Superheroes for Public Policy
On May 11, members of SMC’s Public Policy Institute took students on a brief journey of self-discovery by the Bell Tower Quad.
A Photographer’s Journey Out of Addiction
The first 32 years of Daniel Bowyer’s life were chaotic, impulsive, and reactionary. It is a familiar and tragic story.
Debating to Break the Echo Chamber
My name is Matthew Linsky and I have something important to say: joining the Santa Monica College Speech and Debate Team has been the best academic decision I ever made.
Emotional Responses, SMC’s Action, and Human Resilience
“When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.”President Donald Trump delivered this line in his inaugural speech on January 20, 2017, while addressing a crowd that Press Secretary Sean Spicer, labeled the largest inauguration crowd in history.
The Gentrification of Disneyland
The turnstiles click, the train chugs, the children laugh, and the happy music plays. You’ve now entered the euphoric world of franchised milk and honey known as Disneyland.
Films for Mental Health
As dozens of students packed SMC’s Skybox Gym on Thursday, May 11, the big screen greeted them with a stark yet encouraging message on the main projector: “Everyone has a mental health story. Talking about it shouldn’t be taboo.”
Latinx Festival 2017
Summer weather, with the right amount of spring breeze, made the perfect backdrop for the Latinx Festival, held on Thursday, May 11. Fresh food and other cultural attractions brought dozens of curious students to the quad.
Food Wars: The Pizza Episode
Have you ever debated whether or not you should buy food on campus or off campus?
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Review
When the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was released in 2014, Marvel gambled on producing a lesser known comic.
A Giant in Her Own Right: ‘Colossal’ Review
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.
SMC’s Job Fair Offers Opportunities to Students
On Tuesday, May 9th, students swarmed Santa Monica College’s quad for this semester’s biannual Job Fair. Some wore suits and ties, while others dressed casually with resumés in hand. They mingled with representatives from a variety of businesses looking to recruit new workers.
Voices of Hope and its contribution at SMC
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.
A Revived DTLA Attracts Attention and Esteem
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.
The True Meaning of Cinco de Mayo
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.
“Love Thy Nature” Fails to Compel and Convince Audiences
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 “Strength of a Woman” Empowers Listeners
Mary J. Blige’s 14th studio album, “Strength of a Woman,” was released on Friday, April 28.
LA Riots – 25th Anniversary
It’s Saturday April 29th, at 10:30 a.m.; on the corner of Florence and Normandie, a big crowd of people gathered on a very hot, sunny morning. A loud crowd of families, adults, kids of all ethnicities walk together in commemoration. Exactly 25 years ago, this same corner was probably a lot quieter.
Snapchat Filters Venice Culture
On April 30, 2017, the world-famous Venice Freakshow had to say goodbye to the community it has known for the past 11 years. Todd Ray, the owner and founder of The Venice Freakshow, had a childhood dream that became his reality when he opened the boardwalk side-show attraction in 2006.