March 19th

In my opinion, people don't take advantage of the High School community enough. Take this into consideration: What kind of people do you go to elementary school with? People of your neighborhood who forcibly are of the same socioeconomic background and probably of the same race. When you get to middle school, a few elementary school combine. This means you get a pretty good mix of people all with different backgrounds. But the real change happens when you get to High School. When two or three different middle schools combine, High School is where you have the most diverse group of peers. When you get to University, you pick a major and then you're surrounded by people who picked the same major as you. Or if you go to an Art school, you're automatically surrounded by Artsy people. Or if you don't go to University and you go directly into a job...Most people only hang out with people of the same profession or same type of profession. And when you graduate out of University and go into a job, it's the same thing.
High School, you are able to be in classes with different people all day. But guess what will happen if there is not assigned seating or at lunch and break? People go straight back to groups they are comfortable with....well they might as well be hanging out with a bunch of mirrors. People need to take advantage of the opportunity they have in High School to be around diverse groups so they can learn about different cultures and understand others. Because when you don't understand something, you are afraid of it.

 

 

Tom Sometimes is a Liar - An Opinion by Julia Pressman

March 13th
Thomas William Canty is a down right liar. I know the title of this opinion says sometimes...but he basically lies all the time. He lies so often that he had to get fire retardant pants...because they are always on fire!!! One time he told me that he was nice. There's a joke and a half!!! Just look at his opinion of this week! Constant mean words flowing from his thoughts. If one such a person harbors such vile distasteful thoughts one can only expect bad things to happen to the person. I just don't know anymore. You think you know someone... I guess that's what comes of being the youngest child. When you are constantly being picked on by your older siblings (even ones 29 minutes older) it is bound to harm your state of being. I almost feel sorry for the guy. A solution to this problem is obviously for everyone to carry a roll of duct tape around. When they hear Tom even START to lie they can tape his mouth shut. That should teach him a lesson.

 

Feb 27th

People say that the worst pain is when a parent loses his or her child. The death of a child is just awful for the parent especially because they can experience grief and pain even years after the incident, the mind and heart know no space and time. I cannot of course understand fully the pain but I've read stories that describe it as “soul-ripping; a complete feeling of the heart dying.” Since I can't physically lose a child (on account that I don't have any), I think the worst pain for kids is losing a parent. I could not, absolutely not, imagine one of my parents dying especially if it was not expected. That would be the worst worst worst. When I was in 5th grade one of my classmates lost his father. It was very sudden and I distinctly remember the day before it happened, him and I along with a few friends were laughing about how Apple Juice looked like pee. "And what is orange juice? Concentrated pee?!" He joked. But the next day, he was half an orphan. How could something so terrible happen in such a short time? A few weeks ago, another kid I know lost her Dad. I am just so grateful I still have both my parents because I don’t know how I would deal with losing either of them. That would be the worst pain for a child, for sure.

 

Feb 12th

I think that everybody in High School should be required to go to Camp Everytown. For those of you who don't know, Camp Everytown is an intensive 4-day/3-night residential retreat for high school youth that reduces stereotypes, bias, and prejudice, and which increases understanding and respect for differences in race, ethnicity, religion, culture, and other factors that act to divide us. (www.svccj.org). Basically, it helps you accept and understand people who are different from yourself. I went last April and it was really something that moved me and made me realize how easy it is to misunderstand and hurt someone but how simple it is to avoid that too. Upon coming back from Camp Everytown, I felt a duty to accept and include others no matter who they were. But gradually, that zest ebbed away and even though I know what to do I don't feel so obliged to create such an environment, even though I try sometimes. Camp Everytown was such a positive experience for me and I feel that if it was required, and everyone experienced it we could make the community a much healthier place. If everyone knew, they would accept more. Kind of like how everyone knows that running a red light is bad so they hardly ever do it. It makes sense, I think.

 

Feb 6th

In the past week there has been a lot of talk about marijuana in the media because a photo of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps smoking marijuana out of a bong appeared.  This is not the first time the twenty three year old has been in contact with the law.  When he was nineteen, he was convicted for a DUI. He went without punishment for about a week but finally he was suspended from swimming for three months and lost his endorsement from Kellogg.  I wouldn’t smoke marijuana because it is illegal.  But do I think smoking it is bad? No.  People are very upset because Michael Phelps is a role model to so many children and they are worried he might badly influence them.  Personally, I think if Phelps were to do something, it is better he smoke some marijuana in his house than to go out and get drunk then drive himself home, potentially hitting a pedestrian or another car and killing them.  Also, I think he should be given the same punishment as anybody else, and not be treated differently because he is an athlete. We are making a big deal out of this when probably over half the mid-twenties population has smoked pot and gotten away with it.

 

 

Jan 15th

A lot of people hate accordions.  There are countless jokes that make fun of accordions and I think that is really unfair. To me accordions are not an instrument to be made fun of but instruments with great sound and utility. The first diatonic accordions were made early in the 1800's. They had one row of ten buttons in the right hand. Diatonic accordions are frequently used by many folk and dance groups, because of their great sound output, simplicity, light weight and low cost.  For something so useful, why is it so hated? The truth is, even back in 1998 when the Internet was just becoming very popular there were three Internet sites devoted entirely to accordion jokes.  It is unsure what prompted such an anti-following of the accordion but because it is so unliked, often people don’t give it a chance.  When I was in first grade a classmates’ Dad came in and played the accordion for us.  I don’t remember much else but that I had not heard this sound before and ever since then I have been somewhat intrigued by this mysterious instrument.
In my opinion the instrument is underused and should be more prominent in the music scene.  When you can do this, then you can make fun of accordions.

For people who want to hear more accordion music, listen to the album Accordéon Diatonique by TREF.

 

Dec 17th
All week I have been into this website I discovered a while back. It’s a French website called “La Blogotheque.” Every week, they invite an artist or a band to play in the streets, in a bar, a park, or even in a flat or in an elevator, and they film the whole session. They don’t edit the videos to make them look flawless and the keep the raw sound of the surroundings in order to capture instants just like they happen, without preparation or tricks.  When they play in the streets it is funny to see the faces of people as they pass, the people are so confused!   The man who films Vincent Moon has some very interesting shots and point of view.  Very creative.  All that in itself is awesome but what I love even more is that they have all of my favorite artists performing. Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Francois Virot, Jens Lekman, Jason Mraz, The Shins… You name it they have it.  I think I am in love with this website.  Actually, I wish I could just watch their videos all day. I really enjoy it.  It is such an original idea.  I wish I could be a part of it.  Probably my favorite videos so far are the videos of Bon Iver.  I love his music.  He also has a little beard.

 

Dec 12th
Last week I learned that I won a contest.  I entered it online through the radio station Mix 106.5.  Actually, they give away a lot of things.  Well in truth I enter a lot of their contests. Even though I don’t listen to their radio station.  I hope that’s ok. I figure the more contests you enter, the more likely you are to win one.  And here you go! I think I just proved my theory.  Well the contest I won was free tickets to their “Very Merry Mixer.”  The artists who are playing at the show are Sara Bareilles, Lenka and Honey Honey.  It should be a god show.  Me +1/+2/+3 guests will be in either the first or second row.  But the best part is that after the show we will get to meet the artists.  I am very excited.  The concert is tomorrow.  I have never heard any of Lenka or Honey Honey’s music but I am sure it will be great.  I realized I am very lucky. I often win things of find cool things on the ground.  My whole family has good luck actually.  I hope I didn’t jinx it just then.  I am also very excited for winter break which is in one week.

 

December 4th
I am co- president of The Guitar Club at MVHS.  It’s a club I started this year with my friend Kelly.  We meet Wednesdays at lunch.  People bring their guitars… it is pretty fun.   As part of the club giving back to the community, we decided to perform for the day care center near the district office.  Kelly and I went over there and the teachers loved the idea so we started getting people who were interested in performing.  We were planning on going to perform once for the morning class and once for the afternoon class.  Everything was forming nicely.  I went to ask what I would need to do to get the members of the club excused from class so they could perform.  It would be no problem, I was told.  All I needed to do was hand in a list people who would be absent and the times they would need to be excused from class.  It was very simple.  It looked like we would be able to do this performance without any hiccups or difficulties.  But today I learned some bad news.  They day we wanted to perform is the first day of “Dead Week.”  Dead week, apparently, is the week before finals where no one is allowed to miss class.  It seems that teachers were complaining that kids were skipping their class and they were not able to cover the material they needed or have enough time to review….or something. Anyway, so now I have to go see the vice-principal and ask her to make an exception.

 

 

Nov 20th

Secret Music Club meeting today.  The theme for the CD was “Song’s I can’t Shake (Hits From the Vault).”  There were a few artists I had heard of; Ben Kweller, Kings Of Convenience, The Mountain Goats…  there is a pretty eclectic mix of songs on this CD… I’ve been listening to it while I work today.  Tracks I like so far on this album are; “When A Man Is In Love With A Man” by Of Montreal and “Like A Monkey in the Zoo” by Daniel Johnston and “Common People” by Pulp.  They’re funny.  The weirdest song so far is “Danger! (High Voltage)” by Electric Six. I don’t know, this song will have to grow on me.  It’s a good song but listening to it for the first time it does not endear itself to you. My favorite track so far is Jens Lekman’s “I Saw Her In The Anti-War Demonstration”. The one track I had heard before was Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity”.  That’s a good song.
“And suppose I never met you
Suppose we never fell in love
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft
Suppose I never ever saw you
Suppose we never ever called
Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall.”

 

 

Nov 5th

I went to a concert last weekend at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley . I got there with my two friends four hours early so we could hold a spot in line and get close to the stage when they opened the gates. It paid off because we were in the second row! First on was two Spot Gobi, a band from England who is not very well known but they are very good. For first time listeners I recommend their song “Sunshine Lady”

Next up was Lisa Hannigan. She is a singer/songwriter from Ireland . She is petite and cute when she speaks. Like a little mouse or something equally sweet. She has done some work with Damien Rice which may be why her name sounds familiar if youa re Damien Rice. Her band mates are good looking. Here is a song of hers called "Lille"

And lastly Jason Mraz preformed. He was awesome, as usual. I don’t really think there are words that describe this, you know? But he definitely winked at my friend and I because we made a sign for him. After the show we met a few band mates from Two Spot Gobi. The cellist and the guitarist. The guitarist recognized us because my fried had a white hat on, which was cool. And also I saw Toca up close.

 

October 21st

I went to a concert last night at the Great American Music Hall. One of my friends invited me. The two opening acts were Jay Nash and the Gabe Dixon Band. Justin Nozuka was headlining but I was really more excited to see Jay Nash. We get there a bit late because of traffic and the line to get in was already down the block. But we had some friends who had gotten their earlier so we stayed in line with them. After we saw Jay Nash and Gabe Dixon and had squirmed our way to the front in the process I went to the back of the room to buy their CD's. It turned out the guy who was selling the merchandise was Justin Nozuka's brother, Chris Nozuka. Also While everyone was squashing towards the front to be as close to Justin as possible, Jay Nash was hanging out in that back. So I talked with Jay Nash for a few minutes and he was really nice.

 

October 16th

I was at a Best Buddies Club Dinner Match Party last night and everyone was having a good time. We were mathcing people with their buddies and eating outside and it was good. Well someone had put a bunch of matches in this tea candle which was in a glass container and the flame had gotten a couple inches high. Well I didn't want anyone to get hurt so I picked up the glass continer to blow the flame out and the container was so hot that I dropped it and all the wax from the candle spilled on my hand. It hurt so bad and the skin came off of my fingers. We went to the hospital and they gave me a shot of morphine in my leg and they cut off the dead skin and dressed my hand. They also precribed painkillers for the pain later on. I hope I can regain the full use of my hand soon.

 

September 26th
Lately I have been getting back into an artist whom I love called William Fitzsimmons.  He was born to two blind parents and he has a beard.  He has put out two albums to date.  “Goodnight” and “Until When We are Ghosts”. His next album comes out on the 30th of September.  There is a special promotion on his website where you can get his cd and a discounted price on the album t-shirt and a year’s subscription to PASTE magazine.  His new album is called The Sparrow and The Crow.  I am going to buy that.  He wears glasses and is Friends with Sam Beam from Iron & Wine.  He has some tour dates going on right now but none of them in the bay area. Which is too bad.  But he will come soon I hope.