[Spoilers ahead for I’m Thinking of Ending Things] Charlie Kaufman’s 2020 film I’m Thinking of Ending Things was one of the most disturbing pieces of media of the last decade. It starts with Jake, a man in a relationship that is seemingly on its last legs, going to visit his elderly parents with his girlfriend. […]
Football triumphs against La Cañada in first league win
Story by Sam GrotensteinAssociate Opinion Editor Photos by Oscar WalshStaff Photographer SPHS football competed in their first official game of the season on Friday, Mar. 19, and came out swinging against La Cañada with a 36-30 victory. After a rough scrimmage with Polytechnic on Friday, Mar. 12, the Tigers bounced back with fighting spirit and saw a […]
Football loses to Polytechnic in friendly scrimmage
Story by Sam Grotenstein Associate Opinion Editor Photo by Oscar WalshStaff Photographer SPHS football competed against Polytechnic in an unofficial exhibition game on Friday, Mar. 12. Returning to action after a 16-month hiatus, the Tigers were unable to shake off the rust in the two-hour friendly game. Unlike normal football games, each team alternated possession every 10 […]
Calls for peaceful protest aren’t calls for pacifism
Intense focus has been given to the tactics of protest movement across the U.S., most calling for “pacifism.” Yet, demanding peaceful protest against a violent government can run contrary to peace.
Commodity fetishism is at the core of social media’s absurdism
Story by Sam GrotensteinAssociate Opinion Editor Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator The Snapchat discover page is a horrible place. This may seem like hyperbole, but the explore page sits pathetically as the disgusting offspring of contemporary tabloid magazines and early 20th century travelling circus acts. It is a seemingly never-ending stream of 30 second long […]
Star War diversifies for profit, not principle
Story by Sam Grotenstein & Quinn ManzoOpinion Associate, Staff Writer Illustration by Alicia ZhangStaff Illustrator Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released in 2019 to immense controversy. Audiences and critics alike felt that this film, the conclusion to the newest Star Wars trilogy, had completely and utterly failed to capture the magic of the […]
Charting the future of Biden’s administration and the nation
Story by Katharine Florence, Sam Grotenstein, Adam Kwoh, Luyang Zhang, Matthew Tsai, & Cat FloresStaff Writer, Associate Opinion Editor, Copy Editors, Print Managing Editor, & Editor-in-Chief Illustrations by Nicholas FormanSenior Staff Illustrator Graphics by Charlotte CohenCo-Associate Design Editor Following the 2020 election, Democrats now hold a government trifecta after taking control of the presidency and […]
Dave Rubin and the alt-right aesthetic
Story by Sam GrotensteinAssociate Opinion Editor Illustration by Terry SongAssociate Design Editor In 2008, Dave Rubin released the first episode of Hot Gay Comics, a show designed to publicize queer members of the stand-up comedy world. Information on Hot Gay Comics is suprisingly hard to find with the exception of a single IMDB review giving […]
Che Guevara, MLK, and the art of cultural mystification
Cultural mystification, the idea of explaining away what may otherwise be obvious for the sake of an agenda, is destroying our political landscape.
Retire American Pageant
Story by Sam GrotensteinOpinion Associate Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator On April 18th, 1975, Reverend Marvin Horan was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to bomb a school. This was after three months of nonstop racist and violent protests, which included the armed hijacking of school buses, the harassment of individual students, and […]
SPHS needs to end its outdated stance on drugs
Story by Sam GrotensteinOpinion Associate Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator Health is one of the rare uniting courses that all students must take in order to meet graduation requirements. No matter how a student takes the class, either during the school year or over the summer, they find that a large portion of the curriculum […]
Horror movies are mirrors for societal fears
Story by Sam GrotensteinOpinion Associate Illustration by Terry SongStaff Illustrator Cold War era horror flick Invasion of The Body Snatchers depicts aliens taking the form of humans, while also stealing their free thought and individualism. The film telegraphs a message nearly identical to the communist propaganda of the time, framing communism as an oppressive ideology […]
‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ suffers from sequel syndrome
Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator Borat is arguably the most influential film on today’s comedy landscape. Sacha Baron Cohen pioneered the surprisingly ubiquitous genre of comedy that has been foundational for some of the most mainstream hits of the last few years. This is to say that the bar was […]
TAAGLAA: In search of the perfect taco
Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Photo by Ella JayasekeraPhoto Editor Los Angeles has, indisputably, the best tacos west of the Mississippi, but my goal was to find the best of them all; the elusive perfect taco. On a brisk Saturday morning, I set off on a journey in search of tacos across the greater Los […]
SPHS presents athletic safety plan as sports return this winter
Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Photo courtesy of SPHS Athletics DepartmentContributor SPHS Athletic Director Anthony Chan introduced the athletics plan for the 2020-2021 school year at a school board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The plan outlines the precautions that will be taken to ensure the safety of athletes and staff, as well as the sports […]
Con: Vote blue no matter who
Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator The importance of voting for Joe Biden expands beyond being a matter of party preference, and is an absolute necessity for progressive voters. While the Democratic Party has not earned the progressive vote, progressives should still feel obligated to support Biden, solely because of his […]