What makes Americans afraid is the topic of the first comprehensive nationwide study by Chapman University. According to the Chapman poll, the number one fear in America today is not Muslim terrorists or Russian imperialism or Ebola, it s.walking alone at night.
The
Chapman Survey on American Fears included 1,500 nationally representative participants. The top five things Americans fear the most are:
Walking alone at night
Safety on the internet
Public speaking
“What initially lead us into this line of research was our desire to capture this information on a year-over-year basis so we can draw comparisons with what items are increasing in fear as well as decreasing,” said Dr. Christopher Bader, who led the team effort. “We learned through this initial survey that we had to phrase the questions according to fears vs. concerns to capture the information correctly, so that is how we present it,” Bader continued.
Amid the many calls for scientists to engage with the general public, there are some who feel that scientists ought to remain aloof and disconnected from the broader public.
They believe academics shouldn’t even attempt to communicate their research to common folk. And many scientists oblige them, by writing in a turgid manner that is highly effective at keeping the public (and their peers) at bay.
So, here are a few of the tricks that scientists use to produce such turgid science writing. These methods restrict science to the smallest and most specialist audience possible.
But writers beware! Stray from these methods and you risk finding an audience for your writing.
Finding That Free Lunch (Apr 7th 2009)
For creators, these are excellent possibilities. But there s a saying at magazines, upon getting a submission from a big name author. It appears I didn t want that author after all, I wanted their editor. Yet how many editors can show up at a signing event and sell autographs? Heck, anyone even know the name of Steven King s editor?
Editor s don t own their works. Editor s don t profit directly from a bestseller. They don t get residuals or royalties. They don t get money from options for the screenplay. Editors often don t get a byline. So how do you pay people to ensure that good writing, spewing mightily from the natural savant s pen, is made great?