Gruesome Nostalgia

Do you remember Tollund Man? Perhaps you've never been introduced*. Mention him to any of my school friends and they'll coo fondly; remembering their very first secondary school history project and his decaying, doll-like body. Kids love anything gruesome. Yet, after researching him on the Internet some twelve years later, I'm starting to wonder whether Tollund Man - leathery, Scandinavian, condemned Tollund Man - actually has some ethereal quality that makes him endearing to all ages, everywhere.

It could be the mystery: this man has a name, but it's clearly not his real one. We know very little about his life, but we know so much about his death thanks to the layers of peat from the bog he was found in; his body preserved perfectly for over 2000 years.

Perhaps it's just my morbid fascination. Everyone has this kind of interest (right?), but I can't help getting drawn into events or documentation that has one vital part missing. Do ghosts exist? Who was Tollund Man and why was he in that bog? What actually happened in the Dyatlov Pass incident**? I will never stop being terrified by these stories, but I'll never stop wanting to know more, either. Tollund Man holds the same fascination as the paranormal and Dyatlov Pass, but in a far more endearing way.

To put it simply, if someone says they hate history then the great test of their conviction is to show them Tollund Man. Who can resist the satisfying details of the fact he didn't shave on the day he died? Or the fact that his heart and lungs were so well preserved, even from 2000 years ago? He was kept so perfectly in that bog that scientists even know what his last meal was, for goodness sake.

Perhaps I need a little time to 'get over' how wonderful history and science are. Or otherwise have a happy little grieve for those 2000 years that we will never see for ourselves. Well, only through Tollund Man.


*Reader, meet Tollund Man. Tollund Man, meet reader: http://www.tollundman.dk/udseende.asp

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident

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Revolutionising Childhood Cognition (article)

For many decades child development experts have held the belief that children are far less intelligent than adults; that they don't understand many facets of life and are largely unaware of them too. Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Alison Gopnik, has set out to change that dated view of childhood cognition in her books 'How Babies Think' and 'The Philosophical Baby' amongst others, and it's all to do with imagination.

Alison maintains the view that babies are 'useless'. There's no doubting that the human race has the longest time from conception to a child being able to look after themselves and in an evolutionary sense that doesn't make much sense. To be able to survive better we should become independent as soon as possible, perhaps once we're weaned from our mother's milk, yet it's only 17 years later that we're considered to be capable. Alison wanted to look closer at the reasons for this and carried out experiments of infants of various ages, that went deeper into their cognition than experts had ever been before.

What Alison and various other child psychologists and researchers found was that children do think and understand complex thoughts, but they do it in a very different way to adults. Incredibly, babies have a better understanding and memory of very complex sequences of events. One experiment involved a researcher showing children a complex set of events that would turn a machine on or off. The children repeatedly followed the sequence correctly, having only been shown once and it was concluded that they don't have a full and rounded understanding of how that sequence works, but somehow their brains compute it subconsciously.

Now you're probably thinking 'why?'. From the outset it's not clear why babies need this heightened intelligence whilst everything is being done for them, but most people can relate quite closely to it. Have you ever thought, or said out loud to friends “wouldn't it be lovely to be a child again? With no cares in the world?”. Certainly most of us have. The 'useless' child isn't useless just for fun; children are actually learning very important things about the world while their parents take care of sustaining their survival, finding food, keeping them clean, etc. Toddlers of as young as 18 months are already starting to learn the difference between morality driven by empathy and morality driven by rules, and this learning can be clearly seen at a number of stages. Take a child at the 'terrible twos' stage for example. They're terrible because they do 'bad' things despite knowing their parents won't like it. To adults it seems calculated and mischievous, but the two year old has only just learned that other people are capable of different values and desires. They're testing this absurdity to try and understand it.

From studying child cognition much more closely than ever before and looking at children from a very different angle, Alison Gopnik and her team of researchers have discovered something incredible about the way that their minds work. Quite how this will affect the way that parenting and childcare evolves remains unclear, but it certainly gives us pause for thought when playing with our own children.

REFERENCES
To Be a Baby – Seed Magazine: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/to_be_a_baby/
How Babies Think by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl.

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PRESS RELEASES GRAB THEM BY THE BALLS!

How Distributing a Quality Press Release can Boost Business Sales Tenfold

Knowing what makes your product or service sell is one thing, but knowing how to write a press release is something completely different. If you're in the know then great, get typing! Yet a lot of business owners talents lie in other areas and hiring a press release writer is a short term commitment that will result in a long term answer.

Online press releases are often quite different to those that you see in the press and other media formats. For starters if you have a story that you're worried is 'not very newsworthy' then that's no problem. With Search Engine Optimized press releases (SEO) which use key words and key phrases to get ranked highly by Google, your news can hit the first page of the World Wide Web's favourite search engine within hours. The first step to getting this kind of exposure is to find an experienced press release writer who has an understanding of the industry, a flawless grasp of the English language and most importantly a flare for web-based press creativity. A great press release writer knows that the most important part of the document is the headline and a snappy, attention grabbing title is of paramount importance.

Without going into the intricate details involved in a press release, you should consider the information that you will give your writer. Basically, choose the most news worthy pieces and any information that you might need to back them up. Provide your contact details as well as some background information on the company and a quote from a member of staff (preferably the manager or CEO).

“Business owners shouldn't worry about providing a quote” says professional press release writer Lucy Wallace, “if you give permission then they can add to and improve what you provide so that it sounds top-notch”.

So if you have some news about your business that you think the world should know then a Press Release could be just what you need. Prepare your information, let your writer know exactly what you want the press release to achieve and you're well on your way to increasing targeted traffic to your website and increased sales for your business.

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A Background Check

Amidst the press release samples and seemingly random articles which pop up on this blog I thought that I would provide you- the person who is considering hiring me, with some information about me- the person who would like to write for you.

Starting at the beginning, I was born in late 1980s southern England to a mother who was a freelance jeweller and a father who was a freelance technical author. My father in particular was, and still is very familiar with writing and the media, having worked in an Oxford publishing house in previous years.

I went through school at a satisfying pace, getting good marks along the way. Having gotten three qualifications at A level I decided to move to Wales and pursue a degree in Psychology and Philosophy. It was when I reached my second year that I realised this degree was most certainly not for me. For a while I struggled between trying to keep up with my course and deciding whether to give it up for a career in childcare, when shortly afterwards a friend very kindly introduced me to freelance writing.


Since that day I've been writing for clients globally, including the creative media agency Angry Ant Media. One day, I applied for a job writing press releases. I have to admit at this point I had no idea what a press release was but I was determined to try writing in every different format and on every different niche to find out what I was best at. I threw myself at the project and came off with only minor injuries. Overall it was a success and to this day I am writing Press Releases, improving ALL the time. I've learnt that there is an incredible amount to be learned about the media and the press, not to mention how these things work online.


So I have come to the present day, where I hesitate to say I'm standing but rather moving forward towards being a better Press writer and fulfilling my ultimate goal of simply being content. No pun intended.

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How to Host a Kid's Party (for ages 3 to 6)

Okay so holding a kid's party isn't quite like organizing a Royal wedding but you still want the day to run smoothly. Kids can be pretty unpredictable so you need to know how to prepare for every eventuality...

Firstly, if you want a theme for the party then make it simple. Something like 'animals from kids movies of '93 to '99 is far too specific and the guests just won't bother. Remember that it's not the kids making the costumes and some parents are horrendously busy. Themes like 'Cowboys and Fairies', 'Pirates' or 'Fairy Tales' are all perfect as almost any parent has a checked neckerchief and a cowboy hat or a pair of white leggings and face paints.

Secondly, plan it well in advance. Kids always want to know that you've got their party sorted so they are free to build up excitement at school or nursery. It's a good idea to get the guest list sorted as soon as possible and make sure your kids know that the decisions on guests are final. If there are any fallings-out between children then they know that they should kiss and make up before the big day. Setting a date around 2 or 3 months in advance is perfect for parents with busy schedules.

You'll also need to have a set plan for the day, unless you're planning a huge attraction like a bouncy castle. There's nothing worse than inviting 10 or 20 children to your house (or even worse to someone else's venue), not having anything for them to do and watching them run around wrecking everything. Have them come in and sit down for some calm party games, followed by some more energetic ones before the food. After they've eaten carry on with something calmer like watching a movie, pass the parcel or playing with the presents, then bring on the cake and candles and it's home-time again.

Have something for the parents. Kids love to carry on playing once their parents arrive and have a natter with the other adults and you should be prepared for some adults who love a good chin-wag too. This doesn't involve much; just enough chairs for people to sit down, some tea and coffee, possibly beer and wine and some nibbles.

Finally, remember to get party bags with a couple of toys and cake to send home with the kids at a specific time. Whether this time gets stuck to or not isn't that important as you should have booked the whole day off for the party (you will all be tired afterwards!). If you're stuck for things to put in the party bags then try melting the odds and ends of crayons in the oven to make crayon buttons (there are plenty of tutorials online) home-made soaps, mini fairy cakes or buying things like whistles, toy cars, colourful stationary, bottles of bubbles and kid's jewellery.

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The 5 Golden Rules of Early Rising (article)

We have all woken up at 6am one sunny Spring morning and thought 'This is easy', yet most people who try and keep it up just fail miserably.

It's not just an eager attitude you need for success in rising early, there are a number of factors to consider and ideas to implement in your routine...

1. The Clue is in the Introduction
Routine, routine, routine! If you go to bed one night at 9pm of course you'll wake up early, but the next night going to bed at midnight having polished off a bottle of wine gives you no chance. Set a specific time to go to bed (which corresponds with the amount of hours sleep you need each night to feel refreshed), don't eat too much before you go and set an alarm for exactly the same (early!) time each morning.

2. Get up, Stand up
The second you wake up or hear your alarm going off just jump right out of bed. It helps to tell yourself not to turn off the alarm until you're standing up and it works even better if you put the alarm on the other side of the room. After this, walk right out of the door away from your bed and don't look back. You don't have to skip gleefully- crawl if you have to, but just get away from temptation!

3. Have a Reason to Get up Early
It's best if your reason is personal and not something you'll end up resenting (e.g. 'I need to get up early to get into work before my boss'). There's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy getting up early too. If you enjoy exercise then make time for it each morning and make this your reason. Perhaps you love food and would like to take your own meal to work each day? Wake up early and do it! Spend time with the kids, watch TV, read books, meditate etc. etc.

4. Keep a Reminder
If you're a fitness nut then buying a great new pair of trainers or having freshly washed gym clothes hanging on your wardrobe door is a good incentive. The key is to balance out the doubts in your mind when you're lying in your comfy warm bed. The foremost doubt is guaranteed to be 'if I get up I'll be cold and tired'. If you balance that with 'if I DON'T get up then I can't wear those lovely new gym shoes right in front of me' then you're more likely to do it, right?

5. Sleep Hygienically
Sleep hygiene means having a quiet sleeping environment which is comfy, uninterrupted and at the right temperature. Don't have the TV or your computer on for company when you fall asleep, as tempting as that might be. Instead, try having the radio on very quietly or a relaxing CD that will end in an hour or so.

Some of these tips may easier said than done when regarding your personal situation, but try and follow them as closely as you can, add a generous dollop of determination and you're guaranteed to get there.

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