Volume 70, Issue 9	May 2021

13 Unforgettable Moments

Ethan Marx ‘21, AmiteshVerma ‘21,Vandita Rastogi ‘21, WillFord ‘21

Bythis point in the pandemic,we’veheard ithundreds of times: “this isan unprecedentedyear.”Whiletherehave beenmany negative events this pastschool year, Indian Hill students persisted and werestill able to find the joy in these tryingtimes. Inthisfinal coverstory for theyear, we’ll highlight 13 unforgettable moments of theyear:

1. DoYou Get Deja Vu?

It’s likely you’veheard of the multi-talented Olivia Rodrigo. From starring in HSMTM:TS,to charting on Billboard for“Driver’s License”, she’sgained attention from celebritiesworldwide. Rodrigo released her debut albumSour onMay 21st, a culmination of angry and sad songs, relatable toall. If you’relooking for new music, be sureto check it out!

2. ScienceOlympiadTeam MakesHistory

Thisyear, IndianHill’sScienceOlympiadTeam madeschool history afterscoring a dignified 10th place finish at the State Competition! The team qualified forthestate lastyear aswell for the firsttime in the school’s history; however, due to uncontrollable circumstances presented bythe COVID-19 pandemic,thecontest wascancelled. Aftertheirseasonwas tragicallycut short,thesquad felt more determined and obligatedthan everto makethat ambitious“dream” cometrue once again.

7. Insurrections on the Capitol

On January 6th, 2021, theU.S.Capitol in WashingtonD.C.was stormed during a riot. Representatives were rushedto an undisclosed, safe location just moments before attackers entered the building, as policestruggled tohold them back. Several peoplewere injuredand a few died; this was a pivotal moment in AmericanDemocracy.

8. To Build or Not to Build?

If you drove downthestreets of Indian Hill thisyear, it’s likelyyou saw “Yes on 7”signs. On May 4th, 2021,the Indian Hill community voted on whether or not to approvethis levy. The levy passed, meaning a new middle school will be constructed nextyear. Many changes to theIHSD are expected next year,whichwill result in a better future. GoBraves!

9. Cicadas- A Storm of UtterTerror

Bad news folks - thecicadas are back after a lengthy “hibernation” period.The intermittent critteryou might have seen over the pastfew summerswill pale in comparison towhat is soon to befall. Once every 17 years, a truly massive broodof cicadas arrives in the Midwest region, permeatingthe air witha deafening matinghumthat can reach up to a ridiculous 100 dB. Brood X,scientists call it, is setto return thisMay/June of 2021.

News Check out This and
That on page 3 of this issue!

Editorials Explore opinions towards College Board on page 4!

3. Indian Hill DECA Success
10. “MadWoman”

Indian Hill DECA has madeschool history bysending a recordnumber of participantsto the State Finalist level and 29studentsto the Internationals Competition! Further,seniorLaurenSewell made school history, earning 4 statechampion trophies! SeniorsSophie Sawyers, Lauren Sewell, and Vandita Rastogi also earned theDECAEmerging Leaders.

4. Razor-Sharp Competition in the 2020-2021 College Application Season

Dueto the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,several colleges across the country choseto make the SAT and ACTexaminations requirements“optional,” putting the class of 2021’s college application process in a frenzy.Selectiveschools like HarvardUniversitysaw a near 50% increase in applicationsto theclass of 2025, leaving the overall acceptance rate at a record-low3.4%.Many collegeshavechosen to remain “test optional” for the next season.

5. Bill Gates’ Divorce (All theSingle Ladies, Put YourHandsUp!)

Bill Gates’ estrangedwife Melinda announced earlier this month that they - after 27 years of a seemingly benevolent marriage - weresoon-to -be divorced. For decades,theGates couple has been a robustforce internationally,their charitablecontributionsgarnering large profits and providing the twowith access tosome of thehighest formsof government and nonprofitsectors.However, they are determined to retain their relationship in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, strivingto fight poverty and infectious diseases.

6. Vaccination Against the COVID-19 Disease

After a tumultuouscouple of months amidstthe COVID-19 pandemic, with thehelp of cutting-edge scientific research, several vaccines against the virus, including Pfizer-BioNTech,Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson, have been approved for use in theUnited States and around the world. As of now, all Americans aged 12 and up are eligible to receivevaccines,so get vaccinatedsoon to put an end to this pandemic!

“I’m capping

TaylorSwift isknown to drop“eastereggs”tohint at upcoming albums.So, itwas shocking when on July 23rd, 2020, she decided to drop a surprise album Folklore, which would laterwin Album of the Year attheGrammys. Later, she dropped another surprise album, evermore, just days beforeherbirthday.Switchingfrom pop to indie, her albumsgainedcritical acclaim worldwide!

11. BreakingtheGlass Ceiling

Whilethe Academy Awards and GoldenGlobeswere rather controversial thisyear, onemomentwas very exciting. ChloéZhou became thefirst female personof color andsecond femaleto win the BestDirector award at these two ceremonies for Nomadland. She is now set to direct Marvel’sTheEternals.

12. PopulistProcessional Protests

Whenthe original Baccalaureate processional music was announced,an uproar was unleashed. In a perfect example of a populist movement, Indian Hill seniors successfully campaigned for “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and Dababy to betheir walk-out song. They’ll be sure towalk with their leftfeet, rightfeet(levitating).

13. A Bit of Regularity to Close Out an UnprecedentedYear

In an effortto providesomesemblance of normalcy, the Indian Hill administrationgraciously arranged for Promto be arranged - and they certainly didn’t miss.The gentleman in tuxedos, the ladies in dresses, and the odious odor of the mosh pit infiltrating the room - whatmore could you ask for! Following a refreshingsorbet atthecountry club and some much-needed dancing, After Prom occurred in the high school, with an “Around theWorld” theme. The hypnotist putsometo sleep (both in a good … and a not-so-good way),thestudents got a good laugh out of thehockey players, but all in all, it was a funtime. Theculmination of four years of blood, sweat, and tears for thisyear’s seniors,the nightwasgenuinely one to remember!∎

- no cap” —Mr. Broxterman

Features Shadow and BoneRe-
view on page 6!

Senior Spotlights Celebrate our sen-iors on pages 9-11!

Cartoon on page 12!

NEWS

2	May 2021

May This & That Elsa Zhou ‘23 and Tacey Hutten ‘22

Jaden and Nessa

TikTokers Josh Richards, Jaden Hossler, Nessa Barrett, and Mads Lewis are em-broiled insome serious drama. It seems like the previous couples consisting of Josh & Nessa and Jaden & Mads have broken up. Following Jaden’s video“La Di Die”, which Jadenand Nessa collabo-rated closely on together, Mads took to
Instagram toventwhile Nessa defended herself onTwitter. Josh has blocked Jaden on allsocial media platforms. Hopefully the four can sort it out amicably! ∎

Ariana Grande Marriage

Mega pop-star Ariana Grande married Dalton Gomez in a small ceremonyin Montecito, California. The singer hasbeen engaged toGomez, a real-estate agent, since Decemberof 2020 butchose toquietly tie the knotwithno more than a handfulofintimate friends and family.Grande was previously engagedto Pete Davidson ina highly publicizedwhirlwind romance thatspurred the popu-lar album“Thank U, Next.”Best wishes and congratulations to the new couple! ∎

Olivia Rodrigo

Dressed inplaid, Olivia Rodrigo gave a compelling performanceof her latest single “good 4u” on a recent SNL epi-sode. The 18-year-old alsoreleased a music videofor the song,which was directed by Petra Collins,an artist knownfor herdream-like depictions of teenage life. In the video, which has
racked up nearly30 million views injust 4 days, there are severalEaster Eggs, including references to cult-classic Jennifer’s Body (2009). ∎

Kentucky Derby Scandal

After winning the KentuckyDerby by a half-length,race-horse Medina Spirit failed their post-race drug test. This was their trainer, Bob Baffert’s seventh win-a rec-ord for the race. However, Spirit was soon found tohave double the legal racing limit of the steroid “betamethasone.” Baffert, has since been suspendedby Churchill
Downs- theorganization that hosts the Kentucky Derby. The resultsare awaiting further investigationbut, ifaffirmed, will causeSpirit’s win tobe invalidated. ∎

Bill and Melinda Gates Divorce

Following 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates have filed for a di-vorce, citing thattheir marriage is “irretrievably broken.” A more specific reason has notbeen given, but some have speculated that Bill Gates’s poten-tial connections with JeffreyEpstein, a convicted sextrafficker, may have led tothis decision.The couple, who share three children, will splittheir immense fortune. They alsoplanto continue tosupportthe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ∎

Liz Cheney Soon to be Ousted?

Many predict that Liz Cheney, Chairof the House Republican Conference, will soon be oustedfrom her leadership roles. She was one of the 10 HouseRepubli-cans who voted to impeach former
President Trump after the January 6th insurrection and has since stated that shewouldnotsupporthim asa candidatein2024.As a result, she has rapidly lost support from the party and has fallenunder criticism of many GOP leaders. ∎

Billie Eilish Vogue Cover

A Vogue cover of Billie Eilish wearing a custom-made corset and latex gloves became the fastest Instagram phototo reach 1 million likes (inunder 6 minutes!). Another photofrom the shoot has become one ofthe top 5most -liked photos on Instagram,boasting over 20.5million.Eilish had previously broken these records inMarch with a
post receiving 1 million likes in 6minutesand becoming the 3rd most likedpho-to on Instagram. ∎

12+ Pfizer Vaccine Approval

The CDC has recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents ages 12-15. Within the first week ofits approval, the U.S. vaccinated 600,000 12 to 15 year olds, meaningthatover 4 million people under the age of17 have been vac-cinated inthe U.S.so far. At this rate, Dr. Fauci suspects that by the end of2021, there willbe enough safety data tovaccinate kids ofanyage! ∎

“Has anybody ever seen Perry [the Platypus.” —Mr. Broxterman

NEWS

May 2021

Protests in Columbia Tacey Hutten ‘22

3

Cicadas Annie Joy‘22

On April 28th, the National Unemployment Committee, a Colombian group made up of unions and labor organizations, called for protests across the coun-try. Weeks later, the protests are still going strong and have spread to nearly 250 cities and towns throughout Colombia.
The protests were originally sparked by a new tax reform proposed by President Ivan Duque. After the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal of the reform was to improve Colombia’s economic situation by increasing tax revenues. However, it would have done so by raising taxes on household products like milk, eggs, meat, gasoline, and utilities, thus placing a higher burden on the working class. The proposal has since been withdrawn and Co-lombia’s finance minister has resigned. The protests still continued. The frus-trations and socioeconomic tensions added by the proposed bill have un-leashed unrest about a number of pressing issues- including long-standing eco-nomic inequity, a scarcity of healthcare resources including vaccines amidst the pandemic, and police brutality. Some protestors have even taken to calling for a complete overhaul of Colombia’s political and socioeconomic systems.
But one of the key, driving forces behind the continued protests is the outrage about the harsh police response. Thus far, the protests have resulted in at least 40 deaths and hundreds of injuries, many of which have been at the hands of the police. For instance, Marcelo Agredo, a 17-year-old high school student, kicked a police officer and was then shot and killed as he fled. Santia-go Murillo, a 19-year-old, was shot in the chest and killed by police as he went through a protest. Nicolás Guerrero, a 27-year-old graffiti artist, was seen dead on the ground after shots were heard, and protesters are holding police responsible. Unfortunately, such violence has been mirrored in past protests in Colombia, only further fueling protesters’ fury. As a result, with-out significant changes or intervention, the unrest shows little sign of dying down. ∎

An Analysis of India’s COVID-19 Variant Pranav Rastogi ‘23

For the past few months, India’s plight has garnered attention from countries around the world. With a new variant on the loose, it’s important to under-stand how it came about, fatality rates, and protective measures that have and will be taken against this new variant.

In last month’s article titled “Potential Economic Impacts of New COVID-19 Variants in the United States”, three main types of variants were defined: Vari-ants of Interest (VOIs), Variants if Concern (VOCs), and Variants of High Consequence (VOHCs). These three categories not only define the different types of variants, but also differentiate inlevels of danger to a particular coun-try. As of May 17, 2021, the CDC reports that this variant is still a VOI, the least dangerous of variants, however, that has truly undermined the situation. In fact, on May 6, India reported that nearly 414,000 had tested positive for the coronavirus and its related variants. Further, on May 19, Indian authorities reported that nearly 4,500 people had died from COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours which surpassed the old record held by the United States, of 4,400 deaths on January 20, 2021. This alone indicates one of two things, either the vast majority of people in India are not vaccinated, or that the new variant is resistant to the vaccine. However, if we take a look at the report by the CDC, we can see that it’s labeled as a VOI solely because it can be neutralized by the new vaccine. In fact, a report by Reuters says that the traditional two shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine does prove effective against the new Indian vari-ant. So what’s causing this massive annihilation?

Cicadas: Some find theirpresence fascinating,othersfind it highly irritating. While I have astrongprediction asto what myopinionwill soon be, I personallyhave not yet experienced the cicadas intheir cyclical, tremendoustakeovers of early summer. This is because theinsects,classified under thegroupBroodXor Great EasternBrood, followa 17 -year patternof emergence. With the last surfacingoccurring in 2004, theyear 2021sig-nals their next appearance.
In a matter ofdays(orperhapsasyou are reading this!), billions of cicadas ranging from Tennessee to NewYorkwill make their way up from underground —where they have been subterraneanforthelast17 years — tunnelingandfeeding belowthesoil. Their venture frombelowonly begins when the soil reaches 64degrees Fahrenheit.Asthese in-sects seek to reproduce, theirunmistakable (andunavoidable) buzz will serveas amating call, as researchersexplain “the loud, buzzingdronecicadasmake is actuallya matingsong emitted by male insects, flexing a drum like organ called tymbal” (CNN).While scientists do not havea clear reason forthe cicada’s 17-yearschedule, it is predicted that theirmass and synchronous emergence helps the bugs to “survive andmate successfully, as birds and small mammals only canpickoff so many cicadas at once”(CNN).
Despite their unsettlingpresence, these precarious bugsarenot harmful tohu-mans oranimalsandratherarebeneficial to gardens.When the insects tunnel upfromthe soil, “they create holes thatincrease aeration and water penetration,” notto mention the nutrients provided from thede-
composition of their exoskeletons (CNN).
While thetypical cicada life spanabove groundis only4-6 weeks, oneway you canhelp sci-entists learn moreabout thesepe-culiar creaturesis through theapp CicadaSafari,designed byCincin-nati’svery own Mount St.Joseph University. Theapp letsusers track locations and submit photosof cicada emergences acrosstheeast coast to help determinethe range of the Brood X in 2021. ∎

the vaccine had rolled out in January, India was already preparing to send out nearly 60 million doses to other countries as a donation. Now, with the short-fall of vaccines, India has begun importing Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, however, their current records show that only around 10 percent of the population has received their first dose.

In light of the situation, it’s important for the rest of the world to understand how their situation can be prevented in the future. India’s foresight in January was poor and was the result of a fairly successful year in that they were able to containthe virus within their borders. This was also aresult of loweredcase-positivity and case-fatality rates. However, like the flight attendants always say, “Put your oxygen mask on before helping others”.∎

Since we’ve established that the new variant isn’t particularly resistant tothe vaccine, we can reasonably conclude that the vast majority of people in India are not vaccinated, and this is true. In fact, India’s vaccine deliveries are de-creasing just as fast as their number of cases increase. Indian authorities report-ed a daily average of 4.2 million vaccines on April 2. In just over a month, that number was slashed in half to a daily average of 2 million. This inoculation sit-uationis striking given theirlarge vaccine industry, specificallywith companies like Bharat Biotech, and previous records of mass immunization. In fact, when

“I’m like Fauci.” —Mr. Slonim

EDITORIALS 4

The Fall of the Mall

William Dalton‘23

May 2021

End to the Ellen Show

Tacey Hutten ‘21

If you've watched season 3 of Stranger Things, you'd know that one of the predominant places the characters consistently spend their free time at is the mall. With its bright neon signs, people of all likes abuzz everywhere, commo-tion galore, the mall during the '70s, '80s, and '90s was the place to be, the place to go to do stuff with your friends or where you'd go every Wednesday with your mom to buy clothes. Many factors can be attributed to why malls aren't like this today though, specifically the decline of consumerism and the rise of online shopping, resulting in what many call the "American Retail Apoc-alypse." The 1970s was reallythe hay-day forthe mall, growing parallel with suburbs, highways, and the middle class; it was the "malling of America." Malls primarily survive[d] through “anchor stores,” like Macy's and JCPenney, so when these stores started pulling out coinciding witheconomic downturns like the 2008 financial crisis which resulted in decreased retail spending, collectively fewer people needed to and were able to go there. All of this was further aug-mented by the rise of online shopping in the early 2000s, giving people conven-ience and accessibility at the touch of a button. In an effort to combat this, malls started to focus more on experiences rather than solely shopping. But despite these efforts, many malls have become dead, left empty and abandoned with no one like the "Mallrats" to use or avail them, and most importantly few willing to expend their money. All of this transpiring even before the COVID-19 pan-demic hit, which only exacerbated the already unfavorable problems bedeviling malls. Coresight Research predicts that ¼ of all American malls will close in the next three to five years, but with the death of so many malls comes the oppor-tunity for their rebirth and redevelopment, opportunities to utilize malls to help the community around them meet challenges they might never have had to deal with before. So yes, malls are dying, but that doesn't mean communities and the American spirit have to die with. ∎

The Villainous College Board (A Joke) Ashwini Krishnan ‘23

Although AP exams are quite popular, the private company that givesthem isn’t so warmly welcomed! It’s expensive, stressful, and makes you question your life decisions as you wonder, “Is it allworth it,or should I run awayto Greece and never look back?” Nonetheless, the feelingstowards the corrupt College Boardare far from loving, sohere is a compilation of real feelings from... realpeopleabouthow they... really feel.
Most of thoseinterviewed share a mutual feeling ofpure hatred towards the company, and the language was too crude tobe allowedin the article, but it can be inferred what was said!
A student famously quoted,“[expletive] College Board.” This sentiment was unfortu-natelyechoed by a varietyof her peers, whoallquicklydenounced and criticizedthe mega-corporation. “They’re as bourgeoisas itgets, exploiting their monopolyon ed-ucational testing torankinover a billion dollars a yeardespite labeling themselvesa non-profit,” anotheradded.
A senior at Indian Hill summed up a common theme by expressing that, “Trying to workthe websitetakesyears off ofmy life,”and further that “the people who run College Board just profit off ofconfusing students who wantto pursuehigh-er education.” Another student commented that College Board “enforces a socialdi-vide among students and demographics. A corporate scheme designedby the rich and wealthyclaiming as a non-profit simply profiting offof a corporate dependent Ameri-ca.” Buildingoff ofthat,yetanotherCollege Boarddetestee lamented “the fact that our overallgrade ison oneexam. Itbecomes a make or breaksituationfor ONE ex-am; it’s not cumulative,it’s one exam.” EthanMarx, widely recognized as the Most WonderfulPerson ToGrace This School,evennoted that “AP Classroom is overrat-ed.” You heardit here, folks.

Ellen DeGeneres has announced the end of her talk show,sparkingcon-troversyover the cause of its end as well as the show’s legacy. With its final sea-son scheduled for 2022,the show will have run for 19 seasons,airingover 3,000 episodes and amassingdozens of Emmys.
Butthe show's apparentsuccess begs the question — whyis it ending? The formal reason provided byDeGeneres is thatshe wants “somethingnew to challenge me,” butmanysuspectit’s notthatsimple. For one,the announcementfollowed substantial accusations of a toxic work environment,includingracism and sexual misconduct.With an assistfrom the pandemic, the show has also lostover a mil-lion viewers since the premier of the 18th season.Butmostsuspectthat the show’s end was inevitable followingthe long decline of Ellen’s public image.
Ellen began her career as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s.In the 90s, she starred in a sitcom called “Ellen,” on which Ellen came outas gay.She quickly became one of the mostprominentmembers of the LGBTQ+ communityin Hol-lywood,breakingbarriers and openingthe door for other LGBTQ+ centered shows. However, the sitcom quicklylostthe support of sponsors,the network, and was ultimatelycancelled as a result. Even in 2003,when DeGeneres started her talk show,producers worried she wouldn’tconnect with her audience who, at the time, were primarilystraight,stayathome moms.Ellen proved them wrong again and again, these concerns onlyfurther propellingher relatable, down to earth character.
Butrecently, this character has come under fire.After conflict regarding her relationship with former presidentGeorge W.Bush,viral incidents with Ma-riah Careyand Dakota Johnson,countless statements and accusations byformer employees,out-of-touch comments made duringthe pandemic, and an internal investigation that saw 3 executive producers fired,manybelieve that her “niceness” is justan act. Her positive impacton LGBTQ+ representation is unde-niable,yetit seems that more recent events tainted her image beyond repair. ∎

More students commented that College Board was “unfortunately neces-sary to show colleges I can do some good work”but that the inflexibility of those classes and their rigorous structure sometimes made theexamtoo short toaccu-rately reflect the massive amount ofinformation learned throughout the year. Thus, some students feelas though the examwas only partially reflective oftheir actual learningin the course.
There was, of course, an outlier. In responseto the interview, one student actually repliedthat College Board was a benevolent god and that the website was “really helpful” due tothe reviewvideos held and hostedby professionals in the field. Thatstudent also acknowledged the extensive review content thatAP teach-ers at IndianHill provide,which truthfully speaks moreto the qualityoftheteach-ers here at IndianHillratherthanthe AP course itself.
Overall, although a common sentiment ofstudents towards College Board is hatred, the institutionprovides a convenient wayto be able tosee what college courses may feel like and also which colleges maybe a good fit for the amount of work youare willing todo. ∎

While many agree that College Board-- to putit bluntly -- sucks, the contro-versial company is still grudginglyacceptedbecause ofthe college and academic prep-aration itoffers. One student quipped that “sometimesCollege Board isa little [expletive]. Ihate it. Butit gives me opportunities togrow academically,and so Col-lege Boardand I have a love-hate relationship.” Anotherstudent acknowledged that College Board’s AP Classes “prepped you for college classes” and willlikely “make it easier togetthrough college smoothly or more quickly,” but protestedthat“it makes it seem like youhave to take college-level classes inhigh school to get anywhere in life.”

“I was inspired by the Ethan Marx of the future?” —Faye Hardek

EDITORIALS

May 2021

DogeCoin

Arjun Verma ‘24

5

Mock Trial

Ethan Marx ‘21

Out of all the antics that gained popularity over the maddening yearof 2020, a cryptocurrency named after dogs and memes was one ofthe moreunex-pected outcomes. The popular cryptocurrency Dogecoin wascreated by Billy Markus, a software engineer, from a copyofBitcoin. This cryptocurrency has gained the interestof millions through Reddit’s investing boom during the pandemic. This coin is currently valuedataround $67billion andrising steadily withthe support of popular figures such as Mark Cubanand
Elon Musk.
Elon Musk has beena key figure in supporting cryptocurrency. He has even included Bitcoin as anofficial form of pay-ment for all Teslavehicles.However, cur-rently, Elon has announced that Teslawill not accept Bitcoin anymore due toenviron-mental concerns. Teslais considering other sources of cryptocurrency — potentially Dogecoin in the future.
The name Dogecoin originates from the Shiba Inu breedof dogs which are associated withthe “Doge” meme. The meme depicts aShiba staring tothe side typi-cally paired along withphrases such as “Such Stare” and“Wow”. The meme hit peak popularity during its date ofcreationallowing fora perfect opportunity toattract investors to the coin.
Dogecoin is currently at a sub-dollar position,a common area where many cryptocurrencies either riseor die off. The investors have exhibited their enthusi-asm, mainly through Reddit, for it to hit $1 per coin. Hitting this barrier would bring inimmense profits forany investors. After the events of $GME (rapid growth through large investment), Reddit hasbeen the nurturing ground for many potential stocks. With the proper support, Dogecoin could reach market valuessimilar to bitcoin. So don’t wait any longerand go invest! ∎

Laptops, chargers, empty Gatorade bottles, legalpads, pens (blue -- not
black), and ties covered my diningroom table as we awaited the results. After four years ofcompetition together and nearly fiftyrounds,our highschool mock trial careers all came down tothis. “Our inaugural grand champion forthe 2021 MockOn Tournament ofChampions... Indian Hill HighSchool”. After five grueling rounds of competition, ourteamwas more tired than anything. However, when this final result was announced, excitement filled the room.
After an extremelynarrow loss in the final round,our teamof Brooke Youngblood,Audrey Bristol, Sydney Poffenberger, Tacey Hutten, and I decided to compete one last time together. However, there was one limiting factor: senioritis. Thus, we decided to take another approach. While Tacey and Ihad won a combined 26 attorney awards, we decided toeach attorney forhalfof the roundsand witness for the others. Meanwhile,one of our star witnesses, Audrey Bristol, was a double attorney. Witha truncatedprep time of about three weeks, our teamwas able to prepare an entire case playing entirely new roles and win this nationalcompetition. In addition towinningthe final round,Indian Hill’s mock trial teamalso
played formerStateand National championsand won a smattering ofindividual awards. Sydney Poffenbergertook home her 10thcareerwitnessaward. Tacey Hutten and I also tookhome outstandingwitnessawards in the first ever portrayals of witnesses. Additionally,Tacey and Iwere honored to tie as the top attorneysat the competition.However, it was not the awards or the victory thatmade this competition such a wonderful experience. Competing as a teamone last time was an amazingexperience that Iwill never forget.This teamhas meant so much to me over the past four years and I cannot waitto see where our paths lead us. Bang em!
∎

Free Palestine! GianniEspejel ‘23

The IsraeligovernmentandPalestiniansare once again in conflict. What	target, and have detained Palestinians based on social media posts and otherexpres-started out as Palestinianprotests, due tothe evictionof six Palestinianfamilies from	sive activity.As of August31, according toIsraeli Prison Services figures, Israelheld land considered annexedbythe IsraeliCourts, quickly escalated intoviolent confron- 4,207 Palestiniansin custody for “security” offenses, including 153 children, manyfor tation —leadingto Israelipolice officers storming the al-Asque mosque. The militant throwing stones,and 355 in administrative detention without formal charges or trial Palestiniangroupsknown as Hamas and the PIJ responded by firingrockets atIsrael,	and based on secret evidence. While applying Israeli civil law to settlers, Israeliau-injuring 564 and killing 9. Now, the IDF(Israel Defense Forces) has continuedto	thorities govern West BankPalestinians,excluding Jerusalem residents, under harsh bomb the Gaza strip, hitting40 schools, 4hospitals(as of May17th), the Al-Shatiref- military law. In so doing, they denythembasicdue process and try them in military ugee camp,displacing 34,000 Palestinians,andkilling around 217.Recently, the IDF courts with a near-100percent convictionrate. Israelincarcerates many Palestinians has destroyed a press building housing media outlets AP and Al Jazeera.	from the OPTinside Israel, complicating family visits and violating internationalhu-
The anger that Palestiniansfeel and their demands for justice is warranted.	manitarian law’s prohibition against their transfer outside occupied territory.”
The HumanRights Watch’s 2020report onhumanrights abuses by Israeldescribes	This is only a fraction ofthetotal abuseinflicteduponPalestiniansby theIs-the inhumanity forced uponthe Palestinians on a daily basis. To quote HumanRights raeli government. Though itmust be said thatHamas and PIJ are inexcusable in their Watch directly, “Fora 13thconsecutive year, the government enforced a generalized attacks against Israelicivilians. It is the imperialistic actions of the Israeligovernment, travel ban on Palestinians inthe occupiedGaza Stripand sharply restricted the entry     not the Israeli citizenry, that must be combated. Butdo not let the action ofa minori-and exit of goods. Theserestrictions, not basedon an individualized assessment of        ty justify the overwhelmingly destructive actions of the IDF against the Palestinians. security risk, robbed with rare exceptions the 2million Palestinians living there of        These abuses ofhuman rights have gone on too long. It is time that the world sees the their right tofreedomofmovement, limitedtheiraccess to electricity and water, and conflict for what ittruly is and worktowards the restoration ofthe land tothose who devastated the economy. Eighty percent of Gaza’s residents depend on humanitarian     rightly deserve it.
aid. Israeliauthorities alsofacilitated the further transferof Israelicitizens intosettle-	Free Palestine! ∎ ments in the occupied West Bank,a war crime. The Israeli groupPeace Now said that
Israeli officials in 2020 advanced plans for morehousingunits inWest Bank settle-ments, 12,159 as of October 15, more thanin anyother year since it began tracking these statistics in 2012. According tothe UNOffice ofCoordination for Humanitari-an Affairs (OCHA), as ofOctober 19, 2020, Israeliauthorities demolished568Pales-tinian homes and other structures in the West Bank this year, including inEast Jerusa-lem, displacing 759 people.Most buildingswere demolished for lackingIsraeli build-ing permits, which are virtually impossible toobtain. As the Covid-19 pandemic spread between March andAugust, Israel averaged itshighest home demolition ratein four years, OCHA found. On November 3, Israeli authorities razed the homes of most residents ofthe Palestinian community of Khirbet Humsah in the JordanValley for being inanarea isdesignated as a ‘firing zone,’ displacing 73 people,41 of them children.”
Palestiniansare also forced to live underauthoritarian conditions. To quote directly again fromHuman Rights Watch, “Israeli authorities closely monitoronline speech by Palestinians, in part relying on predictive algorithms to determine whom to

“Does tomato have an E?” —Brooke Youngblood

FEATURES

6	May 2021

Elon Musk on SNL Elsa Zhou ‘23

The 18th episode of SNL’s 46th season saw billionaire and second-richest man alive Elon Musk grace the New York City stage in a variety of bizarre sketches, but nothing out of the ordinary for the zany SNL writer room. An early sketch featured a courtroom challenge to the conventional belief of Wario’s assumed villainy after news of Mario’s murder immediately led to fingers pointed at the portly, yellow-and-pink cartoon character (played by Musk). Another sketch starred Pete Davidson as Chad, a recurring and fa-mously taciturn character who this time saved Musk’s Mars colony from an oxygen failure while also brushing away fatherhood with Miley Cyrus with an easy “no thank you!” Musk also played Lloyd Oystertag, a fictional finan-cial expert who ended up conceding that Dogecoin was a “hustle.” Ironical-ly, although the sketch appeared to tout and advertise Dogecoin, Dogecoin stocks plummeted 23% the next day! (Evenmore interestingly, Musk’s fa-vorite cryptocurrency is Dogecoin, so much so that after SNL, he allegedly attended a Dogecoin party complete with ice sculptures). Another sketch, ‘Murdur Durdur,’ showed Musk as a creepy priest who a Pennsylvanian police department -- complete with outrageously thick accents -- immedi-ately identified as the murderer of a local’s daughter, or as Kate McKin-non’s parody of Kate Winslet would say, …durdur. The ‘Gen Z Hospital’ sketch featured intentionally cringe-inducing portrayals of a group of teen-agers armed with fanny packs awaiting the recovery of one of their moth-ers, culminating in a selfie with a Supreme-labeled cremation jar. Musk played the doctor delivering the news to the group of teenagers, who un-fortunately had to break to them that their mother being dead was “no cap.” Another sketch involved the inner thoughts of people conversing at a dinner party post-quarantine -- the awkwardness is almost palpable in the four minutes of the sketch… watch at your own risk. Overall, the SNL episodes were a peculiar bunch -- catchthem on YouTube viaSNL’s channel now!∎

Shadow and Bone Review Sarika Singh ‘23

I’m going to start this review by saying I have never read the books. I know,Shadow and Bone fansare cringing, but they will be happy to hear that I am planning on reading Six of Crows as well as Shadow and Bone soon. Now, back to the review.When I saw the trailer for Shadow and Bone, I knew I wanted to watch it.The trailer was intriguing, but also vague. It left me with questions, questions that could only be answered by watching the show. I love fantasy, but I also love film versions of books, so this was perfect. Each episode is about an hour long, but time flies while you watch it.The day after I got my first vaccine, I skipped school, and that’s when I sat down andwatched four hours of the show. It was sogood, you have to hit the“next episode” button. Thestory revolves aroundAlina Starkov and takes placein a fictional country basedonTsarist Russia.The story is a little difficult to explain since there are so many made-up terms, but you should know it has to do with magic. Now, do I recommend it? Absolutely. It is an amazing and complex story that leaves you with questions regarding the char-acters andstoryline. I will admit, at first it wasvery difficult to follow because there was a lack of universe building.Authors do this at the beginning of a book to establish the situation and universe, but because there was little narration in the show, it could not be built.This is also a show where you have to pay attention. It is not super confusing or complex, but attentionwill be needed. Overall, the storyline, charac-ters, actors, and originality emerged to be the strongest points of this show. Personally, I will give it an8/10.∎

Chieftain Chews

Amitesh Verma ‘21, Vandita Rastogi ‘21, Will Ford ‘21, Janaki Kode ‘21

Chieftain Chews is back again this monthwith ourseniors! For new readers andthose who needa bit of a refresh,Chieftain Chews is broughtto you by a few members of the Chieftain staff who travel around Cincinnati to findthe best eateries in town!Thismonth, we decided totry outsome … disparatecuisines - Taste ofBelgium,Graeter’s, and Kenwood Country Club promfood.We evaluatedeach restaurant in five differentcategories on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best). If you decidetovisit any of thesespots, we’ve included ourfavorites from each!

Ambiance:

Taste of Belgium - 8 -Quaint. Rustic exterior with indoor industrialvibes. Benchseating was comfortable, andthe wooden booths offeredgreat seating options.
Graeter’s - 9 -Feels similartothe original Graeter’s on Kenwood Road. Antiquated, retrotiling with consistent lavender/magenta themes.Solid.THERE IS A PLAYSET.
Kenwood Country Club Prom- 4 - Seatingwas quite cramped. Extremely dimly lit.

Price:

Taste of Belgium -5 - A bit on theexpensive side, butwas very worth itfor the quality of food and ambiance.
Graeter’s - 7 -A bit expensivefor a single scoop of ice cream and a wafflecone.
Kenwood Country Club Prom- 2 -The overallconsensus wasthat $65 fortheeventwas OUT-RAGEOUSLY overpriced for the quality of food and servicewereceived.

Food Quality:

Taste of Belgium -9 -The hot sauce is everything. Food is fire. Graeter’s - 9 -I mean, it’sGraeter’s.You can’t really gowrong.
Kenwood Country Club Prom- 1.98 - ABSOLUTE TRASH,thechickenhadthe consistency of a rubber ducky.

Service:

Taste of Belgium -8 - Veryhonest waiters; ourseven told usto respectfully “avoid”thesteel-cut oatmeal for our own sake.
Graeter’s - 9 -Great, efficientservice, but we did not receive free icecreamwithgraduation gowns.
Kenwood Country Club Prom- 4 -They didn’t check on us and ran out of bread beforethey reached ourtable but gave us literal 5-pound blocks of cold butter.

Location:

Taste of Belgium -8 -Nice location nestled directly across from the Kenwood Towne Centre. Graeter’s - 8 -SO CONVENIENT.You couldhit both El RanchoGrande andGraeter’s on the same night, and they arehundredths of a mile from one another. Parking is a bit congested though. Kenwood Country Club Prom- 7 - Lowkey irrelevant … golf course isfine.

What toOrder: Taste of Belgium
•	Beltucky Hot Brown: roastedturkey,candied bacon, and Cheddar Mornay sauce topped on a softwaffle;has a biscuit and gravy comfort foodtype of feel.
•	Waffle & Chicken: quite literally a waffle and a chicken plussalad (why the salad though?)
•	For your own sake, donot tryto steel-cut oatmeal.

Graeter’s

•	Black RaspberryMilkshake

•	Cookie DoughChipIce Cream

•	Double ChocolateChipIce Cream - A classic.The darkchocolatechunks with the silky milk chocolate icecream truly soothesthe palette and offers a delicioussweettreat.

Kenwood Country Club Prom

•	Four-Cheese Ravioli- Good.The saucewas really delicious, but the quantity of cheese within each ravioliwas actuallypretty absurd.Thegarlic breadslaps.
•	HeartyMushroomGrilled Chicken

•	Do not trythe mashed potatoes… it looked likethey werehastily squeezed out of a bot-tle.

In thewords of Justin Bieber, some of thefoodswere“yummy.” Otherswere … notsoscrump-

tious. :D Peace out, Chieftain.<3 ∎

“They all call me handsome.” —Michael Ragnone

FEATURES

May 2021	7

High School Musical:The Musical:The Series Review Mady Kahn ‘22

On Friday May 14, the second season of Disney’s High School Musical:	Over the past year, the series has seriously grown in popularity as a re-The Musical: The Series aired, after a long awaited year full of drama both in the     sult of a lot of the real life drama that occurred between some of the cast mem-show and with the cast in real life. The show is about a group of high school        bers. When the Season 1 finale aired, many people suspected (and hoped) that theater students at East High School: the same school where the original High     Olivia and Joshua were in a relationship together. They were constantly seen in School Musical movies were filmed. In Season 1, the students put on their own     interviews and videos in which their actions were deemed as very flirtatious, production of High School Musical, while facing lots of drama in their personal      and many viewers wanted them to officially announce that they were dating. lives. The show mostly revolves around the two main characters Ricky (played This never actually happened, but fans have still pieced together lots of clues by Joshua Bassett) and Nini (played by Olivia Rodrigo) who broke up over the throughout the past year to establish an intricate theory about their relation-summer before the start of school. Throughout the season, the characters are      ship. Many people suspect that Joshua and Olivia were, in fact, in some sort of involved in multiple love triangles, but eventually end up confessing their love relationship, but Joshua ended it because Olivia was too young (she was 17 and to each other in the last episode. While this left viewers extremely happy, we     he was 20). People believe that Joshua told Olivia that he would wait for her, learned that Nini was accepted into an elite performing arts school in Colora-     but then went against this and got into a relationship with another actress/
do, meaning she would have tochoose betweenthe school or Ricky.	singer, Sabina Carpenter. This sparked alot of drama, and people became ex-tremely invested in this suspected love triangle (that was never confirmed). In
The first episode of Season 2 was set over the holiday break. The char- January, Olivia released her first single called “Drivers License,” which many acters all expected the next musical they performed to be High School Musical 2 people suspected was about Joshua and Sabrina. The song did exceptionally after their first musical was so successful. The drama teacher, Miss Jen, howev- well, hitting no. 1 on the charts and breaking numerous records. Within a er, made the last minute decision to change the next show to Beauty and the	month of it being released, both Joshua and Sabrina released their own songs, Beast in order to compete for an award she learned about from a rival drama	which led to people’s further obsession with the drama. With all of the new
teacher/ old classmate. This sets the stage for the rest of the season, in which	spectacles, fans are extremely curious to watch how Season 2 of the show will we will watch the characters prepare and perform this musical. However, the	play out in order to see if they can find any more hints about what truly hap-characters must manage the drama that they face amongst each other. Through- pened between Joshua and Olivia. ∎
out the episode, Nini was seen struggling to tell Ricky that she was moving to Colorado to attend the new school since she seemed to be Ricky’s main source of happiness. At the end of the episode, Nini abruptly told Ricky after the new show was announced, leaving the episode at a cliffhanger. I personally think that Nini will attend the school temporarily, but will eventually end up coming back toEast High. New characters are expectedto be introduced, soI am ex-cited to watch all of the drama unfold!

Valkyrae Elsa Zhou ‘23

Rachel Hofstetter, better known by the name of Valkyrae, has ce-mented her position in the gaming scene for a few years, but especially so for the past year. In a video interview on the 100Thieves YouTube chan-nel, an organization of which she is now a co-owner, she mentioned how her transition from Twitch (a streaming website) to YouTube brought its fair share of difficulties and risk. However, her deal with YouTube and initial Twitch fanbase ended up jump-starting a massive rise in followers as the Among Us game frenzy earlier this year seemed toseize the world. Her popular videos of the game with other big streamers on Twitch such as DisguisedToast, Pokimane, and Sykkuno have generated millions of views, and along with many OTV (Offline TV, another house of streamers much like 100Thieves) friends, Valkyrae’s sweet yet competitive personality has captured the attention, admiration, and adoration of many new fans. As the Among Us trend has left the limelight, Valkyrae has turned to GTA RP, Valorant, and other smaller games such as Raft, Little Nightmare, and Gartic Phone, all of which are made wildly entertaining by her synergy with other streamers. Further, her talents in the streaming business have not withheld her from other opportunities -- recently, she played CorpseHusband in Machine Gun Kelly’s music video for Daywalker and is set to appear in Bella Poarch’s music video as well. She also was featured recently on the Tonight Show featuring Jimmy Fallon to play a game of Among Us along with stars from the hit show Stranger Things. Overall, her rise over the past years has marked increased visibility for women and specifically, women of color in prominent positions in the gaming indus-try. Hopefully, her position in the spotlight will inspire generations of fe-male streamers to come!∎

Boys Tennis Sarika Singh ‘23

Indian Hill Boys’ Tennis has always been an outstanding mark of ex-cellence, and this year has only proved that to be the case once more! Alt-hough last year their season got cut short due to COVID-19, this team came back stronger than ever. The Varsity team went through amazing seasons, full of close matches and triumphant victories. The Varsity team continues to carry the IH name to victory, with an outstanding record of 15-4, all while being ranked number one in Division 2 high school men's tennis. The varsity team consists of 8 players, Tejas Pisati (junior), RJ Poffenberger (freshman), Jack Pollock (freshman), Jasper Bennett (senior), Sam Rhoad (junior), Eshaan Gandhi (freshman), Jai Mastruzo (senior), and Senuka Abeysinghe (freshman). Each player has contributed greatly to their amaz-ing record, but it could not have been done without guidance. Wade Ward, former Indian Hill student, as well as the Indian Hill women’s varsity team coach, has served as the men’s coach for nearly 7 seasons. He has been dedi-cated to pushing each team to be the best that they can be and has coached through many wins. To make a good team, group dynamics are required, and after sitting in on matches and practices, it is evident that the team gets along very well. Jack Pollock says that “With all the people around me and with Coach Wade Ward, they have shown me a side of tennis that is more team-oriented and that’s something that I have never gotten out of this indi-vidual sport.” From another perspective, Eshaan Gandhi says “High School tennis is just fun in every way possible, messing around with teammates, winning matches, and just playing tennis makes me enjoy every day. I like how it’s a team effort rather than an individual fault when the team strug-gles, but I also love how we bond stronger as we win. Overall, it’s just a great experience and I can’t wait for upcoming years.” Don’t forget to wish the tennis team the best of luck at their state tournament! Go Braves! ∎

“Am I going to need to have an intervention with Michael Ragnone?” —Brooke Youngblood

FEATURES

8

Running to Success Kaia Woo ‘23

The 2021 Spring Trackseason is comingto an end!It feelsas thoughjust yesterday it wasMarchand the first outdoor practices hadjust begun.As the regular season endedlast Fridayand the varsity teamson their way to conquer theupcoming districts, it’s amazing tolook back on theprogressour runners have made overthe past months. Some highlightsinclude afirst place titlein the Throwers’ Relay at the Sycamore Relaysmeet, cheering for theseniorson Senior Night, and thegirls’ recent championship victory at CHLs. Coach Savage,in abriefword about the season,is very happy and gratefulwith how the season is going, especially with theheartbreak of losing lastyear’s season. “The results atCHLs were above and beyond whatI antic-ipated…” says Savage --the boys secondplace finish andthe girls’ victorywhich marks their fourth yearin arow of winning. Greatseasonathletes, good luck!

On May 15,severalgirls from the trackteam joined withthe Girls OnThe Run club-many, many high-energy andspirited girls (primary/elementary students) -fora 5k run/walk race. It wasa beautiful, sunny, 60-degree-weather morning aswe gathered in front of theprimary school. The coaches hadmapped out a routethrough the near-by neighborhoods,stationingthe high-schoolersaround thecourse for encourage-ment, and afewas “runningbuddies”. As expected,the girls bursted off thestarting line, quicklydwindlinginto alight jog,and eventually awell-paced walk. Yet, there was nothing more specialthan watching
the girls crossthe finish lineand trium-phantly break through theribbons. The coaches gatheredus allfor pictures and then conducted anadorable awards cere-mony for the youngrunners.A big thank you to thecoachesfor arranging the race and the volunteers forsupporting these
girls!∎

May 2021

Fun Covid Friendly Things to do in CincinnatiThis Summer
Ashwini Krishnan ‘23

As the schoolyearwindsdown and the lingeringpresence ofCOVIDstillpersists , this summeris as gooda time asanyto explore the numerous COVID friendly (as wellaswalletfriend-ly) activities to doinCincinnati.

Safe outdooractivities!

•	KingsIsland: spend the day at Kings Islandwhile social distancingandhaving funonthe rides!
•	Loveland BikeTrail: agreat source of exerciseas wellascompletely free. Bike downto Milford, get some lunch,and enjoy anice day out inthe sunshine!
•	Cincinnati Zoo:Feed the giraffes,play with the elephants, andmake friends witha gorilla all fora reasonable price anda day filled with newmemories.
•	PeddlersFleaMarket: this indoor/outdoorspace offersover 300outdoor vendors serving foodall day andselling unique,one ofa kind items
•	Top Golf:spendthe daywith your friendsorfamilywhileeating good food andgolfing! What couldbe better?

Free activities!
•	Visitthemurals:take awalk downtownandappreciate the art. There are countless pieces ofart capturing hardships,achievements, and more.A self-guided tourexploring yourcity is a great way tospendthe day.
•	Riverwalk: you can visittheRoebling Bridge, feed theducks, orswing! Riverwalk isa placeto exploreand appreciateCincinnati’s history as wellasenjoy the breezeoffof the river. •	Art climb: this isa newlyopened space bythe artmuseum madeforpeople toenjoy. There are beautiful viewswith lights and “art plazas”to letthosecreativejuices flow, oreven just get a better viewof our beautifulcity.
•	ContemporaryArts Center: this space always has something newto feature asitfocuses on recent developmentsin art. Thebuildingis freeand spacious,and youareableto spreadout.

With awelldeserved summer filled withrelaxationand fun,I encourage you togo out andlookfor

the beauty withinour little cityofCincinnati. ∎

TV Show Review:Lucifer and Harley Quinn Elsa Zhou ‘23

Netflix’s TV show Lucifer follows the devil incarnate… literally. At the beginning of season 1,the former King of Hell, better known as Lucifer Morn-ingstar, arrives in Los Angeles. Accompanied by a demon named Mazikeen (Maze for short), Lucifer unsurprisingly runs a raging nightclub called “Lux”. However, not long after coming to Earth, Lucifer finds himself in the midst of a murder. Attempting to persuade lead detective Chloe Decker to let him assist with the case, Lucifer also faces resistance on Earth from his angel brother Amenadiel, who wishes to hold Lucifer accountable for leaving Hell unattended. The show continues on as Lucifer later becomes an official civilian consultant to help and pester Decker, who develops an undeniable bond with a man she doesn’t realize is the Devil. The seasons effortlessly weave in bits of Bible lore, such as Lucifer’s relationship with his siblings, father, and mother, as well as oth-er Biblical characters like Cain and Eve.
This DC Universe show is definitely worth a watch. It nobly re-casts many of the traditional roles established in the Bible and morphs those figures into characters that fit a romantic drama and police proce-
dural. The TV show consistently touches on deeper topics as Lucifer must grap-ple with his self-hatred and inability to control his circumstances on Earth like he was able to in Hell. Additionally, other notable characters that join the Devil’s merry band include Linda, Lucifer’s therapist, and Ella, a bright and optimistic evidence technician. So, the show’s first five seasons are available on Netflix and certainly worth checking out!

cellmates such as the Riddler, a bald man intent on riddling people to death (with actual riddles, not bullets). However, despite claiming she is done with Joker’s manipulative personality, Harley then embarks on a mission to enter the League of Doom to prove to the Joker that she deserves his respect.
The first few episodes of the show already set up the chaotic, frenzied mood that perfectly characterizes the dangerously whimsical nature of Harley Quinn. The TV show is amazingly successful at capturing Quinn’s anti-heroine essence: a character that commits crimes but... compellingly so. For example, in later episodes in the first season, Harley’s new identity begins to emerge, with her blue-and-pink pigtails and baseball bat. With every swing of that iconic bat, the audience sees more of Harley’s independent nature shine through as the show paints her so humanly, so rawly. It becomes impossible not to see her as the true protagonist-- one to root for, laugh for, and cry for. As the show progresses, its comedic nature yet dramatic flair continue to mesh beautifully with the comic-book origins of iconic characters such as Quinn, Ivy, Joker, Batman, Penguin, Bane, and Riddler. The show is an enjoyable watch: catch the first two seasons on HBO Max! The third season is expected to premiere in either late 2021 or early 2022! ∎

Harley Quinn’s animated TV show appears in the same broader DC Uni-verse as Lucifer, but has yet to hold any stronger connections to any live action movies or shows. The show starts with the Joker, a familiar painted-white face with a grating voice and leering smile, betraying Harley by throwing her at Bat-man to save himself. Unable to catch the Joker as he flees, Batman locks up Har-ley, who turns in her signature red-and-black outfit for the familiar orange jumpsuit worn by Arkham Asylum jailbirds. After futilely expecting the Joker to rescue her month after month, Harley instead decides to listen to her fellow Ark-ham resident Poison Ivy, a powerful villain with the ability to control plants with her mind. Together, the two engineer a chaotic escape from Arkham, freeing