Dates
10 June 1999 rather than June 10, 1999
Time
1420 (Twenty minutes after 2:00 p.m.) rather than 2:20 p.m.
Lists
Corn, wheat, and eels (three separate products) rather than Corn, wheat and eels (which implies that wheat and eels are somehow linked together).
Font & Point Size
Arial (Sans Surf) rather than Times New Roman (Serf) or any other font. Always use a point size of 12, even for titles. When a document is complete, using an Edit, Select All command and then clicking Arial and 12 in the upper left hand corner of Word is a good way to ensure these items will be correct.
Paragraphs, Writing Guidelines, Spacing, and Underlining
Do not indent the first line of a paragraph or use tabs at any time! Do not separate paragraphs with a carriage return. Set your word processor to end each paragraph with a one-half line space so that it is separated automatically. In Word, this is found under Format, Paragraph, Spacing After - 6 point. Paragraph writing requires the use of full sentences. The only exception is when bullets are used. Paragraph writing also requires spellchecking and proofreading to insure what was written makes sense. All wording used will be of an American English spelling. Hence, "color" is used rather than colour and "center" rather than centre. Use a single space, not a double space after periods, colons, and semicolons. Using double spacing after a period simply shows that your learned to type with mono spaced rather than variable spaced fonts and are not ready for the 21st (not 21st) Century. The only thing underlined is an active web link. Use Italics for emphasis. Using bold in a sentence (especially if in UPPER CASE) is paramount to shouting. It is difficult for me to envision when shouting is necessary in adult writing. Bold should be used to separate sub-categories in major documents. (See the example for Burma that follows)
E-mail Attachments and "Cut & Paste"
If you cut something from a Word Document or "DOC" file and paste it into an E-Mail (which is normally in "TXT" format) the result will be garbage. If you need to send a formatted file to someone like the AA, attach the DOC file to an E-Mail note. Do not attach files to notes sent to the listserv. It is highly recommended that you practice these procedures by sending a note to your e-mail address. If it looks OK when you read it, it will look good to others. All major documents sent to the AA for publication will be DOC file attachments. Simple revisions to major documents can be sent in the body of an email by stating the change(s) i.e. Delete the word "almost" in the first sentence of the third paragraph. Wholesale revisions to major documents will be sent as attached DOC files stating if the text will totally replace an earlier version or simply add to it.
Money
$26m is 26 million U.S. dollars. ¥12b is 12 billion Japanese yen. £1,300 is one thousand three hundred English pounds. AUD450 is four hundred and fifty Australian dollars. See http://www.xe.net/currency/ for other abbreviations. Any dollar sign will refer to U.S. dollars. Currency conversions are always in the form of what 1 unit of the home currency is worth i.e. $1 = ¥120 and should always include a date as of which the comparison was made. (Population figures and major economic data should also include a date)
Numbers
In the United States, a billion is one thousand million. In the rest of the world (ROW) a billion is a million million. Thus, $2,450,000,000.25 is two billion four hundred fifty million U.S. dollars and 25 cents in the United States but two thousand four hundred and fifty million U.S. dollars and 25 cents in the ROW. Watch for this as you read data from international sites.
Brief Examples of Economic and Political Analysis Styles
Burma/Union of Myanmar
Geography
Burma is located between Bangladesh and Thailand and has a population of approximately 47 million people. It is roughly the size of Texas with a terrain of central lowlands and steep, rugged highlands. The climate in Burma is tropical monsoon; characterized by cloudy, rainy, hot, and humid summers (June through September). Milder temperatures and lower humidity prevail during the winter months (December through April). Burma is prone to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides are prevalent during the rainy season.
Government
The government of Burma is a military regime that resulted from a military coup that overthrew General Ne Win and saw General Saw Maung take control. The military coup is believed to have been instigated by Ne Win. Elections were held in 1989 and the National League for Democracy party scored a decisive victory.
Instead, the military regime saw to it that party leaders were arrested and elected officials were prevented from taking their rightful seats. In 1989, Burma changed its name to Myanmar and changed its capital's name from Rangoon to Yangon.
Currently it is believed that General Saw Maung has formed a peace deal with the world’s largest heroin baron, Khun Sa. The private army of Khun Sa has also been linked to recent violence against government resistors.
Economy
The per capita gross domestic product in Burma is $1,190. The labor force is 19m; 65% are in agriculture, 14% in industry, 10% in trade, and 6% in government.
Literacy in Burma is close to 83%. Agricultural products consist of paddy rice, corn, oilseeds, sugarcane, and hardwood. Burman exports account for $693m. They primarily export beans, teak, rice, rubber, and hardwood. Burma's trading partners are Singapore, China, Indonesia, India, and Thailand. The currency is the Kyat (K). As of August 15, 1999 the current exchange rate in Burma per $1 is K6.39.
Diet
Rice is the core of any Burman meal. Typical meals add curry and a spicy raw vegetable salad. Almost everything is flavored with a dried and fermented shrimp paste.
Sugar-cane juice is a popular drink.
Points of Interest
Burma contains the world’s largest heroin baron with estimated production of 2,500MT/annum. The border shared with Thailand contains smugglers, rebel armies, and refugees. This area is where most military fighting occurs.
Product Details
Exotic Fish
The South American Desk will export exotic fish from Goldenline Aquaculture (Sales@goldenline.co.uk) in Brasilia, Brazil. Five boxes measuring 60cm x 40cm x 40cm each containing 15 bags with 10 exotic fish per bag, weighing a total of 90 kg, at a cost of $500/box, AUD774/box, BRR775/box.
They will be shipped by air by ACS (lon@aircharter.co.uk) from Brasilia to Buenos Aires, Argentina at a cost of $1.25/kg, AUD1.94 per kg, and BRR1.94 per kg. From Buenos Aires the exotic fish will be shipped by APL (http://www.apl.com) to Sydney, Australia at a cost of $1.80/kg, APR1.80/kg, and AUD2.79/kg.
Estimated Cost of Exotic Fish at:
Brasilia, Brazil $500/box, AUD774/box, BRR775/box
Buenos Aires, Argentina $522.50/box, AUD809.02/box, and BRR809.92/box
Sydney, Australia, $554.90/box, AUD824.32/box
The Oceania Desk will import exotic aquarium fish for various pet stores around Sydney, Australia. The South American Desk will supply the fish from Goldenline Aquaculture in Brasilia, Brazil. The fish will be transported to mludeke@postoffice.sandybay.utas.au in Sydney, Australia by APL. The price paid upon arrival will average AUD11/fish or about AUD1,650/box.