Have you ever debated whether or not you should buy food on campus or off campus?

When the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was released in 2014, Marvel gambled on producing a lesser known comic.

We knew her as the princess of Genovia, as Meryl Streep’s lackey, and as a starved and sickened prostitute singing of broken dreams. In Colossal, an experimental mash up of a sci-fi and rom-com flick, Anne Hathaway is back again.

Strolling through the backstage corridor at Santa Monica College’s Studio Stage production of Voices of Hope, there was an almost etheric energy beaming from the cast. They cycled through pre-show rituals of bantering with each other over Ben Nye makeup kits and diction exercises.

Once a lonely ghost town of skyscrapers after sunset, Downtown Los Angeles now boasts a vibrant, sprawling community that lasts through the night. This is an introduction to the current state of Downtown Los Angeles and how the city developed over the last ten years.

Margaritas, tacos, parties, sombreros, and insensitiveness comes out here in the U.S. once Cinco de Mayo arrives on our calendars. Seeing a picture of our president eating a taco bowl while saying “I love Hispanics!” only adds to the insensitivity.

On Tuesday, April 26, HSS 165 fills with students attending a screening of Love Thy Nature, a documentary directed by Sylvie Rokab. The screening was organized in part by Santa Monica College’s Center for Environmental and Urban Studies as a part of Earth Week 2017. The film is introduced by Sheila Laffey, an associate producer, and a film professor at SMC.

Mary J. Blige’s 14th studio album, “Strength of a Woman,” was released on Friday, April 28.

The Promise deserves a place in film history despite it’s negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and by opposition from the Turkish and Azerbaijani governments that still deny that The Armenian genocide ever happened. The film intends to shine a light on the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians during the fall of the Ottoman Empire as World War I unfolded.

When the war between Iran and Iraq expanded into the main cities, Arsi Nami was about four years old. His family lived in the ancient, cultural city of Shiraz, Iran. Every day warplanes flew, dropping their bombs on residential areas and killing innocent, defenseless civilians.

In 2012, Sara Taksler, one of the senior producers for The Daily Show met an interesting guest on Jon Stewart’s show. He was Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian cardiac surgeon who had decided to quit his job at the hospital and become a political satirist on TV.

Southern California has been mired in an epic drought since 2012. Our hills have been painted drab brown through these dry seasons, but the recent rains have changed all that. The drought is over and the rain has brought new, vibrant colors along with it.

Point Dume is located just a short 30-minute drive along the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica College. Once there, you’ll be greeted by a picturesque view of the Pacific Ocean, golden yellow flowers, and, if you’re lucky, migrating whales. The point’s close location and scenic qualities make it the perfect after-school adventure for the curious SMC Student.

Among all the art shows scattered all over Los Angeles, none give you a sense of vast of openness and wonder like The 14th Factory. Its artists have come all the way from Hong Kong, China to bring 14 large-scale and interactive installations. The gallery was conceived by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch and built in a three-acre warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles.

“We start off every week by asking: ‘Brutha Gimel, what did you do this weekend?’” It’s a loaded question that Shihan Van Clief, the host and co- founder of Da Poetry Lounge, asks in front of an audience of more than 250 people. Some are like family, loyal artists and listeners who have been attending for more than a decade. Others are essentially strangers, first-timers -- like voyagers in a foreign land.