Soccer fans around the world rejoiced on Nov. 20, as the 2022 FIFA World Cup commenced in the host country of Qatar. But while the tournament has historically acted as a global celebration of the sport, and the diverse cultures of the countries competing, this year’s World Cup has begun amid great controversy.
Qatar was selected as the 2022 host back in 2010, becoming the first Middle Eastern country to be awarded the honor. Qatar’s win came at the same time as Russia’s, who was awarded 2018 hosting duties. However, the shady dealings that facilitated these wins soon became public. FIFA, or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, is soccer’s global governing body, and its officials are responsible for selecting each host. According to PBS, “the U.S. alleged in 2020 that officials from Russia and Qatar had bribed voting FIFA members to support their ultimately successful bids.”
Over the last several years, streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music have normalized the notion that music should be easily accessible and affordable. These services provide undeniable benefits for listeners, allowing them to create and share custom playlists with each other and easily discover new artists, but at what cost to those artists? Compensation. Streaming poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of the vast majority of musicians and songwriters, as unethical and discriminatory payout models disproportionately reward only the absolute top-tier artists, leaving the rest in search of alternative sources of revenue as they’re compensated with mere fractions of pennies.
Concussions are an unavoidable part of playing football. But in the National Football League, new rule changes, concussion protocols and equipment have done little to address the key question surrounding concussions; not how to prevent a player from ever having one, but how to properly manage their playing time once they do.
In a primetime Thursday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 29, the league’s profoundly flawed concussion protocol was on full display. 24-year-old Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa started the game just four days after being concussed in a Sept. 25 game against the Buffalo Bills, in which he was allowed to return after a hit left him visibly wobbly as he stumbled back to his feet, shaking his head before collapsing.
If you have extra candy left over post-Halloween, you’re not alone. As fears over COVID-19 subsided ahead of Halloween, new concerns over high inflation-driven candy prices and rainbow-colored fentanyl quickly replaced them, leading many Americans to adopt alternative takes on trick-or-treating, or to opt-out of the holiday entirely.
In an effort to curb the rising number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Rohnert Park, the city opened the doors to a new 60-unit supportive housing facility last Monday on Labath Avenue. The site, called, “Labath Landing,” will act as an interim housing program to address the city’s estimated 250 homeless individuals, and per their website, will provide mental health counseling and job training to help residents become stable enough to eventually move out into permanent housing.
Sonoma State University undergraduate senior, Jessica Valdez, was one of about 75 students from colleges and universities across 33 states who were nominated to participate in a roundtable discussion about reproductive rights with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Oct. 14.
In a congratulatory message sent out to students on Oct. 11, Sonoma State University praised its Department of Nursing for ranking No.7 out of No.131 nursing programs in California. SSU’s nursing program was rated the second highest amongst all CSUs. SSU’s score of 98.50 bested those of all CSUs, except for CSU Long Beach, which secured a No.4 spot with a score of 99.19.
As if Rohnert Park residents haven’t had enough reasons to be fearful as of late, with clowns and prowlers seen roaming the area, mountain lion sightings are once again popping up in multiple neighborhoods.
A ‘silver tsunami.’ That’s what many experts are calling the ever-growing wave of baby boomers who are reaching retirement age, and accounting for an increasing number of the drivers on the road. And with September marking national pedestrian safety month, it seems as appropriate a time as any to address the dangers and complexities that this rapid increase in senior drivers poses.
When Proposition 64 passed in 2016, legalizing the possession, cultivation and use of recreational cannabis for Californians 21 and older, many celebrated what they thought would mean massive tax revenue,...
College students and alumni who completed much of their degrees remotely during the pandemic proved themselves to be uniquely adaptable and committed. Now many fear their lack of hands-on learning has left them unprepared for their future career.
One in 26. That’s the number of people who will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. For many living with the condition however, the lack of public awareness and the resulting stigma can make it feel like that number is far less.
According to Brent Boyer, Sonoma State University's director of disability services for students, “Stigma often comes about when others are unaware of particular conditions such as epilepsy. The best way of combating stigma is with education…”
![[Both photos courtesy of sonoma.edu]
Ming-Ting Mike Lee stepped in as the new SSU president following Sakakis resignation in July 2022](https://sonomastatestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CC4520AB-22A7-41B2-9F6F-2A2D5F76A28C-1200x1200.jpeg)
