Cosmetology Open House
Page 4
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Yoga Instructor Profile
Page 6
Times staff wins at JACC
The Voice of San Jose City College Since 1956
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Volume 85 Issue 4
Let Your Life Speak
BY NICHOLAS JOHNSON TIMES STAFF
The SJCC Communication Studies Department in association with Adobe held the “Let Your Life Speak” event at the Adobe headquarters in downtown San Jose March 23. Organized by SJCC professors and speech coaches Shelley Giacalone, Chris Lancaster, and Leslyn McCallum, the “Let Your Life Speak” event sees a group of students sharing stories about their life experiences in their own unique ways. Seven SJCC students spoke on topics ranging from issues dealing with depression and anxiety, to adversity faced by immigrants. After a brief introduction by Toni Vanwinkle of Adobe and Blake Balajadia director of Student Life at SJCC, the context for each speaker was introduced by Lilia Huang, the master of ceremonies for the event. The first to speak was Kris Menge, who shared his experiences with PTSD and alcoholism after being discharged from the army. His main point was that mental health issues are often hard to detect from an outside perspective, and that a support system is important for anyone dealing with trauma. Next was Steven Sciplin, a football player who, despite being on the autistic spectrum, overcame his struggles with communication to use his heightened sense of focus to train harder on and off the field. Comparing himself to the DC Comics hero Cyborg, and said he feels like a machine in many
PHOTO BY NICHOLAS JOHNSON / TIMES STAFF
Faculty and students pose at the end of the Let Your Life Speak event in downtown San Jose’s Adobe headquarters. From left, top to bottom: Chris Lancaster, Leslyn McCallum, Lilia Huang, Angel Coronado, Steven Sciplin, Ivan Perez, Rachel Davis, Shelley Giacalone, Kris Menge, Sabrina Maciel, Galy Jimenez and Thomas Guiterrez on March 23, 2018. ways, but often in a good way. Sabrina’s speech, titled “Revising the Struggle,” was about her experience when first attending college. One of the first in her family to attend higher education, the pressure she felt left her mental condition in a slow decline, eventually being diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Despite this, she managed to be accepted to her dream school after attending SJCC in an attempt to restructure her life. The first of the truly unique presentations was that of Galy Jimenez, who presented a couple
of powerful poems dealing with the struggles of immigrants from Mexico, illegal or otherwise. After a brief intermission, Thomas Guiterrez presented his speech titled “Shaken Free.” Aided by the visual metaphor of an Etch-a-Sketch toy, his speech about the trouble he got into with his brother when he was younger was presented alongside a dynamic drawing up on the screen, filling in details and changing figures as the speech went along, from a man being surrounded by police officers, to a champion boxer surrounded by
cheering fans. The penultimate speech, presented by Rachel Davis, was about her family dealing with the devastating suicide of her mother, and the struggle of suddenly losing such an important part of her life. The story ends with a touching gesture from her brothers, purchasing a bench in her memory on the pier in San Francisco, where she met her end. The final speech was by Ivan Perez, titled “The Chicano Equation.” He talked about his identity as someone of Mexican descent, and how discovering
Chicano studies was a pivotal moment in his life that allowed him to discover other passions. After the final speech, Lilia came out for one final symbolic gesture, gathering all the speakers on stage and passing around fake candles to the crowd. The lights dimmed and the candles were switched on, creating a poignant moment to cap off the night of powerful talks. The night ended with an informal Q&A, as members of the audience mingled and asked any questions they might have to the speakers.
Limitations in learning Celebrating Autism Awareness by changing the perspective on individuality vs. diagnosis BY JOEANNA LOPEZ
TIMES STAFF
Special education at the college level is much different from lower levels. Instructors have no prior knowledge of any accommodations that may be needed if students do not present them with the appropriate paperwork stating their individual needs. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of student education records. FERPA laws state that it becomes the students’ responsibility to seek accommodation and fill out the appropriate paperwork once the
student is 18 or older. English instructor Marlise Edwards had not received training on educational disabilities in the classroom in her 17 years of teaching, until last January, when the English department was offered a workshop on educational impairments. “I previously had no idea that the proximity in which I’m near a student may for some be a trigger just as certain words commonly used in the classroom can be triggers,” Edwards said. Sometimes difficulty with comprehending material is demonstrated through frustration as was experienced during one of Edwards’ classes in the past.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8
“The outburst was uncommon, but the other students were understanding and the appropriate persons were contacted,” Edwards said. Learning disabilities and or educational limitations range on a nonlinear spectrum and include but are not limited to: Asperger’s, autism, illiteracy, needing more time or a different setting for tests, note taker, closed captioning, etc. There are disabilities that can be identified through behaviors; however, Jen Boxerman, Director of Communications and Development at Temple Isaiah, in Lafayette, California says, “(autism is) a human experience, not a list
of behavioral traits.” “What we see is behavior, but there’s so much more going on inside each person. Treating autistic people as individuals and not a diagnosis is what autism awareness means to me,” Boxerman said. English instructor Michelle Blair began teaching at SJCC in 1999 and has always been attentive and interested in the abilities and the different ways our brains work and “how information is processed differently.” “The weird thing is I was sensitive and curious about autism
Photo courtesy of Pixabay before she (Fiona) was born. Maybe there’s something cosmic about that all,” Blair said. Fiona is Blair’s 10 year old daughter and comic strip artist. “She’s much smarter than can be seen by the work that’s required by school.” Blair said that, when suggesting that students and friends look into SAS services, “try to be euphemistic, try hard to avoid saying disability and encourage them to
See Learning, page 3
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2 Opinion
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
ASG should advocate for all students BY REGINALD WEBB TIMES STAFF
About the Staff Editor-in-Chief Tammy Do Managing Editor Joeanna Lopez Photo Editor Benjamin Castro Sports Editor Giovanni Gaxiola Graphic Artists Alix Duhon Nicholas Johnson Reporters & Photographers John Lopez Reginald Webb Faculty Adviser Farideh Dada The City College Times is Written, Edited, Designed and Produced entirely by students. All copyrights reserved! No Part of the SJCC Times can be reproduced without permission.
The Associated Student Government election is almost upon us. While the outgoing officers’ service to San Jose City should be appreciated by all, it is time to look forward to new governance. ASG just finished revising election rules after controversy in the Student trustee election between Joseph Heady and Jorge Casas in which Heady absorbed criticism for allowing students to give him their student ID numbers for the purpose of voting on their behalf. Heady triumphed using the strategy causing concern particularly from supporters of Casas. The outgoing ASG and President Luna have spent the past two years making charter changes and now election rule changes. while offering very few initiatives beyond the worthwhile pursuit of a new child development center. There was talk of a new website that unfortunately did not materialize. There really should be an app upon which all students can communicate and get the most current information about events or issues of concern. Also,
surveys and polling to really get a snapshot of what people are thinking on any number of issues would prompt more effective governance. Student involvement cannot flourish without a well-informed student body. A real commitment must be made toward this end. ASG governing should be more about inclusion and participation. The current ASG has made the mistake of shutting out differing opinions and not understanding that minority views are still important despite a majority vote. Winning does not make a relevant argument become suddenly irrelevant. It is human nature to want to feel like your voice was heard and that your contribution to the debate is reflected in the final decision, but with this ASG it too often felt like it did not matter. Very rare has it been that public comments end up as agenda items. ASG meetings are dominated too much by the President and her officers whom always seem to be in agreement and have a tendency to shut down a lot of debate. The President is supposed to chair the meeting and encourage the debate and the process of idea exchange not weigh in on everything discussed.
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It is important to remember that the associated student government represents all students equally by definition. In other words, all students are equal as it relates to their governing body. If you serve in student government you are an advocate on behalf of all students equally. Serving in government or club affiliation does not elevate a student’s claim on the governing body. Government should not become a clique of students in agreement determining if others can garner their support or not. This is a very important distinction because not every issue should be dealt with in terms of a majority vote. Sometimes support applies simply because it is a student to whom the government advocates for by definition. Let’s have ambition starting with an election that has plenty of participation and a thorough discussion of what can be done. College should be an environment where students should strive to have change and to try bold ideas. The growing partisan divide in American politics has threatened our faith in democracy and the world’s faith in American leadership. College is where leadership has to come from to restore this faith and confidence.
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The article published on March 13, titled “A tale of two campuses,” stated EVC had a 7 percent transfer rate, while SJCC had an 11 percent transfer rate. According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office website, the transfer rate for EVC was 42 percent and for SJCC was 37 percent in 2016. The Times regrets the error.
Tuesday, April 17 2018
Health 3
Smoking kills more than you Tips to quit tobacco use
Save a lot of money: At the start of 2018, California decided to raise the tax on tobacco products, bringing the average cost of a pack of cigarettes from $4.03 to almost $7. The same can be said for chewing tobacco. The price change will affect you. Let’s say you smoke a pack of cigarettes every four days. At $7 each pack, that is $49 a month you can save. In a year, you can save $588. Although this may not seem like much money, it will help out in the long run.
BY GIO GAXIOLA TIMES STAFF
Growing up we are all told the same thing: cigarettes and tobacco in general are bad. Everyone remembers D.A.R.E and other campaigns going from school to school warning us about the dangers of tobacco. Fast forward a couple of years to a person’s high school/ teen years. This is the age where kids start to experiment with products that they were told so many years not to do. However, people can make their own choices. While some find tobacco disgusting and life threatening, others can not live without it. One of the hardest habits to quit is tobacco use. According to cdc.gov, in 2016, 37.8 million US adults use tobacco. Of that, 76 percent smoked or chewed tobacco everyday and 480,00 americans are killed every year by tobacco use. So if tobacco kills so much, why is it still around and not outlawed? The answer is simple. Money. America is the world leader in producing tobacco leaves. It is a highly profitable crop that generates millions of dollars every year. Americans have been using tobacco since the country first came into existence. While some people may say it is ok to have tobacco here and there, using it everyday can lead to many cancers and diseases.
Here are just a few tips on how to quit using tobacco: It will be hard at first: When you stop the intake
LEARNING PAGE 1
get the services offered to help them learn to the best of their unique abilities.” While prior training cannot always fully equip one to make the ‘right’ call, Blair says it best, “Sometimes I don’t know how to help except to find help that will hopefully help.” Cathy Patel, learning disabilities counselor on campus, with 20 years of experience teaching special education in junior high and high school, says sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is to acknowledge the difficulty being faced. “Something as simple as, ‘I understand your frustration with…’ can begin to deescalate the situation,” said Patel. Patel has an open door policy. She can be found on the first floor in the library ready to assist with a range of needs. Dragon Speaks, WYNN, Jaws: assistive technology that can be used in the lab which is equipped with colored keyboards that have bigger numbers and letters. Headphones to help with concentration related to noise. She can help connect students with note takers as well. “Basic human kindness. Treat everybody equally and as you’d want to be treated because everyone is an individual, especially these days,” Patel says doing so is the best way to help bridge any stigmas or gaps in the classroom about learning limitations of all kinds. For more information on learning limitations please visit https://the-art-of-autism.com/ understanding-the-spectrum-acomic-strip-explanation/
Get a good alternative: It always helps breaking a bad habit by replacing it with a better one. I do not mean give up tobacco and get into other drugs or alcohol. Find an activity or other item to replace tobacco. For instance. Let’s say you get the urge to go outside and light a cigarette. Instead you can go outside and ride a bike. Everyday companies are looking at tobacco alternatives. For chewing tobacco, you can try these alternate products that replace tobacco with coffee grinds. The alternative all depends on the person.
ILLUSTARTION BY ALIX DUHON
of nicotine, your body starts to feel weird. A tingly like sensation flows around your body. You are used to the nicotine calming you down. Without it, you are always agitated and seem to get angry quicker. These are natural withdrawals that happen when you stop tobacco use. You just have to fight the urges to use tobacco. It’s the nicotine’s way of trying to get you back.
A good support system is key: You may hurt the people you care about at first with your tobacco use. However, they would really care about you if they helped you quit. Or you can find a friend who also uses tobacco and try to quit together. It’s always easier to do stuff in pairs. While some of you may be looking at these tips and think nothing of them, the hope is it will help people who are trying to quit. We all know the dangers of using tobacco. It can lead to early death through diseases and cancers. It is and will be a long hard road to sobriety. However, you will feel better about yourself in the long run.
Middle Eastern Heritage Celebration at SJCC
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMI A. IBRAHIM
From left MEHC speakers Douglas Bailey, Roohi Vora, Sami A. Ibrahim, Natasha Ibrahim and Eusataquio Navarro-Cortez pose for a photo at SJCC on April 11.
BY JOEANNA LOPEZ TIMES STAFF
The 18th annual Middle Eastern Heritage Celebration was held on the evening of April 11 in the Student Center. SJCC chemistry instructor Sami A. Ibrahim has chaired the event since 2001. “I heard there would be Middle Eastern
poetry and speakers that would recite in Farsi,” said Niusha Yazdani, nursing major, 21, who attended the event. Six speakers took the stage and shared poetry, stories, quotes and wisdom acquired through their experiences. A common theme in the poems that were presented was that of endurance and perseverance.
One of Ibrahim’s main goals is to continue to inform the college community about the history, culture and about the aspirations of the peoples of the Middle East, according to the event’s handout prepared by Ibrahim. This modest effort will ultimately lead to greater understanding between cultures, and hopefully ultimately world peace.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com
4 Cosmetology
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Cosmetology open house 90 percent overall passing rate for state licensing
BY JOHN M. LOPEZ TIMES STAFF
During a tour of the cosmetology department perspective cosmetology students from neighboring high schools were lectured on what will be expected of them as freshmen should they choose to attend SJCC in the Fall of 2018. The open house was held on March 19 and ran from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Attendees were notified of the open house through their high school counselors who in turn, had received an invitation
to the event from cosmetology representative, Eugenia Del Rosario. The prospective cosmetology students were first given a tour of the aesthetics department where facials, body waxing, and hair removal treatments are performed. Followed by a tour of the hair dressing and nail manicuring lab and lecture areas. Freshmen cosmetology students are only allowed to practice on mannequin heads
and each other. However, they may gain extra credit for having worked on family members and friends at home. The SJCC cosmetology department has an 87 percent passing rate on the state written exam from 2014 to 2017, and an over 90 percent passing rate for licensing, Roxie Banks, the freshman cosmetology instructor said. Attendance for the event was good with approximately twenty prospective students having attended.
PHOTO BY JOHN M. LOPEZ - TIMES STAFF.
Mannequin head prepared by first year cosmetology student who practices hair styles on display.
PHOTO BY JOHN M. LOPEZ - TIMES STAFF.
p
3Roxie Banks first year student Instructor lectures group on class requirements and attendance.
PHOTO BY JOHN M. LOPEZ - TIMES STAFF.
Jackie Mondragon (left) & Liliana Santos (right) at reception to welcome and check in all attendees.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Student Life 5
Top 10 free apps for college students Track deadlines, generate citations, provide tutors, create flashcards, walk back home safe, manage your finances and learn a new language BY ALIX DUHON TIMES STAFF
The following 10 apps list based on the customer reviews on iTunes and Google Play stores can help college students succeed in their daily life. MyHomework Student Planner: Helpful educational app that students can use to enter homework assignments and track deadlines by class or calendar date. You can also prioritize tasks, mark items as complete, get reminders and view upcoming assignments. Easybib: This app is an intuitive information literacy platform that generates citations in MLA, APA and Chicago manual formats for your bibliography. It is accurate, fast and easy to use: choose your source, click on the tab to pick the type of source you are citing, type the URL or title of your source then select your citation and copy paste it. Quizlet: It is an app to study and learn content created by other Quizlet users, or to create your own flashcard. You can share your contents with your friends and classmates. Professors can also create flashcards and share them with their students. Evernote: It is an app to help you organize your life. It can store everything you need or can imagine like simple typed note, to do list, articles you want to read, receipts or even boarding passes. It keeps everything connected between your smartphone, computer and tablet. GroupMe: Group messaging application, very useful for group project. You create a group in the app and invite members. A number is associated with each group. Members can text or push message to that number and communicate with the whole group. Got It PhotoStudy: Online help for algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, physics and chemistry. With this app you just have to take a picture of your homework, and a tutor gives you a 10-minute chat session that can be extended to 20 minutes and all of that for free. Tutors are available 24/7, anytime, anywhere. Companion: This app sends a live map of your walk to the people you assign as “companions.” These people don’t even need to download the app to make the process work. Your “companions” will receive a text with a GPS-enabled map link and they will be able to see where you are. If something happens such as your phone falls or you start to run, the app will ask you if you are OK or if you want to call the police, if you don’t answer within 15 seconds, the app will notify your “companions” that there is a problem. Mint: With this app you can manage your finances all from one place. Mint has budgeting, tracking and online bill pay that are easy to use, it also allows you to monitor your credit score and payment history. You can sign up to be alert for late fees, over budget on a category, bill reminders, rate changes and large purchases. Duolingo: It is an online language learning platform. Gamified elements to make language learning more fun and effective. It offers 11 completed language courses. It is an easy-to-use app. You set up a profile, choose your target language, set your weekly goals and you can start to play. Simple Habit: Meditation app for busy people. It offers five-minute audio meditations per day to help you reduce stress, improve focus, sleep better, relax faster and breathe easier. NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com
6 Sports
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
‘Getting in the swing of things’ Golf team puts up valiant effort in recent tournament BY GIO GAXIOLA TIMES STAFF
The SJCC golf team had a home tournament on March 19, at Coyote Creek Golf Club. Three other teams competed against SJCC. Chabot, Monterey Peninsula, and Modesto. While SJCC finished third, it did not take away from the effort they put out. Each team is made up of five to six golfers. They go in groups of four. The scoring system for the games is broken into two categories. One is the overall team score and the other is the individual golfer score. The official rules of golf does this type of scoring so the golfers can get a gauge on how well they did personally. The scoring for golf is different from a more traditional scoring system. Each hole has a set number of swings a golfer must stay under in order to get a good score. The less swings they take to reach the hole, the better. Although the SJCC golf team put up a great effort and made some great putts, they could not get the win. Chabot ended up winning with a team overall score of 368. While SJCC finished in third place with a score of 402. Despite the loss, the Jaguars had some good
individual scores. Freshmen Josh Quarles scored a 76 and Ronnie McDowell swung for a respectable 80 even. A couple of days after, SJCC freshmen golfer Josh Quarles sat down with the Times for an interview. Times: Have you played golf your whole life? Quarles: Yes I have. Ever since I was little, all I wanted to do is play golf. Times: A lot of people do not watch golf because they say it is to “boring” or “slow”. Do you feel the same way? Quarles: I feel a lot of golfers watch golf just for mechanics. For sure I can not just sit there and watch the whole tournament. However, those who do watch it understand and appreciate the game more. Times: You are a freshman at SJCC, what high school did you go to and what made you want to come to SJCC? Quarles: I attended Pacific Grove high school. I wanted to attend either Cal State Long Beach or Cal State East Bay. However, things didn’t work out. I later got a letter from SJCC about joining it’s golf team. Times: When I went to your tournament, I noticed, you were one of the only black people there. Normally, black
people don’t play golf. Have you felt the same way being a black person playing golf? Quarles: Yes. Growing up I would be in tournaments where I am the only black person. People would give looks, especially at some country clubs. Times: Since you are a black person playing golf and growing up during Tiger Woods’ best years, was he an inspiration for you? Quarles: Of course he was. Tiger was a big reason why I got into golf. He took a sport that was dominated by white older males and took it by storm. You look at golfers now and they are a little more diverse. Tiger Woods definitely is a legend and an inspiration. Times: Speaking of inspiration, do you have anything to say to the young golfers trying to make it? Quarles: Yes I do. You are always gonna have bad days, even months, even years. However, you can not give up. Always try and you will eventually get it. There was a point in my life from 20092011, where I did not win a single tournament. I was in a real funk and almost gave up golf. However, I never gave up and eventually got back to my winning ways.
SJCC Golfer Josh Quarels Setting Up For A Putt at Coyote Creek Golf Club San Jose, California, March 19, 2018.
with names such as the cobra or butterfly, all of which may or may not require alternate nostril breathing techniques; as well as timed breathing during the movements of any one of the various poses practiced during a routine. A vinyasa in Bruga’s class consists of four asanas per segment. Once a student has become proficient enough in meditation and breathing techniques, they are required
to lead the class in their own vinyasa. “I feel more relaxed and more in the present after a class,” Celine Pena a student from Bruga’s hatha yoga/stress management class said. In Bruga’s advanced hatha yoga class more emphasis is placed on stress relief; accomplished through both prama (controlled breathing) exercises and dhyai. Bruga started her career as a
PHOTO BY GIO GAXIOLA / TIMES STAFF
The Guru of yoga Instructor of her own yoga vinyasa BY JOHN M. LOPEZ TIMES STAFF
Kathy Bruga is the instructor of her own yoga stress management vinyasa (routine) which she is presently teaching here at SJCC. “I leave feeling relaxed and with less stress,” Kimberly Benavides, a student from Bruga’s hatha yoga class said. Bruga teaches two yoga classes at SJCC; hatha yoga and yoga for stress management both of which will be offered in the fall.
But what makes Bruga’s advanced yoga class exciting is her style of incorporating a balance ball into some of her asanas (poses). Each class starts with a short 3-minute period of dhyai (meditation), which then segues into a warm-up period of 12 asanas. Music is softly played in the background during the entire class from start to finish. The warm-up period incorporates different poses
Julia Alster featuring some of her favorite poses such as Dog-Down Split, Balance-Ball Push-Up, and Crescent Moon.
yoga instructor in 1966 at Aragon Middle School in San Mateo, and taught at a number of local schools and colleges before coming to SJCC in 2004. Bruga contributes to the Namaste (spiritual progress) of her students. “Namaste, the spirit of me I see in you” Bruga said.
PHOTOS BY J0HN LOPEZ - TIMES STAFF
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
A&E 7
Ghost Rock haunts the Bay New promising reggae band emerge on the Bay Area stage
BY ALIX DUHON TIMES STAFF
As a novice in music, who still appreciates going out, and having a drink with friends while listening to live music, I was impressed by the mix of reggae, R&B, indie sounds and electronic that Ghost Rock offers on stage. Ghost Rock was live at Back Bar SoFa, downtown San Jose to promote its new single, “Knockin” on Saturday, Feb. 24 and it was a real success. The bar featured local rappers, who all came on stage to play their songs live. At the end the reggae group closed the night with three songs: Knockin, Around the World and Boomshot. The place was crowded and people enjoyed their time. Ghost Rock stage presence was really good, the singer was communicative with the public, the musicians were having a good time playing for people, and the crowd was dancing and cheering. The band was professional and passionate. It was a nice show to watch, and their music transmitted as much happiness to the band as to the crowd. I couldn’t stop smiling and dancing, like everybody in the room. Their music made me travel to a sunny white beach right away, seeing myself having a nice cocktail chilling with my friends and having a blast. It is the kind of music that you
PHOTO COURTESY OF GHOST ROCK
Ghost Rock members from left to right: Anthony Dragotto, Vince Gadduang, Nick Santana, Kenny Nishikawa, Danny Flores. want to have on during a Sunday barbecue with family and friends, or that you enjoy in your car when you are stuck in traffic, it takes you away from the reality of work, studies and stressful life. Ghost Rock consists of five friends who have known each other for more than 10 years but it is not until summer 2017 that they decided to officially enter the reggae scene. The group is composed of gui-
tarist Nick Santana, drummer Danny Flores, singer Vince Gadduang, bassist Kenny Nishikawa and percussionist Anthony Dragotto. Nishikawa is also the producer and mixer. He owns a music studio in downtown San Jose where the group records its albums. Their album is expected to be released at the end of April but for now their single “Knockin”can be bought and streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Sound Cloud and
YouTube. The band produced a video clip for this single, and it is available on YouTube. The group was in concert on April 6 at The District in Gilroy but the band is planning on giving shows this summer in the Bay Area and also all around California to promote its album. Ghost Rock’s dates will be available on its Facebook page (Ghost Rock) and Instagram (Ghostrockmusic). The band also plays on the ra-
dio: 91.5 KKUP in Cupertino, 106.7 The Edge in Humboldt, and Island 98.9 in Kawai. After its good performance at the Back Bar Sofa in downtown San Jose, I encourage people to go support and enjoy this reggae band’s music. If you are looking for a good time, have a break with the stressful life of San Jose, Ghost Rock is the band to go listen to. Don’t be afraid to show your best dance moves.
‘Isle Of Dogs’ is a true masterpiece
Wes Anderson delivers again in this stop motion comedy BY GIO GAXIOLA TIMES STAFF
“Isle Of Dogs”. The film is shot with stop motion figures that make it into a animated film. Directed by the ever so great Wes Anderson, “Isle Of Dogs” is a touching story about the unbreakable between dogs and humans. While the movie is technically considered to be of the comedy genre, they do not over do it with the comedy. They perfectly blend it enough to make the audience laugh, while not trying to reach on jokes and gags. The Film is perfect for all ages. Kids will love the animation style while the older people can enjoy the intriguing story the film is telling, even if you are not a dog person or like dogs at all. Watching this film can change someone’s perspective on the way they look at dogs. The film is set in the future in a city called Magasaki, Japan. The new Mayor Kobayashi signs an official decree to ban all dogs to a far away place called “Trash Island”.
All dogs in the film have caught “dog flu”. The dog flu makes dogs sneeze out of control. They also get violent and suffer alterations to their fur and skin. While many people try to resist against the decree, it passes and the process begins to start sending dogs over to trash island. During the speech, a person can be seen in the shadows with the look of disbelief on their face. Six months go by. Almost all the dogs in Japan have been transported to Trash Island. Many of the dogs are suffering. Some have even died because of the harsh conditions and low resources of trash island. This is where we meet the main stars. A ragtag group of dogs who are more house cats than dogs. There is the group’s leader “Chief,” voiced by Bryan Cranston, a stray who is hostile towards all humans. “Rex” is voiced by Edward Norton. This dog was truly man’s best friend, living a cooped up life inside his owner’s home. He complains the most throughout the movie about the harsh conditions.
“It really captures the emotions of how dogs and humans need each others’ companionship.” Bob Bablan voices “King”. One of the most famous dogs all throughout Japan, he starred in many dog food commercials before the ban on dogs. The legendary Bill Murray voices “Boss”. He was a mascot for a high school baseball team in Japan. He is the oldest in the group and often wise cracks. Lastly there is “Duke,” voiced by Jeff Goldblum. He loves to talk and is often spreading rumors and gossiping. While the group is out looking for resources, they notice a plane crash land on the island. They investigate the crash and find the pilot alive. It is a 12 year old boy. While the film is based in Ja-
pan, the dogs all speak English. The boy speaks only Japanese: however, the boy does know simple words such as “sit” and “fetch,” which the dogs understand and obey. This is an example of how the movie captures the relationship between man and dog. Dogs do only listen to humans when a command is given. The boy’s name is Akira. The reason why he flew over to Trash Island is to find his dog “Spots.” While the group doesn’t know who he is, they agree (with the exception of Chief) to help Akira find his dog. Meanwhile, back in Magasaki City, a group of school newspaper journalist is trying to uncover a conspiracy theory that the mayor invented the dog flu. We are then introduced to Tracy Walker. Voiced by Greta Gerwig, she is a foreign exchange student from America. A typical hardcore journalist, she’ll stop at nothing to voice her opinion and always help those in need. She is often seen during the film protesting Mayor Kobayashi and his actions. There is a point in the film where Tracy leads her and her
classmates to a protest during one of the mayor’s speeches. This reminds me about what is happening in the world today. During the past couple of months, students have been voicing their opinion more and more. We see many forms of rallies and protests now. While the stop motion animation does take a while to produce, it really works well for the movie. The movie blends bits of comedy to go along with a fantastic story. The only problem with the film is that hardly anyone could have seen it. They decided to release this film in only a few select theaters. This is a fantastic film, why not show it in all theaters over the US? I would give “Isle Of Dogs” five out of five stars. It really captures the emotions of how dogs and humans need each others companionship. While they view us as masters, we must view and treat the, like our best friends. I would recommend any dog owner or lover to see this movie.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com
8 Campus Life
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
SJCC Times brings home awards
PHOTO BY FARIDEH DADA/ TIMES ADVISER
From left Reporter Reginald Webb, Managing Editor Joeanna Lopez, Editor-in-Chief Tammy Do and Photo Editor Benjamin Castro pose with write-in awards that SJCC Times won at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges 2018 state convention held at the Marriott Hotel in Burbank, California, Friday, March 23.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 8 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com