‘Furiosa’: A slow burn that sparks a glorious odyssey

Share: Amidst a sea of unnecessary sequels and remakes that are being overwhelmingly released this year, director and co-writer George Miller returns to the dunes of the Wasteland with “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” a prequel to the 2015 film, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Despite the newest installation in the “Mad Max” franchise not hitting as hard as its predecessor, “Furiosa” is a brilliant exploration of the titular character while providing a larger scope of the world in this series and delivering jaw-dropping moments sprinkled …

This year’s Met Gala diverts your gaze from real issues with artificial glitz

Share: As our country, and seemingly the rest of the world, continues to dissolve into further chaos, it’s impossible to ignore the dystopian nature of events such as the Met Gala when protests against genocide can be seen only blocks away. The recent 2024 Met Gala dress code seems to have reached beyond the bounds of dystopian after the dress code was themed after a famous science fiction short story by J.G. Ballard titled “The Garden of Time,” hinting at potentially deeper societal issues bubbling …

Movie studios are making the market bleed with sequel greed

Share: Last year, audiences were gifted with original stories like “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Past Lives,” along with unique stories that were never before adapted, such as “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things.” This year’s set of releases looks bleak, with most of them being cash-grab sequels or reboots, and at this rate, many even being both. Hollywood executives should be considering beforehand what makes a sequel worth having and that sequels are best done with a purpose.  The list of 2024 movie releases is a …

PCC Associated Students Election 2024-2025: Battling Candidates

Share: Pasadena City College is holding elections for the 12-member Associated Student Governing Board (ASG) for the 2024-2025 school year, featuring key positions such as the Student Trustee and the President of the Associated Students.  The Governing Board works closely with student committees and faculty subcommittees to advocate for student needs and make recommendations to the college’s administration.   Sixteen candidates are running for the 10 open positions on the next Associated Students Executive Board, making the selection process highly competitive.  Each committee focuses on specific …

Automatic gratuity ensures fair wages and better service in restaurants

Share: Restaurants adding automatic gratuities can ensure employees are making an equitable wage. The perspective of many customers who don’t tip or leave less than adequate tips uses the argument that places of business should pay their employees a fair wage and shouldn’t rely on customers to pay their employees. Employers should pay their employees livable wages, but unfortunately, it most likely will never happen in capitalist America. Patrons of a restaurant should understand that they are being provided a service that demands compensation on …

Decorated volleyball transfers find new university home teams

Share: Every day at noon, the PCC women’s volleyball team trains diligently in the Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. Head Coach Mike Terrill keeps them on their toes as they work hard to be the best. Because of their strong work ethic and playing 28 matches this season, six sophomores from the team have committed to four-year universities.  Two-time All-SCC First Team selection and outside hitter Emma Yogan will be transferring to NCAA Division II Cal State East Bay. A decision following her impressive athletic career at PCC …

Oregon’s decriminalization tactics failed its people and now it’s too late to fix

Share: After becoming the first state in the nation to decriminalize drugs, the governor of Oregon has signed a bill to reimplement jail time for possession of small amounts of drugs that are used for personal use. The bill was signed after an increase in deaths caused by overdose. Oregon truly never had a real grasp on how to manage a decriminalized drug climate, as they didn’t give enough time to let change happen, they failed in training police in their role of addressing addiction, …

Diddy sucks, and so does the statute of limitations

Share: The recently deserved onslaught Diddy has been receiving from the media seems to only worsen as a video attained by CNN depicts Sean “Diddy” Combs senselessly beating his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel. Diddy issued an apology two days later, a minute and a half of empty words and false claims of being a changed man. “My behavior was inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video… I’m so sorry” Cassie Ventura would issue a lawsuit against the artist in …

Faculty and students allege censorship in photography competition

Share: After only one year, a photography competition along with a scholarship opportunity was taken away from PCC students due to the allegations of censorship of students’ creative freedom within the competition as well as the complete exclusion of the photography department faculty on how the competition would be run.  After the success of The William G. Ericson Photography Competition and Scholarship in 2023, the PCC Foundation and The Ericson Foundation decided they wanted to solely run the show this year.  It came as a …