Glenbrook North Facilities

Even as I pass by the school, I cannot help but notice the new renevations. Throughout the school, teachers echo, "Take advantadge of the new facilities." In the Torch, students that were interviewed said that they planned on using the weight room more. This could only cause GBN to become a physically stronger school right? The results of having a new weight room can only be good, right? Wrong.
The Glenbrook North weight room is impressive, both in size and in the quality of the equipment. The weight room has something for everyone: dungbells, cardio machines such as treadmills and elypticals, machines that specialize in a specific muscle (ex: biceps, triceps, quadriceps, etc.), and racks that enable students to bench, squat, and clean. Naturally, students want to take advantage of such a fantastic facility. What does this mean for the people who work out on a regular basis? Well, as someone who used to work out four times a week in the old weight room, I can say that although the new weight room is obviously superior to the old one, there are some flaws with it.
Teams are now requiring their athletes to work out a couple times a week. No big deal, right? Wrong, again. 30 athletes coming in at once causes a shortage of resources, limiting the possibilities to students looking to get a good work out. There isn't just one team in the weight room at a time, either. Often, there will be several teams in the weight room at once. For the athletes on these teams, this is a huge advantage. When I work out with my lacrosse team, I am very lucky because I get direct access to racks, weights, machines, and anything else I need. The trainers in the weight room make sure that students that are working out within their teams get the necessary equipment.
Unfortunately, as a student, when I come into the weight room and see a sign that says,"Football only," on the racks, I am upset because that limits my routine. As a result, I have to work around their schedule, rush myself and use the equipment before the football team arrives, or I simply cannot use the equipment.
What is the advantage of having an amazing weight room when students can't even use it as it was meant to be used? Either sports teams need to be a little more understanding or the quality of the students' workouts will decrease.

Gears of War 2

In November of 2006, Epic Studios released Gears of War. This third-person shooter immediatley captured the hearts of gamers across the nation. The developed characters, challenging campaign, and fun multiplayer mode combined to form one awesome video game, in my opinion game of the year (2006). After a successful Gears of War, Gears of War 2 hit the shelves in November of 2008. Gamers everywhere were anxiously awaiting its release. However, a big question arose: Would Gears of War 2 be able to fill the shoes of the original?

It only took a little bit of time to confirm that Gears of War 2 delivers in all categories. First, the story line is way more developed, incorporating a tragic love story between Dominic Santiago and his wife Maria. Second, the campaign is a lot more fun. Epic Games really made an effort to give the gamer opportunities to try something that they didn't get to do in the first game. For example, one gets to ride a reaver, control a brumak, defeat a gianst sea monster, drive a centaur, kill a massive worm from the inside, invade locust cities, and much more. Third, the multiplayer mode offers many new game types and maps. These new game types include: wingman, guardian, horde, and more. Not to mention the new maps of security, jacinto, avalanche, blood drive, river, day one, and more. The new COG characters include the new Carmine, Dizzy, and Tai. The new locust enemies inlcude brumaks, reavers, tickers, grinders, sires, scorges, and more. Fourth, the new weapons and execution styles cause the gameplay to be very gory, graphic, very cool, and very fun. All of this is delivered with great graphics. Gears of War 2 should easily be game of the year.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was originally expected to premiere in November of 2008 (this month). After much anticipation and hype, Warner Bros. pushed back the movie's debut until summer of 2009. They reasoned that they would make more money if Harry Potter 6 became a "summer movie". Personally, I am disappointed. I was very excited for the new movie to air in November. This is Harry Potter 6, a movie that is being closely monitored worldwide. Warner Bros. would have made plenty of money. Even if they had to push back the movie, why couldn't they push the movie back until the holidays? Lots of families go to the movies during winter vacations, not to mention the fact that kids don't have school. I cannot understand this harsh move and find myself feeling disappointed in the Harry Potter franchise. Although this feeling of disappointment will fade as soon as the movie comes out, I still strongly disagree with Warner Bros. on this issue.

(movie)- courtesy of mugglenet.com

Entourage

Sunday represents a day of relaxation, peace, and homework. Most importantly, "Entourage" is on at 9:00 on Sunday nights. "Entourage" features the Hollywood life of Vincent Chase and his close group of friends and family. The show provides a source of entertainment on an otherwise boring day. "Entourage" provides an escape from the exciting homework assignments one is forced to complete. Not only does "Entourage" provide an escape from the legendary adventure of Odysseus, advanced algebra/trig homework, and all other assignments, it is extremely entertaining. With the surprising twists, incomparable comedy, the unique and well-developed characters, "Entourage" delivers in all aspects that one could hope for in a television series. "Entourage" is easily the best show on television.

Too Much To Do in Too Little Time

Here at GBN, we always hear, "Get involved." In response, students participate in many activities: whether it is sports, clubs, debate, etc. Is this necessarily a good thing? What first appeared to be fun has now turned into chaos. How? Simple. Students are forced to juggle their time between all of the activities they are part of; personally, I have lots of homework, a sport, team workouts, a part time job, my family life, my social life, and recreational activities. How do I do it? I go to bed late, and wake up early. I have concluded that there simply is too much to do within twenty-four hours. I/we need more time, or less activities.

New Books for School

We all know what to expect from the books we read at Glenbrook North High School. These books that are supposedly "timeless classics" are extremely boring. If I was to read a book for school, I would want to read an interesting, contemporary book. Although "Romeo and Juliet", "Dandelion Wine", "The Odyssey", "O, Pioneers!", and all other books may offer interesting perspectives about literature, small excerpts could be given to students. This way, important passages are read and the students' time is not wasted. This solution is both effective and time-efficient. Maybe students will enjoy reading books again, I don't know. However, I do know that if new, better books are not added to the curriculum, then it would be foolish for people to expect students to be interested in literature.

Chicago Cubs

Are the Cubs unstoppable? After a week filled with drama and excitement, the Cubs end the day on a high note by winning the series versus the second place Milwaukee Brewers. This past week, Carlos Zambrano has thrown a no hitter, the Cubs offense has finally come alive, the pitching staff seems solid, and, to top it all off, the Cubs win the ballgame in extra innings this Thursday. The major difference between the Cubs from this year and the Cubs from last year, besides depth, is that last year we found a way to lose games; this year, we are finding ways to win them. As of today, the W flag flies high at Wrigley, declaring their strength and dominance. My prediction is that we will continue to see a lot more of the W flag, especially late in October.

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