As the sun begins to set, the event starts. Hundreds of Bend residents all gather for the same reason; their handcrafted lanterns are sent on a journey down the river. 

The Water Lantern Festival is not just a local celebration, but an event that is held across various cities nationwide. The festival has been held for more than six years nationwide, and has now set its sights on Bend. 

“It was a good display of Bend’s community,” said Emily Roberts, a local resident and attendee. Two local musicians, Kelsey Lassen and Fitzy Sounds, performed live music throughout the evening. The sponsors and vendors were also, for the most part, local companies. 

One of the great parts about this experience is that not everyone has the same mementos or symbols for their lanterns. 

“Perfect, adult night out,” said Kristen Burke. She and her husband attended the event for their anniversary and loved the romantic atmosphere of the lanterns on the water. Although some viewed it as a romantic getaway, it was also inclusive to those who were looking for a fun family night out.

“It was heartfelt and family oriented,” Diane Webster said, as her children were placing their lanterns in the river. 

Those lanterns were lit up using plastic candles. These same plastic candles were later found at the bottom of the Deschutes River. After paying $27 dollars (or $41 at the door), participants were promised the retrieval and cleanup of their lanterns. According to the Lantern Festival website, they stated that “our staff ensures that each and every lantern is gathered up following the event.” Following the event, however, a group by the name of ‘Loot The Deschutes’ found over 80 lanterns at the bottom of the river, with plenty more still to be retrieved.

This left countless Bend residents upset, with Mayor Melanie Kebler chiming in, calling the event “upsetting.” The only response the Water Lantern Festival has issued has been a dismissive, insincere apology in the comments of their Instagram page, stating, “we are working with local groups to help clean the river, and are grateful for their expertise and care for the river.” 

This message was repeated to many frustrated commenters. Despite the event organizers’ shallow promises, ‘Loot The Deschutes’ and many other community members have been working diligently to clean up and attempt to fix this disaster.

The post The Water Lantern Festival Disaster appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Being one of the biggest hip-hop artists of all time, Scott is notorious for his ability to create a new experience with every album, fabricating a different world each time. “UTOPIA” failed to live up to those standards.  A disappointing, directionless album, “UTOPIA” was backed by an incomprehensive tracklist filled with lackluster features from other stars such as The Weeknd, Drake, SZA, Future and Playboi Carti. 

However, the album wasn’t a complete miss. The album begins with “HYENA,” a masterful introduction to the album, with exciting instrumentals, outstanding production and thrilling new verses from Scott, whose vocals can give you goosebumps with little storytelling in his lyrics. In the past, Travis Scott’s music never seemed to focus on the subject matter, but instead the feeling you get when hearing him express himself on a beat. Initially, he appeared to have done it again, setting the stage for another masterpiece of an album. 

The next few tracks were unenthusiastic let downs. Nothing stood out in tracks two through six, “THANK GOD,” “MODERN JAM,” “MY EYES,” “GOD’S COUNTRY” and “SIRENS.” The production value was still held to a high standard, with beautiful arrangements and perfect mixing. But this is a low bar from one of the biggest artists in the world. The problems came from songs filled with uninspiring, forgettable verses.

Tracks seven through nine, “MELTDOWN,” “F!EN,” and “DELRESTO” came with features from three hip-hop superstars, Drake, Playboi Carti and Beyoncé. “MELTDOWN” featuring Drake was more of a ‘LET-DOWN.’ Drake’s verse was average, but nothing about it really captures attention, especially when paired with a boring, repetitive beat. The same can be said when it comes to Playboi Carti’s verse on “F!EN.” Even Beyoncé’s sound didn’t fit well on a Travis Scott song, leaving the feature feeling out of place rather than enhancing the album. 

With track 10, “I KNOW ?” the album starts to redeem itself. Scott makes a statement with no features.  Scott’s vocals over an exciting beat and the chorus capture the idea of the ‘rager’ persona he tries to convey through lyrics, describing his experiences with different drugs and women. “But then again,” raps Scott, “I could be drunk.”

Tracks 11 through 16 are better than the first half of the album, with more impressive beats and features from artists like 21 Savage, The Weeknd, Young Thug and Kid Cudi. The most interesting feature on the entire album came during track 13, “PARASAIL,” featuring Yung Lean and comedian Dave Chappelle. A Dave Chappelle feature was more than surprising, but what intrigued me the most was that it didn’t feel out of place. Chappelle’s performance felt emotional and paired perfectly with the instrumentals, and seemed to land better than many of the other superstars featured on the album. This pleasant surprise made “PARASAIL” stand out amongst many other songs on the album. 

The album begins to come to a close with a few exceptional songs. “K-POP,” the 17th song on the album, was released a week before “UTOPIA” as the lead single for the album. This song has outstanding features from Bad Bunny and The Weeknd. The beat was exhilarating, and Scott had more energetic, exciting vocals. There was some notable production from BYNX®, an up-and-coming producer who has been in the public eye lately, recently working closely with artists such as Yeat and Drake. “TELEKINESIS,” one of the strongest songs on the album, has features from Future and SZA. Again with great production, “TELEKINESIS” implies that the album is coming to a close, adding some kind of direction to an album that, until the end, had lacked it throughout. 

“TILL FURTHER NOTICE,” the last song of the album, is a final attempt to save a lackluster album. Accompanied by features from James Blake and 21 Savage, and produced by one of the best, Metro Boomin, the song is exceptional and adds closure to the album. 

“UTOPIA” had its moments, and quite a few songs stood out as hits, but it just didn’t have direction. It felt sporadic at times, with many songs and features seeming out of place, hindering the music immersion. Scott was unable to live up to the expectations from his previous solo studio album, “ASTROWORLD.” 

As an artist being held to such high standards, it can be difficult to meet expectations and deliver the same experience once achieved with a previous project. “ASTROWORLD” let listeners feel like they were escaping reality, taking them into another world, which “UTOPIA” failed at doing. In his fourth solo studio album, Scott has ultimately failed to take listeners to the ‘UTOPIA’ he promised years ago.

The post UTOPIA… Travis Scott’s Failed Paradise appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

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This is the well written and accurate description you are presented with on Apple Music, describing Harlow’s new album, Jackman. 

On April 28, with the release of this album, Harlow had nothing left to prove. With six Grammy nominations, and his last album, Come Home the Kids Miss You, selling over 100,000 first-week units, he already established himself as one of the best artists of the decade. 

“Everybody knows Jack but they don’t know Jackman” he raps on “Churchill Downs,” a song off of his previous album Come Home The Kids Miss You… 

Without needing to stunt or flaunt, Harlow had the freedom to express more emotions in his lyrics and show who he really is. When listeners first dive into Jackman, they are presented with no features, and expensive samples backed by luxurious production, which is definitely a stylistic change compared to his past albums and mixtapes, sounding less like the Harlow that was straight out of highschool, adjusting to his newfound fame. 

During the first three tracks on the album, Harlow provides a narrative on his come up, ambitions and struggles. With “Is That Ight?” He describes how he wants to live his life, seemingly wishing to take a break from the private life and excessive luxury, while still embracing some of his old vices and toxicity, explaining how he still wants some luxury and elegance – like “ten girlfriends and no wife.”

The next track, “Gang Gang Gang,” gets into the more serious and gritty topics on the album, how people around him change, and the problems he sees in the world. Harlow narrates a reunion between childhood friends, and how they changed. Opening the song Harlow describes how he was home for the holidays, and the confusion felt hearing stories about his childhood friend, Marcus. 

“Did you hear about Marcus… A bunch of girls say he raped them in the back of some Target,” Harlow’s friend explains.  “Our Marcus?… The same Marcus we collected Pokémon cards with” Harlow continues, as his friend responds “Yes, that Marcus, he’s got seven rape charges.” 

The chorus “Ride for my dogs, lie for my dogs, die for my dogs” implies the loyalty he feels toward his friends, and the conflict he feels hearing about their wrongdoings. The song goes on to talk about how his friend Kevin got arrested for molesting a 10-year-old, closing the song with “brothers until somethin’ is uncovered… and years of camaraderie suddenly disappear.”

Track “Denver” touches on the subject of mental health. Harlow opens it explaining feeling soulless, about how it was fun when he was less popular, while also acknowledging this sounds cliche, and how blessed he truly is.

 “I wrote that first verse in Denver, back in September. It’s January now and I’m feelin’ like myself again,” Harlow raps in during the second verse. He has taken time for himself, and is now in a better place. While Harlow still has worries, realization hits on what should really be important to him, closing out the song with “I’m lookin’ out heaven’s window, I know that there’s hell around me.” 

The next few songs, Harlow is back with his lighthearted, arrogant and charming music, talking about the women in his life and explaining how people counted him out for the wrong reasons. 

“Why am I so flawed?… When did I become this type of a guy?… What if things don’t turn out the way I planned them?” raps Harlow on “Questions,” the album’s final track. This self doubt is a fitting way to end the album, giving us a glimpse into who ‘Jackman’ really is. 
This album was a surprise to fans, as the only promotion for the album was an Instagram post by Harlow less than two days before the release—with no features. Because of this it’s no surprise that statistically, Jackman, selling 36,000 copies in the first week, is doing worse than his last album, Come Home The Kids Miss You, which sold 113,000 copies. Musically, it overall is a well put together album that proves Harlow can still thrive without help from bigger artists, no promotion and can adapt to any style.

The post Jack Harlow’s ‘Jackman’… Album of the Year? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Walking in, we were greeted with a big smile from the friendly host, who promptly seated us at our table. The wood furnishing and accents gave it a warm, welcoming environment, almost like  home. They had a beautiful upstairs seating area, which always gives more of a private feeling to the environment. It felt romantic, but casual enough to go with friends without it being weird.

Liam had the Seafood Bucatini, priced at a very reasonable $19. The bucatini was perfectly complemented with clam and shrimp and sautéed to perfection using white wine sauce. Although the Parmesan was somewhat overbearing, it was a great dish overall. 

Sienna tried the I-Talian Pizza, a dish with Italian sausage, wild mushrooms, mozzarella and garlic cream. The pizza was a bit big, but it had a perfectly toasted crust and delicious toppings, the perfect size to share with someone. They were generous with the amount of cheese, so depending on your preference, keep this in mind. 

The turnout at the restaurant was a little disappointing. We were the only people there, but it might be worth noting this was at 8 p.m. on a Monday night. Depending on whether you like a busy restaurant or a very private one, this could be seen as a positive or negative. The lack of customers was surprising, as the food was delightful and affordable, but this may be attributed to the location, as Brookswood Plaza often has few customers. 

Meadowlark is a great place to get enjoyable Italian food at an affordable price. Aside from the food, it has some of the best customer service we have experienced, making us feel welcomed and content the whole night. It definitely holds up in comparison to some of the better known Italian restaurants in Bend, such as Pastini. If you are a pasta or pizza lover — or just a lover of good food — we would recommend checking out Meadowlark.

The post Bend’s Hottest New Italian Restaurant appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

School districts around the country are attempting to find solutions to this problem. According to The Verge, school officials in New York City have started banning access to ChatGPT, but this doesn’t necessarily solve the issue. While you can block ChatGPT on school-administered devices and networks, students can still use their own devices to access the chatbot and use the software however they please. 

Ayden Taylor, a junior at Bend Senior High School, explains that he has seen many of his classmates use ChatGPT to write essays and answer questions on assignments. 

“I’ve played around with it (ChatGPT), and I would use it too, but I’m scared my teachers are going to find a way to catch the people that use it,” Taylor said when asked about his usage of ChatGPT. 

Many are looking for ways to stop the misuse of the popular chatbot. BBC News Reports that Edward Tian, a 22-year-old computer science major at Princeton University, has been working on an app to detect if text has been written using the ChatGPT software. The creators of ChatGPT have also mentioned they’re looking for ways to detect misuse. 

Detecting misuse may be easier than you might think. Jenny Brown, a Social Studies teacher at Caldera High School has a solution.

“We teachers still know when written work doesn’t sound like it came from one of our students… ChatGPT doesn’t have the typical style, sentence structure and grammar errors that we see in our students’ typical written work,” Brown said.

Less than a week after ChatGPT-3’s release, it had already amassed over one million users. ChatGPT is an interesting look into the future of AI and a preview to the services ChatGPT-4 will provide, which, while still unconfirmed, are anticipated to release sometime in 2023.

The post The New Trend: Cheating with AI appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.