say, but we can control our reactions. Sometimes colleagues
are trying to make themselves shine and so they choose to criticize and judge
to stand out. Sometimes we just have to say, “Thank you for that observation,
Bill,” and understand that a harsh criticism could turn out to be helpful even
if that were not the intent.
The sandwich.
Knowing how hard it is to take criticism, go easy with the biting comments.
Remember, we’re all hungry for praise. So, sandwich that constructive comment
between two appetizing compliments anyone would love to receive!
For our unvarnished opinion
Contact Anne Schwab or Liliane Blom
(CMSWriting.com & CMSVideoProduction.com)
202 333 3560
Contact Anne Schwab or Liliane Blom
(CMSWriting.com & CMSVideoProduction.com)
202 333 3560
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