Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Word of the Week # 3

1) Dynamism
2) In this book we probe the tremendous dynamism of these social forces.
From Everything's An Argument by A. Lunsford
3) Dynamism: Noun, the quality of being characterized by vigorous activity and progress.
4) Changes in human society reflect the dynamism of culture.

Blog Post #4 What Makes it News?

The New York Times reported that the Dalia Lama's nephew was killed on a highway in Florida on Monday night during the first leg of a 300-mile walk to promote Tibetan independence from China. Jigme K. Norbu, 45, was headed south with traffic, following the white line on State Highway A1A when he was hit by a S.U.V., the Highway Patrol said. The driver, Keith R. O’Dell, 31, of Palm Coast, was not charged.

I find this story is newsworthy because of the timeliness of the article, just happening on Monday. The article shows prominence, being the Dalia Lama's son who was killed, as well as a strange person and way to die.

This article could be localized because the Dalia Lama came and spoke at the SJSU Event Center and the San Jose Convention Center this past Fall. There is a Gyuto Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhist Center and Monastery in San Jose, and I am sure that the death of his holiness' nephew had a strong impact on the members of that community here in the Bay Area.


176 words

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blog Post # 3 Fly on the Wall

Everyone is pacing back and forth in a hurry. The fluorescent lighting is so bright down here, it reflects off the white stone floor. Almost everyone looks confused. A girl passes by once, twice, three times as she circles the shelves. She stops, looks to her phone and double checks, "Is this the right one?" I can imagine. It's cold in here, the stone floor and metal shelves enforce this temperature. There is music playing. An older song is playing, "Now here's to you Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know...". The girl, a brunette is still walking around, searching. "What's that you say Mrs. Robinson? Jolting Joe has left and gone away...". A man with an orange beard and a yellow lanyard around his neck is pushing a metal cart. I can hear the wheels, thudding as they circle around against ground. He whistles as "Hey, hey, hey..." comes through the speakers. The crowd of people that flooded in here ten minute ago have withered away, it must be close to the next hour. There stands the girl, in her blue SJSU sweatshirt. She looks defeated. "Do you work here?" she asked me. "Yes, I do," I respond. "Can I help you find a book?"


209 words

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Word of the Week #2

1) Scrupulous

2) A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

From Politics and the English Language, By George Orwell

3) Scrupulous: adjective (of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details

4) The seamstress was scrupulous with each stitch.