Over the past decade we have seen The Walt Disney Co. buying and taking over many different media companies. In August 2009, it announced a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 billion. It obtained the rights to Lucasfilm studios and the “Star Wars” franchise in 2012 for another $4 billion. These were only the first of an entire campaign of Disney buying many different entities. But has this been a bad thing, and does Disney deserve the success of the franchises the

For the last few years, space enthusiasts, otherwise known as full-blown nerds such as myself, have waited patiently for the latest generation of SpaceX rockets. And with the most recent Starship update, we have seen some big changes made to the SpaceX family of rockets. Web graphic If you have spent a lot of time on the internet lately you are aware of the change: SpaceX switched the body of its rocket, or fuselage, from a carbon-fiber composite to an all-stainless steel bui

When it’s the start of a new term, teachers and students are thinking the same thing: How much do I have to shell out for the class textbook? It’s like playing a game of chance because every class is different. For the most part, subjects are really “by the book” and therefore you gotta spend a couple hundred on the textbook; otherwise, you’re at a disadvantage. Then there are the more casual learning classes, where all your course reading is either done online or in class ha

Hundred of families. Thousands of mouths to feed. An entity that evidently could not care less. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Fred Meyer storefront | Web Photo It’s a reality that the employees of dozens of large-scale grocery establishments across Oregon and Washington encountered once again, and one that affects laborers across the globe every single day. This truth revealed itself yet again earlier this month on Sept. 23, when a state-spanning boycott hit numero

The 2020 presidental primaries are coming. So far, the campaign makes the 2016 race look less like an animalistic free-for-all, but it sure does look a lot more crowded this time around. Much like the 2016 debates, the televised 2020 Democratic Party debates have focused on several prominent characters fighting, not only for a crowd of support, but also the policy ideas that they want to implement to benefit the American people. The unfortunate part of these debates is that t

In this contentious time for our country, tensions are beginning to rise, divides are growing wider and it has become easier to hate someone who disagrees with you than listen to them. Many persons are demonized for their beliefs by the other side, and the chance for a true discussion where you listen to the other side, not argue with them, is nearly gone. During these tumultuous days, I took notice of a small group known as Crossing Party Lines. Based in Portland, the group

In 2018, Starbucks made a big commitment to the environment and environmentalists everywhere. “We’re removing plastic straws in our stores globally by 2020 – reducing more than 1 billion plastic straws per year from our stores,” said a tweet by the company. So, here we are closing in on the last three months of 2019, and we’re wondering if Starbucks is prepared to follow through on its timeline. It would appear that it is. The two most famous tactics Starbucks has underta

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate One of the hard things about becoming a professional photographer these days is getting experience and versatility within this creative field. So, when I found out I could gain both of those things here at the Advo

Omar Saradi (Photo by Megan Phelps / the Advocate) When Bill Nye “The Science Guy” goes viral on the internet, it could be for several reasons. But for the last several years, Nye has come into the public eye to express his anger over the lack of policy attention our current climate situation has gotten. In his latest skit, Nye, a beloved childhood hero for millennials and Gen Z’ers, goes on an explicit rant where he finally musters up the courage to call us a bunch of #&$! i

Hannah Meisenhelder (Photo by Megan Phelps / the Advocate) Totally-online classes just might be the future of higher education. I mean, think about it: With an online class, you don’t have to waste time and gas money to travel to a physical campus. You don’t have to worry about scrambling together group projects with people you’ll never see again. And you don’t have to try not to fall asleep while your stuffy professor talks about their kids each class. In a world where peopl

Anna Riggs (Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate) Many of us have been thinking about the 2020 presidential election since Inauguration Day in January 2017. Democratic Party politicians have been eager, too – there are over 20 candidates in the race, including both political front-runners and underdogs. While it’s clearly too early to tell who will ultimately win, it seems as though history is being repeated, given the demographics of our current Democratic front-runners. Jo

Chris Barney Social media are a kind of virtual hanging out. You can keep connected with people you know, chat, play games, and many other things. With this myriad of options, it is no wonder that social media can keep you occupied for hours on end. They seem like a happy place where you can interact with people you know in different ways. But are social media really that great from a mental health perspective? I personally am not a fan of social media. I have a Facebook acco

Anna Riggs (Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate) In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, shooting in February of last year (and the 31 school shootings in America that occurred in the following year), there has been an eerie lack of federal legislation being passed in order to prevent such events from transpiring yet again. Even in Oregon’s progressive-leaning House and Senate chambers, there has been unmistakable inaction to protect grades K-12 school students from facing th