Saturday, March 7, 2020

Interview Self-Publishing Cookbooks

Interview Self-Publishing Cookbooks Self-Publishing Cookbooks: Interview with Marcy Goldman Last updated 07/06/2017â€Å"You have to have more passion than fear - or simply want to do it anyway - otherwise those two swear words ‘what if’ will stop you from even trying.†Although the self-publishing alternative becomes more valid and tempting every day, many traditionally-minded authors still fail to consider author publishers as their peers, and often disregard all independent publishing efforts as vanity publishing.Of course, more and more genre fiction authors are bridging the gap every day by becoming hybrids; but non-fiction genres such as cookbooks are still pretty much in the hands of traditional publishing, essentially due to the high production costs.In this thought-provoking interview, Marcy Goldman exposes her reasons for self-publishing her cookbooks and offers specific advice for cookbook authors. She shows that it can be done to the highest quality, and can become a truly liberating experience for an author.How to Self-Publish a Book: 7 Sim ple Steps to Success Read post Many successful indies recommend authors to â€Å"follow the steps of traditional publishing† when self-publishing. How important is having a good copyeditor for a cookbook? And a designer/formatter?It is absolutely crucial and there are more and more qualified, fair-priced skilled freelancers you can hire to assist you. You are also the creator and will be doing a ton of work to launch, market and distribute. It really pays to hire some production and editorial help. That said, even traditional cookbooks can be notably imperfect.The thing I like about many indie authors coming from a â€Å"mainstream† background is that they suddenly feel empowered to try new things. You’re now about to self-publish a book on tango, and have also published a poetry one, just because: â€Å"now, I can†. Do you think being liberated from traditional constraints is a good thing for indie writers?Yes, self-publishing is a good way of experimenting a bit without going too off course from your established platform, if you have one. It is still best to get consistent content out there and gain traction in the genre you’re known for or wish to establish yourself in. Second to that, just get your best content out there!Most authors necessarily plug away at what they’re known for or what they think will ‘sell’. They quickly learn not to pitch agents or traditional publishers with unproven ponies, so to speak. We all tend to try and fuse our passion writing what sells with what we also think ‘will sell’, but luckily, as a self-publisher, you don’t have to worry about that acquisitional ‘wall’. You can indulge more risky books on your bucket list and in so doing, energize yourself as well as find a whole new niche of readers, ultimately increasing your revenue.You can also see directly what the publishing process is like and learn more insights into how books get sold. So it’s not just about the writing, it’s about what production, distribution and marketing approaches might work better for you and your works. You’re free to explore all that.You write in your piece that: â€Å"There’s also a presumption (or fear) that without sufficient social media or a platform, books (even great ones) won’t get noticed†. Do you think that producing great content is enough? How big has the whole â€Å"discoverability† challenge been for you?Fortunately I have a platform, but no one, not even William Shakespeare, starts with a platform. This is an age-old question anyway, which was around way before the advent of self-publishing. All writers, aspiring authors think â€Å"If I do it, who will read it, who will buy it, who will find it?†This is not new. It is yet another version of a common sabotaging thought almost every creative person has at one time or another. You have to have more passion than fear - or simply want to do it anyway - o therwise those two swear words ‘what if’ will stop you from even trying.Do the doing, get it out there and then see what happens.How do you see the future of publishing? Do you feel like publishers have adapted to the new technologies, formats, and distribution channels?That is a tough question! I think some publishers have slowly adapted to the new technologies but traditional publishing is an old-school, slow-moving, methodical industry that is sluggish with pride and history. It does not easily turn on a dime. It’s possible that, given some self-publishing success stories, they might follow those trends and/or those authors to seek out new talent or see what readers respond to. Indie publishing is often a bit of ad hoc market research for them.They might also be inheriting a new breed of author coming from self-publishing and might have to appreciate that these authors are of a different ilk. That’s not a bad thing, it’s a realistic thing. Confid ent creators, versus grateful or humble ones (all talents being equal), might be awesome authors to deal with. You might see some landmark works come out of this new breed.Do you think that the self-publishing alternative is taken seriously by the traditional actors (publishers, agents) or still widely seen as vanity publishing?I think indie publishing isn’t taken as seriously as it might be, which is a pity if you look at some of the ‘unknown’ but wholly successful authors out there. Having said that, it’s not as disdained or dismissed as it used to be. It is becoming legitimized as we recognize that there are huge shifts going on. Nothing is ‘as it was’†¦Beyond that, I think all publishers (indie or traditional) recognize that eBooks do well, however they recognize that eBooks often sell for very little, and in small quantities, making it difficult for many authors to thrive. To that end, I suggest writing shorter books, before putting an opus out as an eBook or putting something out in print and see what happens. Experiment.Follow Marcy and Reedsy  on Twitter: @MarcyGoldman  and @ReedsyHQWould you agree that self-publishing is still widely disregarded as a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"lesser alternative† by many authors? If you have experience of both worlds, did you find self-publishing liberating? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communications - Essay Example They traded with each other; established bonds of marriage and friendships with each other; and built future plans with each other. Although tensions were often seen among these tribes, these were eventually resolved through their traditions. I also found out that the Europeans brought to the shores of North America devastating diseases which practically wiped out a large chunk of their population. I found out that even before the actual colonization of North American by the Europeans, the Native Americans were already negatively affected by the diseases which the Europeans brought to their people – diseases which they had not defence against. In my opinion, Native Americans and their history are often overlooked by the media, except for special programs such as this video because the media does not want to acknowledge the fact that our colonial and European ancestors caused much devastation to the Native Americans. To talk about and discuss the Native Americans and their plight is a startling reminded of the unfair deal which Native Americans have been exposed to since colonial presence in North America. And further acknowledging the current deplorable plight of the Native Americans in the media will also bring the attention to the issues of the Indians which have yet to be given sufficient attention by the media and the Americans in general. Based on what was discussed in this documentary, young whites who embrace rap and hip-hop culture are just making fun of and ripping off black culture, just like earlier generations did with Blackface. Blacks claim that the whites seem to be stealing everything from them, including their culture. The assimilation into the rap and hip-hop culture by the young whites does not seem to come with a deeper understanding of its foundations. The blacks believe that the young whites just simply mimic the culture; they do not

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Bussiness Management and Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Bussiness Management and Outsourcing - Essay Example Moreover, the threat of significant job losses allows large firms to demand changes to labor legislation that further weaken labor. In addition to endangering jobs, wages, labor standards and union powers, globalization also hastens the decline of social safety nets (Becker, 1993). Citing international competitiveness, business has been able to shift the tax burden to labor. But job losses and low wages will erode this tax base, reducing governments' ability to finance welfare programs. Globalization thus undermines labor strength, reinforcing the impact of higher levels of overall unemployment on capital's ability to control the workplace in the developed economies (Bateman and Snell 2004). Service Industry Analysis At the beginning of the 21st century, IT is viewed as a strategic tool which helps organizations to expend their activities and increase profits. IT outsourcing is often seen as an opportunities to provide a competitive advantage and increased value for the enterprise. The absorptive capacity based on appropriate technology related skills needs to be measured against both the demands of the international economy and the local environment where a skills base for using IT is even more important. Changes in management philosophy are giving opportunities to the small and medium-sized enterprises that cater to the demands of national and internationally operating companies (Cullen and Willcocks, 2003). However, the businesses that fare well under the new management organizational scenario are those which acquire the necessary business, commercial, and technological skills. The main causes of outsourcing are prices and wages, communication and transportation costs. For many companies, cap acity building to develop appropriate skills is a dynamic process. As... It is stated that today, the UK economy mostly depends upon international labor supply and international business relations. Taking advantage of technology transfer opportunities, their rapid industrialization has been aided by the introduction of advanced technologies that result in labor costs substantially below those in similar industries in the developed economies. This in itself would contribute to the surge in exports to the developed economies. There are several problems with outsourcing faced by the state and companies. Recent years, a large number of engineers have been sent abroad by SMEs and TNCs. Thus, critics admit that the UK needs these research projects to be kept at home. In conclusion, IT outsourcing helps companies to improve their main operations and service quality, gain competitive advantage and save costs. It proposes company opportunities to reduce labor costs and increase service volumes and a number of traditional services proposed to customers, restructure business and invest in personal growth and development. Companies are increasingly finding that, if they combine their information assets with those of other companies, the combined information resource is considerably more useful to all sides. In this new environment, small companies may have advantages created by outsourcing, because their contact with customers will mostly be channeled through the telephone, or increasingly e-mail, they will be able to record and keep track of their customer's preferences and needs much more effectively.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Fatigue Cracking of Pavement

Fatigue Cracking of Pavement Introduction to fatigue cracking of pavement Fatigue or alligator cracking is the most common type of pavement distress, it is infact the major one. This is the type of distress in which series of interconnected cracks appears due to the fatigue failure of the HMA surface when the pavement experience repeated traffic loading. These type of cracks later allow moisture infiltration into the pavement, the road surface gradually gets more rough, the infiltrated moisture then again accelerate the existing cracking which in worst case may end up being a small to large sized pothole. In other words, as the traffic loads get repeated on the pavement, fatigue cracking starts to initiate at the bottom of the flexible layer, which accounts for the tensile strains at the bottom of the HMA layer (Huang 1993).   Researchers suggested that, for the M-E structural design process of pavement, this tensile strength must be kept in limit in order to check against fatigue cracking (Shook,1982). Figure 1: Schematic diagram of Fatigue Craking Mechanism in Pavement Cross Section (Priest et al., 2006) Apart from the repeated stresses incurred upon the pavement surface, fatigue cracking may take place due to aging, temperature changes or inadequate drainage. The effects of these factors are really complicated which my lead to undesirable changes to asphalt, associated with the poor durability properties of the HMA layer. (Finn 1967). Though due to previous research, it was believed that, most of the cracks initiates at the bottom and then make its way to the top of the asphalt layer, which is also termed as bottom up fatigue cracking, recent studies shows that, in most cases, cracks initiates at the pavement surface on the wheel path and then make its way down to the bottom (Myers and Roque, 2001). Federal Highway Administrations Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program mentioned about three levels of severity for fatigue cracking, which are high severity fatigue cracking, moderate severity fatigue cracking and low severity fatigue cracking. High severity fatigue cracking is the ultimate stage of fatigue cracking. When the pavement has been stressed to the limit of its fatigue life, it is no longer attractive and is barely functional. This stage is called high severity of fatigue cracking. In this case, the cracks are formed in large areas and there are several pieces of loose surface asphalt. Pavement in this condition needs repair immediately. Moderate severity fatigue cracking is the stage when distinguished the arrival of connecting cracks are well recognized. The cracks tends to increase gradually and lower layers of road materials become evident. Heavy traffic load usually break the surface asphalt layer in pieces. Low severity fatigue cracking usually indicates an area of asphalt having only small cracks with very few or none of them connecting to display the zig zag alligator type shape. Also the cracks are not evidently removing lower layers of the road materials. (Miller, 2003) Figure 2: Fatigue Cracking in Pavement (Priest et al., 2006) Over the years, the researchers are trying to come up with a simple and standard fatigue testing procedure as till this date, there is no such standard test for fatigue cracking, as different states are evaluating performance against fatigue cracking differently. Tangella et el (1990), came up with an equation to measure the fatigue life, which also accounts for the varying temperature and loading frequency. Nf= k1 (1/ÃŽÂ µt)^k2 (1/E)k3 Where, Nf= Number of load cycles until fatigue failure ÃŽÂ µt= Applied horizontal tensile strain E= HMA mixture stiffness K1,k2,k3= Regression constant In their study, they emphasized on the flexural fatigue test, diametral fatigue, and tests employing fracture mechanics principals, as the most promising test procedures to characterize fatigue cracking. Later till this period, there are different test procedures such as, Overlay (OL) test, Indirect Tension (IDT) test, Direct Tension (DT) test, Semicircular Bending (SCB) test, are most commonly used to categorize fatigue cracking in the lab. In addition, comparison with the observed result with the field cores is also important. Hajj et al. (2005) emphasized on the mechanistic analysis to understand the interaction between structure, stiffness, and laboratory testing so that a balance can be made for the given field and traffic conditions on a per-project basis. They concluded that, as the field pavement has stiffer structure which will generate lower strains under traffic therefore a longer fatigue life will be observed in the field. Therefore, an overall study is required to charac terize fatigue cracking of the pavement. References: Huang, Yang H. Pavement Analysis and Design New Jersey: Prentice Hall,1993 Shook, J.F., F.N. Finn, M.W. Witczak, and C.L. Monismith. Thickness Design of  Asphalt Pavements The Asphalt Institute Method, Proceedings, 5th International  Conference on the Structural Design of Asphalt Pavements, Vol.1, The Netherlands,  1982, pp. 17-44. Miller J.S., Bellinger W.Y. Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program (Fourth Revised Edition), Technical Research Report FHWA-RD-03-031. Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296, 2003. Priest A.L. Timm D.H. Methodology And Calibration Of Fatigue Transfer Functions For Mechanistic-Empirical Flexible Pavement Design, NCAT Report 06-03. National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn University, Alabama, 2006. Tangella, R., J. Craus, J. A. Deacon, and C. L. Monismith. Summary Report on Fatigue Response of Asphalt Mixtures. TM-UCB-A-003A-89-3, SHRP Project A-003-A. University of California, Berkeley: Institute of Transportation Studies, 1990 Hajj, E. Y., P. E. Sebaalay, and D. Weitzel. Fatigue Characteristics of Superpave and  Hveem Mixtures. Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE , 2005, pp. 302-10.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Regulatory Agency Essay

The role and responsibility of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most importantly, is to uphold the laws dictated by the government concerning products that include drugs, medical products, food, and non-health related products and to protect and promote public health across the country. This essay focuses on several aspects of the FDA, from the role of the agency and its effect on health care in the United States, to the authority this agency carries in relation to health care. There will also be an explanation of how the FDA carries out these responsibilities on a day-to-day basis. The FDA has held a strong presence in the realm of public health since 1848 when it began as a consumer protection agency (FDA, 2013). The FDA, formed after the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act was put in place and inspired by the scientific work of Harvey Washington Wiley, who was the Chief Chemist at the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Wiley worked to eliminate the dangerous practices of marketing unregulated drugs and food products to consumers (FDA, 2013). Since that time, the FDA has become a powerful force, monitoring and working to protect public health in the United States. FDA Role The FDA is an agency that works within the Department of Health and Human Services. The Office of the Commissioner takes the lead role with four other branches that manage other functions (FDA, 2013). The Office of the Commissioner takes â€Å"leadership of the agency’s scientific activities, communication, legislative liaison, policy and planning, women’s and minority health initiatives, agency operations, and toxicological research† (FDA, 2013). The four groups that work under the Office of the Commissioner are the Office of Foods, the Office of Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, the Office of Medical Products and Tobacco, and the Office of Operations. The function of these five entities of the FDA is to protect and promote public health in the U. S. and to uphold the laws dictated by the government regarding public health. This is accomplished through close monitoring and testing of regulated products used by U. S. consumers. These products consist of drugs, food, cosmetics, radiation-emitting products, vaccines and other biologics, veterinary drugs and products, and tobacco products (FDA, 2013). The FDA is also constantly looking for ways to advance public health by assisting other organizations to make medications safe and more effective (FDA, 2013). Not only does the FDA monitor the food supply coming into the U. S. to ensure its safety but also plays a role in counterterrorism efforts by developing products and medications to respond to a public health threat (FDA, 2013). Issuing and enforcing warning labels for drugs and other products is another function in the role of the FDA. The labels serve to educate the public and medical professionals on the use and hazards of using a specific medication or product. However, these labels do not always have the desired effect. Impact on Health Care The efforts of the FDA throughout its history, has created a much safer consumer environment as it relates to food products, cosmetics, and other non-medical items. Foods are carefully scrutinized before they are allowed on the market to ensure these products are safe for the public to consume. Strict guidelines are in place for all types of products that are available to consumers. However, there is some controversy concerning warning labels on prescription drugs. There have been recent reports that communications by the FDA regarding drug risks are not immediately effective (Hitt, 2012). It is the duty of the FDA to monitor and enforce warnings for prescription drugs involving the safety risks to public health. According to Emma Hitt, some of the warnings that recommended increased monitoring of a patient while taking a prescription drug or increase laboratory monitoring generally caused a decrease in the use of the drug and very low increases in monitoring (Hitt, 2012). These types of oversights in clinical practice likely cause adverse effects to patients by not heeding the proper warnings set forth by the FDA. This is just a minute area in which the FDA impacts health care. Just as the FDA is responsible for monitoring drugs, products, and foods, their communications to health care providers and consumers must also be taken seriously. As Hitt states, â€Å"as the goals of risk communication are to minimize potential harms, understanding the impact of an FDA communication’s intended (and unintended) consequences on patient health outcomes should be a priority† (Hitt, 2012). Duties of the FDA The FDA carries an enormous responsibility daily to monitor, investigate, and enforce the safety of the public in general. As discussed earlier, this includes products and medications used by consumers daily. There are times when the regulations and guidelines set forth by the FDA on specific products are not followed and thus the FDA must follow up with inspections, enforce compliance, and conduct criminal investigations (FDA, 2013). The Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) is the lead office in this function of the FDA. It is the duty of the ORA to carry out investigations if a breach in regulation is suspected. Once a questionable observation is made by an investigator of the ORA, a form entitled â€Å"Form 483† is filled out by the investigator (FDA, 2013). On this form, the investigator cites what the law or regulation is and proceeds to list the questionable conditions and what law or regulation is violated. These 483 forms are maintained and revisited periodically. Some of the areas investigated are biologics, drugs, human tissue for transplantation, foods, and radiological health, to name a few. This is a major function of the FDA to ensure compliance to laws and regulations. Regulatory Authority The FDA has regulatory authority provided in the â€Å"Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act† (FD&C) passed by Congress in 1983. The creation of this legislation was driven by an incident where more than 100 patients died due to improperly prepared sulfanilamide medications. It replaced the earlier Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (FDA, 2013). The agency has authority to mandate preventative actions for food facilities to ensure food safety. They also have the power to conduct compliance inspections on facilities the scope of which include access to records and testing by accredited laboratories. The FDA also has several responses it can take to enforce compliance and ensure safety of consumers. It can enforce a mandatory recall of a product, and it can suspend the registration of a facility if it is determined to pose a threat of serious health consequences or the threat of death to humans or animals (FDA, 2013). Accreditation, Certification, and Authorization The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is the division of the agency charged with the evaluation and approval of any drug prior to its release on the market. There are three phases in this certification and approval process. The research phase is conducted during the manufacture of a drug, along with the testing, then sent to a review board for recommendation (Writing, 2013). Once the recommendation is given, the drug can move to the second phase, the pre-clinical trials. Here the drug is tested on small groups of humans while measuring interactions and its effectiveness. Once this phase is complete with no adverse issues, the third phase can take place. This is a Phase 2 clinical trial that allows researchers to see if the drug works on a specific illness on patients and allows scientists to determine any side effects that may occur (Writing, 2013). The clinical phases are monitored closely, while working directly with patients to ensure that the testing remain within the standards of medical ethics. Once all of the trials are complete and all recommendations have been given, all of the results are analyzed and only then can be submitted to the FDA for approval to be sold on the market (Writing, 2013). The accreditation and approval process for all products that must be in compliance with FDA guidelines is a rigorous process but necessary for the common good. Conclusion The FDA carries so many responsibilities to provide high quality medications, foods, cosmetics, and many other products. The laws and regulations are complex and detailed. So much, in fact, most people are not aware when a regulation or guideline is being violated. The resources available to research the FDA and their functions and laws are many and well worth the time to gain education on how this enormous entity works to protect and promote public health and safety.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Clinical Reflective Journal

Clinical Reflective Journal The first day I visited psychiatric ward, I felt nervous and excited because of the psychiatric ward which is totally different from general ward. I sensed that all patients who are walking in the corridor and some of them keep murmuring, and those behaviors I seen are seldom appearing in the general ward. However, after I found that they can communicate with others normally and have no aggressive behavior after approaching the patients.I learnt we should establish therapeutic relationship in the communication with patients via using non-judgmental, empathetic, active listening and supportive attitude. But I found difficulties in approaching patients who are introverted due to their unconcerned response. However, I think that we should obtain their confidence through persistent contact with them.Besides, I realized that being a psychiatric nurse, the observational skills is very importance, as the emotional or mental condition of psychiatric patient can be fluctuated between day and night. Therefore, nurses can implement corresponding precautions beforehand. In the private hospital, there are seldom opportunities to perform those skills, but there provide many chances for me to practice the professional skills and of injection and physical restraint.For instance, choosing which type of restrained device should be applied on the patient and related assessment we should made. Moreover, through the guidance of the nurse, I could realize the rationales behind the intervention, weakness in my performance and how to improve it. After caring of psychiatric patient in these two weeks, it helps clear up my misunderstanding of them and I hope that the nursing care of psychiatric patient can be helpful for them to return the society.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Barnes Surname Meaning and Origin

The common Barnes  surname is often of topographical origin, deriving from the  Middle English barn, for  barn or granary, and  meaning of the barn (barley house). The use of the name was generally associated with a significant barn in the local region.  Barnes may also be an occupational surname for someone who worked in a barn. An alternative origin for the Barnes last name may be suggested by the parish of Barnes in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which derives its name from the Gaelic word bearn, meaning gap. Barnes was the 101st most common last name in the United States at the time of the 2000 U.S. census. Surname Origin: English, Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  BARNS, BERNES Famous People with the Surname BARNES: Jim Barnes - English golfer and first winner of the PGA championshipBrenda Barnes -  Former president of  PepsiCo North America Genealogy Resources for the Surname BARNES: 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? The Barnes Family YearbookAn annual publication issued under the authority of the Barnes Family Association. Several volumes are available for free viewing from this digital archive of genealogical information. Barnes DNA Surname ProjectLarry Bowling heads up this DNA project through FamilyTreeDNA with a goal of sorting out various lines of Barnes ancestors from around the world. Barnes Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Barnes surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or ask your own question about your Barnes ancestors. FamilySearch - BARNES GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Barnes surname and its variations. BARNES Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Barnes surname. DistantCousin.com - BARNES Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Barnes. -- Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings -- Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. ----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins