Water is essential. To some, access to it is a human right; to others, it is a limited resource; and to a few, it is an economic good. Its fluidity is profound and far-reaching. The droplets of water that rain upon the dusty desert hills around Los Angeles could have once composed a wave crashing into the shores of southern...

A cliff drops off into a vast desert while cerulean waves crash on black cliffs and white sand beaches. The forest floor is patterned in dappled sunlight that filters through stately pines and firs. Slabs of volcanic rock pierce the earth at impossible angles, rising hundreds of feet into the air, while rows of tropical palms sway in the wind....

A blacktop dance floor burns under the midday sun. Oversized speakers, the bass cranked to its decibel max, blast noise across crowds of people dressed in colorful, minimal clothing – bedazzled bras and flowered head wraps, glitter and rhinestones, tie dyed booty shorts. On Saturday, Sept. 14, this year’s Mad Decent block party landed in Los Angeles with a splash...

An oriental rug, sound proof foam, tightly bound chords and massive speakers line the walls and floor of Booth 105. Musician and sound engineer sit side-by-side, each facing their own keyboard as they arrange, splice and cut piano refrains. Another keyboard controls the new Pro Tools system RAW Records has recently added to their collection. Watching a recording session is...

Sexual assault policy consultants Gina Smith and Leslie Gomez returned to campus last week to speak with members of the Occidental community. Along with several private meetings with specific groups, Smith and Gomez's visit included one open meeting for faculty and two for students. The consultants used the meetings to briefly explain their role within the school, their approach and...

Last Saturday, Salam Fayyad – the United States’ last political friend in Palestine, the West Bank’s champion of economic development and Palestine’s greatest proponent of a two state solution – resigned from the Palestinian government. Former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and internationally respected economist, Fayyad is internationally revered and trusted for his efforts...

Last Saturday night a small crowd of around fifty hip hop enthusiasts stood on Weingart patio to watch Kristoff Krane perform. As he walked on stage, Krane turned his intense gaze at the crowd and asked, “Can you guys see the stars in Los Angeles?” That night, the audience couldn’t. But icicle lights strung between the patio arches illuminated everyone's...

A peasant woman in Oaxaca, Mexico bends over her colorful, intricate weaving. Dusk falls over the small, deserted cornfield, empty since her husband left for the United States. She hasn’t heard from him and doesn’t know if he’s alive or dead. In the last few years, she has seen the towns around her shrink as the men leave to find...

Sex, drugs and jazz: The defining elements of Laurie Pepper's early life swept up by the culture of arts and music in 1960s Echo Park. Now her hair is white, but her charming and devious grin is the same one that got her jobs photographing famous musicians and ushered her into a roller coaster marriage with world-famous mid-century jazz artist,...

Students, faculty and administrators discussed the possibility of hiring a sustainability officer for the college at Occidental’s second annual Sustainability Forum last Thursday. University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA) Sustainability Officer, Nurit Katz, and Pomona College’s Sustainability Coordinator, Ginny Routhe, each gave short presentations on their school's sustainability programs. The floor then opened for a panel discussion with Occidental...