Letter writing is an art, and it is quickly becoming a lost art. But has it really been lost or has it simply changed mediums? We are living in the age of virtual and instant communication. Proper communication rules apply to email just as they apply to formal written communication in a business environment.
All to often I have encountered poor communication in emails from otherwise intelligent persons. In particular “verbal nastiness” (Summerfield, 2) that is demeaning to the reader is often the biggest reason for conflict stemming from email. Email emboldens us to write things we would not say in person. When I have been hired to give training seminars on business communication the biggest complaint by far is the comments sent through email messages. I find it hard to convey to these people that email should be no different than verbal communication. I find it frustrating and I feel that teaching email etiquette should be a priority in High schools and undergraduate programs.
Summerfield, Morgan (2008). How to Use Proper Email Etiquette for Business Communication. Retrieved September 29, 2008, Web site: www.associatedcontent.com/article/56188/how_to_use_proper_email_etiquette_for.html
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
More on the Organic Kick
According to recent articles the new green kick is reusable shopping bags. Their intention is to replace the disposable plastic bags. But just to show how commercial we have become many companies are giving these types of bags away with their logos on them. It seems we can't just be green we have to be stylish and green.
Here is the link to the story.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122238422541876879.html?mod=yhoofront
Enjoy!
Here is the link to the story.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122238422541876879.html?mod=yhoofront
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
While on the Subject of Milk
I thought this was an interesting article on Yahoo! . It seems PETA like the shock and amaze tactic to gain further publicity. Enjoy!
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Ice cream made from breast milk? That's what the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to consider making.
The Virginia-based nonprofit group sent a letter to company co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday asking them to use human breast milk instead of cow's milk in their products.
PETA said the health of consumers and cows would benefit from the switch.
Ben & Jerry's spokesman Rob Michalak said the company applauds PETA's creative approach to bring attention to an issue, but believes that a mother's milk is best used by a child.
___
Information from: The Times Argus, http://www.timesargus.com/
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Ice cream made from breast milk? That's what the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to consider making.
The Virginia-based nonprofit group sent a letter to company co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday asking them to use human breast milk instead of cow's milk in their products.
PETA said the health of consumers and cows would benefit from the switch.
Ben & Jerry's spokesman Rob Michalak said the company applauds PETA's creative approach to bring attention to an issue, but believes that a mother's milk is best used by a child.
___
Information from: The Times Argus, http://www.timesargus.com/
The Truth About Organic
I was raised on a sheep farm in Northeast Ohio. I have had my hands in the dirt a long time and when I hear news about organic v. non-organic I often here false information being dissimulated. With more and more food producers jumping on the band wagon it only threatens to increase. Organic is not bad, and there are federal regulations that mandate who calls themselves organic but there are also a lot of misconceptions. I would like to address some missperceptions about organic food, partically milk.
First I want to address where milk comes from. One tanker of milk is a mixture of several farms. There are very few large scale dairy farms in America and smaller farmers make up the majority of the milk produced. A farmers dairy facility is inspected more than most restaurants. If you have ever been in a milking parlor the amount of stainless steel is blinding. You are required to wear footies or boots that never leave that building and special coats to cover clothing. When milk is picked up by the tanker the driver tests a sample of the milk from the farmers tank. It has to meet certain standards or the whole batch is rejected. A tank of milk can be worth from $200-$500. A lot of money to risk.
Milk has fallen victim to what is termed absence labeling. Absence labeling is the process of putting on the label what is not in the product other than what is. Milk is the most regulated of all foods. The FDA even goes so far as to regulate the price of milk. By federal regulations no milk has antibiotics, pesticides or growth hormones present. So when consumers pay more for organic milk they are getting identical milk to what is non-organic.
This same idea can be said about many of the foods labeled organic. I am not against organic, I am against misinformation. I would like consumers to better understand modern farming, FDA guidelines and organic standards. In this way we can become better consumers overall.
First I want to address where milk comes from. One tanker of milk is a mixture of several farms. There are very few large scale dairy farms in America and smaller farmers make up the majority of the milk produced. A farmers dairy facility is inspected more than most restaurants. If you have ever been in a milking parlor the amount of stainless steel is blinding. You are required to wear footies or boots that never leave that building and special coats to cover clothing. When milk is picked up by the tanker the driver tests a sample of the milk from the farmers tank. It has to meet certain standards or the whole batch is rejected. A tank of milk can be worth from $200-$500. A lot of money to risk.
Milk has fallen victim to what is termed absence labeling. Absence labeling is the process of putting on the label what is not in the product other than what is. Milk is the most regulated of all foods. The FDA even goes so far as to regulate the price of milk. By federal regulations no milk has antibiotics, pesticides or growth hormones present. So when consumers pay more for organic milk they are getting identical milk to what is non-organic.
This same idea can be said about many of the foods labeled organic. I am not against organic, I am against misinformation. I would like consumers to better understand modern farming, FDA guidelines and organic standards. In this way we can become better consumers overall.
Welcome!
I would like to welcome everyone to my blog, Fresh Views. I would like to take a moment and summarize what this blogs subject content is aimed at. Fresh Views is a forum for intelligent discussions on today's pressing issues. It is also a place for me to place my views and knowledge about subjects in today's headlines. The issues addressed can be anything from political to social to funny, but all the subjects are topics in current news.
Before I create my first posting I need to make a note about content. I have read many blogs where the responses are less then intelligent and border on offensive. If you cannot answer with information then don't answer. If all you can say is how stupid someone or some idea is then you have no business here. This is for thinkers who want to gain incites, opinions, and perceptions on today's hot issues.
With that said I am sure everyone here is intelligent enough to make this blog a hot topic showcase.
Happy Posting!
Before I create my first posting I need to make a note about content. I have read many blogs where the responses are less then intelligent and border on offensive. If you cannot answer with information then don't answer. If all you can say is how stupid someone or some idea is then you have no business here. This is for thinkers who want to gain incites, opinions, and perceptions on today's hot issues.
With that said I am sure everyone here is intelligent enough to make this blog a hot topic showcase.
Happy Posting!
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