Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Sniper Killings essays

Sniper Killings essays The month of October 2002 has been a very sad month; a Sniper (Jargon) has been on the loose killing innocent people for no apparent reason. He has already shot thirteen people, taking the lives (Euphemism) of eight and the rest were critically injured. Two suspects were arrested after being found asleep in their car at a Maryland rest stop, in the 3 a.m. hour on Thursday, October 24. The suspects were 42-year-old John Allen Mohammed, and 17-year-old juvenile, John Lee Malvo, who was "believed to be his stepson" (Vindicator). Not only are these suspects being arrested for questioning on the Sniper shootings but also for the liquor-store shooting in Montgomery, Alabama. "The law enforcement source told the AP that police found a piece of paper at the scene of the Alabama shooting that bore Malvo's fingerprints. Police then traced Malvo to the Tacoma home, were he had been living with Mohammed, the source told the AP" (Vindicator). In my opinion, if these two men are indeed the so-called Snipers, they should be executed in the worst possible way. One idea would be to properly punish the criminal to satisfy the citizen of the communities (Doublespeak). If the public saw how horrible their punishment was, there might be a less likely chance that anyone would try to do something like this again. People like this should not ever be able to go back on the streets again. Even if criminals get a lifetime in jail, they almost always get out early. I am hoping that the arrest of Mohammed and Malvo will stop the chain of killings in the Washington D.C. area. The police are not positive that all the shootings are related to the Sniper. For example, when the thirteenth person was shot on the bus, it was said that "We don't know if this is related but were treating this as if it is" (Nancy Demme)(Vindicator). Hopefully, Malvo and Mohammed are actually the Snipers, and are prosecuted, so that the ...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Writing an Executive Summary that Emotes Confidence

Writing an Executive Summary that Emotes Confidence This article illustrates a simple rhetorical strategy, to apply at the sentence level, to increase your readers’ perception of your executive ability. This is a very useful strategy for all executive writing, but it is particularly important when writing an executive summary. Executive writing should embody both confidence and competence. If you write with a confident tone, it quietly affirms your leadership abilities to your readers. And, if you are smart and ambitious and aspire to executive level, you also want to present a confident voice in your writing tone because it will help you advance. During a recent training, a new executive shared with me that she had received feedback that she needs to â€Å"own† her decisions more strongly in all her communication, but especially in her executive summaries. The leadership team in her company felt her writing came across as tentative. When I reviewed her writing, I saw a common rhetorical error. Avoid Unnecessary Introductory Words This often stems from the very common â€Å"I am writing to tell you† approach. It is superfluous (and feels a bit like a grammar school essay) to remind your reader you are writing. I am writing to tell you that your order was shipped on Friday, January 26. You should receive it by Tuesday. Better: I am writing to tell you that Your order was shipped on Friday, January 26. You should receive it by Tuesday. Executives often fall into this same rhetorical trap by including weak introductory recommendation words: I believe closing our satellite office is the best decision. Enrollments declined 17% in 2012 and 9% in 2011. This accelerating decline reflects the program duplication with our satellite and main office programs. Better: I believe Closing our satellite office is the best decision. Enrollments declined 17% in 2012 and 9% in 2011. This accelerating decline reflects the program duplication with our satellite and main office programs. Avoid Using Qualifying, Opinion-Based Introductory Words Words like believe, think, or feelinfer a less confident voice. Instead of calmly owning your decision, this construct sounds less sure. A reader will likely think your statement is based on opinion more than clear business analysis and decision. Best: There is one verb, however, that works powerfully to convey confidence. Do use it when you want to make a strong, decisive executive impression. It connotes real ownership of your decision: I recommend closing our satellite office is the best decision. Enrollments declined 17% in 2012 and 9% in 2011. This accelerating decline reflects the program duplication with our satellite and main office programs. Notice that the verb recommend is so decisive it eliminates the need for the supporting statement â€Å"is the best decision.† I recommend clearly connotes your confidence and assessment of a business situation. It sounds confidently authoritative, but not at all brusque. Eliminate any tentative introductory clauses in your sentence structure when making executive assessments, and always eliminate them when writing an executive summary. This simple, yet very effective, rhetorical strategy will help you conveymore confidence and executive tone in your writing. Learn More in this Course: Writing anExecutive Summary.