LaSalle Form 4: 2012

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Letters to the Editor: A Great PR Tool

First edition of the Houston Chronicle newspaper, 1901. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Letters to the Editor: A Great PR Tool:

How many times have you read a newspaper article about your topic, your area of interest, the subject about which you are an undeniable authority—and felt disheartened and disgusted that you were not the person who was being quoted?

“I could have given that reporter a lot better interview than ____.”
“The so-called expert quoted in this article doesn’t know what the heck he/she is talking about!”
“That guy who got interviewed didn’t even mention ________. Any story on this subject is incomplete without discussing _______.”

Does this sound like you?

Well, all is not lost if you weren’t the expert quoted. There’s still a way to get your message and your name published in that newspaper.

Here’s how:

Write a letter to the editor referencing the article you read—the one without any quotes from you. In your letter, you can (1) take issue with what you read in the article, (2) agree with what you read, but expand on the issue (don’t expand too much, though—remember this is just a letter!), (3) introduce a little-known fact or issue related to the subject or, (4) simply congratulate the paper for having the extraordinary insight to cover the story in the first place!

So, how do you rack up PR points for yourself with a letter to the editor?

In only a few words, you can establish yourself an expert in the subject covered in the story. Ex: “As a dogcatcher with twenty years experience cornering canine’s in our comunity, I believe that . . .” But please, please be careful not to offer up a litany of self-serving comments [ex: “. . . as a five-time award winner in the Canine Catchers’ Hall of Fame, I see the issue another way . . .”]. Such literary acting out will guarantee your letter a place in the editor’s round file.

Some people ask, “How can a simple letter to the editor even compare with being quoted in an article?”

Look at it this way: letters to the editor are always published in the editorial section – possibly the most respected real estate in any newspaper. Simply by being included in these venerable environs, your letter—thus you—are accorded a great measure of credibility.

And, by the way, who reads these letters? Get yours published and see for yourself how friends and colleagues will come out of the woodwork commenting or congratulating you on getting it in paper.

One more thing: What—in the opinion of Judy Minshew, the Houston Chronicle editor whose only job it is to select letters for publication—is the reason that most letters are rejected as unusable?

“The ones most likely to be picked,” she says, “are the shorter ones, written concisely and succinctly on one topic.” And, make no mistake—like editors in her position all over the country, Minshew wants those cards and letters to keep coming in.

“The next time the Chronicle gets your heart racing,” she says, “please, send us a letter."

Sharon Dotson, APR, is the owner of Houston-based Bayou City Public Relations, a PR firm specializing in getting positive media coverage for small, successful niche businesses.

'via Blog this'

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the editor regarding Obituary for Charles Babbage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My Letter to the Editor (Photo credit: garlandcannon)Video and exercise: letter-to-the-editor writing

Friday, April 13, 2012

Persuasion - Interactive Map

Interactive Map for Persuasion

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Argument-Persuasion

Friday, March 30, 2012

60 Minutes - Extinction

Resurrecting the extinct

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Point of View

Think of something dramatic that happened to you. Write it down in a way that feels natural, without giving it a lot of thought. If you don’t want to write it down, then just make some notes. Then — play with Point of View (POV) See how many different ways you could write it. (I assume your natural choice was “I”.)

Some different ways:

He or She (Third person)
Deep into the mind of one character
In the mind of one character, but more on the surface
From the point of view of a different character in the story
From the POVof a third character, if there was one
All-telling — Just the facts – into nobody’s head
All-showing
Use an all-knowing POV
Use a POV as if you were looking back many years later
In a diary
In a letter
A minor character tells the story, like Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes stories
Writer interacts with the reader
One of the characters lies about the story

Which way worked best? Which way brought the characters to life? Which way showed, instead of told?

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Argument Fallacies

Venn diagram illustrating the fallacy "A ...

A is B; A is C; therefore B is C

Fallacies in Argumentation

A fallacy is an assertion that is stated sloppily or with the intent to sell an idea deceptively. Some fallacies occur when the writer has simply (out of laziness or an arrogant bias) not researched the idea well enough. Some understanding of these defective ways of reasoning is important for writers. They should avoid using them. It is important that citizens understand them so they will learn to recognize faulty or deceptive reasoning.

Argument is often complex and occurs in many different contexts. There are some argumentative contexts in which fallacies are less frowned upon than others. We need to be able to identify fallacies, but we should be cautious in jumping to conclusions about them. Rather than thinking of them as errors, you find and use to discredit an arguer or to rebut in a debate. You might think of them as barriers to common ground and understanding, since they so often shut off rather than encourage debate.

What follows are some of the more prevalent fallacies.

Either/Or fallacy: This fallacy occurs when a speaker or writer presents the audience with two false choices: "Either this or that." Not everything in the world is right or wrong, black or white, good or evil, democratic or undemocratic, and so on. There are, of course, several issues and ideas that do involve precisely two realities--one is either pregnant or one is not--but other times an either/or statement fails to account for all possibilities in a given situation. Those who commit this fallacy fail to account for the complexity of an idea, sometimes purposely, in order to force adherence to an agenda.
Faulty (or hasty) generalization: One engages in a faulty generalization when the scope of the evidence is too small or the quality of it is too poor to support the conclusion. In his only trip by car through St. Louis, Joe witnesses the aftermath of the worst car wreck (involving several vehicles and injuries) he's seen in his life. If, upon arriving home, Joe concludes that St. Louis is the most dangerous city in the U.S. in which to drive, he has committed a hasty generalization. In order to justify such a claim, one would probably need to consult reliable, recent data on automobile accident rates in U.S. metropolitan areas.
After this, therefore because of this: This fallacy assumes that a time relationship is the same as a causal one, that precedence is indistinguishable from cause. One of the most common (albeit light) instances of this fallacy occurs when one complains that a rainstorm occurs because one has just washed his car. Similarly, the claim that a sharp sales increase in a brand of computers is due to the buying public's fondness for a company spokesperson on TV may well be an instance of a post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy. Some amount of credible research would be required to determine the veracity of such a claim.
Begging the question: This occurs when one makes assumptions about an argument’s truthfulness, or when a claim carries an idea that is itself questionable. For example, the question-assertion, "What has led to the current breakdown in the morals of contemporary society?" This begs two questions: 1. "In what ways, by what standards, have morals 'broken down' in society?" 2. "How do you know; how can you measure and confirm this?" Some assertions ("Reading and writing improve one's mind.") are self-evident, but others ("Schools are more violent now than ever before.") are not, and they must be proven.
Argument ad hominem: This phrase means "to the man" and is one of the most common fallacies in public today. To commit an ad hominem fallacy (or attack) is to criticize someone not on the substance of what he or she says but on the personality of the person who says it. In other words, to attack someone ad hominem is to attack that person's character. Of course, character can have relevance to an argument, but when such an attack is used to cloud the issue and distract from rational discourse, one is committing an ad hominem fallacy. When actors and musicians are criticized for having opinions about social or political issues ("He doesn't know what he's talking about. After all, he's a singer, not political analyst"), it won't do to simply dismiss their remarks because they are "mere entertainers." Talk radio and tabloid-style media largely thrive on the ad hominem attack. Careful thinkers will spot and denounce such tactics as invalid and, in some cases, reprehensible.
Argument ad populum: Meaning "to the people," this fallacy (similar to the ad hominem attack) occurs when one appeals to peoples' irrational fears and prejudices as a way of preventing them from directly facing issues. So, if someone from Hong Kong says to another Hong Konger, "That speaker is full of nonsense. He is a Northerner," he is relying on an attitude, a shared suspicion of a certain group of people. Another way of committing an ad populum fallacy is by employing connotative terms to stir the emotions of a certain group of people. Words such as "patriotic" and "pro-family" stir emotions for some audiences, while words such as "socialism" and "feminist" are often used to stir up irrational anger. People who think for themselves question the use of such words and phrases as ready-made codes about how and what to think. For example, one might argue that patriotism is, of course, a good thing, but that real patriots have an obligation to question authority and to reject the notion of "My country, right or wrong" as dangerous, totalitarian rubbish.
The Red Herring: This strangely-titled fallacy, named after a strong-smelling fish (the scent of which throws hounds off the scent of a trail), occurs when one draws attention away from the main issue in a given case by focusing on a side issue or on something irrelevant. Accused of deceptive accounting practices, some in a major accounting firm replied that their practices are the norm in all accounting firms. This claim may or may not be true, but it is a red herring because it attempts to draw fire away from the accounting firm and toward the larger profession of accountants. Another way to see the red herring is as a changing of the subject.
Non-sequitur: Latin for "it does not follow," a non sequitur is an inference that doesn't follow from the premises. In a sense, every fallacy is a non sequitur, an attempt to pass off two or more ideas as related though they are in fact not related (e.g., "If we can send a man to the moon, why can't we find a cure for the common cold?").
The appeal to traditional wisdom justifies something by stating, "We've always done it that way."
A strawman fallacy occurs when one changes an opponent's argument, often by focusing on a weakened version of the argument (e.g., "My opponent wants to free serial killers and kidnappers, but I believe in laws that favor the rights of victims"). A straw man is, of course, easier to dissemble than a real man.

Logical Fallacies

The bandwagon appeal suggests that a great movement is underway and makes the reader feel guilty or foolish if he or she has not become a part of it (e.g., "Over 60% of the city's residents believes he is a doing a satisfactory job as police chief, so your unfavorable opinion of him is discredited.")

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Quiz on some common verbs

Fill in all the gaps from the drop-down menu. Sometimes it's possible to use both "would" and "used to", but not always! We will discuss the correct answers in class.

going learning meeting use to used to watching would

e-learning classroomWhen I first went to Spain I couldn’t speak any Spanish. I  live in a town called Gijon and I remember  into shops and pointing at the things I wanted. It  be quite frustrating and I  never understand anything that anyone said to me. I remember the TV and thinking it was it all impossible.

As I didn’t  work in the afternoons I  go into a bar called Café Gijon and study Spanish there. I had my "Teach Yourself Spanish" book and I  read the El Pais newspaper and note some words which I  then ask Yolanda when she came in for a coffee. Yolanda was the secretary of the school where I worked and spoke really good English, so she  often explain some of them to me.

Speaking is the most important thing and I remember  a couple of friends of mine called Xuan and Floreal in a bar called café Dindurra. We  meet every Saturday lunch time and we  talk about films, music or football. I remember  a lot of Spanish in bars.

Now and then I  go with Xuan to see the local football club, Real Sporting de Gijon. The fans  roar every time they got near the goal. There  be a great atmosphere and the place  go crazy every time they scored. I learnt lots of interesting vocabulary there too.

However it wasn’t a holiday and, as I was working as a teacher, sometimes it  be difficult to make ends meet. Despite that, Gijon is a great place to live and in the spring and summer I remember  to the beach in the mornings and thinking that my friends in England couldn’t do that on a working day. Life was good and I was learning Spanish but being able to go to the beach was the icing on the cake.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Analyzing Arguments

Read the following paragraphs and decide the kind of argument and the type of evidence used: (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents.

Far from mitigating the earlier threats to birds and other forms of life on the earth, man has further endangered their survival. Of earth’s 9,000 species of birds, about 1,000 are already at risk. And while the old perils – habitat destruction, pesticide poisoning, shooting, oil spills, migrant killing TV towers, and others – continue, we are adding new threats. Especially sinister are the gaseous byproducts of advanced technology – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, CFCs – the products responsible for acid precipitation, ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect, developments whose long-term impact on birds (and other life) we are beginning, nervously to guess at. … - Alan Pistorius, “Species Lost,” Country Journal

1. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.” ¬- Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter From Birmingham Jail

2. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

Watching TV violence can be seriously dangerous for little kids. One 5-year old boy from Boston recently got up from watching a teen-slasher film and stabbed a 2-year-old girl with a butcher knife. He didn’t mean to kill her (and luckily he did not). He was just imitating the man on the video. - Tipper Gore, “Curbing the Sexploitation Industry,” Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society

3. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

Everyone should drink at least two liters of water everyday. Our sports coach says that becoming dehydrated, especially during exercise, is very dangerous.

4. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

Most of the miseries in this world are caused by war, and when the wars are over, they do not know what they were fighting about. Disputes must be settled by peaceful negotiations between countries and between people. Or, failing that, we need “passive resistance,” the method advocated by Gandhi and also by Martin Luther King, Jr.

5. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

China has long prided itself on having come up with many of the world’s most important inventions. Now the country that gave us gunpowder, paper money, and the noodle can claim responsibility for another of human civilization’s highest achievements: we have the Chinese, or at least their distant ancestors, to thank for cocktails. According to a report released last week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S., residents of the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Henan province were raising toasts with fruit wines and rice spirits in 7000 B.C. – usurping Iran’s place in the tipple timeline by at least a thousand years. Susan Jakes, “Chen. Jiahu, With Hawthorn Accents,” Time

6. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

After nearly two years of stubborn optimism, Japan’s economic recovery seems to be skidding to a halt. Last week’s government figures showed that the country only narrowly avoided a return to recession – defined as two consecutive quarters of decline in gross domestic product – with 0.1% GDP growth in the third quarter following a 0.1% contraction in the second. “We are entering a slow patch, and there is no obvious exit,” says Peter Morgan, chief economist at HSBC Securities in Tokyo.

7. (A) statistics and facts, (B) reliable authority/sources, or (C) illustrative incidents

I Have Been to the Mountain Top

Martin Luther King Speech for an example of historic effective persuasive speech.

Friday, February 17, 2012

60 Minutes Listening - "Tweaking Tastes"

Click here to go to video recording

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

February Assignments

Listening	Unit 10 (p. 78)	Extraordinary Signs	VOCABULARY Describing Appliances (p.78)	EXAM PRACTICE p.94-100 Mock Test 7
Writing	Unit 8 (p. 27)	Think before you buy	VOCABULARY Advertising (p. 33)	TEXT TYPE Feature Article (L)
Elective Module	Debating Preparation for F.4 Interclass Debates			TEXT TYPE Promotional leaflet (S)