All That Jazz

Jazz is an American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African-American communities in the Southern United States. It derived from a confluence of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has also incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music. The word jazz began as a West Coast slang term of uncertain derivation and was first used to refer to music in Chicago in about 1915. Improvisation is one of the key elements of jazz and a fundamental part of the nature of the music. In jazz, the skilled performer will interpret a tune in very individual ways, never playing the same composition exactly the same way twice. Depending upon the performer's mood and

personal experience, interactions with fellow musicians, or even members of the audience, a jazz musician/performer may alter melodies, harmonies or time signature at will.

How does the author regard jazz?

Health Care's Numbers Game

The game of health care is a risky one. Today emergency rooms are acting as primary care physicians for thousands of patients. This trend produces a vicious cycle of hospitals raising emergency room costs and passing that increase along to paying patients, who in turn pass it along to insurance companies, who in turn raise rates so even more people cannot afford the premium or the co-payment.

For years, indigent people have used emergency rooms for very minor illnesses rather than seeing an outside doctor, but now emergency rooms are seeing people with insurance, but who cannot afford the co-payment or the deductible for the office visit.

If we don't change the way the healthcare game is played, we're all going to lose.

Which statement from the passage is an opinion, rather than a fact?

Changing Time

I have a major problem with Daylight Saving Time (DST). I really wish they would abolish the practice of changing the time on us every year. "Spring ahead, Fall back" should disappear from our language.

Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns greatly differ, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited and often contradictory. The reason for the time shift has become irrelevant. DST's occasional clock shifts present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, and heavy equipment. Many computerbased systems can adjust their clocks automatically, but this can be limited and errorprone, particularly when DST rules change. I vote to abolish DST. Can I count on your vote?

What statement is true based on the information in the article?

Laughter

One of the best ways to understand a group of people is to know what makes them laugh. Laughter encompasses the limits of the soul and serves social, psychological, and physiological functions. In humor, life is redefined and accepted. Irony and satire provide much keener insights into a group's collective psyche and values than do years of research. It has always been a great disappointment to native Americans that the humorous side of their life has not been mentioned by experts on native American affairs. Rather, the image of the stern-faced redskin has been presented by the American Westerns.

Which statement is presented in the paragraph?