Day 71: Analysis of how to write an article

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 71: Analysis of how to write an article

Do you know something that might be of interest to others?  Do you have a speciality that you would like to share or teach?  If you do, you have the stuff great articles are made of and captivate and audience.

Respected authors recommend that when starting out as a writer, you should write about what you know. Just as a child has to learn to crawl before it can walk, so a writer has to get experience in his craft.

 

If you’re not sure what to write about, think about your job, your interests and hobbies. These are usually the things you know a lot about and are passionate about. When you write about them your passion will shine through.

Once you venture outside your comfort zone, thoroughly research the topic you want to write about. You need to know the facts. Nothing destroys your credibility as a writer more than presenting an article with incorrect or outdated information.

A great title is important. You need to make your article easy to find for people who search the web for information. A suitable title will tickle their curiosity. The introduction of your article should consist of a summary of what the reader of your article can expect. 

Remember SEO content. SEO content is keyword phrases that search engines pick up on. These keyword phrases should be pertaining to the subject of your article and repeated a few times in the body of your article. Keywords should preferably be at the beginning or very end of a paragraph. Don’t pepper your article with keywords though, remember that you are directing yourself in the first place to a reader, not a search engine.

If you are writing a recipe, be sure to include all the ingredients and materials so that your readers have all the tools they will need for a particular dish.  Then write step by step instructions on how to go about the preparation of this dish.

Read your work, preferably out loud so you can hear the flow of the sentences.  Pay attention to punctuation.  Finally, spell check your work and read it again. A spell checker may pick up on most of the mistakes, but not all of them.  When in doubt, Grammarly can help. Not only will Grammarly help with spellchecking your document, but the

program also pays attention to good grammar and can be used as a plagiarism checker. 

--------------------

Looking for a unique gift?

http://connymanero.weebly.com/store.html

Day 70: Dust, bugs or orbs?

Between You, me and the Lamp Post

Day 70: Dust, bugs or orbs?

Some thought it might be dust. Others claimed it might be bugs. Others still said they were orbs. Personally, I’m inclined to believe the latter. Before I go any further, take a look at this video and see what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7StU4QO0MoI

You’ve no doubt seen three lights, leaving a trail. Have you ever seen dust taking such a specific path? No, dust floats and certainly doesn’t leave a trail. Bugs might leave a trail in the right light conditions, except, there was no light in the living room at that time. The camera filmed via infrared. The path the ‘bugs’ take is also rather specific. One comes in from the left and curves its way to the cat tree, joined by another coming in from the center. Then one comes in from the ceiling and in one swoop jumps into the top basket of the cat tree. So that leaves us with the possibility of several orbs.

This activity is a nightly occurrence. Let’s say for argument sake that they are orbs. Sometimes there is only one, other nights there are several.

These orbs, if that’s what they are, would explain why the cats have been acting so strangely, especially Holly.

Holly often looks up at the ceiling, not just staring at it but seemingly looking at something very specific. In the process, she turns her head this way and that way, as if following something that is flying around. Other times she does more than just looking, she makes babbling sounds. Not meowing as such, but short noises. Those of you who have cats will know exactly what I mean.

Just how long we’ve had these orbs in the house we don’t know. We bought a monitor some two weeks ago and that’s when it started. That very first night the camera recorded this video. In the beginning, you’ll see Halley, but near the end of the video, you’ll see the first orb. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59MO22fKS70

There will be those who will argue that they are not orbs. In pictures, these round glowing things also show up and this is what one website had to say:

However, with higher shutter speed, those flashes off of the particles in the air show up as a bunch of orbs. They aren’t paranormal at all and are nothing to be afraid of.' 

I can understand that, but what I'm showing is not a picture, it's a video and one can clearly see how these lights follow the cats up the cat tree and up the cabinet. 

Have another look and see if you can make sense of it. 

Day 69: Bloomex - their customer service sucks

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 69: Bloomex - their customer service sucks

This has been a highly frustrating day. It started this morning. Or actually, it started over the weekend.

Dieter and I were invited to lunch by a friend (let’s call her Amanda) who recently moved from a townhouse to an apartment.

While I was looking forward to see Amanda again, I was also rather excited meeting the five kittens she fosters.

So intent on meeting the kittens was I that I completely forgot to take along a housewarming gift for our hostess.

After our visit, which was both nice and sad (I didn’t get to take any of the kittens with me) I decided to rectify my mistake and send Amanda a bouquet of flowers. To do this I contacted Bloomex and this is where the trouble started.

I sent the flowers on Monday and when I hadn’t heard from Amanda on Tuesday, I send her a follow-up email. I thought it rather strange that if she received the flowers, she wouldn’t let me know. I found Amanda’s reply this morning stating that she hadn’t received the flowers.

This was rather upsetting. For one, the cat was out of the bag and the flowers would no longer be a surprise, and two ... if Amanda hadn’t received the flowers, where were they? I had received this email from Bloomex

Your Order has been Delivered

I contacted Bloomex on my phone and started a chat with customer service specialist Paul. After the initial complaint, Paul stated “Hold on while I investigate”. I waited and waited and Paul never got back to me.

Next, I moved to my computer and started another conversation, this time with Kelly. Kelly stated that the delivery guy had tried to deliver the flowers but couldn’t find the address.

And this is where I’m partly to blame. I had mentioned the address as 120 Kling Street (not Amanda’s real address). This was my mistake as it should have been 120 King Street. Now, this is where I’m starting to wonder about the intelligence of the courier person.

Courier people know Toronto like the back of their hand and know very well that there’s no such thing as Kling Street. When in doubt, they look at the postal code which pinpoints them to the exact location.

Apparently, this courier person didn’t have much intellect as he couldn’t find the address. Which begs the question ... why didn’t anyone contact me? At the order form, I had given my phone number and email address, yet nobody contacted. Instead, I received an email stating that a delivery had been made.

A string of emails followed. First, they were apologetic and I was now I VIP client and I didn’t need to worry, the flowers would be delivered today.

Next, I was no longer a VIP client and I had to pay an extra $8 for delivery changes, as it was my fault that the flowers couldn’t be delivered.

It is now Wednesday evening and Amanda still doesn’t have her flowers.

While Bloomex might have a wide selection of flowers at reasonable prices, their customer service sucks! If Bloomex wants to improve their reputation, they should change courier companies and make use of people who actually know Toronto.

What’s more, Bloomex blew a major contract. This order for Amanda was just a trial run. If this order had gone smoothly I would have recommended them to the head office of a string of funeral parlors, people who order hundreds of bouquets a month.

Sorry Bloomex, no such contract for you.

Day 68: Is the government running an unemployment scam

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 68: Is the government running an unemployment scam

Every now and then, the Canadian and United States government alike likes to boast that the unemployment rate is down by 3%, 6% or even 10%. This is not strictly true. It’s not that a certain percentage of people have found jobs, the truth is that a certain percentage of the unemployed have lost their benefits or were rejected for benefits.

Personally, I work exclusively for Adecco Scarborough and they keep me rather busy. Over the years I’ve become a regular with clients who request my services again and again.

Earlier this year, after having completed a temp assignment I applied for unemployment benefits and received the response that my application was rejected due to lack of hours worked. I had roughly 300 hours and I needed 450.

Later on in the year I applied again for benefits and was again rejected. I had 500 hours and I needed 700.

This week, after having completed more temp assignments, I applied yet again and again my application was rejected. I had 862 hours and I needed 950 hours.

I have two assignments coming up which will give me more than the required 950 hours. My guess is, once I have the 950 hours they will state that I need 1050 hours. And so on and so on. So basically, I will never qualify for unemployment benefits.

The strange thing is though, when I went to the unemployment office, the place was packed with Middle Eastern men and women. All there to collect their money.

Am I being discriminated against because I’m Caucasian? Maybe I should apply for refugee status. Not only will I not need a job, because I will receive ample welfare, but I will get free housing and a bunch of other benefits.

  

Day 67: Sleeping with cats

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 67: Sleeping with cats

Yesterday someone posted on Facebook “Do you let your cats sleep on your bed?” That got a chuckle from me. A better question would have been “Do your cats let you sleep in your bed?”

For me, it’s every night more or less a battle. I have four cats, and they all want to sleep with me. When I go to bed, Halley and Charlotte are fast asleep at the foot end of the bed, while Holly and Greyson are near the pillows.

When I ask “Guys, can I get a spot?” they raise their heads and seem to say ... you can try. Which I do. I squeeze my way under the duvet as to not disturb them and often find myself in an uncomfortable position.

I try to get comfortable, but my four little buggers don’t move. When I stick my feet under Charlotte and try to get her to move, she bobs up and down and goes with the flow. Meanwhile, Halley gives me a look that says ... will you leave her alone, she’s sleeping.

Okay so eventually I’m ready for sleep, but now comes the next phase. Every night, and I do mean every night, Greyson comes and sits on my chest and nibbles on my ears. This can take anywhere from one minute to ten minutes. This taken care of, he gives me kisses. And he kisses like the French ... first right, then left, then right again. Then he moves to go to sleep.

I turn over and try to go to sleep as well. I do say try because it’s not that easy. Now Holly makes it known that she wants to be petted. Obligingly I pet her head, her cheeks, and her body. Sometimes she has enough after a little while, other times as soon as I stop she touches my hand with her paw as if to say ... keep going.

Finally, finally, everyone is happy and I can go to sleep. Sometimes that works, other times one of them throws a spanner in the wheel. Like yesterday for instance. I was drifting off nicely when suddenly ... wham, I got hit in the face by a tail. Charlotte must have been dreaming, must have been upset in her dream, because her tail was swooshing and I was on the receiving end of it.

Sleeping with cats ... let me tell you, it’s not that easy. They take up all the space, they clamber all over you, they walk over your hair, they come and purr in your ear ... but ... now that it’s getting colder, they keep you nice and warm.

____________________

Looking for a unique gift?

http://connymanero.weebly.com/store.html

  

  

Day 66: You'll see something really weird in this video

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 66: You'll see something really weird in this video

Something really weird happened in our house and by the time you watched the end of the video you will no doubt agree, this is indeed weird. If you have an explanation for it, by all means let me know because I’m a little freaked out.

It all started when we bought a baby monitor. No, we don’t have a baby, we have four cats and I thought it would be nice if we got a monitor to keep an eye on them while we’re not at home. Not only can we see what they get up to, but we can also talk to them and they can hear us.

In addition to vision and sound, the monitor also records everything for 24 hours and then starts over again. When it gets dark, the monitor has night vision. And here is where it gets interesting.

At the beginning of the video you’ll see Halley coming down from the wall unit and onto the cat tree where the monitor is positioned. She sniffs it and lightly touches it with first her right and then her left paw. When she loses interest, she jumps down onto a lower level of the cat tree.

And that’s when it happens. You’ll see a tiny light near the ceiling, moving toward the monitor. It’s not a firefly, because we don’t have those here. So what is it?

If you have an explanation for it, I’d love to hear it.

This got me thinking though. Our cats regularly look up at the ceiling and move their head from side to side as if they follow something that’s flying around. They even talk to it! We often wonder if they can see something that we don’t. When I saw the video I thought if this is what they see.

Take a look, it’s really, really weird.

_____________________________

Looking for a unique gift?

http://connymanero.weebly.com/store.html

Day 65: These products can cause cancer

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 65: These products can cause cancer

I'm slightly ticked off today as I learned that Juul has suspended their marketing campaign in the U.S. Apparently, they targeted teens and some people were offended. What else is new.

The health nuts will have a field day. Oh smoking/vaping is bad for you. You know what else is bad for you? The following products:

Hormonal treatments

Millions of women are put at risk of breast cancer by taking hormonal treatments. As soon as women enter menopause and experience hot flashes, doctors recommend hormones. Are these women informed of the dangers? 

Weapons

Millions have died due to weapon use, but is there a ban on weapons? No, Americans scream at the top of their lungs that it is their constitutional right. Never mind that people are being gunned down at work, in schools, on the street, in cinemas, at gatherings.  

Alcohol

Alcohol is the leading cause of vehicle accidents, causing drivers, passengers, other road users and pedestrians to die, get crippled or at least sustain serious injuries. 

Alcohol is also responsible for divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, pet abuse, and job loss.

The use of alcohol leads to liver cancer, heart attack, stroke and a number of other ailments.

Yet, is there a no alcohol campaign in place? No. On the contrary. Alcohol is being advertised on TV, in magazines and newspapers in the most enticing way. Seldom do you see old people with a beer in their hand. No, ad campaigns select beautiful sexy people, having fun, or relaxing.

  

Junk food

Whether it’s burgers, hotdogs, pizzas or another type of junk food, they all have one thing in common ... they raise people’s cholesterol, leading to heart attacks and strokes. Yet are people offended by advertising these foods? No, young and old gorge on them. Never mind that 39% of adults and 18% of children in the U.S. are overweight or considered obese. Oh no, let nobody tell them that they can’t have their greasy cheeseburger anymore.

Personal hygiene

Where it comes to cancer, you might not be aware of a few other products that put you at risk. Every day people wash and condition their hair, shower and put on deodorant. The chemicals in those products can lead to cancer.

The moisturizer you put on your face, the lotion you put on your body, the makeup you apply ... all of it can cause cancer.

 

Not to mention what goes on in hair salons. Millions of women straighten, perm and/or color their hair, but are they worried ... not at all. They are completely oblivious to the chemical used.

Purchase receipts

  

Supermarket staff is especially at risk for cancer. You know those paper receipts that are handed to you at the end of a purchase? They are loaded with chemicals that can lead to cancer. You may only touch them a few times a day, but the supermarket staff handles them all day long.

Scented candles

Another seemingly harmless product is scented candles. They too can lead to cancer. The chemicals fill the air, you breathe in that air, and there you go, those chemicals go into your lungs and bloodstream.

Fact ... anything and everything can give you cancer.

Fact ... billions of currency are lost by boycotting smoking. Yeah, the non-smokers will say, but a lot of money is saved in healthcare. Really, be honest with yourself and think for a moment how many people you know personally who died of smoking cigarettes/vaping? Not, a friend told me, or my auntie told me, do you know anyone personally? A handful of people may know someone. But did that person die of smoking cigarettes or vaping? Or did something else cause the person's death? The reason for his/her lung cancer could be car fumes, airplanes fumes, the use of aerosols, contact with asbestos, inhaling perfumes, etc.

And if, and that's a big if, smoking/vaping causes lung cancer, what causes brain cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer? Are you going to blame smoking for that too? 

Before the 1980s just about everyone smoked and lived long lives. Take my own (smoking) family for instance. My granddad lived to be 92 (died of natural causes), grandma 91 (died of blood clod due to a kick of a horse), dad 88 (died of a hospital bacteria), mom 84 (died of brain tumor after a fall). 

With each passing generation people are turning more and more into whimps. They can’t have this, they can’t have that, the are non-tolerant of this and that, they are allergic to this and that. Are they healthier and live longer? No, they get sick at a drop of hat and they die younger and younger. 

All this health babble makes me bloody mad. First the smokers were no longer allowed to smoke inside but were given a smoking room; then they were forced to smoke outside, then they had to be away 6 feet from a door.

Fact is, before all this no smoking nonsense started the Cancer Society was an itty-bitty company. Since the no-smoking campaign, they have grown into a multibillion-dollar organization. Coincidence? I think not.

____________________

Looking for a unique gift?

http://connymanero.weebly.com/store.html