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...

Sea lions are a part of everyday life on San Cristobal. Wild seals walk on the sidewalk, sleep on every bench in town, run over towels on the beach and have even been known to find their way into the university's computer lab. Despite their ubiquity on the island, the Galapagos Sea Lion has been listed as an endangered species...

My host dad's family has lived on San Cristobal island for four generations. His family was part of a small population in the Galapagos until a huge tourism boom to the islands in the 1980s and 1990s led to migration to the islands from the mainland. From 1999-2005 alone the population of the Galapagos grew by about 60 percent. For...

Over the past 20 years, the Galapagos have become synonymous with eco-tourism. The Charles Darwin Research Station reported that the number of visitors has grown from 18,000 in 1985 to over 120,000 in 2005. Currently, this number is estimated to be closer to 250,000 tourists per year. Although it is the largest industry and source of income for Galapagenos, the...

Just because an area is named a marine reserve and a UNESCO heritage site does not mean that it is pristine and well-protected. The 51,000 square miles of ocean surrounding the Galapagos islands represent the second-largest marine reserve in the world and the largest in a developing country. With growing populations and high economic incentive, the waters of the Galapagos...

There are no snakes in the Galapagos. That was until one was found dead in the middle of the road on Santa Cruz island in February of this year. The snake, most likely brought to the island by ship, made its way 600 miles off the mainland, past security and quarantine and into the ecosystem. In the Galapagos, if you...

The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic rock 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and have a special place in scientific history as the location where Charles Darwin tested and developed his theory of evolution. This semester I will be studying evolutionary biology and ecology in the Galapagos Islands through Universidad San Francisco de Quito. As so famously supported...

Most students will conduct extensive research and write lengthy papers for their senior comprehensive projects. Media Arts and Culture (MAC) seniors do comps a little differently. Because the major has three emphases — screenwriting, production and critical media studies — MAC comps range from video installation exhibits to feature-length screenplays to short narrative films. Over the course of three nights...

Known and defined by his detailed set designs adorned with early 20th century trinkets and taxidermies, Wes Anderson elevates his already distinctive style to a new level in his latest film, "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Set in the imaginary central European country of Zubrowka in 1932, the film tells the story of the posh Grand Budapest hotel and its infamous...