Living with loose skin affects self-esteem
By Mike Thomas, Scene Editor
February 10, 2016
Insecurities are left in the dark by a lot of people, and the last thing we want is to have that anxiety come into light. Every day I walk around this campus hiding something. For those who do not know me, I had bariatric surgery in 2011 because I weighed more than 600 pounds. However, getting most o...
Liberal socialist carries ambition
By Salvador Godoy, Staff Writer
February 10, 2016
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is equipped to show his intellectual power for the needs of the American people, although some citizens are apprehensive about his use of the word socialist. Once again, Sanders is not a socialist. Let me rephrase that term correctly. He is a “demo...
Rapid advancement pressures change in news coverage
By Christian Urrutia, Editor-in-Chief
February 10, 2016
The changing state of news and the rapid flow of information dictates the platforms in which we consume all kinds of daily content. The medium currently is mobile devices, if not, a computer screen. Digitizing content meant certain media, like print, would become more and more obsolete. The print w...
Immigration reform in political limbo
By Marlene Rivas, Staff Writer
February 10, 2016
The lack of immigration reform and the nonacceptance of immigrants entering the country has been an big issue for quite some time now. The idea that many have, and refuse to see a different side to, is that immigrants come here to steal jobs, increase crime and benefit from the government’s aid wit...
Romantic stressors cloud holiday’s origin
By Roxana Amparo, Associate Editor
February 10, 2016
The red and pink colors displayed proudly on Valentine’s Day were not always roses and balloons. Instead, the holiday’s hues came from a bloody tradition that lacks the romance it is thought to embody today. During Roman times the tradition of the romantic day started off as the Lupercalia festiv...
Resource still missing
By The Advocate, Editorial Board
February 4, 2016
This is the first tax season since 2011 in which there are no resources on campus where students can seek financial coaching because Single Stop USA shut down when its $74,000 grant ended in the spring 2015 semester. While Contra Costa College is currently working to replace the non-profit organiza...
Society wrongly deems skeptics as ‘crazy’
By Asma Alkrizy, Opinion Editor
February 4, 2016
I always wondered why the sky is blue, what makes us dream, what exists beyond the universe, because I was curious. But when I began to question my authorities on controversial matters, people started calling me a conspiracy theorist. The irrational stigma against being a conspiracy theorist is undese...
Lack of experience stalls success
By Marci Suela, Art Director
February 4, 2016
First-generation college students may feel frustrated due to psychological challenges and a lack of guidance. These issues can prolong the academic plans for these students, who don’t have a sense of direction upon enrollment. The Center of Student Opportunity (CSO), a nonprofit organization that a...
‘Natural’ world offers poignant insight into soul
By Cody Casares, Photo Editor
February 4, 2016
If you live in the Bay Area then you are probably surrounded by bustling traffic, vast infrastructure and neighbors sometimes only a wall away. With such close proximity to others it is easy to forget that there are environments that differ from the urban surroundings that we call home, where the on...
Rape culture undermines human rights
By Roxana Amparo, Associate Editor
February 4, 2016
The disturbing reality of our society in which nine out of 10 victims of rape are female and one in 33 are male embodies rape culture’s suffocating grasp on female identity. Although rape is a serious crime and state laws punish rapists, Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) also reports th...
Recruitment foils program
By The Advocate, Editorial Board
December 9, 2015
If the Associated Students Union is not going to take steps to abolish the $5 Student Activity Fee, then it should recruit more people to ensure student generated revenue is used effectively with its Grant for Support program. The ASU needs to boost its online and campus recruiting so it will have enou...
Fantasy league football prods competitive drive
By Jose Jimenez, Spotlight Editor
December 9, 2015
While drafting smartly and managing the waiver wire are keys to fantasy success, few owners lift up a trophy at season’s end without dealing some trades and making gutsy calls along the way. So whether you are coasting to the playoffs or have been way out since week 10, the logic is always to basi...