NBA SEASON PREVIEW
By Tristan Magtibay
Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are
solely from the author's opinions and beliefs.
​
The NBA 2021-22 regular season is underway, marking the 75th year since the NBA was founded. The 75 greatest players of all time are to be presented at the 2022 All Star game. The NBA also released a commercial portraying some of the greatest players of all time, including Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant.
The NBA is headlined by the Lakers, the three-headed dragon of Brooklyn, and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. However, a big question is how Russell Westbrook will gel with Lebron Jamees and Anthony Davis on the Lakers. Has James finally shown signs of regression? And will Davis be durable for this year? In addition, Kyrie Irving’s refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine despite the NY statewide mandate has led to him missing all home games, meaning another loss of an all-time scorer for the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite being headlined by three championship favorites, the Western conference also includes the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets (led by last years’ MVP Nikola Jokic and star guard, Jamal Murray), the Golden State Warriors (with an expectation for Klay Thompson to return), and lastly, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
More playoff hopefuls include the Los Angeles Clippers, who will seek playoff contention alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves with Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russel, and Anthony Edwards.
On the other side of the Mississippi river, we have the Eastern conference, comprised of the Philadelphia 76ers, who are struggling right now due to drama with Ben Simmons, the Boston Celtics, who gained back veteran Al Horford and former man of the year candidate Dennis Schroeder, and the Knicks, who were one of the biggest surprises last season.
The Knicks are looking to improve upon their past games, and with new additions like scoring guard Kemba Walker and shooter Evan Fournier, they definitely have a chance to gain ground. In addition, the Pacers, with their newly acquired head coach, Rick Carlilse, will be hoping to improve their game upon the recent disappointing seasons.
Another team looking to elevate their skills this season is the Miami Heat, who previously lost in five games against the Bucks. The addition of Kyle Lowry is believed to improve their chances against the two conference goliaths, the Bucks and the Nets.
And lastly, the biggest surprise of the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks, will be led by the breakout star of the playoffs, Trae Young. The Hawks are hoping to break common opinion and win the championship, building upon last season’s playoff success.
​
LOKI TV SHOW REVIEW
By Abrielis Mejia
Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are
solely from the author's opinions and beliefs.
​
Loki premiered on Disney+ on June 9, 2021. The show begins as the aftermath from Avengers Endgame. Due to unforeseen interference, the Tesseract falls into Loki's possession, which aids him in escaping the guards and his bindings. However, this act went against the sacred timeline since Loki was originally sent to prison on Asgard. Due to this, an agent from the Time Variance Authority (TVA), known as Mobius, was called to arrest Loki for his crimes since the TVA is an organization that keeps the sacred timeline intact.
After being captured by the TVA, Loki is found guilty for his crimes and is sent to be punished, but not before Mobius requests that he is given Loki as aid on a difficult case. Mobius’ superior agrees and Loki is taken to interrogation, during which he is shown his whole life on a screen. Saddened and in disbelief from Mobius' video of Loki’s life, Loki agrees to help Mobius solve his case.
I enjoyed Loki because I thought it was interesting to have a villain be the main character of a TV series. TV shows and movies are usually about the hero, but this time we get a whole series dedicated to the villain getting redemption for his deeds. I also felt that the TVA organization was intriguing since Marvel had not previously gone into the time concept this deeply. We also have a buddy-cop dynamic between Loki and Mobius, which leads into funny moments and a great on-screen dynamic between Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Owen Wilson (Mobius).
Loki is also a fast paced show with incredible backgrounds, effects, and action scenes. Bayside High School senior Jasmine Chan commented, “I really liked the effects, and how they made use of illusion magic, especially when they used it in the fight scenes.”
Although intriguing, I believe that an unfavorable aspect of Loki is the choice of love interest. According an article on METRO titled “Loki Episode 4: Fans Horrified by Romance Story Hints: ‘It Physically Makes Me Want to Gag’” by Sabrina Barr, “In episode 4 of Loki on Disney+, a potential romance storyline is introduced that has horrified Marvel fans, with some describing it as ‘weird’ and ‘forced’. Numerous viewers voiced their horror over the idea, with one saying they thought it would be ‘super weird’ for them to go through with it.” I agree with this because having Loki and the love interest, Sylvie, was questionable. Simply being friends with one another would have been an interesting idea because Loki was never shown to have friends after becoming a villain.
Overall, Loki is an easy to understand TV series with a well-explained plot that finally casts a villain as its main character. Even though the romantic scenes may throw some people off, it may be a perfectly integrated concept to others.
​
POPULARITY OF ART
IN GLOBAL DECLINE
By Angelina Provvisiero
Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are
solely from the author's opinions and beliefs.
​
Throughout recent years, art has become less relevant and appreciated in many regions. It is believed that art and art expression has devolved into a state of rejection, inflicted by societal masses; therefore, as the popularity of art begins to decrease, so does its influence.
Modern art has been the known title for many pieces in different periods of time - mainly involving sculptures, oil and acrylic paintings, drawings, carvings, and digital visuals/designs. Decorative pieces also possess a significant effect of engaging audiences through their use as aid in home presentation. Most do not have much meaning or actual intent, and the purchaser usually relies on the visual flow, balance, or complete properties of the piece.
My beliefs surround the thought that art employs the purpose of reaching audiences, relating to various people, and allowing others to interpret their own meaning through emotional or literal expression. I tend to favor certain categories such as surrealism, contemporary, neo-Dadaism, expressionism, impressionism, and realism, but being able to have art accessible at both digital and physical platforms is a treasurable privilege.
Correspondingly, Bayside High School junior, Margherita Maiello, said, “I think it is really cool. Personally, art is a form of expression and helps many others express feelings!” This is a common truth among the art community, and the basis of many masterpieces. Margherita also expressed her interest in paintings and sculptures, mentioning a sculptor by the name of Damien Hirst, a powerful contemporary artist of modern ages. “I think it’s important to society as a whole. Some of the best artistic creations came from historic periods and gave us a glimpse of life back then. I go to museums every so often and look at the more interesting art styles.”
Similarly, Bayside High School English teacher Ms. Valente stated, “Art can be a reflection of a time, a thought, a feeling, or it can even be therapeutic for the artist. I don't think there are boundaries as to what can be considered art. I visit a few exhibits here and there but it is not that much of a priority in my life anymore. However, I do value art and I feel that it does immeasurably enrich and benefit our society more than we may ever know.”
Agreeably, Bayside High School Digital Art and Graphic Design teacher Ms. Smith said, “I love art and design! It brings me joy and passion. It has been an interest of mine since I was a young child and continues to be today. Creativity is important to us all. It helps make our world better.”
In addition, Bayside High School junior Kelly Liu stated, “Art is a form of self expression. Drawing helps keep me entertained if I have nothing to do and becomes peaceful once I put my mind and time into it. Acting, drawing, dancing, writing, etc. are all forms of art that people do everyday. We know how society has acted and behaved throughout time because of art.”
Lastly, an article from Forbes titled “Do The Fine Arts Have A Future?” by Neil Howe states, “The audiences for these museums — along with other forms of the visual and performing arts — have been steadily graying and shrinking, leading some to proclaim that entire genres are on their last legs. Arts leaders are trying all kinds of strategies to boost engagement and shed the stuffy image surrounding these activities.”
Art is an expansive term for innumerable works, and is worthy of infinite positive adjectives. Although it is glorified by many, it is also threatened in the sense of importance. The significance of art needs to remain relevant as a way to connect and place feelings and thoughts into visual and audible manifestations.
SQUID GAME
TV SHOW REVIEW
By Sophia Sewpersad
Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are
solely from the author's opinions and beliefs.
​
Squid Game is a new phenomenon taking over pop culture and is making quite an impression on young adults and adults alike. Squid Game has officially been named one of the most watched shows of all time on Netflix. Set in modern day South Korea, the main story revolves around 456 adults who come from all walks of life but have one factor categorizing them all together, crippling debt.
In the beginning of the show, viewers follow the life of Seong Gi-hun, a chauffeur and divorced father who lives with his vegetable-selling mother. Due to being a habitual drinker and gambler, Gi-hun owes millions of dollars to loan sharks and gangsters.
An unfortunate night of gambling leads to Gi-hun playing a game of “ddakji” with the Recruiter. The Recruiter meets a potential player, gives each player a card, and instructs them to throw it down and flip it over in order to see if they won.
Although Gi-hun wins, his greed for more money pushes him to accept a game invitation. Similarly to the rest of the players, greed is the main motivator of the game, which leads to all of the players calling the number on the card provided by the Recruiter.
After being picked up throughout the night, the players find themselves in a large cell with their clothes changed, and with 455 other players who are dressed the same. The direction of the game shifts to the people around Gi-hun, as they indulge in games such as “Red Light, Green Light”, “Tug of War”, and “Sugar Honeycombs (Dalgona)”.
As the global popularity of the show continues to grow, there have been theories about the true reason for this. Even though the Korean TV show is on Netflix, social media has had a large impact on this show as well. The increase of edits of scenes from the show has piqued the interest of many who constantly check their social media.
Bayside High School AP English Teacher Ms. Rivera felt that there was something lacking in the plot. “I was strangely captivated because I felt that the plot was so obviously predictable, that I wanted to see if I was right… it started to become a game within a game. In the end, I was extremely disappointed because the plot was so predictable and defeating in some way. It is still a good take on the child play that goes on in adulthood.”
On the other side, Bayside High senior Emily Truong said, “I liked the fact that we finally have a popular show with east Asian representation! The plot was great, and I loved the characters, especially Saebyeok.” However, she also criticizes some elements of the game as well. “I didn’t really like when the Americans came because their acting was really bad; [the directors] definitely could have gotten better actors.”
Although the overall popularity of Squid Game does not depict a true understanding of how people truly reacted to the show, viewers have begun to love the plot while trying to predict twists and turns throughout the story.
