Week 15

Word of the Week: Flummox

Flummox [origin unknown] (1837): Confuse

The word was found in a New York Times article today titled “Regulation of Offshore Rigs Is a Work in Progress.” The following is a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/us/politics/17regulate.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

 

The words that I usually pick captures my interest because of its unfamiliarity and “flummox” was no ex exception. I’ve never heard seen the word printed in text or heard it used anywhere else before. The thing that is peculiar about this word is that it has an unknown origin, so it’s a mystery where the word actually derived. The word was used in the following sentence:

“Even some simple questions, like whether a blowout preventer would be above or below water, seemed to flummox some officials, she said.”

 

When I first read the sentence, I assumed that the word meant to surprise. That’s what I inferred based on the context. “Flummox” actually reminds me of the word “perplex,” which has a similar meaning.

 

Catch of the Week:

There were two separate examples of grammar mistakes that I found on a blog. One of the signs states “FOR RESIDENT’S AND THEIR GUESTS ONLY.” The apostrophe should be taken out the word “RESIDENT’S” because the word is in plural form. The other sign states “MOM’S YOUR THE GREATEST HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.”  Several things are wrong with that sign. The word “MOM” should not have an apostrophe because it’s not in the possessive, and “YOUR” should be in a contraction for the word “you are” and not a possessive form. MOTHERS should have an apostrophe because that is the correct spelling of the holiday. The following is a link to the pictorials with grammatical errors that I found on the website: http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/write-right/

 

Headline Challenge:

The Alligator wrote an article on Thursday with the headline “Police ask for students' help in search for local rapist.” To make the headline dense with information, it should be changed to “Rape occurs near campus, police asks students for help.”  Here is the article as it appeared on the newspaper’s website:

Police ask for students' help in search for local rapist

Posted: Thursday, April 14, 2011 11:30 pm | Updated: 10:11 am, Fri Apr 15, 2011.

Kat Bein, Alligator Staff Writer | 0 comments

The Gainesville Police Department is calling on UF students to help them identify, catch and arrest a wanted man who robbed and raped a local woman Sunday.

Because the suspect and the victim are both of college age, and because the crime occurred so near the campus area, police have reason to believe students are their best chance of bringing the suspect to justice, said GPD spokeswoman Tscharna Senn.

On Sunday morning at about 4:30 a.m., a black man unknown to the victim knocked on the door of her home, located near campus on Southwest First Avenue.

When the victim opened the door, the man threatened her with a knife and pushed her through the entrance.

He took her iPod, cellphone and some cash. He then ordered her to strip and forced her to have sex with him.

He left the house on foot.

The man is described as a college-aged black man about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a slim build with short, cropped hair.

He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, denim jeans and M&M boxer shorts.

Anyone who believes they may have information about the crime or the suspect is asked to call Detective Lorraine Fair at 352-393-7610, or give an anonymous tip at 352-372-7867.

Gainesville Police have canvassed the victim’s neighborhood as well as notified university authorities who have taken it upon themselves to distribute a flier among the Student Body describing the suspect and the crime.

Beyond the hope that students may help catch the rapist, police would like to remind students to be aware of their surroundings and the dangers of answering their doors for strangers.

“He appears to be a stranger, which we don’t see hardly in Gainesville … parents have been calling from all over the place,” Senn said.

“We want to make sure [students] are being very careful who they open their doors to and not to walk alone at night.”

Favorite Passage of the Week:

My favorite passage of the week comes from a profile story of Dr. McKeen that appeared in the Communigator, which can be viewed online by clicking on the following link:

http://www.jou.ufl.edu/pubs/communigator/spring2006/mckeen.php

Week 14

Word of the Week: Intractable

Intractable [L intractabilis, fr. in- + tractabilis tractable] 1: not easily governed, managed, or directed <~problems> 2: not easily manipulated or wrought <~metal> 3: not easily relieved or cured <~pain>.

The word was found in a New York Times article that appeared today regarding the state of the government. The story can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/us/politics/10debt.html?_r=1&hp

It was used in the following sentence:

“Given the short time frame for action and the prospect of an intractable political clash, leaders in both government and business are already moving to avert a crisis that most likely would be “a recovery-ending event,” as Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, testified recently in the Senate.”

In the context of this sentence and based on how it sounds, “Intractable” seem to mean something that can’t be undone or reversed.  The word appealed to me because it sounded somewhat familiar, yet it was one that I didn’t know the meaning of.

Catch of the Week:

“Clearance” was misspelled as “Claerance” in a picture I found on a website. I found it today. You can access the picture by clicking on the following URL:

http://www.funnytypos.com/starbucks-misspelling/attachment/1013091541/

Headline Challenge:

An article appeared on Friday’s issue of the Alligator titled “Playboy hosts casting call for UF Playmates. I think an appropriate title would be “Playboy hosts casting call for SEC Pictorial.” The following is the full article:

Playboy hosts casting call for UF playmates

Posted: Friday, April 8, 2011 12:12 am | Updated: 12:17 am, Fri Apr 8, 2011.

Greg Luca, Alligator Staff Writer | 0 comments

This week, about 100 Gators had the chance to become bunnies.

Playboy held a casting call in Gainesville on Tuesday and Wednesday for female UF students interested in appearing in its upcoming “Girls of the SEC” pictorial.

Between March 27 and April 19, teams of Playboy representatives will travel to each of the 12 schools in the Southeastern Conference in search of models to grace the magazine’s October issue.

Although it’s still early in the process, UF girls have set themselves apart.

“There’s a certain amount of class and beauty that you can’t find anywhere else than Florida,” said Jared Ryder, a photographer and producer with Playboy. “UF girls are amazing. They’re intelligent and they’re beautiful, and that’s the perfect storm of what we’re looking for.”

The team dispatched to UF was charged with trimming the large pool of applicants down to a group of about 10.

Of those 10, somewhere between one and six will likely appear in the issue, as decided by editors at Playboy headquarters in Chicago.

UF students interested in appearing in the issue were invited to appear at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center.

The university had no affiliation with the endeavor.

The hopefuls went through an abbreviated photo shoot and filled out a brief questionnaire to see if they met the magazine’s criteria.

“A girl that’s smart, sexy and confident is the total package,” said Stephanie Ortiz, a photographer and producer. “And I think here in Florida you have the total package for sure.”

While most applicants were forced to wait before learning their selection fate, sophomore Gabrielle Rushing was one of the select few quickly ushered to the front of the line.

Ortiz said Rushing came in with the right attitude and personality, and the Playboy editors almost instantly approved her selection.

“It was really exciting, actually, more than nervous,” Rushing said. “Once you overcome the barrier of actually getting there, it’s a rush.”

Although Rushing had never modeled before, she said the Playboy crew made her comfortable with the whole process and turned casting into a breeze.

Playboy was so taken with her that she and another early selection left Gainesville on Thursday for a photo shoot at Ginnie Springs that is said to feature a live gator.

Although the location of the casting was originally kept a secret to eliminate fanfare, Rushing wasn’t at all shy about discussing the process.

She shared the excitement of her selection with friends, sisters, her mom and even her dad, albeit through relay.

“I just called [my sisters] on the phone on the way here, and they were really excited. I told them to tell my dad,” Rushing said. “He is usually supportive of what I do. … I think, after the initial shock, he’ll know it’s okay.”

Favorite Passage of the Week:

My favorite passage of the week is a few lines that I read this week in a column by Dave Barry that was originally published Feb. 22, 2008 titled “A journey into my colon—and yours.” The whole column was hilarious, but this paragraph was especially funny:

“At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the hell the forms said.  Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadists perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.”

The article can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/11/427603/dave-barry-a-journey-into-my-colon.html

Week 13

Word of the Week: besieged

Besieged- 1: to surround with armed forces 2 a: to press with request: IMPORTUNE b: to cause worry or distress to: BESET <doubts besieged him>

I saw the word in a New York Times article on Saturday. I could not found any etymology of the word when I looked it up in the dictionary. The word was interesting because it had a hint of familiarity like I probably heard it used before. However, I was unsure of what it meant. It sound like it meant to acquire something, especially based on the context that I read it.. The word was located in the article titled “NATO Airstrike Reportedly Kills Rebels in Libya” It was used in the following sentence:

 

“On the eastern front and in the besieged western city of Misurata, rebel fighters said Saturday that they were anxious about what they perceived as a slowdown in the airstrikes, enabling Colonel Qaddafi to hold on as his forces regroup and advance. Officials said the airstrikes slowed down last week because of bad weather.”

 

The piece can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/world/africa/03libya.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

 Catch of the Week:

 On Saturday I found an editing error where Harvard University was misspelled. In the typo, it was spelled as “Harvard Universty” it was missing an i. Here is the link to the grammar problem:

http://www.funnytypos.com/harvard-universty-there-is-no-i-in-univeristy/harvard-mug/

 Headline Challenge:

An article appeared on Friday’s issue of The Alligator with the headline “UF Student Government meets with state lawmakers in Tallahassee.” I proposed that the headline be changed to “UF Student Government meets with Fla. Legislators about education.” Here is the story as it fully appeared on its website:

 UF Student Government meets with state lawmakers in Tallahassee

Elizabeth Behrman and Paul Runnestrand, Alligator Staff Writers | 0 comments

About 70 students packed into a bus and headed to Tallahassee on Tuesday to speak with state lawmakers about issues important to the university.

The students, along with administrators and alumni, met with legislators and discussed everything from including textbooks in Sales Tax Relief Day to preventing cuts in faculty benefits.

“We literally invaded the capital,” said UF Student Body President Ashton Charles.

Members of Florida Blue Key, the service and leadership organization that hosts events such as Gator Growl and Homecoming, participated as part of Gator Day, an annual event put on for students to meet and network with state officials.

“It’s just a really incredible event to be able to go up there and be able to show the influence and importance of the University of Florida,” Charles said.

Students met with leaders such as Senate President Mike Haridopolos, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam.

Charles said she appreciated the opportunity to meet with state leaders and talk about issues that are important to students, such as preserving Bright Futures funds and protecting faculty benefits to keep professors competitive with those at other universities.

“It just epitomizes that having a presence there, a physical presence there, is really crucial to demonstrate the needs of the University of Florida,” she said.

Craig Thompson, president of Florida Blue Key, said the organization worked closely with Gators for Higher Education, the UF Alumni Association and UF President Bernie Machen’s office to schedule speakers and set up a luncheon.

Thompson said the day gave lawmakers a glimpse of the quality of students graduating from UF.

“The day provided an opportunity for the university and its students to show the leadership of Florida the type of students the university is developing and will continue to develop for years to come,” he said.

 

Favorite Passage of the Week:

Tom Shales wrote an obituary about Ray Bolger that appeared in the Washington Post on January 16, 1987. The piece also appeared in “America’s Best Newspaper Writing.” The opening paragraph of the Obit appealed to me because it was clever, and it included something that most J-school students are usually taught to stay away from: using a quote lede. The following is the opening paragraph of the obit by Tom Shales:

 " 'I think I’ll miss you most of all,' Dorothy whispered in the scarecrow’s ear. We shared her sentiment. The Cowardly Lion was funny, the Tin Woodman was dear, but the Scarecrow had soul. Oz wouldn't have been the same without him. The rest of the world won’t be the same without Ray Bolger, the lanky and vivacious vaudevillian who played the Scarecrow, his role of roles, in The Wizard of Oz." 

 

Shales, T. (1987). America’s Best Newspaper Writing R.P. Clark (Ed.). New York, NY: Bedford/St. 

      Martin’s