The Advocate - Issue 16 - February 7, 2020

Volume 54, Issue 16 February 7, 2020 advocate-online.net

FOR THE STUDENTS BY THE STUDENTS

Worse than the flu?

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Judge, jury, and the president PAGE 4

Super Bowl LIV: Game of the Decade?

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'HEATHERS': MHCC'S WINTER MUSICAL PAGES 4

Chaos in Iowa shakes 2020 voters PAGE 6

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SOUTHWESTERN CULTURE THROUGH A NATIVE LENS

Laura J. Clement The Advocate

Selected works of Nathan Orosco, MHCC instructor of sculpture and drawing, are on display in the Visual Arts Gallery and highlight the romanticism and misrepresentation of Native Americans.

Orosco’s works in “Fences in the Horizon” focus on the balance between the end of the western cowboy “free range” mentality and the “manifest destiny” push of settlers that impacted Native Americans.

As he notes, there was a time when the latter befriended the European immigrants, who then

Omar Carrillo

ran them off. Native Americans taught the immigrants to hunt, fish, grow crops, find medicine and survive in this then-wild land of abundance.

Of Mexican-Native American ancestry himself, Orosco utilizes a variety of elements to demonstrate his thoughts with feeling. He also uses his own story, including his work for an oil drilling company in the Southwest during his twenties.

Framed photographs depict the wide range of the desert in the Big Bend area of Arizona, and stark storefronts nearby. A skating rink with Republican headquarters in the background has a dual purpose.

A roadhouse bar shows where Orosco and others would go after

a day of laboring in an oilfield. The “Lucky 777” gambling sign above the bar indicates “the luck of the draw” – their Native American plight, he explained in an interview.

Other elements of his reflective work include a bronze, rattlesnakethemed, obelisk sculpture. This, and others made of glass and plastic, draw visitors to the center of the display. In another room, an enormous aluminum “X” with colorful sandstone markers and a desert lantern hanging from cactus tree wood hung with copper, stands ready to guide one’s way through a desert trail.

In a corner of the same room, visitors may view an exquisite (and highly radioactive) glass uranium

Chloe Collins | The Advocate

‘Spirit Cage’ by Nathan Orosco made of bronze, glass, and metal.

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Advocate

A brand-new outbreak, so young as to have begun only in December, has already infected tens of thousands of people, with likely many more to come.

2019-nCoV, or the Wuhan coronavirus, as it is being informally called, is the microscopic, respiratory ravager to blame.

This nickname originated from the location of its birthplace, most likely being the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The virus is theorized to have spread from within a live-animal and seafood market in the area, with most early identified cases being pinpointed to visits to the exact location. Sanitary conditions in this market were observed to have been rather poor, and along with other more common foods, the market often carried various forms of bushmeat (meat from wildlife species) vulnerable to contamination.

The coronavirus has already spread thousands of miles, to countries including Australia, Russia, and the United States.

It was just a matter of time, then, that a case was reported a little too close to home for comfort – in Everett, Washington, just north of Seattle, about 200 miles north of Portland.

Thankfully, this initial Washington state patient has since been discharged – with no serious complications – but to say the close proximity was a bit uncomfortable for Oregonians is an understatement.

The new virus has already surpassed the early 2000s SARS epidemic within China, in terms of its death toll. Wuhan, the city, has undergone a lockdown in hopes of sealing the disease at its source.

While many American airports have proposed, or are currently conducting screenings of incoming passengers from the area, it appears the matter of stopping the spread is a bit trickier than it may seem. The incubation period of the coronavirus within the body can vary from as little as two days to as many as 14, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and therefore it could pass from individual to individual while still undetected.

And having gone undetected, of course,

its human host would have no obvious reason to practice greater caution.

It does not help, either, that immediate symptoms do not paint as detailed a picture as one might want: Early sensations that indicate presence of the coronavirus are practically identical to that of a standard influenza episode, and may even be as subtle as to resemble a simple case of the common cold.

At this point in time, the best advice that can be given to each of us is to simply be as aware of our surroundings and potentially unhygienic habits, as possible. In the Pacific Northwest, we are far from needing to don medical face masks during public outings, but still, we cannot be too careful.

With routine hand-washing and close observation of any possible symptoms, we are doing the best we can to protect ourselves. We must continue doing our best for the sake of those around us (particularly the very young and very old among us) during this risky time, as well.

for the students by the students Editor-in-Chief Chloe Collins

Sports Editor [Position Open]

Associate Editor Omar Saradi

Opinion Editors Omar Saradi

News Editor Chris Barney Arts & Entertainment Editors Kurt Larson Eli Rankin

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axe manufactured by a miner many years ago. Engraved with a string of beads and what appears to be the head of a Native chief, this impressive piece glows a brilliant green under the special lamp included in the display.

One display in his exhibit shows a week’s worth of jeans branded with his name, issued to him by the oil company where he worked, in part to conduct research.

“Fences” is open to Mt. Hood students, staff and public, free of charge, through Feb. 27. The Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Broadcast Hosts Robert Frank Thomas Silk Wensdai Pearson Kurt Larson Mazey Copeland

Graphic Design Editor Eli Rankin

Broadcast Graphic Designer Annie Avila

Broadcast Producer Naethaniel Lile

Photo Editor Maysee Thao

Broadcast Tech Director Gage Linhares

Ad Manager Parrish Chang

Photo Team Bethy Fallgren Landon Spady Fletcher Wold Staff Writers Brad Le Daniella Young Kel Buell Laura J Clement Omar Carrillo Ash Espinoza

MHCC OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON NOVEL CORONAVIRUS The health and safety of MHCC’s students, faculty and staff are always the top priority, so the college is encouraging everyone in our campus community to take the following everyday precautions for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, per the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: • Wash your hands often with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Anyone on campus who is experiencing flu-like symptoms should call their healthcare provider. Further information on Novel Coronavirus can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html and MHCC’s Administrative Regulation on Infectious Disease can be found at https://mhcc.edu/AR-4080-F/.

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FEBRUARY 7, 2020

CORAL REEFS AND THEIR ECOSYSTEMS IN DANGER Parrish Chang The Advocate

Climate change has been the emphasis of talk among environmentalists and concerned citizens for the past 30 years or so.

Climate change and global warming go hand-in-hand, and put many species and ecosystems on our planet at risk.

Climate change happens when primarily CO2 levels in the air get to a concerning amount, but this can also include other greenhouse gasses.

This has made our planet a lot warmer, changing the climate of many areas around the world. This sudden increase in temperature is slowly killing a variety of species and ecosystems that can’t adapt to the sudden warmth quickly enough. And among the ecosystems that are in danger currently are the many coral reefs in our oceans.

Coral reefs are often described as an ocean rainforest, since they house so many different organisms that all work together to keep their homes alive. They all are currently in danger because of the increased temperature of the waters that they inhabit. This not only puts the coral (made up of many small, individual living organisms) itself at risk, but the many creatures that inhabit the coral reefs. If something doesn’t change, there could be dozens of

underwater life species that will become extinct.

With the danger causing more action to protect reefs, there also have been bans on destructive fishing methods such as “blast fishing” – using e x pl o s ive s to stun fish.

Coral reefs have been dying at increasing r a t e s for several years now. Along with the loss of the Great Barrier Reef

off the Australian coast, we have lost approximately 50% of the Earth’s coral reefs and it is estimated that we will lose 90% of our reefs within the next century unless we make serious changes.

The main reason why ocean temperatures are rising is due to the massive amounts of fossil fuels being

States holds the title of burning the most fossil fuels, meaning the U.S. is producing much of the CO2 that is currently in our air.

This has caused global warming and climate change around the world.

America has been trying to lessen this by reducing the

amount of plastic we use (and the pollution caused by making plastic in the first place) by making us use Parrish Chang | The Advocate paper straws, rather than b u r n e d plastic ones, and these new around the canvas or paper shopping bags, instead of plastic bags. world. And the United

Even fast food chains now make customers ask for straws, instead of handing them out without any concerns.

Citizens often complain about these changes we are making as a people, but they don’t look at the bigger picture: The need to reduce the amounts of plastic waste being produced and let out into the ocean. Coral reefs are in danger and if this continues, so is the rest of ocean life. More and more aquatic animals will find their way onto the endangered species list.

Besides the harm to ocean dwellers, loss of reefs will cause an economic decline for businesses that rely on them.

Many oceanside tourist spots make money by taking people to see the beautiful sights that the reefs provide. If we don’t do something now, future generations will never get to experience the beauty of our oceans as we know them.

America has taken its steps to lower the amounts of fossil fuels we are burning, b u t it’s going to take the entire planet to help us keep the Earth clean and alive. Every action can make a difference, no matter how small.

Taking this problem one step at a time is the best way to approach this global warming epidemic, instead of ignoring the problem until it’s too late to stop.

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GET TO KNOW THE ADVOCATE

Cover by: Maysee Thao On the cover: MHCC actor Troy Chittock rehearsing his part in ‘Heathers the musical’.

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The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication.

All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission. Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board. The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length. Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print. Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

Annie Avila Broadcast Graphic Designer Annie “Shrike” Avila is an aspiring taxidermist with an impulse problem that often leads to roadtrips to Seaside at 2 a.m. They’re often found hanging around campus with fellow broadcast team member Gage “Snail” Linhares. Shrike enjoys playing their ukulele and they are learning bass, as well. They also dabble with tomfoolery and japery.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | OPINION

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‘HEATHERS’ TAKES THE STAGE THIS FEBRUARY Daniella Young The Advocate

The cast members of “Heathers: The Musical” agree that they’ve had a blast rehearsing and preparing for the show, which kicks off on the MHCC stage on Feb. 21.

The show runs at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 21-22 and Feb. 28-29, and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 and March 1.

Heathers outlines the story of Veronica Sawyer, who is a senior at Westerberg High School. The play tells her story as she attempts to fit in with the clique group of girls of the school called “the Heathers.”

Hunter Grove, who plays Kurt in the show, said the play rehearsals are “going really good.

(I love) spending time backstage with everyone. It’s cool.”

Ariel Aland, who plays Martha Dunnstock, said, “I’m building my theatre résumé and Heathers seemed like a really fun show to get started on for the college.”

Grove said part of the shared experience has been the group overcoming challenges with the production.

“I like the musical a lot and this department is really close,” he said.

Members of the cast had different reasons why they decided to audition for Heathers, as well as listing many goals for the upcoming performances.

One of Sophia Suarez’s favorite memories was hearing the song “Seventeen” from the show. She participates in the ensemble for Heathers.

“My original goal was to see if theatre was something I wanted to do,” she said.

Elise Herndon, who takes on the key role of Heather McNamara, said, “It’s been my favorite musical since I was 14.”

She said her goal for the group’s time with the show is to “have fun and make connections.”

Ashton Nelson said he auditioned for Heathers because of friends. He plays Kurt’s dad and is in the show’s ensemble, as well.

It’s something he takes seriously.

“My goal right now is to give an adequate performance and not let my fellow castmates down,” he said.

Herndon and Suarez said they both intend to continue participating in theatre in the future. Aland will most likely continue her theatre career at PSU or Southern Oregon University,

whole, the members said.

Suarez said her favorite part about theatre is that “you can play any person.”

Grove said, “I really like the finale” of Heathers, while Aland

Maysee Thao | The Advocate

Irene Nelson and Cassandra Weber practicing for ‘Heathers: The Musical’.

she said, and Grove will most likely continue at Oregon State University next year.

The cast have made many memories in the making of this production and in theatre as a

said, “I get to be in a motorized wheelchair, so that’s pretty cool.”

As for theatre itself, Aland said, “It’s changed who I am and who I’ve seen myself as. You get to walk in other people’s shoes.”

As for Heathers, she added, “It’s definitely a more mature show. It’s the most mature show I’ve ever done.”

One of Herndon’s favorite moments from the Heathers rehearsals has been watching some of the guys in the cast learn the “candy store dance.” She said that theatre always served as a motivator for her in high school.

“It’s the reason why I didn’t flunk out of high school. You had to keep your grades up if you wanted to stay in the show.”

Nelson said he enjoyed meeting everyone when the cast started rehearsing. He remarked that theatre has helped him in many ways, and it’s forced him to adapt to the adult world more.

Grove said, “It’s helped me build relationships and made me more confident. It’s helpful.”

For more information on tickets, visit: mhcc.edu/ theatreboxoffice/

THE FARCICAL FIASCO IS FINALLY FINISHED

Chris Barney The Advocate

With two decisive votes by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, President Donald Trump has been acquitted of the charges brought against him, thus ending the impeachment scandal.

The fact that articles of impeachment were even filed in the first place is unfortunate and sad.

There was virtually no way, from the start, that Trump could have been impeached – and then found guilty and thus removed from office – because of a lack of votes.

In an impeachment trial, the PA G E 4

chief justice of the Supreme Court oversees the proceedings. The 100 U.S. senators, the majority of which are currently Republican, have the final vote on whether to remove the president in question from office (a two-thirds “guilty” vote, or 67 votes, is required).

In this case, the majority of the senate supports Trump, there currently being 53 Republican members. Therefore, there were not going to be enough votes to remove Trump. To do so, the prosecution

by House impeachment managers would have to have had presented an extremely spectacular case. Even then, it would be a hard case to win.

Not only was the trial a sham, the entire procedure was poorly handled. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, held the process hostage in an attempt to control things she has no authority over, and held a faux celebration when the formal articles of impeachment were signed.

Frankly, some of the things Trump says and does are quite courageous and that seems to be a

Fletcher Wold | The Advocate

factor in why this all came about.

Trump has said and done things that other presidents either have been unwilling or haven’t had

the courage to do. For example, building more of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and his work against terrorism. This is a big factor in why

Democrats hate Trump. They have their own agenda and rules, which Trump doesn’t play by.

One thing that most politicians seem to be lacking these days is respect. This was demonstrated at the State of the Union address on Tuesday, one day prior to the acquittal vote. When Trump entered the room he declined to shake Pelosi’s hand, although you can’t really blame him after the kangaroo court he was put through.

Pelosi was later seen tearing up her copy of Trump’s speech, an act that has drawn a formal ethics complaint from at least one House member (which, if fully prosecuted, could lead to her being fined, imprisoned, or, ironically, removed from office).

Overall, Trump’s acquittal is a victory and it’s time to move on from this malarkey.

Politicians ought to have more regard for the law and respect for each other. In the meantime, let’s remember that the Congress’s – and the president’s – purpose is to serve America and her people, not to destroy them.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

GORILLAZ ARE BACK WITH A NEW SINGLE

Kurt Larson

The Advocate The world’s most successful virtual band, Gorillaz, is back and moving into the new decade with a brand new single, “Momentary Bliss” – and the title seems appropriate.

Finally returning to action in 2017 after a six-year hiatus, Gorillaz seem to be back in full force, having released an album roughly every year since. And now, as of Jan. 28, a new project titled “Song Machine” has been announced via the band’s social media, along with a short introductory track and an accompanying video that teases additional music videos and songs to be released throughout the coming year.

Two days after that announcement, the band’s new project debuted the group’s first official track, Momentary Bliss.

Coming after two – unfortunately – underwhelming album releases the previous few years, does Gorillaz’ latest song continue this trend of mediocrity?

Thankfully, if you’re a fan of the group, I’m happy to report that the song is itself a bit of momentary bliss, and a seeming return to form.

Momentary Bliss brings memories of Gorillaz’ most endearing early albums. The song is full of lo-fi synthesizers and stuttering Brit punk guitars, all of which defined the band’s unique sound in their early albums.

While Momentary Bliss is by no means the most “punk” track they have released, as the song is still appropriately alt-pop in that particularly Gorillaz sort of way, it does keep up an energy that makes you want to get up and thrash along to the beat.

This is, in part, thanks to the two guest artists who appear on the track: Slowthai, a 2019 breakout political hip-hop and Grime rap act from England, and the Sacramento post-hardcore band Slaves. For those who disliked 2017’s “Humanz” for its overuse of guest artists, and “The Now Now” for its lack of them, they should be happy to hear that Damon Albarn, Gorillaz creator, seems to be

going for more of an equilibrium this time around. Although this is still to be seen as a whole, unlike Humanz the band’s new project seems to feature more consistent collaboration between the guest artists and Albarn.

As Albarn is both the creator and only consistent musical contributor of the Gorillaz, some of the band’s previous albums have suffered either from an inconstant tone or a lack of variety, at times.

But, so far, things seem promising for Song Machine. The contrast between Albarn’s dreary vocal melodies and Slowthai’s aggressive English rap turns Momentary Bliss into an exciting pop-punk explosion, espousing the duo’s wish for a more aspirational society, one that desires more from life than its moments of fleeting bliss.

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4 out of 5 stars

According to their social media, Gorillaz will be releasing the rest of the album episodically, at random points throughout the year, along with a series of music videos.

A number of guest performers have also been teased, Such as SchoolBoy Q, Sampa The Great, and excitingly, Australian band Tame Impala. The rest of guests will remain unannounced until

their related Song Machine track is released.

Until then, listeners can enjoy Momentary Bliss and keep an eye out for future “episodes” of Song Machine. If you’re a fan of Gorillaz, especially their early work, you’ll appreciate their return to tradition with this new debut track.

Momentary Bliss is definitely worth checking out.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

26%

50%

24%

YES

NO

DID NOT HAVE ONE 55 VOTES YES 29 VOTES

NO 27 VOTES Parrish Chang | The Advocate

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OPINION | SPORTS

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE IOWA CAUCUS?

Omar Saradi The Advocate

The Iowa Caucus on Monday was everything, except normal – it was chaotic, confusing and a lot longer than expected.

Everything since the beginning of the Democratic 2020 presidential campaigns and the debates have led to the results in Iowa; the problem is that those results were nowhere to be found for quite a while.

The apparent cause of this disaster was that Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) made a slight change in the process of voting: They steered caucus precinct results to a centralized count by use of a new smartphone app, for the sake of accuracy. This app is

the central story, because in the middle of Monday evening, the app crashed and then the backup for the app crashed, meaning the statewide results would be compromised.

Everything proceeding the results being lost was also complete chaos, regarding the app, to say the least. It turned out that the app in question wasn’t developed with encryption or security, meaning the results could be hacked. The results that the IDP did release over the next three days showed a tight race between Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; curiously, these results would be updated randomly and would show “Mayor Pete” ahead, by a narrow margin.

To make things even more funny, the app that started this whole controversy was developed by a company called “Shadow” that had $41,000 donated by none other than Buttigieg’s own campaign.

This information came out right after the process for voting was in question. Buttigieg would declare victory and give a speech, and this

was days before we’d even get the “final” results.

It’s rich that the party that has

As of Advocate press time on Thursday, more updated results have come in: Buttigieg and

Web Photo

Sen. Sanders and Mayor Buttigieg in the January debate before the Iowa Caucus

spent the last four years fighting against corruption and illegitimate elections would screw up the first big night of the upcoming one.

No matter which candidate you support, it’s very apparent that there are conflicts of interests within the Democratic party and the DNC. The app controversy just seems to prove that.

Sanders are still neck-and-neck for the state delegates (committed to the Democratic Party convention to support a nominee) but, as far as the popular vote, Sanders leads Buttigieg by 6,000 votes, which is significant in the not-so-large state.

However, The Associated Press has declared neither candidate the victor; in fact, most of the

mainstream news outlets and pundits have declared the Iowa Caucus null and void, at this point.

A few things I can pull from this whole “event” are that Sanders is the favorite among voters; Buttigieg has conflicts of interests within the DNC that he needs to address in a debate or town hall, soon; and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaigns are in big trouble, since they didn’t perform up to anyone’s expectations.

The feeling I get after following the Caucus is that the institutions that run these primaries don’t know what they’re doing, despite having four years to prepare. It’s disappointing, because it’s a parody at this point. It sets a bad precedent for the voters who support “outsider” candidates such as Sanders, Warren and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

It feels discouraging to vote, once again, because out-of-touch institutions are still playing big role in the way citizens conduct American democracy.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: EMILY WEBBER

Far right photo by Bethy Fallgren, Left three photos by Fletcher Wold | The Advocate

#32 EMILY WEBBER Forward, Sophomore PA G E 6

The Saints have been on a roll recently, winning their last 2 games and 7 of the last 10. Their latest wins have been against the Southwestern Oregon Lakers on Feb. 1 (77-58) and the Clark Penguins Feb. 5 (70-44). Emily played well both offensively and defensively in both games, shooting over 46 percent from the field with 17.5 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals per game over that span.

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SUSPENSE, POWER, AND SUPER BOWL ‘LIV’

Chloe Collins The Advocate

It is a great week to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Regardless of whether your team won the game this year, we can all agree that Super Bowl LIV on Sunday was significant for many reasons.

As for the football itself, this game was too close for comfort.

Sports bettors everywhere were probably sweating the entire time.

Many 49er fans have expressed their utter disappointment to me this week, and, as an Atlanta Falcons fan, I’m just saying it could have been a lot worse (see: Super Bowl LI). San Francisco fought hard. Both teams were strong this year, but the Chiefs came out on top, beating the 49ers, 31-20.

Patrick Mahomes played a strong game as Quarterback for the Chiefs, but the most impressive part of their game was the teamwork.

The team seemed to have a great mindset and never gave up, then won by outscoring the 49ers, 21-0, in the final quarter.

San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has taken a lot

of criticism following the loss. His team had a clear lead on the Chiefs but seemed to stagnate and get a little too complacent. In the end, those few minutes of being too comfortable probably led to their loss.

Intense football aside, there was a definite theme in this year’s Super Bowl, and that was empowerment.

Fulfilling a dream that she put into the Twitterverse in 2010, Demi Lovato performed the national

she took some much-needed time to recover her mental health. Just one week earlier, on Jan. 26, she performed at the Grammy Awards, marking her first performance since 2018 and then followed that up in strong fashion with her Super Bowl performance.

Keeping with the theme of strong women, 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers made history as the first woman to coach in the NFL championship.

Web Photo

anthem before the biggest game of the year.

Lovato has made quite the comeback in the last month.

Following an overdose in 2018,

Sowers is no stranger to the game of football. Prior to her internship with the NFL and her position as the offensive assistant coach to the 49’ers, she played in

the Women’s Football Alliance for eight years. Her team even went to the Women’s World Championship in 2013.

Sowers is also the first openly LGBT coach in the NFL, as of 2017, casually making history for the LGBT+ community while pursuing her love of football.

She has publicly shared her experiences in which she faced adversity in the sports industry for her sexual orientation. She has also shared stories from her childhood, during which she already knew she wanted to play football professionally.

Sowers is a person to watch as a role model for upcoming generations.

Adding to the strong female energy in the stadium on Sunday, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez put on an amazing singing/dancing performance at halftime. For some reason, this performance has become something of a controversy online. I thought they did a great job and it takes so much strength to pole dance, so, I can only hope I’m fit enough to do that level of physical activity when I’m 43, like

Shakira, or 50, like J-Lo. Overall, this Super Bowl was intense, powerful, and one for the books.

SUPER BOWL FUN FACTS: - HALF TIME PERFORMERS DON’T GET PAID - THE COST TO RUN A 30 SECOND COMMERCIAL IN 1995 WAS $1.15 MILLION.

- THE COST TO RUN A 30 SECOND COMMERCIAL IN 2020 WAS $5.6 MILLION.

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