As vampire stories go, ‘Renfield’ kinda sucks

Chris Mckay’s modern day Dracula horror-comedy is one to be remembered, if not for the wonderful talent of the people in front of and behind the camera, then for its lackluster plot.  What began as a wonderfully delightful movie filled with equal parts comedy and drama, ended in a less than satisfying way, leaving the audience wanting more from such a spectacular cast. Nicolas Cage delivers us a Dracula that far exceeded all expectations, a terrifying yet hilarious performance that undoubtedly became one of the …

Fentanyl crisis continues as PCC plays catch up

Since 2019, the United States has seen a massive influx in fentanyl overdoses resulting in rapid death rates with over 71,000 people dying from a synthetic opioid-related drug overdose in 2021, leaving questions about what PCC is doing to enforce harm reduction. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl has become popular in the illegal drug market in the last half a decade due to its incredibly high potency and low cost, as well as its heroin-like effect. Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 …

Fluffy communities gather around squishmallows

During the 2020 Covid lockdown the stuffed animals known as Squishmallows skyrocketed in sales, seemingly due to the social media app TikTok, with the hashtag “squishtok” currently having over 1.9 billion views and the subreddit r/squishmallow having over 88,000 members. Popular for their large selection of designs and squishy texture, Squishmallows have dominated the toy industry for the last three years, being the most popular toy brand in 21 out of 51 states in 2022 and winning Toy Association’s 2022 Toy of the Year award. …

Ultra-thin bodies are a trend again and the culture is just as toxic as ever

With Kim Kardashian, the undeniable “it girl” of this generation, losing an excessive amount of weight in a short period, and the sudden rise of low-waisted clothing, many people are questioning if ultra-thin is becoming the beauty standard once again. In the last year conversations such as buccal fat removal and celebrities using diabetes medication for weight loss have been plastered all over the internet, as well as articles such as “Bye-bye booty: Heroin chic is back” and “Could Thin Be in Again?” going viral …

Ratatouille provides a perfect portal to the past

In the midst of the 2020 lockdown, 19 year old journalism major, Samantha Williams, started dedicating her newfound free time at home to cooking. With an excess amount of time and nowhere to go, her mom suggested that they start cooking new recipes together. This ratatouille recipe is one that Williams spent much of her 2020 perfecting. Williams had been interested in learning the recipe for this dish ever since watching the animated Disney movie, Ratatouille, when she was younger. This dish that originally began …

Chicken paprikash and nokedli bring back childhood memories

In a stylish yet cozy Pasadena apartment, the aroma of paprika wafts through the air while a Men I Trust song quietly plays as 23 year old PCC film student Brandon Arthur House cooks for us a traditional Hungarian meal from his childhood. Chicken paprikash and nokedli was a meal that was taught to him by his Mexican grandmother who had learned the recipe from his late Hungarian grandfather, Arthur.  ”It was one of my least favorite dishes when I was a little kid, but …

Harassment of women remains prevalent at PCC

Sexual harassment in college campuses is a growing issue on a nationwide scale. As new data is being presented showing the influx of harassment rates, PCC discusses extra measures to ensure the future safety of students on campus and raise awareness on a local level.  Around 9.2 million undergraduate women wake up each morning to attend college classes, a privilege that only became protected by Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972. As of 2020 women make up 58% of undergraduate enrollment, yet many …

‘Angel City’ is as interesting as it is confusing

Pasadena City College’s rendition of Sam Shepard’s “Angel City” explores the destructive and exploitative nature of the Hollywood machine that often drives people to corruption.   The play follows Rabbit, a magical miracle man with a reputation for helping Hollywood with failing film projects. Rabbit is asked by film executives, Wheeler and Lanx, to create a cinematic catastrophe large enough to save their newest disaster film. Over time Rabbit comes to find that everyone there is waiting for their big moment that will never come, Miss …

Electrical damage in Lot 5 forces top floor closures until spring

Pasadena City College’s parking lot five is currently undergoing renovations due to electrical issues uncovered during a rainstorm in early November.  A rainstorm caused a brief power outage on a couple floors in lot five, exposing some deeper electrical issues on level four and five. The power outage led to the PCC officials’ decision to close the levels off for electrical renovation.  “There was a power outage that basically took a couple of floors offline. It came on all of a sudden during a rainstorm, …