Britt's Blog

2009-12-07T03:52:00.000-08:00

In My Honest Opinion #2

2009-11-23T01:26:00.000-08:00

Another California crisis: Unemployment fund facing $7.4 billion deficit

It is sad to me that this flourishing nation of the United States of America is STILL in a huge deficit and continuing to increase in unemployment. It seems that as the most powerful nation is the world to its citizen is far from a world power with the inability to get jobs and make money. The issue of unemployment is something that Americans would never think as one of the biggest issues of the decade. The decrease in employment is continuing to rise as more and more Americans are losing their homes, jobs, and once middle class families are becoming a part of the lower class. It seems that although are nation is struggling to provide jobs to its citizens that we are continuing to donate millions of dollars to other nations and our government is continuing to put their interest in foreign issues.

Although I find that the United States aiding desperate and faltering third world nations we need to spend some time finding a solution to our enormous amount of unemployment. With the unemployment fund growing due to an increase in unemployment they state will have no choice but to pull funds from the school system and other important aspects to citizen’s lives.

Loree Levy, spokeswoman for the state's employment department, “Call it another casualty of California's worst downturn in decades. The grim news for the unemployment fund was laid out in the same report last week that forecast a $20.7 billion deficit in the state's operating budget.”

It seems that our superstar governor no longer is having a star performance as more and more problems arise in California. It is sad to think that my children may not be able to go to a quality university or that my parents may not have a large social security fund. All those years my parents worked may be a wasted due to the lack of government and state ability to fix our current issue with unemployment. I hope that this issue can be resolved and that the state does not continue to take away from important areas such as education and our states infrastructure.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13836894?nclick_check=1

Fish Out of Water

2009-11-23T00:10:00.000-08:00

An event that my friends and I attended was a African - American step show which was a very interesting cultural experience. I had never seen a step show in real life the idea I had of a step show was in movies. Many movies such as "Stomp the Yard" and other recent films have incorporated this popular type of event. I had an image of a very competitive dramatic ceremony type of event, because in the movies it is a dramatic and intense scene. In "Stomp the Yard" they have the stage and everyone in the audience is split into their “crews” fans and very serious. When I attended the “step” event at the amphitheatre by the student union it was filled with a majority of African- American fraternity and sorority members. There is a strong African-American cultural fraternity and sorority culture and I witnessed the unique experience they share with this type of dance. The dance was held at the amphitheatre and different “crews” or in this case African-American cultural fraternities performed the step show. This step dance includes five to seven members of the fraternity who do a variety of step moves which look as if they were “stomping” the ground.
They also do a serious of clap moves to incorporate to the stomp moves which make a rhythm. The dance does not have any music, but instead the beat is created by the stomping and clapping. Also, the performers say a series of chants that a majority of the time is about the fraternity they are representing.
I found the experience much different from the movies and more of a bonding experience than a competition. There was cheering from all members’ not just members from a certain fraternity and found it very much a bonding experience. As performers did intense series of the stomping the cheers grew louder. This type of dance is not seen in “pop” culture such as clubs or at my sorority dances so I found it very interesting and a learning experience. As a young teen I was in dance routines for popular types of dance such as jazz, and tap but I have never seen a “step “performance. I would definitely see another “step” performance and recommend others to attend as it is a fun and new experience.

Word of the Week #10

2009-11-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Word #10
1.Conviviality
2.Seattle Times / Restaurant Review
3.Spinasse: Elbow-to-elbow conviviality at rustic little trattoria
4.friendly; agreeable: a convivial atmosphere.
5.The active members displayed conviviality as they welcomed their newly intiated sisters into their sorority.

Japanese War Memorial

2009-11-15T22:11:00.001-08:00

The Japanese War Memorial although small has a large impact to the Japanese community in San Jose as the memorial stands for a time period in which their culture went through so much. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the Executive Order 9066 to allow military officials the right to exclude all those of Japanese ancestry from the entire West Coast including : California, Washington, and also parts of Oregon.. The irony of this situation is that more than 120,000 Japanese citizens were interned on the West Coast while in Hawaii where nearly a third of the population is Japanese only 1,200 to 1,800 were interned.

Ruth Asawa chose to capture this time of struggle and cruelty against the Japanese- Americans during the internment period by designing the Japanese Internment Memorial in San Jose. Ruth experienced this difficult period when she was 16, and her family was relocated to the Assembly Center at the Santa Anita Racetrack in 1942 then at Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas. Ruth Asawa describes her experiences impact on her life as she states, “"I hold no hostilities for what happened; I blame no one. Sometimes good comes through adversity. I would not be who I am today had it not been for the Internment, and I like who I am."
In San Jose during the time of internment most of the 3,000 Japanese that lived in the Santa Clara/ San Jose region were sent to Heart Mountain, Wyoming to relocation centers. So this time period definitely had much significance to the people in San Jose and more specifically the Japanese Americans.

One of the vignettes on the memorial that I felt was most compelling was the families being taken away to be relocated on the trains. In this memorial you can see their pain and sadness in leaving their homes and being sent off to a horrible relocation. In the memorial you see family members trying to catch the train with other family members and some not making it. The military would send people on the train with nothing but their luggage and be shipped off to areas such as Wyoming and other far along places.

Another vignette that I found compelling was the soldiers taking these families and forcing them to live and sleep in theses small barracks where there was no room at all. It is a very sad image as you can see the distraught in the eyes of these families. The barracks in the memorial look very small compared to the amount of people going into them. Also, Asawa did a great job in this scene making the soldiers much larger than the Japanese prisoners which exemplifies their tyranny.

Comparing Asawa’s other work to this memorial I felt that it should’ve been bigger in size and more noticeable. Although it is small it has a powerful meaning and truly displays the pain and suffering of those who experienced the Japanese internment camps.

In My Humble Opinion : Iraq Car Bombing Kills 147 : Oct. 26, 2009

2009-10-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sadly on Sunday October 25, 2009 147 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in Iraq to protest the elections coming up in January 2010. This bombing was a Sadly on Sunday October 25, 2009 147 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in Iraq to protest the elections coming up in January 2010. This bombing was a twin bombing in downtown Bagdad outside the Justice Ministry at a time where politics are tearing apart a national trying to rebuild its torn nation. The bombing killed 147 people and injured an additional 700 people as the deadliest of bombings in the last two years. It is sad to see that as the US finally steps back from the Iraq frontier and handling crisis in Afghanistan the nation falls apart. According to the article, "The new attacks come as Iraqi political leaders face a deadlock over a law to regulate the vote scheduled for Jan. 16. Many Iraqis felt it was no accident that violence returned to their streets at a time when their politicians are at odds." Prime Minister Malikiv visited the sites of the destruction finding an excuse to blame Hussein regime leaders to cause the damages of the ministry.
After years spent in the nation of Iraq it seems that after all the thousands of troops and draining of our treasury for the “improvements” of nation. It seems that our improvements have maybe been a temporary pause to the occurring violence that it has not yet solved the problem. It angers me to see that after all the sacrifices Americans have made to aid the nation of Iraq that they have learned nothing
They continue to disrespect the valiant efforts by the United Sates forces who give their lives for their freedom and safety. Still they want to ruin the reconstruction of the turmoil nation. As the United States drains money from the school systems, and away from health care and watch our own nation suffer. We feed the fund of Iraq and supply it with security and once they feel that it is stable enough to uphold simple security they fall apart. People throwing away their lives due to disagreements and killing hundreds makes for a horrific reality. It is not just the government that needs change it is the people who use violence and anger to not solve problems but escalate them. Thinking that the higher and more destructive the violence the more the power.

Interview Analysis

2009-10-25T22:19:00.001-07:00

The topic for this interview was debating if Christianity is good for the world? The interviewer confronts a difficult topic as religion is always a sensitive topic to many in the world today. As science continues to improve many seem to stop having "faith" and to actual have scientific proof to debate the bible's statements. In the beginning the interviewer built an introduction based upon the basic religious facts and the common atheists beliefs. It built suspense as there was dramatic catholic traditional music in the background and a very serious tone. Also, the interviewer does something interesting as he interviews an atheists and a Christian pastor. That is an interesting strategy as there are now two very different views on the subject with extremely different beliefs. The interviewer asks tough questions that really question each interviewee’s beliefs and facts which make the interview much more interesting. The interviewer has a very professional relationship with the interviewee and never went out on tangents or out of control but very much stuck to his questions.
He let both answer the questions from their points of view which also made it much more appealing as both compared answers with their facts. I learned that there is actually a strategy to interviewing and almost framing the interview to how you want it. This interview for example was to clearly display the difference between common religious beliefs and common atheist’s beliefs. With choosing interviewees with different opinions you can make the interview framed to get your point across or to prove how different two sides are. I found this interview to be very helpful as it was well composed and well attained as neither interviewee was arguing or out of control even though there were so opposite.

Who is she?

2009-10-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

Although she is well known for her gorgeous looks, and breakout roles this actress is one of a kind. Her down to earth attitude and average laid back life although being a movie star. Her tattoos look intimidating as her idol Marylin Monroe is tattooed on her forearm but it reflects a story rather than an attitude. Her long flowing black hair and piercing eyes allow her to steal the screen and transform into a heart breaker. She is young and has so much time to grown into a grade A actress and break away from her "good-look roles". She is seen as outgoing and maybe even a little too much outspoken discussing her love life and intimate secrets but her love is not to be covered by shame. She will continue to be a name in Hollywood as its shining break out star.

Restaurant Catastrophe

2009-09-28T01:57:00.000-07:00

I had worked in a corporate office my entire life and never had the experience of working in retail or a restaurant. I was used to working with well mannered professionals, civilized customers, and people who worked for me. I had worked with a top engineering firm then interned with the San Jose Sharks and SAP Open which both were an amazing experience. Then after my internship ended I needed a part time job and was hired as a hostess at P.F. Changs and the craziness began. So Friday night was a night to remember as my fly in the wall experience was a little more than I expected. Working in a restaurant your priority is to serve to your customers , and to make sure they are met with all there needs. Sadly, this is not always the best experience for you as you deal with the most ungrateful, rude, and completely obnoxious. So this evening was supposed to be busy but nothing that we couldn't handle before. They teach us in training the "tango" model in the sense that the restaurant is like a tango and the flow of the restaurant is the tempo. Well on this particular night the tempo was a little too fast and we couldn't keep up. Three parties of ten, two parties of eleven, a party of thirty, and a regular busy Saturday restaurant flow. There were people everywhere and the restaurants ample air conditioning didn't aide in the heat of the large amount of customers. I stood at the host stand with a strand of sweat dripping down my back as the phone was ringing off the hook, a baby was screaming in the lobby, and my boss is stressing to find an open table for our long line of customers. A man approached the host stand and in a strong tone asked for a table for two for him and what appeared to be his wife. I gave him a pager to notify him when it was ready , and gave him a quote time of twenty five minutes. As time went on I looked at the small plastic clock in front of me at the host stand and his quote time turned into forty five minutes. Everything got pushed back, and customers were livid. Every five minutes a customer stomped to the host stand demanding that booth or table for four. The restaurant echoed with complaints and the main dining was filled with lagging customers who sat at the tables for hours. I walked around the restaurant looking for tables and heard talks of busy work weeks , parents complaining about their children, babies screaming to go home. I found it interesting to watch as people interacted and families who had finally been reunited after a long week of busy schedules. Moms asking her kids if they had any homework due on Monday or Dads asking his son how baseball practice was.
The kitchen is my favorite part as servers complain about rude customers, managers joke with employees, the chef whistle at the pretty girls, the heat overwhelms everyone yet everyone wants to in there. The mayhem was out of control the party of thirty who took up half of the side room was an hour late causing a backup of traffic. It was a long night and people never seem to surprise me with their ridiculous demands and rude statements. Where do they think they are the Ritz-Carlton? I think not. I am not going to kiss your feet and shine your shoes . I am going to escort you to your table and read you our daily specials . Nothing more . Nothing less. People need to realize how easy it would be for me to go to the kitchen and spit in their food. It's funny to see people joke about it , but it seriously can happen and so quickly. So treat your hostess with respect, your server with kindness, and in reward you won't get spit in your food.

Going In A New Direction

2009-09-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

It seems that so many different media outlets deliver a story in a different way, and can even change a story. Media and story coverage has completely transformed from old age media. It has changed in the delivery of the story and the technology in which it is presented. Many are concerned with media today and the integrity of stories and journalist. The new journalist also called the citizen journalist has created a new direction with media today. Social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, and others allow citizens to take over the position of reporter.
It seems that this is putting professional journalist in a catch 22 , and leaves opportunity for the normal citizens to have the power to deliver and also tamper with a news story. The new wave of technology has sadly removed many old age reporters who are incapable of adjusting to the technology and social networking. Although the technology has enhanced it has decreased the integrity of news reporting as social networking has allowed normal citizens to report on situations without correct facts or confirmation from direct sources. These networks can reach millions of people and can have a whole public believe in facts that are actually not true . A large majority of journalists feel that this has not only taken away from the integrity of news reporting but also eliminated their once many job opportunities.

This new direction of media allows for optimism in the world of media and also caution as things may turn for the worse and the once controlled business may be too much too handle. As the internet allows more communication with less control we may see some controversy and also some interesting delivery of news. It can either take the future of media into a positive direction or spin it for the worse. Only time will tell....

Words of Inspiration

2009-09-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

In my younger years I never really enjoyed the art of reading. I found myself daydreaming rather than gluing myself to the pages of a novel. I read a horrible book in fourth grade that scared me for awhile and turned me away from my literature experience it was called: A Witch at Blackbird Pond. It was complicated, boring, and no Harry Potter; and I failed the test and wrote a horrible book report that affected my final grade. So just to make my point clear I did not like reading after that experience. I was the kid who would rather be playing one of my many sports and enjoying the great outdoor than “dive into a good book”.

I read required reading from The Scarlett Letter to Romeo and Juliet, and even struggled through the Grapes of Wrath. I never appreciated the fine writing of Steinbeck, the iambic pentameter of Shakespeare, or the naturalism theories presented in Emerson’s fine works. Then as the years went by and seven Harry Potters later I finally eased back into the enjoyment of a good book. Some of my favorite books are The Firm by John Grishm, Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, and obviously the Harry Potter series. My most inspiring piece of literature did not come from a Pulitzer Prize winner or a classic novelist it was from a true champion: Mr. John Wooden. If you aren’t familiar with that name you should become familiar. John Wooden was the basketball coach for UCLA for 12 years winning the NCAA championship ten out of those twelve years. He not only coached a championship team but was an inspiration to all around him and especially to me. His quotes lift you up when you are down and make you evaluate your life and how much you value it. A favorite quote from his book called “The Essential Wooden”, is, “Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit trouble to press on you." I feel that quotes sums up how we should go about living our lives. We worry too much, get angry over the little things, feel weak and afraid and let trouble take a role in our lives. We need to look beyond the small issues in life and move forward with positive and optimistic outlooks. Wooden's novel is full of "woodenisms", and you will most likely be seeing a quote here and there in my writing. I was never a huge fan of books, but a fan of quotes or better phrased, "words of inspiration". So find you words of inspiration and apply it to your life, because sometimes a couple words can have the ability to change your life.

All About Me :)

2009-08-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

My name is Brittany Ramos and I just exited my teenage years and turned the big 2-0. I am currently a Junior at San Jose State University and majoring in Public Relations. I grew up in Southern California in the "real OC" or in formal terms : Huntington Beach. Currently I am a member of Delta Gamma here at SJSU and I just finished my term as secretary of PRSSA. Last year I was lucky enough to be an intern at HP Pavilion with the San Jose Sharks and SAP Open which was a lot of work but worth every minute.

A key fact to know about me is that sports are my life. I was not only an athlete all my life playing varsity volleyball, soccer , and lacrosse but I watch them constantly. With my Public Relations degree that I will receive here at SJSU I hope to work for a professional sports organization. I love discussing sports and many people call me the human version of ESPN. I can talk about baseball, football, basketball , even international soccer whatever anyone throws at me I am ready for. I am also a huge classic rock fan and would give anything to see Led Zeppelin live. I laugh constantly and smile big because life is too short to be unhappy . I believe you find your strengths in your moments of weakness and to live life to its fullest!