Short films are short for a reason. They are to cinema what poetry is to literature; rather than delving into a complex narrative, they explore a simple concept in depth. This year's Academy Award nominations for the Live Action Short category represent the best fictional films under 40 minutes from 2014. The British short film "The Phone Call" portrays one...

China. The Cyberspace Administration of China is enforcing stricter regulations on dating websites to prevent prostitution and fraud. Among the increased controls is a push for real-name registration on matchmaking websites like Jiayuan.com. As of 2014, this website claimed to have 100 million registered users. Official regulators also expanded censorship and have made virtual private networks increasingly difficult to access....

There is nothing more satisfying than face-to-face smack talk. The rise of online gaming has made it easier than ever to play games with other people, but there will always be a space in gamers' hearts for the local multiplayer experiences we cherished as kids. Good news: local multiplayer is making a comeback. These cheap indie titles will scratch that...

Honor Board voted 3-2 Tuesday against a proposal to increase student body fees by $7 to fund the proposed Diversity and Equity Board (DEB). The board came to the decision after learning that the Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) Senate could provide the funding from a savings account it controls, according to Honor Board Chair Siri Guntupalli (junior). Honor...

Occidental's campus and its surrounding neighborhood frequently host film crews that turn the suburbs of Los Angeles into places ranging from Chicago ("Parenthood") to Spain ("Arrested Development"). "Togetherness," the latest show in HBO's Sunday night line-up, is both shot and set in Eagle Rock. "Togetherness" centers around a young couple, the Piersons, trying to navigate their way through adulthood as...

Since the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January, the media has been saturated with discussions about Islam's representation in popular culture. With a new exhibit entitled Islamic Art Now, LACMA is joining that conversation, and showing the world how contemporary Islamic artists are pushing the boundaries of what is accepted in the world of Islamic art, from the Middle East and...

When it comes to sexual assault on campus, Occidental students and coaches are saying "No More 'What's the big deal?'" "No More 'Not my problem,'" and "Here at Oxy we will not look the other way."The Department of Athletics and Project S. A. F. E. recently released a minute-long video featuring an array of coaches, student-athletes and students representing different...

This year's Occidental Rugby Football Club (0-2) is facing a tough transition, making a move from Division III to Division II and going up against larger schools like UC Riverside and the Claremont Colleges."We’re playing bigger teams and teams that are coached better than we have in the past," team vice-president and co-captain Jack Gephart (senior) said. In addition to...

Occidental’s new synchronized swimming club, Synccidental, is hitting the pool deck. The fledging club, co-founded by president Audrey Shawley (first-year) and vice president Gillian Mangan (sophomore) had their first information session Jan. 31. According to Shawley, 15 people attended the first session. They plan to hold weekly hour-long practices starting in the next two weeks.“We’re not looking for a huge...

The La Verne Leopards pinched a hard-fought 75-73 win against Occidental men’s basketball in last Thursday’s conference matchup. Minutes before tipoff, Rush Gymnasium echoed with the rhythms of the Occidental Drum Line and the taunts and cheers of Occidental sports fans—most conspicuously football and soccer players—reviving the energy that waned in Rush Gym during winter break competition. Going into the...