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