The act of banning books limits freedom
January 11, 2020
In September 2019, the notoriously heroic, or traitorous (depending on whose side you’re on) whistleblower Edward Snowden published his memoir, Permanent Record. Within a couple of hours of its release, the US government sued Snowden and attempted to take his royalties. Although they couldn’t prevent...
Teen Musicals struggle on the Broadway stage
Sneha Cheenath, Aria Khalique, and Drishti Upadhyaya
January 9, 2020
“The Lightning Thief”, Broadway’s newest show targeting teens, made 29.8% of their gross potential the week of Nov. 17. A devastatingly low number, “The Lightning Thief” is the second lowest grossing show on Broadway (just in front of “Linda Vista”). It is not the only ill fated tee...
Taylor Swift’s new feud brings attention to the corrupt music industry
Harshita Neralla and Daniela Wise
January 5, 2020
Earlier in July, recording artist Taylor Swift released a blog post to her Tumblr page addressing her departure from her previous record label, Big Machine Records. In the post, she outlines the control Scott Borchetta, the CEO of the record label, had over her masters (music catalogue) and the selli...
The legacy of Woodstock proves its relevance in light of its 50th anniversary
Tessa Galeazzi and Shruthi Narayanan
December 31, 2019
In Aug., another Woodstock festival, called Woodstock 50, was supposed to occur. This would have been the seventh festival held, after the festivals which occurred in 1979, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2009, all during Aug. in upstate New York. Woodstock was a rock music festival intended to promote peace. A...
Dayglow glows in his recent album Fuzzybrain
Megan Dhillon and Amrita Himmatraopet
December 29, 2019
Sloan Struble, better known as Dayglow, released his album “Fuzzybrain”on Sept. 28, 2018, blending indie rock with nostalgic undertones and creating a pleasing retro aesthetic. He then revisited his debut album and added two new singles, “Nicknames” and “Listerine” on Nov. 14 of thi...
My Chemical Romance continues to be relevant in light of their recent reunion
Shruthi Narayanan, Staff Writer
December 28, 2019
On March 22, 2013, Gerard Way, the frontman of the rock band My Chemical Romance, announced the band’s separation on their website, writing that “and now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end.” After six years of silence, on Oct. 31, they announced a reunion show in Los Ang...
Indian Hotspot brings the heat
Helen Kang and Riya Mehta
December 26, 2019
On Nov. 16, Indian Hotspot opened in the Bollinger Canyon Safeway Plaza, taking the place of Pallen Martial Arts. Advertised as a “foodie heaven bar,” a “venue to nostalgic cravings,” and a place to connect and meet up with friends, this new restaurant offers a variety of Indian regional flav...
Some exciting animated holiday episodes to watch this season
Shruthi Narayanan, Staff Writer
December 25, 2019
Many animated episodes are delightful to watch throughout the year, but are especially so during the holidays. The Simpsons: “Marge Be Not Proud” (s.07, e.11) Summary: Bart sees a commercial for a hot new video game, but after Marge refuses to buy it, he attempts to shoplift it from a...
These holiday movies will snow you away
Amrita Himmatraopet and Drishti Upadhyaya
December 24, 2019
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) The holiday season brings with it a whirlwind of emotions. To some it means pain, and to some happiness. For Charlie Brown, it means confusion. Charlie Brown struggles to feel anything but apathy during the month overtaken by sales and discounts. Commercialism seems to be what...
Winter Dance Show brings a cool end to the semester
Helen Kang and Riya Mehta
December 23, 2019
On Nov. 20-21, Dougherty Valley’s dance program hosted its Winter Dance Show in the Performing Arts Center, displaying the hard work they’ve put in throughout the semester. Dance 2, 3 and 4 led by Ms. Ramona Altman spent months choreographing all 32 pieces for the show. Although the show was rewar...
Frozen 2 came out and we can’t let it go
Drishti Upadhyaya and Mahika Arya
December 19, 2019
Elsa stars in the sequel of Frozen. While entertaining and heartfelt, Frozen 2 lacked consistent characters and plot. Disney joined the winter season on Nov. 22 with the long-awaited sequel to its blockbuster. The 2013 movie followed two royal sisters, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kriste...
Bollywood deserves a social evolution
Amrita Himmatraopet and Aditi Praveen
December 15, 2019
Bollywood has been around since the beginning of the 20th century, racking up over a billion fans from all over the world. Its artistic style usually reflects romantic stories and lifestyles from all over India, more often than not in a very misogynistic manner by sexually objectifying women, labeling th...