Web Graphic For me, music is an amazing source of therapy for happiness, and it provides another language and way of communication. Music can communicate in ways that sometimes can’t be done with words, and there are many emotions that can be better communicated. Some of my favorite artists include Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Camila Cabello. They and countless others really inspire me to be a better person and to use their music in ways that can positively impact and mak

Let’s face it: Liberals and conservatives are more polarized than ever. It isn’t too hard to notice someone calling a conservative a “misogynist,” “homophobic,” or just plain “evil” and to notice liberals being called “libtard” or a “snowflake” in the media. However, this warlike mentality of liberals vs. conservatives is not the right way to think. Whether you identify as a liberal or a conservative, we need “them,” as well as “you”: Politics is not a game of sides where are

Web Graphic In the span of just a little under one year, two significant and powerful films hit the big screen and shattered the already-high expectations from their respective visionaries. “Us,” written and directed by acclaimed “Get Out” crafter Jordan Peele, and “Parasite,” co-written and directed by accomplished South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho, each delivered their respective thriller-mysteries with an intricate eye for subtext and symbolism. But these works’ similar

Web Photo If the clue “This game show gives answers to which contestants respond with questions,” most people would answer enthusiastically with “Jeopardy!” The ongoing show has been hosted by Alex Trebek for 36 seasons. Being its host for that length of time, combined with the popularity the show has gained over that period, makes for a storied career. The question then becomes “Why is Alex Trebek so loved?” According to polling responses cited on YouGov.com, “Alex Trebek is

On Feb. 18, the president granted clemency to almost a dozen convicted criminals – a large majority of which were not just any kind of criminal. Among them, for example, was David Safavian, former Republican lawyer and lobbist who was found guilty in 2009 and served a year in prison for obstructing an investigation and making false statements regarding a former fellow lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Another was mental healthcare company partial-owner Judith Negron, responsible for h

Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, is making a nationwide leap for the presidency, and it’s not good for democracy. Bloomberg, at this point in his life, is a multi-billionaire businessman (he created the Bloomberg News media empire) and former politician. He’s kind of like Donald Trump, except he has an actual political career, he switched to the Democratic Party to run for the office, he’s possibly harassed even more women, and he has more money (which I don’

Parrish Chang|The Advocate Now that Valentine’s Day is over, we can finally stop feeling that awful feeling of being single on a day that is all about the couples. At least, that is what is going on in much of the world. However, Japanese culture has a day that takes place one month after Valentine’s Day with a similar tradition but a different twist: White Day. White Day’s origins come from a marketing strategy for companies to sell more marshmallows, one that later turned i

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to a drop in participants and costly lawsuits over multiple alleged and/or proven cases of child abuse. In just one such example, nearly 800 instances of physical and sexual abuse have been alleged by a single scout at the hands of a Pennsylvania scout leader during the 1970s, according to his lawsuit filed in 2019. In court this man has only been identified with the letters S.D. After al

Parrish Chang|The Advocate Animation is something that everyone has seen at some point in their lifetime, whether morning cartoons or any of Disney’s many movies. It’s a powerful tool that can stir up emotions in a person that most live action movies can’t. Animation studios are often really good at blending music with scenes to fully portray the emotion the viewer is supposed to feel at this time.  A very famous scene from Pixar’s “Up” is the portrayal of Ellie and Carl’s r

Sen. Sanders and Mayor Buttigieg in the January debate before the Iowa Caucus. Web Photo. The Iowa Caucus on Monday was everything, except normal – it was chaotic, confusing and a lot longer than expected. Everything since the beginning of the Democratic 2020 presidential campaigns and the debates have led to the results in Iowa; the problem is that those results were nowhere to be found for quite a while. The apparent cause of this disaster was that Iowa Democratic Party (ID

Fletcher Wold|The Advocate With two decisive votes by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, President Donald Trump has been acquitted of the charges brought against him, thus ending the impeachment scandal. The fact that articles of impeachment were even filed in the first place is unfortunate and sad. There was virtually no way, from the start, that Trump could have been impeached – and then found guilty and thus removed from office – because of a lack of votes. In an impeachment

While divorce is a messy subject and carries stigma across much of the nation, it makes for a noteworthy story in the history of the United States. As it currently stands, approximately 50% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce, with marriages lasting a median length of 11 years. The history of divorce in the U.S. has relatively strong links to progressive movements of the past and while divorce may still be a nasty business, the evolution of divorce law has been an indicat

It’s an urgent question: Are the United States and Iran headed to war? According to MHCC political science instructor Tom Scales, the answer is “no.” During another Historian’s Roundtable on Thursday, Jan. 30, several Mt. Hood instructors broke down the current conflict between the US and Iran. Tensions between powerful countries have always existed, and will exist, as long as the human race. However, Scales performed a cost-and-benefit analysis, and after boiling the situati

Web Graphic Few people in the United States are ever exposed to fountain pens, but they stand as a tool that is especially useful for students. Of course, in the day of technological convenience, it is strange to suggest putting an abnormal effort investing into what may seem to be an anachronistic tool. However, studies continue to support the suggestion that handwriting improves memory. And most importantly, it is still a good idea to brush up on the use of tactile writing,

Have you ever been overwhelmed or stressed out by something that should be minimal but it just feels like it’s seconds away from causing you to panic? Had trouble sleeping, even though you constantly feel exhausted or drained of all energy? I have, and it’s not fun at all. Whether we know it or not, we have felt some type of anxiety. Maybe it’s sweaty palms before you’re supposed to give a presentation, constantly worrying over nothing or even a sudden bout of irritation tha

If there’s something the nonsecular world has always had a firmer grasp on than the secular world, it’s the understanding of the impact of faith in our everyday lives. It is easy to disregard blind devotion as some kind of madness, and hard to understand what blind devotion truly feels like, for someone distant from the concept. It’s a concept so foreign to many of us that the phrase “blind devotion” itself often brings with it a scoff or an eyebrow raise. When witnessing or

With everything going on in the world, the littlest things always manage to slip by and sometimes those little things can have drastic measures. It’s not every day you’re going to hear the words, “How would you survive a zombie apocalypse if it were to happen?” My reasoning for that, is because it’s not realistic. If someone asked “What are your plans for the weekend?” That would make sense. It’s logical! In case someone does decide to test your apocalyptic knowledge, howeve

An interesting thing I have discovered over my several years of life: Not a lot of people like snow. Once we hit the age of 16 to 18, it begins to lose its sense of child-like wonder and joy, and simply becomes a cold inconvenience. However, for some (myself included), snow never lost its shine. I still wake up every day hoping for a glimpse of a layer of white covering the grass. Not only is snow one of the most beautiful things to behold (if you don’t believe me, you should

The royal family of the United Kingdom is the most well-known family in the entire Western World. Sixteen countries today, including the U.K., recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state. Even I, someone who was born in and spent the first seven years of life in Germany watching British television, recognized the royal family and what they meant to the essentially the world. I’ve learned quite a bit about their family structure and heritage. I’ve watched both the tel

From left: Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Bernie pose for the Jan. 14 Democratic debate. Web Photo. We are now, mere days away from the important Iowa caucuses that play a major role in who will secure the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party in November. That nominee will run against President Trump in the general election; however, some candidates are already feeling the heat of the campaign. In the last televised Democratic debate, the media made an event out