7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making you Miserable

That's a nice little collar you have there, buddy.

Here is the link to the article.

     If every person were to read this article, I feel the world would be a better place. Yes, it is on Cracked, but why does that mean it has to be a stupid, tasteless joke? In writing this, I am 100% sincere. Except for the caption up there. There is so much to say about this.

     To start, David Wong raises mostly valid points, all of which I have never consciously pondered but always observed. The first thing that comes to mind is "raging" as depicted in number six. I know someone who got so mad at Call of Duty that he threw his whole Xbox at a wall. Coincidentally, the only things that broke were his actual game (still inside the console) and his temper. I will say this now: Fall Out Boy is a fine band. Watch this if you think otherwise. Specifically, something that I desperately agree with, meaning I wish that it could be changed, is the fact that our news differs so much. I have seen different broadcasts conveying polar messages myself. I have never really put any thought into it.

     That brings me to my next point: this article is a giant meta-cognition. Wong thought about why people all over the internet are thinking. Here is my challenge to you, reader. Do the same. Perform a meta-cognition like Wong, finding your own reasons why the 21 Century is trash. Or maybe you reach a conclusion that it is, in fact, treasure. Gather your own evidence to support it, meaning personal experiences. Don't get anything about it off the internet, and we will see what spectacular conclusions arise.

     I have another challenge: take the naked photo test. Okay, I lied, that was another joke. This actually goes back to my psychopath post. There are some people out there who just don't give a rat's fart. These people are the ones to whom the test would not matter, because they won't even acknowledge that they have a nude out there because of their lack of care. Bo McDermott always makes fun of me for my indifference, and I think I now know exactly what he means. But, anyhow, I have several people I would trust with a naked photo of myself. Also, I can count them on my hands; I don't (or won't?) go around handing out pictures of myself. I think I tend to trust people too much with really big things, and too little with the trivial bits. I don't know if this is the reason why, but I think this is it. In music, one must completely trust their band mates or else you crash and burn. I feel like performing, especially in jazz, has led me to trust more people. The reason why America is so miserable at the moment is because we have lost sight of art. We are happy so sit in our rooms and play some stupid, mind-rotting video game of someone else's design, aiming only to capture your money. If we could only put down the lap-tops, remotes, and iPhones, so much more could and would be accomplished. Not to say that everyone rots their brains, but that we need that to become the norm. Pick up an instrument, write a short story, or paint a picture. Do something that you can brand yourself with and take pride in! Changing your emblem in Black Ops does not count as expressing yourself.

     I have been without a cell phone for over a month now. I got my first and only phone (pre-paid) for Christmas freshman year. From then to now, there was seldom a day that I didn't check it. I went without it for about a month once, but then I took a trip by myself and had to use it. Anyway, I haven't put any money on it for about a month. The reason why? I am perfectly happy without it. Sure, it may be a little harder to get in touch with my friends, but I can always call their houses. I have found that the cell phone is a hindrance. I have more money to spend and save, I can actually pay attention to my life and thoughts, and I can finally stop talking to people. I've had three-day conversations with people before. Looking back on it, it is embarrassing. I never even said anything useful or inspiring (or hateful...Tim), it was just blank conversation. Like a man from UNT once said, "I was living to die." Not that a cell phone determines whether or not I accomplish anything, but the way us teenagers use them is certainly a major factor. The ones who are glued to their phone(s) are the ones who will live mediocre, mainstream lives. Again, I am not a hipster, but I just want something more than a white fence and green lawn.

     Final notes may include that I am currently going to get my guitar to write a song, practice for SEMSBA, and build a house. Oh, wait, I did that last summer in Mississippi for a person who lost everything in Katrina.  I won;t even begin to tell you how good it felt. We only did a small part of the construction, but it was crucial, and I feel like I did a good job to help a guy out. I bid you good luck with the challenge, and as soon as you've finished, don't hesitate to tell me or send me it. Have fun, and go do something with your life!

Turning the World Upside-Down part Deux

     Something I like about this magazine is the fact that there is no crap. They leave out the BS that comes along with something like the Times.  It's why I keep coming back here. I think that these articles inform their readers of things of importance. I do not care about politics, war, social media (oh yeah, to follow up on a previous post, I cleaned my Facebook friends lists significantly). I do not believe in "America's Freedom". Sure, you can say whatever you want, as long as it isn't blasphemy or considered offensive. Oh, and if you say anything that someone doesn't like, they can sue you for all you're worth. Right. You can practice any religion you want, but you will be ridiculed by much of society if you're not Christian. Say, for instance, you are a Muslim. You can't even build a mosque to practice in without a massive stir in the media. You cannot simultaneously acknowledge a right and insist that your government suppress it. We are a country composed of filthy hypocrites. But back to the subject: SA is a magazine that leaves all that crapola at the door. Their writers are unbiased scientist/journalism double majors (probably), and that is how I think a person should write. And I decided to take the title of a different yet related post because I find it so fitting.

     Anyway, I find the fact that the South Pole can move so much...sort of boring now that I've just ranted about that. Basically, it moves a whole lot, some guys are trying to pinpoint its movements, and it's cool and stuff. I completely lost interest in writing about it. Oh well. Moving on!

If you're actually interested, here is the link. Knock yourself out.

Reader Response Blog: Bless Me, Ultima 3

     To start, I enjoyed the scene about the play. It was a nice break from a very solemn read. I think that Anaya did this intentionally. When the reader feels like this book is too heavy for them, he throws in something nice and light to brighten the mood. However, it is straight back into the action, launching us into the scene where Tenorio kills Narciso. I actually thought this segment was well written for a change. I haven't enjoyed pretty much everything about this book thus far, and I actually did like the way he handled this. The fact that Tenorio tried to kill Antonio as well shows a lot about his character. Antonio is only a child! He was just in a Christmas Pageant! And while I don't think he's the brightest bulb out there, he certainly means well. Uncool man.
     Also, Antonio, I like your outlook on life, but I dislike the fact that you think God should reward everyone no matter what. I think it is immature to think that even though every person is a sinner, every person is perfect. I think that you should stop making such a big deal about minor mishaps and start to focus on punishing those who actually commit crimes, say, killing someone. You will live a more productive life and actually accomplish something (that is not a guarantee). Anyway, I know he is a kid, but he is too early to be questioning every single person's actions and his own beliefs. Plus, as I said previously, I'm sick of hearing about it. He is such a whiner.
     To sum up my current opinions of the book, I will admit it has become more tolerable. I still do not like it for the same reasons, but I'm past the whole Spanish thing. I will never learn that language though. I really dislike the way it sounds and reads. I give this portion of the book a C+ because I found the plot much more interesting, though there were plenty of dull points.

Death Penalty In California

Here is the link to the article.

     I have never met a person who endorses the death penalty. Call me a philanthropist, but I believe that nobody deserves to die. If I was placed on Death Row, I would rather kill myself than let someone else murder me. I think that the reason that the Death Penalty is still around is nobody has the confidence to stand up to a murderer. Who would? It is crazy and they would probably convict you of heresy and kill you. It is a frightening thing to talk about because of the gravity of the situations these people who are scheduled for execution are put in. A man is a man. If you kill a person, I do not believe you should be killed. I think that everyone should leave people alone. Everybody is good. Given a second chance, a person could do great things. Of course, you could argue that they will just screw up and do whatever it is they did again, but I still think that they should be given the opportunity. I would also rather see a person thrown in jail for life with the option to take their own life than to see them killed without consent. There are a lot of crazy people out there (in Texas), and hopefully they will somehow read this and although I don't think it will, it will change their mind.

Suicide Cells

Here is the link to the article.

     I have a little bit of a problem with this article. The only people tested were schizophrenics and people with bipolar disorder. I think, before any conclusions can be reached, study on healthy humans must be conducted. Also, they only tested nine victims. We need more evidence here! For the sake of the rest of the article, let us assume that this is paralleled with healthy humans. This seems like great news because since the source has been identified. New and more effective medicines can be created to help ease people suffering with depression. The world can feel good again, all because we know the source of the sadness. Or should we? Is it natural to create happiness in a lab? Should we abandon nature? Should we live on Tranquillity Lane? I think that working out problems without the use of powerful (and new, probably not tested enough) anti-depressants in anti-human. It decimates the chance to be human in my opinion. It is the Human Cost.

     As with the majority of SA articles, I didn't like any of the language. I feel like a broken-record. I think it's just that I haven't found anyone that I can really say, "Wow! I read that for the experience!" in this magazine yet. I read efferently more than aesthetically. There is very little of any part of Aristotle's triangle in the article. It is to inform, and inform it does. Not a bad read; I found the article very interesting.

Reader Response Blog: Bless Me, Ultima 2

     There is something that is eating away at me again. I have come to hate the people of the story because of the crazy amount of superstition in their lives. They can't go a page without saying that God will smite them for killing the carp or really doing anything at all. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but I really dislike people of false faiths. No man was ever turned into a carp. And don't tell me it is just part of a rich culture because there is NOTHING even remotely interesting about any of these beliefs. I have always hated studying religions because I find it uninteresting and it is a waste of my time. I am not going to rant on religion again and I don't care if you're offended or not, I just don't want to hear you whine about how something is against your religion. As for the crazy amount of symbols in the book, I do not buy into most of them. The carp is nothing special, the mermaid is kind of weird, and the dolls are cliché. Yes Tim, I am a hater. I hate this book. It isn't doing anything to make me want to read the next page. Unfortunately, I must press on to finish the other two blogs. I would have dropped this book so long ago if I was reading it outside of school.
     The Spanish still bugs me. However, there is nothing I can do about it, so I still sit with a translator. The phrases still amuse me. It seems like nothing has changed or progressed. However, I do not find any of the English particularly insightful or moving. When we were handed the books, I read the back and it said something about the book having gorgeous prose. It does not have anything that would confirm those claims. However, I haven't noticed anything poor (again, minus the Spanish) about the style of writing. It certainly fits the story, and for this I give Anaya props. I don't find Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya interesting in the slightest, and since it takes such a long time to read, I strongly dislike the book and would not recommend it to anyone.

‘Like’ Facebook? Count Them Out

Here is the link to the article.

     Actually, this compilation raises a few surprising points. Sure, Facebook has some advantages, as outlined in the article and anything else that doesn't need saying. However, I will agree with the article that FB brings about more drama, hatefulness, and cyber bullying than any other website. It is sad; what was meant to be a way to reconnect with friends has turned into a battle-royale of popularity. It makes me infuriated to see anything negative on any website. Another thing that really grinds my gears is when people post rap lyrics constantly. For every Lil' Wayne lyric I see, I remove one Facebook friend. One thing about Facebook that puzzles me (because I do it too) is the tendency to add people who aren't even your friends. I'll say "Oh, that person is a couple years older than me and I saw them in the hall once. Add!" I've actually been meaning to clean out my friends list, but here is the thing: it's not even worth it. I don't care about having them on my friends list or not. It is what it is, and I don't care a bit about the majority of my 400 Facebook friends. It goes against the theory posed by Dunbar. I really just don't get it, and I'm guilty of it myself.

     There is little value to the article language-wise. I didn't get anything of substance out of it. It did, however, further solidify my theory that college students feel the need to try to prove they are smarter than everyone else, and thus they become arrogant and a certain adjective I cannot write on a school blog that begins with a "d". An average article, it makes me think about how so many hours are wasted on social media when they could be doing something productive, such as an instrument or reading a book, or maybe even homework.

How to Act Like a Psychopath Without Really Trying

     The first person I thought of for this was Captain Nemo of  Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. This is probably because I recently finished it, but either way, he is a shining example of the perfect psychopath. He actively abandoned the society that for so long he called home to destroy it and seek his revenge. This qualifies Nemo as a loony. He is remote but chooses to show himself when and where he pleases. He is a genius, has read his entire library, and has a museum aboard his purely electrically powered submarine which he designed. What an animal. Oh yeah, he kills people. He attacks them mercilessly with his submarine. They don't stand a chance, and he lives for it. How unfortunate; he seemed like such a nice guy. He is one of the rare people who are truly psychopaths. He also fits the claims that extreme wealth isolates people. Anyhow, that was the first thing that came to my mind, and it was all I could think about the whole time I was reading it.
     I had little to gripe about linguistically in the article. I thought the author did a fine job conveying their message. I notice a large amount of logos was used. Since I've been looking for it, I have only found logos as the dominant corner of the triangle in this magazine. In fairness, it is a science magazine. Overall, an interesting read for all.

Link to the article.

Reader Response Blog: Bless Me, Ultima 1

I hate french. I am terrible at it; I work my butt off for it, and I still have never gotten an A in Mrs. Corbett's class. It's not that she's a bad teacher either. I think she's great, but foreign languages just don't click with me, and for this reason I hate them.Spanish is no different. This is English class. I speak only English and music. I live in the USA, where we have freedom of speech. I believe they should restrict that to "freedom of speech in English". The Spanish is absolutely killing me in this book, so much so that I cannot appreciate it. Every time I type a little español into Google Translate, I end up looking at it and laughing because there is some funny word. For example, the phrase "una mujer con un diente, que llama a toda gente" (Anaya 34) contains the word llama. It translates to a woman with one tooth who calls all people, and this makes me forget how serious the book actually is. I read things like that and I think of Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite. Vota por Pedro! Thus far, I intensely dislike the language of Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
A little fun fact: I named my clarinet Anaya.
I think that the actual story of Bless Me, Ultima is fairly interesting. I love the contemplation of Lupito's soul, as well has Antonio's father. "Did God listen? Would he hear? Had he seen my father on the bridge? And where was Lupito's soul winging to, or was it washing down the river to the fertile valley of my uncles' farms?" (Anaya 23). A strong question of ethos is posed in this quote. The reader would think that Lupito is crazy after the war, but in actuality he did kill someone, and since he was still armed, he was considered dangerous. Of course, "He was shooting to draw their fire," (Anaya 22), but does that mean it is okay to kill the man? Antonio realized that he was doing this, so why didn't they? Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is am interesting book in the sense that I want to love the plot, but I cannot because of the language.

Rhythms Flow as Aging Pianist Finds New Audience

Wow, I'm going to have so much fun with this post.

Here is the link to the article.


     "Life kept time to a nursing home’s beat." What a fantastic sentence. I bet this man has an incredible amount of knowledge. He lived through the golden age of jazz, when gurus such as Miles, 'Trane, Byrd, Goodman, Hawkins, Zawinul, Adderley, Rich, and an infinite amount of others. If I could only talk to him. I would of course need endless amount of things to ask, and I'm sure he could talk forever. This is one of the things I wish to do before I die: talk to an experienced old time jazz musician who was not famous or maybe never gigged at all. I am saddened that I will not meet this man. I want to know his best and worst times and everything in between because as a musician, having a man like this to instruct would be invaluable.
     I thought the article was well-written, which is odd because thus far I haven't found anything in the Times that I thought worth mentioning. However, I believe the author shares my want to hear this man play (live, not in the video), to play with him, and to learn a little too. The author clearly enjoyed writing the article, which I think is all that matters most. Forget rhetoric, forget Everyday Use, just write out of passion. I thought it a fine specimen, and it is worth reading, even for non-musicians.

The Eight Wonders of the Solar System

Here is the link to the article.

     Expect many more posts from this magazine! I've been reading from here all day because it is all compelling. I need to stop and actually write a bit about at least one of these outstanding science articles. I chose this one because it had a catchy title and I figured that since they are "of the Solar System," I would see something new. Also, the format was quite refreshing. It was an interactive exploration. It would give you a background picture, a description of what the wonder was, and a video elaborating it. It was quite interesting, so I decided to blog it.
     My favorite wonder is Mariner Valley, found on Venus. It is the largest canyon in the Solar System. It is as deep as Everest. I absolutely love the question the author poses in describing it: "People have been known to fall to their knees and weep at the sight of Arizona's Grand Canyon. One wonders what the first traveler to the Mariner Valley will do when gazing into this canyon." If I were to visit someday, I would marvel for days on end and start worshiping it. It would cause me to reconsider my life and existence. I am convinced I would determine the meaning of life. Anything would be possible, much like anything is possible in the expanse of space. The writer uses mainly pathos, making the reader yearn to venture into the final frontier and see it with their own eyes. If I got the chance to experience any of the wonders, I would consider my life a success.

Long Lines and Scalpers: Rock Star? No, Leonardo

     This is great. Absolutely outstanding. It is wonderful to know that in today's society, there are people who would actually like to educate themselves. I know right! It completely caught me my surprise too! Anyway, this fantastic. Leonardo da Vinci's life and work should be preserved this way. Now, I can't even doodle correctly, but that doesn't mean I dislike Leonardo. "The Last Supper" is phenomenal, as well as the "Mona Lisa". I am just surprised that these tickets (marketed responsibly) are selling the way they are described. I have a quick thought though, what if the truck/van/car/vehicle crashed with all the paintings in it? What would happen to the driver and the museums? Just think about it.
     I was unimpressed with the language of the article. Nothing jumped out at me except an error in the second paragraph, which left out quotations around "Mona Lisa". Carol Vogel seems heartily indifferent about da Vinci and it reminded me of an advertisement. The pro-da Vinci bias seemed like it was selling him, which is the opposite of what the topic's theme is: there are people out there who wish to appreciate art, and not to say that they do. So basically, if you are a big Leo fan, go scalp some tickets.

Scheduling Issues Still Exist at HHS

I'm sure you all know who wrote this, but here is the link to the article on Wicked Local.

     As a student at Hanover, I am embarrassed. My peers and I agree that there are numerous educational problems withing the school. The students who actually want to learn are suffering and the ones who don't aren't getting the valuable lessons the average high school has to offer. In September, I was triple-booked between AP Language and Composition, a new course being offered, AP Music Theory, and Honors Physics. I went with English (hence this blog), and I am disappointed. A short, off-topic rant. I am satisfied with the course, but it is not what I love. My favorite thing in the world is music; I'm pretty sure there hasn't been an essay thus far that I haven't tied to it. I am sad that I wasn't given the chance to take it my junior year for two reasons. The first is if I choose to pursue music for a living, I will not be nearly as prepared when auditioning for colleges. Second, I will not be able to apply the knowledge I would've gained during my senior year. I'm one of the geeks who practices for three hours a day every day, and it's a shame I don't get to learn about what I love really every day. Not that I don't like writing, it's just I hate reading. I don't find any of the books we read in school entertaining at all, and every second I waste reading one of the absolute crap books, such as Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, could be spent bettering my musicianship. I am disappointed.
     The administration has done an incurable wrong. They have destroyed my schedule for both junior and senior year. I had my high school career planned out, and now I am left with almost nothing. Honors physics to AP, put AP Theory to use, two AP Englishes. Not only did I waste an entire summer on AP Music Theory work, but I will never be able to follow the path that I wanted because of my lack of strength in my schedule as a result of poor planning withing the high school administration. I feel cheated, put down, and unimportant to my community, and my parents pay their goddamn taxes. As Kelly said, I am far from the only one that got screwed up schedules. My solution? Stop sitting around and fire those responsible. Kick them to the curb like they did to me. Fair is fair. The Peter Principle certainly applies here, as it seems some of the higher-ups neglect their jobs and screw over the people who actually are going to matter some day. I am infuriated still.
     Kelly deserves a round of applause. She had the audacity to publish this daring article and dangle it right in front of Doctor Nash's nose. And what can she do about it? Freedom of speech, right? The very next time she slips up (again off-topic, but remember her speech at graduation? Embarrassing...) there will be another bashful article in the paper signed Jim Calabro, HHS Class of 2013. Geddes uses logos, ethos, and pathos effectively, writing a very distinct article that convinces easily and wholly. The one suggestion I have is to get an actual statistic instead of saying, "I cannot name a single person who did not have some sort of scheduling issue," (Geddes) Kelly presents a serious problem: how can any of us take pride in this school when we have such incompetent people failing to educate us?

How About Better Parents?

-Thomas L. Friedman

    "Better parents can make every teacher more effective." says Thomas L. Friedman. He is right. Something I've come up with is how well you do in a subject depends on how much you study it outside of the classroom. In school we are just learning the absolute basics; rhetoric, algebra, and  french still mean nothing to us. We will graduate and never see these concepts again. I already forget how to solve matrices and never really learned how to factor. What I'm getting at is self-discovery is more important than anything you can be taught. If I were to teach myself music theory, I would undoubtedly come up with something never seen before, perhaps a new method of creating a progression. However, I would miss out on much of the classical knowledge offered through classroom education. It is necessary to find a balance.
     My parents have had a small impact on my learning career. I haven't had them look at my homework, study with me, and I haven't even asked them a question in years. They have slipped out of my education in school. It is neither here nor there as to if this is for the better; it is what it is. These studies are made out to seem as if reading is the only thing that will make your child succeed in school. Research is unnecessary to prove the legitimacy of the article: common sense can be substituted. The earlier you start to introduce advanced materials to your children, the better they will do in school.
     I have talked about Friedman before. In my past blog post, I was infuriated by his criticism of Obama. I his past opinion was incredibly dull and was a chore to read. This is much of the same. There is no descriptive language and very little use of any rhetoric tools. He is pedestrian in his word choice, often repeating his basic grammar. I was surprised that his final paragraph did not begin with "All in all". While I like the concept of taking the blame for the lack of development in youth off teachers, I do not agree with some statistics due to personal experience. The article was drab and I would not recommend it to anyone except new parents.


Article by Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times

Black Sabbath, the Iron Men of Rock, to Reunite

Article by James C. McKinley Jr. at The New York Times.

     I was once told a story of how a couple of teenage kids were at a big rock festival. Oink Floyd came on, and they booed, claiming they were an "Old Person Band". To start, I love Pink Floyd. The great gig in the sky is one of the greatest songs ever composed. But Black Sabbath is similar, though I actually don't like them that much. Pretty much the only song that is any good of theirs is War Pigs. Kids my age will be calling the members old Geezers. The band is made out to sound fervent about writing together again, which leads me to believe that this album will be worth listening to. But is Ozzy still kicking? We will have to wait for the release of their new album in the fall of 2012 to see.

     This article reminded me of an advertisement. McKinley clearly loves Sabbath. It's either that or he would make a fantastic agent. His style was that you would expect from a newspaper. It gave facts and offered little opinion on it. There was a surprisingly small amount of bias. He offered both points of view, saying, "Though many critics despised their music, the band sold 8 million records in the 1970's." He makes no personal claims at liking or disliking the music. The purpose of the article is to excite the public so that they buy their music and concert tickets. Any publicity is good publicity after all. The article is compiled using flat, dull language and makes you feel like you're listening to a Black Sabbath album: irritated. Overall, a dull article for a mediocre band.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven By Mitch Albom

I apologize for not italicizing the title; it won't let me do it.

    The Five People Your Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a marvelous work of fiction. There is no reason why any person inhabiting earth should fail to read it. The language, the simplicity, the depth, the characters; everything about this book is outstanding. Read this book, and read it today. I have never been so absorbed in anything in my entire life.
     Albom uses basic language. There is little to rant about and nothing to complain about. Nobody should have any difficulty flying through the book. One of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much was Albom's habit of being direct with the plot. There was never a moment in which I was questioning where I was and what was happening. This is polar to something like Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and it's a nice change to be honest. Albom's method of telling an impossible war story is enthralling. Eddie experiences an extended flashback to Vietnam, in which is the single most disgusting way to kill a man. If you do not wish to know, skip the next couple sentences. Eddie, who learned to juggle on the pier where he grew up, entertains his four guards by juggling four rocks. All of a sudden, he takes the stones and hurls them towards them, striking four of them dead, right in the face, and escaping with his platoon after he burns the camp. It was a "Oh my god, I can't believe what just happened" moment. This book is composed of them.
     The way Albom describes people is phenomenal. For example, Rabozzo, a member of Eddie's platoon which has been captured, contracts a disease in the mines. He describes it in great detail, and, although this is not a particularly violent book, he draws upon the gore of the sickness. Suddenly, the reader is swept off their feet when poor, sick, young, helpless Rabozzo executed with a bullet to the head. All this happens in two lines. It is so instant that it can't help but become real. I actually saw it happen, I swear. His skill in depicting each characters is unmatched by today's authors. You feel the love between Marguerite and Eddy. You feel the Captain's pain as he is forced to shoot his own platoon member in order to save their life. You feel Eddy's pain as he traverses his five planes of heaven to learn the meaning of his life. It feels so real. It is so real.
     Albom sure knows how to present his story to his readers, for it is incredibly well developed and thorough. When the end of the book is reached, the reader is sad. However, there is something more, a phenomenon called "fulfillment". This happens when a book is written so that all information needed to experience happiness for the characters is presented. It is when the author succeeds in creating a utopia of thought in the readers mind because the plot of the book is so perfect that the reader can't help but sit in awe at what just happened. I will never stop thinking about this book. The concept of a good man seeing his triumphs and beautiful, beautiful mistakes makes for an angelic story. Your average writer could never pull of such a grand feat. Albom is a master of his craft, his grace shining through the pages and into his reader's thought.
     Although, I admit, this was not the most challenging book to read, it was of comparable difficulty to Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. The difference between the two is that The Five People You Meet in Heaven is quality. Its themes are vital, its delivery unique, and its tendency to leave you on the very tip of your seat  makes it one of the best books I've read, not just this year, but in my seventeen years of life.

Justin Bieber’s Holiday Album Is a Surprising No.1

     iTunes. Billboard. Rhapsody. What do all these music giants have in common? Their main audience is tween girls. The second JBiebs knocks out an album, they'll be waiting outside of FYE with "Marry Me Justin" signs dragging their push-over fathers by the hand. It doesn't matter how atrocious the music he produces is; since he is "hot stuff", he sells 200,000 albums. I hate it. If Justin Bieber sells this many records, Risky Business should be forever number one on those forsaken Top 100 lists. Unfortunately, pop media is stupid and ignorant of all the good that is going on in the world. If I could slap Justin Bieber in the face, I would. More importantly, I would like to kick Usher where it hurts.
     Usher is absolutely stupid for bringing this kid up for two reasons. One is that he is just a kid. The second is that he is a kid whose vocal cords haven't finished growing. Justin's voice is getting deeper, and it has become harder for him to hit that "Ohhhhh!" In his hit Baby. Seem harmless? It isn't. Over-working the vocal cords is extremely dangerous, especially at such high frequencies for males, and his voice is deteriorating because of it. Damn you Usher! You just killed Justin Bieber's ability to sing! Well, he will always have the drums (which he can't play) to fall back on.
     I pretty much grabbed this article so I could rant about Bieber and his lack of musical integrity.

Here is the link.

A Master of the Piano Whose Performances Receive No Applause

     Lang Lang is incredible. It is difficult to find any finer pianists in the world; the only people that come to mind are Jordan Rudess and maybe Herbie Hancock. I thought this presented some interesting views. It goes to show, especially with pianos, that your sound is directly dependent on other people. Lang asks his piano technician, Stefan Knüpfer, to provide an incredible tone that will make his listeners interested and pleased. I find this ironic because he just tells Knüpfer what to do. I would expect such a prestigious musician to develop his sound himself because I am a sax player, and us saxes need to make our own tone. Lang has no control over who he is as a musician texture-wise, and that is something that really bugs me. I've worked so hard to develop an expressive tone, and he just tells his technician what to do.
     Dargis is a little hard to follow. I found myself drifting mentally because the timeline was a bit whacky. I didn't understand the whole concept of the movie; it was not conveyed clearly enough. I felt the point of the article would be lost in translation to anyone who is a non-musician, and even still, I didn't get it the first time. I'm miserable at sight-reading music, but I'm pretty sure I'm good at it in English. Manohla Dargis, I would make the article more concise because your readers will tune out your words. Also, nothing was really said other than presenting this film. I think the author could've given Mr. Knüpfer more credit for his work; he was made to seem like nothing too special. Overall, I will be staying away from Dargis in the future unless he writes more about music.


Article by Manohla Dargis.

Outside Reading Book

Expect a post about The Five People You Meet in Heaven  by Mitch Albom in the near future...

Will Dropouts Save America?

Here is the link to the article.  Michael Ellsberg is a visionary. You must read this. It could be the most important thing you will ever read.

     It royally pisses me off whenever someone comments on my grades being inadequate. I choose exactly what my grades are. I could have straight A pluses, but it is not worth it. I don't want to go to Oxford. I have a cousin who went to Harvard and  cousin who went to Yale, and neither of them seem any different than anybody else I know. A school is a school, no matter how small. When you empty your pockets to pay for your child's education, you are paying to rename them. You stamp them with an insignia that will tell their future employers about what they learned in school. If you are unhappy with your kid's name, whose fault is that?
     I can only muster two complaints about the article. The first is the fact that Ellsberg never closed his parenthesis in paragraph five. The second is that he argues extremes. If everybody was to drop out of college, nobody would have the skills learned in school, and this would make a higher education valuable. Plus, when he cites all the people in the beginning, he uses people that have made it big time. Not everyone can do that, and this does draw away from the appeal slightly, but the average reader wouldn't give it a second thought. He had to do that because if he didn't people would be utterly confused as to who he was talking about, and he wished to stay direct and to the point. This article has put into words what I wish to say to my mom the next time she tells me she dreams of me going to an Ivy League school. Ivy League does not equate to a better education, job, and life.

The Electric Leaf’s True Believers Won’t Leave Well Enough Alone

    I am an avid fan of the BBC's Top Gear. It is a hilarious show about three men who test cars and compare their effectiveness and practicability. One of the newest episodes contained a lengthy segment on the Nissan Leaf. Their task was to drive from their studio to the ocean. That was it. There were a few positive features on the car, one was that is was extremely quiet. Another would be that the ride was decent, meaning you didn't feel every little bump in the road.
     However, there were a preposterous amount of gripes. The biggest one was that although they were only driving a distance of about eighty miles (and they started with a fully charged battery), they actually ran out of energy and had to push the car to a place where they could charge. Second, there was nowhere nearby that they could charge. They pushed from restaurants to city offices, and finally were allowed to charge at a university. And then it took twelve stinking hours to charge the stupid thing! The crew actually went on a couple of tours around the city to pass the time, which turned out to be quite comical. During this time, they discussed how the battery in the Leaf needs to be replaced every five years or so. This costs about 5000 pounds, or $7861.50. That is absolute nonsense for a car that is fairly steeply priced to begin with at 30,000-ish pounds. Also, the car was, as expected, dead slow, barely reaching acceptable highway speeds.
     My question is why would anybody buy a Nissan Leaf if there are so many problems that come along with it? Yes it is cool that people will modify your Leaf and improve it, but after a while it will all start to add up, and the cost will simply become too great. My recommendation: buy a nice, petrol eater to save yourself the trouble accompanying the Nissan "Grief".

Click here to read the article.

Coming Soon: The Drone Arms Race

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/sunday-review/coming-soon-the-drone-arms-race.html?ref=opinion I have commanded innumerable amounts of UAV's in Call of Duty. This is really the first time I've heard that they are not common things. Sure, the Obama Administration has supported them, but this article is questioning whether or not that is actually a good thing. The United States, as of now, is by far the leading carrier of RPA's, and this poses a major problem. We have seen arms races countless times throughout history, and this is shaping up to resemble one. Surely, our enemies are going to follow in our footsteps and create their own RPA's, which poses a major threat to our soldiers. The real question is this: is military technology beneficial to our struggle against terrorism or will its use against us become too great for us to handle? I'll leave that up to you, dear reader. Now, a comment on Scott Shane's tone. He is bone dry. I actually had trouble finishing the article because it was so boring. He gives it to you straight, which I appreciate, but it would have been nice to have had some spice in it. Or any sensation whatsoever. To keep a reader interested, keep toying with their emotions. I feel that he could have gone all-out with this topic, as it is a precursor to what he is claiming will be an arms race. Anyhow, a cool topic, and it certainly generates some thought.

Starting Again After a Brain Injury

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/opinion/sunday/brain-injury-and-building-a-new-life-afterwards.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 This is one of the finest articles I have ever laid eyes upon. I applaud you, Jane Rosett, for you are a soldier who is fighting "The True Good Fight", the fight for one's survival. You are powerful, and I think you are a thing of beauty, not for working so hard to achieve what one would call a state of normality, but for finding the strength to disregard what people assume about you, and for treating yourself like a human-being. Your article is strongly directed to the pathos appeal. One of the main instances of this is how you refer to re-discovering chewing gum. It is such a simple thing, yet it hits as hard as a two trains in a head-on collision. It really made me stop and think about how much I know, but also how much about life that I don't know, if that makes sense. There is so much to learn, and so much to see before I die. I once read somewhere a phrase, so simple and happy, yet depressing all the same. It said, "All I have left to do is die". I wish those to be my final words, and I'm sure Jane Rosett will be able to say this phrase honestly when her time comes.

The end of the world: R.E.M. calling it quits

One of the greatest rock groups of all-time has fallen. R.E.M. is now a thing of the past. Michael Stipe, the lead singer, offers a statement of comfort to his fans. "A wise man once said -- `the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it." What a very mature thing to say. All good things must come to an end.
However, one can't help but feel a little sentimental in remembering all their hits, not that I was around to do so or anything, but they are simply too fantastic to not listen to. YouTube is a wonderful resource for the modern musician. As we speak, I'm listening to Layla performed live by Clapton and Wynton Marsalis, probably something that will never be performed again. Unbelievable what it can do. But back to the subject. The band that put a Man on the Moon is done for. But again, is this a bad thing? I can't wait to see their next projects and what comes of them individually.
A quick word on the author of the piece, she must have loved REM. She absolutely raved about them the entire time and got all emotional with us about how they are never making any more music together and all that bubbly crap. She must have grown up with them, and now that they're gone, she is trying to make the reader love REM as much as she did.

London theater to stage Shakespeare's plays in 37 languages

He is said to be the one true master of the English language. William Shakespeare has written a total of 37 plays in addition to four poems and 154 sonnets. He owned the Globe Theater, located in London, England, where his works were performed by his troupe, King Chamberlin's men. For the very first time, you can witness the performance of all of these plays at the modern Globe Theater! What's more, they will be in 37 different languages!
Hold on. It's tough to comprehend Shakespeare in English, never mind Mandarin Chinese. Anybody who attends this event will likely have their head explode as a result of attempting to decipher the 37 tongues. This article raises a great point though. If you already know the 37 stories, it should be fun trying to follow along. I have seen Shakespeare's collected works bound into one book, and I know a person who has read it cover to cover. I can see why it would be cool; it would be like me going to see Doctor Who re-enacted in Gallifreyan. An interesting trip to England nonetheless.

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THERE IS STILL NO SUCH THING AS BLOGOHOL.

Help Wanted: Leadership

     Hey! Stop criticizing every single person to ever make a mistake! I understand that Obama may not be your best bud, but give the man a break. I would like to see you run for office Mr. Friedman, let us see what happens to your reputation. You will be pulled apart by journalists much like yourself, your limbs and heart scattered and to be picked at by cute little forest animals. Sick, huh? So are you. You fail to see that there is no simple solution that will be the end-all of the world's problems. Think logically. If there was a good solution anywhere, the leaders of the country would have seen it and agreed upon it. How dare you belittle the men who lead this glorious nation? YOU SIR are an ignoble piece of work, because I know that no matter how much I verbally harass you, you will not budge. In fact, we both know it. Your purpose, I feel, is to find the flaws of your life and amplify them. Seriously, comparing Obama to someone like Hoover? Nobody can mess up that badly. I understand that you meant the next person in office will be like ol' Herb, but I was under the impression that you believed Obama would win. And he doesn't go home snickering at the state of the country sipping wine, he probably doesn't sleep as night. There. My claims are just as valid as yours. Provide some actual evidence of corruption being the cause of the state of the economy, and maybe I will be a little more kind.

What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?

"To help chronically low-performing but intelligent students, educators and parents must first recognize that character is at least as important as intellect.” If I could summarize the message of the entire article, it would be close to the above quote. I found Tough's writing style to be very critical. He was thoroughly researched on the topic, I do agree with the material discussed, and I wish that this would come standard in Mass schools. In those ways it satisfies the three appeals, making this an easy choice to write about for me. I hope that somewhere, someone important reads this, the decides that this is something that needs to be done in every school around the country. If that happens, I feel that Regan's article review about how our generation is the worst generation ever to exist will be quickly changed to the best. A school system with a course that teaches grit will ensure the flourishing of our lives.