Word of the week #5

Word: excoriated

Original Word use:

Stevens excoriated the majority decision as one that "trivializes the two cardinal principles upon which Tinker rests," because it "upholds a punishment meted out on the basis of a listener's disagreement with her understanding (or, more likely, misunderstanding) of the speaker's viewpoint.

Definitions:

ex·co·ri·ate /ɪkˈskɔriˌeɪt, -ˈskoʊr-/ Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.

1. to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He was excoriated for his mistakes

2. to strip off or remove the skin from: Her palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling.

Applicable Definition:

-- to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He was excoriated for his mistakes

My Sentence:

The arrested man was publicly excoriated by the police present.

Word Count: 118

Tiger Woods gains his 63rd career victory

This past weekend was the Accenture Match Play Tournament in Marana, Arizona. Woods competed against Stewart Cink and found himself with an 8-and-7 victory. For golfers and golf fans this tournament was specifically intriguing because Tiger Wood’s 63^rd victory bumped him above Arnold Palmer.

Newspaper: When reviewing the San Jose Mercury the news being reported focused first on the victory, then on Tiger’s attitude and finally on his victory moving him past Arnold Palmer. This series of details makes sense as it is not necessarily a crowd specific to golf. For long-time golfers, the news most likely would have been Tiger moving past Arnold Palmer on the PGA Tour’s career list.

Web: I was quite surprised when juggling through online news as I primarily found the same articles that appeared in print in the New York Times, San Jose Mercury and more. However I did find an article on PGATour.com which explained briefly the victory and then listed fan emails to Woods. This was more of the type of information I was expecting to find online. Because online media allows for more interaction and is typically used for recreational and ease reading. Another major difference with the web was the large amount of pictures for viewing making it a much more visual experience.

Television News: For this segment I viewed both local news as well as ESPN’s SportsCenter, and the differences were evident. On the local news there was a very brief period designated to the match play tournament. There were a few quick visual clips and approximately two minutes dedicated to explaining the occurrences.

On the other hand, hours were spent this weekend on ESPN completely dedicated to the tournament, its significance and the weekend’s occurrences. This is of no surprise to me as baseball and football are in the middle of their down-time and ESPN is specifically for sports followers.

For both the local news and SportsCenter the information was most visual and the easiest to follow and understand.

Word Count: 340

Word of the week #4

Word: Tactical

Word Usage:

Acts as the primary day-to-day contact with clients regarding tactical programs

Definition:

tac·ti·cal /ˈtæktɪkəl/ Pronunciation Key–adjective

1. of or pertaining to tactics, esp. military or naval tactics.

2. characterized by skillful tactics or adroit maneuvering or procedure: tactical movements.

3. of or pertaining to a maneuver or plan of action designed as an expedient toward gaining a desired end or temporary advantage.

4. expedient; calculated

5. prudent; politic

Applicable Definition:

-- of or pertaining to a maneuver or plan of action designed as an expedient toward gaining a desired end or temporary advantage.

New Sentence:

The tactical seminar will train the employees on key ways to engage audiences.

Word found on job posting: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/mar/579685113.html

Word Count: 118

Alice in Wonderland - My favorite art

Some of the primary art features that I find most intriguing include the revolving bookcase on the first floor, the column made from a redwood tree, the bathroom sinks, the sound of pages turning, and the Alice in Wonderland door.

There is no doubt that my favorite piece of art is the Alice in Wonderland door that can be found in the far right elevator. I have always loved the tale, and the miniature door makes me feel like I am a child again. This piece of art was so exciting to me that the first time I noticed it I found myself crouching to see if the door opens.

Alice in Wonderland was such a popular piece of literature that I feel the art would not be as significant anywhere else, but at this library.

Word Count: 136

Word of the week #3

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_community

Word: propinquity

Word Usage:

Community without propinquity, coined by urban planner Melvin Webber in 1963 and "community liberated," analyzed by Barry Wellman in 1979 began the modern era of thinking about non-local community.

Definitions:

pro·pin·qui·ty ti/ Pronunciation –noun

1. nearness in place; proximity

2. nearness of relation; kinship.

3. affinity of nature; similarity

4. nearness in time.

Applicable Definition: nearness in place; proximity

My Sentence:

The propinquity of the event location to the campus will allow the participants to easily walk from venue to venue.

Word Count: 85

Word of the week #2

Source:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/14/topper-makes-search-complicated-in-the-name-of-progress/

Word: Disambiguating

How it was used:

It is great for building ad hoc models for a single search. Try it for disambiguating a query.

Definition:

dis·am·big·u·ate /ˌdɪsæmˈbɪgyuˌeɪt/ Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.

to remove the ambiguity from; make unambiguous: In order to disambiguate the sentence “She lectured on the famous passenger ship,” you'll have to write either “lectured on board” or “lectured about.”

Applicable definition:

To establish a single grammatical or semantic interpretation for.

My Sentence:

To disambiguate the speaker’s statement, Arrington made a public apology to clear up what he had meant by his controversial statement.

Word Count: 110

Telling Details

The banging of the gavel echoed through the chapel, silencing the crowd.

The seven members stood solidly, wearing flowing, vibrant gowns.

One of the 13 men dressed in suits, stood on the altar wiping the sweat from his right palm onto his pant leg.

The active members stood silently by the pews observing respectfully.

The flashing of cameras lit the chapel as the 13 men individually accepted their pins.

After the ceremony, all of the men joined and exchanged handshakes.

All members stood tall and smiled as the guests took pictures of the 13 men's first day as pledges of the fraternity.

Word Count: 106

Accrediting meeting

This Monday, February 4, I attended the accreditation meeting with five other public relations students. The meeting itself was held very casually as an open discussion and all in all was a pleasant experience.

As a fifth year student at SJSU, public relations was actually my third major. Through having experience in other departments I have truly seen the unique features special to the department of Journalism and Mass Communications. The department is very close knit and the students as well as faculty really have many opportunities to interact and know one another.

As well, I feel it is extremely beneficial to have a public relations major in the same department as journalism. There are many programs that incorporate public relations with business departments or communication studies. Through working with journalism students, and through writing pieces in journalism courses it really allows public relations students to be exposed to the life and working style of journalists. Along with exposure to journalism, exposure to other areas such as marketing and advertising also help us to progress in the field.

All of the points above were discussed in the meeting, and all of the students seemed to agree with them.

It was refreshing to hear the other public relations students as satisfied with the major and department as I have been. One aspect of the conversation that I appreciated was regarding the JMC faculty. Overall, it seemed as though the students really have an appreciation for the faculty within the department and feel comfortable approaching them with issues and concerns. In particular, the students in my session specifically pointed out Dr. Martinelli's dedication to the students and willingness to mentor and help as much as possible. Thanks Dr. Martinelli!

(word count: 287)

My favorite writing

Matchbook Romance - If All Else Fails lyrics

Artist: Matchbook Romance
Album: Stories And Alibis
Year: 2003
Title: If All Else Fails

A subdued silence undisturbed by the sound of her breath.
So carefully, brush her hair back from her eyes
In steady sequence, one by one.
She slips away.

Chorus:

So close your eyes and sleep to dream.
I'm by your side.
No words to speak.
We'll set our course and make it through.
No matter how far I go

No matter how much this hurts
I wanted you to know,
My heart remains with you.

And I'm not sure what I'm looking for.
But it's clear to see the purpose of my existence is laying here in front of me.

Chorus

And if all else fails you can look up at the sky
Because it's the same one that shines above you and I.
And if all else fails you can close your eyes
And I'll be right beside you.
I'll be the one by your side.

Chorus

---

Matchbook Romance released “If all else fails” in 2003. Since its release it has remained the most played song among all of the titles in my iTunes’ library.

This song appeals to me because of its simplicity, light-heartedness and suitable melody.

In particular I consider this piece to be good writing because of the appropriate word choice throughout the song. In fact, when listening to the song with music there are many points when the words are the primary focus and it can send chills up a listener’s spine.

There are many words that can be used to express emotions and feelings and in this piece the emotions are depicted very clearly and simply. Through the simplicity the audience can easily digest and interpret the song to apply to situations within his or her own life.

Music has a natural tendency to appeal to people’s emotions allowing it to become one of the largest forms of both art and literature across cultures.

(word count: 167)