Journal 6 - Fish out of Water: Black Baptist Church

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Journal #6 - Fish Out of Water (350-500 words)
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 536

Purple-shirted Soulful Singers and Smiling Strangers

Being a tall skinny Asian guy in the middle of a building full of black people, I felt slightly awkward.

I attended the Sunday service of a black Baptist church, Emmanuel Baptist Church in north San Jose this weekend.

To get the most out of the experience, I decided to sit in the front-middle section of the church.

The church had the usual service layout. They sang songs, prayed, collected money, and had a speaker deliver a message about how to incorporate God into our everyday lives. Though, the flavor of the entire mass was full of warmth and soul.

But, before all the music and excitement, I felt out of place. I mean, I’m used to being around black people and Baptists, but they didn’t know that.

I wasn’t nervous at all, until I parked my car and saw that I was most likely the only non-black person there. Though, there were a couple Latino people in attendance.

I could feel everyone staring at me. It wasn’t in a bad way, but in a curious way, like, “Is that kid lost?”

As I walked in, almost the entire choir up at the altar constantly took glances at me and one another.

It’s funny that, the night before as I was planning my outfit for church, I thought to myself, “Hmm, I think I’ll wear purple. That is a good color for a Sunday mass at a black church.”

I thought myself a bit racist, but to my surprise the entire choir was wearing purple.

The choir and band combination was brilliant. I haven’t heard such uplifting music in a long time.

There were kids younger than me who sang like angels with more soul than I thought God could fit in one building.

One boy, who looked no older than 19, led the choir in an amazing piece of music. When his solo came on, he could hit notes Beyonce would sing, and did it with ease and spirit.

Despite being a different race, at least we shared somewhat of the same beliefs and morals.

They must have been happy to see me come to their church. Most churches love seeing newcomers attend their services and gatherings.

At one point in the middle of the ceremony, a reverend asked all the visitors to stand up as the church welcomed them. Before I stood up, most of the people were already looking at me.

It felt great as I looked around and saw tons of smiling faces. They were real smiles, not the forced kind.

They even had a portion of the service where everyone got to get up and greet one another. A bunch of very nice people gave me a great handshake, a welcoming smile, and thanked me for coming to their church.

Although it looked like I was completely out of place, by the end of church, I felt very much a part of them.

As I walked out, passed peopled talking and hugging, I thought to myself, “How could there be such an exciting church and why was I raised in a boring Catholic church? No fair.”

My “Fish out of Water” assignment turned out to be nothing of that sort.

Ad Redirect: Skyy Vodka

My Skyy Vodka ad can be redirected to the middle to upper-class, ages 45 to 60.

I would lower the brightness and sharpness of the color.

Instead of "Go natural," it would read "Feel young again."

Instead of two mouths, I would have a young looking middle aged couple smiling at each other, in a flirtatious way.

I would place the ad in US News and World Report.

Scholarly journal article summary #2

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Scholarly Research Summary 2
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 250


Student’ Resistance in the Classroom

Bracha Alpert
Beit Barl College, Israel


There has always been a subtle resistance among students in upper middle-class high school classrooms who work toward achieving academic success.

This attitude of resistance and compliance is seen as being influenced by a teaching approach that attributes superiority to academic school knowledge and that promotes a recitation style of classroom interaction.

This study was done on three high school English classes in which two of the three had students that showed resistance toward learning, while the third class was actively participating in the classroom.

Low-key participation was almost natural form of student behavior for the third room.

By incorporating students’ personal knowledge with the learning material, it comforts and invites students to learn and accept school.

The function of schools, according to reproduction theorists, is to reproduce the ideology of dominant groups by passing down knowledge and wisdom. In order to consume long-term information, students should feel comfortable and accepted.

The gap between instruction that attributes superiority to intellectual knowledge and the students’ adolescent world was reflected in the students’ interviews with the researcher.

One student reported that her teacher “shouldn’t be so much of a teacher.”


She felt that the teacher didn’t develop a genuine relationship with the students; it was all business and the teacher took too strong of an authoritative stance.

Making more room for personal expression and responsive classroom interaction combined with subject matter is key to bridging the gap between students and school.

Journal #7 - Targeting Audiences

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Journal #7 - Targeting Audiences
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 326



This Vans full-page ad is going after 13 to 25-year-olds. Their occupation is anything that doesn't require them to dress up every day, although occupation doesn't seem to be an indicator of whether or not someone likes vans. Their household income is anywhere from $20,000 a to $120,000 a year and their education level would be anything above fifth grade. Marital status would be either, but most likely single, because they are focusing on the younger crowd. They are shoe-heads who think they have a unique, funky style, but are really just following the mainstream trend.

The ads key message lies in the imagery of the shoes and the repeated logos. It attracts a less involved audience because it doesn't require much thought to understand the ad. It is very simple and practical, especially for what it is advertising: shoes. People look at shoes and if they look nice, then they buy them. So, all Vans has to do is present what their shoes looks like; goal accomplished.




This Skyy Vodka ad is directed to, obviously, people who drink alcoholic beverages, or people who will in the near future. They are marketing towards partiers. Their age range is most likely from 16 to 40 years old. They would have a medium regard for education because the very uneducated will normally go for 40s or six-packs while the highly educated probably don't go to drinking parties as much. They would be middle-class to upper-class, economically. Singles who are ready to mingle will find this appealing.

The ad immediately makes me think of a penis with two girls sucking on one ball each; this was probably the response the company wanted my subconscious to create. It is directed at an alcoholically and overly social audience. The words "GO NATURAL" could be a sexual innuendo of sorts. Either way, like the Vans ad, this one presents much more attractive imagery than textual advertising.

STD Press Release

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
STD Press Release
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count:

For Immediate Release
KILL DATE: May 31, 2009

Contact: Justin Riray
San Jose State Journalism Student
925-818-8936

SJSU HEALTH SERVICES - STD PREVENTION PROGRAM

SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 20, 2009) - San Jose State University is expanding testing hours for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Health service director, Ellen Jones, said the college is launching an aggressive information program about STDs and how to prevent their spread.

The program includes lectures in the dorms by health service personnel, an hour-long movie available to professors to show in class, and the distribution of pamphlets about STDs and their symptoms.

According to the health service report, the number of STDs reported in the four years prior to the latest results was 20.

-more-

The on-campus report, so far this year, has 50 reported cases near the end of the fall ‘08 semester and could reach 100 by the end of the school year.

The latest university health service report discussed STDs: genital herpes, body lice, venereal diseases, and Chlamydia, which is a bacterial parasite that usually produces no symptoms but can lead to sterilization in women if left untreated.

Jones said: “There are some students on this campus who didn’t even know the [names] of their sexual partners.”

The university is doing its best to keep students safe; do your part by being checked regularly.

STD tests on campus are free of charge and the results are confidential.

According to the report, City College, in San Jose, has recorded 100 STD cases on campus since the beginning of its school year.

-30-

Fact Sheet

Contact: Justin Riray
San Jose State Journalism Student
925-818-8936


What: Prevention of an STD breakout

Where: San Jose State University and City College

When: 2008 to 2009 school year

Who: College students attending the two schools

Why: To keep students safe and prevent the spread of STDs, especially on campus.

How: Information program on STDs and their prevention.

STD News Story

Word Count: 209

Campus STD Breakout

San Jose State students may be unaware that they have been infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Chlamydia is a bacterial parasite that usually produces no symptoms, making it almost impossible to find without being checked. The disease can lead to sterilization in women if left untreated.

Other STDs such as herpes, body lice, and venereal diseases have been found on campus.

SJSU’s rate of new STD cases is increasing. In the four years previous to 2009, there were only 20 reported STD cases on campus. This semester has already filed 50 cases, that could become 100 by the end of the school year.

Ellen Jones, the health service doctor says, “There are some students on this campus who didn’t even know the name of their sexual partners.”

This STD outbreak has the college launching an aggressive information program about STDs and how to prevent their spread.

Jones says that the school is expanding its hours for STD testing from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday. The tests are free and the results are confidential.

The program also includes lectures in dorms by health service personnel, an hour-long movie for professors to show in class.

According to the report, City College has recorded 100 cases on campus this year.

Scholarly journal article summary #1

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Scholarly journal article summary #1
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 273

Educational Psychology

A recent criticism psychology and educational psychology claims that these disciplines face an epistemological dilemma. Analytic knowledge theories of educational psychology are necessary truths.

Royce said that there were three ways to classify the way we gain knowledge: personal experience, rationalizing, and metaphors. All knowledge gained can be classified under these three epistemologies, which are methods of acquiring knowledge. Subject could be almost completely under one method, or could be an equal balance of more than one.

Professor James T. Sanders of the University of Western Ontario does not completely agree with Royce, but wants to use Royce’s idea as a device form explaining some issues about the relationship of psychology to education.

The most common stereotype of educational psychology is mostly made up of empiricism, which is the belief that facts are gathered from experience or experiment.

The characterization of educational psychology bring preemptively empirical fact-gathering is connected with a stereotyped view about how psychology does, or should, contribute to education. This is why teachers, basically, teach students only facts.

Egan taught that certain claims can be reduced to logical, analytic truths by substituting synonymous phrases for one another. He points out that if we say we believe that more intelligent people learn faster than less intelligent people; the claim is plainly analytic. The claim can be seen as true if we concur that by “intelligence,” we mean, “the speed of learning.”

Educational psychology beliefs from half a century ago put education in danger by being based upon either true or false ideas. On the contrary, educational psychology is more about rationalizing. There is more to learning than correct and incorrect ideas.


Educational Psychology, James T. Sanders
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/stable/pdfplus/1495352.pdf

Japanese Internment Vignette Descriptions

The first vignette I chose is the bus they are all loaded into before arriving at the internment camp.

I can feel the pain of losing everything and the anxiety of being shipped to a prison town like a filthy criminal. Its so stuffy; they must be suffocating from each other's breath. Everyone has that same gut wrenching feeling. They are angry at the world, or they are at peace in accepting their unfair fate. No matter what will happen they find some consolation in being together, like sharing the death of a loved one, except no one has died ... yet. Why is this happening? They search their consciousness for the answer, but realize it does them no good.


The second scene I picked is the one where the tower guard looks down upon the families in the camp.

There is an unspoken bond of compassion between the guard and the family. He doesn't want to be there. He is just doing is job. The family doesn't want to cause any problems. What else can a slave, threatened by death do? The guard hopes the best for the family, yet all he can do is watch ... he knows this is what he is meant to do ... nothing but watch, and shoot to kill. Hopefully not. The family looks up at him, thankful that he does not mock or hurt them. Both sides feel very alone despite the shared experience. They are on opposite sides. Neither of them lose their humanness.

EXTRA CREDIT: Journal 5 - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Journal Writing #5 - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 242

A Slice of Life in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

I love Packer’s technique. It is so personal; I just got sucked into the book. Honestly, I hate reading, but the way she wrote out the descriptions and emotions of her characters, especially, Dina, gave me that Cannery Row feel.

She exposes the flaws of humanity through the weaknesses of her characters. The settings are very cliché; a ghetto neighborhood, an elite college university--and she blends offset characters into the picture flawlessly.

The metaphors she uses to describe Dina’s battle with her feelings about being attracted to boys and girls add an artsy element to the book.

The way all the stories either link, or share common themes, like in James Joyce’s Dubliners, makes the book one big learning experience. By reading just a few chapters from Coffee, I have evolved my mindset on people in our American society.

I researched the author and found that she grew up in the Bay Area and is a graduate of Yale. Interestingly enough, that is the university that Dina attends. It makes me wonder if she bases most of these characters’ hardships on ones that she has experienced herself; which would explain why she is so damn good at developing her stories.

Packer has helped me realize that people love reading these Chicken Soup for the Soul type anecdotes. It is the fine description of the characters in the story that get you interested and addicted.

The Way I see it

“Anyone who is capable of physical exercise should, in fact, exercise. There are so many ways that physical activity could better someone’s life. They will be more physically fit, they will look better, be more healthy, have more natural energy, and just feel better about themselves.”


“I wish religious fanatics wouldn’t be so rude to everyone that doesn’t agree with their philosophy. I am open to all theories of life and afterlife. It doesn’t bother me if someone holds a different opinion as long as they respect the world and the people on it. It seems that these hard-headed people are blind to the way the world works … it does not revolve around their experiences and thoughts.”

Similes and Metaphors - original pieces

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Similes and Metaphors
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 58

Similes:
1) Dona Nichols is like a young Angelina Jolie.
2) My fastball pitch is like a smaller version of Ryu’s hadoken.

Metaphors:
1) Her heart was a broken machine in an arcade; she had been played too many times, and was often kicked when she took people’s money.
2) My member is a thigh of Chuck Norris.

Classmate Profile - Love found Rayna at the Perfect Time

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Classmate Profile
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 508


Love found Rayna at the Perfect Time


“I have never lost a fight...not yet anyways. There's always someone out there that can kick your ass. I have injured a couple [guys] but not technically beat them up.” Those are the words of the sweet and beautiful Rayna Barone.

The 22-year old student at San Jose State University had a rough time growing up, but has made the best out of her past obstacles.

“At one point in my life i was a very angry person because of certain events that occurred that were very devastating but i found peace in kick boxing,” Barone said about her coping method for her previous emotional state. “I did kick boxing for two years and stopped having so many confrontations with others in high school.”

Though she is new and refined, she hasn't lost all of her fire. “My friends love me because I'm really loyal and funny. I'm the sweetest person but if u get on my bad side...i have no problem whoopin' some ass and my friends think I'm crazy for it.”

“I have had a difficult life and because of that i had to grow up really quickly,” Barone mentioned. Despite all of her hardships, she is currently preparing for the beginning of her happy ending.

Her boyfriend, at the time, now fiancé, dated Barone for four years.

Rayna recounts the exciting event for us: “How he popped the question was very romantic.... We have an amazing dinner a the melting Pot downtown San Jose and then he took me to the boardwalk on the beach where he first told me he loved me, we drank champagne and when i wasn't looking he wrote will u marry me in the sand and got on one knee! Of course i said yes and we started crying.”

Most people criticize young marriages, but Barone feels that she has matured enough to take this important step in her life. “There was one point in time during my relationship that I doubted if I was doing the right thing and I made some mistakes but in the end it made me realize how great I had it and I could never picture myself being with anyone else for the rest of my life.”

Barone expresses full her faith in her new fiancé, “Not only is he my Fiancé but my best friend. So for someone to force their opinion on my life I would tell them they no nothing about me and i would feel no need to explain something that I know in my heart is right.”

Barone recalls what helped keep her head above water, “A lot of difficult times have been thrown my way since i was young and what keeps me motivated is my family, friends and hopes of the future. Adam is my rock, he keeps me strong and keeps me positive just when i think everything is falling apart. The things that devastate you in life are the things that make you stronger in the future.”