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Here's the general consensus regarding capitalization of titles:

Capitalize all words with four or more letters. Capitalize words with fewer than four letters except:

* Articles: a, an, the.
* Short Conjunctions: and, or, nor, for, but, so, yet.
* Short Prepositions: prepositions like at, by, for, in, of, off, on, out, to, up.

Tips:
1. Always capitalize the first and last words in titles and subtitles and all other major words.
2. Capitalize the first word following a dash or colon in a title.
3. When a heading flows to the next line, do not capitalize the first word of that second line unless it would have been capitalized anyway.
Exceptions:
* Many common prepositions function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. When they do: capitalize them.
* Capitalize prepositions when they are stressed, e.g., A River Runs Through It. Capitalize prepositions that are used as conjunctions, e.g., Look Before You Leap.
* Lowercase "at" and "to" in any grammatical function, for simplicity's sake.

Some style guides, like APA, have a four- and five-letter rule. Capitalize all prepositions of four or five letters or longer.

Tip: avoid starting a heading with a symbol or number. Spell it out or re-cast the heading.

Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition
Gregg Reference Manual Ninth Edition

Here are some worthwhile links:
How to write powerful titles for articles
Writing Effective, Attention-Getting Headlines and Titles on Your Blog

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Do you rely on Windows to keep you up to date with U.S. time zones? Beginning in 2007, daylight saving time (DST) will be extended in the United States. DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, 2007, and end one week later on November 4, 2007.

You may want to check Microsoft's Knowledge Base and see if your operating system is set up for the recent changes:

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 07:31 AM | Permalink

IMPLY
Imply means that someone wants to make something understood without expressing it directly. It is safe to say that this technique is used often by politicians.

Synonyms: hint, suggest, insinuate, point toward.

INFER
Infer means that the hearer perceives or concludes something.

Synonyms: assume, deduce, judge, suppose, gather, conjecture, surmise, understand, extrapolate, reckon, and reason.

Examples: The jurors listened carefully, and all inferred that the witness was lying...I listened to Dan Rather's interview and inferred that the politician would never be forthcoming.

One university writing lab says, "You imply things through your own words. You infer things from someone else's words." The speaker implies. The listener infers.

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 07:57 PM | Permalink

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 05:34 PM | Permalink

Since its founding in 2003, the foundation has provided surgery for 11 children (three months to 11 years olf) with the following medical issues: Ventricular Septal Defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, ALCAPA, Atrial Septal Defect, and Ebstein's Anomaly. It costs approximately $1,700 for one surgery.

Patients are selected for sponsorship by the Foundation primarily based upon the family's financial background. To date, the average monthly family income of the beneficiaries has been Rs.2,200 (approx. US $50).

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 05:05 PM | Permalink

Have you ever wondered where the periods and commas are placed when you're writing direct and indirect quotations?

The Gregg Reference Manual, Ninth Edition, says, "Periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation mark. This is the preferred American style."

Examples: She said, "I'll be there soon." ... "When you are finished," he said, "we'll leave."

Then there is the British style, which places the period outside when it punctuates the whole sentence, and inside when it punctuates only the quoted material.

So, if you're in the U.S., you'll probably place your periods and commas inside the closing quotation mark. Here's more from Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Try to use quotation marks sparingly. There's a tendency today for people to use them to emphasize far too many words. They often use them in e-mail and on Web sites an a kind of informal way to italicize a word or phrase, but people regularly use them when it's not "necessary." See examples at the Gallery of Misused Quotation Marks.

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 01:45 PM | Permalink

Acronis True Image. Amazing software.

I bought a beautiful new computer in July, and by October, it began acting strangely. I ran some tests and they indicated my hard drive was bad. However it kept working, except for the strange way it started up.

I contacted my computer guru cousin, Evan Friedmann, and he recommended that I buy True Image and back up my entire system...not just data, but also XP Media Center Edition. I already had an external hard drive, so I bought the software, made the backup, while having contacted HP to get a replacement hard drive.

It took some doing to harmonize everything, but HP came through, True Image worked, and my brother was able to put everything on my new hard drive. I had to tweak QuickBooks, but it was nothing serious. All my email files were saved, and that was a big issue for me. True Image rocks.

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 04:52 PM | Permalink

Do you know how painful (difficult, frustrating, and intimidating) it is to tell someone that you can't understand what they're saying on the telephone? It's not just humiliating: it's a form of separation. Who wants to telephone someone when it's going to be a one-way conversation?

I have quite a hearing loss in the low-medium range, and using a telephone is generally this side of a nightmare. Most of the aids I've had have been turned up so high (I do like to participate in
conversations!) that they whistle when my telephone ear gets within six inches of a phone. That might be a slight exaggeration. While visiting my hearing center last summer, I discovered that the State of Arizona has a program that loans assistive phones to qualifying residents.

Yesss! I contacted Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and asked about its distribution program (AzTEDP). Papers in hand, I went to downtown Phoenix and met my technician, Vicky. She helped me test several different types of phones, and we settled on the one that seems best. From there, I went to a distributor in Phoenix with my paperwork, and received a Clarity C420 phone that has a volume control and a "boost" feature. It also has Caller ID. Not only that, it has a nice loud ring, and part of the, um, antenna blinks when the phone rings. And the base unit has a large area that blinks red.

I keep it by my bedside at night and carry it around during the day. Yes, I still miss some words in a conversation, but it's so much better than before. And my next aids may be compatible (in fact, not in advertising) with my other phones.

Why aren't amplified phones advertised in more places? I know it sounds silly, but until recently, I didn't know that I had any kind of a choice when it comes to phone. I've never seen an ad for an amplified phone in a newspaper or in magazines. I just bought phones with the highest gigahertz and was always frustrated at my inability to hear well. Until now.

Help me get the word out. Help is available. Surely Arizona can't be the only state that helps people with hearing disabilities! To learn more about Arizona's program, go to http://www.aztedp.org/index.asp

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 04:37 PM | Permalink

Helplines/Hotlines - National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA)

Have you ever witnessed someone taking blatant advantage of a senior citizen? Did you know there are places to call if you have suspicions (or better yet, evidence) of elder abuse? The above link directs you to State Elder Abuse Helplines and Hotlines

If you suspect elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation, call your state's elder abuse hotline or reporting number. Help is available. You'll find a map of each state at this site.

Information and referral is also available from the national Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging. Call toll-free 1-800-677-1116. This number is available from Monday through Friday 9 AM-8 PM (except U.S. federal holidays).

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 08:13 AM | Permalink

Do you feel okay with punctuation for possessives until you have to decide on "men's room," "mens' room," or "mens room?" Let's investigate.

In this case, we're talking about attributive nouns, not compounded nouns. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary says an attributive noun acts as an adjective. It uses the word "city" in "city streets" as an example.

Chicago Manual of Style (15th Edition 7.27) says that the line between a posssessive or genetive form and a noun used attributively (as an adjective) can be fuzzy, especially in the plural. It now omits the apostrophe only in proper (often corporate) names, or where there's clearly no possessive meaning.

Professor Charles Darling says, "One of the most difficult decisions to make about possessives and plurals of compound words occurs when you can't decide whether the first noun in a compound structure is acting as a noun that ought to be showing possession or as what is called an attributive noun, essentially an adjective."

Amy Einsohn, in her book The Copyeditor's Handbook, says, "CMS 15 7.27 discourages apostrophe-less attributive nouns (consumers' group, not consumers group) but notes that the attributive is used in some names (Publishers Weekly, Diners Club) or where there's clearly no possessive meaning."

So, if you want to follow the Chicago Manual of Style, go with the following:

* a consumers' group
* taxpayers' association
* children's rights
* the women's team
* a boys' club
BUT:
* Publishers Weekly
* Diners Club
* a houswares sale

Just to be clear, let's define some of the types of possessives

1. Compound: In compound nouns/noun phrases, the final element usually takes the possessive form. Use "of" if plural compounds present a problem. Examples: A cookbook's index; student assistants' time cards; my daughter-in-law's profession (in this case, say the profession of both my daughters-in-law. (CMS 7.25)
2. Genitive: Similar to possessives, and formed like them, are some expressions based on the old genitive case. The genitive in this situation implies "of." Examples: an hour's delay; six months' leave of absence (or a six-month leave of absence). (CMS 7.26)
3. Possessive: See examples above.

Posted by Judy Vorfeld at 09:20 AM | Permalink