Volume 54, Issue 9 November 15, 2019 advocate-online.net
FOR THE STUDENTS BY THE STUDENTS
Liz Prato’s writing tips PAGE 2
Volleyball hits the playoffs PAGE 6
‘Jojo Rabbit’ : a historical satire PAGE 8
MHCC PROGRAMS IN LINE FOR CUTS PAGE 3
The great coffee debate PAGE 4-5
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A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
‘MOUTHS OF OTHERS’ GUEST LIZ PRATO’S TEN RULES FOR SUCCESS
Laura Clement The Advocate
The first “Mouths of Others” guest speaker series event held on Nov. 7 was informative, inspiring and delightful, featuring Portlandbased author Liz Prato. Prior to the presentation in the Visual Arts Theatre, Prato
“IF YOU ARE
PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK, SOMEONE ELSE WILL LOVE IT.” graciously gave The Advocate a separate interview. She is the author of “Volcanoes, Palm Trees and Privilege: Essays on Hawai’i”. She also has written a “Baby’s on Fire” short story collection and various other works. During her slide-show presentation at MHCC, Prato described visiting Hawai’i as a child. She describes the islands as majestic, complex and divided. In “Volcanoes,” she parallels the difficulties imposed on Hawaiian natives by colonialists who stole their land during the 1800s, the importance of their own culture, language and values with the difficulties she faced herself as
her family dwindled. (Prato was adopted and her family fell apart.) It was “a balm” for her to write the book and was “a painful book to write, with the parts about her family being the hardest,” she explained to the Mt. Hood audience. Prato encouraged students and answered their questions about writing and getting published. “My essays helped my research,” she said, defining the word “essay” and exploring its origins in the following manner: French: essayer – to try, attempt; Latin: exagium – a weighing. Writing an essay is like “Karbo” - puzzling out a mystery, said Prato (in reference to a mystery book series by Portland author Karen Karbo). She writes to prove and explore, and, in writing an essay, the essay works itself out. Writing the essays revealed what she should write, she explained. Other helpful hints Prato gave for students who want to write, in order: 1) Be responsible. 2) Be respectful. 3) Be patient – Patience and knowledge give you authority as a writer. 4) Be passionate – If you are passionate about your work, someone else will love it. Write about your interests. 5) Appeal to your audience – If writing about politics, appeal to public policy. If you’re good at music, use music in your writing. If you enjoy comics and drawing, write comics, etc. 6) Research is an ongoing process that takes time. You may want to read a lot of pages to put one sentence together. It is important
to back up your statements. Utilize libraries and the internet. Check footnotes and bibliographies in the backs of books, and/or scroll to the footnotes and references on a web page. Look for statistics and primary documentation. A treasure trove of information may be gleaned in this manner and can uniquely shape your writing. 7) Don’t second guess yourself. 8) Setting deadlines – It is important to set deadlines until the accomplishment is achieved. 9) You may want a good writing
assistant. 10) Choose a publisher according to your literary style. Fielding questions afterward, Prato told students she prefers small publishers due to her nontraditional, somewhat experimental writing format. As for her personal approach, she said when writing, “it’s easy to get distracted, so I give myself rewards – i.e., a bubble bath.’’ Her ideal place to write is somewhere quiet, like an airplane, especially en route to her favorite place, a romantic restaurant/bar in
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Liz Prato speaks to the crowd at the ‘Mouths of Others’ event held at MHCC on Nov. 7.
for the students by the students
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the Poipu resort area on the island of Kauai, in Hawai’i, with her favorite date: her husband.
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NOVEMBER 22, 2019
THE DARK TRUTH BEHIND EATING DISORDERS Parrish Chang The Advocate
One of the biggest health epidemics that hits teens and young adults in America is chronic eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause poor mental health in many people, as well as many unhealthy habits. The ages most commonly linked with victims contracting an eating disorder range between 14 and 24, but that doesn’t mean if you’re outside that range it isn’t possible for you to fall victim. There are many different types of disorders that begin with dietary issues, and how one consumes food. During high school in your average health class, you likely talked a little about dietary problems, but not enough for it to really show you the dangers. Eating disorders are more common in young females because that’s when many of them start to worry about their appearance. They start to worry about their looks and weight so they acquire these disorders, even if they’re unaware of it. Males can have these problems, as well, but the problem is not seen among males as much as it is in females. MENTAL, PHYSICAL HARM One of the most common eating disorders is anorexia, which causes people to starve themselves and
constantly worry about the things they eat. Affected people don’t eat much at all and it causes their brain to start shutting down. They can’t think straight and have a hard time making rational decisions. Thus, the routine becomes an addiction, since they have the idea they can stop whenever they want or that they are in control. Anorexia can also cause a person’s entire body to be thrown into an unhealthy loop. Victims of anorexia will often fill up on water to get rid of the feeling of hunger and if they do eat, they try to erase any “damage” they’ve done to their bodies by forcing themselves to throw up the food. Physical symptoms from anorexia includes anemia, which lowers your healthy blood cell count, which in turn lessens the oxygen going through the body. This can also cause hair loss and hair thinning. For women it can cause irregularities in menstrual periods; they will no longer occur at the times expected. Other symptoms known to occur include insomnia, dehydration, gastrointestinal problems, a number of heart problems, bone density loss, food craving, and many more problems with the immune system. MULTIPLE RISKS Another common eating disorder is bulimia. Bulimia can be seen as the opposite of anorexia: Someone with bulimia
CORRECTIONS
eats frequently and doesn’t even realize it. This excessive eating is commonly driven by emotions – someone with bulimia might eat whenever they’re sad, angry, confused, and even when they’re just bored. The biggest problem with bulimia is that the person doesn’t realize how much and how often they’re eating until it’s too late, often leading to types of obesity, which can put them at risk for multiple types of cancer. Bulimia’s cycle is very different from anorexia. Bulimia can cause a person to hate their own body and how it looks, which causes depression, which leads to even more senseless eating. This cycle is just as dangerous as anorexia, but it doesn’t seem to be talked about as much because it is not as common – plus, the thought of starving oneself is seemingly more dangerous than overeating. Some common responses to bulimia include excessive exercising. Those with bulimia often wish to get rid of the weight they put on because of their disorder; however, they often overdo it and do more harm than good to their body. People with bulimia will often be less social and will often withdraw from social gatherings or commitment, most commonly because they are ashamed of what they’ve become, in their own mind. Bulimia often affects the victim’s
mental health more often than their physical health. They often eat in secret, or just eat by themselves. They can become quickly irritated by others, too. Eating disorders are often followed by the same procedure, commonly known as purging. This is the cycle of victims trying to manipulate body weight by forcing themselves to vomit. This can cause many problems for their body, and even makes it harder to recover from the disorders they are experiencing. FINDING HELP During a starvation, intentional or not, the human stomach shrinks and prepares itself for the next starvation the body has. It holds
onto the nutrients from the small amount of food the individual does ingest. Because of this, trying to recover from eating disorders isn’t easy. In the case of anorexia, one’s body adapts to being deprived of the nutrition it needs, so it makes changes to make sure they can at least survive with that current diet. This causes the body to handle less food, as it waits for the next starvation. A victim trying to recover to a normal diet likely will get really sick at first. It’s important for those recovering from an eating disorder to take baby steps and to make sure that people around them are aware so they can help.
IF YOU SUFFER FROM ANY DANGEROUS EATING DISORDER CALL THESE NUMBERS
A PLACE FOR HOPE (888)-771-5166 TREATMENT FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS (855)-737-1639 NATIONAL EATING DISORDER ASSOCIATION (800)-931-2237
A story in the Nov. 15 issue on the Mouths of Others appearance by author Liz Prato contained some errors: She was interviewed following her MHCC presentation; she advised students to be “responsible” and “respectful” as future tourists, not as writers; she did not use the word “balm” to describe her own writing. A story in the Nov. 15 issue on the comprehensive MHCC review of academic programs misidentified Marty Castellanos, instructor in the cosmetology program.
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Maysee Thao Photographer Maysee is a photo editor and staff photographer for The Advocate. She loves shooting fashion and portraits of people, capturing their beauty and personality. Maysee loves exploring new places and going out with friends and families. She will be graduating in the Spring with an Associates of Applied Science to a pursue a photography business.
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OPINION
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
THE GREAT COFF
STARBUCKS: LOVE COMES IN ALL SIZES Melanie Roberts The Advocate
The original Starbucks is located right at the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle, dating back to the company’s start in 1971. I’ve been to the coffee shop at Pike Place three times, and it is a busy and nonstop place. The line is very long because it is the first Starbucks, after all, and all of the Seattle tourists such as myself love to go check it out. Starbucks doesn’t do the typical “small,” “medium,” and “large” sizes, but instead calls its drinks a short (extra small), tall (small), grande (medium), venti (large), and trenta (extra large). The chain’s tall, grande, and venti cups are the most popular sizes, as the short and trenta are only for specific drinks. I’ve had Starbucks for as long as I can remember. When I was 2 years old, my dad and I went to Starbucks and we would get a coffee Frappuccino; he had a venti and I had a tall. Obviously, I was young and don’t remember any of this, but my dad told me I always stole his drink. I’ve been a Starbucks girl almost since birth. Out of all of the coffee places in the world, whether they are fancy or small, Starbucks has always been my favorite.
I’ve been working at a Starbucks for two months now, and I love my job. I love studying the drinks, the ongoing history of Starbucks, and taste testing the drinks. Starbucks makes a variety of drinks, whether they be very strong or very sweet. And let me tell you, Starbucks has stepped it up this holiday season: It has the cutest cup designs for buying coffee on the go and for its coffee mugs. Starbucks always has a variety to choose from, whether it is coffee (hot, iced, blended from strong or sweet), refreshers, holiday drinks, custom drinks, food, merchandise, and more. Starbucks also has amazing syrups for its lattes and Frappuccinos, which because of their sweetness, never disappoint. Don’t get me wrong, Starbucks can get expensive. But one of its customer perks is the Stars Rewards program: After you get so many stars, you can earn free drinks and food. Also, on your birthday, you can get a free drink. People love Starbucks a lot and not only because of the famous coffee. The company gives back to the community and strives to be successful within its huge footprint. For all of this, I will always love Starbucks.
DUTCH BROS.: IT’S MORE THAN JUST THE SUM OF ITS COFFEE Brad Le
The Advocate Comparing Dutch Bros. to other competitors such as Starbucks and Black Rock and Barney’s Café is an insult to Dutch Bros. Contrary to their competitors, Dutch focuses on having a tighter selection of great coffee products and excellent coffee alternatives while still having an emphasis on customer experience – especially the little things, is what makes it superior. Sometimes a coffee is just not what we’re in the mood for, no matter how good the coffee is. In the middle of a sweet tooth craving? Dutch Bros has your back, with its sodas. Need an energy drink as a pick-me-up? Dutch has the Rebel energy drinks,
COMMUNITY POLL
for which Starbucks, Black Rock and Barney’s have no comparison. How about dessert? Dutch also has smoothies. While its coffee selection is smaller than, say, Starbucks, it is also a blessing in disguise as you don’t have to worry about being paralyzed when making a choice of drink. What also sets Dutch apart from its variety of drinks is that the company is more focused on giving you a superior experience. The rewards program is superior, with its 10 stamps/11th free card. The atmosphere is also more energetic than at its competitors. Employees are often dancing to music while making your drinks, which is infectious to the attitude of every customer that comes by, and it shows. Lastly, it’s the little things that make Dutch better
than others. For example, its cups are larger, for more drinks, for the dollar you spend. In fact, have you noticed that the iced drinks have larger cups than the hot drinks? That’s to accommodate the ice that’s put in the drinks, so there’s more coffee equality between hot and cold beverages. Overall, a coffee shop is more than just the sum of its coffee. Dutch Bros continues to make drinks for all people and is focused on the experience of you, just as much as their own coffee. Ultimately, whether Dutch is the best coffee shop is an insulting topic, because, without a doubt, they are better than their competitors for the prices they hold.
WHICH OF THESE LOCAL COFFEE OPTIONS ARE THE BEST? STARBUCKS BLACK ROCK DUTCH BROS. BARNEY’S BOOKSTORE CAFÉ RIVERVIEW BARISTA CAFÉ PA G E 4
OPINION
NOVEMBER 15, 2019
FFEE DEBATE
BLACK ROCK: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Carson Koch
The Advocate As childhood legend Hannah Montana would say, “You get the best of both worlds” with the Black Rock Coffee Bar. Unlike other contenders, you get the absolute best of one side of the coin, being classic hot coffee; plus the side of new age caffeine roller coasters, like Dutch Bros.’ Rebel line and coffee that is one shot of whipped cream short of being a milkshake, the Starbucks Frappuccino. I’m sure most of you have experienced both sides of the coin – from the horrors of the evil, red Folgers can, to the sugary sweetness of a Frappuccino, to the energy-drink style kick of a Rebel. The only question is, is there a stand where I can get one of each, and have all of them taste like magic?
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I’m here to say, without any doubt, that there is: Black Rock is that coffee stand, with its intense, flavor-packed caffeine sledgehammer, taking the form of a fuel smoothie; the smooth, sugary milkshake taste of its chillers; and even the classic delight of a hot coffee. You can get a blended Oreo milkshake coffee Frankenstein, with a spice of childhood wonder in the form of an Oreo chiller, a smoothie with a Black Rock brand energy drink mixed in. Or you could opt for my favorite, the Blackout, or as I like to call it, “nutella in a mocha” – a smooth, strong and flavorful hazelnut mocha. You can even get a cold brew coffee. I know you’re thinking, isn’t Starbucks the overlord of hot coffee? Yes, it has some good hot coffee, is one of the few places with a cold brew, and where I can buy a Frappuccino, an amazing cold brew or a seasonal pumpkin spice latte. But I can’t buy a Rebel, if I’m in the mood. And if I’m being honest, my favorite coffee
there, pumpkin spice, is seasonal. That loses massive points in my book. Lastly, Starbucks has a mega-corporation feel, and it’s noticeable. It is sort of the Red Robin of coffee: locations nationwide, all of which carry good food and drink, but under the pretty atmosphere its stands feel sort of empty. Sure, I can get a Rebel from Dutch. But we live in a frigid state, I cannot have an ice-cold coffee drinks year-round. They do have classic coffee, but it’s not the best, by any means. And, while the Rebels are very tasty they are filled with ludicrous amounts of sugar, and will have you crash an hour or so later. I always regard a coffee shop’s quality by its selection. No matter how you frame it, Black Rock has a massive leg up on the competition. They still have that smallcompany flare, and they serve a broad range of all the best coffee in town. Black Rock, you’re killing it. Never change!
BARNEY’S BOOKSTORE CAFÉ: YOUR DAILY MORNING BREW
Daniella Young The Advocate
The Mt. Hood Bookstore is a great resource for students, as there are textbooks for various classes and many other school items that are available for purchase; but another thing that makes the it a uniquely versatile spot on campus is Barney’s Bookstore Cafe. I recently got the opportunity to try a small mocha coffee there on my way home from school last week; I haven’t really tried too many different types of coffee, especially at Mt. Hood, so this was a pretty cool experience. It’s pretty nice to have a place to go for warm drinks, especially in the winter; having these types of locations on campus makes it feel more at home. When I was younger, I would always order hot chocolate
on coffee runs with my mom, whether it be at a Starbucks in Safeway or at an airport cafe. I always enjoyed doing this, especially in the winter. A few years ago, I tried coffee, and I now drink it more often when going to a coffee shop, although I still drink hot chocolate every morning. Now I see that coffee is pretty essential to college students, particularly here at Mt. Hood. I usually see a line for coffee each morning at the cafés on campus. I think Barney’s Bookstore Café is really convenient for students, as it is right in the Academic Center by the other heavily used buildings and main parking lots. This makes it easier for students to arrive in the morning and get their drinks on their way to class, or between classes. This is an amazing quality of this café, as students may not travel as far to purchase drinks. For my mocha, there was whipped cream on top, which
was really tasty and sweet. The coffee also stayed hot for a while, even though I walked outside for a bit afterward. It stayed hot for at least half an hour. The drink was really sweet and rich, which I enjoyed. The milk also stayed warm and blended well with the coffee and whipped cream. Even though I ordered the small size, the cup was wide and decent-sized; another thing I enjoy about the Bookstore Café is that it sells snacks and other types as food, which is convenient for students on the go. I would definitely recommend the bookstore’s coffee, although I’ve only tried the mocha from there. At $3.25, it had an amazing taste and I think it was worth it. Each of the three other coffee stores (Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Black Rock) also have amazing qualities, to be sure.
RIVERVIEW BARISTA CAFÉ: ANOTHER CAMPUS OPTION Melanie Roberts The Advocate
Very few students at MHCC know there is another coffee shop at the Gresham campus – a bit secluded as it’s located on the upper level of Building 17, on the far north side of campus. Riverview Barista Café is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday; on Fridays it closes at 2 p.m.
(and is, unfortunately, not open on weekends). The two most popular drinks at the Café are the Mocha, and the Rise and Grind (which is a white chocolate mocha with caramel). There is a diverse selection of drinks, including eggnog, Italian sodas, Ice Tea Lemonade Infusion, chai tea latte, cold brew, energy drinks. All of these drinks can be served
hot, with ice, or blended. The Cafe’s hot foods arrive everyday at 9 a.m. and are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. The baristas are also known for making cute coffee designs, if they are not busy with lots of customers. Don’t forget to check out the Riverview Barista Café – it’s worth the walk! Web Photo
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OPINION | SPORTS
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
WHITE SUPREMACY’S TRUE COLORS
Omar Carrillo The Advocate
What does hate sound like? At this point in human history we are confident we know what it looks like: imposing flags, goosestepping soldiers, piles of murdered corpses. But what kind of voice can be attached to venomous ideology? Perhaps one thinks of the barking of Adolf Hitler’s addresses, or a lynch mob’s shrieks of condemnation. Things so easily able to be brushed aside and considered “all in the past.” A recent audio leak only proves otherwise. Richard Spencer is an outspoken man, to be sure. An outspoken man
with incredibly loud opinions, to put it as lightly as possible. He has been known to stand in opposition to women’s rights and racial equality movements, and has frequently advocated for his idea of the need to preserve the “white race.” His deep admiration for Hitler and his horrendous legacy is no secret as well, and he stands by all of these opinions without flinching. He proudly champions his idea of a “white ethnostate,” a hypothetical nation composed solely of those people he considers “racially pure,” and he greatly believes in “purging” to achieve this. Just like his longdead hero. Needless to say, some would call Spencer an “alt-right” leader, a term he claims he invented, in fact. Others, myself included, do not think it is safe to beat around the bush in situations like this. Spencer is a fascist: a modern gasp of a dangerous perspective that eats everything around it, including itself, eventually. He represents a modern wave of Nazi sympathizing among its target demographic, heterosexual white males – those,
of course, the only individuals that benefit from Nazism and its recognition. If only Spencer were nothing to be concerned about. He infamously led the racist 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia “Unite The Right” rally, which resulted in the murder of a young woman, counter-protester Heather Heyer. It was this event that led to a rant by Spencer shortly after, which not only showed absolutely zero remorse for the life he indirectly took, but in fact expressed regret regarding the homicide’s effect on his movement’s public image. Released by his contemporary Milo Yiannopoulos, another prominent far-right speaker, the audio in question features Spencer’s violent cadence continuously spewing his thoughts on the matter as well as numerous insights into his worldview. He screams such profanities as: “Little f*cking k*kes! They get ruled by people like me!” as well as “My ancestors f*cking enslaved those little pieces of f*cking sh*t!”
He also does not hesitate to use even what are now considered rather archaic and offensive labels, yelling: “Little f*cking octoroons… (“octoroon” meaning an individual that is one-eighth black). Spencer, who has been previously described as being well-composed by various media outlets, has this illusion shattered in a matter of seconds. The leak, released on Nov. 4 by Yiannopoulos, spread like wildfire. Spencer, known to quickly defend himself after any sort of controversy befalls him, interestingly has yet to do so legitimately: He simply stated a lack of recollection regarding the recording, and in fact did not deny the voice on tape was his, at all. Let us be completely clear here: There is nothing professional or calm about Spencer’s views, and this is unchanged by whether or not he decides to shout them between racial epithets and slurs. There is no possible way to dress up hate in a way that makes it “presentable.” It is not. It can never be. This leak is definitive evidence of this fact: No matter how much he tries to clothe
his rhetoric in “academic” garb, it is nothing that is not solely made of burning prejudice. And prejudice cannot be logically defended. Revelations like these may be obvious to many of us, but it is important to remember they are not for many others. For a considerable amount of the population, Spencer really sounds like he makes sense. Like his views hold water. That is what makes people like him truly dangerous; not to be feared, but dangerous, all the same. It is the duty of those who oppose fascism to make sure that no one falls victim to its grasp, and one method of ensuring this is to be sure that its consequences and symptoms are witnessed and understood as widely as possible. We owe it to all those who suffered (and still suffer) from its plague to examine and criticize events and individuals like this as much as possible. We owe it to them, and we owe it to a future of equality-based ideals that represents the biggest threat to fascist ideology of them all.
SAINTS SHOOT FOR IMPACT ON THE COURT Chloe Collins The Advocate
Mt. Hood basketball is back in full-court press mode. On Friday, Nov. 15, the Saints men will play Shoreline Community College in their first official game of the season. If the scrimmage against Prairie College of Alberta, Canada, on Oct. 27 is any indication, the Saints are looking at a high-scoring season this year. They played aggressively, hence the 126 points scored in their win. As they prepare for the season, the Saints’ statistical goals for this year are to lead the league in steals and to still be playing come March – meaning, making the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) playoffs. They are particularly excited to face Lane, Portland (PCC), and, of course, Clackamas community colleges – all archrivals in the South Region – this season. However, the team also has personal goals to impact each other and the community, said its new leader for 2019-20. “Most importantly we want to lead the conference in touches,” said first-year head Coach Nathan Bowie (meaning moving/ sharing the basketball while on offense). He elaborated that uplifting one another and maintaining a strong bond among teammates will be important this season. PA G E 6
Maysee Thao | The Advocate
Freshman center Jalen Smith and freshman guard Davion Stringer (4) run back on defense in a scrimmage against Prairie College held Oct. 27.
This is a year of challenges for Mt. Hood, noted Bowie, who said he’s looking forward to them.
“Challenges often force us to adapt and improve, which is crucial in a fast-paced sport,” he told the Advocate. However, in addition to all of the evolving and improving, the team will carry over some old traditions. Bowie and the Saints will be continuing past year’s initiative to be involved in the local community. They began working toward this goal with the ’Lil Saints Basketball Camp, held in September. Going forward this season, Bowie said the team is planning to do some read-a-longs, and seek out opportunities to offer mentorship and positive role models to Gresham youth. The Saints vs. Shoreline game tonight of a tournament at Portland Community College. It will be quickly followed by the Saints’ second contest of the season, against Pierce College on Saturday. The team has only one home game this term. If you’re hoping to catch a game on campus before January, catch the Saints as they face off against Tacoma Community College on Friday, Nov. 22 at the Yoshida Events Center. The full season schedule for both men’s and women’s Saints basketball teams can be found on the MHCC website.
Freshman center Alex Rentsch goes for the ball.
NOVEMBER 15, 2019
SPORTS | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SAINTS ‘SET’ FOR VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS Whitney Rae Waddell The Advocate
The Saints volleyball team faced off against Linn-Benton Community College on Nov. 8, for its last home game of the season. Friends and family filled the stands in their black and red gear to cheer the team on and honor its sophomores for their contributions. They had good reason to celebrate. The Saints had some pretty important accomplishments this season as a team and individually, winning always being the main one. With their fifth consecutive win on Nov. 1, defeating Chemeketa Community College, 3-0, the Saints secured their place in the NWAC volleyball championship tournament. Hoping to expand its winning streak, Mt. Hood, unfortunately for its crowd, lost to Linn-Benton, 3-0. Back to the high points: This season the ladies were very excited to beat Rogue Community College, the first-place team in the South Region, on Oct. 18. Taking fourth place in the South, the Saints were ranked second for both assists and assists per set, through last week’s contests. And, after the loss to Linn-Benton, the Saints traveled to Clark College in Vancouver on Tuesday and beat the Penguins, 3-1, in their final regular season match. Mt. Hood wound up with an overall record of 18-12, including 9-7 in South Region play. Up next is the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) championship tournament, which will start on Thursday in Tacoma, Washington. Lea’a Puleiala, the Saints’ outside hitter and team captain, says the 2019 team drastically improved from last year’s season. “There was a point where we went on a losing streak but
Maysee Thao | The Advocate
Members of the Mt. Hood volleyball team (from left) Ilaissane Penitoa, Gabby Sanchez, Zoe Chatterton, and Megan Jefferis, who will play in the NWAC championship tournament, which starts on Thursday.
that didn’t stop us from working even harder when we came back to practice,” Puleiala said. Speaking on the team’s behalf, she said it felt like the players were putting hours of work in for nothing, but that head Coach Kristina Crivello and assistant coaches Sierra Veracruz and Amy Jones helped them to see and find their own potential and never give up. What’s more, the Saints are playing together as one and they have each other’s back, on and off the court, she said.
Leading up to and as a result of that ultimate win against Chemeketa, Puleiala received South Region offensive player of the week honors two weeks ago. In that win over the Storm, she and Zoe Chatterton led the Saints offensively with 19 and 13 kills, respectively. Although more team awards will be announced at the Saints’ year-end banquet in a couple weeks, freshman Gabby Sanchez and sophomore Kaylynn Pickett received South Region setters of the week honors four times this season.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
A COMEDY IN THE THIRD REICH ‘JOJO RABBIT’ Kurt Larson
The Advocate With the sociopolitical climate being what it is in November of 2019, it may be difficult to see how Nazis or anything related to the tragedies of World War II could be funny. But director Taika Waititi challenges the notion with wonderful artistry and punctual comedic timing in his latest movie, “JoJo Rabbit.” Set in 1945 Germany, this comedy-drama follows the story of a young boy, Jojo Betzler, who fanatically idolizes Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, so much so that he manifests his perception of Hitler as an imaginary friend, played by Waititi. After a Nazi youth training camp accident that leaves him scarred and temporarily debilitated, Jojo, played by Roman Griffin Davis, finds himself stuck at home recuperating when one day he discovers that his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) has been secretly hiding a young Jewish girl in their house. This dangerous and obvious contradictory action by his mother challenges Jojo’s beliefs about Jews and the Nazi party as he slowly forms a friendship with the girl, Elsa Korr, played by actress Thomasin McKenzie. As can be expected with experienced talent such as Johansson filling out the cast, the performances in this film are spectacular, Davis and McKenzie putting on exceptionally captivating performances in particular. But the real star of this movie is the amazing balance Waititi creates between his satirical comedic digs PA G E 8
and the solemn realities of Hitler’s regime. While the director owes much to Mel Brooks for breaking comedic ground in 1967 with the “SpringTime For Hitler” musical sequence in the film “The Producers,” his wacky performance as Hitler brings a refreshing absurdity to the screen, complete with bad German
accent and a rather fake-looking mustache. Though Jojo’s imaginary version of Hitler doesn’t make too many appearances throughout the movie, most other moments of levity are brought through the deadpan delivery with which characters voice stereotypical Nazi ideology and other absurd beliefs. But the comedic moments in the film never last long and are always punctuated with the melancholic truth of the characters’ situations. Though the humor throughout the movie proves sparse at times, especially in the last act, thanks to Waititi and his particular brand of comedy the movie manages to maintain a precise equilibrium between its tones without offending or coming off as poor taste. Every scene is approached with tact and is
gorgeously accented by some truly beautiful cinematography and accompanied by equally stellar set and wardrobe design. The only real complaint to be made is on the movie’s pacing, which feels a little too rushed for the first 30 minutes or so as the concept of the film tries to establish itself. The editing in the opening sequence is particularly striking, showcasing twee, old, black-and-white Nazi propaganda film footage strung together in montage in time to music. Shots of adoring crowds and young women doting over Hitler in frightening similarity to Beatlemania in the early 1960s are interspersed throughout the sequence and establish the tone of the movie perfectly. But, overall, it’s difficult to see how Waititi could improve on his execution Web Graphic of this concept. Whatever your comedic sensibilities, Jojo Rabbit is undoubtedly a thought-provoking and well-constructed piece of art, a captivating exercise in comedy and tragedy. Waititi successfully conveys his message of hope with this film, placing faith in the naiveté of children and our communal ability to change for the better. If you’re up for a less than cookie-cutter movie, then JoJo Rabbit is a must-see.
4 out of 5 stars
EBENEZER SCROOGE: HUMBUG OR HERO? Chris Barney The Advocate
Although its meaning can apply year-round, the Christmas season is a time where we normally do exchange gifts and remember to have love for our fellow man. There exists a story which takes place around this time of year and reminds us of this: Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. Given that the story was originally published 173 years ago and has endured to this day, I feel that it is worth exploring. A simple synopsis of this yarn would read something like, “A grouchy old miser who hates Christmas comes Web Graphic to love the holiday after visitation by his old business partner and three spirits.” While this is a “Scrooge! The Musical” – Performed at the general summaSellwood Playhouse, southeast Portland. tion of the story, For tickets and more information: sellwoodthere is so much playhouse.ticketleap.com/scrooge-themore to it. musical-2019/ S c ro o g e “A Christmas Carol” – Staged at the Dolores learns many a Winningstad Theatre, downtown Portland. lesson after his For tickets and more information: portland5. supernatural com/winningstad-theatre/events/christmasencounter. He carol-musical learns to love people, name“A Christmas Carol” – Presented at the ly his clerk, Bob Portland Playhouse, northeast Portland. Cratchit, and For tickets and more information: Cratchit’s famiportlandplayhouse.org/shows-events/aly. He also learns christmas-carol-12/ that people aren’t crazy and lazy just because they choose not to focus their lives on building a fortune, as he has. In other words, there is so much more to life than money. One reason that this tale is of great importance is its applicability. This is to say that, while not everyone is a rich, old, humbug like Scrooge, it is entirely possible for a person to take the moral of the story and apply it to their life. It is of vital importance, especially in this day and age, that we learn to love one another, that there is more to a successful life than wealth, and that, even when life is hard, it is not impossible to share love. Scrooge’s tale is one that has lasted through the ages and continues to impart the lessons of love, life, and Christmas. Dickens, without a doubt, wrote a most wonderful and fantastic story when he first brought old Scrooge to life all those years ago. For those interested, there are some upcoming productions of this wonderful tale in the Portland metro area, starting later this month. Go and see the story live; laugh, cry, and come away with a better understanding of the meaning of Christmas and what it means to love your fellow man. Whadayasay?
UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS