I’d like to use this blog to advocate to all political majors at SJSU to consider taking poli 180 in spring semester 2010. This is an independent study class that demonstrates the US government in action. The idea for this course came from a student who participated in the department’s field trip to Sacramento. She suggested to Professor Gerston that a similar activity be created with Washington, DC as the destination. Working together, they are able to offer this opportunity for Spring 2010. The trip runs from March 27 through April 1; additional class meetings, commitments, and written assignments are required if the class is taken for 3 units of credit.
I am taking advantage of this opportunity for two reasons. First, my interest in political science is the operation of government at the national and state level. While I do not want to be a candidate who runs for public office, I do want to work in a governmental office such as the Registrar of Voters office; seeing the government in action will be educational. Secondly, it has been 25 years since I’ve been in DC––I was eight-years old at the time––and I have wanted to go back to visit.
I was in second grade when my family went to DC and the surrounding areas. It was a combination of a business trip and vacation. I was going to miss school for a week. My teacher and Mom came up with the idea that I would keep a daily log of all the places I went and all the things I saw. I remember that we went to Monticello to visit Thomas Jefferson’s estate. The only things I remember about Monticello were the small, dark restaurant where we ate lunch and a lot of cobblestone paths.
Another place we visited was Benjamin Franklin’s grave. That night, as I wrote in my log, I also drew a picture at the top of the page. I tried to draw the image of the gravestone as I remembered it. My image was a gravestone with angel wings at the top and the inscription below it. To this day, the image I drew still remains clear in my mind.
We saw the Liberty Bell and the Washington Monument. Afterwards, we went to the Great Mall where my four-year old brother went crazy by running around chasing the pigeons. He really loved doing that––it was very entertaining for all. I’m sure we saw all of the memorials, but I can’t be positive because it was such a long time ago. Two other things that stand out were: seeing John F. Kennedy’s eternal flame burn and the Vietnam Memorial with all the inscribed names. At eight-years old, I was unable to understand the significance of the two things, but they were cool to see.
When I returned to school, Mom and I gave a presentation to my classmates about my time in DC. We showed slides and talked about all the things we saw. My teacher appreciated the small ‘civics lesson’ that we gave the class. Over time, my memories about this trip have faded, so I am eager to go back. I will experience all of these treasures through the eyes of an adult instead of the eyes of a kid. If you have the means to go, I would urge to do it.
My vocabulary words are:
Impertinent: disrespectful, not relevant (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Impetuous: rash or hasty (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
9/20/09 The “Stuff” is About to Hit the Fan!
I work at the De Anza College Bookstore as a Temporary Employee Assignment (TEA). This means that the bookstore brings me in for about three to four weeks, 4 times a year to work during rush period. Rush period is defined as three weeks before the quarter starts until the second week of classes. During rush period, the bookstore hires at least 150 temporary student employees and TEAs.
I say the stuff is about to hit the fan because tomorrow, September 21st, is the first day of school and of rush at De Anza. Fall rush is always the most crazy, intense, and insane time of the four academic quarters. This is because all of the new students are coming to De Anza––all of the high school graduates and those members of the work force who need to refresh their work skills. In addition to that, the continuing students and all of those students who were not accepted into universities right out of high school also comes to De Anza. My point here is enrollment for De Anza is high (last time I heard, it was somewhere around 26,000).
Of course, all of those students need their textbooks and supplies for class. This means that most of them are going to come to the bookstore for these items. Rush week is crazy, intense, and insane because of the copious numbers of students the bookstore has to serve. During the first week of classes––in fall, winter, and spring rush––it is not unusual to process 4,000 to 5,000 sales transactions a day!
An additional service the bookstore offers is the ability for the students to buy their books through the bookstore’s website. This service started in 2002 and during fall rush 2002, the store processed about 200 orders––not bad for the first time. Since the start of the online service, the numbers have increased from rush to rush. Right now, in fall 2009, the bookstore has received about 800 online orders for books and supplies––and all of these orders were within the first two weeks before classes started!
My theory about online orders is this: the more online orders the store processes, the fewer the number of students we have to deal with in person in the store. In spite of all of our online service success, the store is now taking and processing more orders than we have space for. The manager designated an area for bookshelves to store the ‘In Store Pickup’ (ISPU) orders, but with the enormous number of ISPU requests, the bookshelves are filled to capacity and the rest spill onto the floor. I offered a suggestion for a new location for ISPU; this suggested location is earmarked for an in store bank branch (which I’m sure will never manifest itself––the store has been waiting for 3 years). I am concerned that the books inside the ISPU bags are being damaged by being shoved and crammed into the shelves. It is for this reason that I want more storage space for the ISPU orders.
The store will be open from 7:30am and will close at 10pm all week. Once the students start to arrive when the store opens, the intensity will not let up until the store closes at night. The store will probably handle 10,000 to 15,000 students within the fall rush period. It’s gonna be a loooooong week…
My vocabulary words are:
Incorrigible: not able to be reformed (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Insatiable: incapable of being satisfied (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
I say the stuff is about to hit the fan because tomorrow, September 21st, is the first day of school and of rush at De Anza. Fall rush is always the most crazy, intense, and insane time of the four academic quarters. This is because all of the new students are coming to De Anza––all of the high school graduates and those members of the work force who need to refresh their work skills. In addition to that, the continuing students and all of those students who were not accepted into universities right out of high school also comes to De Anza. My point here is enrollment for De Anza is high (last time I heard, it was somewhere around 26,000).
Of course, all of those students need their textbooks and supplies for class. This means that most of them are going to come to the bookstore for these items. Rush week is crazy, intense, and insane because of the copious numbers of students the bookstore has to serve. During the first week of classes––in fall, winter, and spring rush––it is not unusual to process 4,000 to 5,000 sales transactions a day!
An additional service the bookstore offers is the ability for the students to buy their books through the bookstore’s website. This service started in 2002 and during fall rush 2002, the store processed about 200 orders––not bad for the first time. Since the start of the online service, the numbers have increased from rush to rush. Right now, in fall 2009, the bookstore has received about 800 online orders for books and supplies––and all of these orders were within the first two weeks before classes started!
My theory about online orders is this: the more online orders the store processes, the fewer the number of students we have to deal with in person in the store. In spite of all of our online service success, the store is now taking and processing more orders than we have space for. The manager designated an area for bookshelves to store the ‘In Store Pickup’ (ISPU) orders, but with the enormous number of ISPU requests, the bookshelves are filled to capacity and the rest spill onto the floor. I offered a suggestion for a new location for ISPU; this suggested location is earmarked for an in store bank branch (which I’m sure will never manifest itself––the store has been waiting for 3 years). I am concerned that the books inside the ISPU bags are being damaged by being shoved and crammed into the shelves. It is for this reason that I want more storage space for the ISPU orders.
The store will be open from 7:30am and will close at 10pm all week. Once the students start to arrive when the store opens, the intensity will not let up until the store closes at night. The store will probably handle 10,000 to 15,000 students within the fall rush period. It’s gonna be a loooooong week…
My vocabulary words are:
Incorrigible: not able to be reformed (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Insatiable: incapable of being satisfied (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
9/13/09 I really hate writer's block...
Below is part of a journal entry I wrote while I was in Ireland in July 2008. This passage describes part of the day’s activities during a tour from Limmerick to Galway.
…The next stop on the tour was a pub in Doolin. It must have taken 40-50 minutes to get to Doolin, but we were moving closer and closer to the coast, so much so that the Atlantic was getting bigger and bigger! Doolin is a small village with a sparse number of homes, and a main street with a few businesses. As we drove up the hills, the view of the Atlantic was spectacular! So there I was, in the coach, listening to Irish music, looking at wonderful views of the ocean with little puff ball clouds in the sky…can you picture it?
At the pub, I ordered and paid for my food first, and then it was brought to my table. I swear, 2 minutes after I paid for lunch, my salad and fries were served; it was really, really quick-I was impressed. It was a highly substantial salad: lettuce, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, pineapple wedges, and honey mustard dressing. The bowl must have been 8” in diameter filled with all that good food. It was a great value for the money I spent. It was absolutely fabulous.
After lunch, we loaded up into the coach and off to the Cliffs of Moher. When we got there, Frank advised us to stay behind the guardrails and not walk out to the edge of the cliff. He said that 8 people fell to their deaths; some were unintentional–they were blown off the cliff–others were suicides.
Frank told us the west coast was supposed to be hit by a significant storm today. Happily, that didn’t happen. It was a wonderfully bright, sunny, and breezy day with puffball clouds in the sky. None of the pesky misty ocean fog was hovering around the cliffs; it was brilliantly crystal clear today. I couldn’t ask for a better day.
After parking in the car park, I walked over to the observation point for the Cliffs. The stair climb was 150 steps-I actually counted. The climb was definitely worth it. My only “objection” to viewing the Cliffs was, looking into the sun to view them, made them look extra dark and difficult to see any of the details and textures. If it were morning, then the sun would have been in the eastern sky and not a problem. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I wandered around shooting video for about an hour and then the tour was back on the road again.
We were on our way to the Burren. The Burren, composed of limestone, looks like either scabby/scaly skin or like rocky warts on the green fields of grass. It is an all-natural occurring phenomenon. It made for some interesting landscapes.
My vocabulary words are:
Corollary: a logical deduction; something that is obvious or deduced from something already proven (from the Encarta World English Dictionary)
Clandestine: furtive, done in secret and usually illegal (from the Encarta World English Dictionary)
…The next stop on the tour was a pub in Doolin. It must have taken 40-50 minutes to get to Doolin, but we were moving closer and closer to the coast, so much so that the Atlantic was getting bigger and bigger! Doolin is a small village with a sparse number of homes, and a main street with a few businesses. As we drove up the hills, the view of the Atlantic was spectacular! So there I was, in the coach, listening to Irish music, looking at wonderful views of the ocean with little puff ball clouds in the sky…can you picture it?
At the pub, I ordered and paid for my food first, and then it was brought to my table. I swear, 2 minutes after I paid for lunch, my salad and fries were served; it was really, really quick-I was impressed. It was a highly substantial salad: lettuce, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, pineapple wedges, and honey mustard dressing. The bowl must have been 8” in diameter filled with all that good food. It was a great value for the money I spent. It was absolutely fabulous.
After lunch, we loaded up into the coach and off to the Cliffs of Moher. When we got there, Frank advised us to stay behind the guardrails and not walk out to the edge of the cliff. He said that 8 people fell to their deaths; some were unintentional–they were blown off the cliff–others were suicides.
Frank told us the west coast was supposed to be hit by a significant storm today. Happily, that didn’t happen. It was a wonderfully bright, sunny, and breezy day with puffball clouds in the sky. None of the pesky misty ocean fog was hovering around the cliffs; it was brilliantly crystal clear today. I couldn’t ask for a better day.
After parking in the car park, I walked over to the observation point for the Cliffs. The stair climb was 150 steps-I actually counted. The climb was definitely worth it. My only “objection” to viewing the Cliffs was, looking into the sun to view them, made them look extra dark and difficult to see any of the details and textures. If it were morning, then the sun would have been in the eastern sky and not a problem. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I wandered around shooting video for about an hour and then the tour was back on the road again.
We were on our way to the Burren. The Burren, composed of limestone, looks like either scabby/scaly skin or like rocky warts on the green fields of grass. It is an all-natural occurring phenomenon. It made for some interesting landscapes.
My vocabulary words are:
Corollary: a logical deduction; something that is obvious or deduced from something already proven (from the Encarta World English Dictionary)
Clandestine: furtive, done in secret and usually illegal (from the Encarta World English Dictionary)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
9/6/09 All rise, the CA Supreme Court is now in session...
On Wednesday, I took advantage of the free field trip up to the California State Supreme Court. This opportunity was paid for by the generous donations of the alumni, faculty, and friends of the political science department. To them, I’d like to say, “thank you for your gifts. This field trip was a fascinating experience.”
The State Supreme Court is located in San Francisco next to city hall. Obviously, we went up to hear oral arguments regarding three cases. On the way up, Professor Brent ‘held class’ by discussing the three cases we were going to hear. Case one dealt with issues of discrimination and harassment. Case two involved issues of attorney–client privilege. The issues in case three involved labor compensation and contracts. He told us to keep an eye on Justice Kennard because she is usually very vocal during oral arguments; she likes to grill the attorneys on both sides of a case. He also mentioned that we would see two cases where some of the justices had to recuse themselves.
For anyone who wants to visit the court for oral arguments, I offer this hint. Three of us got lost in the building because we took the wrong elevator. As you walk into the building from the visitors’ entrance, you will enter a small lobby and go through security. After passing through security and while you’re in the lobby, the correct elevators will be on the left hand wall and appear to have dark goldish–bronze colored doors; there are two of them. If you walk through the open ‘hallway’, for lack of a better word, you have gone too far. When in the correct elevator, you need to travel to the fourth floor; this is where the court is located. You will again pass through another security checkpoint to hand over all electronics like phones, cameras, IPods, blackberries, computers, etc.
The court is a small, round room. The bench is at the front, while in front of it, there are two desks pushed back–to–back for the petitioner and the respondent. The rest of the room is dedicated to the gallery for the audience to sit and observe. The gallery may hold up to 90 or 100 people.
Each of the lawyers had different styles of presenting their cases. Each seemed to be well prepared. We also heard arguments from ‘friend of the court’ lawyers. The Latin name of these lawyers escapes me right now; it’s amicus something. Justice Kennard lived up to her reputation by firing several questions at each of the lawyers. It was hard to keep up with all of the legal jargon, but I understood the gist of the cases.
Justice Kennard recused herself for case two and a replacement judge was seated. This temporary justice remained quiet and seemed to just take in the experience. In the second case, Justice Corrigan and the attorney for the respondent spent 10–15 minutes discussing attorney–client privilege and how it related to info collected internally by Costco and info collected about Costco by an outside investigating law firm hired by Costco. It was quite confusing, but for a brief second, I understood what Justice Corrigan was trying to explain. The attorney either didn’t understand what she was trying to say or he had a different point that he was trying to make to her.
The third case was as fascinating as the first two. Justices Kennard and Corrigan both recused themselves and again a replacement judge was appointed for Corrigan; the judge who served for the second case in place of Kennard also served for the third case. An employee for Citigroup had 5% of his pre–tax wages funneled into an investment plan. He had to remain with the business for 2 years in order to receive those stocks upon leaving the firm. This employee left before the two years were up and he lost the stock. The employee claims that he was not properly compensated for his work when he left because he was not able to keep his stock and that stock was not converted into cash and paid to him.
This was a complex case involving contracts, labor laws, and state laws. The petitioner attorney was a loud, combative, and aggressive woman. Her argument seemed to be quite disorganized and, to me, confusing. But as Professor Brent pointed out, she made a strong argument by saying that it was ok for Citicorp to do what they were doing; they just had to establish a different procedure for completing the transaction. The respondent attorney really didn’t have much to say and his presentation was only about 15 of the 30 minutes he was given.
After the morning arguments concluded, Chief Justice George stayed in the courtroom for twenty minutes to give an overview of the proceedings and to answer a few of our questions. My question, which he answered, concerned quorum. He explained that at the state level, he has a list of 105 lower court justices and if he needs to fill a seat for a recused judge, he rotates the next name from his list of judges. So the California Supreme Court had no need to operate with a quorum. We left at lunchtime and did not see the afternoon oral arguments.
Trivia: Our Supreme Court Justices are: Ronald George, Joyce Kennard, Marvin Baxter, Kathryn Werdegar, Ming Chin, Carlos Moreno, and Carol Corrigan. Six of them were appointed by Republican governors and one by a Democrat. This is a diverse court: there are four men and three women and there is one Asian and one Hispanic.
My vocabulary words are:
germane: relevant (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
espoused: to adopt or support (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
The State Supreme Court is located in San Francisco next to city hall. Obviously, we went up to hear oral arguments regarding three cases. On the way up, Professor Brent ‘held class’ by discussing the three cases we were going to hear. Case one dealt with issues of discrimination and harassment. Case two involved issues of attorney–client privilege. The issues in case three involved labor compensation and contracts. He told us to keep an eye on Justice Kennard because she is usually very vocal during oral arguments; she likes to grill the attorneys on both sides of a case. He also mentioned that we would see two cases where some of the justices had to recuse themselves.
For anyone who wants to visit the court for oral arguments, I offer this hint. Three of us got lost in the building because we took the wrong elevator. As you walk into the building from the visitors’ entrance, you will enter a small lobby and go through security. After passing through security and while you’re in the lobby, the correct elevators will be on the left hand wall and appear to have dark goldish–bronze colored doors; there are two of them. If you walk through the open ‘hallway’, for lack of a better word, you have gone too far. When in the correct elevator, you need to travel to the fourth floor; this is where the court is located. You will again pass through another security checkpoint to hand over all electronics like phones, cameras, IPods, blackberries, computers, etc.
The court is a small, round room. The bench is at the front, while in front of it, there are two desks pushed back–to–back for the petitioner and the respondent. The rest of the room is dedicated to the gallery for the audience to sit and observe. The gallery may hold up to 90 or 100 people.
Each of the lawyers had different styles of presenting their cases. Each seemed to be well prepared. We also heard arguments from ‘friend of the court’ lawyers. The Latin name of these lawyers escapes me right now; it’s amicus something. Justice Kennard lived up to her reputation by firing several questions at each of the lawyers. It was hard to keep up with all of the legal jargon, but I understood the gist of the cases.
Justice Kennard recused herself for case two and a replacement judge was seated. This temporary justice remained quiet and seemed to just take in the experience. In the second case, Justice Corrigan and the attorney for the respondent spent 10–15 minutes discussing attorney–client privilege and how it related to info collected internally by Costco and info collected about Costco by an outside investigating law firm hired by Costco. It was quite confusing, but for a brief second, I understood what Justice Corrigan was trying to explain. The attorney either didn’t understand what she was trying to say or he had a different point that he was trying to make to her.
The third case was as fascinating as the first two. Justices Kennard and Corrigan both recused themselves and again a replacement judge was appointed for Corrigan; the judge who served for the second case in place of Kennard also served for the third case. An employee for Citigroup had 5% of his pre–tax wages funneled into an investment plan. He had to remain with the business for 2 years in order to receive those stocks upon leaving the firm. This employee left before the two years were up and he lost the stock. The employee claims that he was not properly compensated for his work when he left because he was not able to keep his stock and that stock was not converted into cash and paid to him.
This was a complex case involving contracts, labor laws, and state laws. The petitioner attorney was a loud, combative, and aggressive woman. Her argument seemed to be quite disorganized and, to me, confusing. But as Professor Brent pointed out, she made a strong argument by saying that it was ok for Citicorp to do what they were doing; they just had to establish a different procedure for completing the transaction. The respondent attorney really didn’t have much to say and his presentation was only about 15 of the 30 minutes he was given.
After the morning arguments concluded, Chief Justice George stayed in the courtroom for twenty minutes to give an overview of the proceedings and to answer a few of our questions. My question, which he answered, concerned quorum. He explained that at the state level, he has a list of 105 lower court justices and if he needs to fill a seat for a recused judge, he rotates the next name from his list of judges. So the California Supreme Court had no need to operate with a quorum. We left at lunchtime and did not see the afternoon oral arguments.
Trivia: Our Supreme Court Justices are: Ronald George, Joyce Kennard, Marvin Baxter, Kathryn Werdegar, Ming Chin, Carlos Moreno, and Carol Corrigan. Six of them were appointed by Republican governors and one by a Democrat. This is a diverse court: there are four men and three women and there is one Asian and one Hispanic.
My vocabulary words are:
germane: relevant (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
espoused: to adopt or support (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
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