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Read: 9 surprising facts about Puerto Rico

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via 8 Comma Rules to Remember | Word Genius 

And I wonder how one can use them to Hyphenate our life.

What are Essential Pauses a Humans should have in their lives, deliberately?

8 Comma Rules to Remember

Monday, April 83 min read

Commas are one of the most commonly used punctuation tools, but also one of the most misused in the writer’s toolbox. You may come across prose littered with stray commas, or you may encounter writers who simply omit the punctuation, creating wildly confusing sentences with no breaks in sight.

You may have been taught to use a comma when the reader would naturally pause, or need to take a breath, but that’s just a guideline. Of course, grammar gets more specific. There are, in fact, explicit grammar rules to govern the application of commas. But those rules can vary from style guide to style guide, creating a more confusing mess for even skilled writers. So we’re here to clear up some of the most useful rules in an attempt to end the plight of the comma.

Comma Rule Number 1: Lists

Let’s start with an easy one. Commas are used when writing lists of three or more items.

Example 1: I’m going to the store to buy flour, sugar, eggs, and jellybeans so I can make a jellybean cake.

Sound simple? It’s a bit more complicated than that. That last comma in the series (the one after “eggs”) is called the Oxford, or serial, comma, and it’s optional, depending on whom you ask.

Some style guides, in particular the Chicago Manual of Style, include this comma. But you’ll find others, like AP Style, that eschew this rule and leave out that final comma.

I’m going to the store to buy flour, sugar, eggs and jellybeans so I can make a jellybean cake.

If you’re running an independent platform, you can decide for yourself if you want to include the serial comma. However, if you’re publishing in a professional setting, do a little research on which style guide your outlet follows.

Comma Rule Number 2: Linking Independent Clauses

Independent clauses are fully formed ideas that could stand alone as sentences. When they are joined together with a conjunction (and, or, but, etc.), they need a comma.

Example 2 (the two independent clauses are bolded): I baked a jellybean cake, and it tasted delicious.

In this case, the two independent clauses could each be its own sentence. But because they are combined, and linked by the word “and,” they need a comma to separate them.

Comma Rule Number 3: Dependent Clauses

Dependent clauses feature a subject and a verb, but they aren’t complete sentences on their own. They tend to add a little contextual spice to an otherwise bland statement. If your sentence attaches a dependent clause to its independent counterpart, the two are joined with a comma.

Example 3 (the dependent clause is bolded): When I have a bad day, I comfort myself with a slice of jellybean cake.

Comma Rule Number 4: Non-Essential Descriptions

Captivating writing often includes details to bring a sentence to life. If you can remove the phrase without changing the meaning, it’s considered non-essential. These descriptive words or phrases need to be shielded with commas.

Example 4 (the non-essential phrase is bolded): The jellybean cake, which tasted sweet, was the perfect dessert.

Comma Rule Number 5: Quotations

When someone is speaking or being quoted, a comma needs to precede or follow the speech. Depending on the order of the sentence, the comma can be inside or outside of the quotation marks.

Example 5: “This jellybean cake is sublime,” gushed the Michelin-starred chef.

The waitress agreed, “It was truly delicious.”

Comma Rule Number 6: Introductory Elements

Introducing a sentence with an adverb (unfortunately, interestingly), or joining words and phrases (on the other hand, furthermore), requires a comma.

Example 6: Unsurprisingly, jellybean cake is about to take the world by storm.

Comma Rule Number 7: Addresses

Streets, cities, states, and countries need to be separated with commas when writing addresses.

Example 7: The Jellybean Cake Corporation international headquarters is located at 123 Cake Street, Candyland, Florida, USA.

Comma Rule Number 8: Dates

Like with addresses, the day, month, and year in a date need to be punctuated with commas.

Example 8: The concept of the jellybean cake was conceived on Thursday, June 6, 1574, by Spanish explorers.

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via Taking care of a immunocompromised child in a global pandemic – News – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News – Sault Ste. Marie, MI – Sault Ste. Marie, 

The coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it.

From wearing mandated masks to losing jobs or having classes moved to an online platform, the virus has impacted most people in one way or another. It has scared some into isolation or prompted panic buying of supplies such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

However, taking care of your child who is immunocompromised in a deadly pandemic is a different kind of terrifying.

Sherry Lamoreaux has three children, Cody, 14, Emmalynn, 7, and Ellie, 2. Emma, who is about to start third grade, is immunocompromised. She has type one diabetes.

Lamoreaux describes having a child with diabetes as a never-ending rollercoaster ride. According to a 2012 study conducted by the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, it was shown that people with diabetes are more susceptible to developing infections as high blood sugar levels can weaken the patient’s immune system defense. This is why patients with diabetes are considered immunocompromised.

Her mother describes Emma as a very social little girl who makes friends easily. She is also very artistic and enjoys making a mess with paint, slime, glitter and nail polish. Emma was born diabetic but her family did not receive this diagnosis until she was two. Even then, Lamoreaux described getting this diagnosis as a huge struggle.

She described the first few years of Emma’s life in great detail — from initial misdiagnosis to feeding her a special formula, her parents tried everything and Emma still vomited nearly every day and cried a lot. As a toddler, Emma could never get enough water and was soaking a diaper in an hour. She was taken to the emergency room one day and her blood sugar was 850 mg/dl, almost nine times the normal range for anyone. Lamoreaux said that most people slip into a coma when blood sugar is over 600 mg/dl and death can occur when it is 700 mg/dl or over. Her blood sugar was so high that no meter could even read it and she was given insulin immediately. The family was flown down to Grand Rapids to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

“I was in complete shock,” Lamoreaux said. “I learned pretty quickly how to take care of her. It was a lot! I have to give my daughter shots every time she eats so she can stay alive? It was like a bad dream. To make it worse, we learned that we can give her too much insulin. We were already terrified … It was a lot to take in at one time.”

Lamoreaux said she works hard to keep Emma’s blood sugar in normal range and even though her diagnosis was six years ago, the Lamoreaux family still faces new challenges every day. One of these challenges is attending birthday parties, where candy and cake are the worst thing Emma could have as a diabetic. And if that wasn’t enough, Emma often receives mean comments from her peers from wearing a Dexcom blood sugar reader on her arm and an omnipod insulin delivery system on her stomach.

Lamoreaux said that having a compromised immune system is not something to be taken lightly.

“I feel like people who say that wearing face masks is a political matter is just ridiculous,” she said. “It’s like they are giving themselves an excuse to not wear a mask. Why not do the right thing and wear the mask? It’s so selfish to not wear the mask. If not for you then for your family, your friends, your acquaintances? … My child’s life is on the line. Her body cannot fight off the disease … If you can’t wear a mask, just stay home. We have gone too far and worked too hard just to lose her to COVID-19 because of carelessness. That’s the harsh truth.”

Marci Sibbald, a business owner from Sault Ste. Marie, has a 7-year-old daughter named Kinley who is also immunocompromised. Kinley was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome when she was two-and-a-half years old.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a very rare autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves. This disorder has less than 20,000 cases per year in the United States.

Sibbald describes this diagnosis as a nightmare because she was going through health issues herself while also juggling full-time schooling and running her business.

Sibbald said that no one knows about Guillain-Barré syndrome and that not a single doctor here would or could help her because they did not know what Kinley had. Eventually, in the early morning hours of July 3, 2015, her parents drove her down to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. The personnel said that clinically, Kinley was fine. Sibbald, however, knew she wasn’t fine after Kinley had to have five rounds of immunoglobulin therapy treatment to reset her immune system and shut it down from attacking her body. Kinley can relapse anytime she gets a cold, urinary tract infection, pink eye or more.

Sibbald said that during this pandemic, the hardest part has been staying home. She added that while she is concerned over the case numbers rising in Chippewa County, there isn’t much she can do besides taking the proper precautions, such as washing everyone’s hands often, carrying masks, using hand sanitizer and limiting exposure in stores and in public.

“I am not one to sit still so that has been hard for me,” she said. “It was all in the best interest for my daughter and I knew that. We didn’t want to risk getting anyone infected with COVID-19 and bringing it home. If she caught it, we didn’t and still don’t know how it would affect her.”

Sibbald believes that it is one’s choice to wear a mask as long as a distance is kept. She noted it is incredibly hard to wear a mask in high temperatures. Sibbald does grocery pick up and stays away from large crowds. She says that this is just a new way of life that they have adapted to keep her daughter safe and she is OK with it.

“I believe that this virus has brought out a lot of unkindness and cruelness in people and now is the time when we need to stick together and not judge,” she said. “Leave the politics aside. There are bigger things in the world going on. Love one another. We need more random acts of kindness and more pay it forwards.”

Sibbald said that when Kinley was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, the family was told that the child could never have vaccines again. According to Kinley’s neurologist, this disease is more prevalent in adult males, then adult females, then young males and then young females.

“We were floored,” she said. “For my daughter to get this paralyzing disease at two-and-a-half years old was phenomenally rare. While vaccinations didn’t trigger her Guillain-Barré, and after much deliberation between her neurologist, pediatrician and her father and I, we decided to go ahead and give her the next round of vaccinations she was due for to help keep her safe, to help protect her against more diseases, more infections, and another possible relapse … of her Guillain Barré syndrome because it can come back.”

Kinley’s mother said that every single time her immune system is triggered by something, whether it be a virus or any bacteria, she can relapse. Her immune system may never shut off and after it kills all the bad bacteria in her body it can start eating at her myelin sheath again and paralyze her. This can happen within 24 hours.

“She is happy and healthy now … We want her to be seven and just be normal. She hears us talk about how she was in the hospital when she was little and just thinks she had bad legs once, but that’s as much as she knows. She doesn’t know that she was almost paralyzed. She doesn’t know the severity of it and how lucky she is because I am in a support group and many of the people are on disability and will never fully recover from it.”

Kinley has all of her boosters and immunizations that a seven-year-old can have and hasn’t had an issue with any of them, Sibbald said. However, she isn’t allowed to have the flu shot because it is the most common shot to trigger Guillain-Barré. The Sibbald family does not get the flu shot either due to that reason.

Before the pandemic, Sibbald said that she already carried hand sanitizer around for preventative measures. She did this especially during the cold and flu season to help protect Kinley by keeping germs away. Precautions the family takes to ensure Kinley’s safety and well-being include social distancing, wearing a mask when needed, bringing hand sanitizer, not going anywhere where there are large crowds and taking vitamins to boost their immune systems.

The Sibbald family has a slower pace of life now due to the pandemic. While Sibbald’s business is still running thanks to the employees, she was forced to take a substantial amount of time off in an attempt to protect herself and her child.

“It is an incredibly frustrating time we live in,” Sibbald said, offering the public a word of advice. “Embrace each other. Be creative and make the best of it. Practice love and be gracious. Open a door for someone. Mow someone’s grass. Kindness is cheap, my friends.”

For more information about Type 1 diabetes, visit diabetes.org/diabetes/type-1. For more information about Guillain-Barré syndrome, head over to cdc.gov/campylobacter/guillain-barre.html.

This is a rapidly evolving situation. For the latest and most accurate information on the coronavirus, go to cdc.gov/coronavirus or michigan.gov/coronavirus.

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The climate fix you’ve been waiting for: Rock dust?
By Nathanael Johnson on Jul 10, 2020 at 3:58 am

News on climate in the time of coronavirus Subscribe Today
Scientists have been trying to figure out how to make use of one of nature’s tricks for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with rock and rain. As rain washes away tiny particles of rock, newly exposed minerals bind with carbon, transforming carbon dioxide into new chemicals. It’s a simple combination of basic chemistry and erosion.

We can speed the process up by speeding up erosion, crushing tons and tons of rock and spreading it across the earth’s surface, if we had the money to do it and a vast area where inhabitants don’t mind trucks covering everything with a layer of rock dust once a year. Farms are the most likely candidate for such a massive undertaking, because farmers already do some incidental advanced weathering as a byproduct of “liming”, where they apply crushed limestone to fields when their soils become too acidic.

A paper just published in Nature provides the most detailed calculation to date of just how much carbon this technique, known as enhanced weathering, could capture and how much it would cost. Deploying the practice worldwide could remove 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year — about a third of what the United States emits each year — and would run between $60 and $200 per ton of carbon to apply all that rock dust on fields, varying by country. It would be cheaper in places like Indonesia and India that have better conditions for weathering (warm, seasonally wet weather), and low labor and energy costs. The countries with the greatest potential to deploy enhanced weathering are, the researchers note, “coincidentally the highest CO2 fossil fuel emitters (China, USA, and India).”

One of the scientists involved in the study, James Hanson, the climate Cassandra and Columbia University climatologist, said in an email that he became interested in weathering because it can trap carbon for thousands of years. Hansen said other approaches, “such as reforestation, are important, but require management to assure that the carbon sink is maintained.”

The researchers estimate that if the United States spread rock dust on half the country’s farmland it could capture 420 million tons of carbon dioxide, at an annual cost of $225 for every American, or $176 for every ton of carbon. That’s a higher price tag than some other solutions. Building solar farms, for instance, currently cuts emissions at a rate of less than $40 per ton. But because the world is failing to slash emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined that we will need to use “negative emissions,” expensive techniques to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, to avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change.

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via GE2020 live: PAP wins 83 seats in Parliament, WP takes 10 seats – CNA

via GE 2020: 9 Iconic Quotes That Will Be Remembered Forever

This year’s general election (GE) has been a rollercoaster ride for both Sinagaporeans and the various political parties from the start till the end.

The events that happened this election season, from Ivan Lim’s hasty exit from the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP), to Worker’s Party’s (WP) Raeesah Khan being under police investigation for posts discussing race and religion, are certainly ones that Singaporeans will remember for a long time.

As GE 2020 is coming to an end soon, let’s revisit some of the most memorable quotes of this election by the various political candidates:

1. Ivan Lim On The Social Media Backlash He Received

Ivan Lim was announced as a PAP candidate for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) on June 24. He received huge backlash online by former classmates and colleagues for his alleged bad character and poor conduct.

In response, he released a press statement on June 27 declaring that he was “determined” to stay in the running.

When I agreed to enter politics, I expected that it would be tough. The test has come sooner than expected.

– Ivan Lim, ex-PAP candidate

On the same day, he announced his withdrawal from GE 2020 and the PAP.

2. Lee Hsien Yang On Voting The PAP

This election, Lee Hsien Yang — estranged brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong — formally joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

Though the move was shocking, it was likely expected by Singaporeans as Lee Hsien Yang has publicly challenged the PAP time and again. Last July, he said he “wholeheartedly” supported the newly-formed opposition party.

It is possible to be loyal Singaporeans… To recite with pride ‘We the citizens of Singapore’, to love Singapore, and yet not vote the PAP.

– Lee Hsien Yang, PSP member, in a live video message on June 24

Though Lee is not contesting in GE 2020, he has officially joined the battle with the opposition against the incumbent PAP.

3. Jamus Lim On A PAP Mandate

The WP candidate captured the hearts of Singaporeans during a live political debate with his eloquence and collected demeanour.

He reportedly won the approval of Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who even asked for his opinion at one point in time.

What we are trying to deny the PAP is not a mandate. What we’re trying to deny them is a blank cheque.

– Jamus Lim, WP candidate, during a live political debate

PAP candidates Chan Chun Sing and Indranee Rajah fired back the next day, saying that the PAP would never have a blank cheque due to its accountability to Singaporeans.

Nevertheless, many will agree that this is possibly one of the winning quotes of GE 2020.

4. Vivian Balakrishnan On Singapore’s Projected Population

Foreign Minister and PAP candidate Vivian Balakrishnan traded blows with Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan in a live political debate on July 1.

On the topic of Singapore’s growing population, Balakrishnan crushed the claim that the government had set a target population of 10 million for Singapore.

Let me state, for the record. We will never have 10 million. We won’t even have 6.9 million.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Foreign Minister and PAP Candidate, during a live political debate

Chee had cited a Straits Times report of a dialogue Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had had last year.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) later released a statement saying that the government had no intention to increase the country’s population to 10 million.

It has since been noted that the number was not cited by Heng, though there has been a lot of confusion over the source of the number.

5. Pritam Singh On Ownself Check Ownself

In a party broadcast on July 2, WP Secretary-General Pritam Singh warned against the possibility of power falling into the wrong hands.

PAP self-checking can fail. If the wrong people show their true colours only after reaching our highest offices, Singapore is finished.

– Pritam Singh, WP Secretary-General, in a party broadcast

He was referring to a statement by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong from 2015 when he said the incumbent PAP were “our (their) own checks”.

6. Michael Fang Amin On Ministers’ High Paycheques

Michael Fang Amin from the Peoples Voice Party (PV) represented the party during a political broadcast on July 2.

Besides calling the income disparity “obscene”, he also said the PAP’s policies regarding immigration, housing and healthcare were “disastrous”.

The Prime Minister earns $2.2 million a year whilst a cleaner may earn only slightly in excess of $14,000. In other words, the Prime Minister earns almost 152 times than that of a cleaner.

– Michael Fang Amin, PV candidate, during a party political broadcast

However, PV’s manifesto is all about making “Singapore our home again,” and Fang’s speech puts into perspective the income inequality between the elite and lower income groups in Singapore.

7. Victor Lye On Aljunied GRC

The PAP candidate argued during the Aljunied constituency political broadcast that the residents and community should come before politics.

His comment was addressed to the residents of Aljunied, where he is contesting. The PAP team questioned if Aljunied was merely the check and balance system for the country, denying a blank cheque to the PAP.

Aljunied is yours – not someone’s political hostage. It should be about your lives, your jobs and our future. It’s time. Bring us home.

Victor Lye, PAP candidate, during a constituency political broadcast

Wrapping up, Mr Lye said that the PAP team “can do better” for Aljunied residents. Since 2011, Aljunied has been the only opposition-held GRC in Singapore.

8. Raeesah Khan On Race And Religion

Police reports were filed against Workers’ Party’s Raeesah Khan concerning comments she had made online in 2018 on race and religion.

She made an apology to the public together with WP leaders and her team running for Sengkang GRC. She added that she would fully cooperate with police investigations.

I apologise to any racial group or community who have been hurt by my comments. My remarks were insensitive, and I regret making them.

I feel passionate about minority issues, regardless of race, and in my passion, I made improper remarks, and I have to be accountable for them.

– Raeesah Khan, WP candidate, in an apology to the public

Many netizens commended her for her sincerity, and was quick to compare her to former PAP would-be-candidate Ivan Lim who dropped out of the race without a similar apology.

9. Heng Sweet Keat On The East Coast Plan

Last but not least, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat’s speech on Nomination Day at East Coast GRC caused a stir amongst Singaporeans islandwide.

Within a few hours, memes were already appearing all over the Internet. Some companies even came up with merchandise for the East Coast Plan.

We also have a plan for the East Coast. We have a East Coast Singapore… We have a together at East Coast Plan. We care at East Coast.

– Heng Swee Kiat, Deputy Prime Minister and PAP candidate, during his speech on Nomination Day

Though everyone might support different political parties, most can come to the consensus that this is the winning quote of GE 2020.

If you would like to relive these quotes in action, we’ve also made a video compiling our favourite moments of the election. Which is your favourite?

Check out our GE 2020 microsite for the latest election-related news, find out which constituency you belong to, and who’s running where on the election battleground here.

Featured Image Credits: Raeesah Khan via Facebook / Mothership / Reuters Allsingaporestuff / AsiaOne / People’s Action Party

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via SunLive – Random acts of kindness NZ‘s specialty – research – The Bay’s News First

New research commissioned by bp on New Zealanders’ attitudes towards gratitude reveals Kiwis are experts at performing random acts of kindness for strangers, whether it be offering a compliment, opening a door for someone, shouting a coffee, or giving up a parking spot.

The Kindness Indicator Survey, conducted by research agency TRA, investigated the nation’s love language, how we like to be shown gratitude, who we’re not thanking enough and what we’re most grateful for.

Findings showed 98 per cent of Kiwis had performed a random act of kindness for a stranger at some point–– with little things like a simple thank-you or compliment mattering the most.

The research findings come as bp extends gratitude to its customers through the launch of the Thank You Coffee campaign which offers every new and existing BPMe app user a free medium Wild Bean Cafe coffee, with the option to gift it anonymously to someone else.

Findings include:

•   •  When asked what would brighten their day the most, 42 per cent said that a simple compliment would do the trick, showing that it is the little things that matter most.
•   •  When asked which group deserved the nation’s biggest thanks, nearly half (47 per cent) nominated health workers, while also indicating that they believed the group was properly thanked for their work.
•   •  Respondents ranked cleaning services as the least thanked group in the country, with 60 per cent of Kiwis believing that cleaners aren’t thanked properly for their work.
•   •  On a more personal level, 42 per cent of New Zealanders dub their partner/spouse as deserving their biggest thanks in life while 28 per cent nominated their mother.
•   •  53 per cent of Kiwis feels most thankful for their family each day, while 28 per cent feel thankful for their health.
•   •  New Zealand’s ‘love language’ was also revealed with a quarter of Kiwis (25 per cent) saying they show their gratitude to loved ones by spending quality time with them. This is followed closely by doing something nice for them (24 per cent) and telling them they love them (23 per cent).

Managing Director of bp New Zealand Debbi Boffa says “At bp, we’re passionate about brightening our customers’ days whether that be through receiving a smile from one of our team or picking up a sweet treat from our cafe or shop.”

“It’s the little things that count and at bp, we believe any act of kindness can really brighten someone’s day, even if it’s something small, like receiving a free coffee.

“Over the last few years, we’ve found many different ways of making a positive impact on our customers and communities, including designing the bp Thank You Button, our Fuel on Us giveaway and Magic Carwash,” says Debi.

From today, anyone with a smartphone and a New Zealand phone number can download the BPMe app and unlock their free coffee, where you have the option to enjoy your coffee or pay it forward to make another person’s day a little bit brighter.

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