Sunday, December 27, 2009
Next Summer
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas
Friday, December 18, 2009
It's really over
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Right now..
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It's been raining for 2 days...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Starting This Blog...for reals
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
In My Humble Opinion #2
In my last post, I discussed the California Bill 656 and how much it would be able to help California’s higher education system. Now I am truly angered by this whole situation, but on a more personal level, on a level that most people would not stop to think about. This past week, the University of California regents board voted to increase UC tuition 32 percent, much like the CSU board increased tuition 30 percent and made it effective this past fall semester. It was inevitable. What I am angry about though, is the amount of attention the UC hike is getting and how they held rallies against the tuition much like we, SJSU, did. Yet, when SJSU and other CSU schools held these rallies, it was not that big of a deal. The entire nation knows about the UC rallies, demonstrated by the Time Magazine article online yesterday.
It’s long been a standard that the University of California schools are “better” than the California State University schools. It is the stigma of being a state school that most students look down upon. I can remember being a junior in high school and all of the honors students bragging that they were going to apply to a UC because they did not think that a state school was good enough for them. I, on the other hand, knew that I would be going to a community college first, which was even lower than a state school. I was a smart high school student, and I could have gotten into a good number of good schools and gone. But I have frugal parents who believed that going to a community college was just as good. I thought so too. At 17, there was no way I was ready to go away to school and live on my own.
It makes me so angry when people STILL put down state schools. I truly believe that I am getting a fantastic education at San Jose State. From what I have heard from my friends who are at UC’s, the learning is more theoretical, less hands on. You cannot gain experience in a field unless you do it yourself. You can only learn so much from reading a book and writing papers. I’m not sure what it’s going to take for the students of California to realize that a state school education is just as good, if not better, than a UC education. Although with all of the budget woes of California, it is getting to the point that no one will be able to afford a higher education.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Fish out of Water
On April 2, 2009, I attended the MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana) Youth Poetry Slam. It was held in the gallery for MACLA on 2nd Street in downtown San Jose. It was the top 12 competitors from the area and the winner would win a small cash prize and move on to the national competition. The ages of the group ranged from 13 to 19 years of age. I was attending as a part of my outreach project for one of my communication classes. I went with my friend Renae, who is Hispanic and had even participated in the poetry slams when she was in junior high and high school. She was working the lights and I was put in charge of the sound. It did not seem too complicated and the guy in charge was very nice and welcoming.
Once the first performer got on stage and started his piece, I knew that this would be something unlike anything I had ever been to before. The room was completely dark, except for the bright spotlight centered on the performer on stage. You could see the artwork on the wall behind them and the faces of the people in the first row and shadows of the rest of the audience in the background. All you could hear was the person onstage and the soft breathing of the audience. Each youth went up there and poured their heart out to complete strangers and friends alike.
I grew up with a near perfect family. I have a wonderful, loving set of parents and a younger sister who, although she can drive me nuts at time, loves me just as much as I love her. We live in a nice home in a nice neighborhood in a great town. I was surrounded by wonderful family friends growing up and never wanted for anything. I am worlds apart from the youths that performed that night. They spoke of growing up in broken homes and of wanting for the bare necessities. They spoke of heartbreak and of pain. The emotion that all of them evoked in me surprised me. I have never been one to get emotional while watching a show. I rarely cry during movies. But this was something different. It was watching a person who was around my age and should not have to face these kinds of challenges just yet.
Walking out of there that night, I felt like I should try to take more time out of my busy life to sit and reflect and get all of my thoughts down on paper. I also knew that nothing I wrote would be anything close to what these people had been through. I hate to admit it but most of the troubles were because I was not in the same ethnic group as them. Most of the youth were either Hispanic or black and had grown up in a world far different from mine.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Word of the Week #10
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Japanese Internment Memorial
The Japanese internment was the forced relocation and internment of around 120,000 Japanese Americans by the US Government in 1942. This event happened because the government was suspicious of Japanese spies after the attack on Pearl Harbor and it was the peak of Japanese dislike in the United States after numerous amounts of immigrants arrived in the U.S. over the first half of the 20th century and had taken what American’s felt was most of the jobs. On February 26, 1942, President Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066. This order specifically allowed local military leaders to designate “military areas” as “exclusion zones”, from which “any or all persons may be excluded.” This caused all people of Japanese ancestry, U.S. citizens or not, to be excluded from the entire Pacific Coast because of its close proximity to Japan. They were only allowed to stay on the Pacific Coast if they were in internment camps.
Ruth Asawa is a Japanese American artist who is best known for her sculpture art. She started drawing and sketching when she was a young girl and it contined throughout her life. She is also a former internee. Born to Japanese immigrant parents, Ruth was a U.S. Citizen by birth but because of her family, was sent to the internment camp in 1942. She and her family lived in horse stables at the Santa Anita Race Track internment camp for six months before being moved to Rowher, Arkansas where another camp was. She graduated high school there and received a scholarship from the Quakers to study at Milwaukee State Teachers College. She eventually studied art at Black Mountain College and then moved to San Francisco with her white husband. There they raised six children and she continued to do her art.
In the early 1900’s Japanese male immigrants who had come to the area began to settle next to San Jose’s established Chinatown. By the time World War II came around, there were around 53 businesses up and running. However, the Executive Order 9066 put a stop to it and Japantown was essentially shut down. When the war ended and Executive Order 9066 was revoked, around 100 families came back and re-established themselves and re-opened their businesses. Japantown is located between Jackson St. and Taylor St. east of Sixth St. in downtown San Jose.
Yoshiro Uchida Hall on the San Jose State University campus was used as a transfer point to evacuate people of Japanese ancestry in San Jose and Santa Clara. There is a long-standing tale that because of this, Uchida Hall is haunted.
Ruth Asawa created the Japanese American Internment Memorial in front of the Federal Building on Second St. to commemorate those who went through internment in this area and to remind us all of what happened. It is a stunning display of the lives of Japanese immigrants in the area and how much their lives changed because of Executive Order 9066. The first panel on the side facing Paseo de San Antonio depicts the farming life that most Japanese immigrants knew when they first arrived. It shows them working the fields and in the stables tending to the horses. These people came to America looking for a better life for themselves and eventually for their families. Unfortunately what happened between the first panel and the last panel is a sad tale of betrayal by the very country that promised them a better life.
The very last panel of the memorial, on the opposite side, depicts Japanese American men sitting at a table with the Capitol building behind them. This is in memory of the legislation that Congress passed and President Reagan signed in 1988, formally apologizing for the internment on behalf of the U.S. government. The legislation was worded as saying that the government’s actions during this time were based on “race prejudice, wary hysteria and a failure of political leadership.” Also, money was awarded to each surviving person who had been interned.
To me, this event should have never happened. Unfortunately, we cannot change the history of our country. However, we can learn from it and we should make sure that nothing remotely like this ever occurs again. We live in a completely different world from 1942.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Word of the week #9
Sunday, October 25, 2009
In My Humble Opinion #1
California is the largest state in the United States. It has the highest population by over 12 million. So why is it that it ranks so low in the educational rankings? We are said to once have had an economy that would be able to self-sustain its citizens. There are ten University of California campuses, 23 California State University campuses and countless private universities and community colleges. One would think that with such a huge higher education system, a state would be eager to give necessary funds to it in order to help their students succeed. Unfortunately this is not the case.
As far as the legislature goes, the California higher education system gets about 9.7 percent of the California budget, which equals about $13 million. This is not enough. This past year there was a budget cut, causing increases in tuition for students, pay cuts for instructors, and for some universities, mandatory days off from instruction. There are millions of California higher education students who are struggling to get through college to get their degree. Without the proper funds, there are not enough professors to teach and not enough classes to accommodate the students who need them.
Right now there is a bill in the California legislature called AB 656. It would impose a severance tax on oil companies who drill in California. The bill is said to be able to raise around $1 billion dollars. All the funds allocated would go to the higher education systems in California. In order for this to happen, the bill first has to be passed. There are a few obstacles in the way, such as a few conservative assemblymen who seem to be turning a blind eye on our education crisis.
I know that if the bill is passed and made a law, it will most likely not affect my educational debts. My sister however will be affected either way. She is a senior in high school and will possibly be attending a California university or college next year. If this happens, she will be going to a community college. In my humble opinion, I think that the education budget crisis is absolutely ridiculous. If California expects it to get back on their feet after the recession we just went through, they need to be able to educate its youth. If the state keeps cutting the budget, this will take much longer than the state can afford. This bill needs to be passed in order to help resurrect the California higher education system.
word of the week #8
pernicious
found in Gertz v. Rober Welch Inc. 418 U.S. 323 (1974) in Zelezny pg 74.
However pernicious an opinion may seem, we depend for its correction not on the conscience of judges and juries but on the competition of other ideas.
Pernicious (adj.): having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
In high school, girls can have pernicious opinions about each other.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere #1
In the first chapter of Z.Z. Packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, she tells the story of a Brownie troop, all black girls, from South Atlanta and their encounter with a troop of white girls. She tells their tale through colorful imagery and surprisingly deep reflections. In “Brownies” she uses a narrative voice, that of Laurel, a quiet girl who seems to be friends with the girls she’s around simply because they grew up together. She’s a good girl and wants to stay out of things. You can tell by the way she describes the other girls that she is very observant and probably the smartest of the bunch.
When describing the Brownie troop leader, Packer used a metaphor, comparing the woman to a mother duck. In another scene, one of the girls, another quiet girl, is cleaning up the bathroom after their troop had hatched a devious plan. She likened the look of the girl to that of a custodian who had done many years of work hunched over. Throughout the whole story, you get the feeling that you could be standing right there with the girls in the room, completely invisible to them. The setting is a camp in the middle of a forest.
The scenery is lush and green, nothing like the girls home of South Atlanta. At some times those tall trees provide beauty and shade and at others seem dark and menacing. When describing the bathroom, you can see it perfectly in your head, mess and all. We have all been in that kind of bathroom. The spot beside the stream is easily pictured in your head, as is the troop of white girls with their leader gently chiding them if they got too close to the water. It gives you a sense of peace and of mischief all at once.
Monday, October 19, 2009
word of the week #7
Estoppel
estoppel (noun) – the principle that precludes a person from asserting something contrary to what is implied by a previous action or statement of that person or by a previous pertinent judicial determination.
"The question before us is whether the First Amendment prohibits a plaintiff from recovering damages, under state promissory estoppel law, for a newspaper's breach of a promise of confidentiality given to the plaintiff in exchange for information."
found in: Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. 501 U.S. 663 (in Cases of Communication Law by Zelezny) pg. 170.
Under the state promissory estoppel law, if a newspaper promises anonymity to a source and they go back on their word, the newspaper is at fault.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
NPR Radio Interview Analysis
In an interview with Jane Lynch, one of the stars of Fox’s new hit show “Glee”, Melissa Block delved into the actress and her character by mixing questions with a light-hearted conversation. It is obvious that Block did a little bit of research on her subject, which made for the conversational tone of the interview. She also knew Lynch’s height and hair color. As far as the questions went, they weren’t hard hitting questions but really queries into how she got her start and how her career had evolved.
Block’s research was apparent when she was able to point out her favorite scenes from “Glee” and ask how it was to prepare for the character. Lynch happily obliged and allowed her comedic prowess to shine through just through a quick interview. One such question that showed both Block’s research and Lynch’s comedic ability was when Block asked how hard it was to prepare for the role of a hard-charging, opinionated and hated coach on a show that is mostly a musical. Lynch replied, “Oh trust me, Sue (the character’s name) is not very far beneath the surface.”
Block’s strategy was to engage Lynch in a lighthearted interview and also give the show’s audience a glimpse into the person behind the brilliant character. It was not a devious strategy or an emotional interview. There were no awkward pauses or questions that gave Lynch trouble. In fact, most of the questions got answers that were mixed with laughter. It did not seem that Lynch and Block knew each other previous to the interview, but they knew who each other were.
From this interview, I learned that when interviewing a comedic actor or a well-known person, it is wise to do your research and not approach them with a strategy that would be off-putting. Do your research and know a few things about them. Block did this well by knowing where Lynch went to school and how her career had evolved from that point on. Overall it was a great interview that provided a playful insight.
Reflection on AB 656 Rally
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Mystery Character
Her head held high with her red headband tilted perfectly, she walks with purpose towards the steps. The clothes she wears seem out of a preparatory magazine, consisting of a white and navy striped blouse with a navy tie, a navy pencil skit and white stockings She speaks with a manner that indicates she knows she is the boss. Her speech comes out fast and clipped imitating her perfect heels that, of course, compliment the rest of her impeccable outfit.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Word of the Week # 6
Proselytization
proselytization ( verb)– (proselytize) convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another
found in Mass Media Law by Pember & Calvert (pg. 117)
“Face-to-face proselytization or confrontation is a part of the religious practice of members of this sect.” (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
When I was in high school my Mormon friends tried to proselytize me.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Word of the Week #5
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fly on the Wall
The student lounge in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, housed in Dwight Bentel Hall, at San Jose State University, is a unique room. At times, it is crowded and noisy, filled with people tapping away at their laptops with their laptop power cords causes a web along the walls and sockets. There are backpacks on the ground with books open on the tabletops, with paper fluttering all around. Some students are there to socialize and take a break from the rigors of class. Others are there to conduct a last minute cram session for a test or quiz. Sometimes there is even a presentation run through for a class. On this day in particular, when I arrived after taking a test, it was quiet, with about six other people in the room, all with their laptops out and headphones on. The only sound you could hear was the soft “click – click” of the keyboard keys.
Within a few minutes, someone started a conversation in low tones with the person seated at the study table with them. Then another student walked in and the occupants of the room said hello and fell silent again. Some of the students were all working on an assignment for the same class and one student asked another then the other to look it over for errors. While this was happening, yet another student walked in and took a spot at a table. The student who had been asking for help had other business to attend to. They started their discussion and soon were talking in normal tones. The noise volume of the room quickly rose as students realized that being silent no longer mattered. Then as the time drew close to the hour, indicating a new class period, all students cleared the tables, stuffing their papers, textbooks, computers and other belongings into their backpacks and within a minute had cleared out of the room. Then, I was all alone, and it was silent again, with only the sound of the air vent blowing cool air into the room. And all that is making noise now is the sound of my keyboard keys “click – clicking” away.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Word of the Week #4
o abatement:
o Near v. Minnesota, 283 U.S. 697 (1931)
o Chapter 285 of the Session Laws of Minnesota for the year 1925 provides for the abatement, as a public nuisance, of a “malicious, scandalous, and defamatory newspaper, magazine, or other periodical.”
o definition: abatement: (noun) (often in legal use): the ending, reduction, or lessening of something
o The administration could do nothing to cause the abatement of noise at the student rally against budget cuts.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Comparing Media
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Word of the Week # 3
1. hegemony
2. "We the Media" by Dan Gillmor
3. The news hegemony of the networks and big newspapers reached a peak in the 1960s and 1970s.
4. Definition: (noun) leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others
5. The male hegemony in the world of Public Relations is slowly giving way to women, as shown by the numbers in terms of ratio at PR programs at schools across the nation.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Library Scavenger Hunt
Library Scavenger Hunt
1. What type of system is used in to organize the books in the MLK library? Briefly describe how it works.
In the MLK library, they use two different systems to organize their books because the old library was joined with the new library when it was built. The Dewey decimal system separates books into ten main classes and the books are identified by a series of numbers separated by decimals. Sometimes, two books will have the same call number. If this happens, the author’s last name is listed after the call number. This is for the first four floors. After the fourth floor, the Library of Congress Classification system is used. The main difference between this system and the Dewey Decimal system is that instead of 10 classes, there are 21 classes.
2. What is in the “Browsing Library” on the first floor?
The Browsing Library houses all the entertainment media in English. Also, new fiction books are on display.
3. What types of electronic databases are available in the MLK Library?
The MLK library has Academic Search Premier, Lexis Nexis, and Econlit along with other electronic databases. Also, it houses a variety of e-journals and e-books.
4. Briefly explain how to access the library’s electronic databases.
Go to the www.sjlirbary.org and click on either “articles and databases”, “SJSU research topics” or “SJSU Electronic Journals Index” located on the left hand side of your screen. Go through the drop down menu and click on the subject matter you are looking for. If the database is only for SJSU students and staff, you must enter your ID and a password to gain access.
5. List 10 daily newspapers that are available in the MLK library.
San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, LA Times, New York Times, Financial Times, Oakland Tribune, USA Today, New York Post and Chicago Tribune.
6. Give the title and call numbers of a video, DVD and CD.
DVD (The Midnight Room, PB FICTION Gorman), video (The New York times guide to the best children’s videos, 791.4375 New York) CD (Prince Caspian (sound recording): (the return to Narnia): from the Chronicles of Narnia) J CD SPOKEN Lewis)
7. Find a reference book; give the title and call number, and briefly describe the type of information found in this book.
A Guide to Library Research Methods. Call #Z710 .M23 1987. It gives a detailed guide to researching various topics in the library and utilizing the library to make the most of it.
8. Find a DVD, CD, newspaper, and book in a foreign language. Give the title and call number for each.
DVD: Instant immersion Ingles. # ENG-SPA 428.3461 Lona. CD: Guan guang Ying yu yi xue tong : MP3 ban. # CHI 428.3495 Shi. Newspaper: Tu pao k’an k’an Chung-kuo. # PL 1129.E5.T8x 1992. Book: Italian Stories = Novelle Italiane: a dual-language book. # ITA-ENG 808.83 Italian
9. List 5 magazines available in the MLK Library.
Self Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Time, and MacWorld: The Macintosh Magazine.
10. Locate a scholarly article on John Steinbeck. Give the call number, title and author.
“John Steinbeck and the Frontier West”. By Christopher Scott Busch.
# PS3537.T3234 Z6225 1992a.
11. Locate a book about Steinbeck. Give the call number, title and author.
John Steinbeck. Catherine Reef. # YA 813.52 STEINBEC Reef.
12. Find a book on farm labor in the California Room. Give the call #, title and author.
Mexican Workers and American Dreams: Immigration, repatriation, and California Farm Labor, 1900-1939. By Camille Guerin-Gonzales. # REF CAL 331.544 Guierin, HD1527.C2 G84 1994.
13. Find a book on San Jose in the California Room. Give the call #, title and author.
Haunts of San Jose, California. By David Lee. # 133.1097 Lee,
14. Find a book on California minorities. Give the call #, title and author.
Making a non-White America: Californians coloring outside ethnic lines, 1925-1955. By Allison Varzally. # F870.A1 V37 2008.
15. What is the MLK’s Cultural Heritage Center collections?
The Cultural Heritage Center collections are collections of books from the various cultures of the world, including Chicano, Africana, and American among others.
16. List three things you’ll find in the Center for Beethoven Studies.
A lock of his hair, a Forte piano, and Clavichord.
17. What is the difference between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine? How can you tell them apart? (2 pts.)
A scholarly journal contains articles that are longer and provide more in-depth analysis of various topics. The author is usually an expert or specialist in the field and they use the jargon of the field. A popular magazine has shorter articles, providing a broad view on the topic. Also the author is usually a staff writer of the publication. The covers of popular magazines are usually illustrated in a more colorful way as well.
18. List 5 mass comm. (journalism/PR/advertising) journals available in the MLK Library.
International Public Relations Review. The Public relations Strategist, Public Relations Quarterly, The Public Relations Journal, Public Relations Review.
19. How many art installations are there in the library. Briefly describe your favorite one.
There are around 33 different art installations in the MLK Library. My favorite right now is World War II Revisited exhibit, which is there until January. I just love everything about World War II and the black and white style of photos.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Word of the Week # 2
I am taking Media Law and Ethics this semester and since I am by no means a law student, I am using my dictionary more than ever. A lot of these posts are going to be legal terms. It makes me wonder why the legal word has to have a completely different language apart from the "civilians" language. So here it is.
Abatement:
read in: Near v. Minnesota, 283 U.S. 697 (1931)
Chapter 285 of the Session Laws of Minnesota for the year 1925 provides for the abatement, as a public nuisance, of a “malicious, scandalous, and defamatory newspaper, magazine, or other periodical.”
definition: abatement: (noun) (often in legal use): the ending, reduction, or lessening of something
Example: The administration could do nothing to cause the abatement of noise at the student rally against budget cuts.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
My Favorite Type of Writing
Monday, August 31, 2009
Word of the Week # 1
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
About Me
My name is Alessandra and I am a 20 (almost 21) year old full time student at San Jose State University.I moved to the San Jose area from Southern California in January for school and I am originally from Long Island, NY. I love to learn about new things and learn about old things. I'm sort of a history fanatic. I am majoring in public relations and minoring in global studies. I am 100% italian and I really want to learn to speak it and live there for a while. Being Italian means having a huge family. I think I have just as much family in Italy as I do in the USA. My family means the world to me. And my friends are like my family. I have so many "brothers" and "sisters" that I have lost count. I am funny, goofy, kooky, weird, interesting, a bookworm, a music fan, and just trying to find myself in this crazy time. I am a huge New York Yankees fan. I am starting to like/understand football. I love basketball. In high school, I played water polo and swam. I LOVE meeting new people. I try to be as optimistic about the happenings in my life because I have learned that if you are not, you are always expecting the worst.