The Commuter - March 2023

beyond the classroom

with Faren Leader

spring into gardening

How-to Guide on Container Gardens

speaking truth to power

Black History Month Essay Contest Winners

contents

04 06 08 10 12 16 20 22

beyond the classroom

with Faren Leader

about us

an Interview with Daniel Lopez

an Interview with Kathleen Hale

gentle chaos roadrunner profile spring into gardening

How-to Guide on Container Gardens

artist spotlights

Ryan Janowitz & Shea Pedersen

speaking truth to power

Black History Month Essay Contest Winners

arts & entertainment

Horror Media Review & Five-word Reviews

steven's reviews

Avatar: The Way of Water

the Commuter is the studentrun magazine for LBCC, financed by student fees and advertising. Opinions expressed in The Commuter do not necessarily reflect those of the LBCC administration, faculty and students of LBCC. Editorials, columns, letters, and cartoons reflect the opinions of the authors. LBCC is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

letters welcome

The Commuter encourages readers to use its “Opinion” section to express their views on campus, community, regional and national issues. The Commuter attempts to print all submissions received, but reserves the right to edit for grammar, length, libel, privacy concerns and taste. Opinions expressed by letter submitters do not represent the views of the Commuter staff or the College.

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We’re really nice and fairly cool and we’d love to hear what you have to say. Not big on journalism but love to journal? Perfect. Are you a STEM major with major opinions? Let’s hear ’em. Like writing about ’80s film? Local animals? Snack hacks? Maybe you have a hefty folder of flash fiction on your laptop, just dying to be published and printed. Drop us a line. We’d love to meet you, read you, and support you. Think your ideas might be too weird or too niche for submission? Even better. The Commuter is an award-winning publication because of our wide range of contributions and our unique contributors. So reach out. We’ll be staring at our email inbox in the meantime, not an ounce of chill to be had.

staff

editor-in-chief

LEAH BIESACK

design editor

KAILYN MCQUISTEN

letter editorfrom the

scholar, a writer, an editor, and a collaborator. This is almost entirely due to the faculty and their constant encouragement, their engaging, relevant classes, and their genuine mentorship. I would be remiss if I didn’t spotlight the English department here, as I am a better reader, writer, and scholar at the end of this whole thing. And it’s all your fault.

CARSYN MEYERS

arts & lit editor

CODI WOOD

sports editor reviews

CAROLINA SALLES

STEVEN PRYOR

marketing director

RYAN JANOWITZ

photo editor

SARAH ROSE LARSON

advisor

ROB PRIEWE

web editor contributors

BRENDA AUTRY

JOSH CANDÉ

KAILEY LEGIER

KACEY MONTGOMERY

SHEA PEDERSEN

KATIE REYNOLDS

RYAN SPARKS

we’ve arrived at the end of our term, and the opening of a new season. March marks the moment of a pivot, the time of transition. Things are beginning to begin all over again. They’re starting to come alive after being stuck in slumber, suspended in snow and slowness, dampened down by the rain and grey. Winter holds us all a little hostage, whether she means to or not. So when Spring shows up, it’s a real white horse moment. It’s the light that reminds us there’s something new around the corner. That a shift is in the works. I love Spring for this reason, and it also gets me a bit antsy — even when the change is a bright one, it’s still something new. And new is going to feel uncomfortable.

Roadrunners and loyal readers, it is written with some weight when I say this will be my final letter to you all. I am graduating from LB after this term, making my way over to OSU to finish up my degree in Creative Writing. While I’ve known the timeline since the beginning of my reign as Editor-in-Chief, while the plan has been etched and set from the start, this departure is still of the bittersweet variety. In the past 15 years, I have tried three different colleges, dropping out of each one, before living some chapters and landing in the right time, the right place, and eventually the right school. Linn-Benton has reignited the way I think, and the way I think about myself. It is here that I’ve been able to build myself up as a

I’ve been downright privileged to work with such a strong and creative newsroom team, one that has been integral to bringing you the meaningful stories and shining artwork that consistently line our pages. Rest assured, they will continue to do just that. The Commuter will constantly take shape and take on the ideas and voices of the individuals behind the pen. This is the beauty behind the entire publication, and I consider myself jackpot lucky to have gotten to lead the charge these past two terms. I’ve had the opportunity to try out ideas and manifest all my ink and paper dreams, rearranging the commas and building up the columns, in hopes of bringing you a treasurable collection of words and pictures. It has been a challenge. It has been a push. And I gotta say, it’s been a true-blue pleasure.

So, thank you. Thank you for your encouragement and support, whether in person or online, local or thousands of miles away. Thank you for being the best audience in the house. And from the bottom of the page to the top, until all the ink runs dry, thank you for reading.

Rest up, Roadrunners. Things might be changing and shifting for you, and it might feel funny, and it’ll also be okay. Warmer days are on the rise, and as always, The Commuter will

Leah Biesack Editor-in-Chief

beyond the

classroom:

with Faren Leader

words and photo by KATIE REYNOLDS

major changes for college students experiencing financial insecurities are coming in 2023. These changes could make resources more difficult to find and programs more problematic to navigate. This makes a position like Faren Leader’s as the Affordability Resources Coordinator all the more important.

LBCC has many resources for students who struggle with food, housing, and financial insecurities. In 2021, however, the Oregon Legislature realized more was needed and, thanks to Oregon House Bill 2835, the state created a position on every public college campus to help students navigate the choppy resource waters.

Faren Leader, 36, was hired at LBCC to do just that. The State of Oregon calls the position a Benefits Navigator, but Leader prefers to use the title LBCC chose for her position, Affordability Resources Coordinator, as it better describes the work that she does. She is, essentially, a walking phone book. Students needing to find some kind of assistance can meet with Leader, discuss their situation, and she can help point them in the right direction, as well as assist with often confusing applications.

Leader has held many positions before coming to LB, such as in health services, substitute teacher, teacher and more. But no other position has offered her a chance to be the advisor she has always desired, until now.

“This work culture here is probably the healthiest workplace I've ever been in and so I try to make sure I transfer that to students,” said Leader.

“You know when I meet with students, often the first thing I ask them is ‘Have you had lunch yet?’ ‘Have you eaten anything today?’ ‘How are you doing on water?’ ‘Do you wanna walk together and go fill up your water bottle, cuz you didn't stop at the drinking fountain cuz you were worried you were running late to this meeting?’ ‘Do you want to walk around and talk … like if you're feeling anxious being in this enclosed office?’ ‘Do you wanna walk and talk?’

“I just feel like you know it's a trickle down, in a good way, of, you know, when

the work culture is healthy then I feel more energized to be able to pass that care down to other people.”

Today’s students are facing a tremendous amount of stress. Many are having to figure out how to pay their rent and put food on their table. In 2020, 41% of students in Oregon reported food insecurities, according to a survey done by the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice.

takes to get back and forth to school or the wear and tear on the vehicle to do so.

In an answer to this crisis, HB2835 mandated that a Benefits Navigator be available on all 17 community college campuses, as well as the seven public university campuses in the state of Oregon. Twenty-four navigators exist to find answers for these students facing significant insecurities by forming a consortium and coming together every month to share information.

With such a tumultuous task before them, their jobs are about to become more difficult. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) applications for food assistance may become more difficult this year and emergency pandemic funding will be ending at the end of the fiscal year, which is in June 2023. Navigators, like Leader, will be more important than ever.

Then came the pandemic and prices skyrocketed. Food wasn’t the only insecurity faced by students. Housing became a real problem as well.

The authors of HB2835 “recognized a crisis of basic needs and security among college students, which is contributing to some of the worst dropout rates the colleges have seen since the Great Depression,” said Leader.

“Enrollments are down across-theboard and the students we already have are leaving in droves because they can’t afford to be here. They can’t afford to be here for lots of reasons … which is that not only is college expensive, but financial aid is complicated and hard to get.”

As students face these challenges, they often seek full-time employment while carrying a full credit load at school. Often feeling like less than full-time employment is not an option, students are struggling to pay their rent, utilities, phone and other bills, not to mention paying for the gas it

This line of work, however, can often wreak havoc on the mental health of the navigators, so self-care is an integral component for each of them. For Leader, her 15-year-old son, gardening, and other self-care activities allow her to renew and refresh to be ready for meeting new challenges. And it works, as she is excited to meet with students to help them deal with challenges. She loves helping and desires to remove some of the insecurity burdens from their shoulders.

Many ask her what they can do to help the situation. Donations to the LBCC Foundation are wonderful and always accepted, but right now the legislature is working on the state budget for the next fiscal year. Leader encourages everyone to call, email, or stop by the capitol to express support for full funding of the bill.

As LB’s student advocates remind their fellow students, “Our legislators can't do good work for the community if we don't tell them what we want.”

In the meantime, it is important for students who are struggling to know that they are not alone.

Leader is one of many on campus who wants to help. There are resources available through the STEP program, RoadRunner Resources, and the LBCC Foundation as well.

Comics are an art form everyone can relate to. We see them in the Sunday paper full color, one stacked on top of the next; or as a man dressed in spandex, saving a city from certain doom in a 30-page comic book.

This type of relationship with comics is what made Daniel Lopez's comic series, "Boys I Had a Crush on Before I Came Out," stand out. The series is framed in simple black frames with white matting in the North Santiam Hall Gallery at LBCC’s Albany campus.

Each installment is a short story about the time spent thinking about a boy that enters and exits Lopez's life as a young man and the innocent interactions they shared. A time before he came out.

Your comic series, “Boys I Had a Crush on Before I Came Out” is on display outside my classroom, room 108 in LBCC’s North Santiam Hall. Tell how that topic came up? What was your process?

I didn’t have an interest in comics growing up, a lot of it seemed too overtly

masculine. I wasn’t interested in gendered activities, neither girly stuff nor masculine stuff. But then I discovered indie comics about more real-life experiences, and that was probably around 2019.

I have this Australian internet friend who does queer comics, a lot of them are

about being gray asexual, and I just realized like “Oh yeah, I’m also marginalized and I have these identities and yeah, these things do need to be heard.”

I came out at 25 and with that came a lot of repressions beforehand. And realizing, I’m a Brown person, I’m a queer person, I’m gray

words and photo by KACEY MONTGOMERY

asexual and I’m a relationship anarchist. I’m all these things that aren’t the typical narrative and my friend told me that it’s important to get these stories out because not everyone can relate to them and visibility is really important.

So it's a combination of wanting to be visible as well as wanting to learn how to make comics.

Artists have an evolution and you don’t always end up where you start out. So if you weren’t initially into comics or necessarily good at drawing, how’d you start off on this art path?

My very first aspiration as a kid was to be a neon artist. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, and eventually, I picked up photography when I realized I didn’t have to have great hand-eye coordination to do it. So I did a lot of photography in my undergrad. I wasn’t very good at it, I had provocative ideas rather than good ideas.

I am not very good at things but for me, it’s pushing myself to learn new things to accomplish what I want to do at the moment. So for me, making comics is weird and new but I wanted to push myself. I think that’s incredibly important to do, to push yourself to do things you’re uncomfortable with. So, art has been a lifelong process but comics are new.

Now I get to teach art, which is great, I can maintain my artistic integrity. This is something I can get in trouble for because I’ve always been somewhat of a rebel. I like to break the rules but also play around within the system I exist in. Exploiting the boundaries from the inside. My students do it to me and I think it’s great. I’m very much about questioning everything, especially myself.

What kinds of questions are your students asking you?

“Why are we doing it this way?” I’ve been using Photoshop and Illustrator for a long time but I'm not an expert and so students can push back and it makes me question myself like, “Do we have to do it this way?” They bring up a good question and they are using their critical thinking skills. Yeah, I’ll allow that; as long as it conforms to what needs to be done according to the state curriculum.

So you mentioned your education a couple of times, where did you end up going to school?

I did my undergrad in Southern California, and my master’s at the University

of Oregon. I graduated from UO in 2016. I was asked to teach digital art soon after that, so I just sort of started making more digital art basically just because I had to learn it and teach it, so I might as well make it. I ended up taking a couple of years off and now I'm teaching here at LBCC and I’ve been here since 2018.

Earlier you talked about being a photographer and later having to learn digital art. Were you not originally doing digital photography?

No, it’s funny because most of my undergrad was in film photography. Half of my work from that time was black and white and half was color, which is pretty obsolete now. Plus, I think there are only about five labs in the country that develop color film. Again, I did this because of a lack of hand-eye coordination. I have good composition skills and how to play around with that, and I know how to make photos so I always tried to push to weirder stuff. My color photos were more like color phonograms, which is basically painting with light. So I essentially was playing around with photography, seeing what it can do and what it cannot do.

Do you prefer one or the other? Do you have a preference between film and digital photography?

Definitely digital, because the film is expensive. Also, I don’t know about any film photo labs. I like the process once you get into it but I don’t know of any color photo labs and I don’t like black and white cause it’s just a lot of liquids and waiting and I’m just not good at it.

Do you have any artists you pull inspiration from?

Yes, furry art is pretty much my favorite thing right now. I’m a casual furry. I don’t own a fur suit, I’m too claustrophobic for any costume. I just love art about fun, cool animals. I also have mixed feelings about AI art. I like the surrealness of it and how AI takes art places humans probably won’t, but I don’t like how images are stolen from artists. I’m also not a much of a fan of NFTs because it’s money-first art. I’m all about artists who have fun artwork that's not hateful and inclusive and loving. So just fun, cute stuff, and weird surreal stuff. I like dark depressing stuff, I like lots of different things.

As a teacher do you have any advice for students who want to work in the art field?

It’s a lot of work. It’s one of those things where you have to want it, you have to be passionate about it. It’s not easy to get a job, it’s not easy to maintain a living from art, obviously.

Yes the opportunities are few and it’s hard to maintain but if you want it bad enough you will find a way. I had a lot of luck, a friend let me know there was an opening at LBCC.

So it’s a combination of needing to do art in some way and keeping your connections open. Be nice to people, don’t burn bridges, even people you don’t necessarily like, they could present some opportunities.

So what are you working on now? Do you have any projects in the works?

I do. I have a stack of canvases in my living room that I want to get rid of so I have to do a bunch of quick silly paintings that I’ll use for bartering with other people. I don’t want people to buy my work if possible. I’d rather barter for something more useful, like once I bartered for a Nintendo Wii. I think art for me is more about giving rather than taking, which is why I like comics because it is a mass medium and anyone can look at them.

It’s really interesting that you are bartering for your artwork. What kinds of things besides Nintendo Wiis are you bartering for?

In my grad school show, for example, all of my pieces were for barter. I’ve definitely bartered for a burrito before. A weighted blanket. Sometimes it’s an action, like texting someone that you love them or taking me out for ice cream. You know, experiences. Money comes and goes but these experiences and game consoles last longer.

I don’t identify with any economic system, so I can’t call myself an anarchist or communist or socialist, or capitalist. I don't really identify with any of those because I’m not smart enough to know the intricacies of each and I don't want to claim something I don’t know about. But I definitely believe in a giving and trading and bartering system rather than an exchange of money if possible.

The term that popped into my head, maybe I just made this up, was “gentle chaos.”

Yes! I like that a lot (laughter). Yep, pretty much.

ROADRUNNER PROFILE: KATHLEEN HALE

words and photos by JOSH CANDÉ

Kathleen Hale is a sophomore for the Linn-Benton Basketball team, and with 7 points and 13 rebounds a game, one of its crucial players.

Growing up in Filer, Idaho, Hale started playing basketball in third grade and has helped bring the Roadrunners to the NWAC tournament for the first time since the 2007-08 season. A vocal leader who brings energy and aggression to the basketball court and life, this season Hale has channeled that aggression into driving at the basket for layups.

In her time away from the courts and the classroom, Hale likes to go hiking and explore Oregon’s wilderness. After basketball, Hale hopes to pursue a career in nutrition for children.

When did you start playing basketball? When I was in third grade.

Who got you interested?

There was one dad who was putting on a team and reached out to my mom and asked if I wanted to play and I did; then I fell in love with the sport because I was actually good; I did dance and I didn't do any sports and then he asked for me to be on his team and then I fell in love with it and became good at it so I continued.

What was your best game?

This season has been a great season. I had a few; the opener where I can't remember who we played, but I had a good game, a double-double. I think I had 15 or 17 rebounds. I don't remember the team we played for my best defensive game but it was probably against Lane at home.

What are your plans after your playing career at Linn-Benton?

I don't plan on playing after this; I'm ending my career here at LB, hopefully

on a good note. I’m excited to be in the tournament, so that's one of our goals that was accomplished, and then I'm going to university and I'm going to study nutrition. I want to work with little kids being paid to create diet plans, and work in that field with little kids.

How have you evolved as a player over this season?

I have evolved a lot as a player; I feel like I became more aggressive and I definitely have become more confident within myself as well as my team, which makes us a good team. All of us feel like we can rely on each other and I feel like I'm more aggressive when I drive to the rim and that's not something I wasn't as aggressive at last year, so I feel like finishing around the rim this year and fast break Improvement.

What was the most useful criticism you’ve received?

Last year I remember when I got defensive player honors in the NWAC, not all defensive, but defensive team and somebody was like “oh yeah” and kind of downplayed it. So, I'm just hoping for a better result this year, maybe being more flexible so that I'm not just contributing defensively, because that's noticed, and being more aggressive offensively. Maybe the second team would be cool as one of my goals; it's not just about being just a defensive player, I want that I'm also contributing offensively, too.

What is the weakest part of your skill set?

Ball handling; since I'm post, I don't bring the ball up the floor. When I was younger, I was a ball handler before I hit my growth spurt. Once I hit my growth spurt I started playing more inside the key, so my skills were rusty and I didn't keep a focus on my post moves and my ball handling, so my ball handling is definitely my weakest part.

How do you prepare before games?

I always make a good lunch that's different for every game; I don't have the same lunch routine but I always have a good lunch and I eat like three hours before the game. Then I have my getting ready routine;

Sabrina, who's also my roommate, we'll get ready together, play music, get super pumped up and then come and get shot practice, and then ready for the game and lock in.

What is your emotional role on the team?

My emotional role is that I feel like a lot of people look up to me, so I try to bring good energy and a positive impact to the team; I'm more of a vocal leader so I always have to stay on top of my game even, it's hard on the days that I don't want to be loud. I know that I have to step up and be loud and try to get everyone pumped up.

What other sports do you watch?

I love watching live baseball, I love watching professional baseball, and I actually watched football with my family growing up. I always watch football, I watch some professional basketball, but not much and then I honestly don't watch a lot of TV; a lot of sports but those would be the ones.

What do you do in your off time?

In my off time I love hanging out with my friends and my family. I love being outdoors, so when it's sunny here in Oregon I'm always trying to be outside. This summer I picked up pickleball, which is like skyrocketing; a lot of people are doing it, and I actually did it with my aunt, who's like 60, and I'm 20 so it's like a big age difference, but I love it, I love pickleball and other sports, like when it's

warm here. Last year, when it was warm here in the springtime, a lot of my teammates and myself my friends would go out and play sand volleyball here at the courts right out outside here. We took it as a class, but we'd also do it in our free time.

Are you from Oregon, did you grow up in Albany?

No, I'm from a small town in Idaho called Filer, and it's a little bit different than here; it's a lot more country and smaller, but a close town next to me is Twin Falls which is more popular; it is a lot like Albany so it wasn't too hard to adjust, but I definitely miss the small town countryside feel.

How do you keep out distractions and focus on game day?

Discipline and knowing what our goals are, both individually and as a team. Pretty much for me, nothing comes higher than what I want to get done, and that's what's most important; so everything can come second and that's how I stay focused and make sure I'm in the zone.

Is there any advice that you would like to give to younger basketball players or other college athletes?

Yeah, I think knowing your goals and where you want to be will help you stay consistent and driven, and obviously hard work is going to get you where you want to

be, but putting in time and having a good attitude and perspective on it will help you achieve those goals as well.

How do you balance academic and athletic life?

Right now I have a pretty good schedule. I don't have school everyday and I have my weeks planned out so I know I have time set for my Athletics, as well as for my school. Just making sure in those time slots I'm supposed to be doing what I set on my schedule and that helps me stay in line, but if I don't have that, then I'm not putting all my eggs in the right basket.

What does it feel like to be making the NWAC tournament for Linn Benton for the first time in a number of years, and to represent the school amongst other colleges?

It feels great; we set a goal to get into the tournament and we worked hard all season; so it feels good to have that hard work pay off. It's exciting to be a part of something that hasn't happened for so many years, and I'm excited to go there and play and hopefully we go far all right.

SPRING

INTO GARDENING

words BRENDA AUTRY graphics KAILYN MCQUISTEN

DECIDE WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO GROW

CHOOSE YOUR CONTAINERS

PREP YOUR CONTAINERS

04. 05. 07.

06. 08.

PREPARE YOUR PLANTS TRANSPLANT

Note: If you want to make container gardening even easier, you can buy pre-started plants from your local garden center and skip the seed germination steps. This is more expensive, but is a much easier way to get you on your way to gardening.

MAINTAIN YOUR PLANTS

HARVEST YOUR CROPS

PREPARE FOR NEXT YEAR

Artist Spotlight: RYAN

JANOWITZ

Ryan Janowitz is currently studying Graphic Design as a dual-enrolled student at LBCC and OSU. Ryan’s main art focus in the past was photography, but since enrolling in the Visual Communications program at LBCC, it has changed to making digital illustrations through programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. If you want to keep up with his work, follow him on Instagram: @bread_dead__

Artist Spotlight:

shea pedersen

Shea Pedersen is a student, an artist, and an avid daydreamer who believes that God is change, though they still often struggle to adapt to and welcome it.

1st PLACE

Where do young people find power in society?

words by MELISSA BEADLE

Where do we find power in society?

We are the power in society.

2nd PLACE

Where do young people find power in society?

words by LEAH BIESACK

When political leaders encourage that education and create that transparency into the world of government...

I believe we’re one strong step closer to making our votes count for all that they’re worth...

3rd PLACE

Where do young people find power in society?

words by MYA MCFEE

We must continue to make strides in our country.

With every push back we will continue to push forward.

Kat Griggs is an LBCC student pursuing a degree in Education. As she started her college journey at OSU, she had to go through it online due to the pandemic After this experience, she realized how much she values connecting with others

She is currently working as a work study employee for the Veterans Office on campus She does many things for the office like plan events, coordinate with vets, and create opportunities to connect with other veterans on campus!

She's looking for people who are interested in Veteran affairs If you are interested, you can contact:

Rob Camp campr@linnbenton.edu

Interested in being featured for our next Student Spotlight? email us! slccampusoutreach @linnbenton.edu

Article by: Breanna-Rae Tainatongo

Kat Griggs

SEE, HEAR, AND SPEAK SOME EVIL

A Monthly Horror Media Review

words by KAILEY LEGIER

Gold Medal

OPENERS

Cream-of-the-crop opening paragraphs throughout literary history

The border is an incision, severing the streets, houses, and lives of Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec, making one town two, bringing down the knife of nationality on the ties of family and history, but like the shapes of history, the border is neither geologic nor visible: it is the enforcement of an idea – the idea of place, which determines the human idea of self. Like all national borders, this one outlines the limits of perception, for beneath such temporal groundings of the moment, old urges and identities move with the drift of continents, and are shaped by them, and share their tectonics.

reviews by LEAH BIESACK

Sweat

Zora Neale Hurston

Another man trying to ruin everything.

The Dumb Man

Sherwood Anderson

A mind trip. Like life.

The Outing

Lydia Davis

Brief. Accurately encapsulates vacation fatigue.

Bridging Divides, Defending Digni ty Uniendo Brechas, Defendiendo la Dignidad

April 3- 7 at the LBCC Library

How rural Oregonians

is a traveling exhibit that highlights how rural communities have successfully promoted a vision of democracy for the last 30 years in Oregon. The exhibit was created by the Rural Organizing Project, a state-wide organization that supports a multi-issue, grassroots activism in Oregon. The exhibit reflects a shared standard of human dignity: the belief in the equal worth of all communities, the need for equal access to justice and the importance of rural values.

The Albany Peace Seekers and the Linn Benton NAACP are proud to host this exhibit at the Linn-Benton Community College Library April 3 through 7, 2023. Docents will be available periodically.

For more information, please contact Nancy at 541-990-2370; greenmann791@msn.com or Susan at 712-899-2449; susananndenn@gmail.com.

https://rop.org/ https://linnbentonnaacp.com/

BONES IN THE DAM, TERRANCE LANE MILLET

“Bridging Divides, Defending Dignity:

have moved democracy forward since 1992!”

DIRECTOR: James Cameron

STARRING: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore and Cliff Curtis with Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet, and introducing Jack Champion

RATED: PG-13

OVERALL RATING: ★★★★

Thirteen years have passed since “Avatar” released in theaters. At the time of release, it became the highest-grossing film ever up to that point. Now, director James Cameron has returned with the first of four

planned sequels: “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

Taking place just over ten years since the first film’s events, the story sees Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) seeking to find a new home for their family. Elsewhere, a new Avatar body has been given to Col. Miles Quartich (Stephen Lang), who seeks to have Jake’s head for crossing him in the first film. While the story may not reinvent the wheel in terms of narrative, the sequel is still a visually-stunning 192-minute epic that builds on the innovative special effects of the first film from 2009.

Though many doubted the film could reach the lofty heights set by its predecessor, Cameron has added to his list of impressive film sequels that include the likes of 1986’s “Aliens” and 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

With each sequel to the 2009 film budgeted at $250 million each, the visual spectacle is a sight to behold. Everything from the advances made with the Na’Vi to a host of otherworldly sea creatures are rendered in immense detail, with the oceans themselves setting a new benchmark for depicting bodies of water in CGI. While the film’s final act may be lengthy to an extent, the conflict between Jake and Quartich is what makes the film’s finale truly worthwhile. With the film currently outpacing the first’s record box office returns (having made over $2 billion worldwide as of this writing), “Avatar: The Way of Water” has proven to be a worthy followup to its groundbreaking predecessor, setting the stage for the next sequels in 2024 and 2026.

ACROSS

01) Bartlett alternative 05) "Hey, that's not ___ idea!"

09) Keats's feet?

14) Scot's swimming spot

15) U2 front man

16) Spiral-horned antelope

17) Middle-of-theroad, to a hotel reviewer 19) Sans___ (plain font)

20) Work-related quip, part 1 22) On the ___ (fleeing) 24) 90° pipe turn 25) Wonderland party drink 26. Photo ___ (media events) 27) The quip, part 2

Greek war god 32) That, to a señorita 33) Longtime hockey announcer Cole

DOWN

Foot bones

U.S. army field rations

Pony tail places

"There's some thing with this letter": Abbr.

Pink-slip 46) Not quite canter

47) The quip part 3

50) Barley bristle

52) Gloater's cry 53) Capital of Canada?

54) Deflating sound

55) End of the quip

59) "What am I, chopped ___?"

60) Ability to keep, as a memory

63) So hot you could fry ___ on the sidewalk

64) Cattle calls 65) K-12, for short

66) Twilled suit fabric

67) Lith. and Lat., once

68) Part of G.P.S.: Abbr.

“Measuring Up on the Job” by Barb Olson

29) Polley who directed "Away from Her" 30) Take ___ (get ripped o ) 35) Calling the shots

Legal processor of a will

In an overly dainty way

Bay St. buys: Abbr.

Burn black

Like worms and some potatoes

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