When to Capitalize Words for Compass Points

When to Capitalize Words for Compass Points When to Capitalize Words for Compass Points When to Capitalize Words for Compass Points By Mark Nichol North, south, east, west when is capitalization best? Obviously, when the directional term is part of a current or historical proper name for example, North Dakota and West Germany, respectively capitalization is nonnegotiable. But many lesser-known geographical designations aren’t as obvious. Here’s a rundown of some examples: Four of Australia’s seven states and territories Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and New South Wales include a directional term, but only the latter may seem unequivocally correct. If you’re referring in writing to the western half of Australia (Western Australia, by contrast, constitutes only about one-third of the nation’s land area), say so; to refer simply to â€Å"western Australia† in that context might invite an erroneous correction. Corresponding terms do not necessarily refer to equivalent entities: North Africa is a region comprising numerous countries, while South Africa is a smaller area consisting of the eponymous nation. Some unofficial divisions have a virtual force of law based on cultural factors; one such example is the concept of Northern California and Southern California, which to many people in the Golden State at least might as well be two distinct jurisdictions. The distinction is complicated by the notion of Central California, and few people, including Californians, seem to be aware that there’s also an area called Eastern California (hidden from the rest of the state by the north-south mountain range known as the Sierra Nevada and culturally aligned with the neighboring state of Nevada). However, â€Å"Western California† is not part of the local lexicon, because the coastal areas and the middle of the state on a north-south axis are the â€Å"default† California. Various parts of Texas have the same type of distinction, though, as with their Californian counterparts, the dividing lines are nebulous. The largest state in the Lower 48 (that’s an unofficial but canonical designation itself) consists of six areas, including West Texas and three other corresponding regions so capitalized, plus Central Texas and the Texas Panhandle (which, counterintuitively, is north of North Texas). In the United States, regions are often named at least in part for their relative direction: There’s the Southwest, the South (which is actually the southeastern part of the country, but it was named when the territory of the United States extended only halfway across the North American continent), the Pacific Northwest, and so on. (There is no North, however, except in reference to Union during the Civil War.) These are not governed entities, but they are official designations. However, they should be capitalized only in such contexts; names of compass points in sentences such as â€Å"I drove southeast for several hours† or â€Å"Have you been to any of the southwestern states?† are not capitalized. Directional terms in culturally significant phrases such as â€Å"the Wild West† and â€Å"the Old West† are capitalized, as they are in names of districts and parts of cities: Chicago’s South Side, London’s West End, and the Middle East’s West Bank. Sometimes, a directional term preceding a city name refers to a separate, smaller jurisdiction, such as East Los Angeles; West Los Angeles, meanwhile, is a district of Los Angeles proper. The world’s two major oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, have no dotted lines marking their exact boundaries, but there are conventions about their extent, and divisional descriptions such as â€Å"North Atlantic† and â€Å"South Pacific† are official. When in doubt, look it up, taking care to be sensitive to cultural and regional nuances. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireThe Many Forms of the Verb TO BEOne "L" or Two?

Social Marketing Essay

Social Marketing Essay Social Marketing Essay Christopher Place Employment Christopher Place Employment Academy (CPEA) is an intensive residential program which offers training and education, in addition to spiritual, emotional and addiction rehabilitation to former homeless men (Catholic Charities, 2009). Basically, the program entails a program of transition which moves the men from being homeless to having a permanent abode as well as equipping them with necessary knowledge to gain meaningful employment which enables them to live a drugs-free life. In light of the current economic crisis and given that a quarter of Baltimore’s population is currently living in poverty; the program is experiencing increasing demand. CP’s ODBEC assists thousands of people annually from unemployment, hunger and homelessness. Also, the program helps formerly homeless men get back into the mainstay population by engaging them in training workshops and classes that aid the transition phase. Additional services such as mental health counseling, case management, re ferrals to get community based benefits, workshops to impart skills in job hunting and retaining. In the last year alone, ODBEC helped 343 homeless people get employment and helped 86 homeless men change and gain stable housing, self-sufficiency and employment via CP’s Employment academy (Catholic Charities, 2009). 688 formerly homeless people graduated from the academy’s Work 4 Success program. CP helps needy people meet their most critical needs, for instance serving meals and giving stable to released inmates. Its transition programs helps released offenders to rebuild their lives through a job readiness program, imparts confidence required for interviews, offers resume writing skills and job placement. Successful graduates of the program are provided with other amenities such as vehicle ownership programs, volunteer/donor sponsored programs and savings programs. They also help in supporting new participants in the program. To continue its good work, CP requires financial support. Target Population Due to the program’s success in rebuilding homeless people’s lives, the same has been proposed for released inmates to help them transition back into the community. Most of the inmates do not have homes, food and employment opportunities once they are released. They are also likely to start using drug substances out of frustration. Preliminary Ideas and Strategies The program intends to introduce a substance abuse recovery support program to help in the rehabilitation of the inmates. Substance programs increase the person’s self-efficacy and decision making capabilities (Helen Patti, 2001). Qualified substance abuse counselors who will be hired to work one on one with the inmates in order to impart their knowledge and wisdom. Research has indicated that the personal attention which characterizes the one on one approach leads to more success in counseling interventions (Moll et al., 2009). The counselors will be useful in adding to the rehabilitation of the inmates because one of the reasons why people keep coming back is substance abuse related relapse. Evaluation Evaluation of the program will involve assessment after every two weeks for both the counselors and the inmates. Counselor Competency will be informally addressed through observation and formally carried out through reviews. Self reporting will be applied and encouraged as a performance review mechanism (Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme, 2003). There will be a monthly assessment to check whether the substance counselors match with the inmates. Success indicators for evaluation plan will include the number of inmates successfully rehabilitated monthly as well as impacts of early re-intervention and sustained performance on the participants. This will involve an assessment of cases of relapse observed every month. The program will also report the prevalence of depression in the next three months after the interventions in order to measure success. Key Points for Social Marketing Strategic Approach The program aims to foster sustained behavior as well as quality life for released inmates encountering social problems upon their release (Kotler, Roberto, Lee, 2002). The promotion of social objectives such as clean and safe housing, provision of meals, drugs-free living and job skills will be achieved through application of principles of market analysis and planning, as well as addressing the problems that are encountered in social change. The program will especially make use of conferences and peer reviewed publications to articulate its principles.