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Holidays Around the World: Diwali, Festival of Lights
Diwali Day is the first of a five-day festival of lights celebrated by Hindus around the world. The holiday observes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, hope over despair, and knowledge over ignorance. Celebrating those victories seems to me to be something people of all religions, or even of no religion, could…
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In Memoriam
I never met General Colin Powell. But I experienced his support for me personally one day in January of 2001, early in the week he took up his responsibilities as Secretary of State. I was in Sana’a, Yemen, that day, three months after the USS Cole had been hit by terrorists off the cost of…
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Holidays Around the World: Leif Erikson Day
Leif Erikson Day has been observed in the United States on October 9 every year since 1964. The date is significant, but not for the reason I thought. Until 1971, when Columbus Day (now Indigenous People’s Day) was observed on October 12 instead of on the second Monday of each month, Leif Erikson Day always…
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Holidays Around the World: Mexico’s Independence Day
In the US, or at least in the parts of the US I lived before moving to San Diego—the East Coast and Midwest—most people know two Mexican holidays: Cinco de Mayo (May 5) and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I didn’t realize May 5 wasn’t Mexican Independence Day until we moved to…
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Long Sentence, II
In tenth grade, my English teacher handed out a standardized test of punctuation that included an item I argued could be correctly punctuated two ways. Here’s the sentence (without any punctuation since that’s the way I first saw it): Mr Brown the postman will see you I argued that, in addition to the period after…
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Holidays Around the Country: US Coast Guard Day
This post breaks with the theme of international holidays, but it is in line with the theme of little known holidays or observations. August 4 marks US Coast Guard Day each year. The Coast Guard is one branch of the US military, charged with protecting our waters and shorelines, that is rarely in the news…
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Long Sentences
One of the best ways I’ve found to figure out where commas belong, don’t belong, or are optional is to look at works of other writers who have had to figure that out for themselves when they wrote long sentences. The sentence above, from an English translation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, is 123 words…
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I want to be a writer. Where do I start? Redux
Here’s the post that started this series, with content for each question, a starting point to review all the content. Most important—Don’t be fooled into thinking there is only one way. There is no single guaranteed path to producing a best selling book. Asking yourself a few questions before you start, after you start, once…
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#16 Do others consider you an expert on the topic for your nonfiction book?
Yes. Your recognition as an expert may make publishing through a traditional publisher possible. One disincentive for this route is the length of time it will take to complete the project. Go to #5. No. If you plan to use the book to market your business or as gifts for current or potential customers, the…
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Sandra Yeaman 