+
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014
PAGE 5
arts & features
HOROSCOPES Because the stars know things we don't.
Aries (March 21-April 18)
Today is a 7
Maintain objectivity in a partnership. Your discipline is admirable. Watch out for an ambush. Give up a relationship that's disruptive, or take a time out
Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is a 9 Create a practical solution. Invest for the long term. The outcome may be different than expected. A financial shortage requires a substitution of ingredients.
Germini (May 21-June 20)
Today is a 7
In a conflict between career and your partner, do what you partner says. It could be possible to have it all... look from a different perspective. Slow and easy does it.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Today is a 7
Don't venture into new territory before doing the homework.
Choose your words carefully today and tomorrow. Chances of breakage are high... watch your steps.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Today is a 7
Make a definite decision and assume authority. It's not a good time to gamble. Don't touch your savings. Provide security now,
as well as love.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Today is a 7
Work alone, and do what you promised. Supervise the changes that are occurring. Consider a differing opinion. Stand up for what's right. Don't be hasty. Restate the rules.
Libra (Sept. 23-0ct. 22)
Today is an 8
it's important to follow the protocol. Sorting and filing can be fun. Check carefully for plan changes. Heed the voice of experience.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Today is a B
Make an important long-distance contact. It's best if you don't force things to fit. Ponder the possibilities. Be respectful.
Watch out for hidden expenses.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Today is a 7
Conditions seem unsettled. Take care not to stumble. Stick to your budget or get a rude awakening. Set long-range goals.
Consider career options.
Capricorn (Oec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today is a 7
Maintain practical routines to succeed at work today. Obey the rules. Don't give up.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today is an 8
Travel and education hold your
focus. Revise financial arrangements.
Costs are higher than
expected... amend the scope and
scale of a project to suit.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 7 Maintain your strict standards. Anticipate disagreement... Your reasoning may get challenged. Stick to the basic facts. Work out a deal, and draft the paperwork. Do the numbers and prepare contracts.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Rapper Snoop Dogg blows a puff of smoke during Wiz Khalifa's Black and Yellow (G-Mix) music video. Anti-smoking ads are becoming more prevalent, while music's drug culture remains.
Singer Milev Cyrus wears a marijuana leaf leotard during a performance in Vancouver, Canada. Cyrus sings about getting high in her song "23."
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
By Maegan Bull
@Maegan_bull
In today's constantly changing music scene, artists are able to reach their audiences faster than ever before. Thanks to the invention of smart phones and apps such as Pandora, Spotify and more, we have nearly unlimited access to music.
In a 2008 report from JAMA Pediatrics, 279 of the most popular songs of 2005 according to Billboard magazine were analyzed. It was found that of the 279 songs, 93 (33.3 percent) portrayed substance use, with an average of 35.2 substance references per song-hour.
— currently on his Under the Influence tour—raps about smoking weed and being high all the time with songs such as; "So High," "KK" and "Medicated." Even Miley Cyrus, a former Disney sensation, dressed up in a weed costume for her concert tour Bangerz earlier this year. She also sings of getting "high off perp" in her song, "23," which currently has 344,989,281 views and counting on YouTube.
While drug references in music is nothing new, preventative measures targeted specifically at youths are becoming more common. To help combat some of the pressure we are faced with in society, the Food and Drug Administration created a campaign called "The Real Cost," the first ever youth targeted anti-smoking campaign focused on adolescents who use or have used tobacco before.
These ads have appeared many sites such as YouTube and Hulu Plus in the form of a commercial, perhaps even playing prior to a music video for a song that will in fact inadvertently promoting smoking or drug use. While there are many different scenarios played out in these ads, one in particular depicts a young twenty-something
female having to rip off a piece of skin on her cheek in order to come up with "the cost" for a new pack of menthol cigarettes,with the slogan "What are menthols costing you?" spoken at the end.
Truth TV Spot has also released a video called "Unpaid Tobacco Spokesperson" that portrays pictures of some of America's admired public figures such as musicians Chris Brown, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, to name a few, and actors and actresses such as Kate Moss, Orlando Bloom and Kristen Stewart and more, all silently endorsing big name tobacco companies by smoking cigarettes. The video includes a hashtag at the end of the video, saying "#finishit." By saying "Finish It" you're not just only saying no to cigarettes, you' re helping put an end to the perpetuation of smoking.
With the FDA estimating that nearly every day in the U.S. more than 3,200 people
under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette, with more than 700 of those becoming daily smokers, its hard not to want to see a change occur in these patterns.
Virtually every genre of music is at our fingertips. Music has become a way to express our emotions or change our mood. With more and more artists referencing drugs in their work, it is hard not to feel constantly pressured by the thought of doing and/or using drugs in today's society.
The organization DoSomething.org is challenging teens and college students to stand up and make a difference. All across America, students are taking the initiative and joining a campaign called "I want you to quit because..." where participants are encouraged to write a personal note to someone who smokes as a way to step up and take a stance against smoking.
Current statistics don't show a sharp decline in drug use, especially tobacco use among
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 9 out of 10 smokers started smoking by age 18.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Surgeon General estimates that teenagers who smoke are three times more likely to use alcohol, eight times more likely to smoke marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine.
According to Americans for Nonsmoker Rights, As of October 1, 2014, there are at least 1,477 100 percent smoke-free campuses. Of these,975 are 100 percent tobacco-free,and 291 prohibit the use of e-cigarettes anywhere on campus.
teens and college students. In fact, University of Michigan scientists conducted a nationwide study called Monitoring the Future, in which they found illicit drug use has been gradually rising among American college students since 2006.
According to a press release from September from the University, 34 percent of students surveyed indicated they used some illicit drug in the prior year; that rate was up to 39 percent by
.
2013. Will recent campaigns such as "The Real Cost" and "Unpaid Tobacco Spokesperson" among others, help to make a difference in teen smoking rates and drug use rates in general? One thing is for certain, in a culture that so often perceives its youth as bait, these campaigns cleverly target us with the intention to combating this continuation.
- Edited by Miranda Davis
Ensemble partners with KU Dance for opera
I LILY GRANT
@lilygrant_UDK
"It's crunch time for the Heilanthus Contemporary Ensemble as they squeeze in the last few rehearsals before performing the premiere of "The Nightingale," composed by Chris D. Burton.
The show will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2 and 5 p.m. at Robinson Center. The show will also feature "Mahakala," an electronic music piece composed by Kip Haheim, associate professor in the KU School of Music. Admission is free to the public.
The Helianthus Contemporary Ensemble is a group of singers at the University who perform new, modern music on a semesterly basis. This is the first time the ensemble
The opera group, made up of graduate students, has been putting the final touches on its piece this week. Clark Weyrauch, who is working on his master's degree at the University, will make his directing debut with the performance of "The Nightingale."
has collaborated with the KU Dance Department.
Weyrauch said he is excited to partner with the KU Dance Department. He said the department has more dancers, and they have had to rehearse at different times because there is a limited time period to ensure the show comes together before opening night.
"To put all of these parts together is a little nerve-wracking," Weyrauck said. "That's been really neat, but also really challenging, too."
Weyrauch said the opera tells the timeless story of a pompous emperor who demands the ownership of the nightingale, a rare and beautiful bird, so he sends his chancellor into the woods to retrieve it. He is disappointed upon her return to find that the nightingale is unwilling to stay stationed in the palace, Weyrauch said.
Burton wrote "The Nightingale," a story based on a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, with his wife Shelley Burton in mind as the nightingale.
perience things and to sing for fun."
"I don't like to be tethered down, necessarily," Shelley said. "I like to be able to be free to move. I just like to ex-
Shelley Burton said she relates to her character because she also is a free spirit.
Other characters in the show, including the emperor, aren't as fluid as the nightingale.
"The audience can expect to see and hear a finished product," Ashby said. "There's just so many elements coming together in the performance."
Ashby, a master's student in opera performance from Louisville, Ken., said he has two goals in mind for Saturday night: to be able to relate to the story and to have fun while performing.
The emperor, played by Caleb Ashby, opts for an obedient, mechanical bird, only to later find himself bedridden with soul sickness in disgust of his own behavior, Weyrauch said.
The singing nightingale returns when the emperor realizes what he's done, but only under the condition that he let her fly freely as she wishes.
Shellay said she is enthusiastic about the upcoming performance.
"I'm just so looking forward to the whole collaboration and seeing it all work together," Shelley said. "It's going to be really good, and it's really cool to see modern music that is accessible and in English, for opera, and it's done by young people. A lot of people think opera is just this dying, archaic art form, but it's really relevant and fun for people today."
Edited by Paige Lytle
+