Johnny Hunt

Dear Followers, I have anime depression. The journey of the American otaku is an emotional rollercoaster. When you find that a good show you can feel on top of the world, but when the last credit jumps across the top of your computer screen one of several things may happen. You can close your video player window and head over to Facebook to comment on how much you loved or hated the ending, scan the internet on search engines for any thread of information pertaining to a new season, or just slowly realize that there is no more left to watch. What I am experiencing right now is a mix of all three. This Thanksgiving break left me with so much time that I didn't even know what to do. For some unexplainable reason (probably Jesus), my download...

Transformers, Robots In Disguise

Dear Followers, A Closer Look: Japanese Pepsi Nex Billboard With the advance of modern technology, visual media has become the predominant mode of advertisement. The average person is bombarded with thousands of visual images every day, and one cannot look around without finding an advertisement in many parts of the world. In this new environment of visual entrapment, we as the viewers need to be able to evaluate the messages behind these images more than ever. As marketing executive Jay Chiat explains in his “Illusions Are Forever,” we need to “come closer to seeking our own truth” or forever be overwhelmed by the constructs of visual media. What follows is a thorough analysis of a single example of this visual media. Some of us have...

Show Me Your Moves

Dear Followers, One must take the information presented in the documentary 2 Million Minutes with a grain of salt. The documentary, while presenting several factual arguments regarding the status of American education in relation to the rest of the world, is based on a binary between “Western learning” and “Eastern learning” that reinforces harmful stereotypes. The documentary is meant more as a shock tactic for action than a framework for reform, making claims that we, the US, will lose our competitive edge unless we reform. The documentary appears to present an objective view on the question of the American educational system. Through the use of hard statistics and a “direct” view into the lives of several high school students, the viewer should have no problem accepting what is presented...

Beyond Heaven's Gate

Dear Followers, DESCRIPTION: Golden rays from the autumn sunset illuminated the maple-brown leaves that littered the ground in Central Park. Bathed in this golden light, the park was devoid of the hustle and bustle of the city, spare a few passersby on the sidewalks. Squirrels colored with patches of brown and white scavenged the leaves for remnants of Oreos and Smucker’s dropped by park goers. Kevin squinted, crushing his brow into a collection of wrinkles, to watch a nearby squirrel methodologically devour an acorn. The clack of a chess piece striking the limestone board broke him out of his stupor. As he turned back toward the board he was met with a wide smirk. Yasir had, in a single move, put him in check. Shifting his overcoat to protect his neck from the stinging autumn wind, Kevin...

Bello

Dear Followers, I am unhappy. Unhappiness is nothing new, but something about today seems like nothing before. I am convinced that the past few years have been nothing but a facade; they have been nothing but a useless undertaking to convince myself that I was happy. Nothing has happened recently to make me unhappy. This is not me waving the flag after taking a grade-destroying test or me taking a social interaction out of proportion. In fact, today is a call to happiness. The rest of the week is wide open, and Concordia is only the cherry on top. Instead, I have come to a sudden realization. Living is easy when we know. I have always known. Everything had a place in my world. Every person had a distinct role, every assignment was allocated...