Campus Events has started their Courtyard Music Series for its third year with positive student feedback.

The Courtyard Music Series, located on the Courtyard Stage in the Student Center, provides live entertainment for students while passing through the Student Center or dining in the food court.

The intimate showcase allows students to interact with the musicians, as well as relax or study in the lounge area of the food court. Ultimately, students seem to appreciate the live showcases of musicians and positively interact with feedback to the musicians.

“It’s cool to have something to listen to while eating here,” said sophomore Annisha Kellam.

The Courtyard Music series includes a weekly showcase of various musicians of different genres. The series provides new musical outlets— most performances are not the usual radio songs and artists. Singer Jake Ousley and pop acoustic musician Gareth Rogers kicked off the first two performances this year.

“The series is great,” said freshman Sharita Underwood. “My favorite artist was Jake Ousley. He was amazing.”

The ambiance it gives students between classes is also a selling point.

“It adds spice to the atmosphere in the food court.” said senior John Guzmun.

Live music also provides a different atmosphere for students on performance days than a typical day in the Student Center food court. The performances attract more students to the food court, which increases sales.

“It gives the food court and Student Center a better vibe,” said Underwood. “It makes the atmosphere more relaxing.”

Last week, Noah Hoehn received great response from students, faculty and staff as he headlined the Courtyard Music Series with a unique marimba pop performance using a live looping system.  Noah Hoehn engaged the audience by interacting with them and explaining the process behind his music.

“It’s fun to get a chance to interact with the artists,” said freshman Chris Honeychurch.

“Every week there is a new face, and the music is always good.”

Campus Events have received upbeat student response to the music series and the performances this year. Although some students enjoy every performance, others say it varies upon genre preference.

“Some [musicians] are better than others,” said Guzmun. “It depends on the genre you prefer.”

Students do agree on one aspect-they anticipate more performances and diverse musicians in the future of the Courtyard Music Series. 

“I look forward to more musicians and the series.” said Kellam.

In the beginning of October, Campus Events will be looking for musicians and performances for next semester’s continuation of the series. Interested musicians and performers can contact Campus Events for more information regarding the application to be featured in the Courtyard Music Series.

“Next semester, we want to have more student artists,” said Courtyard Director Julia Samoila. “We also want more up and coming artists and performers that really put on a show.”

Samoila also looks forward to more student feedback as the Courtyard Music Series continues in the upcoming months.

• Desire2Learn will be Georgia States newest system-wide learning management program. Georgia State will join other University of Georgia Schools in switching to the program in January 2013. Two town halls, (Sept. 25 and Oct. 12), and a demonstration of the program, (Oct, 1), will assist faculty and staff with this transition.
   
• Professor Paul J. Ferraro won The proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ Cozzarelli prize for their article, “Conditions associated with protected area success in conservation and poverty reduction.” Ferraro and his associates accepted the award during the National Academy of Sciences’ meeting in Washington, D.C.
   
• Nick Wilding of GSU’s Department of History recently discovered Galileo forgeries. Two copies of “Sidereus Nuncius,” one bought by a New York dealer and another sold at Sotheby’s New York were proven to be 1964 reproductions of the book, not original printings, by the Georgia State professor.
   
• Prevent Child Abuse Georgia has a new home in the Center for Healthy Development at Georgia State. The prevention program will allow researchers at Georgia State to contribute to child abuse prevention efforts. The program is now part of Georgia State’s Institute of Public Health.
   
• Graduate students in the Astronomy program have found gaseous planets orbiting around the solar system Praesepe. The research was funded by NASA’s Origins of Solar Systems. This is the first stellar research to find planets orbiting around a star similar to Earth’s Sun. The project was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. 

The HOPE for Georgia and Georgia State Federalist Society event collaboration, the HOPE for Georgia Community Ambassador Training, received a below par attendance on Saturday, Sept. 15.

The training was organized to inform students about the changes of HOPE and the potential future of the scholarship; however, no students attended to receive this valuable information.

 “Turnout was disappointing,” said HOPE for Georgia coordinator Janice Barrocas. “Especially given how much students have at stake.”

 The disappointing attendance is a sign that students are not aware of the changes that affect every current HOPE recipient and the severity of HOPE’s future.   

 According to HOPE for Georgia, the scholarship covered approximately 87% of tuition in the 2011-2012 school year. In 2015, HOPE will only cover 50% of tuition.

“The HOPE Scholarship will cease to exist as we know it inside three years unless Governor Deal and the Georgia legislature take action,” said Barrocas. “Current and future HOPE recipients have the power to turn this situation around if we speak with a single voice. We must insist our legislators act before it's too late.”

Pearl Jam
“Vs.” (1993)

“Ten” may be the Seattle grunge band’s definitive album, but “Vs.” is the album that solidified their place in rock history. Classic anthems like “Animal” and “Daughter” moved the band from angst-ridden ranters to thoughtful social commentators, but the album’s powers lies within the players. Guitarist Stone Gossard singes every string through each song, particularly on tracks like “Dissendent” and “Go.” And frontman Eddie Vedder is in top form here, his roaring vocals and mesmerizing lyrics rages in every moment of this album. Millenials, take note: this is rock.

Foo Fighters
“Wasting Light” (2011)

Foo Fighters knocked another one out of the park with this rollicking disc that would have made Kurt Cobain proud. Like Syd Barrett was to Pink Floyd, the titular frontman of Nirvana hovers over Foo Fighters’ musical sensibilities, as evident in their Cobain tribute “In Your Honor.” This time, Dave Grohl’s incendiary guitar riffs and howling vocals tear through everything that was the band and goes deeper—much deeper. Standout tracks like “I Should Have Known” show the band at their most vulnerable, while “Miss the Misery” ties up the album’s theme.

Florence + the Machine
“Ceremonials” (2011)

The 24 year-old singer/songwriter flogged the airwaves with her debut album “Lungs,” but her sophomore effort found the artist confident in her footing. Haunting, ethereal and downright gorgeous, “Ceremonials” walks the thin line between rapturous love and shattering heartbreak. The album boasts replay value unlike any other record currently on the market, with each new listen revealing more layers, more truths and more surprises. In the words of Rolling Stone critic Jody Rosen, Florence is a machine.

Adam Ant
“Friend or Foe” (2009)

Adam Ant’s prime was in the 80s where his wave, post-punk, new romantic sound came to life on stage. His upcoming release’s title comes from his 2012 documentary, “The Blueblack Hussar” covering his UK tour. After Ant left the band Adam and the Ants in 1982, his solo debut album, “Friend or Foe,” was Ant’s greatest American chart success and included the hit single “Goody Two Shoes.” The song made it to number one in the UK and Australia, and number 12 in the U.S. Today Ant still has his fun-loving spirit, but he may be a disappointment to today’s generation who just may not get him.

Garbage
“Garbage” (1995)

In the band’s debut Shirley Manson’s edgy, but approachable lyrics set her apart from other grudge and post grunge era female vocalist of the day, like Courtney Love and Nina Gordon. Walking the line between dark and poppy allowed Garbage to claim a broader fan base. Garbage’s electronic feel was a warm welcome as the title wave of Seattle grunge rock was beginning to crest.  The first single, “Vow,” embodied the band’s signature feel: the voice of a disgruntled woman tamed by catchy melodies and an electronic beat. For more on the band, see the exclusive interview on page 4B

Civil Twilight
“Holy Weather” (2012)

Instantly, their uniqueness is captivating. Once their first track, “The River,” pleasantly draws you in with it’s upbeat, catchy guitar melodies and background vocals, you’ll be excited to hear the next track. “Holy Weather” is different but sounds awesome with lead singer Steven McKellar’s perfectly pitched, smooth vocals. Alternative and indie rock describes this bands genre on their sophomore album. Their self titled debut album hit with a little more rock than “Holy Weather,” yet staying in the alternative arena. If you like Coldplay, you’ll love these guys.

T.I.
“No Mercy” (2010)

The title to his eighth studio album was partly inspired by Marvin Gaye’s 1972 song of the same name, he revealed on Billboard magazine.  His previous album was his least selling album “No Mercy.” He recorded “No Mercy” after he learned that he was going back to jail which dampered his spirits, hence the poor studio performance. However, the album to listen to before checking him out this weekend is “Paper Trail.” These tracks are most compelling when T.I. is confessing his vulnerability in the ace of all that weighs on his heart. “Trouble Man” is set to release later this fall.

Van Hunt
“What Were You Hoping For?” (2011)

Listening to his latest release, Van Hunt transports you from an outdoor rock concert one moment, to a soulful blues nightclub the next. Compared to his previous albums, he transformed his sound from sensual R&'B to a more aggressive, rock, neo-soul, psychedelic mixture. Tracks “Moving Targets” has Maxwells melodic soul, and “Watching You Go Crazy Is Driving Me Insane” has Lenny Kravitz’s rock-and-roll heart. The distorted guitars and violent drums has developed since his earlier works. But he never leaves behind the mellow, gentle sounds as in “What Were You Hoping For.” Pleasantly and successfully executed.

Girl Talk
“All day” (2010)

Gregg Michael Gillis, the man also known by his stage name Girl Talk and mastermind behind this work, brings mutiple decades and genres of music together spontaneously. Surprisingly, a 2000s rapper rhyming over an 80s alternative rock guitar solo with a 1990s grunge rock beat actually works Even a 70s R&'B group doo-woping in the background while, again a vulgar hip-hop mcee raps has a unique appeal. “All Day” is Girl Talk’s fifth studio album, with each of mashups and digital sampling that screams schizophrenia.

Ludacris
The Red Light District (2004)

Luda is known for his party/club hits, usually with a raunchy, and to many, an appealing, sexual theme. By the sound of his new singles, he’s still going strong with his style. The album of note prior to the music fest is “The Red Light District.” Not only are more than a few of the beats hot, but he also has great artists featured throughout the tracklist including DMX, Nate Dogg, Bobby Valentino, Trick Daddy, Nas, Doug E. Fresh and Sum 41.
 

O’Brother
“Garden Window” (2011)

A combination of rock, experimental rock and ambient post-rock produces a very mysterious and even haunting sound. Influences include Deftones, Mogwai and Sigur Ros. Distorted guitars and voices with violent background effects gives this album an animalistic, wild vibe. Among thier three album releases, though it wasn’t a full length album, their 2006 LP, “In Comparison to Me,” is much more light and resembles alternative rock. If you’re looking for melodic tunes, this would be the album to listen to. Since they have gone through this genre evolution, expect their newer metal sound at Music Midtown.  
 

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
“Sinner” (2006)

This hard rock and punk rock band’s ninth studio album instantly lifts you out of your seat with intense electric guitar solos and a wild drum kit. Jett takes you on a personal journey with issues on politics, privacy and self-image. She also addresses sexual orientation on tracks such as “Naked” and “Five.” Joan’s powerful voice, on top of powerful lyrics and gritty sounding instruments, give each of her songs fierce passion—this is, after all, the band that made the anthem “I Love Rock and Roll” famous in 1981.

The Avett Brothers
“The Carpenter” (2012)

Partnering with famed producer Rick Rubin has served the bluegrass band well. Now in the mainstream spotlight after the success of their previous album “I and Love and You,” The Avett Brothers’ new disc “The Carpenter” arrives spit-shined and polished. Death hovers through much of the album, with a light sprinkle of longing and heartache, especially in tracks like “Winter in My Heart” and “I Never Knew You.” Lyrically, it’s the band’s most mature to date, and the rockabilly-ness of their musical style has become like a full-bodied wine.
 

Neon Trees
“Picture Show” (2012)

The Neon Trees embrace nostalgia. This sophomore album from the synth-heavy band brims with energy as bright as its name and drips with the Reagan era of feel-good optimism. From its pulsing dance-pop beats to its harmonious melodies, it’s an album that’s hard not to dance to. Pop-laden tracks like “Lessons in Love” and “Moving in the Dark” echo a little Bon Jovi, a little Duran Duran and a splash of 80s David Bowie. Great to listen on a bad day, a cloudy day or anytime you’re dodging cars in Atlanta traffic.

LP
“Into the Wild” (2012)

LP’s powerful and unique vocals give her that individuality that appeals to even listeners who may not even be fans of her rock/pop genre. This entire album has been recorded live as an LP with only six tracks. She’s an absolutely captivating performer with energy complimented by her versatile band behind her. Her previous album, “Surburban Sprawl &' Alcohol,” is another album you should listen to prior to the festival. She’s full of punk rock, sounding more grundgy. While her recent release showcases her phenomenal vocal range and ability, “Surburban Sprawl &' Alcohol” reveals a darker side that may just be her stripped, more vulnerable side.

Maybe they’ll perform these, maybe they won’t. But every fan who attends a concert hopes their favorite song will be performed.

Pearl Jam

Yellow Ledbetter-“Lost Dogs”
Black-“Ten”
Daughter-“Vs.”
Betterman-“Vitalogy”
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town-“Vs.”
Corduroy-“Vitalogy”
Alive-“Ten”
 

Foo Fighters

This Is A Call-“Foo Fighters”
Everlong-“The Colour and the Shape”
Monkey Wrench-“The Colour and the Shape”
The Pretender-“The Pretender”
Walk-“Wasting Light”
Best of You-“In Your Honor”

Florence + the Machine

The Dog Days Are Over-“Lungs”
Cosmic Love-“Lungs”
Shake It Out-“Ceremonials”
Spectrum-“Ceremonials”
No Light, No Light-“Ceremonials”
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)-“Lungs”
Howl-“Lungs”
 

The Avett Brothers

Die, Die, Die-“Emotionalism”
Tales of Coming News-“Emotionalism”
I and Love and You-“I and Love and You”
If It’s The Beaches-“The Gleam”
The Traveling Song-“A Carolina Jubilee”

T.I.

Whatever You Like-“Paper Trail”
On Top of the World-“Paper Trail”
ASAP-“Urban Legend”
No Matter What-“Paper Trail”
Get Loose-“Urban Legend”
Bring Em Out-“Urban Legend”
Dead and Gone-“Paper Trail”
 

Ludacris

My Chick Bad-“Battle of the Sexes”
Get Back-“The Red Light District”
Money Maker-“Release Therapy”
Act A Fool-“2 Fast 2 Furious”
Move Bitch-“Word of Mouf”
 

Garbage

Only Happy When It Rains-“Garbage”
I Think I’m Paranoid-“Version 2.0”
The Trick Is To Keep Breathing-
“Version 2.0”
Vow-“Garbage”
Medication-“Version 2.0”
 

Adam Ant

Goody Two Shoes-“Friend or Foe”
Strip-“Strip”
Kings of the Wild Frontier-“Kings of the Wild Frontier”
Antmusic-“Kings of the Wild Frontier”
Puss’n Boots-“Strip”

Neon Trees

Everybody Talks-“Everybody Talks”
Animal-“Habits”
Lessons in Love-“Picture Show”
Calling My Name-“Animal”
Girls and Boys in School-“Habits”
 

Girl Talk

Oh No-“All Day”
Bounce That-“Night Ripper”
Smash Your Head-“Night Ripper”
No Pause-“Feed the Animals”
Get It Get It-“All Day”
 

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

I Hate Myself for Loving You-“Striptease”
I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll-“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
Love Stinks-“Mr. Wrong”
Rebel, Rebel –“Flashback”
Light of Day-“Flashback”
 

Civil Twilight

Letters From The Sky-“Civil Twilight”
Fire Escape-“Holy Weather”
Human-“Civil Twilight”
River-“Civil Twilight”
Next To Me-“Civil Twilight”
 

Van Hunt

Down Here In Hell (With You)-
“Van Hunt”
Dust “Van Hunt”
Daredevil, Baby “On the Jungle Floor”
Whatching You Go Crazy Is Driving Me Insane “What Were You Hoping For?”
Eyes Like Pearls “What Were You Hoping For?”
 

O'Brother

Malum- “Garden Window”
Machines, Pt. 2- “Garden Window”
Division of Man- “The Death of Day”
Two Perching Birds-
“In Comparison to Me”
I Saw You There- “In Comparison to Me”
 

LP

Into The Wild- “Into The Wild”
Toykyo Sunrise- “Into the Wild”
Cadillac Life-“Suburban Sprawl and Alcohol”
Wasted- “Suburban Sprawl and Alcohol”
Heart Shaped Scar “Heart Shaped Scar”
 

The Signal: What is it like playing at a big event like Music Midtown; is it a good experience for you as a band, or would you rather play in a smaller venue?

Steve Marker: You know, the wonderful thing about where we are right now is that I don’t have to answer that question because we have a whole spectrum of shows this year, ranging from 300,000 people in Russia—which was a massive crowd—which was so exciting and cool and we couldn’t believe it, and tonight were playing a much smaller club here in Richmond, VA, and that’s gonna be great too, because its all hardcore fans who have waited a long time to come to this show, and it’s a very intimate venue and that’s going to be great, too. We’ve learned to adapt to any situation and we enjoy it all.

TS: Your most recent album Not Your Kind of People is the first album you have put out in 7 years. How do you feel like Garbage has evolved as a band since your first album?

SM: I think we are a lot more confident, and maybe that’s not saying much, but as songwriters we are more confident and, definitely, as performers. We’ve played live a lot, and that makes a big difference when we made the first record; we didn’t even expect to do any shows—it was just a studio thing. And then it kind of took off and we realized we needed to go out and play, and that was really intimidating at first, but now it’s more fun. It’s more a like a celebration that we look forward to every night and I think Shirley is so much more wonderfully confident than she was back then. Especially as a performer, which you will see in Atlanta.

TS: Do you think Garbage has been able to stick to their original sound, or do you think that the band has had to adapt its sound to contemporary music?

SM: You know, to be honest, I don’t think we’ve adapted or changed anything that we do—really, I don’t think, that we are able to. I think it would sound really stupid if we went out and tried to sound like Skrillex or whatever the most current thing on Pitchfork is, this week, or whatever most current on the radio charts. I think we decided a long time ago to sound like Garbage and that’s all we can really do, and I think that works.

TS: Is it true that you got the name “Garbage” from your original studio work, mixing and mashing things up?

SM: It was just a joke. I guess the story is that it was a Nine Inch Nails remix that we were working on—something like that—and then it was just like this huge mess of fuzz-boxes and echoes and flangers and other distortion, and it was sounding like an unbelievable mess, and then, somebody commented that it sounded like garbage. So we said “that’s a pretty good name for a band,” and we’ve regretted that ever since, but there you go.

TS: You recorded your first four albums in Smart Studios, your own studio. What was it like recording your most recent album outside of Smart Studios?

SM: You know, I think it was good in a way to go somewhere else. It’s not like we went to some glamorous place in Hawaii; we basically went to this basement in LA where Butch and Shirley live now, and Billy, our engineer, has this room that’s basically like a little mix room, but its about 10x14 feet—it’s really small. It was good for us to have a change of scenery, because I think we had gotten a little used to [Smart Studios]. We’d spent 10 years in Smart, and you just sort of fall into patterns. You know, that was a bigger building and people could sort of wander off if they weren’t totally into what was going on at the time, and I think that maybe diffused what was our focus a little bit. It was good to be in this little room with basically a computer with two speakers and basically a bunch of guitars and keyboards, there wasn’t any other place to go in this little room that we worked in so everybody had to sit on the couch and be totally present for what was happening and I think that made for better music because you had to kind of react to what was going on right away. You couldn’t say “Oh so-and-so is going to do this for a while, so I’m going to go to the bar for four hours and come back.” It was much more focused, and it made for quicker, faster recording, and, therefore, a better result.

TS: Garbage has been touring off and on, and this is your fourth run through the United States on this tour, correct? Is this one of your longer tours?

SM: Something like that. Not yet, but we’re going to keep going. It might end up being it.  When our album “Version 2.0” came out, I think we ended up touring for almost two years, 18 months at least. That was long—that was too long, and I don’t think we can do that anymore. We’re trying to do things a little more sensibly where we get a little bit more time off in between. Bits and pieces of touring this time, and we want to keep doing it, we’re having a fantastic time on the road; we’ve finally learned how to enjoy ourselves and not beat ourselves up so badly touring with everybody being sick and pissed off, and we’re working really hard to avoid that, and, so far, it’s been really fun. It’s amazing, we realize how lucky we are to have people that want to come out and see us, after all this time, and they’re so excited for the shows that we cant help but be excited for the shows, we’re lucky to have that core audience that will still come out and support us—and we really appreciate that.

TS: Garbage has been described as “grunge” or “post-grunge.” Do you think you deserve to fit into that category, or is that term a product of the times for you guys?

SM: To me, that never really fit us. To me, that means more like Mudhoney and The Melvins and Soundgarden, and more sort of a specific Seattle take on metal. We still don’t know what we are, because we’re sort of a pop band, but we’re not really. We’ve got loud guitars but also electronics going on. Who knows? I don’t know but I don’t think its fair to call us grunge.

TS: What was it like getting to work on the James Bond theme for The World Is Not Enough?

MS: It was really interesting. First of all, there’s only a few bands or musicians who have ever gotten to do that; it’s sort of an iconic thing, so to have that once-in-a-lifetime chance is amazing, and even people who are our relations, like my father-in-law, never really understood what we did. “You go play music somewhere? Hmmm, that doesn’t sound very respectable.” But now we can say, “yeah, but we did the James Bond theme.” That’s pretty cool. It was also pretty instructive about how movies work and how many people are involved with every decision; and you don’t really get to do what you want to do, you sort of get to do what you want to do and there’s a lot of compromising and it’s such a bigger industry than what we usually deal with, so it was pretty eye opening. We’re glad we got to do it; we didn’t write the song, but we got to work with a giant orchestra, which was pretty fun.

TS: Is it true that you were the one to first discover Shirley Manson and bring her into the band Garbage?

SM: Yeah, that’s true. We were looking for a voice for a singer, and we didn’t really know what was going to happen, what would fit in with what we were trying to do at the time, and we thought about using some other people and we were kind of lost, and she had this band for a brief time called Angelfish and they made one video, I think, and they showed it once on MTV on 120 minutes, which was on at midnight on a Sunday—for an hour they would play good videos and the rest was terrible. They would play good music and they played that video once and I happened to see it and I loved her voice right away because it wasn’t a high, chirpy, pop chick voice—it was kind of dark and sultry, like a Patty Smith or a Chrissie Hynde-type voice, that immediately I thought “that’s what we need,” and I tracked down the video, I got someone to mail me the VHS tape of the video, and I played it for the guys and it worked out from there. It was a lucky event for us for sure.

TS: You are quoted in an early interview after the release of your first album saying that you wanted to “take pop music and make it as horrible sounding as you could.” What is your take on contemporary pop music now?

SM: Well, first of all, that’s a really dumb quote on my part. I’ve regretted it ever since. I don’t know about pop, though. Years ago, if you said that I’d know exactly what you meant, like the top 10 on the billboard charts, but I don’t even know what that means anymore. There are so many different avenues of what people are hearing, and it isn’t just one thing anymore. It’s not just the top 40 hits on the radio, you’ve got stuff on blogs, and whatever’s popular on Pitchfork, and there’s so many ways that people are getting music. I think its kind of cool; people can seek out what thrills them rather than being told what’s good. There’s some good pop, as always, but there’s a lot of shit too.

TS: Besides being on tour, given your history of producing, are you working with any other artists in the studio at the moment?

SM: Right now it’s just full on with Garbage. We don’t know how long it’s going to be. We’re already trying to book more shows; next year we’re going to Australia in February, and we want to go back to Europe in the summer and keep going. Also, we’re probably going to start working on a new album pretty soon, maybe as soon as January. Right now it’s all Garbage, and there’s not a lot of time to do anything else. If was going to do another project, I’d need a certain block of time to focus on it, and it doesn’t look like there is that kind of time in the near future, so I guess not.

TS: Where are you most excited about visiting on your tour (besides Atlanta, obviously)?

SM: Well, Atlanta is number one, we haven’t been to South America ever, and people have always said it’s amazing and the crowds are awesome and out of control. Were going down there in October and I’m really looking forward to that. We just played in Mexico two nights ago and that was incredible; the fans are very passionate, I’ll say that. It’s really exciting; we love going there. If it was a bad place we wouldn’t go there, so every place I’m looking forward to. We’re going back to Russia in November and playing some places I’ve never even heard of in Russia, which is kind of cool, because 20 years ago I wouldn’t have even been allowed to go there, and now we’re going there to play a rock show. It’s a pretty wild experience, but Atlanta’s number one for sure.
 

Atlanta is coming up in the world of art and culture. As more nonprofits geared towards art develop public programs and as festivals consume our calendars, more people have more opportunities to participate in and appreciate public art.

With Music Midtown just around the corner, it’s obvious how excited people have gotten to see their favorite bands. The less-mainstream Counterpoint Music Festival in the outskirts of Atlanta has people talking, too. Sure, these festivals are bringing music to the people – but more importantly, they’re creating an entire community fueled by music.

These festivals are also doing something notable: dedicating specific areas to art. Music Midtown will have an artist market, and Counterpoint will have street artist Greg Mike and ten others painting installations during the festival.

These festivals aren’t the only organizations bringing art to the people: Living Walls, the City Speaks brings in artists from all over the world to paint on our dilapidated Atlanta walls, and they’ve made once seemingly abandoned Edgewood Avenue a vibrant street full of character. A single wall moved a whole community towards discussion about the merits of public art. Flux Projects puts on a huge art party in the streets every year, this year even making buses accessible to nearby Georgia State students who want to attend. And Glo ATL organizes public dance performances and holds free public dance classes for literally anyone who is interested.

Not to forget the quintessential Atlanta tradition: Dogwood Festival, which has been around for over 70 years, which provides a market for all sorts of artists and performers. The 15th annual East Atlanta Strut this past Saturday brought live music, performers, comedians, and – of course – art to East Atlanta Village, even making a point to engage children with its “Kid’s Village.” But it’s coming to the point where every year, a new event is happening. More people are getting involved.

So I think it’s fair to say that the people of Atlanta are doing their fair share to make this a better place to live in. Gradually, people are noticing the world around them as they contemplate murals and get excited about dancing and being out and about in the name of art. People, in short, are starting to care.

When I first started school at Georgia State, I didn’t find a whole lot to be enthusiastic about in Atlanta.
Now, I can honestly say that love this city. And it’s because of what we’re doing with it – we’re taking it in the direction of becoming a visually intriguing, cultured city filled with discussion.

There’s no question that the city overflows with a passion for art, culture, and community engagement and it will continue to grow from here on out. These organizations and festivals don’t just bring something pretty to look at to our neighborhoods, they bring an important message: be inspired, create, get out and participate. Live life with awareness and passion, question everything, and enjoy your surroundings.

Friend Finder

Trying to find friends at concerts can be a real pain. This app is designed to make it easier. It comes equipped with photos of common concert setups so users can show their friends where they are in a crowd of people. You can put an “I am here” sticker on any of those photos or a photo you take yourself, and then send it to your friends. Friends don’t need to have the app to receive the pictures. You can even download the seating chart of the venue ahead of time.
 

Crowdstream

CrowdStream is for people who want a more interactive concert experience- it directly connects fans to artists who are performing live events. You can find events, purchase tickets, post your own photos of the event and share your photos and comments with other concertgoers in real time. You can also check in virtually for shows you can’t make.
 

Music Midtown 2012

If you’re attending Music Midtown, this app can be your electronic guide. You can organize your plans by creating schedules, reading about the bands and learning how to find your way around the venue with an event map. You can also stay in the loop by checking Music Midtown’s latest Facebook and twitter posts. You can even win prizes if you participate in the Music Midtown Scavenger Hunt!
 

Concerts!

Concerts! will help you find concerts to attend in your area. The app will show all concerts in your area at first and then you can narrow the list based on the songs on your iPhone. Users can search concerts by artist or by location.

This year Music Midtown will be taking place in the 10th Street Meadow in Piedmont Park.     

While some parking will be available close to the park it is expected to be extremely limited because all residential streets around the park will be closed to non-residents. The festival’s promoters strongly encourage concertgoers to ride MARTA, walk, bicycle, or carpool with others to conserve the small number of available parking. No ticket holders are allowed to park on 10th Street or in the Grady High School parking lot.

There will be three gates to get into the festival, the main gate being on the corner of 10th Street and Charles Allen Drive. Will Call will be located across the street from the main gate. Other entrances to the festival are the Lakeside Gate, which is accessible from 12th &' 14th Streets, and the Park Drive Gate, which is accessible from Monroe and Park Drive.

The nearest MARTA Station is Arts Center which does have very limited parking available but will most likely not be open to the public. The SAGE Parking Facility will reportedly have parking available and charge a $15 daily maximum. This is located at 1345 Piedmont Avenue Northeast Atlanta, GA 30309.
Any concert goers with further questions can e-mail questions on their website (http://musicmidtown.com/connect/contact-us/) or Tweet them @musicmidtown. The festival is can also be found on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/musicmidtown.
 

Partying all night at a concert really does work up an appetite, especially when you are at the Music Midtown grooving to artists like the Foo Fighters and Ludacris. The problem is finding restaurants that stay open all night. Well, come along and pick out your flavor of eatery with this delicious 24-hour restaurant guide of Midtown.

If you are in the mood for upscale dinning, then visit Woodfire Grill, featuring American cuisine with a Southern flare. Local ingredients are used to fire-roast and grill their seasonally-influenced foods. Uniquely, Woodfire Grill features a three- and five-course tasting menu for those who like to explore with their taste buds.
Details:
(404) 347-9055,
1782 Cheshire
Bridge Road
www.woodfiregrill.com
 

If you are in the mood for a completely southern menu, check out South City Kitchen. This bungalow-housed restaurant features Southern favorites such as fried chicken, shrimp and grits and she-crab soup. Located near the Federal Reserve Bank and the Margaret Mitchell House, South City Kitchen gives customers a sophisticated view of an exhibition kitchen inside and a view of the Atlanta skyline on the patio.
Details:
(404) 873-7358,
1144 Crescent Ave.,
www.southcitykitchen.com

Want Italian? Take your taste buds across the Atlantic to Veni Vidi Vici. Their specialties include wood-grilled calamari, wood-burned, rotisserie-roasted chicken and hand-made pastas. If you are still not tired from the concert, come on Sundays for a jazz band trio.
Details:
(404) 875-8424,
41 14th St NW,
www.buckheadrestaurants.com/veni-vidi-vici

For those who have run out of funds and still want something yummy, find your way to Taco Cabana, an all-Mexican eatery. Whether you want burritos, enchiladas or quesadillas, Taco Cabana has a variety to offer.
Details:
(404) 874-6152,
1895 Piedmont Ave. NE,
www.tacocabana.com
 

While the recent revival of Music Midtown has brought both economic success and culture to Atlanta, some raise concerns about the potential negative impact to Piedmont Park.

Chris Nelson, the vice president of operations at Piedmont Park, thinks that Music Midtown is good for Atlanta. People in a big city anticipate and expect to see these kinds of cultural festivities, according to Nelson.

“I think it produces a positive economic impact on the city,” Nelson said. “It employs people. It creates jobs.”

Generally, surrounding businesses and restaurants greatly profit from the hype of Music Midtown. Eric Kline, the owner of nearby Latin restaurant Loca Lupa loves the festival.

“It creates culture,” he said. “It creates a vibrance in our city.”

The festival also provides a boom in business for his tapas restaurant, which has live music and dancing every night.

Adam Gajadharsingh, the owner of The Nook, an American casual dining restaurant nearby, has been an enthusiastic attendee of Music Midtown since before his restaurant opened.

“Last year was, for us, amazing,” Gajadharsingh said. “The festival brought a lot of business to The Nook to have dinner and continue the party.”

Gajadharsingh said that most businesses are looking forward to getting a lot of overflow business from the festival.

Gajadharsingh finds an intriguing significance to having the festival in the park.

“It’s a cool, unique theme that Atlanta has,” he said. “Rather than being in an arena, the festival is held outside in a giant park. This is what makes the festival what it is.”  

In the past 18 years, Music Midtown’s popularity remained high until its 2006 cancelation. Peter Conlon, Music Midtown’s founder, decided to change the festival’s 2005 summer dates from the first weekend in May to June 10-12.

Thinking that weather would be better, the plan backfired. It rained heavily, the venue had to be moved to a less popular location and the ticket prices skyrocketed. Ultimately, the support for the festival was low that year and cost Midtown over $3 million in profit.

Assuming that people had lost interest, Conlon decided not to have a Music Midtown Festival in 2006, which he announced that year.

When Music Midtown came back last year, it was a much different festival. It was held on Sat., Sept. 24 in Piedmont Park.

Piedmont Park’s overuse is only one one of the challenges that Music Midtown may present. They have very few park acres for a city of Atlanta’s size, so the parks they do have get a lot of use, according to Nelson.

“We have well over 3 million visitors a year, a lot of them coming from festivals,” Nelson said.

The biggest problem from the perspective of the land in the park is compaction from large amounts of people walking on the soil.

“Compaction can lead to a decline in the landscape,” Nelson said. “We’re pretty aggressive about addressing that.”

Over the years, in partnership with the city and conservancy, there has been a big improvement. Events, including the Music Midtown festival, are required to follow certain guidelines to help conserve the park, Nelson said.

As several outdoor events require, Music Midtown adheres to their Marketplace Exhibitor Information &' Application package where rules and regulations can be found. It states that, “Decorations may not be nailed, taped, tacked or otherwise fastened to park infrastructure, trees, or fixtures. The use or distribution of any of the following items is prohibited: adhesive backed decals, stickers, helium balloons, glitter, and confetti. Motorized vehicles of any type (forklifts, gas or electric carts, bicycles, scooters or similar equipment) may not be used inside the event venue.”

The festival will also only allow brochures and flyers to be in confined spaces of the festival, in order to keep the park from being flooded with them. The exhibitors are also responsible for keeping their areas clean, and disposing of their own trash.

Lastly, animals are not permitted on the grounds for the festival unless they are seeing-eye dogs.
However, even with these guidelines, weather and parking is always a big issue, according to Nelson.
Though Nelson doesn’t think that the challenge of Atlanta parking is unique to the city, Piedmont Park, unlike other parks, is situated in an area where there are surrounding single residential homes and neighborhoods. There aren’t a lot of public parking decks in the area, so many people park in the street, Nelson said. Oftentimes, festivalgoers are disrespectful of people’s homes, and will block their driveways, he said.

Nelson expects about 50,000 people per day for Music Midtown.

“We heavily promote the use of public transportation for these events,” Nelson said.

In the past, people have taken MARTA, which cut down a lot of the traffic congestion.

Nelson hopes for everything to go smoothly for Music Midtown 2012. If protocol is followed and there is no bad weather, there should only be a minimal amount of problems, he said.

The event is anticipated to gain momentum, as it did in its earlier years.

In its premiere year, 1994, there were three stages and the festival spanned over two days. As years went on, the event gained popularity, and the festival grew a great deal. It was changed to be a three-day event instead of two and have more than three stages. Because of the increase in stages, the festival expected more bands, and, therefore, more money. By 2003, the event had over 300,000 festivalgoers.

In 2011, after the event’s five-year hiatus, Conlon thought the event was getting too large. People were having issues figuring out what to go see and what not to because there were so many acts and stages.

It seems that the festival will ultimately move in the same direction as it did in the beginning, drawing a bigger crowd and more popular artists. This year’s Music Midtown is again stretched over two days, being held on Sept. 21-22, featuring Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters, as well as T.I. and Ludacris.
 

University of South Alabama

University of South Alabama, like Georgia State, has an infant football program. They went undefeated in their first two years, but a 6-4 record last year cut their run. They outscored their opponents 730-141 those first two years. Now, they’re in the middle of a two-year transition period, and they are not eligible for either conference championships or bowl games, but they will gain valuable experience regardless. Probably the most dangerous team potentially in the Sun Belt, Georgia State, having created a program around the same time, will hear and deserve constant comparisons to University of South Alabama as they both grow.

Middle Tennessee State

Middle Tennessee State is the only team to win 10 games in a season in the Sun Belt conference; though they had a down year in 2011, they are 1-1 this year, and projected for many more wins. Middle Tennessee State has a slightly weaker recruiting base, (if only compared to Florida), but still strong. They are probably one of the better known Sun Belt teams. Playing them will open up more recruiting avenues for Georgia State.

Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic has a short, but rich history. They began as a football program in the early 2000’s, with Howard Schnellenberger as their coach. Schnellenberger is well known as the man who started the dominance that was the University of Miami in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Had he not left after his first national championship, the University of Miami might’ve done even greater things. At Florida Atlantic, he built a program from scratch, not unlike what he did at Miami. Florida Atlantic had some good and bad years, with Schnellenberger retiring last year after a 1-11 campaign, but make no mistake; when a team is recruiting from the fertile bed such as Florida, anything is possible.
Florida Atlantic is where Georgia State is now; building towards growth. If Georgia State can get past them, they’ll be on the right track. Plus, Florida - Georgia match ups tend to be popular.
 

Arkansas State

Arkansas State has one of the most innovative coaches in the game – Gus Malzahn. An integral part of Auburn’s national championship staff, he took over the Red Wolves after Hugh Freeze left to take the head coaching job at Ole Miss. They went 10-2 under Freeze, considered unbeatable offensively, and handed the reins to a man in that same mold. It’s not hard to forecast them as up-and-coming, and will be a stout obstacle in the path of Georgia State. They are probably the weakest recruiting bed out of all the potential rivals.

University of Louisiana Lafayette

University of Louisiana Lafayette went 9-4 in 2011, and is 2-0 in 2012, so they obviously are an impressive team. Potentially, they could, with their schedule, become only the second team to ever win ten games in a season in the Sun Belt. Nothing particular stands out about the Ragin’ Cajuns; they are just well-coached by the experienced Mark Hudspeth. Working within the confines of what they have, they do very well. Also, as a plus, one of the similarities they have with Georgia State is their campus, as they are in an urban area, giving them a strong recruiting arm.

Certainly, it’s worth letting students know whenever the university is offering cool promotional offers like free food, glow-in-the-dark T-shirts or light-up shades, especially since we probably paid for it somewhere down the line.

So while the reasoning motivating the video is understandable, namely to promote what has up-until-now been a largely lackluster student presence for Georgia State’s first late-night game, the video’s poor production and execution caused it to flounder miserably.

For starters, its lip-sync looks like something out of a entry-level freshman video course, appearing rushed, poorly produced and nowhere even close to last year’s successful homecoming lip dub video set to Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”

More than a couple of those featured in the video – from random students to a pair of university police officers – almost seem forced into participating, often singing off time and even to an entirely different set of words than you might expect, which isn’t even their fault, really.

While wearing your “Sunglasses at Night” may have been cool 30 years ago, the decision to use that song in this context reflects poor decision making by Georgia State Athletics considering the demographics of its student body.

After all, more than half of the student body is under the age of 24, according to university statistics, putting music like by Corey Hart in the same category, if not worse, as music by Phil Collins and Lionel Richie.

Hardly the kind of thing to identify with, let alone get fired up to for the school’s first Saturday night game.
Nope, the video’s poor production values really just end up leaving its “pumped-up” message falling terribly flat, not to mention coming off as incredibly tacky, especially whenever head coach Bill Curry starts singing.

Of course, all of this wouldn’t be so bad if the video wasn’t blasted out via email to literally every student considering going to the game. But it was, twice.

After all, can you imagine any other serious collegiate football coach in Georgia doing something similar just for some cheap promotional laughs? What’s next? Is coach Curry going to have to dance the Macarena?

And for that, making such a storied coach, not to mention two-time Super Bowl winner, into a cheesy “viral” promotional item, Athletics should be ashamed.

No, there are better ways to publicize events, and they should know that.
 

After the first three weeks of competition, Georgia State’s cross country men’s and women’s teams started off their first season in the Sun Belt Conference on the right foot.

On Aug. 31, senior Katharine Showalter opened up the season placing first in the 5K women’s race against Clemson. Junior Valentin Poncelet finished third for the men’s team.

Cross country head coach Chris England thinks it might be too soon to say if the team’s preseason paid off, but the runners’ performances drives them to strive for more.

“It’s too early in the season to tell,” England said. “We have had some early successes in the first two meets of the season. This motivates the student-athletes to continue working.”

At the Georgia State Invitational on Sept. 8, the Panther men’s and women’s teams left with victories in every team and individual competition.

Once more, Showalter earned first place and was recognized as the Sun Belt women’s cross country Runner of the Week.

“Katharine Showalter has won both meets so far this season and earned a pair of Sun Belt accolades,” England said. “She continues to push her teammates.”

Showalter hasn’t been the only player to shine in the women’s team. England said that junior Jennifer Rubel showed improvement in comparison to last season.

“Her hard work is beginning to pay off,” Rubel said.

He’s also happy with sophomores Hannah Stefanoff and Niamh Kearney as they “resume their success started during a strong freshman year in 2011.”

Coach England said that his athletes don’t want the victories to make them lose focus.

 
“The two individual and two team victories at the GSU Invite only ensured a great day for Georgia State,” England said. “We celebrated briefly, but the runners are never satisfied and will continue to look forward to the rest of the season.”

So far, the team has been training hard for when the waning part of the season arrives.

“Early in the season, we train with high volume and high intensity. The runners are primarily engaged in running and weight lifting,” England said. “This tires the runners out and makes competing more difficult, but this prepares them for the long season so that they will be in peak physical condition when it counts.”

The current team’s preparation phase gives England high hopes for the future.

 “We are hoping to bring home a victory at the Sun Belt championship in October and have a strong showing in the NCAA South Regional meet.”

On Saturday’s meet, the Panthers will visit Carrollton, Ga. to compete in the West Georgia Invitational.
 

Men’s soccer faced two local rivals last weekend – Georgia Southern and Mercer. On Friday, the Panthers defeated Georgia Southern for 3-0 with two goals from William Mellors-Blair and one from Peter Vania. Against Mercer on Sunday, the Panthers fell 2-0, with the two goals received in the second half.

The softball team opened up the season on Sunday, playing two games against Georgia Perimeter College. The Panthers took both games 13-1 and 11-4.This weekend; they will visit UGA in Athens.

At the Georgia Tech Classic, the volleyball team lost every set they disputed, tallying a loss against Clemson and Georgia Tech 3-0. Their overall record is now 2-10. On Friday, they will begin their CAA competition, as they visit George Mason in Fairfax, Va.

The women’s tennis team hosted Emory, North Florida and he University of Alabama at Birmingham for the Atlanta Classic. In singles, the Panthers dominated as they won every matchup. Now, they get ready to receive Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and South Florida for the Southern Shootout from Sep. 21 to Sep. 23.
 

Position: Outside Hitter
Height: 5’8”
Year: Senior
Major: Exercise science

This week, Freeman had a stellar performance both at the GSU Invitational as well as the Georgia Tech Classic.

With 18 kills and 15 digs against Mercer, the Decatur, Ala. native put up her second double-double of the season and led the team to a victory. They ended up losing the final against South Alabama.

Since her freshman year, Freeman has been solid with the team. In 2009, she was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team.

 In 2010, she led the team in service aces with 32, third in digs with 311 and had three double-doubles.
Last year was her strongest as she had ten double-doubles, led the league with 47 aces and made the all-tournament team at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic.

In high school, Freeman dominated both in volleyball and basketball.
 

The Georgia State Athletic Department has found a new, fast medium to carry their advertisements for the 2012 football season – MARTA.

“This is going to get us in front of a more hip crowd that uses social media and technology as their major method of news and communication,” said Matt Newhouse, the Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing.  “We utilized video football commercial spots on the digital rail network and QR codes on all of our MARTA signage in cars and at terminals to drive traffic for our mobile apps and website.”

The advertisements are the department’s first attempt at getting the attention of commuters while they are riding MARTA.  Multiple radio spots and outdoor advertisements are also being used in an effort to grab the attention of those traveling in and out of Atlanta.

Marketing the infant football program in a city whose citizens already have so many entertainment opportunities has proven to be a challenge for Georgia State.  

Organizations like the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves have more resources and reach than Newhouse and his staff.  This means that Georgia State has to do the old-fashioned “more with less” routine.

“We have to be very smart with how we spend our money,” Newhouse said.

One of the ways the department spends their money wisely is by working with other organizations, such as SGA, student housing, and Spotlight, to help promote Georgia State Athletics.

There have been some early returns on this particular marketing strategy.  More tickets were sold and more revenue was generated by the home opener this season than last season according to Newhouse.
Despite the perceived emptiness of the Georgia Dome on opening night versus South Carolina State University, the paid attendance was 18,921.  That gate number was the seventh highest among all FCS schools in the nation during the opening weekend of college football.

The number was higher than all but one of the teams in the Sun Belt Conference, which Georgia State will join next season.

There is still work to be done if Georgia State wants to compete in attendance with the likes of Georgia Tech and University of Georgia.

But the home opener does show that progress is being made.

“I think from a marketing stand point it [attendance of home opener] means we are moving in the right direction,” Newhouse said.

To repeat an acceptable level of attendance, Georgia State also planned other advertising techniques for the game against the University of Texas at San Antonio.

At the Dome, they gave out 3,000 pairs of flashing sunglasses, glow-in-the-dark t-shirts and free food at the Orange Lot before the game.

On Thursday, Athletics organized Panther Nation at Atlantic Station, a pep rally for students. Athletics said that the event will also occur on Oct. 17, before the Panthers’ homecoming game against Villanova and on Nov. 1, before receiving Old Dominion at the Dome.

 “We are doing a better job at valuing and protecting our brand and spending less to make more,” Newhouse said.  “This will allow us to further enhance and grow other areas within our athletics department so that our athletics program as a whole will be stronger.”
 

Georgia State was defeated by the Roadrunners of The University of Texas at San Antonio Saturday night by a final score of 38-14.

The loss was the Panther’s third defeat in the season and leaves them still searching for their first victory.

“We have to start out playing well,” head coach Bill Curry said after the game. “We have to play well the whole time and we haven’t done that.”

The Panthers did start well as, as early into the first quarter, quarterback Ben McLane connected with wide receiver Albert Wilson down the left sideline for an 84-yard touchdown pass.

The scoring strike was the longest play from scrimmage in school history, besting Wilson’s 78-yard touchdown reception against South Alabama last season.

The touchdown gave Georgia State a 10-7 lead and brought the crowd of over 11,000, including Commissioner Karl Benson of the Sun Belt Conference, to their feet.  

Georgia State’s joy wouldn’t last for long.

UTSA needed only four plays to find pay dirt.  Following a Georgia State three and out, UTSA put together a nine play, 51-yard drive that was capped by another Roadrunner touchdown.

The Panthers would follow with one of their best drives of the evening, but would put zero points on the board after UTSA blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt by Georgia State’s Christian Benvenuto.  

UTSA put together a long touchdown drive following the blocked kick.  Their third touchdown of the half pushed the score to 24-7, were it would remain until halftime.

The Panthers would not pose a serious threat the entire second half.  

The 38-14 final score marked the third time in as many games this season that Georgia State has given up at least 30 points.  The 14 points scored was a season high for the Panthers.

One of the lone bright spots for the Panthers was junior Albert Wilson.  The Port St. Lucie, Fla. Native finished the game with 150 yards receiving on six catches.  He also hauled in two touchdown receptions for the fourth different game in his career.

Running back Donald Russell also had a solid night, rushing for 76 yards on only ten carries.  But the Panthers were playing from so far behind on the second half that Russell barely got to touch the ball.
Reserve quarterback Ronnie Bell, filling in for Ben McLane who suffered a left wrist injury at the end of the second quarter, made several nice plays in the second half.  He also threw a pair of interceptions.

“Guys that come off the bench and play great are people that are able to prepare themselves even if they are not promise that they are going to play,” Curry said.  “And you don’t know if a guy can do that until it happens. And it turns out that he [Bell] can.”

Curry also said that Bell showed he had a commanding presence and that is something that this team seems to lack at times.  

A change at quarterback will have to wait a few days at least as the severity of the McLane injury must be evaluated by the team’s medical staff.  

Curry does not think that the team’s application is the problem for their poor performances so far.

 “There was no lack of effort,” Curry said.  “There was execution by the other team, which was very good.”
Hoping to improve, they will face Richmond next Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
 

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing about politics. I know I should be ashamed about this, but unfortunately, I am not. It’s not that I don’t care about what’s going on in the world, because I do. I care about who runs this country and I understand that the decisions they make could impact not only this country, but the entire world. Trust me, I get it. The reason I don’t particularly get into politics is the reason I think most people should shut up about it: I don’t know what I’m talking about, and, typically, neither do they.

When I registered to vote for the first time, I did not know what political party I belonged to. I asked some of my more politically-minded friends why they belonged to the parties they belonged to, and really no one could give me a true answer. Mostly people just told me why the other candidate sucked. This is not the way to make a decision, people.

To make a political decision effectively you need to understand, the power behind the individuals position they’re running for, and what it means for the party as a whole if that individual is elected. So many people don’t know what powers are even reserved for the president. If I had a dollar for every time someone has mentioned to me that all my rights as a woman will be stripped away if Mitt Romney were elected, I could retire. I know for a fact that I don’t understand how certain aspects of the government work, and that leads me to shy away from making political decisions and judgments because I know they would be biased. I have vowed to brush up on my knowledge of the Constitution  so that I can understand exactly what powers the different branches of government have, but, unfortunately, many people don’t care to do this.

Most people would rather pick a party based off what they have heard and what they think they know. They send around memes and Facebook posts and think if they talk enough about the healthcare bill, people will think they are politically savvy. Don’t be surprised when the president you elected does something you didn’t think he would do, or thought he would stop. My bit of advice when it comes to politics: educate yourself about the political process then realize the government is corrupt. Don’t worry though, 12.12.12 is around the corner.