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Stanford Online High School's student run news site

OHS Observer

Stanford Online High School's student run news site

OHS Observer

Stanford Online High School's student run news site

OHS Observer

The covers of Normal People and Conversations with Friends suggest a cool detachment, their minimalist designs betraying the emotional intricacies within—works that wear their intellectualism as lightly as their heartache. (Credit: Alex Katz, Jon Gray)

Sally Rooney In All Her Contradictions: The Politics of Literary Intimacy

Rishi Janakiraman, Associate Editor December 12, 2024

Sally Rooney’s fiction has become a cultural flashpoint, sparking debate as fervently as her novels trace the ebb and flow of modern relationships. Dubbed “the first great millennial novelist,” Rooney’s...

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Taylor Swift, 
self-proclaimed “Childless cat lady”, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 Presidential race. (Instagram)

Celebrity Endorsements: How Do They Impact the Election?

Joy Anna MacMahon November 14, 2024

Celebrity Endorsements: How Do They Impact the Election? In the past, elections have been fueled by presidential endorsements of new candidates. Even in the 2024 election, past presidents such as Obama,...

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The History Behind Some of Chappell Roan’s Most Iconic Outfits

Zanna Vasquez, Staff Writer November 14, 2024

The summer of 2024 was dominated by Chappell Roan’s newest album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and single “Good Luck, Babe!” Roan, well known for her personal style and powerful stage presence,...

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Taylor Swift opts for a dark academia aesthetic in the music video for "Fortnight;" Beyonce dons a Western uniform on her album cover; Charli XCX's Met Gala ensemble perfectly embodies brat summer; Sabrina Carpenter embodies coquette elegance in her bedazzled tulle dress. (grazie.sg) (Blair Caldwell) (Vogue) (Rolling Stone)

How Popular Music Shapes Culture: A Look into the Summer of 2024

Joy Anna MacMahon October 15, 2024

Popular music is far deeper than entertainment: it shapes trends, lifestyles, and culture—shown perfectly through the cultural changes of summer 2024. Society does more than consume pop music for...

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The cover of Down to Business by Fenley Scurlock and Jason Liaw. (Random House)

Down To Business: A Writing Venture

Susie Yang, Associate Editor May 28, 2024

“You have a start-up idea but ... where do you go from there?” This is the question that Down to Business seeks to answer for young and aspiring entrepreneurs eager to explore the exciting world of...

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Above are the covers of Vuong’s two poetry collections, Night Sky With Exit Wounds and Time Is a Mother. The yellowed page in the former features the young poet in the center, with his mother and aunt at a refugee camp. (Jonathan Cape)

Ocean Vuong Has Influenced a Generation of Diasporic Poets. And For Good Reason.

Rishi Janakiraman, Associate Editor April 25, 2024

“If we make it to shore, he says, I will name our son after this water. I will learn to love a monster. He smiles. A white hyphen where his lips should be. There are seagulls above us. There are hands...

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"It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” was released by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records in 1988.
(Wikipedia)

Gas to the Flame: Public Enemy and Their Album of Justice and Fame

Zoltan Agoston, Staff Writer April 5, 2024

Beats, bars, and civil rights activism defined the early hip-hop of Public Enemy, a group known for their powerful focus on black power and innovations in early hip-hop. Public Enemy was widely regarded...

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Cropped cover of Kali Uchis’ latest album, Orquídeas,
which was released this January as the fourth album
in her discography (Credit: Geffen Records)

Kali Uchis Blooms on Latin-Influenced Album, Orquídeas

Rishi Janakiraman, Associate Editor February 29, 2024

“We have more species of orchid than anywhere on Earth,” says Kali Uchis on the Colombian national flower, their romantic symbolism inspiring her latest album, Orquídeas. Think of petals swooping...

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Vermeer, Johannes. A Maid Asleep. 1656. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Can AI Create Art?

Yanai Wang, Staff Writer February 29, 2024

With the ever-heightening presence of AI, I find myself floundering, entrapped by the fear of being replaced, both physically and metaphysically, by this luridly humanlike intelligence and the countless...

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Swiftie and OHS freshman, Carolyn Salmon, dressed up in a red dress, which represents the Red Era, and purchased a Taylor Swift popcorn bucket and drink cup.

The Eras Tour Film: An Almost-Concert-Like Experience

Inaya Dar, Staff Writer January 18, 2024

Swifties would know that their idol, Taylor Swift, didn’t release her concert film on Friday, October 13th by accident as her lucky number is 13. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is showing in 8,500 theaters...

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Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) standing with ex-boyfriend Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) in final season of Never Have I Ever (photo credit: Netflix)

‘Never Have I Ever’: On South Asian Representation in Western Television

Rishi Janakiraman, Associate Editor December 10, 2023

There’s one thing for sure: I’ve never both loathed and empathized with a character more than I have Devi Vishwakumar. In the fragrance of her mother’s kitchen, the looming dream of Princeton, and...

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Run-D.M.C. was formed in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Daryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizel.

“Walk This Way”: Run-D.M.C. Opened New Pathways in the Development of Hip-Hop

Zoltan Agoston, Staff Writer December 8, 2023

The early hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. is known for pioneering and popularizing the genre of “new-school” hip hop, building on elements of rock, as well as incorporating their unique intertwining vocals,...

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