Suzzette Medina
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30 a.m.
Word of the Week #5
Temerarious
Source: "Word of the Day" hosted by Dictionary.com
How it was used: "I have confessed myself a temerarious theologian, and in that passage from boyhood to manhood I ranged widely in my search for some permanently satisfying truth."
Definition: Temerarious: adjective
1. Recklessly or presumptuously daring; rash.
My Sentence: After the young boy was punished for disobeying the teacher, he made a temerarious comment, defying the instructor even more.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Journal #2: Media Audiences
Suzzette Medina
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30a.m.
Journal Writing #2- Media Audiences
Word Count: 717
For my journal writing assignment I chose a national news story that relates to another class of mine that addresses terrorism and national security. The news story was about a recent attack on the American Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia. The coverage of the news story came from different sources of media to see the differences, if any, between the three.
The newspaper source I used was The New York Times. This particular news story had a fiery picture of the mob outside of the U.S. Embassy right in the center top of the front page. When the paper is folded in half, as it is usually found on stands, the orange and yellow picture takes up almost half of the visible portion of the front page. The article actually began eight pages into the front section of the paper. The article featuring the attack was rather long due to a large picture that is inserted with the text. In total, the article took up about an entire page. There was only one article about this news story within the entire paper. A large portion of the article was dedicated to the political situation that sparked the events on Thursday. There were several sources that were stated throughout the article, seventeen total. Out of these, there were six direct quotes from specified individuals about the matter. This article was accompanied by two large photographs. One picture was taken during the attack on the building; the other is of a man burning an American flag.
The television news coverage I watched was by FOX News. The story lasted three minutes and thirty-four seconds. During the broadcast there was only two direct quotes mentioned. One was from the man they were interviewing live about the events. The details that were provided by the television news story were of no real significance compared to those given by the newspaper. A very brief and vague description of the perceived causes for this attack was mentioned. The television coverage only spoke about the actions of the mob and the damage done to the building. The anchors also spent a great portion of the broadcast discussing proper evacuation procedures for the embassy personnel as well as their families. Lastly, the two reporters discussed the possible groups behind this attack, if any. It seemed as though the coverage by the television newscast was more concerned with the interesting facts and possible dramatic outcomes of the event rather than the history and causes. The newspaper focused more on what sparked the attacks and how those involved feel about the issue. Perhaps this difference has something to do with ratings.
Lastly, the newscast I obtained from the web came directly from the BBC News website. This article was also particularly superficial in the type of material addressed. Again there was a vague description of the reason behind the attack, and then it went straight to a dramatic detail. The second paragraph spoke about a mysterious charred body that was found inside the embassy. The rest of the article featured six different sources that were quoted about their opinion on the attack. The actual news coverage took up very little space, but the quotes and opinions of various personnel provided much needed length to the article. This particular news coverage seemed more like broadcast television news to me. There was a lack of informative or historically important data being transmitted to the audience. It appeared as though the mysterious body and the thoughts of spokesmen were the focus of this article. The only similarity the BBC news article had with that found in The New York Times was that they were both print material and were generally about the same topic.
The article found in The New York Times was so much more informative about the history and causes behind the attack than its competition. It appeared as though the newspaper was not focused on drawing readers in with interesting facts and dramatic explanations of the events. Television and web news stories contain drastically less deep material on the issues and contain a greater amount of interesting data the average person may like to read about. Also, the newspaper article is much lengthier than the other two and contains a large amount of data for readers.
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30a.m.
Journal Writing #2- Media Audiences
Word Count: 717
For my journal writing assignment I chose a national news story that relates to another class of mine that addresses terrorism and national security. The news story was about a recent attack on the American Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia. The coverage of the news story came from different sources of media to see the differences, if any, between the three.
The newspaper source I used was The New York Times. This particular news story had a fiery picture of the mob outside of the U.S. Embassy right in the center top of the front page. When the paper is folded in half, as it is usually found on stands, the orange and yellow picture takes up almost half of the visible portion of the front page. The article actually began eight pages into the front section of the paper. The article featuring the attack was rather long due to a large picture that is inserted with the text. In total, the article took up about an entire page. There was only one article about this news story within the entire paper. A large portion of the article was dedicated to the political situation that sparked the events on Thursday. There were several sources that were stated throughout the article, seventeen total. Out of these, there were six direct quotes from specified individuals about the matter. This article was accompanied by two large photographs. One picture was taken during the attack on the building; the other is of a man burning an American flag.
The television news coverage I watched was by FOX News. The story lasted three minutes and thirty-four seconds. During the broadcast there was only two direct quotes mentioned. One was from the man they were interviewing live about the events. The details that were provided by the television news story were of no real significance compared to those given by the newspaper. A very brief and vague description of the perceived causes for this attack was mentioned. The television coverage only spoke about the actions of the mob and the damage done to the building. The anchors also spent a great portion of the broadcast discussing proper evacuation procedures for the embassy personnel as well as their families. Lastly, the two reporters discussed the possible groups behind this attack, if any. It seemed as though the coverage by the television newscast was more concerned with the interesting facts and possible dramatic outcomes of the event rather than the history and causes. The newspaper focused more on what sparked the attacks and how those involved feel about the issue. Perhaps this difference has something to do with ratings.
Lastly, the newscast I obtained from the web came directly from the BBC News website. This article was also particularly superficial in the type of material addressed. Again there was a vague description of the reason behind the attack, and then it went straight to a dramatic detail. The second paragraph spoke about a mysterious charred body that was found inside the embassy. The rest of the article featured six different sources that were quoted about their opinion on the attack. The actual news coverage took up very little space, but the quotes and opinions of various personnel provided much needed length to the article. This particular news coverage seemed more like broadcast television news to me. There was a lack of informative or historically important data being transmitted to the audience. It appeared as though the mysterious body and the thoughts of spokesmen were the focus of this article. The only similarity the BBC news article had with that found in The New York Times was that they were both print material and were generally about the same topic.
The article found in The New York Times was so much more informative about the history and causes behind the attack than its competition. It appeared as though the newspaper was not focused on drawing readers in with interesting facts and dramatic explanations of the events. Television and web news stories contain drastically less deep material on the issues and contain a greater amount of interesting data the average person may like to read about. Also, the newspaper article is much lengthier than the other two and contains a large amount of data for readers.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Word of the Week #4
Suzzette Medina
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30am
Word of the Week #4
Exasperate
Source: Takami, H. (1999). Battle Royale. San Francisco: VIZ Media, LCC.
How it was used: "His exasperating, outrageous behavior was bad enough, but now it was so out of control it was like he was from another world".
Definition: Exasperate: adjective, verb (used with object)
(verb)
1. to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely.
2. Archaic: to increase the intensity or violence of (disease, pain, feelings, etc.)
(adjective)
3. Botany. rough: covered with hard, projecting points, as a leaf.
My sentence: The young woman had an exasperated look on her face as waited in a long line at a coffee shop.
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30am
Word of the Week #4
Exasperate
Source: Takami, H. (1999). Battle Royale. San Francisco: VIZ Media, LCC.
How it was used: "His exasperating, outrageous behavior was bad enough, but now it was so out of control it was like he was from another world".
Definition: Exasperate: adjective, verb (used with object)
(verb)
1. to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely.
2. Archaic: to increase the intensity or violence of (disease, pain, feelings, etc.)
(adjective)
3. Botany. rough: covered with hard, projecting points, as a leaf.
My sentence: The young woman had an exasperated look on her face as waited in a long line at a coffee shop.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Scavenger Hunt - Question 23
Suzzette Medina
MCom 100W Tu/TH 10:30 am
Scavenger Hunt - Question 23
Word Count: 175
Out of all the art installations that are currently within the MLK library, my favorite is the art work of Mel Chin called “Recolecciones”. Each of the art pieces are so interesting and captivating to look at, it makes going to the library new and exciting. It’s shocking that I have walked by several of these items without ever thinking twice about them. Seeing the history behind the creation of some of his artwork made me realize how special our library really was. The canary couch is my favorite item within the collection. The bright color, amazing style, and unique appearance are pleasant surprises to the usual boring attributes of a typical chair found within public libraries. The mysterious swiveling bookshelf also drew my attention immediately. It adds a sense of mystery and curiosity to the walls and the aura of our library. After learning about the various art works scattered throughout the MLK library, there is no escaping the desire to search and find these items for myself and appreciate them face to face.
MCom 100W Tu/TH 10:30 am
Scavenger Hunt - Question 23
Word Count: 175
Out of all the art installations that are currently within the MLK library, my favorite is the art work of Mel Chin called “Recolecciones”. Each of the art pieces are so interesting and captivating to look at, it makes going to the library new and exciting. It’s shocking that I have walked by several of these items without ever thinking twice about them. Seeing the history behind the creation of some of his artwork made me realize how special our library really was. The canary couch is my favorite item within the collection. The bright color, amazing style, and unique appearance are pleasant surprises to the usual boring attributes of a typical chair found within public libraries. The mysterious swiveling bookshelf also drew my attention immediately. It adds a sense of mystery and curiosity to the walls and the aura of our library. After learning about the various art works scattered throughout the MLK library, there is no escaping the desire to search and find these items for myself and appreciate them face to face.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Telling Details
Suzzette Medina
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30am
Telling Details Assignment
Word Count: 364
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, our two dishes finally arrived at the table. I began to dig into my soup, throw on garnishes, and squeeze limes into the mix in a frenzy. Erin simply stared at her dish distrustfully, eyeing the vegetables and noodles up and down like a detective. She slowly lifted up her fork and picked at the dish repositioning the ingredients around on her plate. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on the few crustaceans that were maneuvered to the edge of the plate. She had asked for no shrimp, they make her sick. She carefully put the fork back down in its beginning position on the table and rotated her head toward the kitchen. She crossed her arms neatly in front of her, sat up straight, and began observing the personnel of the busy restaurant. I told her she should wave down a server and tell them our waiter made a mistake on the order. Erin replied, “You think I should? Okay, I’ll just wait and see if I can find a server who is not busy.” Erin continued to sit perfectly still exchanging her gazes from one server to the next, never once raising a hand or blurting out an “excuse me?!” The neutral expression on Erin’s face in no way changed as time dragged on. Eventually her weary gaze began drifting back to her dish every few seconds and quickly away again toward the kitchen staff. After a few rounds of tug of war between staring at the concoction on her ceramic plate and at the apron-wearing personnel, she returned her view and repositioned her body toward her dinner. She then delicately lifted up her fork once more and slowly inched the three pieces of shrimp off her plate, like they were being pushed off a plank. A small frown appeared on her face as she hesitantly began chewing the remains of her entrée. “Hmm, I’ll just eat around where the shrimp were I guess,” Erin explained. After a few bites Erin gave out a sigh and positioned her fork neatly across her plate alongside her untouched knife. She was done with her dinner.
MCom 100W- Tu/Th 10:30am
Telling Details Assignment
Word Count: 364
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, our two dishes finally arrived at the table. I began to dig into my soup, throw on garnishes, and squeeze limes into the mix in a frenzy. Erin simply stared at her dish distrustfully, eyeing the vegetables and noodles up and down like a detective. She slowly lifted up her fork and picked at the dish repositioning the ingredients around on her plate. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on the few crustaceans that were maneuvered to the edge of the plate. She had asked for no shrimp, they make her sick. She carefully put the fork back down in its beginning position on the table and rotated her head toward the kitchen. She crossed her arms neatly in front of her, sat up straight, and began observing the personnel of the busy restaurant. I told her she should wave down a server and tell them our waiter made a mistake on the order. Erin replied, “You think I should? Okay, I’ll just wait and see if I can find a server who is not busy.” Erin continued to sit perfectly still exchanging her gazes from one server to the next, never once raising a hand or blurting out an “excuse me?!” The neutral expression on Erin’s face in no way changed as time dragged on. Eventually her weary gaze began drifting back to her dish every few seconds and quickly away again toward the kitchen staff. After a few rounds of tug of war between staring at the concoction on her ceramic plate and at the apron-wearing personnel, she returned her view and repositioned her body toward her dinner. She then delicately lifted up her fork once more and slowly inched the three pieces of shrimp off her plate, like they were being pushed off a plank. A small frown appeared on her face as she hesitantly began chewing the remains of her entrée. “Hmm, I’ll just eat around where the shrimp were I guess,” Erin explained. After a few bites Erin gave out a sigh and positioned her fork neatly across her plate alongside her untouched knife. She was done with her dinner.
Word of the Week #3
Suzzette Medina
MCom 100W- Tu/ Th 10:30am
Word #3
Copacetic
Source: "Word of the Day" listed on my Yahoo.com homepage, sponsored by Dictionary.com
How it was used: "Although all will seem copacetic on the CBS broadcast from Madison Square Garden in New York, there will be a big black cloud hanging over the glitzy proceedings."
Definition: adjective
1. Very satisfactory
2. Fine
My sentence: During their anniversary dinner everything seemed copacetic, but little did the young man know he was about to have his heart broken.
MCom 100W- Tu/ Th 10:30am
Word #3
Copacetic
Source: "Word of the Day" listed on my Yahoo.com homepage, sponsored by Dictionary.com
How it was used: "Although all will seem copacetic on the CBS broadcast from Madison Square Garden in New York, there will be a big black cloud hanging over the glitzy proceedings."
Definition: adjective
1. Very satisfactory
2. Fine
My sentence: During their anniversary dinner everything seemed copacetic, but little did the young man know he was about to have his heart broken.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Word of the Week # 2
Suzzette Medina
MCom100W- Tu/Th 10:30am
Word #2
Pashmina
Source: Bushnell, C. (2005). Lipstick jungle. New York, NY: Hyperion.
How it was used: "She kept adjusting her pashmina, but the damn thing wouldn't stay up."
Definition: Pashmina (noun)
1. Fine, downy wool growing beneath the outer hair of feral Himalayan goats.
2. A soft fabric made of this wool.
My sentence: Due to the cold weather my mother wrapped her beautiful pashmina shawl around her face.
MCom100W- Tu/Th 10:30am
Word #2
Pashmina
Source: Bushnell, C. (2005). Lipstick jungle. New York, NY: Hyperion.
How it was used: "She kept adjusting her pashmina, but the damn thing wouldn't stay up."
Definition: Pashmina (noun)
1. Fine, downy wool growing beneath the outer hair of feral Himalayan goats.
2. A soft fabric made of this wool.
My sentence: Due to the cold weather my mother wrapped her beautiful pashmina shawl around her face.
Late Breaking Assignment
Suzzette Medina
MCom100W- Tu/Th 10:30a.m.
Late Breaking Assignment
Word Count: 501
Super Bowl, Super Bust!
As a whole, I felt that the commercials that aired during this past weekend for the Super Bowl were a big bust. The commercials left me disappointed and feeling sorry for these big brand name companies for wasting their millions. Other than a select few commercials that succeeded in standing out favorably in my mind, the majority were duds.
Out of the few that I really liked, my favorite was the commercial for the “Tide-To-Go” pen. That commercial showed a man sitting at a desk who looked like he was being interviewed for a job. Every time the potential employee opened his mouth, the stain spoke over him and completely took over the conversation. The commercial was concise, humorous, and could definitely relate to all sorts of people within their target audience. Plus, because the stain possessed its own tiny mouth, it was a little cute as well.
Another one of my top choices was the FedEx commercial with the giant pigeons delivering mail. At first it seemed like a mediocre concept. I figured they would show how much more efficient mail delivery is using FedEx rather than wild animals. What a great comparison, I know. But the humor behind the existence of oversized pigeons stole the stage and left me in stitches. My favorite scene from the commercial was when a single feather floated down to the city, landing on the windshield of a bus, and blinding the driver. This ultimately resulted in the bus crashing into oncoming traffic and with myself in tears from the laughs.
Budweiser, as usual, was a huge buyer of air time this year during the Super Bowl. Professor Hendricks mentioned that he believed Budweiser purchased eight total time slots to air their commercials. Sadly, out of them all, I only somewhat liked one. The wine and cheese commercial made me chuckle a bit, but it was nothing to get excited over. The only slightly humorous part was when a beer bottle was pulled out of a fake baguette. I don’t quite know why I thought that was funny. Now that I look back on the Budweiser commercials, I thought as a whole they were boring and predictable. What will it take for Budweiser to come up with a new and fresh idea for their commercials? They are wasting millions.
The last commercial I am going to mention is the Sobe Life Water commercial with Naomi Campbell dancing along side a bunch of lizards. Perhaps I am the only person in America who feels this way, but why would lizards crawling around and Naomi Campbell attempting to dance make me want to drink Sobe Life Water? I was completely disgusted by both and if anything, it made me NOT want to try this drink. In my opinion, lizards are simply not appealing to most people. Associating a product with another that at times can be seen in a negative light was a big mistake. The only positive thing about the commercial was the music.
MCom100W- Tu/Th 10:30a.m.
Late Breaking Assignment
Word Count: 501
Super Bowl, Super Bust!
As a whole, I felt that the commercials that aired during this past weekend for the Super Bowl were a big bust. The commercials left me disappointed and feeling sorry for these big brand name companies for wasting their millions. Other than a select few commercials that succeeded in standing out favorably in my mind, the majority were duds.
Out of the few that I really liked, my favorite was the commercial for the “Tide-To-Go” pen. That commercial showed a man sitting at a desk who looked like he was being interviewed for a job. Every time the potential employee opened his mouth, the stain spoke over him and completely took over the conversation. The commercial was concise, humorous, and could definitely relate to all sorts of people within their target audience. Plus, because the stain possessed its own tiny mouth, it was a little cute as well.
Another one of my top choices was the FedEx commercial with the giant pigeons delivering mail. At first it seemed like a mediocre concept. I figured they would show how much more efficient mail delivery is using FedEx rather than wild animals. What a great comparison, I know. But the humor behind the existence of oversized pigeons stole the stage and left me in stitches. My favorite scene from the commercial was when a single feather floated down to the city, landing on the windshield of a bus, and blinding the driver. This ultimately resulted in the bus crashing into oncoming traffic and with myself in tears from the laughs.
Budweiser, as usual, was a huge buyer of air time this year during the Super Bowl. Professor Hendricks mentioned that he believed Budweiser purchased eight total time slots to air their commercials. Sadly, out of them all, I only somewhat liked one. The wine and cheese commercial made me chuckle a bit, but it was nothing to get excited over. The only slightly humorous part was when a beer bottle was pulled out of a fake baguette. I don’t quite know why I thought that was funny. Now that I look back on the Budweiser commercials, I thought as a whole they were boring and predictable. What will it take for Budweiser to come up with a new and fresh idea for their commercials? They are wasting millions.
The last commercial I am going to mention is the Sobe Life Water commercial with Naomi Campbell dancing along side a bunch of lizards. Perhaps I am the only person in America who feels this way, but why would lizards crawling around and Naomi Campbell attempting to dance make me want to drink Sobe Life Water? I was completely disgusted by both and if anything, it made me NOT want to try this drink. In my opinion, lizards are simply not appealing to most people. Associating a product with another that at times can be seen in a negative light was a big mistake. The only positive thing about the commercial was the music.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Journal Writing #1: My Favorite Writing
"Do not stand at my grave and weep"
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
-Mary Elizabeth Frye (1932)
When I first heard this poem it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Death is rarely an easy topic to discuss with anyone, especially when it involves your loved ones. The very idea of my family or friends passing away makes my palms sweat. This poem provides a positive outlook on death and how no one is ever truly "gone".
It is comforting to believe that although a person may have passed away, you can still feel their presence all around you. I like this poem because it assures us that we continue to exist beyond our time here on earth. It is soothing to imagine myself as the wind, the rain, or any aspect of the world I will always be a part of. Death is no longer seen as a dark and frightening end to our journey, but more as a bridge to our next experience.
This poem is an example of good writing because it is able to reach a large audience on a deep level. This poem will have different meanings to different people, but can serve as a common link between us all. The rhythm of the poem also adds a lighter musical quality to an otherwise depressing occurrence. Being able to affect the reader on an emotional level and leave a lasting impression is a quality of this poem that exemplifies good writing.
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
-Mary Elizabeth Frye (1932)
When I first heard this poem it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Death is rarely an easy topic to discuss with anyone, especially when it involves your loved ones. The very idea of my family or friends passing away makes my palms sweat. This poem provides a positive outlook on death and how no one is ever truly "gone".
It is comforting to believe that although a person may have passed away, you can still feel their presence all around you. I like this poem because it assures us that we continue to exist beyond our time here on earth. It is soothing to imagine myself as the wind, the rain, or any aspect of the world I will always be a part of. Death is no longer seen as a dark and frightening end to our journey, but more as a bridge to our next experience.
This poem is an example of good writing because it is able to reach a large audience on a deep level. This poem will have different meanings to different people, but can serve as a common link between us all. The rhythm of the poem also adds a lighter musical quality to an otherwise depressing occurrence. Being able to affect the reader on an emotional level and leave a lasting impression is a quality of this poem that exemplifies good writing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)