The State of the Union is Strong/ The State of my Mind is a Different Story

"State of the Union: A Quick Wrap on Education"

By: Claudio Sanchez

Source: NPR 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/01/21/378726052/state-of-the-union-a-quick-wrap-on-education

  On Tuesday, January 20, President Obama delivered his seventh State of the Union address. This time around, his speech centered around education intertwined with economical matters. The President noted the steady improvement of education in the United States of America based on the great number of Americans graduating high school and/or college, in addition to the elevated scores on math and reading exams of young scholars. Mr. Obama said, "By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education" (Sanchez, 1). This simple statement served to create a conspicuous bond of the future of education and the economy of the United States. Because of this, he presented a plan to Congress to make the first two years of community college free. This affordable education plan, which would reap its benefits on nine million students, is not quite an object of the Republican party's adulation (as it would cost an approximate sixty billion dollars, suggesting a need for higher taxes). House Speaker John Boehner expressed his opposition or lack of support for the President's controversial proposal. Considering the vast majority that Republicans now hold in Congress, this plan will most probably require greater effort to be successful. The President also proposed the Student Digital Privacy Act which would prevent schools from making deals with private companies that previously enabled the usage of student information for purposes not related to educational matters. This Act was actually met with support by seventy-five companies and twenty states as of now. 

Time (Is Never Worth my Time)

"Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can!" (Fitzgerald, 114). 

      Nick Carraway, ever the additional  voice of conscience, assures his quixotic friend Jay Gatsby that the past can not be repeated. Nick takes the past for what it is (at least in his eyes) as an indelible, unalterable being. His words are a corollary to Gatsby's five-year-long obsessive endeavor to cajole his former lover, Daisy, into his life once more. The reality is that Daisy is now a wife to Tom Buchanan and a mother to little Pammy. Gatsby refuses to believe that the present is set in stone, holding on instead to the adamant misconception that he can follow through with his relationship with Daisy despite the complications so blatantly embed in her periphery and most notably: the passing of time. Nick sees the world in a more objective manner, through a monochrome filter of sorts. Gatsby, on the other hand, views matters through a kaleidoscope of possibility. 

His unwavering optimism makes him seem more vulnerable, exposing holes in his cryptic armor, impugning his sobriquet as "The Great Gatsby". This foreshadows the state Gatsby was in closer to his end. This quote is tantamount to the plot of The Great Gatsby because it lays bare the inner machinations of Gatsby's enigmatic mind throughout the story. It explains the opulence he acquired and the elaborate parties he held, all the while maintaining a cold distance from the chaos in an attempt to foster the disarray confined within his mind. 

Blue is the Warmest Colour

I am not one for parties. I am too often held back by my awkward tendencies. However, I find that the House of Blues is a place where I can act a little more naturally. I came here freshman year and immediately fell in love with the place. I do not like venues that lack history or some degree of depth, but I found that the HOB was not lacking in either department. It holds many party rooms in addition to the main music hall. A venue is greater than its interior; it also involves the periphery.  The House of Blues' location on the Sunset Strip means that it is not constrained by the restrictions of time. It provides an extremely intimate and warm atmosphere that can cater to a warm and chaotic time. Therefore, if I was given an opportunity to host a party with financial matters being mere trivialities, then the HOB would be my venue of choice. I would provide an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet (because breakfast is good any time of day), a froyo station, and an endless dessert table embedded with the likes of donuts, IKEA cinnamon rolls, cheese cake, and Nutella ponchik. I would not bother to include dinner entrees, skipping instead to the better meals of the day. My guests would include select classmates, a wide array of strangers, and a few talented friends of mine like Brandon and Savannah Hudson who I first saw at this very location two years back. The performing line-up would range from Lorde to Paul McCartney to Harout Pamboukjian to Jake Bugg. I would not even bother with decorations, as the HOB retains immense aesthetics. Guests could make use of the dance floor or lounge in the intimate party rooms. There would be a multitude of animals on the loose (notably goats) to add to the chaos. The night would speak for itself.

All the Small Things

"NASA spacecraft get a closer look at dwarf planets
Pluto and Ceres"
By: Kenneth Chang
Source: NY Times
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/science/nasa-spacecraft-get-a-closer-look-at-pluto-and-ceres-whatever-they-may-be.html

Ceres from 238,000 miles away


           Shakespeare once wrote, "And though she be but little, she is fierce". If feminine pronouns were to be assigned to dwarf planets, then this line would
hold true for Pluto and Ceres. The latter is located between Mars and Jupiter and is mainly composed of fire and ice. Recently, an observatory sighted water
vapor arising from its surface. This suggests that there may be bodies of water on the celestial body. In addition, "It's actually the largest body
between the sun and Pluto that a spacecraft has not yet visited," (Chang,1). It was actually discovered and deemed a planet in 1801, but its title was
revoked a few years later following the discovery of similar bodies of “fire and ice” such as Pallas, Juno, and Vesta. These were later labeled “asteroids”.
In March the Dawn spacecraft launched by NASA will finally give the world a close-up view of Ceres. There is another mission that is of particular interest
to astronomers: The New Horizons mission. It began in 2006 to travel a three-billion-mile trip to Pluto, and it will finally take photos of the “planet” on Sunday.  

        Astronomers and normal people alike are part of a long-standing debate on whether or not Pluto or other “dwarf planets” should be considered planets. 

The term “planet”is also not concrete. However, it is not of immense importance what labels are assigned to these celestial wonders; it is far more important what

 they contain and how they contribute to our knowledge and awe of the universe. 

The Devil's Music

          That which is new and that which is different fall victim to harsh opposition and criticism; jazz music was not exempt from this rule of thumb. The Roaring Twenties brought forth a great Jazz Age in America. During its nascent stages, it was berated by racist white people, women’s organizations, and classical musicians. Jazz introduced new musical and social elements. It featured syncopation which added to the fluidity and improvisation of the performed pieces. It was also said to have given off suggestiveness, but this could have been based off of its association with the promiscuous dance moves of that time such as the Charleston, the voodoo dance, and the turkey trot. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the Jazz Age is the social reform it brought about. Jazz stemmed from African Americans who were then banned from performing in many white night clubs. Therefore they found work in speakeasies run by the mafia during the times of the Prohibition. It was in these illicit institutions where the blacks and whites intermingled. Jazz music originated in New Orleans, but later moved north to Chicago, and finally in Harlem, New York. Jazz arrived in Harlem, a predominantly African American area, during the times of the Harlem Renaissance. Some prominent leaders of the African American community and the Harlem Renaissance also criticized the music, believing it to be “ghetto”. Despite the opposition it faced, jazz prevailed. It began to be performed by white men, most notably Paul Whiteman, who went so far as to call himself the “King of Jazz”. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are considered the most famous African American jazz players. By the 1930s, jazz became a more respected art form and remains so until today. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/beyond/jazz.html