Last Thursday’s Democratic debate was the kind of strong, aggressive discussion that was lacking early in the Democratic primaries. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton clearly drew the lines that separate them politically and ideologically. It was real politics on display. But the issue that resounded the strongest was the topic of Israel-Palestine. In what could possibly go down as a...

Thousands of screaming fans with painted faces and chests, elaborate costumes and homemade signs are just normal sights in sport stadiums around the world. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, Americans spend over $8 million on sports logo apparel yearly. But why? What is it that drives this deep obsession of sports fandom? Dr. Marco Iacoboni, director of the...

It was Easter Sunday, and most folks were spending their day with family and friends, or perhaps at church in their Sunday best. Yet at the Santa Monica College Pavilion — more commonly known to SMC students as our gym — “Sunday Best” had a very different meaning. For the dozens of players who came to compete in the 2016...

Terrance Ware As the current vice president, former treasurer and ICC representative of the Black Collegians Club (BCC), Terrance Ware Jr., 19, has a track record of being a leader. “I’ve been a captain for every [sports] team that I’ve ever played for,” Ware said. “I like leadership. I like to be in a position where I can make sure...

On April 1, I went to see a play called "Cheatin’" by Del Shores. I went in with the intention of liking this play. After all, the SMC theater department was generous enough to let me get in for free just for a measly review. The staff at the theatre was very kind to me, one of them even showed...

Black lives matter. However, that, as an isolated statement, hasn't proven to be very effective in getting Americans on board with addressing problems that black people face in regards to violence against black people and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. In fact, it doesn’t even seem effective within the black community. A Rasmussen Report revealed that only 31...

Last week a defective part on the washer in my unit broke, flooding my bathroom, the downstairs neighbor's unit and her garage. The good folks at Samsung were kind enough to fix the manufacturer's defect, as well as cut a check for all damages that resulted from said flood. Pretty much everyone can agree that this was the right thing...

Under a ceiling filled with gold stars, disco balls, colorful metallic spirals, streams of paper cutouts and Christmas lights, a group of overheated millennials enjoyed the magically validating experience of watching, or rather participating in, a performance by up and coming west coast band Walter Etc. As the band shifts from its former identity Walter Mitty and his Makeshift Orchestra...

Kinesiology major Adrian M. Restrepo, 19, referred to his youth in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela in creating the basis of his AS vice presidential candidacy. When Restrepo lived in Venezuela, he was a human rights activist who protested against corrupt political powers. Enduring through tear gas and rubber bullets to fight for a fair government, his experience has inspired the...

Independent candidate Micca Cao, originally from Eastern China, was inspired to run for Director of Student Advocacy in the 2016 Associated Students Election by experiences she had in China, South Africa, and America. In China, she observed the corrupt government. In South Africa, she saw poverty and children with unrecognized potential that others forget to value. In America, she pursued...