AcaDemon Blog

"You can't get too much winter in the winter." ~ Robert Frost

AcaDemon — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 19:31:14 +0000

And on that lovely Robert Frost quote, we at AcaDemon would like to wish all of our writers, customers, visitors, and contributors a very happy winter, a very happy holiday season, and a fantastic new year. Sincere wishes for a year of health, happiness, and successes.

THE UNITED NATIONS, HOW TO WRITE A RESUME, AND COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

AcaDemon — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 17:40:53 +0000

► Download and Listen: PYD 48: “The United Nations, How to Write a Resume, and Compound Adjectives”

Dec 4, 1945: The US Senate Approves US Participation in the United Nations

In honor of this very important anniversary date in US history, the date that the US Senate approved US participation in the United Nations, paper # 145528, “UN Peacekeeping Limitations” was chosen as this week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon and it is also the paper discussed in Episode 48 of the PYD Podcast series. In Segment One, Dave introduces this fascinating, well-written paper so don’t miss Dave’s discussion or the paper!

How to Write a Resume

You also don’t want to miss Segment Two of Episode 48 because that’s where Dave talks about resume writing. He provides important tips, strategies, guidelines, and suggestions for how to write a killer resume so make sure you listen in.

Compound Adjectives

Of course, you don’t want to skip the last discussion in the latest PYD episode either because that’s where Dave explains what compound adjectives are and tells you how to use and write them properly. That’s a refresher course we can all use! Here’s one more tip on compound adjectives that we saved just for you:

Remember that compound adjectives are also sometimes formed from proper nouns. For example, in the phrase, “Disney World Tickets”, ‘Disney World’ would not be hyphenated because it’s a proper noun, even though, in this example, it’s also a compound adjective.

And that’s it for this week’s update on the latest PYD episode. Please take a minute and listen. There's always something new going on and learn; you won’t be disappointed. And, if you have the time, please comment on this blog, talk to us on FB, or email us at podcast@academon.com and to tell us your thoughts about what you'd like covered in upcoming episodes.

LEARN ABOUT NOMINALIZATIONS, CAPITONYMS AND THE ETHICS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

AcaDemon — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 22:42:05 +0000

► Download and Listen: PYD 47: “Learn about Nominalizations, Capitonyms, and the Ethics of Abraham Lincoln”

Abraham Lincoln: Ethics and Morality

This week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon is paper #150950, “The Politics, Ethics, and Morality of Abraham Lincoln” is the first topic of discussion in Power Your Document Podcast Episode 47 and in this discussion, host Dave Jackson, examines and summarizes this truly fascinating document about President Abraham Lincoln. The paper provides in-depth analysis of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln and in so doing, presents a fascinating portrait of one of America’s greatest leaders.

Avoiding Nominalizations

In Segment 2 of PYD Episode 47, Dave wades into the murky waters of nominalizations. He explains what they are, why we need to avoid them in our writing, and most importantly, how to avoid them. If you want to improve your writing, don’t miss this very important discussion on avoiding nominalizations.

Capitonyms

Okay, so we’ve covered acronyms, antonyms, and homonyms, but what about capitonyms? Do you even know what they are? Dave does and he explains them in Segment 3 of PYD Episode 47. So have a listen if you can remember or just don’t know. Dave will tell you! And just as he promised, here is a list of a few capitonyms just to spark your memory:

August (the month and something majestic)

Bill (the name and the amount to be paid)

Cancer (the constellation and the disease)

Earth (the planet and the land)

Job (the Biblical character and employment)

Lent (past tense of the word ‘lend’ and a period on the Christian calendar)

March (the month and a type of walk)

May (the month and the verb)

Nice (the French city and the adjective that means pleasant)

Polish (someone from Poland and the act of rubbing something to make it shiny)

OCT 30, 1938: “WAR OF THE WORLDS” BROADCAST

AcaDemon — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 00:03:47 +0000

Even if you don’t specialize in communications, you probably have at least heard about Orson Welle’s famous live reading of the “War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells, and his audience’s response. Welle’s adaptation and reading of “War of the Worlds” was so realistic, it caused mass panic in his listening audience, many of whom believed that earth was really under attack by aliens. As a result of the impact that Welle’s reading had, the broadcasting world suddenly became more aware of their potential to influence, and many communications theories were born. Paper # 122233, “The Impact of the Panic Broadcast of “War of the Worlds“, is this week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon and it examines these theories and the audience response to Welle’s Oct. 30, 1938 reading. The paper provides a fascinating account of a period when the impact and influence of broadcast radio was just beginning to be understood as well as the communications theories that emerged as a result of that broadcast. In short, this paper provides great background and insight into our current understanding of the study of communication.

BEIRUT, OCTOBER 23, 1983…

AcaDemon — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:19:45 +0000

was the day that a terrorist drove a truck, loaded with more than 12,000 pounds of TNT, into the US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and caused an explosion that killed 241 US Marines. In memory of the victims of that terrorist attack, Paper #109707, “Terrorist Attack on the US: Beirut, 1983”, was chosen as this week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon. Paper #109707 is a complete research paper that analyzes several aspects of the attack including how it differed from previous terrorist attacks and its implications for US policy regarding the safety of its troops and the nation. This paper is thoroughly researched and offers highly insightful analysis of a terrorist attack, which the author suggests ushered in a new era of terrorism.

EUGENE O’NEILL – NATURALIST? ROMANTICIST? IMPRESSIONIST? EXPRESSIONIST?

AcaDemon — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:39:51 +0000

Was American playwright, Eugene O’Neill, a naturalist, a romanticist, an impressionist, or an expressionist? Most analysts will say O’Neill’s writing exhibited aspects of all these. Take for example, his plays, “The Hairy Ape” and “Beyond the Horizon”. According to this week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon, paper #115856, “O’Neill’s Naturalism and Expressionism”, these famous plays are examples of naturalism and expressionism. In addition to providing biographical information on O’ Neill, paper #115856 provides in-depth analysis of both “The Hairy Ape” and “Beyond the Horizon”, explaining how one is an example of expressionism and the other an example of naturalism. For an introduction to O’Neill and his works, this is an outstanding paper to read and it’s also the perfect paper for this week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon, as it helps commemorate this famous playwright’s birthdate, October 16, 1888.

ARE YOU LISTENING?

AcaDemon — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 11:00:01 +0000

No doubt you are, if you’re like the six billion people in the world who have access to cell phones. Yes, believe it or not, six billion people, out of the world’s total population of seven billion, have access to cell phones. This fascinating fact is according to a UN study, which also noted that that number exceeds the number of people worldwide who have access to working toilets. Where did it all begin, you ask? Well, that’s what AcaDemon Paper of the Week, #149654, “The Growth of the Cell Phone”, discusses. This interesting and in-depth paper looks at the birth of the cell phone, its evolution, trends, and impact. This is not only an informative and well-written paper, it it also timely, as it was on October 9, 1947 that the first conversation between a moving car and a plane took place!

ALL THINGS RELATIVE, ONOMATOPOEIA, AND JUSTICE MARSHALL

AcaDemon — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:39:24 +0000

► Download and Listen: PYD 46: “All things relative, Onomatopoeia, Justice Marshall

Thurgood Marshall and Opposition to the Death Penalty

This week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon is paper #145206, “Thurgood Marshall and the Death Penalty”. This paper was selected as the Paper of the Week in honor of Justice Marshall, who became the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the US. The focus of the paper is the death penalty and Justice Marshall’s opposition to it. This analytical and well thought out paper examines Marshall’s position on the death penalty, his reasons and arguments for that position, and the opinions of the paper’s author regarding Marshall’s arguments. Our Power Your Document Podcast host, Dave, introduces us to this paper in this month’s PYD Podcast, Episode 46. So don’t miss Dave’s discussion or the paper!

All Things Relative…

Well, maybe not all things relative. Let’s just focus on the relative clause. That’s what Dave does in Section Two of PYD Episode 46. He provides a nice little explanation of relative clauses and relative pronouns, so be sure to check in and brush up on your grammar and writing skills in Section Two.

Onomatopoeia

And, finally in Section Three, Dave tackles that word that no one can pronounce - onomatopoeia. That’s right - words that sound like the sound they are describing. Onomatopoeia, what they are, and how to use them, is the topic of Dave’s discussion in Segment Three of PYD Episode 46.

And to conclude this blog and fulfill Dave’s promise of a list of onomatopoetic words that are onomatopoetic in origin even though most of us would never guess that they were, here’s the list!

blimp

bumblebee

bump

chatter

cliche

click

drip

laugh

murmur

whisper

THE FIRST FEMALE US SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

AcaDemon — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 11:08:02 +0000

If you don’t know who the first female US Supreme Court Justice was, then make sure you do because she had a significant impact and influence on US law and legal decisions and set an example of dedication and skill admired by many. On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female US Supreme Court Justice, making history and setting an example for many other Supreme Court Justices to follow. For a great introduction to this impressive figure, make sure you read paper #108826, “Justice Sandra Day O’Connor”. This paper takes an in-depth look at O’Connor’s service, impact, and legacy as a Supreme Court Justice and makes for excellent reading as well as excellent research material.

New York Times vs. the Internet

AcaDemon — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 06:31:32 +0000

While the number of daily printed newspapers in the US has seen a slow, but steady decline since the advent of the Internet, there are still nearly 1500 newspapers still in print and operating. The “New York Times” is one of the most well-known of these newspapers and is considered the newspaper of record in the US. The “Times” first started publishing on September 18, 1851, which makes paper #119591, ”The New York Times”, a very appropriate choice for this week’s Paper of the Week on AcaDemon. This paper analyzes the business side of the “Times” rather than its journalistic practices, and presents the strengths and weaknesses of the business, as well as suggests recommendations for how the "Times" should proceed in order to keep it competitive and strong. This paper presents a very unique look at one of the iconic symbols of journalism worldwide. Don’t miss!