For Immediate Release

KILL DATE: May 22, 2020

Word Count: 352

Contact: Antonio Carrillo

Public Information Specialist

669-252-9252

SAN JOSE STATE COMMENCEMENT FEATURES KANYE WEST

SAN JOSE, Calif. (March 10, 2020) – San Jose State University is excited to announce that Kanye West will be speaking at its commencement this year. 

Throughout his musical career West has influenced the current sounds whether producing for other people or on his own songs and it is this influence and creativity that San Jose State hopes its students bring into the world.

“Kanye West really influenced the sound of the 2010s with his creativity and we are excited for him to share his knowledge with our graduating students,” said SJSU President Mary A. Papazian. “We are so excited to have her this year as our commencement speaker and look forward to the knowledge he has to give our students.”

The event will be held on Saturday May 22 at 9 a.m. at Avaya Stadium and some 6,500 students are expected to graduate with bachelor’s degrees.

“I feel like I can really give the graduating students a unique perspective especially with everything I’ve been through in life,” West said. “I’m really glad that the university is going to allow me to come in and share my life experience.”

This is going to be a historic event for the community as it is the first time West visits San Jose State.

“I think that Kanye will be able to give the graduating students an unforgettable commencement speech,” Papazian said. “He has such a unique viewpoint on life that will expose the graduating students to a different perspective.”

The event is predicted to be San Jose State’s biggest commencement yet.

“I think students from all majors will be able to learn something from me,” West said. “Whether they are engineers or artists I have advice that will really be applicable.”

San Jose State University

San Jose State University is the oldest university on the West Coast and has around 33,000 students enrolled. Of those 33,000 students 5,400 are graduate students. Teams at the university are called Spartans and the university has been one of the top suppliers of students to tech firms in Silicon Valley. 

 

Jonathon Swan is the writer of the article “Trump’s ‘Deep State’ Hit List” which discusses the Trump White House’s plan to replace those not loyal to Trump with Trump loyalists. 

Swan uncovered that there is a network of conservative activists that supply lists and memos of anti-Trump people they think Trump should fire and the Trump loyalists that they think he should hire.

He was interviewed by Terry Gross for NPR’s “Fresh Air” and had this to say about the group which was formed after the 2012 election.

“One prominent example of a successful campaign they’ve run is to get rid of President Trump’s former national security advisor,” Swan said. “They led an aggressive campaign within the conservative movement to portray the advisor as anti-Trump.”

While the group was a conservative activist group, they can still be objective with their policies.

The group advised Trump not to withdraw from the Paris climate accord and the Iran deal because it would upset European allies.

When the President was impeached he crossed a “psychological line” as Swan says and this psychological line caused a sense of urgency to get rid of people he considers to be anti-Trump.

One of these led to his body man Johnny McEntee being hired again after being fired previously by the chief of staff.

Gross asked what some of the security issues behind the firing of Trump’s body man Johnny McEntee.

Swan replied that he had not been able to finish fact checking his information and would not spread unchecked info. 

Gross simply let the conversation slow down and pick up elsewhere where she brought up how Trump’s current acting director of national intelligence has no intelligence experience.

Swan replied that the director did however have foreign policy experience.

The interview felt comfortable between the two possibly because they may both agree with the topics at hand although it did not seem like the two had previously known each other. 

An interesting strategy to remember was that Gross kept track of points that the interviewee had touched on that are in favor of her side of an opinion and then asked him to elaborate on all of those points.

 

Story

The time when teenagers get behind the wheel is perhaps the most harrowing of parenthood. My kids are still years away from this, but I’m already hoping self-driving cars will be ubiquitous by then. Until that happens, parents have another option: monitoring their teens’ road smarts—or lack thereof—through apps.

Tech companies and insurance carriers offer apps that act as back-seat drivers, informing parents how fast their teens are going and how hard they are braking. In recent months, insurers have added the ability to determine whether people are texting or making calls while driving. All of this comes with risks: Some kids resent being tracked and parents are sometimes spied on by their kids. 

Jolene Martin-Pavesich began using Life360, a free location-sharing app that offers a “driver protect” feature for $8 a month, after her then-18-year-old son got into an accident. (Although her adult son pays for his own car and insurance, Ms. Martin-Pavesich says she continues to track him because he still lives at home and doesn’t pay any other bills.)

Once she began tracking his trips, she said she caught him texting and driving numerous times. The app detects trouble using the smartphone’s built-in motion sensor and provides data at the end of each drive.

Ms. Martin-Pavesich received a call from aLife360 360 +0.00% adviser when her son got into another accident. She could see where he was on the app and was able to get to him within minutes. Although the accident wasn’t his fault, Ms. Martin-Pavesich said the driving report on the app indicated he was using his phone at the time. He told her he had been talking to his girlfriend. Ms. Martin-Pavesich’s son declined to comment. She said he hates being tracked on the app.

She has punished him for driving infractions by not letting him drive for a few days or not letting him visit his girlfriend. “It’s harder to punish him for things now that he’s 20, but we still threaten to take his vehicle away,” said Ms. Martin-Pavesich, a stay-at-home mom in Grant Park, Ill.

Now she’s planning to use the app to monitor her 15-year-old son, Ray, who has his learner’s permit. Ray said he’s OK with his parents tracking his driving and that he has learned from watching his older brother deal with insurance claims after accidents. “I don’t want to make the same mistakes,” he said.

Life360 is the most popular location-sharing app that has a driver-tracking feature. In the Social, Lifestyle and Communication apps category, it ranked No. 14 in the U.S. by iOS and Google Play downloads last year, according to mobile data and analytics provider App Annie. And there are several other apps that can help quell the nerves of anxious parents, including RoadReady, SafeDrive and Verizon’s Hum.

Beyond providing peace of mind for parents, drive-tracking apps offer another perk: the possibility of saving money. Teens are the most expensive drivers to insure, so rewarding those who prove they are safe on the road can reduce the sticker shock of high teen-driver premiums. 

State Farm has a free Drive Safe & Save app that allows drivers of any age to save up to 30% on their premiums depending on how safely they drive; the size of the discount is adjusted each time the policy is up for renewal, which is usually every six months. Drivers are guaranteed a 1% discount just for using the app, and the company says rates don’t increase if the app reveals them to be unsafe drivers. (There are a few states where insurance regulators don’t allow the app to be used to adjust rates, including California and New York.) 

State Farm added a phone-usage feature when it rolled out a new version of the app last year but it’s too early to factor that data into rate discounts. “As of today it’s just a teaching tool,” said Scott Bruns, the State Farm director who oversees the Drive Safe & Save program.

Allstate Insurance Co. has a Drivewise feature on its mobile app that alerts people to unsafe driving behavior and offers tips on how to drive better. The feature is available to anyone, even if they aren’t an Allstate customer; drivers can earn points by completing safe-driving challenges such as making 10 trips with no high speeds or sudden braking. The points can be redeemed for discounts on gift cards, car rentals and magazine subscriptions, among other items. Allstate policyholders in most states can earn cash or receive a credit on their premiums for safe driving. Allstate also recently added the ability to track drivers’ phone usage, but it isn’t yet part of the rewards-system calculus.

Bianca Woodberry’s family has turned safe driving into a competition. The Winston-Salem, N.C., family got the Life360 app two years ago when their oldest child, Shaylen, turned 16. Ms. Woodberry was concerned that her son would be using his phone while driving, but the app claims she’s a worse offender on that front than he is.

In one recent week, her instances of phone usage while driving totaled 120 while his numbered 28. “That’s terrible,” she said, explaining that her daughter often borrows her phone while Ms. Woodberry is driving, which may account for some of the transgressions. 

Still, it’s an all-too-common trend among parents. A study conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance found that 37% of parents use mobile apps while driving compared with 38% of teens. And the main reason teens use their phones while driving or stopped at red lights? Replying to texts from their parents.

Phone makers have tried to combat the problem of distracted driving with Do Not Disturb While Driving features that block calls and notifications during car trips. Among iPhone users who had this turned on, phone usage while driving decreased by around 8%, according to a 2018 report from online insurance marketplace EverQuote.

Shaylen’s biggest problem is braking too hard, Ms. Woodberry found. He had nine instances in one recent week, compared with her three. Rather than coming down hard on him for it, she tries to use the data to make all drivers in the family more aware of their habits. Once a week during dinner, Ms. Woodberry, her husband and Shaylen all look at the app to see who had the most instances of unsafe driving. “It keeps everyone mindful in a fun way. We’re not all perfect,” she said.

Indeed, some are less perfect than others.

When James Williams’s oldest child, Katie, began driving, he and his wife got Life360 to make sure she was arriving at her destinations safely. But the app is intended to provide a two-way view, with all members of the family able to see one another’s location and driving reports; however, if one family member turns off location-sharing, the app won’t report on that person’s driving behavior. Mr. Williams allowed his daughter to see his driving report.

One day while James and his wife were on vacation in Arizona and Katie was staying with her grandparents back home in Nebraska, she received a notification on the app that her father had completed a trip—and that he had reached a top speed of 98 miles an hour.

“I took a screenshot and texted it to both of them and said, ‘What’s going on?’ ” recalls Katie, 17.

Mr. Williams had rented a Mustang convertible near Sedona. “We found a back road and it was beautiful and there was a sunset…” he said. “I wanted to test that sports car, and I got caught.”

Questions

1. What I liked about this feature was that it showed both the positives and negatives of parents tracking their teens. As someone that grew up with this technology I feel strongly about being tracked. I liked that it elaborated on how it is overused in some ways and presented both sides of the tracking app for the first set of parents and their children.
2. The angle of the story was definitely in favor of teen driver tracking technology. Unless the reader thinks about the content deeply all of the stories but the short last one are showing the positives of the app.
3. The trend is identified quickly in the last sentence of the first paragraph.
4. I found this story in the Wall Street Journal.

1. “It’s not OK to wear T-shirts at practice,” Coach Carter said.
2. General Myers met ten times with former Vice President Al Gore.
3. He drove east from Seattle, Washington to Boise, Idaho.
4. The FBI office has moved to 1,250 Third Ave.
5. In the ‘90’s she received mostly A’s in school despite being a rock ‘n’ roll groupie.
6. Aaron C. Reskew Jr. is the candidate that will be elected mayor.
7. 17 clerks worked from 7-10 a.m. in the morning and were paid just $5 an hour.
8. Over 16,000 attended game one of the World Series to see the Tigers’ five to two victory.
9. Nearly 50 percent of adults say they’re concerned about developing Alzheimer’s Disease.
10. The 19-year-old girl was born Sept. 20.

 

News Release

The Midland Zoo is mourning the unfortunate death of its oldest polar bear Homer who was found passed away in his exhibit this morning.

Homer lived a long fulfilling life filled with hunting trout and digging in the snow just as he would have in the wild.

“We will do everything in our power to determine how this bear died,” said Chris P. Bacon, Zoo Director. “Animal welfare and the preservation of species are our primary goals here at the zoo.”

 

News Story

After a string of recent deaths Homer the polar bear death is the latest of three to die in the past two weeks.

The Midland Zoo reported that it could take several weeks for the cause of death to be reported. 

The other two polar bears were removed from the exhibit and are currently being monitored by veterinary staff.

 

Being the child of an immigrant isn’t easy.

 

And that is the exact struggle that Noah Aleaf had to deal with. 

 

Upon talking to Aleaf it is easy to tell that he is proud of his culture.

 

“The culture in Afghanistan is stricter than it is in the United States,” Aleaf said. “When you come over here there is culture shock because they still want to raise the kids the way they were raised.”

 

He adores the comradery that his culture encourages. 

 

He reminisces how his family would constantly offer guests food and drinks to make sure they felt welcomed.

 

As Aleaf got older the cultural clashes became more intense.

 

Aleaf explained that in Afghan culture activities like drinking are frowned upon and that children are expected to do what their parents say.

 

However, this did not prevent Aleaf from having an active social life.

 

He learned to be secretive so he would still be able to go out with his friends

 

Having strict parents turned Aleaf into a rebel as he says.

 

As he got older his parents began to take notice of this and talk down on him.

 

They began to tell him that he was disgracing the family and in the Afghan community reputation is everything. 

 

A catalytic incident occurred when he went drinking and came home to his extended family who smelled the alcohol on his breath. 

 

He became the talk of the family.

 

Aleaf often talks to his classmate Malik Mohamed about issues like this.

 

“Expectations are really high for middle eastern parents as they didn’t have the greatest opportunities,” Mohamed said. “They still provided so much to us so we feel obligated to make them proud.”

 

It’s incidents like these that highlight the cultural conflicts between immigrant parents and their children and Aleaf believes that these lessons have made him stronger as an individual.

 

 

1. The focus of the story is texting between individuals under the same roof in families. It lays out both the pros and cons.
2. The author does an amazing job of drawing my interest to the story. The conciseness of the story along with the way the writer builds tension holds my attention very well. The lead was genius when the author talked about Isaiah Ramsey texting his mother to order food from her.
3. My favorite quote from the story was “They are always looking at their phones — at Snapchat or Instagram — so they can’t pretend they don’t see my messages.” I thought it was very relatable as this is definitely something my grandparents have said to me.

1. The lead did draw my interest to the story but not as much as it could have. It would have been more interesting if the writer began with the amputation rather than leaving it for the last part of the lead.
2. The lead and first few paragraphs do not outline the story because the story goes off in different tangents. What I thought the story was going to be about was not what it ended up being about.
3. The writer definitely strays off-topic. When he begins talking about the father and the anti-bullying, it seems to lose focus.
4. I do think the quotes are used effectively, they all seem on topic and add to the story. They are also short and concise.
5. My favorite quote was when he was talking about the gym. “I motivate so many people,… Because if I can do it, you can do it. Get off your butt, go do it.”

With the advent of likes and followers Instagram has given influencers a sense of superiority for the arbitrary number attached to their profile. 

These people think that they are celebrities and they come in all kinds of varieties. 

Some do fashion, some showcase hobbies and some just have entertaining personalities.

But if you work with them you better be careful.

If you have less influence than them they could not care less about a deadline.

And if you have more influence they’ll treat you like royalty.

The only thing that matters to them is the number next to one’s name.

Spending time or being friends with these people can be difficult.

Every second is a photo opportunity.

Every dinner is for them to show off. 

Since the advent of social media the concept of likes became a social currency that allowed people to measure their social life in a numerical value.

Now that the platforms have had time to mature its effects can be seen.

Although the concept of influencers is not all bad.

It created a new tool for advertisers and marketers to grow their brands.

And created new mediums for people to express themselves through.

The platforms are also catching on that the effects of social media are not entirely healthy.

 Because of this they are experimenting with hiding features such as likes.

Hopefully developers of the social media sites will take measures to fix this issue. 

If not it will continue to encourage unhealthy behaviour if influencers.

 

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority does absolutely nothing to prevent crimes against its loyal customers.

Employees and students alike contribute to this great valley’s economy but it does not give back. Take the light rail anytime past dark and you sure are going to feel uncomfortable. 

Every day I ride to San Jose State in fear of my car being broken into or being mugged on my way home. This fear clouds my mind every day because I know that no one is doing anything to protect my expensive car windows. Why should the VTA’s customers have to shell out an extra $600 a year because they can’t hire effective security guards? 

The VTA needs to improve security for the safety and comfort of its loyal customers.