It's YOUR Duty….

I will not be able to vote this upcoming election, but for the first time, some of my peers will be able to vote. I hate it when I hear the excuses. "I don't know where to go." "I don't care." "My vote won't make a difference." And the worst, "I'm too busy." Excuse me, did I just hear you say you were too busy to vote? It happens once every four years. It's not a commitment that you have to make over time. It's an obligation that all Americans have. Even if you don't have an opinion, I think you should go vote for someone who does have an opinion. Voting is the easiest way to make a big difference.

Ze Frank!

Here are my two views on the VP and Presedential debates from a YouTuber named Ze Frank

VP Debate:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM6XVk01lgQ&list=UUVpankR4HtoAVtYnFDUieYA&index=4&feature=plcp

Presedential Debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKRz6640B04&feature=channel&list=UL

Gay Marriage and the Election

In class, we have been researching various issues that appear in the upcoming presidential election. I don't have any pressing opinions on medicare, taxes, oil, or the economy. But I do have an opinion when it comes to rights. I believe that all people should have the right to marry a person of the same or opposite gender.
Mitt Romney has firmly stated that marriage is between a man and a woman. President Obama believes that marriage should be between two people who are in love and wish to be married. In the beginning of Obama's presidency, he did not think this way. He thought that marriage must be between a man and woman. He said that after a while, he saw that there's nothing wrong with same-sex parents or couples, and they deserve the right to be married. I agree with Obama's current view on the issue.
I wonder, if Romney gets elected president, will his views sway like Obama's? I'm not sure. I think it will not because Romney's religion has strictly raised him otherwise.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I am not an avid reader. I haven't read a book cover-to-cover for my own enjoyment in years. But, in my english class, we are reading Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Many of my friends had said the book was good. I didn't expect it to be anything special. Boy, was I wrong! The novel takes a look at the treatment of women in Afghanistan.
Before reading, I didn't know anything about Afghanistan, the Middle East, Pakistan, or the injustices that were being committed there. I knew that there was a war in the Middle East. The Taliban was just a word to me; it had no significance. This book has opened my eyes to the modern atrocities of man. I cannot believe what these women were being put through. The book partially takes place during my lifetime; I think that's what gets me the most. Stories of people being persecuted in foreign countries is supposed to be separated from me. History is supposed to be something that my grandparents lived through. But I was alive when these women were being abused, beaten, and bloodied!
A Thousand Splendid Suns reminds me that there is a world beyond the north-suburban Chicago area. It reminds me that not everybody is the same. But we all feel the same things.
I cannot speak highly enough about A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Is college worth it?

Today, a college education is a lot of time and a lot of money.  Some jobs do not require college but they are usually lower paying. Granted, there are exceptions to every rule. As I see it, most jobs today require a college education. 

At Indiana University, an Indiana resident would pay around $10,000 per year. If you are not a resident, you would pay around $30,000 a year. With college loans, interest, and all things considered, a college education may be around $140,000 total. Along with that $140,000, a ton of time has been spent writing papers, studying, taking classes, and partying. Is the opportunity cost worth it? 

I know that college is in fact worth it. College is not only an educational place. It is not strictly for learning material. College is a place to gain independence and freedom. College is where you learn to become an individual. As I talk to some of my friends who are freshmen in college they will remark on how "the laundry doesn't do itself." College is where not only you get an education, but an education in life. While the ridiculous price tag may not be worth its face value, college is worth it.

As if enough hasn't been said...

As if enough hasn't been said, I will be sharing my opinion on the plague of Deerfield High School. Class colors during homecoming week is a big deal at DHS. Freshmen wear white. Sophomores grey. Juniors red. And seniors black. Class colors are worn on the friday of homecoming week.
This year, our school decided that class colors were no more. Homecoming friday was now "red and grey" and my peers weren't happy. The topic consumed my class discussions. I have heard so many opinions on the issue that i want to pull my hair out. Senior claimed that their First Amendment rights were being violated because the school said that homecoming friday was red and grey day. There was such a commotion of this that enough people wined that they made class colors day earlier in the week. This is great, right? Apparently not. Everyone continued complaining! Why? I couldn't tell you.
I have heard both sides of the argument: "Class colors shouldn't happen because it singles freshmen out and they will get hazed." "Class colors is a right of passage and when I was a freshmen, nothing happened to me…"
Personally, I see validity on both sides. While freshmen are totally singled out for class colors, I think that it is part of the high school experience. Homecoming friday remained "red and grey" day and I still saw a large amount of students wearing their respective class colors. My main concern from all of this is how we let such minuscule things control us. I almost can't believe it. I think that things should go on as  we are told because a month from now, it won't matter what color shirt you were wearing on Friday, September 28th.

Jazz

Next year, I will be (hopefully) studying jazz in college. It is a dream come true for me. I am going to be able to learn about the music that brings me the most joy and fulfillment. But I ponder the question, "does it bring others joy and fulfillment?" I am becoming increasingly naive to the state of jazz today. It is an art music. Not by any means is it popular music. While filling college application after college application, I have to think of the future. What will a degree in jazz do for me? There's no answer.
The spectrum of what is considered jazz is getting broader by the minute. While traditionalists reject new music that won't swing, the overall idea is that jazz can be anything. I consider myself a traditionalist when it comes to my taste in jazz music. Duke Ellington said it best, "If it ain't got that swing, it don't mean a thing!"
I find people considering popular-instrumental music, from artists such as Chris Botti and Kenny G, with jazz. It upsets me. In the jazz world, Kenny G is taboo. He is labeled as a "sell out" and disregarded. That being said, the man can pay his bills. But regardless, Kenny G should be labeled in the genre of "instrumental pop music", not jazz. What makes jazz interesting, to me, is the swung feel and the interactive and improvised qualities between the musicians. Instrumental pop music is heavily rehearsed and focuses on melody. The contrast between the two makes it difficult for me to understand the appeal of instrumental pop music.
I would really just like to make a cry for attention. People, jazz isn't dead. If you would be so kind, listen to jazz. It is completely American and completely original. Let's all protect jazz because it is ours.