October 2015 archive
I think that the city of State College should allow State Patty’s Day to happen naturally. This means that I believe they should not close the bars on this day. College students are going to find ways to drink regardless of what precautions are taken by police. If the profit made by the bars on football weekends is about the same as the profit made on State Patty’s Day, I don’t see why they deem this day as more of a risk than football weekends. I think that if anything, all the regulations and precautions surrounding State Patty’s Day gives students the idea that this is a major binge drinking day and that it is somewhat accepted to go crazy, because it is “tradition”. Also, by closing the bars, students will have to go to apartments or other houses to drink. I believe that this makes students more likely to drink more than they would at a bar, because they do not have to pay for each individual drink and it is harder to keep track of how many drinks you have consumed at an apartment party where they may be serving jungle juice. I believe that instead of closing the bars, the city of State College should just put more police on duty on the streets to make sure that things don’t get out of hand and that everyone is safe.
Electric Forest is a four-day electronic music festival held in Rothbury, Michigan. It is co-produced by Insomniac Events and has taken place every summer since 2011, usually at the end of June. Every year this festival boasts a long lineup featuring some of the top names in EDM. It also features some famous rappers, alternative bands, and acoustic sets. Every summer an estimated 45,000 people come and set up camp in the whimsical Sherwood Forest to enjoy four enchanted days of high- energy electronic dance music.
The setting of Electric Forest contributes greatly to the overall experience. It takes place in Sherwood Forest in Michigan, but this is not like any other forest you may have seen before. The tall trees are illuminated with neon lighting to bring the forest to life
. Lasers are projected overhead throughout the forest, adding an electric feel to the atmosphere. The festival hires performers and actors to roam the grounds dressed in all different costumes, ranging from woodland creatures to dancers and other performers dressed in eerie looking costumes. Intricate art installations can be seen all around. There is even a “spirit temple” where attendees can go to meditate and worship as one, regardless of religion or ethnic background. There are other intimate locations around the festival for fans to gather and relax after a long day of partying.
Most attendees of Electric Forest travel to get to the festival, so camping is very common. One cam
ping option is called Back 40 Enchanted Camping, and this allows the visitor to bring back the theme of the festival to their campsite. They are given a private campground separated from the general camping area. They also get a tent with electricity, a fan, and a mattress, decorated whimsically with fairy lights. These people also enjoy catered meals, showers, flushable toilets, and golf cart transportation throughout the festival. This camping option is very expensive–as you can probably imagine–costing $1,750 per person.
This past year, the fifth anniversary of the festival, the festival sold out in record timing. After the release of the 2015 lineup, the festival sold out all of its tickets in less than 24-hours. This is three and a half months earlier than the tickets have ever sold out befor
e. This shows that the festival is in its prime and, with each new year, expansions are being made to make an even better music festival experience for attendees.
I have never been to Electric Forest but some of my friends have and I have heard nothing but great reviews from them. Everyone I have talked to who has gone said that they
want to go back again next year. I am hoping to make a road trip there this summer with a few friends, but if that doesn’t work out I am definitely going next summer.
Sources:
Click to access EF2015_Sold_Out-v2.pdf
http://www.electricforestfestival.com/ticket-information/back-40-enchanted-campground/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Forest_Festival
Dear Twitter User @Mark_May_espn,
On October 13, 2015 you posted a tweet that read “Penn State Frats are always in the news doing something wrong.” This tweet upsets me because, not only is it not true, but also because you seem to ignore all the positive things that Penn State fraternities do. After looking at your Twitter profile, it appears that you go to Ohio State University. I understand that our schools are considered rivals in football, but making false accusations about fraternities at Penn State—which have nothing to do with our school’s football program—for the world to see is just ignorant. My purpose of writing this is to inform you of all the good that Penn State fraternities accomplish, because it is clear that you are unaware.
I will acknowledge that recently, a certain Penn State fraternity was in the news for taking pictures of naked, unconscious girls and posting them in a private Facebook group. This disgusting event upset the whole Penn State community and disciplinary action was taken, resulting in the shut down of the fraternity responsible and a thorough investigation of all other fraternities at Penn State. Another recent news story was about a gay Penn State student who was brutally beaten by a “frat guy” on Fraternity Row after revealing his sexual orientation. After investigation, it was discovered that the suspect accused of beating the gay student was, in fact, not a member of a fraternity at Penn State. I can only assume that these are the events that you are referring to when you tweeted that Penn State fraternities are always in the news for something bad, but (although both events negatively represent Penn State) only one of these events actually involved a fraternity. The event involving the naked photos of girls was absolutely unacceptable and worthy of news coverage, but it is not representative of fraternities at Penn State as a whole. To say that they are always in the news for bad things is an exaggeration and incorrect.
Penn State fraternities take part in a variety of service opportunities–the most prominent being THON. In case you haven’t heard of THON in the news, it is a 46-hour dance marathon run by students at Penn State raising money for the Four Diamonds fund supporting children with pediatric cancer. Fraternities take part in canning trips where they go to a certain location for the weekend and stand on the side of the road all day holding cans to collect money from drivers and pedestrians for the Four Diamonds fund. Fraternities also have a THON child (someone who has/recently recovered from pediatric cancer) that they are paired with and form a very close relationship with–visiting them at their homes, inviting them to events, spending THON with them, and keeping in close contact with their families. In addition to canning trips, fraternities partake in a variety of other fundraising opportunities all to support the kids.
Each fraternity at Penn State has a different philanthropy that they are involved in. Each one benefits a different national organization or cause. There are also a number of smaller scale acts of service performed by fraternities. These include but are not limited to: sponsoring blood drives, tutoring children, organizing fundraising events, cleaning the football stadium after games, and collecting donations or putting together gift baskets for the less fortunate around the holidays. In most cases (besides THON) these acts of service receive no mention in the news, but that does not stop fraternity members from participating in them.
Contrary to popular belief, fraternities are not all about partying. Academics are of utmost importance and always come first in fraternities at Penn State. There are minimum grade point average requirements that must be met in order to be a member of a fraternity at Penn State. Mandatory study sessions are in place for all pledges and any members whose grade point average is just barely meeting the requirements. Progress reports are sent out to ensure that all members are maintaining good grades and tutoring is available to any members who want to take advantage of it. Incentives are put in place to reward the fraternities whose members have highest cumulative GPA. Maybe this is why, on average, members of Greek life at Penn State have a higher grade point average than those not involved in Greek life.
I am currently a freshman at Penn State and pledging a fraternity. Although I have not been initiated as a member yet, I already know that the brothers are genuinely good people that treat everyone—whether it be other fraternity members, alumni, women, or people not involved in Greek life—with respect. When joining a fraternity, you are taught to be a gentleman and act with class and maturity. Everything that any member does is considered a representation of your fraternity as a whole. There is such a strong sense of brotherhood among all members and everyone really cares and looks out for each other. You must remember, however, that we are all young college students, and everyone does stupid things at times and makes mistakes. Of course we are going to slip up occasionally but it is about recognizing your mistakes, owning up to them, and learning from them.
The fraternity members involved in the scandal last year got what they deserved. It is time to leave that situation in the past but use it as a reminder to treat everyone with respect. They are no longer a fraternity at Penn State so you should stop referring to them as one and stigmatizing all Penn State fraternities based on the their actions.
On October 9, 2015, Zedd played at the Bryce Jordan Center as part of his True Colors world tour. Anton Zaslavski, famously known by his stage name Zedd, is a twenty-six year old music producer and DJ from Germany. He is best known for his Grammy award winning song “Clarity”, in addition to “Stay the Night”, and “I Want You to Know”.
The show had two openers, including Madeon and Dillon Francis, with a surprise performance by Morgan Page. Madeon is a twenty-one year-old electronic music producer from France. Unfortunately, I missed most of his set at the concert because I arrived late. Dillon Francis, a twenty-eight year-old American DJ and producer, was a must see for me. This was my third time seeing him this year and his sets never disappoint. He produces moombahton, which can be described as a blend of house music and reggaeton. His set at the Zedd concert had a fun, high-energy atmosphere. Francis played most of his hit tracks, including “Get Low”, “When We Were Young”, and “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter”. His songs were accompanied by humorous visuals on the screen behind him, in addition to flashing, multi-colored lights. His performance was definitely one of the highlights of the night.
Zedd took the stage at around 9:30 and opened with his hit single “Beautiful Now” from his True Colors album. This got the crowd pumped up and lively because it is a newer, more popular song of his. The visuals that were portrayed behind Zedd were like nothing I have ever seen before. They were so clear and detailed that I actually felt as if they were real and a part of the stage design. His songs were accompanied with bursts of flames, confetti cannons, flashing lights, numerous lasers, and Co2 cannons. The whole venue was foggy, allowing the lights to be m
ore visible and the lasers to make a dreamy, smoky effect. Zedd played a variety of songs—most from his True Colors album, some from his Clarity album, and other original remixes of popular electronic songs. My personal favorite song of the night was “Spectrum”, which he played twice throughout the show. After his last song, the lights went dark and the crowd chanted for more. Never one to disappoint his fans, Zedd came back on stage and played two more songs. He ended the night with his remix of the song “Alive” by Empire of the Sun. This was a lively, upbeat finale that had fans singing along and dancing under a seemingly endless shower of confetti.
This was my second time seeing Zedd perform. The first was at Firefly Music Festival in June of this past summer. Both performances were spectacular and unforgettable, but I would have to say that I liked his Firefly performance more. This is because, at Firefly, he played on a bigger stage and it was outdoors, allowing him to make use of fireworks and sparklers. It was also my first time seeing Zedd so it was all new to me and I was surrounded by a much larger crowd of people (so large that I could not see where it ended). Overall, Zedd shows never disappoint and I highly recommend that you go to one when the opportunity is presented.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zedd_(musician)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dillon_Francis#Early_life
Halloween is my favorite time of year; I love to go trick-or-treating. I like anything chocolate, but my favorite candy is Hershey bars. My least favorite neighbors are the ones who give out healthy snacks like apples, pretzels, or raisins (they don’t understand the point of trick-or-treating).
Halloween is based on Pagan harvest festivals. One of these, Samhain, is a Celtic pagan celebration which was considered a time when the separate worlds of humans and faeries were less distinct. Food and drink are put out for the souls of the dead, which they believed would visit their homes.
Tweet: “Penn State fraternities are always in the news doing something wrong”
- Thesis: The good things done by Penn State fraternities outweigh the bad.
- THON
- Canning trips
- Close relationship with THON family
- Fundraisers
- Thonvelopes
- Service
- Greek sweep
- Philanthropy
- Gift baskets around holidays
- Community Interaction
- Homecoming parade
- Academics
- Higher GPA than non-greek students
- Study hours
- Help available from older members
- Minimum GPA requirement
- Conclusion: Penn State fraternities do a lot of good for the school, community, and their members. They may occasionally be in the news for bad things, but that does not represent Greek Life at Penn State as a whole.
Insomniac Events is an American tour promoter that organizes some of the biggest electronic music festivals. Insomniac was founded in 1993 by Pasquale Rotella and is based in Los Angeles, but holds events in many different states and even different countries, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brasil, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Over its short twenty-year history, Insomniac has produced more than 250 festivals, concerts and club nights. Insomniac Events prides itself in producing the most innovative, unique, and captivating music festivals in the world.
Insomniac hosts events in California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Las Vegas, New York, and Texas. Their first and most popular event is Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC, is the largest electronic music festival outside of Europe, drawing in over 400,000 people over its three days. It wasn’t always this big of a festival, though. The first ever EDC was held in a warehouse
in Los Angeles in 1991. It continued to grow throughout the years, each year adding a new location. In 2009, the festival occurred in Puerto Rico. In 2010, it expanded to include a stop in Dallas. In 2011, Orlando was added followed by a stop in New York in 2012. EDC Las Vegas is the biggest and most successful location, drawing the biggest crowd and most headliners.
What makes Insomniac Events so special is the fact that they focus so much time on the details and atmosphere of their festivals. Large, interactive art installations and performers dressed in costume, alongside next-level lighting effects create an experience unlike any other. EDC in particular goes above and beyond all norms of traditional American music festival
s. Once entering the venue you are immediately immersed in a psychedelic themed circus, complete with paid performers and amusement park rides. There was even a documentary called Under the Electric Sky made about EDC and premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
The next upcoming festival hosted by Insomniac Events is called Escape Halloween held in San Bernardino, California on October 30-31. This event features four stages, all with creepy names like Slaughterhouse, Ghouls’ Graveyard, The Chopping Block, and Cannibals’ Tea Party. It also features performers including fortune-tellers, contortionists, and freaks from hell to haunt the festival grounds. The event also contains haunted mazes to add to the overall ominous atmosphere.
Insomniac Events hosts some of the most well known festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival, Nocturnal Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland, and Life is Beautiful. Unfortunately, I have never been able to make it to any Insomniac festivals. I was very close to attending EDC New York this past year but my family was going away for that weekend. I would love to experience EDC Las Vegas eventually when I can afford the ticket, airfare, and hotel, but I can’t see that happening any time soon.
Sources:
http://escapehalloween.com/experience/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniac_Events
https://www.insomniac.com/about-us
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Daisy_Carnival
This past summer I went to Mad Decent Block Party in Philadelphia. Mad Decent is a record label based in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, founded in 2005 by Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known by his stage name, Diplo. Mad Decent Block Party is a traveling concert that plays in major cities every summer and features some of the biggest names in electronic dance music.
The “Block Party”, held at the Festival Pier at Penns Landing in Philadelphia, took place on August sixth and seventh. I went on August sixth and lineup was as follows: Flosstradamus, ILoveMakonnen, Jauz, Porter Robinson, and Jack Ü. Flosstradamus is the stage name of two DJs—J2K and Autobot. Together they make trap music, a subgenre of electronic dance music. Trap music is characterized by aggressive sound and lyrics, with heavy bass and many different sounds playing at the same time. Flosstradamus has a very urban and underground stage presence, making for an exciting and unique experience.
Makonnen Sheran, better known as ILoveMakonnen, is an American hip-hop recording artist. He is most commonly known for his hit track “Tuesday” featuring Drake. He quickly rose to fame when Miley Cyrus shared his album on Instagram to her millions of followers. His rap performance was a nice change from the electronic music and got the crowd energized.
Porter Robinson is an American, self-taught DJ and pro
ducer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Robinson achieved international stardom by the age of just 18 and continues to grow popularity. He was ranked number 7 in the Billboard under 21 list and number 5 in DJ Times’ 2013 ranking for America’s Best DJ. Robinson tours internationally and headlines at the world’s biggest electronic dance festivals including Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Zoo, and Tomorrowland. Porter’s music is hard to describe–it has a unique sound of its own, adding an electronic element to indie dance music. The lights and visuals that play alongside his music are a spectacle in themselves. They are captivating and add another element to his already unique music. His performance was definitely one of my favorites of the night.
Jack Ü is a DJ duo consisting of Diplo and Skrillex. Diplo, founder of Mad Decent, and Skrillex, founder of OWSLA, joined forces in 2013. The duo made their debut performance at the Mad Decent Block Party in San Diego in 2013. They released their debut album named “Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü” in 2015. The album contains the hit songs “Take U There” and “Where Are U Now”. The album falls under the trap and dance music genre. Their performance at Mad Decent Block Party was by far my favorite performance of the night, if not my favorite performance ever. They brought so much energy and enthusiasm to the crowd and it was a performance I will never get.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_Robinson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ü https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILoveMakonnen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flosstradamus
DanceSafe is an organization set up to keep ravers safe. Its website describes DanceSafe as “a 501(c)(3) public health organization promoting health and safety within the nightlife and electronic music community.” It accomplishes this by setting up stands at electronic music shows and festivals that give out earplugs, water, and information on popular “rave drugs”. They also offer drug-testing services to ensure that, if you choose to take drugs, you know exactly what you are taking.
DanceSafe was founded in San Francisco in 1998 and has quickly spread to many cities across North America. What makes this organization so unique is the fact that they provide peer-based advice and educational programs to advise ravers to make smart, informed choices. Teenagers and young adults are always taught to stay away from drugs and make healthy choices (which I completely agree with), but we know that no matter how many times they are told this, some people are still not going to listen. DanceSafe recognizes this fact and, while teaching the risks and dangers of these party drugs, offers insight on proper dosage and safety measures if you choose to take drugs. DanceSafe states on their website that, “We neither condone nor condemn drug use. Rather, we provide a non-judgmental perspective to help support people who use drugs in making informed decisions about their health and safety.”
DanceSafe has stands set up inside concert grounds to provide services that combat common medical problems that happen at raves. Free water and electrolytes are provided to prevent dehydration and overheating. Earplugs are given out to protect against hearing loss and eardrum damage. Drug testing kits are available to prevent overdose and identify what substances are actually in the user’s drugs. The workers at the stand provide honest and unbiased information on drugs and their dangers and effects on the user to make them more informed and, therefore, more safe.
Not every venue is welcoming of all that DanceSafe has to offer. Many venues have denied DanceSafe from setting up a stand during their shows. Other festivals– including TomorrowWorld, Imagine Festival, Mysteryland, and Lightning in a Bottle– have banned DanceSafe from offering certain services like selling drug testing kits and conducting tests onsite. Electric Forest festival has been a supporter of DanceSafe for four years now but has just recently been banned from the festival. The festival organizers decided that the organization was too allowing and encouraging of drug use at the festival. I can see why they may think this, but overall I would say that DanceSafe helps keep people safe more than they are encouraging drug use. After all, it’s not like someone sees a DanceSafe stand and decides they want to take drugs.
I have seen DanceSafe stands at a few shows and, though I have never talked to the workers, I have taken advantage of the free water they provide. I think that this organization is very helpful in reducing medical issues at concerts and should be present at all festivals. You can’t stop people from taking drugs but you can make it safer for people who choose to use them, and that is what DanceSafe aims to do.
Sources:
https://dancesafe.org/dancesafe-was-shut-down/
https://dancesafe.org/about-us/
Recently at University of Delaware, three strings were found hanging from a tree branch in the shape of a noose. What makes this controversial is the fact that just the day before, a peaceful “Black Lives Matter” protest took place. When the alleged nooses were discovered by a student, the news quickly spread that this was a demonstration of a hate crime. After investigation, it was found that the strings were used to hang paper lanterns for Alumni Weekend and were never taken down properly. Nj.com and the Newark Post had very different headlines and focal points in their articles on the matter. The Newark Post, a local publication in the city of Newark, Delaware, (which is where University of Delaware is located) focused on defending the fact that the strings were not nooses. Nj.com, a mainly New Jersey-oriented website, makes no mention of the fact that the strings were actually used for paper lanterns and refers to them as nooses. These differences are established through the title, word choice, and evidence presented in the articles.
The headlines of the articles immediately present two very different views on the story. Nj.com presents the reader with an attention-grabbing, controversial title that reads, “Nooses found after ‘Black Lives Matter’ rally in Delaware, reports say”. The Newark Post, knowing that the majority of its readers are local residents, poses a more relaxed, reassuring title. It reads, “UD: Alleged nooses were remnants of lantern display.” Because New Jersey residents may not be familiar with University of Delaware or have any interest in what goes on there, the author knew he needed a strong headline that would invoke interest and emotion in a large number of people, regardless of location. The author accomplishes this by using the word “noose” and leaving out “alleged” and also by mentioning the recent Black Lives Matter rally. This enables the reader to make the connection that the nooses were a hate crime against African Americans. Contrarily, the Newark Post title attempts to downplay the issue by assuring the readers that the strings were not nooses. This is accomplished by using the word “alleged” in front of “nooses”—instantly informing the reader that it was a misunderstanding. It makes no mention of the Black Lives Matter rally, inferring that there was no connection between the two occurrences. The Newark Post hopes to uphold a good reputation for the town in which it is based and wants to satisfy its readers—this is why its title differs so greatly from nj.com’s.
The two articles are written in very different tones, both invoking different feelings in the reader. Starting with the very first sentence in the nj.com article, the author sets a very serious and professional tone. The sentence reads, “Authorities have initiated an investigation after nooses hanging on a tree at the University of Delaware were spotted after a “Black Lives Matter” rally Tuesday night.” By mentioning the Black Lives Matter rally, the author is connecting and forming a relationship between the “nooses” and the rally. The Newark Post article takes a more relaxed, defensive, and informal tone. The first sentence reads, “Three so-called “nooses” that created an uproar on the University of Delaware campus were nothing more than remnants of a lantern display…” By using phrases like “so-called” and “nothing more than”, the author downplays the situation and makes the whole misunderstanding seem ridiculous. Another interesting difference in the articles is found in the mention of how the University handled the situation. The nj.com simply reads, “The university also alerted students of the incident, which remains under investigation.” The Newark Post article reads, “UD officials quickly released a statement condemning the ‘racist display’” and then goes on to include what the official statement said. The Newark Post is more concerned about preserving the University’s reputation because it represents the state as a whole—which is why the article goes into such detail about how the situation was handled. Nj.com, and presumably most of its viewers, is not concerned about the reputation of the University; therefore, the author saw no need to go into detail about how it was handled. The Newark Post author used words like “quickly” and “condemning” to express the concern of University officials. The word choice of both of the articles gives the reader different feelings and viewpoints on the situation.
The two articles present different evidence on the situation and produce two different understandings of the occurrences. The nj.com article fails to mention the fact that the alleged nooses were actually found to be strings used to hang paper lanterns from trees. It does, however, make a very convincing argument that these strings were actually nooses in response to the Black Lives Matter rally. The Newark Post article presents a lot of solid evidence— including time-stamped photos, witnesses who saw these strings before the rally even occurred, and en explanation from the student responsible for taking down the lanterns—to prove its argument. The evidence the authors of these articles chose to present makes a big impact on the overall understanding of the situation for the reader.