The Human Bean: Say Hi to Your Neighborhood Coffee Shop by Saina Srivastava
How Film Club is Building a Community Post-Pandemic by Sofia Segura
The Moral Dilemma of an Unattended Halloween Bucket by Maya Segura
Why are Costumes so Popular? by Madeline Oswald and Lilly Reed Black
The Human Bean: Say Hi to Your New Neighborhood Coffee Shop by Saina Srivastava
Near the Food Lion on Broad River Road, there’s a quaint little drive-through coffee shop named “The Human Bean.” And they have some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. I am, by no means, a coffee connoisseur. But, in my years, I have tasted my fair share of coffees from a plethora of places; from college coffee shops to Starbucks. But the Human Bean has something special in theirs. Maybe it’s the unique specials, which sometimes have really funny names. Or maybe it’s the delicious chocolate-covered coffee bean they give you with your drink. Or maybe it’s how sweet their servers are. I went to the Human Bean to check out what the hype was about. And boy, were they correct. There is a relatively long wait, considering they’re a very small coffee shop with not that many baristas, but it was worth it. I would like to say that I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon. It may be controversial, but it’s true. But the drink I got, Mex Mocha, was a cinnamon and chocolate mocha drink. I do think that drink might have changed my mind. To start off, the coffee temperature was perfect. As a person who has burned her tongue multiple times on coffee, I prefer a coffee that is slightly hotter than lukewarm. And when I drank the first sip, it was exactly that. Secondly, the blend of my drink was delicious. As I said before, cinnamon is not my favorite spice. But there is a special beauty in cinnamon and chocolate that I fell in love with at first taste. Finally, the variance in size. They have four, occasionally five sizes, depending on what you order. There is an 8 oz. one, 16 oz. one, 20 oz. one, etc. I value that variance so much because there are times where you’re not in a mood to drink tons of coffee, and there are times when you are. That flexibility really pushes the Human Bean on top. All in all, it is an absolutely wonderful coffee shop to grab a coffee from, and one that is definitely worth the wait. I will recommend it to anyone who likes coffee or just wants to try new things. It is a new gem near Spring Hill.
How Film Club is Building a Community Post-Pandemic by Sofia Segura
Over the course of the pandemic, people have become secluded, reverting back into hermits. This disconnect resulted in masses of mental health struggles over the past two years. It can be difficult to find ways to connect with other people during unsafe conditions and strenuous circumstances. It is important to keep seeking out new (and safe) opportunities to connect with people; despite all of that, it is crucial to our wellbeing. People must continue to strive to make connections and foster their relationships with the outside world. School naturally fosters a sense of community; you are forced into classes with people, and therefore, develop friendships and acquaintances. School clubs provide a unique opportunity for students to go even further and choose the communities they want to be a part of. The film analysis club- which meets to watch movies and break them down together after school- is one where students are met with a heartwarming, and passionate community of people. The club members are very accepting of others and are quick to welcome any new, open-minded, movie-fanatic people into the club. Its direct appeal is to those who are invested in cinematic value. The club gathers a very specific group of people who can gather together to celebrate cinema. The atmosphere is welcoming and warming, it is obvious that the bond between club members is made of very sincere compassion. The members of the film club have created a safe space for students of all kinds to watch and explore movies that allow them to understand or connect with universal struggles. Watching movies is already an emotional experience, whether it’s happy or sad, the club goes on this cathartic journey together, and it brings them closer together as a result. It is increasingly evident that this club is letting students join a place of belonging and community despite the obstacles the pandemic presents. Their love for movies naturally transfers to the other members, making this small club into a family of people.
The Moral Dilemma of an Unattended Halloween Bucket by Maya Segura
It’s dark outside. The night surrounds me like a weighted tapestry, blocking me from anyone else around. The air chills my soul and jabs at my eyes as it churns around. A few hours have passed since I saw the peak of the event, and I’ve been going for at least a block with no source of food. As I turn the corner, I see it flash by my eye. A vision of the most extraordinary sight. A blinding light that calls to me, beckoning for me to come closer and closer, to enter its beams. A singular object rests within it. I move forward, unable to resist its calls, aware of how the rocking in my stomach begins to grow as I race towards it. As I stand over it, The object comes into focus. A single round bowl filled to the brim with the very thing I have been aching for. Pure dopamine, all collected into a single, glistening, bucket. Bright gold and orange finishings dance along the sides, bringing life into the bowl. I glance behind me, looking to see if anyone else is also in awe of the sight before me. When I don’t see anyone, I redirect my attention back to the bucket. As the initial ecstasy of it begins to wear off, a small sign above the bowl comes into focus. The sign reads, “Please take 2.” A classic moment. Time and time again I have heard tales of people finding such treasures, only to be halted by a badge declaring that there must be a limit on their spoils. It’s a classic test on a subject’s wits and virtues. Depending on who you are listening to, the responses to this situation will vary greatly. Some tell great tales of overcoming the limitations, sneakily profiting with more than the directed amount. Others go into detail of how the sign was nothing short of their original plan upon locating the valuables, and they so graciously acknowledged it before catching their share of the spoils and leaving the premises gallantly. A certain group of people will yearn for the chance to tell you how the discovery of the sign and the isolation they were in with the hoard was enough to warp their minds, leaving them to wait and ponder about the possible outcomes of their circumstances for so long they can’t even remember what they did in the end. The final, rarer response from subjects under this experiment is the one in which soldiers decide to commit to the act in total, making off with not only more than their weight in valuables, but the entire setup as well. They are unable to spare the time to transfer the goods to their own personal storage and transportation containers, and rather show no shame in taking advantage of the poorly enforced limitations of the circumstances. These soldiers have a look to them. Broad, gallant people who show no falter in their demeanor, no matter the circumstances. They sit at heads of tables and show no hesitation towards stepping into any discussion. As I hover before the dish, my mind darts this way and that, considering how each course of action would reflect on my figure in the future. Would I want to be seen as grand? As noble? As kind and unassuming? How could I gain the most adamant supporters and companions? I’m also now contemplating which path benefits me the most in the present. After all, the prizes I receive now are the original reason I came and are what will affect me both now and later when I tally up my total rewards. Should I attempt to fill my packs as much as possible? Are just a few pieces enough to reach my end goal? Could I pick and choose what looks best and leave the rest behind? All of these leave 3 things to consider: how my character will show, how many goods I will receive, and who will know about it. Suddenly, I’m snapped back into the outer world as a small person, cloaked in orange sheets and a pair of green footwear, grazes their arm against mine. I clutch my bag of riches tighter for a split second before realizing they are progressing towards the container for its riches, not mine. I watch as they hesitate for a moment, sparing only a second to glance to their left, where I stand slightly behind them, before raising their satchel up towards the valuables and placing two of them inside. The orange figure then promptly turned around, switched their bag to the other hand, and continued to walk away until their bright orange robes disappeared into the blackness of the night. I almost turn to follow them, not thinking, until I catch myself and redirect my attention to what just happened. They came up and took some without hesitation. There was no falter in their demeanor the entire time, from approaching the bowl, to seeing the sign, to taking their share and backing away again. Do people that noble really exist? I turn around once more to look all the way left and right down the street, confirming what I already knew. Besides me, the kid was entirely alone. They had no extensive outside audience of people, no peers watching all their decisions, and yet they still followed the established rules. I should have been able to tell from the way they carried themselves throughout the interaction. An almost righteous tone lingers in the air, even now, having been pulled up off of them by the wind before they left. I put myself in their shoes, feeling a catalog of qualities fill up inside me. I imagine myself pulling 2 delicious morsels from each and every container I come across, never swaying, all while people stand back in awe of the confidence I have in my equitable actions. I begin to feel virtuous, honorable, uncorrupted by the ways of others and by the pit of greed that once filled my mind. It seems as though I have discovered the perfect solution to my predicament, to simply follow the rules with a moral mind at all times and wait for the admiration to follow. Oh. There it is. The real reason I think I should follow the rules. My true moral compass is beginning to shine through in my ideas of the benefits of being lawful. It’s slowly becoming painfully obvious to me now how I truly just wanted recognition for seemingly being a good citizen and not to just follow the ideals of a good citizen for myself. It seems impossible to me then, how someone else could do such a thing so effortlessly. The previous person showed no signs of deceit, and they were alone. Then again, they weren’t truly alone, were they? I was there, watching them, inadvertently analyzing them to see what they did as well. Would their moral compass shine through in the same way had I not been there? It’s entirely possible that their entire presence before me was a facade, an attempt to seem more respectable in the face of adversity. The situation creates a paradox between trying to observe how people would act without any supervision or outside input and yet becoming the outside input that is influencing the person’s actions as you are attempting to observe them. Too many things are drowning out my mind, and finally, I decide to just commit to a course of action. Even if I may not be doing it for the most accurate reasons, following the established guidelines seems to be a secure option with little downfall. It results in high notoriety among others should they see you do it, and if not, a relatively suitable amount of goods ending up in your bag at the end of it all. Satisfied with this conclusion, I begin to set my body in motion to carry out the plan. I’m taking small steps, slowly raising my arm up, unable to shake the sense of uncertainty that trails around me. Right as I’m beginning to doubt myself, a faint hum fades in from behind me. As soon as I step back and turn around, the sound is upon me. It’s a mixture of rattling, creaking, and a low humming noise all topped by what sounds like laughter and chattering. As my eyes readjust to the night, a grand beast comes into view. It’s a transportation device, nothing uncommon, that exists everywhere for people to travel in for short distances, although it is rarer to see them on nights like these. Before I know it, half a dozen people climb out and around from the machine, making their way towards me. Their conversations fill the air as they discuss their plans. It’s hard to make out what any singular person is saying, and all their voices overlap each other. The leader of their group pushes forward and emerges from the swarm of people towards me. I step back from the bucket, not wanting to get in the way of whatever is about to happen. Something tells me that they aren’t walking this way to interact with me. My eyes follow the person as they walk all the way up to me, slide in front of the bucket, and turn around as if to get approval from their buddies first. When they’re met with cheers, they turn back and place both of their hands on either side of the bowl. They falter for a moment, scanning over the goods inside of it, and then commit. They pull the bowl up off of the ground and hold it against their chest. They quickly make their way back to the group and laughter begins to fill the air as they hop back into their vehicle and spare no time driving away. I’m careful to try to follow them as they retreat, but I lose them in the end anyway. An eerie silence fills the atmosphere and it finally hits me what just happened. I whip around to where the bucket once was just to be met with a barren spot. I can almost sense the void left behind by the absence of the treasure. It feels strikingly empty as if they took the soul of the entire area with it. The soullessness begins to bleed into me, leaving me feeling more and more abandoned. I took too long to decide, and now there are no spoils for me left. Maybe if I had decided what to do sooner, or better yet- taken the entire pot before they could get to it, I would be the one leaving successfully. There’s nothing left for me here, so I turn my back to the space where my treasure once laid, and continue on my path down the road. It’s unclear when I’ll be able to find another opportunity like this, but I can only hope that next time I do I know how many pieces I should take away.
Why Are Costumes So Popular? by Madeline Oswald and Lilly Reed Black
In 2020, 58% percent of people will wear halloween costumes on halloween. Where did costumes come from? Why do people spend so much money on costumes year to year? And finally, why do people like having two identities on halloween? Why do people spend so much money on costumes for Halloween? Americans spent 3.2 billion dollars on costumes for Halloween, or 31 dollars per person, prior to 2020. That's a lot of money. Covid-19 hit in 2020, causing the total number of costumes purchased to go down, most likely because of a lack of Halloween get-togethers, parties, etc. Some of the most popular costumes in 2020 were Harley Quinn, clown, ninja, devil, spider man, and others. Some of these preferred choices may result from the popularity of the character. For example, spider man has always been one of the more liked marvel characters, meaning people may want to feel as if they were him. What is the history of costumes? The tradition of costumes originated from a festival in Celtic called “Samhain.” The people believed if they were to light a bonfire and wear costumes, it would ward off ghosts. November 1st marked the beginning of their new year and symbolized the end of summer and the harvest bringing about cold winters as well as death. The Celtics believed that the night before this new year, the boundary between the living world and the dead became undefined meaning spirits could travel into the human world. These spirits supposively damaged crops and made it easier for the druids (Celtic priests) to predict the future. To prevent tragedies caused by these spirits, the Druids would create bonfires and burn crops as well as animals as a sacrifice. The costumes during these celebrations mainly consisted of animal heads and skins. Why do people like having two identities on Halloween? People like having a second identity not only because it's fun, but because they like being able to escape their daily lives for one day a year. When people are able to have a different identity, a different side of them comes out. When people may put on their workout clothes to go to the gym, or maybe different clothes for their sport, they change their persona. They may be a talkative, bubbly person outside of their sport, but when they put on their uniform, they become a different person with a fierceness they never bring out anywhere else. A person’s different “alter-ego” may come out with simply a change in wardrobe for one night. They may do something they normally wouldn’t do, simply because someone may not know who they are. From 2005 to 2018, the rate of adults dressing up has gone up by nearly 20%. Anyone of any race, gender, or sexuality can dress up and feel like they fit in. In the late 1900s, people who were of different minorities began to celebrate Halloween because they were able to be themselves, and show their differences, without being stigmatized. So whether it may be for some confidence boost, a costume party, or to keep off the evil spirits, costumes have been a hit from year to year and will continue to be a source of income for America during the month of October. Happy Halloween!