Here Comes the Sun

There are books. Then there are Armenian books. These are the kinds of books that capture you and captivate you and then crush your soul because the endings are just incredibly depressing. Khaled Hosseini’s works call to mind Armenian novels because they both end in a similar saddening demise with a concomitant happiness or inkling of hope remaining despite all that has occurred. The war torn, turbulent setting is similar to the settings of most Armenian novels. It is for this reason that I find solace in Khaled Hosseini’s works; he evokes scenes common in the Armenian narrative, allowing me to identify strongly with the plight of the novel’s protagonists. Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, a part of our summer reading, is my favorite piece of literature that we read in this year’s Advanced Placement English Language and Composition class. Having read the author’s other, possibly more acclaimed, novel, The Kite Runner, during the previous year, provided a smoother transition into this book. The setting was already familiar to us, but the perspective was completely changed. We were offered further contrasting perspectives within this novel alone. This was accomplished through the incredibly well-written, meticulous narratives of the two main protagonists, Mariam and Laila. This novel does an excellent job of raising awareness about the history and culture of Afghanistan without coming off as a monotonous historical novel. Its frequent usage of Afghan words even familiarized me with the languages used within the country. Without giving off too many details of the novel, I would like to end on a simple note: Tashakor*, Mr. Hosseini.

*Tashakor means ‘thanks’ in Afghan Farsi.

 

Wayfaring Stranger

                    

            I have no money. I am a wayfaring stranger. The streets are mine. Everywhere feels like home, but only one place truly is. For now, I will not go to that final abode of mine; it is an eternal conceit that knows no end. My calling to Armenia exceeds a thousand year period. In the end, there will be no end if I end up in Armenia. For now, I will look into the Golden State.
Though I was born and raised in California, my first seventeen years here have not exposed the intricacies of the state to me. Though I start off with no money, I will make a modest amount through hard work at an eclectic array of jobs. I will not pursue a career for the time being as that is too time consuming and restricting of an act. I will hitchhike to Santa Cruz where I know of a herd of vagabonds. They will take me into their ranks and we will sleep in the backs of Volkswagen camper vans. My pillow will be composed of dusty, reassuring paperback novels from overpriced used bookstores. Though a certain reassurance and tranquility may be found in solitude, which in turn can be found in nature, the feeling has come to scare me; therefore, I must not be alone. I do not wish to do much of any one thing. I do not want to speak too much, and neither do I want to think. I want to drive but not the entire time. For a while, I will find myself basking in the touristic galore of San Francisco, but I will soon end up in Big Sur, or back to Southern California near the Salton Sea. All these are a mystery to me.

Free the Five

“'Support them, not silence them,' Kerry tells China over 5 detained feminists”

By: Faith Karimi

Source: CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/11/china/china-kerry-women-activists/index.html

                March 8 is International Women’s Day, a day devoted to fortifying the bonds of women beyond borders and upholding their collective rights. However, a few days preceding this day, a group of five feminists was detained in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. The five women were all a part of China’s Women’s Rights Action Group and were planning on running a campaign for gender equality and an end to sexual harassment. The campaign involved passing out stickers with slogans that encouraged police to help in the fight against sexual harassment; their plans were not violent nor were they “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” as the initial charge of the arrests of Wei Tingting, Wu Rongrong, Li Tingting, Wang Man, and Zheng Churan state. “…police recommended Monday that prosecutors press charges of ‘assembling a crowd to disturb public order,’” (Karimi, 1). The women clearly had no such intents, but if prosecutors choose to go forth with these charges, the group of five potentially faces five years or more of prison time. The international community and Amnesty International have stood in solidarity with these five women, urging Chinese authorities to let them go, much to the displeasure of the Chinese government.

            This news is of utmost importance because there is no just reason that the women were detained. These five women with completely non-violent intentions were not a threat. Chinese authorities were most probably intimidated by their audacity to speak out about a serious issue in their country. The Chinese government also should not rebuke comments from American or other international leaders that urge them to “free the five” because China is clearly in the wrong in this situation.

"Breast is Best"

"Extended breast feeding linked to higher IQ and income in study"

By: Sandee LaMotte

Source: CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/18/health/breastfeeding-iq-income/index.html

      Breast feeding has been said to be the best option for babies. Past studies show that breast feeding is related to a 7.5 point increase in IQ for school aged children. It was also known to be linked with overall better IQ in adults who were breast fed as babies. Breast feeding is also deemed the better option (as opposed to formula or the like) because it is linked to lower mortality rates of babies and has smaller risk of leading to the contraction of milk-related diseases. So what is new?

Recently, the results of a 1982 Brazilian study on the results of breast feeding were released. It kept in touch with nearly 6,000 Brazilian mothers who breast fed their babies for an extended period of time (near twelve months) and recorded the results thirty years later. The thirty year length of the study makes it unique. The 68% of the study participants who they were able to get a response from showed nearly 4 points higher IQ and 20% more income than average income level people. Breast feed may be beneficial because of its long chain of polyunsaturated fatty acids, but the results of this study can be tied to a multitude of uncontrolled factors. 

       Regardless, the study is greatly important because it may benefit mothers from lower-income families who can not afford expensive formula or other costly milk alternatives for babies. Even if the increase in income and IQ in breast fed subjects is caused by other factors, if soon-to-be mothers catch wind of this news and demonstrate interest toward it, they would also watch for its positive changes in their children over the years. They would unconsciously out in more effort in order for their children to perform better in school and, in the long run, attain better paying jobs. 

Come Together

Marketing done wrong.

. 

   Gender roles are dangerous things. Even in a contemporary context, gender roles spell restriction. Gender roles strive to draw solid lines between genders. Those who dare stray past said boundaries are labeled and looked down upon. Manufacturers of products as unisex as pens take advantage of and harbor these societal limitations through senseless gender marketing. Pens for her. Body wash for him. They nurture the fear within male consumers of being too feminine by offering products designed for strong, rough men. They nurture the fear within female consumers of being too masculine by offering products designed for subtle and submissive women. Gender roles are inflicted upon the youth from a very young age. Parents often fear the preference their preschool-aged son may show toward the colour pink. This preference is associated with being homosexual. Oftentimes, that is not the case; the child merely likes the given colour Why should a colour be limited to a single gender? What a drab world this must be... In either case, why should homosexuality be looked down upon? If people were not so dead set in their opposition of homosexuality or any other types of sexuality that differ from the traditional heterosexual mode, then maybe the world would be a more peaceful and loving place. The truth is sex is merely a biological term and gender is a social construct. Gender roles attempt to restrict individuals from achieving their desired potential and expressing their individualism. Gender roles should be viewed as an anachronism within the twenty-first century. If a "male" individual wishes to dress like a female, then kudos to that individual. If a woman wishes to work in a male-dominated line of work, and her husband wishes to be a stay-at-home dad, then all the power to them. In order to free this world of mundanity and hate, individuals must advocate the abolishment of gender roles. 

Marketing done right.

The Sound of Silence

"A billion at risk for hearing loss from exposure to loud music"

By: Sandee LaMotte

Source: CNN      

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/health/hearing-loss-loud-music/index.html

  It happens to the best of people. People try to prove that they are "ballsy" by raising volumes to their highest levels as angry music is blasted into the dark confines of their ears. It is a battle of endurance, a mating call, a show of valor. They want to forget their troubles and immerse themselves into the words and melodies weaved by others. They do not wish to exert the additional effort in filtering out the external world through concentration, and instead seek refuge behind earbuds and adamantly keep their fingers locked on the button that keeps the noise to its pinnacle and the internal pain to a minimum. This is contemporary suicide. People are knowingly abusing their ears, merely allocating pain from within, generating a state without [hearing].

          "More than one billion teens and young adults are at risk of losing their hearing, according to WHO (that's the World Health Organization, not the rock band)" (LaMotte, 1). The risk is a result of damaging levels of music played on personal devices or at night clubs and venues. Countless artists experience the downsides of extremely loud music at concerts. Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, is among them; he suffers from tinnitus, or a type of hearing loss that brings about a constant ringing in the ears. These are indelible issues, but they are preventable. WHO recently release their Make Listening Safe campaign which advocates change from manufacturers on music devices and promotes education to consumers. 

         This issue is of upmost importance as 360 million people have hearing loss, with more than 50% of those cases being preventable ones. Music is sacrosanct, but abusing its power threatens to bring about the sound of silence. Perhaps the masses will find beauty in the latter as well...

Black Friday

This clip from the satirical show "South Park" depicts crazed Black Friday shoppers at the South Park Mall. The security guards brace themselves before opening the doors, praying for their lives. Once the doors are opened the shoppers immediately begin to reap chaos and violence. The floors are covered with pools of blood. A woman is seen beating another woman with a baseball bat. Another lady uses her child to reach a n item placed on a high shelf. It even features actual clips from Black Friday madnesses. At the end of the clip, fourth-graders Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick and a few others walk into the video game store. They seem to be unaffected by the gruesome result of Black Friday and ask for a Xbox One gaming system at the store. The employee, too, seems unfazed by the aftermath of the scene throughout the mall and cheerfully greets them. This clip clearly ridicules crazed Americans on Black Friday. They spend their holidays waiting in long lines to get little discounts on unnecessary items. This would not be so egregious if these shoppers carried themselves in a civil manner. Instead, they literally trample one another. The episode employs exaggeration to underline this issue, but it does not stray too far from the truth. It is effective in conveying its message, as the absurdity of it all forces us to think about our crazed consumerism. The familiar Charlie Brown holiday music at the end also makes the ordeal more humorous. 

The Times They Are A-Changin'

"Grandchild, Grandfather Equally Dreading Collaboration for School Interview Project"
Source: The Onion
 http://www.theonion.com/articles/grandchild-grandfather-equally-dreading-collaborat,38025/



         
         This is a troubling time in the town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Eleven-year-old Ethan Metcalfe is faced with the onerous family tree project assigned to local middle schoolers. Unfortunately, he is required to enlist in the help of his grandfather, Gerald Sonenberg, in order to complete the project. Both parties have admitted to being uncomfortable around each other. Two grueling weeks have passed since the project was assigned to Ethan, and neither grandfather nor grandson could muster a way out of the ordeal. They have now resolved to just get through the situation as quickly as possible.
         This is an extremely vexatious situation that is being imposed upon our unassuming, innocent middle school children. It is unimaginably cruel for teachers to place students, not to mention grandparents, in this plight. This obtrudes upon established customs of keeping to oneself and avoiding contact with relatives.
           The article uses the satirical techniques of exaggeration and irony to humor the issue. It makes the situation sound incredibly serious and plays out contrary to our expectations (that both parties would happily engage in the project). It ridicules faltering familial values and the growing need to avoid family.
        

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