Writers who are so fluent, facile and sure-footed that they can
write their stuff down and that’s the way it runs are rare.
Ernest Hemingway rewrote the last paragraph of THE SUN ALSO
RISES 28 times before he got it right. David Ogilvy confessed
that he’d done as many as 19 drafts on a single piece of copy
before presenting it to anyone.
What we’re talking about here is good writing for easy reading.
Writing that doesn’t puzzle the stranger, but clearly conveys
the meaning the writer intends.
It’s a sweaty proposition, this rewriting, because it demands
that we serve as our own critic, editor and teacher. And that
means being able to spot the problem areas before we can even
begin the revising, polishing and cutting.
Here are seven questions you must ask about your copy before you
begin another round.
1. Are your sentences short enough?
Experts say that a “short” sentence is anything under 17 words.
That doesn’t mean you can’t write longer sentences, just don’t
fill up the pages with them. Too many long sentences slow the
reader down; a good mixture of sentence lengths acutally
heightens interest.
2. Is your sentence structure varied?
Starting every sentence with “a” or “the” makes your writing
read like “duh.” Varying the beginning of your sentences with
nouns, adverbs and — even an occasional conjunction — keeps
your reader from getting bored.
3. Have you been too passive?
Use the active voice, instead of the passive. Make it a habit.
It makes your writing more direct, more energetic. And, usually,
your sentences shorter.
4. Are your verbs active?
Action verbs rule. Use verbs that describe physical or mental
activity instead of a state of being. “Our widgets outshine the
competition” is more vigorous than “Our widgets are of the
highest quality.”
5. Are you using little modifiers excessively?
Nouns and verbs that are specific give good writing toughness
and color. So use adverbs and adjectives sparingly. And remember
what your Strunk&White says about modifiers like “rather,”
“very,” “little,” and “pretty” — “…these are the leeches that
infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words.”
6. Is your phrasing too fat?
Vigorous writing is lean writing. Put your sentences on a diet
by cutting unnecessary words: reduce your paragraphs by
eliminating unnecessary sentences. Get rid of expressions like
“the fact that,” especially when “since” or “though” will do.
Look for places where you can express a thought in one sentence
instead of two.
7. Does your beginning lead to an end?
All copy should have a clear beginning, middle and end. The
shortest pieces as well as the longest. Begin with a lead
sentence that captures the essence of the piece, then jump right
into the action. Make sure the middle section is tight and well
organized. Keep like items together. If you’re comparing cars
and trucks, describe the cars first, then the trucks. The end of
your piece should have a crisp closer or zinger and contain a
call to action or quote. For instance, an apt ending here might
be something like this from Dickens: “All writing is misery.”
© Burek Group 2003
Thank you for your intrerest in this article. You may freely
publish it in print or on the Web as long as you include the
byline and credits. Also, please advise me of publication by
mailto: walter@walterburek.com
Heart disease is the number one killer of women. If you are a women, and even if your not, here is what you need to start doing.
The food you eat is critical in determining if you will have high blood pressure and if you can lower it. Eating less meat and eating more fruits and vegetables can lower your blood pressure.
High blood pressure occurs when fats, cholesterol, and nutrients in the food you eat start to accumulate along your artery walls. This narrowing of your arteries restricts the flow of your blood, increases your blood pressure and making you more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes.
If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high trigylcerides, grapefruit has been found to reduce the effects of these conditions.
So which is better yellow or red grapefruit? Well, in a study made where people who had a history of high cholesterol, those that ate the red grapefruit had the most effect in lower their blood pressure. The yellow also lowered blood pressure but not as much as the red grapefruit.
It was found in this study that grapefruit had a better effect in lowering blood pressure than statin drugs.
Red grapefruit are extra high in anti-oxidants and these nutrients are able to reduce your trigylcerides: the yellow are not.
Eat the red grapefruit when available and when it is not eat the yellow. Eat at least one - two per day. If you eat just before your meal or drink a glass of fresh grapefruit, you can expect to lose 1 or 2 lbs during the month. By eating 2 grapefruits a day expect to lose more weight.
Eating grapefruit has many health benefits, but one other is in controlling your insulin level. Studies have shown that those that eat grapefruits have lower insulin and glucose levels in their blood.
It is believed by researchers that grapefruit enzymes help to control insulin increases that happen after you eat. These enzymes help digest your food better and this results in less nutrients being stored as fat.
Grapefruit has also been found to be caner preventative. It’s the phytonutrients - antioxidants - and especially lycopene that has been found helpful in preventing cancer.
Grapefruits are high in fiber, vitamin C, Vitamin A, and antioxidants - carotenoids, limonoid glucosides, flavonones.
You can buy red and yellow grapefruits from November to May here in the US. If you don’t have any in your area go online and order some.
CAUTION: If you are on any drugs, do not eat grapefruits in combination with taking drugs. Grapefruit enhances the effect of drugs and can cause symptoms of overdose.
Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. To get more tips and information on what foods you need to eat if you have high blood pressure or cholesterol go to: http://www.lowerbloodpressure.for–you.com
For more extensive information on high blood pressure go to:
http://www.high-blood-pressure-remedies.com
In the future weapons of war for the human race will be that of high-energy lasers. This is good for many reasons. One of the best reasons is because environmentalists will not have to worry about all those discarded shells and debris left from firing weapons. This means the enemy cannot collect them and melt them down and make other weapons out of them.
Additionally the Green Peace Groupies ought to love it because the shells will not leach heavy metals into the enemy’s water supplies. But in all seriousness the future of Star Wars weapons will indeed change the face of warfare in the battlespace forever. And in doing so we will need better counter measures to prevent our enemy from taking out our expensive robotic hardware using high-energy lasers. How so you ask?
By making very tough materials, which can hold up against lasers for split seconds and then immediately put up a mirror of specially made ceramic, diamond or carbon nanotube sheets we can direct the enemies laser. Re-directing it onto him. Thus the golden rule does apply here in the modern battlespace; “Do not do onto the United States of America, what you would not want to have re-directed to you!” A thought provoking idea indeed and one everyone can come to learn to believe in too. Think on this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
WARNING: Today’s column features plenty of fowl language.
Let’s talk chicken. Fast food chicken. We’ll chew on the nutritional info surrounding the sandwiches, subs, salads… even the new “chicken fries” recently trotted out by Burger King.
Every savvy dieter knows white meat chicken is a yummy part of a healthy eating plan. So why are the nutritional numbers so scary at your favorite fast food joint? Flock this way and check out the latest offerings including McDonald’s new line of premium chicken sandwiches.
By now, you must have seen the ads featuring the so-called premium sandwiches. When McDonald’s launches a new product, they saturate the market with mouthwatering ads. But please don’t confuse the catchword premium as a synonym for healthy.
Let’s check the tale of the tape for the nutritional numbers that are accessible a few pecks away at www.mcdonalds.com. As you seem, you have a choice of 3 new sandwiches, with each coming in two forms — grilled or “crispy” which is a nicer word than fried. The envelope please…
Premium Crispy Chicken Classic Sandwich: This 8.2-ounce sandwich has 490 calories (150 from fat), 16 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat (1.5g trans fat), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 1,350mg sodium, 62 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber.
The 8-ounce Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich is a better bet with 410 calories (80 from fat), 9g fat, 2g saturated fat (zero trans fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 1,210mg sodium, 52g carb, and 3g fiber.
The Premium Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich weighs in at 8.6 ounces and weighs ya down with 570 calories (180 from fat), 20g fat, 5g saturated fat (1.5g trans fat), 70mg cholesterol, 1,730mg sodium, 64g carbs, and 3g fiber.
A Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich (8.5 ounces) has 480 calories (120 from fat), 13g fat, 3.5g saturated fat (zero trans fat), 90mg cholesterol, 1,590mg sodium, 53g carbs, and 3g fiber.
The 9.6-ounce Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich packs 660 calories, 29g fat, 9g saturated fat (1.5g trans fat), 100mg cholesterol, 1,800mg sodium, 63g carbs and 3g fiber.
And, finally, the 9.4-ounce Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich has 580 calories, 21g fat, 8g saturated fat (zero trans fat), 40mg cholesterol, 1,660mg sodium, 53g carbs, and 3g fiber.
eDiets.com chief nutritionist Susan Burke offers this mini-review:
“McDonald’s new Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich is an OK option for fast food, as long as you do a little modifying so you can have it ‘your way.’ Just say, ‘Hold the mayo!’ Mayo adds saturated fat and calories. Say YES to ketchup or mustard… or both.
“By the way, I’m talking the grilled chicken, not the ‘crispy’ sandwich — crispy is code for added fat — or the chicken BLT, which has 20 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, and 1.5 grams of trans fat per sandwich.
“If you’re watching your sodium, all bets are off… at McDonald’s and all fast food restaurants. A quick look at all the chicken sandwiches gives me heart palpitations. There are 1,800 milligrams of sodium in just one Premium Crispy Club Chicken Sandwich. That’s 75% of what you need for the entire day.
“Even the plain Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich has 1,200mg sodium, which is still too high for just one sandwich. So, balance the day with fresh fruit and vegetables — and don’t make fast food a daily habit.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself Susan!
While chatting with Susan about fast food in general, I learned that one managerial rooster at a huge chain said size is what really matters when it comes to pleasing the hungry public. Yep, this biz wiz claims we want BIGGER… as in bigger buns, bigger meat, bigger toppings, bigger scale numbers, bigger pants sizes, and bigger medical bills. Oops, he didn’t say all that. But he may as well have.
In honor of this “bigger is better” belief, I think the fast food chains ought to offer special “Really Big Kid” meals featuring heart defibrillators and other nifty toys. I can hear the drive-thru window worker now, as she asks sweetly after taking your order, “Would you like oxygen with that?”
But I digress. I came here today to cackle about chicken. I have to admit I was inspired by the recent spate of Subway commercials featuring none other than that amazing shrinking man Jared. The thin-again spokesperson who says he lost some 245 pounds eating subs (please do not try this with meatball or cheesesteak subs) has lately been skewering fast food chicken choices.
But before you grab a few bawk, bawk, bawks and rush off to Subway for a super healthy chicken sandwich, check this out:
The 6″ Chicken & Bacon Ranch sandwich has 530 calories and 25 grams of fat. The numbers aren’t that much better than the McDonald’s sandwiches listed above. In fact, the McChicken boasts just 370 calories and 16 grams of fat. So what gives?
Well, Jared was sort of comparing apples to oranges when he attacked the fast food sandwich with mucho grams of fat and recommended the 6″ Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich and its 5 grams of fat.
Savvy dieters like you and me know we need to do our homework before we head to the corner fast food joint for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Stick with grilled and steer clear of breaded chicken and you are off to a good start. Other tips:
Say nay-o to mayo. Mustard is a perfectly good chicken sandwich topping.
Be sure to load up your sandwich with lettuce and tomato… and any other raw veggie you can sink your teeth into.
Just say NO to fries. Round out your meal (not your belly) with water, diet soda, and fruit or a side salad with light dressing served on the side.
Most large franchises now offer nutritional values online or on the premises. Ask for the info if it’s not readily accessible. If they don’t want to dish it out, say bye-bye. It’s your money and your health at stake here. Get what you want, not what they want to serve you.
Now, back to chewing the fat — and calories — on fast food chicken.
Consumer Reports recently investigated more than 35 chicken dishes in 16 restaurants. Some of the more unappetizing results:
Boston Market’s Marinated Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad: 800 cals, 62g of fat
Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad: 630 cals, 35g of fat
Carl’s Jr.’s Low-Carb Breakfast Bowl: 900 cals, 73g of fat
Mr. Bad Food would be remiss if he didn’t check out the nutrition numbers for the latest entry into the fast food chicken wars — Burger King’s Chicken Fries. A 6-piece order with Buffalo dipping sauce has 340 calories (210 from fat), 24 grams of fat (4.5 saturated; 3 trans fat), 40mg cholesterol, 1,020mg sodium, 20g carbs and 2g fiber.
The verdict? The 6-pack is actually slightly worse in some respects than a medium fries which has 360 calories (160 from fat), 18g fat (5 saturated; 4.5 trans fat), 0 cholesterol, 640mg sodium, 46g carbs, and 4g fiber. So don’t fall for “chicken has to be better than french-fried potatoes” trap.
Another heavily hyped chicken sandwich these days is the KFC Snacker. The 99 cents price tag makes it a lot more affordable than the Colonel’s high-priced bucket selections. But you are basically getting little more than one crispy strip nestled inside a “snacker bun” with pepper mayo and a lettuce blend.
The nutrition numbers are 320 calories, 16 grams of fat (3g saturated), 25mg cholesterol, 700mg sodium, 31 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber. I don’t know about you, but I’d need at least two of these 4-ounce teasers to feel anywhere near full.
A few decent chicken choices include:
–Burger King Fire-Grilled Chicken Garden Salad with fat free honey mustard dressing has 280 calories and 7 grams of fat.
–Wendy’s Ultimate Grill Chicken Sandwich has 360 calories and 7 grams of fat.
–Quizno’s Small Honey Bourbon Chicken sandwich has 359 calories and 6 grams of fat.
–Hardee’s Charbroiled Bar-B-Q Chicken Sandwich has 415 calories and 5 grams of fat… and includes the mayo.
The bottom line: when you feel peckish for fast food chicken, choose wisely and enjoy your meal. Oh, and don’t squawk to Mr. Bad Food if temptation and bad decision-making cause you to lay an egg, motivationally speaking.
John McGran, eDiets.com Editor-in-Chief
At eDiets, there’s something for every body. Click here to choose from more than 20 personalized diet plans!
Being satisfied with your life is a good thing. That may be an obvious statement, but the more researchers look at life satisfaction and its role in our lives the more it becomes evident that it has a direct impact on how healthy we are.
So, what makes us happy? In the last few years the field of positive psychology has started to produce significant answers to this important question. Dr. Nansook Park, Dr. Christopher Peterson and Dr. Martin Seligman carried out a study with more than 4000 participants. This revealed that five significant factors –gratitude, optimism, zest, curiosity, and the ability to love and be loved–are closely and consistently related to life satisfaction. Look at this list again. It doesn’t include being beautiful, having lots of money or going on expensive holidays. It is a list of factors that are within our control.
So look around and find all the things that you can feel grateful for. Think of things that make you feel optimistic - I know there’s cause for pessimism and concern, but there is also much to be optimistic about. Find some zest in your life, not through drink or drugs, but something that you care passionately about, something that gets your juices flowing. Curiosity? I’m curious to know what you’re curious about! Think of something that you would like to understand better, and surf the web or get a book out of a library or talk to someone who knows about the subject. Finally, think of people you love, and take a moment to tell them how much you care.
Put these activities into your life on a regular basis and find a greater level of life satisfaction, happiness and health.
Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and researcher on health, stress, alternative medicine, and happiness. Visit her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com for tips and information on how to live a happier, healthier life no matter how busy you are.
