Too Much!
Your Butts
What are you going to be?
Remix the cover
I am fortunate to attend school on a beautiful
campus. It offers seemingly ancient buildings rich with history intermixed with
updated architecture and new technology. Art work and landscaping frame the
area, giving it a calm, peaceful setting.
Then there’s the cigarette butts. You can’t miss the cigarette butts. It’s not
like there aren’t ashtrays every twelve feet in commons areas and outside most
major entrances and exits. Due to the Illinois Clean Air Act, those who wish to
smoke must do it outside. Which they do, in large numbers.
I am neither condemning nor condoning smoking. But why aren’t people able to
walk the extra two steps and toss their butts in the proper receptacle on their
way in the building? It takes a minimal amount of effort to toss a cigarette
butt into the ashtray, rather than on the ground.
This is also a matter of consideration. It damages the environment and takes
away the aesthetic beauty of our campus. It is inconsiderate to the maintenance
department who already cleans up everything else we leave behind.
Yes, there is a maintenance department. They do what they can. But you can’t
exactly sift the butts from the mulch every afternoon. Rather than raking up
leaves this year, they’ll be raking up butts. The butt to leaf ratio right now
is 3 to 1
There have been times when I, too, am occasionally lazy when it comes to using
the proper receptacle, but I’m trying. Once I looked around and saw what a
gigantic mess the ground was becoming, I became more aware of my actions.
My request is obvious and simple. If you chose to smoke on campus, keep it clean
and put your butts away. (Don’t get me started on the litter.)
Amy’s new tattoos! Aren’t they adorable?
PHOTO BY RYK LEWIS
I am losing my mind! I have no idea what I am
supposed to do with myself. I do not even know what I am interested in anymore.
I am a sophomore and I have absolutely no idea what I am going to be when I grow
up. I wish someone would just come up to me and say, “Stephanie you are going to
be… and you will be great at it, you will love it and the people around you will
respect it.”
But no, this person is selfish, and is doing their own thing, and I do not even
know where they live. The people try to guide me by asking what I am best at or
what I love doing most.
I am lost. I like doing just about everything. I am not even really good at
anything, either. I mean, I can get stuff done, and most of it is successful,
and I enjoy the results. But nothing pops out and screams at people, especially
myself.
So, I am told to look at things I do not want. Well, that is hard too. My
dislikes consist of disease, mean people, irritating noises and things that make
me sad. What the hell am I supposed to do with that information?
Next logical step: basic interest assessments. Turns out, I score high on
medical service, art and athletics. I am thinking, “Okay, this is a start, now I
will look at some of the careers that correspond with my results.”
Surprise! The assessment’s suggestions happen to be a lawyer, broadcaster or a
police officer. What does that have to do with my interests? I am even more
confused now. Just my luck, I am so indecisive that I confuse assessments.
Job history is a good place to turn when in doubt of a career choice. Let me
see, I have worked at restaurants, retail and the newspaper. Turns out if I
chose them as careers I would live a very short life.
Where do I go from here? I am in school and I guess I am getting an Associates
of Science. That is good and all, but what am I going to do with it? Where am I
going to go to make use of it?
So, I scratch my head and let a huge sigh, “Does anyone know where the person
lives that can tell me what to do with myself?”
Lewis & Clark Community College Mission Statement: “Our mission is to empower
people by raising aspirations and fostering achievement through dynamic,
compassionate and responsible learning experiences.”
A Nice Thought:
|
“Truth is simply that which an individual believes.”
|
By Chris Ayala
Entertainment Editor
What
exactly is the difference between a cover and a remix? If a song is made “fun”
by adding a beat you can dance to and a booming bass-line, then it’s a remix.
If a song sounds like the original with the addition of a guitar strummed really
fast so you can mosh to it and an angry person is screaming the original
artist’s lyrics, then it’s a cover.
I’d like to clear up the common
misconception that it takes little (or no) talent to create a remix. So to say
that remixing a song takes no talent is preposterous. To produce a quality
remix, one must stay true to the song while making sure there is enough rhythmic
sound to lay down a decent dance track. To do this, electronic artists like to
employ a technique known as “sampling.” By cutting in vocals to a pre-made
beat, a remix starts to take shape. A song begins to take on a life of its own
only when this is combined with other elements created by the musician on either
a drum machine, synthesizer, turntables, or sometimes acoustic instruments
played in the studio.
See, the thing about remixes is that they are usually
an independent art. A band has members to depend on. If a song sucks, it’s the
band’s fault. However if a hit song turns into a sloppy remix, then it’s the
sole fault of whoever remixed it.
Conversely, when a band does a cover, all the elements
are already there. All the artist has to do is scream the lyrics the original
artist had already written. It’s like personalized karaoke. Case in point
George Michael’s “Faith” covered by Limp Bizkit. It’s the same damn song with
the addition of Fred Durst screaming “faith” at the top of his lungs.
In reality, a cover is not all that dissimilar to a
remix. They are both intended to appeal to a more selective audience. They are
both made in the hopes that someone will appreciate the song in its new form and
still enjoy the original.
I don’t hate metal or metal covers. In fact, one of my
favorite metal songs just happens to be a cover of “Blue Monday” originally by
New Order. Upon release, Orgy’s cover got a lot of flack. But, it remains a
staple of their album Candyass, and Orgy fans hold it in high regards. I
know I do. And even though I already owned Candyass, I went out
and bought the “Blue Monday” single. Why? For the remixes, of course!
Staff Picks: What are you going to be when you grow up?See Your Picks Here |
||
|