VOLUME 76 • ISSUE 40 • MARCH 16, 2022
INTERNATIONAL
ARTS & CULTURE
SCIENCE & TECH
Bubble trouble: a history of boba P. 4
Dip your toes into a mud run P. 8
Looking into a hack attack P. 12
CONTENTS
COVER PHOTO BY CAMDEN BENESH COVER DESIGN BY SHANNON STEED
INTERNATIONAL A SIP OF BOBA AND ITS HISTORY
P. 4
OPINION FASHION IN SKATEBOARDING
P. 10
THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 5
WE DON’T OFTEN SPEAK OF GHOSTS, BUT THEY ARE DEFINITELY THERE
P. 11
SPORTS VIKS MAKE IT TO SEMIFINALS IN BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
P. 6-7
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A CLOSER LOOK INTO RECENT HACKS OF SAMSUNG AND NVIDIA
ARTS & CULTURE OREGON’S DIRTIEST SPORT: MUD RUNNING
P. 8
NEWSROOM CHATS: OSCAR NOMINATIONS
P. 9
P. 12
STAFF EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF Béla Kurzenhauser
OPINION EDITOR Justin Cory
MANAGING EDITOR Karisa Yuasa
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings
PHOTO EDITOR Sofie Brandt
COPY CHIEF Mackenzie Streissguth
SPORTS EDITOR Eric Shelby
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Tanner Todd
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Ryan McConnell
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Olivia Lee
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Tanner Todd
CONTRIBUTORS Camden Benesh Whitney Griffith Nova Johnson Milo Loza Jesse Ropers Aiden Tuan
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani
PRODUCTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Shannon Steed
ADVISING & ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood
DESIGNERS Leo Clark Whitney Griffith Fiona Hays Astrid Luong
STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Maria Dominguez
TECHNOLOGY & WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Kahela Fickle George Olson Kwanmanus Thardomrong
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Vacant To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com
MISSION STATEMENT Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
ABOUT Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Wednesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
WE’RE HIRING Online Editor & News Editors EMAIL RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM PSU Vanguard • MARCH 16, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
A LAVENDER BOBA MILK TEA FROM FAT STRAW, A BOBA SHOP ON HAWTHORNE. SOFIE BRANDT/PSU VANGUARD
A SIP OF BOBA AND ITS HISTORY HOW TAIWAN’S MOST POPULAR DRINK SPREAD WORLDWIDE
AIDEN TUAN The sudden rise of bubble tea’s popularity in the United States has been surprising to many. In a country dominated by coffee and tea, boba—hailing from Taiwan—made splashes as it quickly became synonymous with the others. With such rapid success, the origin of bubble tea is all the more fascinating. The backstory of bubble tea remains a hotly debated topic. Chun Shui Tang tea room in Taichung, Taiwan claims to have invented the concept of bubble tea. In 1988, employee Lin Hsiu Hui was playing around with ideas for innovative drinks. During a staff meeting, she put tapioca balls into her Assam tea. Everyone at the staff meeting loved it, and the idea quickly caught on. Eventually, bubble milk tea outsold all other iced teas and became around 80-90% of the tea room’s sales. Hanlin Tea Room disputes this story. Owner Tu Tsong-he was walking down the streets of the Yamuliao market when he chanced upon fengyuan—tapioca balls that are a popular tra-
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INTERNATIONAL
ditional snack. Seizing the opportunity, the entrepreneur added the white fengyuan to his green tea. Tu Tsong-he said the drink “looked almost translucent with a white center when brewed inside the golden green tea, much like my mother’s pearl necklace.” Tu claims that it was then that pearl green tea was invented— and through later experimentation, the bigger, darker tapioca balls were used alongside milk tea. The bubble tea historical debate came to a head in 2009 when litigation began between the two to determine the genuine inventor. Ten years of legal battle stretched on before ending in 2019. Courts ruled that bubble tea was a drink that anyone could create—and therefore the first creator was deemed irrelevant. While the true origins of bubble tea remain unknown, its popularity has been more than cemented in popular culture. In Taiwan, bubble tea is heralded as an icon of culture and food history. In 2020, it was de-
clared that April 30 would be the National Bubble Tea Day in the country. During the Taiwanese passport redesign, one legislator even suggested that an image of bubble milk tea be used for the passport cover. The popularity of bubble tea didn’t stop at the shores of Taiwan, quickly spreading across the Taiwan Strait to China where entrepreneurs launched their own tea shops. In other parts of Asia, local culture latched onto the drink as well. It wouldn’t be long before bubble tea spread to the United States. Taiwanese immigrants and other Asian ethnic groups moved to California in large numbers after policy changes in 1965. They set up bubble tea shops in their communities as a taste of home. In many Asian American communities, the bubble tea store is the equivalent of the coffee shop—not just a place for relaxing, but also a place to go for a sense of belonging and familiarity. As the drink gained popularity in the United States, many Asian Americans adopted it as a sign of their cultural identity.
Fast forward to the early 2010s, an explosion of bubble tea stores opened across the country. Stemming from the original sweet drink with chewy balls, people started coming up with innovative designs to attract new customers. Some of these changes included modifying the cup shape, altering the store layout and creating new drink recipes with a variety of flavors. Still others have pushed bubble tea outside of its original drink format to new unique items, such as bubble tea ice cream. Even major drink corporations like Starbucks have dipped their toes into the vast market of bubble tea. Regardless of how many changes bubble tea goes through, the importance of the drink still lies within its roots as a cultural staple across Asian and Asian American communities. Its rapid propagation across the world beyond its origins speaks to the drink’s power to bring people together no matter the culture. Next term, consider giving this historical drink a try.
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 16, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD
Mar. 7–13
2 2
1 1
3
3
1
March 7
CARACAS, VENEZUELA
Venezuelan March 7President Nicolas Maduro 1 said on Monday that he agreed to participate CARACAS, VENEZUELA in future talks with a U.S. delegation team he Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said met days before. This istothe first high-level on Monday that he agreed participate in future meeting the two countries in several talks withbetween a U.S. delegation team he met days before. years. According to five sources whothe spoke This is the first high-level meeting between two with Reuters, the two countries’ countries in several years. According to fiveofficials sources discussed an alleviation oil countries’ sanctionsofficials placed who spoke with Reuters, theoftwo on Venezuela, but were ultimately to discussed an alleviation of oil sanctionsunable placed on come closer a deal. “Last Saturday night Venezuela, but to were ultimately unable to come closera delegation from the government of thefrom United to a deal. "Last Saturday night a delegation the States of America arrived inAmerica Venezuela, government of the United States of arrivedI received it here at the presidential palace,” in Venezuela, I received it here at the presidential said Maduro during a state media palace," said Maduro during a state mediabroadcast. broadcast. “Wehad had a meeting, I describe could describe it as "We a meeting, I could it as respectful, respectful, very diplomatic.” Although cordial, verycordial, diplomatic.” Although Maduro did Maduro didwho notthe specify who the involved U.S. delegates not specify U.S. delegates were, involved were, officials previously officials had previously informedhad Reuters that Juan informedthe Reuters that Juan Gonzalez, the Gonzalez, White House's top adviser on Latin White House’s top adviser on Latin America, America, led the meeting alongside U.S. Ambassador led theStory meeting alongside U.S. Ambassador James and Special Presidential Envoy for James Story Special Presidential Hostage Affairsand Roger Carstens. "As I saidEnvoy to the for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens. “As said [U.S.] delegation, I reiterate all our will soIthat, to the [U.S.] delegation, I and reiterate allhope our from diplomacy, from respect from the will so that, from of a better world, wediplomacy, can advancefrom in an respect agenda and allows from the hope ofand a better wesaid. can that well-being peace,"world, Maduro
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advance in an agenda that allows well-being and peace,” Maduro said.
March 10
2 March 10 SOUTH KOREA 2 SEOUL, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREArun—the closFollowing a tight presidential Following a tight presidential run—the est in decades—conservative, opposition closest in decades—conservative, opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol won the country’s candidate Yoon Suk-yeol won the country’s presidential election, according to Reuters. presidential according to The electionelection, was accompanied byReuters. a wave of The election especially was accompanied by a economic wave of discontent, regarding discontent, especially regarding policy, gender inequality andeconomic concern of policy, gender inequality concern of political scandals. Yoon’s and conservative People politicalParty scandals. Yoon’s conservative People Power regrouped following the 2017 Power Party regrouped following the 2017 impeachment and ouster of then-President impeachment and ouster of then-President Park Geun-hye. Yoon gained notoriety after Geun-hye. Yoon gained President notoriety after aPark falling-out with outgoing Moon a falling-out withappointed outgoing President Jae-in who had him, andMoon serving Jae-in who had appointed him, and as prosecutor-general involved inserving the legal as prosecutor-general in the legal to proceedings of Park’sinvolved case. Yoon pledged proceedings of Park’s Yoon pledged to take a tougher stancecase. against North Korea— take a tougher stance against North Korea— which is claimed to have launched a record which is claimed to have record number of missile testslaunched in recentamonths— numberother of missile tests in recent months— among policies such as fostering justice, among other policies as fostering justice, creating a more level such economic playing field, creatingaareset morewith levelChina economic field, seeking andplaying stamping out seeking aKim resetDu-yeon, with China and stamping out bribery. a Seoul-based expert bribery. Du-yeon, a Seoul-based expert with theKim Center for a New American Security with the Center a New American Security stated that “realfor estate prices, housing policy,
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 16, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
INTERNATIONAL
stated that “real estate prices, housing policy, jobs, and tax policies will top his domestic agenda.” analysts have that jobs, andSeveral tax policies will topreported his domestic Yoon willSeveral be challenged byhave the same volatile agenda.” analysts reported that forceswill which brought himby tothe power, according Yoon be challenged same volatile to Reuters. “After a divided has forces which brought him electorate to power, accordproduced a divided government, Seoul mayhas ing to Reuters. "After a divided electorate struggle toapursue policies of reform rather produced divided government, Seoul may than politics of retribution,” said Leif-Eric struggle to pursue policies of reform rather Easley, a professor at Ewha University in than politics of retribution,” said Leif-Eric Seoul. South Korea’s economy is experiencing Easley, a professor at Ewha University in some ofSouth the slowest expansion in recent Seoul. Korea’s economy is experiyears, with oneof in the fourslowest young South Koreansin encing some expansion facing joblessness. recent years, with one in four young South Koreans facing joblessness. 3 March 10
SANTIAGO, March 10 CHILE
3 Gabriel Boric officially became Chile’s SANTIAGO, CHILE youngest president in history at 36, asChile’s he Gabriel Boric officially became took office president on Friday. His brother,at Simon youngest in history 36, as he Boric,office told Reuters it wasHis a moment that he took on Friday. brother, Simon had been waiting foritsince childhood. Boric, told Reuters was his a moment that he “When we waiting were young, always spoke had been for people since his childhood. about some of Gabriel’s qualities, “When we were young,obvious people always spoke such assome his rhetoric,” Simon Boric said. “My about of Gabriel's obvious qualities, grandparents said, ‘This boy isBoric goingsaid. to “My such as his rhetoric,” Simon be president,’ assaid, a joke.” Simon alsoto be grandparents 'This boy Boric is going spoke of hisas brother’s in politics president,’ a joke.” interest Simon Boric also spoke
starting in high school and all the way through his time as student president in lawhis school while interest leading student protests. of brother’s in politics starting Gabriel has assembled a like-minded in high Boric school and all the way through his cabinet young progressives a school time asofstudent president with in law majority of women. His policies will take on while leading student protests. Gabriel tightening environmental regulation as well Boric has assembled a like-minded cabinet as uprooting institutionalized of young progressives withinequality, a majority of still present Augusto women. Hissince policies willPinochet’s take on tightendictatorship. “Determination has always ing environmental regulation as well as been a key characteristic of [Gabriel] Boric,” uprooting institutionalized inequality, still said Carlos Ruiz, directorPinochet’s of the department present since Augusto dictatorof sociology at the University of Chile. ship. “Determination has always been a key Gabriel Boric attended the Boric,” private said British characteristic of [Gabriel] Carlos Schooldirector before studying law in Santiago at the Ruiz, of the department of sociolUniversity of Chile. “We toGabriel tease him, ogy at the University of used Chile. Boric saying thatthe thisprivate guy’s going to be president attended British School before of Chile,” said Sanfurgo, his studying law Pazz in Santiago at one the of University classmates at the British School. “It was of Chile. "We used to tease him, saying that because of his conviction. Not necessarily this guy's going to be president of Chile," political conviction but his of conviction to said Pazz Sanfurgo, one his classmates dothe what he wanted to do.” a long shot of his at British School. "It As was because candidate with small pool ofpolitical supporters, conviction. Notanecessarily convicGabriel won in a landslide victory in tion butBoric his conviction to do what he wanted a runoff against José to do." As a longultra-conservative shot candidate with a small Antonio Kast. pool of supporters, Gabriel Boric won in a landslide victory in a runoff against ultraconservative José Antonio Kast.
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PSU Vanguard • SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
INTERNATIONAL
VIKS MAKE IT TO SEMIFINALS IN BIG SKY TOURNAMENT SOFTBALL VIKS WIN 6-1 OVER TOP 25 OREGON STATE
ERIC SHELBY
MEN'S BASKETBALL: BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
OLIVIA DEAN AT BAT. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD
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SPORTS
The Viks made a good run in Boise in the Big Sky championships, making it to the semifinals and upsetting #2 seed Southern Utah. The Viks beat Idaho State for the third time this season in the first round, 66-52. Khalid Thomas put up 17 points on the Bengals, with three three-pointers. Ezekiel Alley had a three-pointer and 15 points. Michael Carter III had 3 steals and 10 points for the Viks. Marlon Ruffin went 4-7, with two steals and eight points. Despite the lowscoring 66 points, the Viks held the Bengals to 52 points—the lowest points the Viks have allowed from another Division I opponent. The Viks maintained a nine-point lead throughout the last eight minutes of the game, securing the win. #2 seed Southern Utah was next on the list. Seeding did not scare the Vikings—they had an explosive start, leading at the half 35-20. Seven rebounds and 20 points came from Thomas, who led the team in scoring. Carter III came up with 13 points. Ian Burke showed out with three steals and 10 points. Mikal Starks and Hayden Curtiss both put nine points on the board for the Viks. Alley and Damion Squire put eight points on the board. The Viks had an 81% free throw percentage, going 17-21. The Viks made 13 points off turnovers and 14 points off fast breaks against the Thunderbirds. Portland State did not give Southern Utah the lead at all throughout the whole game— tying only once—when the score was 2-2. The Viks upset the Birds with an impressive 77-65 statement win over a team they did not beat in the regular season. The semifinal was the hardest game for the Viks, losing to Northern Colorado and Daylen Kountz. The Viks suppressed the Bears’ high-scorer in the first half, leading 40-32 in the half. Carter III led the team in points with 22, and also led with four steals. 14 points came from Squire, along with three steals and two three-pointers. Thomas put up 13 points and six rebounds. Ruffin went 6-10 on the free throw line and got 12 points. Alley came up with six rebounds and 11 points. The Bears’ Daylen Kountz got hot in the second half. Four threepointers and 36 points came from Kountz—more than twice the amount of the Bears’ second-leading scorer who had 17. With foul trouble, and even a technical foul by Carter III, the Bears came back and won 86-79. The Bears went on to lose to
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 16, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
Montana State, a team that has now punched their ticket for March Madness.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
The women's squad showed up in Boise the day before the men's to play Idaho in the first round of the tournament. Rhema Ogele put up her career-high 23 points in her 22 minutes of play. She had nine rebounds and shot 9-12. Esmeralda Morales put up 11 points with a three-pointer. Six points came from Savannah Dhaliwal with five rebounds and a steal. The Viks lost to the Vandals 75-52, finishing their season 5-24.
TRACK: NCAA D-I INDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Katie Camarena was the only Viking in Birmingham, Alabama for the NCAA D-I Indoor National Championships. She finished ninth out of 13 in the women's 3k, with a time of 9:09.43. She also won the NCAA D-I second team All-American. Next up for the track team is the outdoor season, starting at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open on March 19.
SOFTBALL: TOP 25 WIN OVER OSU
The Viks traveled to Eugene, Oregon to play North Dakota State and their in-state rivals, #11 Oregon and #24 Oregon State. The Viks won against North Dakota State, 2-0 in nine innings. Olivia Grey pitched the whole nine innings, allowing five hits and no runs with no errors. She also had a high 15 strikeouts for the Viks. In the ninth inning, Olivia
Dean—on a sacrifice bunt and advance to second on an error—allowed Maddie Thompson to come home on an unearned run. The Viks got their first run of the game. Dean scored unearned after Emily Johansen on a sacrifice bunt. Grey finished the job, striking out the last two and a groundout to second base. Grey is now 9-1 for the season. Another challenge for the Vikings was #11 Oregon Ducks. The Ducks scored early with three quick runs at the bottom of the first inning. Another three runs came in the second inning, giving the Ducks a sixpoint lead. The Viks were shut out by the Ducks, losing 7-0. Four hits came from the Viks compared to the Ducks’ 11. Thompson went 2-3 in hitting. The Viks played the #24 Beavers and wasted no time scoring, with four runs in the first inning for Portland State. With a flyout by Paetynn Lopez, Dean ran to third and Thompson scored. Johansen singled in the middle and Dean scored. Alexa Cepeda doubled to right center and got two RBIs, bringing Logan Riggenbach and Johansen home—for 4-0 Vikings. The Beavers attempt to make noise in the second, but only get one run. The Vikings never said they were done scoring, as Johansen doubled to right field and Dean traveled to third while Thompson came home unearned. Riggenbach grounded out to second base and got an RBI with Dean coming home. Gray was 10-1, allowing six hits and one run from a top 25 school. That top 25 school, Oregon State, also had two errors. Thompson went 1-3 with two runs. Johansen went 3-4 with one run and two RBI. Dean went 2-4 with two runs.
KATIE CAMARENA RUNNING IN THE MILE. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD
VJ MALO AT THE SPRING BALL GAME. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD The Viks played the Beavers again, making it a close one through five innings and a score of 0-0. Ellie Babbitt reached on an error by the pitcher, Johansen advanced to second and Dean scored. That would be the only run from the Viks when OSU scored nine at the bottom of the same inning to win 9-1 in the sixth.
MEN'S TENNIS: 4-3 WIN OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON
The Viks won in a thriller against their Pacific Northwest rivals, Eastern Washington 4-3. Oliver Richards and Nils Plutat fell 6-3 in doubles. Otto Holtari and Andrew Vu fell 6-3 to the Eagles. The match between Sam De Vries and Tommy Hsu against the Eagles went unfinished. In singles, Plutat won 6-4, 6(5)-7(7), 7-5. Richards won 6-2, 7-5. Holtari fell 6-2, 6-4. Hsu won 6-3, 6-2. De Vries won 6-1, 6-3. Vu fell 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. The Viks also hosted Montana State the next day, but lost 5-2 overall. Plutat and Richards fell 6-2 in doubles. De Vries and Hsu fell 5-1. Holtari and Vu fell 6-2. Plutat won 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Hsu fell 2-6, 4-6. Richards fell 3-6, 5-6. De Vries won 4-6, 6-4, 7(7)6(5). Holtari fell 2-6, 0-6. Vu fell 2-6, 2-6.
WOMEN'S TENNIS: MONTANA STATE KHALID THOMAS DUNKING ON IDAHO. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 16, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
Portland State lost in conference to Montana State
in a close 4-3 game at home. Capu Sanoner and Nika Beukers won in their doubles match 6-2. Makoto Ohara and Jacinta Milenkoski won 6-3 in their match. Majo Hernandez and Emily Rees won their match 6-4 to sweep the Bobcats in doubles. Hernandez won 6-3, 6-1 in her singles match. Rees fell 6-1, 6-3 in her match. Sanoner won 6-3, 6-2. Milenkoski fell 6-4, 7-5. Ohara fell 0-6, 6-3, 7(7)6(2). Beukers fell 7(10)-6(8), 6-3, 6-3.
FOOTBALL: SPRING BALL
The Viks headed back to Hillsboro Stadium for the return of the annual spring ball game. During this time, the Viks looked for a new starting quarterback as the former quarterback, senior Davis Alexander, goes pro in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes. Dante Chachere, Jaden Casey, Nathan West and Caden Filer look to step up to lead the Vikings to a potential playoff spot after having a chance last year, beating #24 Weber State. Running back Jobi Malari, coming back from an injury last year, had 61 yards for six carries and a 45-yard touchdown near the end of the game. David Joseph got an interception that came and VJ Malo forced a fumble on Casey. The Viks continue to practice and get ready for their season-opener away at San Jose State and University of Washington.
SPORTS
7
OREGON’S DIRTIEST SPORT: MUD RUNNING RU A NEW KIND OF RACE TAKES A FOOTHOLD IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
TANNER TODD In the Pacific Northwest—with its high water table and rich, dense soil—mud is to rain as thunder is to lightning—and the Pacific Northwest has plenty of rain. Rather than let the yearly deluge of mud become a gooey nuisance, a newly popular sport attempts to transform one of Oregon’s familiar realities into something worth celebrating: mud running. Every year, event organizers across Oregon and Washington host obstacle course runs that put their contestants through miles of hurdles, barriers and generous amounts of rain-softened mud. Thousands of people across the state participate in these races, reaching the finish line far dirtier than when they started. While these races are uniquely well-suited to the Pacific Northwest, mud running—like Doctor Who or fish and chips—was originally a British export. Obstacle courses have been practiced in the context of military training programs for well over a century, but the idea of doing them for recreation is generally credited to a hulking British army veteran named Billy Wilson, who misleadingly goes by the pseudonym Mr. Mouse. In the 1980s, Wilson hosted his first mud run on his private English countryside horse farm, and originally billed it as another cross-country footrace. Wilson came to event organizing later in life—prior to his first race in 1986, he’d been a grenadier guard in the British Army, a hairdresser and a nightclub owner. While his first race was merely a cross-country run with extra farm mud, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Not long after his first event, Wilson started to add obstacles for runners to jump over, then increasingly elaborate installations for them to navigate. The structures evolved into lethally challenging barriers which led Wilson’s issue of a so-called death warrant— any fatalities that were due to his course would be the contestant’s own bloody fault for showing up. Wilson’s declaration proved to be eerily prescient. In both 2000 and 2007, a contestant died on the course. Despite the fatalities, their deaths didn’t appear to dampen the event’s popularity. At its peak, Wilson’s races attracted almost 5,000 runners annually who hailed from 40 different countries. Given its appeal, it was only a matter of time before the sport left its homeland of England. Mud running was first exported to the United States via an ambitious Harvard business student by the name of Will Dean. Dean caught wind of Wilson’s Tough Guy Competitions in the
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ARTS & CULTURE
MUD RUNNERS PULL THEMSELVES OUT OF A MUD PIT AT AN OREGON MUD RUN. COURTESY OF TERRAPIN EVENTS late 2010s, and crossed the pond to England to study Wilson’s eccentric obstacle course under a non-disclosure agreement, which he promptly broke when starting the now-famous Tough Mudder races. Wilson sued, forcing Dean to settle for the tune of $725,000, but the cat was out of the bag. Mud running had come to the United States Combined with Dean’s marketing savvy, mud running’s explosion surpassed the original. In 2012, 1.5 million contestants in the United States participated in Dean’s Tough Mudder races. While Wilson’s Tough Guy race was confined to one grizzled army vet’s horse farm, Tough Mudder grew into an international operation, with races in countries across the globe. In an ironic twist of fate, Tough Mudder found its format replicated by a slough of smaller, local events that adapted the mud-run concept to their own specifications. Oregon’s My Muddy Valentine and Dirty Leprechaun mud races are some of the Pacific Northwest’s variations. The events, organized by local racing company Terrapin Events, capitalize on the region’s abundant supply of fresh mud. Aaron Montaglione, the founder of Terrapin Events, said that he got the idea for his own mud race while running with a friend in Portland’s Wildwood Park. He originally planned to host the event in Wildwood Park itself, but after the City of Portland pulled the event permits, Montaglione settled for the same kind of venue as the first British mud races: a farm. Andy Kaufmann, owner of an Oregon-based fitness company and a longtime participant in Terrapin Events’ mud runs, said that a farm is an obvious choice. “He went and found a farm, because you need land, you need mud,” Kaufmann said. “If you want that true, down-to-the-earth obstacle course mud run, you need a farm.” Terrapin’s take on the mud run experience seemed to offer a wide appeal and presented a challenge both for competitive obstacle course runners, such as Kaufmann, and casual familyoriented runners. Kaufmann said that part of mud running’s appeal is that it breaks up the monotony that comes with ordinary foot races. “I think for the everyday athlete…the draw is
the mud, the photos, the glory, the challenge,” Kaufman said. “Nobody likes running competitively…when you do a 5k, 10k, you’re just running. When you do an obstacle course, it breaks [it] up.” The space of the mud run also allows runners to let go of any attempt at cleanliness or staying dry, as the course demands a near-total commitment to getting dirty. “It’s like that concept when you go for a run and it’s raining, so there’s some puddles on the ground and you’re trying to avoid them,” Kaufmann said. “But once you step in one you’re like ‘agh!’ and you go through all the rest of them.” Terrapin Events’ course embodies this mindset on a massive scale. In order to traverse the course, runners are frequently required to traverse deceptively deep pools of mud that sometimes go up to the shoulders, and in some parts of the course, they must slide down embankments slicked with muddy water. For Terrapin’s annual races—along with the myriad other mud runs that happen every year across Oregon—the sport is naturally suited to the land’s rich soil and ample rain, even if it did originate across the Atlantic. A RUNNER CROSSES A MUD PUDDLE AT AN OREGON MUD RACE. COURTESY OF TERRAPIN EVENTS
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 16, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
NEWSROOM CHATS:
OSCAR NOMINATIONS WHITNEY GRIFFITH
VANGUARD STAFF TALKS MOVIES
MILO LOZA AND TANNER TODD With the Oscar nominations out and the awards just around the corner, Vanguard’s frequent film contributor Milo Loza and the paper’s Arts and Culture Editor Tanner Todd had a conversation about the top contenders in each category—and which ones to pay attention to before awards week begins. Tanner: What did you think about The Power of the Dog? Milo: I didn’t enjoy it. T: It was hard to enjoy. It was one of those things where I felt like it was a good movie—by any standard that you can judge a movie—I felt that it was good, yet it was so unenjoyable. It was painful, actually, to watch. M: Yeah, it was just boring. I felt that there was meaning and I just didn’t get it. Even after watching an analysis on it, I don’t understand all the hype behind the movie, personally. T: Yeah, me neither. I felt like it was well-constructed, but it was painful to watch, to me. It was an interesting movie, but personally, I think I’d probably pass on it. I watched it once, just to say I watched it. How about Macbeth? That was a controversial one in the newsroom, our editor-in-chief actually had a disagreement on that one. What did you think of Macbeth? M: I really enjoyed it! But I kind of have a background in Shakespeare, because I used to perform it in high school. So I feel that I might just have an appreciation for it. But also, I think the cinematography was really cool because I feel that a lot of black-and-white films are black-andwhite for the sake of being black-and-white—or at least I don’t understand the reasoning. But with
this film, it feels that they really darkened the shadows and brightened the lights, and used the contrast really well throughout the movie. T: I felt like it was really well-constructed. They paid a lot of attention to a lot of the formal things, like the shapes. There’s like a million scenes of Macbeth walking down a dramatic hallway, and I loved every second. I think Denzel Washington made a great older Macbeth. M: I think The Power of the Dog had a lot of moments like that—where they have a long, beautiful, meaningful shot—but really, it wasn’t as enjoyable to watch, compared to Macbeth. How about Dune? T: I loved Dune! This is really tough, I’m not gonna lie, because Dune is in competition with Macbeth for cinematography. The competition is pretty fierce there, I think. M: Dune was really great visually. I think the story set itself up really well, but I think it was lacking, in that it didn’t have much content. But it was a good first movie for an invitation to the world and, what it lacked in story, it made up for in the cinematography. T: Right, exactly, it felt a little bit like they were sort of setting the stage for something that was actually exciting, but then they’re like, “This is boring as shit. We might as well pump up the cinematography.” M: Right, it always felt like the big battle or something was coming, and it just didn’t come. So I’m assuming that’s coming in the next movie. T: Oh, believe me, it does. I’ve read the book, I’m a huge Dune nerd. We didn’t get to any of the interesting stuff! Like, in the book, they basically just covered the first 100 pages—all the cool stuff is yet
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to come! What did you think of the soundtrack, that’s the other thing it got nominated for? M: Memorable. Great, I’d say. It matched really well, that’s all I can ask for, really. T: Yeah, I’m looking at the list, there aren’t really any films that really compete in the soundtrack category against Dune. That Hans Zimmer soundtrack really was memorable, like you said. Did you get a chance to watch any of the animated shorts that got nominated? M: No. T: If you want to sleep at night, don’t. When I went to the theater, the guy taking our ticket was like, “I have to tell you, there is adult content in some of these.” And I’m like “Yeah, whatever.” First of all, it was unrated. Second of all, it was probably the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen. Robin, Robin was about a cute, little, animated, fluffy robin. Then, everything past that was just 90 minutes of just truly traumatizing horror. They’re really, really disturbing. Which other ones did you watch? M: Licorice Pizza. When I think of a movie, I break it down to three things: the acting, the cinematography and the writing. I’m having a hard time saying which is the best of them all, because I think they all just complimented each other really well. The soundtrack always came in at the perfect moments. From the first scene, I was impressed with the long shots and composition—and the acting was phenomenal! When Bradley Cooper comes in, his character seems very minor and he’s not very important to the story at all, but I feel that the movie wouldn’t be the same without him just because of how kickass he is in the role.
T: Okay, well, I’m sold. I was already considering watching, but that tips me over the edge. Did you ever see Shang-Chi [and the Legend of the Ten Rings]? M: Yes. T: What did you think of the visual effects—that’s what they got nominated for. M: It was good. I think Marvel movies always have good effects—it’s what they’re known for. Not much more to say about it. I wouldn’t say it blew me away, but it was about as good as usual. T: I felt that it stood out because it was a lot more colorful. There was a lot more color contrast. I think it’s interesting they nominated SpiderMan: No Way Home for visual effects, when it seemed to be stronger in writing. The visual effects to me were average. M: Yeah, they were average. Hm. I’d say they were both average, but the movie itself was such a monumental film that it feels it should have its own category, almost. T: You know what? I think there’s a case to be made for that. Anything that brings Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Willem Dafoe on the same screen together really deserves it’s own Oscar category. What do you think made this movie stand out? Maybe the cast? Maybe that’s what it deserves to be nominated for. M: I think you’re right. The supporting actors, definitely. I think Willem Dafoe did outstanding. T: That’s my hot take: Willem Dafoe should have been nominated for best supporting actor. M: Yes—over the film itself getting nominated for visual effects—Willem Dafoe should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. T: Right, that’s the hot take.
ARTS & CULTURE
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FASHION IN SKATEBOARDING
THE AGE-OLD TENSION BETWEEN FUNCTION AND FASHION
LEO CLARK CAMDEN BENESH Are skate shoes now more valued for their aesthetic appeal, or are they still primarily valued for their function? It’s complex—fashion in skateboard culture varies within a spectrum. Skateboarding is not a traditional sport, so skaters aren’t bound by the traditional outfits you’d see in other sports like basketball or soccer. Having a good shoe that performs well is important, but there’s freedom in choosing what to wear and how to wear it. Enthusiasts aren’t confined to a single place to practice the sport, either. The whole world is their oyster, so to speak. In other sports, it might be cool to roll up to the spot with matching team outfits, but that’s not the most common thing you’d see at a skate spot. Skateboarding fashion is a combination of subcultures. It comes down to how one expresses themself—there’s no right or wrong way to do it. But within the cyclical nature of fashion, the skateboard community tends to follow the trends. Fashion within skateboarding does have its specifics, but it is really dependent on the individual who takes part in it, making everything subjective. You can wear pretty much anything you want to skateboard— you can walk right out of class, step on the board and be ready
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OPINION
to shred. Puffer or tank top, dress shoes or socks—if there is a will, there is a way. We, as a society, are progressively more fashionably sensible and consistently moving up the benchmark. With each new year, our levels of drip go up—for the most part. Baggy has been in vogue for a while now in skateboarding circles with an infusion from the streetwear scene, a modern take on how skaters dressed in the ‘90s. But at what point does it become more about fashion than function, and vice versa? Should skate shoes be merely for looks or give you the extra edge you might be missing? For basketball players, it is all ultimately about the grip and functionality of the shoe. So when people are skating in Travis Scott Dunks, is it really because the shoes are good? Or are they showing off their exquisite taste in the shoe game? Oftentimes, shoe brands like Nike, Adidas or Vans come out purporting the latest and greatest technology. Shoes may feature a new, immersive sock lining or combined Duracap and Rapidweld no-sew technology. These types of shoes definitely prioritize performance over look. The pinnacle of skate shoe technology is just different
from basketball shoes, so these brands often try new ideas to try and get them there. While some of these shoes might market themselves as the next, biggest, greatest thing—possibly also allowing for increased longevity and performance—is all of this necessary? For some, having shoes that last two or three months longer might be important, but if my shoes look stupid or make my feet hurt, what’s the point? You ultimately buy shoes to be destroyed through use over a period of time. Whether it’s about the aesthetics or the feel of the shoe, it’s a certain balance that only you can decide for yourself. Shoes and clothing in skateboarding are simultaneously about fashion and performance. There’s no right way to do it. You can go canvas or suede, baggy or skinny—it’s really dependent on individual taste. For me, I want shoes that won’t have holes in them within a week, so I prefer suede. I want my pants baggy enough to move freely because having to think about my outfit when I’m skating is the worst thing. In the end, whether you side with the fashion or function side of this debate, just do what feels right for you!
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WE DON’T OFTEN SPEAK OF GHOSTS, BUT THEY ARE DEFINITELY THERE CONNECTING TO THE LIVING INDIGENOUS HISTORY OF THIS PLACE JUSTIN CORY It is no secret that in the startlingly recent past, the entire North American continent underwent an incomprehensibly massive and brutal cultural reconfiguring. According to the scholarship of Erin McKenna, the population of Indigenous people in North and South America in 1491 was around 145 million people—by 1691, their population had plummeted by 90–95 percent, around 130 million people. I believe it is important to acknowledge whose land we are actually on, but land acknowledgements tend to be hollow and performative gestures that do little to nothing in actually advocating for Indigenous sovereignty or in returning these stolen lands to the people who spent millennia here upon them. There have been some recent victories for Indigenous people in the Land Back movement—for instance, when a multinational timber company returned a stretch of tidelands known as the Little Skookum Inlet in Mason County, Washington to the Squaxin Island Tribe. In other instances, some tribes have been able to legally challenge the atrocities committed against them, even as the legal system itself is stacked against acknowledging that the U.S. has broken the majority of its treaties with Indigenous peoples. Still the deep scars of colonialism are ever present. Some tribes have also begun purchasing their own lands back. One such recent Indigenous victory happened here in the Willamette Valley with the return of the lands around Willamette Falls to the Grand Ronde Tribes, after over a century of industrial abuse of the area by paper and wood-milling facilities. The area is a deeply significant place culturally and spiritually, as it is the former home of the Clowewalla and Kosh-huk-shix villages of the Clackamas people who were forcibly removed and relocated by the U.S. government under the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855. Jamie Hale of The Oregonian wrote that the Grand Ronde have their own name for Willamette Falls—“tumwata”—the Chinook jargon word for waterfall. Tumwater, Washington also takes its name from that same word for waterfall. In the spirit of Land Back and in paying loving tribute and respect to the vibrant and living Indigenous cultures and peoples of the Pacific Northwest, this article explores some of the true names of these places and lands upon which so many of us have lived—largely as strangers and settlers. This entire valley takes its name from the mighty river that went by the Chinook name “walamt,” later anglicized into what we now call the Willamette. As locals all know, it is pronounced “will-AM-it,” but few realize that it means “still water.” This describes a place on the river near Oregon City that was—and, to a smaller degree, still is—inhabited by members of the Kalapuya, Molalla, Clackamas and Chinook peoples. As you can ascertain, these tribal appellations have also been applied to counties, rivers, towns and other places locally as well. Further up on the Willamette River, a band of Chinook known as the Multnomah people lived on an island known for an abundance of “wapato,” a native potato-like plant whose roots were and still are a vital food source. It was for this reason that the island was dubbed “Wapato” by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark when they passed through. We now know it as Sauvie Island, named after the French-Canadian Laurent Sauvé who managed the dairy farms there for the Hudson’s Bay Company after the colonizers forcefully cleared the Multnomah people from their villages.
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As for the mighty Columbia River—the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and a major lifeblood of the region—the Chinook call it “Wimahl.” The Sahaptin-speaking peoples of the river’s middle course in Central Washington call it the “Nch’iWàna.” Finally, the Sinixt people of the Arrow Lakes region in Canada call the river “Swah’netk’qhu.” All of these terms essentially translate to “the big river.” Along the “Wimahl” river and close to Portland is a beloved swimming hole and nude beach called Rooster Rock.
ROOSTER ROCK (“WOOT’LAT” IN THE CHINOOK LANGUAGE) NEAR THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. CAMDEN BENESH/PSU VANGUARD Not many folks realize that the name comes from a rock formation that the Chinook called “Woot’lat,” a slang term for a phallus. According to the seminal late Coquille Indigenous scholar George Bundy Wasson Jr., in his dissertation on the history of the coast tribes of Oregon called Growing Up Indian: An Emic Perspective, the rock formation was a useful position marker for those navigating the river. Later, Europeans took the “colorfully direct translation of the [Chinook] jargon to English whereby ‘Woot’lat’ (phallus or penis) would readily be called ‘Cock Rock.’” As place names were formalized, the Puritan-informed
sensibilities of the government naming agencies changed its name to Rooster Rock. Ironically, today many still chuckle at the connotations of “cock rock,” especially as it has evolved over time into a gay cruising beach, without realizing that they are closer to the nature of its original name in doing so. The Indigenous names of the volcanic mountains towering above us and bisecting the high deserts and the lush rain forests of this Cascadian region are likewise full of gorgeous mythopoetic intrigue. Mount Hood is currently named after a British admiral, but for countless ages it was known as “Wy’east.” This comes from a Multnomah/Chinook legend in which two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with a beautiful woman named Loowit. She could not decide which to choose so the two young men battled over her, creating much destruction in their wake. Sahale became enraged and smote all three lovers. He created three mountain peaks to mark the place that each fell. You may have gathered from that tale that “Loowit” forms the original name for Mount St. Helens, and that “Klikitat” is the original name of Mount Adams. The other mountains in our region have ancient names like “Seekseekqua” before Mount Jefferson, “Tahoma” before Rainier, “Kulshan” before Baker and “Dahkobed” before Glacier Peak. There are countless other names and aspects of local lore that could continue well beyond the confines of this limited article, but the point is to stir respect, interest and connection. Indigenous people are far too often disregarded and thought of as belonging only to a tragic past—the original sin at the founding of the United States of America. The wrongs committed against them past and present are awaiting recourse—we all collectively owe them that and much more as we benefit from our continued occupation of their lands. Learning the true aboriginal names of these places, much like toothless land acknowledgements, is far from adequate. However, through connecting with the people and culture of this place—in helping to keep their languages, lore and vibrancy at the forefront—we can be part of the thinning of the veil between the ghosts of the past and the legacy of material conditions that are their result. Portland is home to the ninth largest urban Indigenous population in the country and, as reported by the Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University, Native poverty rates are triple those in white communities with a rate of 34% compared to white Portlanders at 12.3%. Indigenous people are the victims of violent crimes at rates 250% higher than those of white people in the area. It is clear that the war on Indigenous people has never ended as oil pipelines continue to be forced through their meager remaining reservations, and supposedly green energy companies continue to devastate Indigenous sacred sites for electric battery lithium mines in Nevada and copper mines in Arizona. Much more needs to be done than simply remembering the true names of the places we live in. We need to remember, love and hold in the highest esteem of our heart’s expansive solidarity the Indigenous people who have always made this place what it is. Cherish them and fight to help return them their land, and do seek out and keep on your tongues the true names and mytho-poetry of this gorgeous place and its original people.
OPINION
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A CLOSER LOOK INTO RECENT HACKS OF SAMSUNG AND NVIDIA
A SAMSUNG GALAXY FOLD SMARTPHONE HELD BY MCCONNELL. SOFIE BRANDT/PSU VANGUARD RYAN MCCONNELL One word differentiates the paranoid from the conscientious when it comes to cybersecurity—why. Ads from companies like Norton love to explain how their products protect users from hackers, viruses and other online threats. Hackers could steal your data, install malware on your phone and even spy on you! While there should always be a certain level of cyber-hygiene, it’s important to think about what companies would want with your data. Why would they install malware on your phone for no reason? Chances are that hackers will have little-to-no vested interest in you. Rather, hackers are often motivated by four things— money, activism, information and sabotage. Money is the most common reason behind hacking incidents, from small-scale actions like stealing credit card data to larger attacks such as locking down an entire business network. Ransomware is the most common—groups such as REvil infect computers to make them unusable until the hackers are paid a fee. When hackers disrupt a business, group or individual in order to prove a point—for social justice—it is often called hacktivism. While much more prevalent in the ‘90s and the early ‘00s with the rise of Anonymous, a good modern-day example would be the Parler hack that occured Jan. 12, 2021. A hacker group had successfully gathered the entire database— roughly dozens of terabytes—of users who had used the app, known for being a breeding ground for disinformation and hate speech. This information was then posted online in hopes of supporting investigations of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
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SCIENCE & TECH
Things get more frightening when hackers are looking to steal information—or to sabotage people, systems or governments. These kinds of attacks are rarely done by independent organizations, but nation-states with millions of dollars of funding. Individuals, no matter how skilled, simply do not have the kind of equipment or knowledge necessary to break through such intricate systems. Hacks conducted over the past couple weeks by the hacker group known as Lapsus$ are particularly bizarre, confusing and ultimately far more concerning than what the victims may mention publicly. On Feb. 23, Nvidia was hacked immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. More than one terabyte (1TB) of data was stolen from the corporate network—with Lapsus$ threatening to expose the entire registry of credentials and data by March 4 if the company did not comply. It has been confirmed that Lapsus$ has indeed held true to their threats, with the credentials being used to install malware inside the company's own systems. What was their demand? Allow the company’s graphics cards to mine cryptocurrency faster—or face the consequences. In Feb. 2021, Nvidia announced its graphics cards (GPUs) would have a crypto-mining cap, known as LHR, or Lite Hash Rate. It tells the GPU to go slower if it’s trying to mine any digital currencies, with the intention of driving down demand for graphics cards. The cap would place more of the company’s products in the hands of everyday people, instead of scalpers and millionaires setting up a mining warehouse.
This cap gave Nvidia some unexpected enemies. On March 7, Lapsus$ had purportedly shown off over 200GB worth of data stolen from Samsung’s headquarters in South Korea. This data wasn’t a list of credentials or accounts, but the source code to Samsung Galaxy devices—more specifically, the biometric and encryption programs Galaxy phones use to lock and unlock themselves. If these hacks appear to be separate from the motivations listed earlier, that’s because they are. Or rather, they appear to be. In a post on The Hacker News, Sasha Gohman described the first step of planning an attack. Knowing what platforms, technologies and operating systems will be targeted is essential, so that hackers can develop and find tools that specifically break into those devices. Unfortunately, the best way to build tools that can break into a device is to look at the source code of the device itself, so what makes Lapsus$ frightening is not what they’ve already done, but rather what they haven’t done. We don’t know exactly who Lapsus$ is. They could be a nation state, or a group of independent, seasoned hackers or some emerging hacktivist organization. We also don’t know why they want Samsung’s source code or the LHR lifted on GPUs. What we do know is that they stole data used to change the locks on very specific devices, but they kept it internally within the group instead of releasing it to the public. With that kind of data, hackers can effortlessly develop tools to break into Samsung Galaxy phones if need be. The question then becomes the most important one of all—why?
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