Word of the Week 10

1. Seismically

2. Yahoo! News

3. “The twin catastrophes struck within 24 hours in different corners of the seismically charged region, severely testing the nation's emergency response network.”

4. Relating to an earthquake or to other tremors of the Earth, such as those caused by large explosions. (Adj.)

5. The earth started shaking in a seismically way, and we knew it was an earthquake.

Word of the Week 9

1. Quinine

2. Yahoo! News

3. “Two Civil War-era dolls thought to have been used to smuggle medicine past Union blockades were X-rayed Wednesday, disclosing hollowed papier-mâché heads that once could have contained quinine or morphine for wounded or malaria-stricken Confederate troops.”

4. A drug principally used to treat malaria and fevers including typhoid. (Noun)

5. The doctor prescribed her quinine to treat her fever.

Word of the Week 8

1. Consolidation
2. Yahoo! News
3. "Consolidation and convergence are the top reasons the news industry is shrinking."
4. The act of making strong or secure; strengthen. (noun)
5. My consolidations didn't help her much, because she was still sad.

Word of the Week 7

1. Ephemeral
2. Article on sacred geometry
3. "Alternatively, sacred geometry based arts may be ephemeral, such as visualization, sand painting and medicine wheels."
4. Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do. Short-lived. (adj.)
5. They didn't have a lot in common, and their relationship was ephemeral.

Word of the Week 6

1. Defer
2. San Jose Mercury News
3. "The state has deferred such payments for several years, as the economy has lurched from boom to bust and Republicans have held the line against new taxes."
4. To put off or postpone. (verb)
5. I have deferred my homework long enough.

Mystery Character

The first thing you notice about this famous person is her light blonde hair.

Her hair is short and has glamorous curls all around.

She's usually spotted wearing vivid red lipstick that covers her full luscious lips.

Her slightly parted mouth is exposing her pearly whites.

A thin line of eyeliner outlines her eyes, and her eyelashes are covered by mascara.

Even though she's wearing a lot of make-up, she still looks very natural.

Her eyebrows are perfectly plucked.

Her skin is flawless and she has a beauty mark on the left side of her face, above her lip.

She has a curvaceous body, like an hourglass, which is covered in a white halter-top dress.

White high-heels are covering her feet.

Word of the Week 5

1. Debacle
2. Spartan Daily
3. "The entire debacle was an exercise in poor judgment."
4. A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout. (noun)
5. The other team won, because of a debacle on the field.

Word of the Week 4

1. Semiotics
2. Visual Communication textbook
3. "The semiotics and cognitive theories of visual perception can be considered to be content driven."
4. The study or science of signs (noun)
5. The semiotics can teach us what different signs mean, when we learn how to drive.

Lead Exercise 1

Earthquake

A 2.2 earthquake happened in the Santa Clara County this morning, leaving no injuries or damages.

Highway Closed

Highway 9 was closed down for nine hours, after several trees had fallen on the roadway overnight.

In my Humble Opinion

I'm kind of angered at the news stories that I've been reading about Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan, because both have been in trouble with the law multiple times, yet judges have been going very easy on them.

Take Paris Hilton for example, she got her second narcotics charge, both times dealing with cocaine, and instead of going to jail for a longer period of time, she gets let off with one year of probation, a $2,000 fine and 200 community service hours.

Now I understand that our jails are overcrowding, and that there has to be enough space for the more serious criminals and killers, but when you don't learn from your first offense then it might be time to do some jail time.

I'm also thinking that Paris Hilton got let off easy because she is a celebrity, and I feel like the justice system should treat every first time drug offender with this kind of sentence, but they usually just stick them in jail for a couple months before they even get on probation.

Since our jails are full of all kind of criminals, they should see if there are other options for the lower felony charges like drug abuse.

Most of these people aren't bad people, nor are they dangerous to our society, because the only harm they cause is to themselves.

They have just made dumb decision, but are willing to learn from their mistakes, and going on probation rather than jail would be the better option for these first time offenders.

Word of the Week 3

1. Emanating
2. Visual Communication textbook
3. "The heat lines emanating from the crust."
4. To come and send forth, as from a source (verb).
5. Her hot breath emanated from her mouth on a cold winter day.

Word of the Week 2

1. Effigy
2. Online Article on the Serpent Mound in Ohio
3. "Serpent mound, stretching a quarter mile long, is the largest serpent effigy known to this day."
4. A carved representation of somebody, used for example as an architectural decoration of a monument. (noun)
5. The one cent coin shows the effigy of Abraham Lincoln.

My Favorite Writing

The Road not Taken.

"...Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. "
-Robert Frost. Mountain Interval. 1920.

I really enjoy reading and writing poetry, even though it is sometimes hard to identify what the poet is trying to convey, but I love the creation of sensory images, and how it really plays on your emotions.

One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost, an American poet who often wrote about the rural life in the early 20th Century.

In this poem, there are actually two interpretations.

The literal interpretation inspires someone to do something different, to not go with the norm, whereas the more ironic interpretation is talking about decision making and regretting the decisions you have made.

The reason why I like this particular poem is because I can relate to both interpretations.

In my life I have made decisions that have changed my life for the better, and there are certain decisions that I wish I didn't make.

For example, I was driving on 280, and I had to exit 87, but I wasn't sure whether to take south or north.

I made the quick decision to go south, and I soon regretted this decision, because I had to go north.

This is an example of good writing, because critics can take the work either way, but only the author really knows the real meaning behind it.

Word of the Week 1

1. Repertoire
2. Visual communication textbook
3. These pictures are all part of your repertoire of memories.
4. A stock of musical or dramatic material that is known and can be performed. (noun)
5. He has many special talents in his repertoire of cooking.

All About Me

My name is Katharina, but everyone calls me Kat.

I was born and raised in Germany, and I was 10 years old when I made the move to the United States with my dad, but sadly the rest of my family stayed in Germany, and I only get to see them once every other year.

I came over here not speaking one word of English, except for being able to count to ten.

I went to a German private school, and was able to pick up the language in as little as a year.

Since English is my second language, I always seem to struggle a little bit with grammar and the correct use of certain words, but I do my best and always proofread my papers and writings.

I transferred to San Jose State in fall, and this is my first semester here.

I'm planning on majoring in advertising in hopes of being able to work with magazines, and do beauty advertisements for them, and I also hope to graduate in two years, and be able to start my career right away.

In my free time, I enjoy going on hikes or to the park with my roommate and our three dogs.

I love animals, and we are always trying to save the world by helping one animal at a time.

I rescued my dog Cola, who was locked in a cage in someone's backyard for four years, where he was beaten and abused, but with a little love and care, he's now the best dog ever.