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A Timeless Revival of Bloomington’s Drive-in Theater


Description of the video:

Sign at the entrance to the Starlite Drive-In

Narrator: From being a backyard drive-in, this 68-year-old theater has become a family-friendly staple here in Bloomington.

People visiting the concession building, and kids playing cards in the back of their van.

Families, friends and couples enjoy this nostalgic setting and watching new and classic films under the stars.

HSJI reporter Ava Lens talking to the camera from a wooded area

Ava: Starlite has become a tradition in several Bloomington families. Many say they have been coming here for years and hope to pass it on. Other locals say they love the nostalgic feeling here.

Interview with Starlite customer, Logan Milligan

Logan: I like the scenery of it I like how you can pull up and you can enjoy a night like this with your family like we packed pizzas and you know packed a blanket …
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Arrested Development is just a silly version of Succession


By Naomi Alemayehu

“Succession” is a roller coaster. The show covers the ups and downs of the Roys, a wealthy family that owned an international media company based in New York. The comedy-drama that started in 2018 is one of the best shows I have ever watched. With over 70 Emmy nominations in the past three years, the show has been broadly defined as a gold standard of television writing. 

On the other side of the television world lives “Arrested Development”. The show was a 2003 sitcom and currently consists of 5 seasons ( the first 3 are the best before Netflix decided to buy and ruin the show.) “AD” is all about the Bluth family, and how the eldest son, Micheal Bluth,  has to take over the family’s real estate business after his father, George Bluth Sr., is sent to prison …
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Voicing Stories Through Expecting the Unexpected


There it stood; a grave unmarked. “Nancy Green” was inscribed atop the grave– but nothing more. Any unheeding person may have simply carried on– not thinking anything of it. Albeit, it wasn’t just any ordinary person who noticed the grave. Erick Johnson, editor at Capital B, had just found a story. Nancy Green, better known as “Aunt Jemima” was a slave who had turned into an American advertisement icon as the face of pancake syrup in 1893. For almost 100 years, no one could locate her grave. That was until Sherry Williams, president and founder of the Bronzeville Historical Society, unraveled this decades-long mystery around 2005. “I look at Nancy Green as a Black mother figure, and Black women are the lifelines for generations, both Black and white,” said Williams. Williams found Green’s grave in Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois. …
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Glitz, glamor, glitter: Barbie movie encourages girls to own their femininity


Barbie culture has allowed women to express themselves in places where femininity may not have been traditionally accepted.

All Barbie girls in their Barbie world will emerge pretty in pink for the new Barbie movie, set to release on July 21, 2023. As stated by Time Magazine, the movie is a revival of female-empowering culture, both in Hollywood and the hearts of women, globally. But this isn’t the first time that Barbie has allowed women to be themselves in a masculine-dominant world.

 

The first Barbie doll was introduced to the market in March 1959, and quickly grew into a global phenomenon. The Smithsonian reports that in the first year of production, Mattel sold 300,000 Barbies. As she grew in popularity, the Mattel company began to release Barbie dolls that pursued different careers; Astronaut Barbie, President Barbie, and even Scuba …
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‘One for the money, two for the show’: Eras Tour experience worth the money


Going to a concert on a budget can be done. Graphic by Allie Keim.

As the last lyric, “Karma’s a relaxing thought”, is played and the dancers take their bow, I reflect on my Eras Tour experience. Was the concert worth my money? Were the tickets? Were the travel expenses? Spotlighting the biggest tour of 2023, Taylor Swift has made the tour experience worth the cost. 

 

Swift’s career includes 10 albums and three re-recorded albums. She has done six tours, won 12 Grammys, and covers many styles of music. During the tour she plays two acoustic surprise songs that change off the 44 song set list. For these songs she has brought guests out on stage, played out of pocket songs, and premiered a music video. Every show is different in some way, making it unforgettable. 

 

During the tour, Swift plays …
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Chicago Prays for Rain: The Cure at United Center


Ghostly strobe lights illuminate the dark figures onstage and a swarm of people below as the lead singer proclaims: “Boys Don’t Cry.”

 

On June 10, The Cure continued their “Shows of a Lost World” tour at the United Center in Chicago. The show, encompassing the band’s long legacy, was gorgeously haunting.

 

The Cure is an English rock band that formed in the late 70s. Having since amassed a nearly cult-like following, their recent tour was highly celebrated. 

 

Upon arrival, the massive venue was packed with people: an array of generations dressed in the same black clothing and dark makeup, standing in merchandise lines that snaked around the whole building. Excited chatter reverberated throughout the arena over the light rain sounds playing from the stage as the audience made their way in.

 

The Twilight Sad, a Scottish band, performed the opening act. Combining dark lyricism …
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Piracy becomes hot trend among teens


An unknown man steals movies online on a computer.

Pirates used to be great swashbucklers who were chased through the seven seas, but now they are teens in their living room.

 

Piracy is the unauthorized use or reproduction of the movies, television, music, books, or any other trademarked products. Piracy started as the counterfeiting of money, but slowly evolved into something that does not seem illegal. Piracy has plagued most countries and entertainment production companies around the world from Disney to Nintendo which, as reported by the United States Chamber of Commerce in 2021, caused an 11% to 24% revenue reduction.

Lately, there has been a rise in teens pirating their favorite television shows and music. Hamilton Southeastern High School junior Max Johnson engages in piracy to catch his favorite shows and movies. He said he engages in piracy mainly to …
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The Real Dangers of TikTok Challenges


The “Benadryl challenge” and the “milk crate challenge” are two of the most dangerous trends on TikTok. Both of these challenges come with a high chance of injury and various health risks. Since the majority of users on TikTok are impressionable teenagers, it leads to a higher chance of users partaking in these dangerous challenges

TikTok is on many teenagers phones across the country. Photo by Solen Feyissa.

While the “milk carton challenge” has a slightly lower risk of injury due to some level of skill being involved, all participants have a high chance of risk. The “milk carton challenge” involves stacking milk cartons into a staircase formation going up and then down with the goal being to walk up and down the cartons without falling. Milk cartons are not very sturdy, which leads to a lot of the cartons …
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The Beauty Standard’s Impact on How HSJI Members Interact


Beauty evokes fear when face-to-face with it—especially when you’re in high school. Earlier this week, approximately 250 high school students gathered at Indiana University for the High School Journalism Institute Program. Many of them, having arrived knowing nobody else, confronted the intimidation that is first impressions. Even if they don’t realize it, this anxiety can be largely caused by underlying societal beauty standards.

Ruby Pittenger and Molly Mullen stare at their reflection in the mirror at HSJI. Photo by Sabrina Paul

 

First impressions are so intimidating because of the implicit impressions that come with them. When talking about implicit impressions, Irmak Olcaysoy Okten in his article describes the ways in which people quickly and unconsciously judge each other. 

 

“Implicit measures aim to capture the spontaneous impressions that are typically invisible to the perceivers—impressions they have formed without any awareness or intention,” …
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