noah cortez
covid-19, Education

Forbidden Recreation

By

As a result of the guidelines set forth by Santa Clara Country in response to COVID-19, Stanford took drastic measures to limit the temptation to break social distancing rules. A salient example is outdoor recreation: beach volleyball nets removed, outdoor gyms fenced up, indoor gyms and hiking trails closed, and most interestingly, modified basketball courts. I took a walk around campus and found that Stanford either tied-up the net, boarded-over the rim, or removed completely the hoop altogether at nearly every basketball court across the university. Described as “very fun w/ a sprinkle of deep!” in an Instagram comment, this photo series serves as a visual collection of some of…

Read More
A mask is left on the ground outside of Arrillaga dining hall. (Noah Cortez, Peninsula Press)
covid-19, Culture, Education

Fall Quarter in Quarantine

By

I have been quarantining at Stanford since March. For the past 9 months, I’ve watched campus adjust to the strict COVID-19 measures set in place by Santa Clara County and settle into the new normal that will continue into the foreseeable future. As an MA Journalism student focusing on visual communication (photography, documentary film, VR/AR journalism), my approach to photography follows a structure that is well-reported and straightforward. I have been documenting life on campus since March through photos – this specific photo series documents Stanford life as of November 2020. Some photographs in this short photo collection depict changes Stanford enacted back in March, while others highlight recent developments….

Read More
Culture, Technology

Behind the Scenes of Spotify Wrapped

By

Music streaming service Spotify launched its annual “Wrapped” campaign yesterday, a data-driven feature that showcases the artists and genres that people listened to the most, individualized reports of user data highlighting users’ top songs and podcasts of the year, how many minutes users spent streaming music and podcasts, and cultural trends that shaped 2020. This year, Spotify Wrapped revolved around two themes: gratitude and resilience. New features of the release from 2020 include special statistics tailored about health and wellness, as well as music data about the trends that drove the racial justice movement in the United States. “Wrapped tells the story of a resilient world, made of resilient communities,…

Read More
Arts, Environment

Advice from a legendary wildlife photographer: Amos Nachoum

By

Amos Nachoum’s office space looks different than most: it’s underwater in the ocean, and occasionally the wilderness. For the past three decades, the 70-year-old Israeli has been pushing the boundaries of wildlife photography. There is no right way to become a world-renowned wildlife photographer – Nachoum took up stints as a war photographer in Israel and a cab driver in New York City in his early career. However, success in the field often hinges upon grit, creativity, and a willingness to learn. One of Nachoum’s most famous undertakings is photographing swimming polar bears. In fact, there was a documentary all about it, Picture of His Life. You can watch the…

Read More
News, Politics

Nigerians gather in Oakland for #endSARS Anti-Police Brutality Movement

By

Hundreds of Bay Area residents – many of them Nigerian and Nigerian-American – gathered at Lake Merritt Amphitheater in Oakland Oct. 24 to rally around the #endSARS movement. Those at the gathering protested against police brutality in Nigeria, particularly demanding for the end of a special police unit known as SARS, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. What is SARS? SARS was formed in 1992 in response to violent crimes in Lagos. Over time, the unit has developed a reputation of acting recklessly with impunity. A report by Amnesty International cited at least 82 cases of abuse including torture, mock executions, and sexual assault over the past three years. Why are people…

Read More
Addie Hermstad
Health, Sports

Oregon’s President says that the decision to bring back college sports “has nothing to do with money”. This student-athlete disagrees.

By

College sports are back in season. Last month, the Pac-12 CEO group unanimously voted to reverse the August 11 decision to postpone a fall sports season to 2021 – just 45 days after the Pac-12 released a 12-page document it was not safe to do so. The move by the Pac-12 comes in wake of a similar reversal of plans by the Big Ten conference, which will kick off its season tomorrow, October 24. The reason? Players want to play, and there are measures put in place that will prioritize the health and safety of student athletes, says Michael Schill, President of the University of Oregon. What wasn’t the reason?…

Read More