Q&A: ideas to turn information into inspiration



	VOLUME 2 ISSUE 19

Which of the following movies takes place during the Summer Solstice?

A. Long Day's Journey into Night
B. A Midsummer Night's Dream
C. Suddenly Last Summer
D. I Know What You Did Last Summer

Think you know? Go ahead — click here for the answer.

4 June 1919 - The United States Congress passes the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting the right to vote to women.

7 June 1654 - Louis XIV is crowned King of France.

10 June 1967 - Israel's Six Day War ends.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Come on. Make up your mind!

From the smallest choices to those that change lives, we all face a huge number of decisions every day. Are you adept at sizing up your options and picking one? In The Washington Times article " 'Blink' versus 'Think'; Authors Explore Different Ways to Make Decisions," Shelley Widhalm quotes associate psychology professor Kent Norman, who explains, "Fast decision-making occurs in situations and about things that do not hold much importance to the decision-maker or that require rapid judgments for survival. For critical decisions, like deciding to buy a car or accept a new job, a quick evaluation occurs, followed by a more in-depth, analytical evaluation." However, some people are stymied by analysis paralysis. Marcia A. Reed-Woodard's Black Enterprise article "Make Up Your Mind: Seven Steps to Making Better Decisions" quotes leadership consultant Robert Cannon, who says, "A good decision, executed in a timely manner, will always serve you better than one implemented too late. Abandon thoughts of perfection and minimize fear by outlining alternative options."

Making the choice now to visit Questia's excellent resources on decision-making can help you build skills in this area. And if all else fails, consider Jen Norton's recommendation in Polytechnic Online to always carry a quarter as a "decision making device" for those "annoying gray areas" without clear preferences. She says that letting a coin toss make your decision works because it's quick, unbiased and "won't make fun of you later...(and) In the end you save time and you save other people headaches. So take a small risk, and make a decision. At the very least, you'll have a little extra time to fix things if you do indeed screw up."

Exact phrase searches deliver precise results.

Skilled web searchers know that well-defined search terms provide the most targeted results and that one of the best — and fastest — ways to narrow the field is by searching for exact phrases. Learn how to do exact phrase searches and when they come in handy.
Do it Write

Want to be a better writer? Break your bad habits.

Using tired phrasing, too many words or a pompous tone undermines good writing — and many writers don't even realize they're doing it. Being alert to these poor writing habits and knowing how to break them can strengthen your work. Find out how to locate and repair word-use problems. Ask Nancy

Dear Nancy,

In my field, it's essential to be up on the latest information — much of which can only be found in journals in my area. But some of these publications are pretty hard to find. Does Questia carry journals?

Need to Know in Needles, CA

Click here for Nancy's response.