In this day and age, politics has become a complex and, in some cases, corrupt system. Parties are more divided, various topics of debate more intense. Gun control is one of these intense topics and, quite frankly, in the media it has become a complicated war between those who support the Second Amendment and those who would rather ban guns all together. The Second Amendment was put in place to protect citizens from an over-reaching government. If we as citizens have no way

Books versus movies: Which offers the best, most profound experience? Web Graphic | Godfrey Hibbert In the age of modern innovation, even those books that have held their own for decades are being rivaled by movies made from them. For example, “The Lord of the Rings,” one of the best-selling series of all time, now has movies that are in fierce competition with the books. Originally published in 1954, LOTR is a trilogy that tells a tale of the struggle between good and evil i

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

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate In the fall of 2016, I walked into the Career Counseling Center in desperate need of help. I was at one of the lowest points in my life, and needed some guidance. Thankfully, a counselor pointed me to the Advocate, and I honestly believe it’s what saved my life in more ways than one. Living with depression is complicated. You can have some days filled with laughter, happiness, and love; most days can seem unending, bleak, and sorrowful.

Photo by Megan Phelps / the Advocate Attending community college is one of the best decisions I’ve made. My time at MHCC has been nothing like what I expected it to be, but in all of the best ways. My first year at Mt. Hood, starting the fall of 2016 after I graduated high school, was a whirlwind of setbacks. After a very normal first term, I had surgery. This resulted in a two-week hospital stay at the beginning of Winter Term 2017, and me dropping out to take care of my he

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

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a landmark case – Roe v. Wade. It ruled that the 14th Amendment’s “due process clause” to the U.S. Constitution provides a right to privacy that protects a pregnant woman’s freedom to choose whether or not to have an abortion. It’s now 2019, and all three branches of the federal government (except the House of Representatives) are Republican-controlled and/or conservative in terms of ideology. And the debate on abortion has stepped ever

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

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7 out of 10 deaths in the U.S. are caused by chronic disease. Roughly half of the country’s population has been diagnosed with chronic illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, AIDS and more – all conditions that have been classified by medical experts as preventable. Preventative care can be achieved in many ways: Routine checkups, screenings, physicals, standard immunizations, and maintai

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

The internet can be a very terrifying place – maybe not as terrifying as the YouTube “dark web” videos that keep you up at night with the fear of assassination, snuff films and child pornography – but as of late, it’s getting close. If anyone has paid attention to news in the last several weeks, in the midst of everything else that surrounds news media like political scandals and foreign affairs, there were the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. Everything surround