The Power of Color

Recently we watched a Charlie Chaplin silent movie, The Kid, in black and white in class. Then today I saw another movie, Invictus. I was amazed at how much emotion they were able to capture in the film. I do not think this would have been possible without color, sound, or the high quality of picture. This can be considered a good or bad thing. It can be a good thing because movies these days can be very entertaining. On the other hand, it is easy to draw emotions from viewers, and sometimes the quality of the movie is not so good. In the Charlie Chaplin movie, strong and deliberate images had to be shown in order for the viewer to understand the movie. In this way, the viewer has to pay close attention, and really think about what is going on. So then, what do you like: color or silent black in white?

Computers: Good or Bad?

Today i am writing about something that has a big impact on all of our lives: the computer. Computers have changed many things in the past decade. Even since I was a little kid, computers have changed the world. Now almost anything can be done over the internet, and one has a great power just sitting in a chair with a computer in hand. Instant knowledge can be accessed by just typing something in on Google. I would not even be writing this if it was not for the computer.

But, the computer has its downsides. My computer breaks on me all the time, without it i cant do my homework or blog. It can be so frustrating sometimes that i wish computers never existed. In addition computers allow people communicate without ever seeing or actually talking to each other. Although convenient, it can make people lose their social skills.

So, what do you think? Are computers helping or hurting our society?

The BCS Bowls

The BCS, or Bowl Championship Series, of College Football is often a controversial topic. Year after year, undefeated teams do not have a chance to win the National Championship. This year is a perfect example of why it is a flawed system. There are 5 undefeated team, but only Texas and Alabama get to play for the championship. These two teams made it in because they have the most respected names, not necessarily because they were the best. TCU, Boise State, and Cincinnati all did everything they could, beating every team they played. Still, they do not have a chance to win it all. In College basketball 64 different teams have a shot at winning the championship. This makes it more exciting and unexpected things happen. Therefore, College Football should switch to a playoff system and give more teams a chance at winning.

The ACT

As I was taking the ACT last Saturday I wondered about the nature of the test. Is the ACT a fair test?

I am not talking about cheating, but preparation. As a New Trier student, one might find it ridiculous that someone else did not study or practice for the ACT. The reality is that many people have no preparation. Without tutors and study guides, some students walk in the testing room not knowing what to expect. So then the question is, does preparing for the ACT give students an unfair advantage?

Since the test can determine what colleges one gets into, it can have a big impact on their life. Some say studying helps, others say it does not. What do you think?

The Approval of our President Obama

For a while I have wanted to post about our Nation's president, Barrack Obama. During his campaign he was made out to be the hero and it seemed he would turn our country in the right direction. Now less than a year from when he took office, I read the approval rating polls of Barrack Obama, and I noticed a decline in our President's approval.

Was this decline because he has made mistakes in office, or simply because he just isnt the savior everyone had hoped he would be?

Although I do not know every detail of his presidency so far, I think it is because of the latter option. The Nation is still close to where it was when George Bush was president and the same problems still persist. The economy is still in a recession, and unemployment rates are high. Obama recently sent more troops to Afghanistan, and his great plans inside our country are not working. Although not much time has passed, it is becoming clear our president is not the hero we thought him to be.

How Shallow Our Society Has Become

I was struck by how shallow American teenagers have become the other day after reading about popular books for girls. Now this is not the first time I realized that teenagers, both boys and girls, are concerned about unimportant things, but this led to deeper thinking. This article I read talked about how the most popular girls books these days are books like Gossip Girl, The It Girl, The A-List Series, etc. The "good characters" or heroines in these books are rich, popular, and materialistic girls. They can be considered bratty and mean, and are concerned with how they dress and sex. These are the kinds of girls that the books suggest are cool and the targeted audience, teenage girls, want to be them. The thing is, many girls fall for this and live their lives with goals of fame, money, and glamorous clothes. And this is just an example of girls, guys have their own concerns.

The problem? When kids are spending their time focusing on these things, they are not focusing on more important things. This causes a decline in moral and intellectual thinking. Older books and stories have the opposite plot, the smart "not fabulous" girl defeats the popular girl and shows her weaknesses. Will this popular media and literature cause our generation to be dumber?