Mount Hood

Rating the Best of Celebrity Halloween Customer

Written by:Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

This Halloween season, many celebrities did not wait until Oct. 31 to don their costumes. This year, social media saw some of the craziest costumes worn by celebrities. Whether it’s because they are hilarious or just outright different, here are some of the best celebrity Halloween costumes of 2022, rated. Every celebrity costume can be found on their respective Instagram accounts.

Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum took the creepy — and hilariously funny — route this Halloween, dressing up as a pink, hyper realistic worm. The model’s costume turned many heads this Halloween, leaving them asking “What in the world?” To match Klum, her husband, Tom Kaulitz, dressed up as a fisherman. What else would one expect from the Queen of Halloween? 10/10.

Couple Frankie Jonas and Anna Olson

The youngest and forgotten brother of the Jonas Brothers poked fun at his sibling, Joe Jonas, and ex-girlfriend, Taylor Swift, with the recreation of one of their more iconic stage moments. Anna Olson embodied Taylor Swift in a tight, silver dress while Frankie Jonas dressed as the spitting image of his older brother in a fitted black shirt. It is unknown whether or not Taylor Swift approved of the couple’s costumes. 7.5/10.

Joe Jonas

Joe Jonas may not have sported the iconic Taylor Swift red lipstick, but he did sport the red lips of the iconic figure, Flo from Progressive Insurance. He completed the look with all-white attire and a blue headband to accentuate those brown locks, topped off, of course, with a pin reading, “I love insurance.” 8/10.

Kim Kardashian

This Halloween, the “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star donned the character, Mystique, from the X-men superhero universe. Funnily enough, and in a twisting turn of events, Kim accidentally wore the costume to a friend’s birthday party, in a small misunderstanding that the party was a Halloween costume party. For that, it receives a rating of 8.5/10.



Space Up this Year Friendgiving Spread with this Captivating Dessert

Written by:Jude Bokovoy 

Don’t let the name drive one away — this olive oil cake recipe has subtle notes of lemon that will satisfy any craving. This cake is perfect for a Friendsgiving with countless presentation options, simple ingredients and perfect for a light dessert.

OLIVE OIL CAKE

Start to finish: 1 hour 10 minutes

Yields: 8 servings

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

⅔ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup greek yogurt

2 large eggs

⅔ cup high quality olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Zest of a whole lemon

Garnish

⅛ cup powdered sugar

20 raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until combined. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and set aside. Combine wet ingredients in the order listed above, leaving out lemon juice and zest. Pour wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and slowly whisk the corners of the dry ingredients in. Once fully combined, add lemon juice and zest. Oil a nine inch circular pan, then pour batter evenly into the pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. While the cake is cooling, use parchment paper to create a stencil to make a design in powdered sugar. Once the cake is cool, apply the stencil and tap on the powdered sugar using a small strainer or spoon. Set raspberries beside the cake for guests to apply to their slice. For more details check out the full recipe at feelgoodfoodie.net.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu



A Beginner’s Guide to Exercise

Written by: Gretchen Sims

Ever wondered how to maximize a workout? How to do the most in what little time a college student has? Is the thought of branching out from the cardio machines nerve wracking? 

Going to the gym can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. This is one way of organizing a full week of working out to make things seem more manageable. Keep in mind that this is just one way of splitting a workout — many people do different workout splits and that is perfectly okay. Do whatever works best. 

For an everyday workout, a warm up and cool down is extremely important. Typically, ten minutes of each is recommended. Dynamic, or movement-based, stretching is a great warm up. Static stretching, based upon the amount of time a stretch is held, is a good cool down.

After weight training, one should do around ten to twenty minutes of cardio depending on one’s goals. When working out with the goal of losing weight, try to focus on cardio. When working out with the goal to build more muscle, do less cardio. 

Monday: Shoulders, biceps and triceps.

Tuesday: Chest, back and forearms (optional). 

Wednesday: Rest.

Thursday: Legs.

Friday: Shoulders, biceps and triceps.

Saturday: Chest, back and forearms (optional). 

Sunday: Rest.

When starting the cycle, begin with where one left off in the pattern. This will make it so that the workout cycle is repeated every two weeks. Switching things up can keep things more interesting and less mundane. 

For each muscle group one is focusing on, a good way to organize exercises is to aim between 8 and 12 reps for 3 to 5 sets. Knowing where to begin can be difficult. One way to start is to work each day’s muscle groups on the cable pulls, then on the machines and ending in the free weight section.

In the case of a Monday split for example, one would use the cable pulls for shoulders, biceps and triceps; then move on to machines where, in the same order, one would pick machines that hit these same muscle groups. Finally, one would cycle through these muscle groups one final time on the free weight mats. 

Now, it is important to note the importance of rest days. Remember to rest in order to allow the muscles — which one essentially tears up when working out — time to rebuild themselves. Powering through the gym every day might seem appealing, but this will not yield one’s intended results.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@mail.wou.edu



Winter Cheer Tryouts are Rapidly Approaching

Written by  Jude Bokovoy

Winter cheerleading tryouts are on Nov. 14 — who’s ready? Interested in a place to work on cheer skills, bond with likeminded people and perform in front of a crowd each week? The WOU Cheerleading Team may be just what one is looking for. Follow the guide below to get a sneak peek of what to expect and how to stand out.

Tryout preparation—- First, follow @woucheerleading on Instagram to get information and register by Nov. 12. Then create a dance routine and Western-related cheer to perform for the individual tryout. Make sure to take care of oneself to ensure one’s best performance — whether it’s going to the gym consistently, practicing jumps, getting back into tumbling or anything else.

What to expect at tryouts —-  Arrive a few minutes early to the upper level of the New P.E. building to introduce oneself to the coaches, team members and the people one will be trying out with. Once everyone has warmed up and stretched, the individual tryouts begin. One by one each person trying out will be called back into the gym to perform their own original dance to their song of choice. After this, they will demonstrate their two best jumps, perform their custom cheer and answer a few questions from the judging panel. Tumbling is encouraged, but optional. 

Once everyone has completed their individual tryout, cuts will be made. 

Next, those who are called back will stunt with returning team members. This is one’s time to shine. Open mindedness is a quality that the WOU Cheer Team greatly values. After everyone has been able to perform to their greatest abilities a halftime-style dance routine and cheer will be taught. 

Everyone will be split up into small groups to perform the dance and cheer for the final portion of tryouts.

To stick out among the group, volunteer to call the cheer, be loud and rally one’s heart out after both the cheer and dance. 

What is it like to be a WOU Cheerleader? —- Being on the team is a great experience that will push limits and create lasting friendships. The team is curated based on skill and personality to ensure the safety and enjoyment of each member. For the winter team, practices are held twice a week. There are zero to four Basketball games each week, and with the likey addition of competing in Anaheim California, a WOU cheerleader’s schedule is quite full. 

Completion of the workout circuits assigned by the athletic trainers will be required twice a week as well. Practices require physical and mental preparation to try a new stunt is always a necessity. Cheerleaders are expected to learn halftime routines within two practices to perform later in the week, so focus is a required quality. Although cheerleading is a big time commitment, the majority of the team is able to maintain being full time students, employees, and cheerleaders harmoniously. 

Being a WOU Cheerleader is an experience unlike any other. Experienced cheerleaders are preferred, but those with no experience are welcome to try out. 

If one has any questions or needs any assistance related to tryouts or WOU Cheer, Coach Caitlin Masterson is happy to assist. To do so, reach out to her via Instagram @woucheerleading.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Passion for the Passage

Written by Jude Bokovoy

Wanting a place to display one’s creations? Whether one’s interests lie in writing, art or photography, The Northwest Passage has a place for it all. The Northwest Passage is accepting submissions until Nov. 4 for their fall 2022 issue. 

What is The Northwest Passage? Each term, students from Western get the opportunity to submit all of their artistic creations for the chance to be featured in the latest issue. During the weeks leading up to and following the deadline, the Editor-in-Chief will create a shared Google drive containing all submissions, which are voted on anonymously by the publication’s editorial board. Once voting is complete, the Editor-in-Chief will format the booklet — including all of the chosen pieces. After designing, editing, and reviewing, the issue will be ready to print. The finalized copies will be distributed at campus locations, as well as some businesses in downtown Monmouth. 

Contributing to The Northwest Passage is a great way to get one’s name and work out into the world  while building one’s resume. Having published works of any kind looks great on applications. One of the best things about The Northwest Passage is that one can submit classwork to be featured. Submitting classwork requires little to no extra work on the part of the author or artist that is submitting. 

To submit one’s most treasured pieces for a chance to be featured in this term’s edition of The Northwest Passage, email submissions to northwestpassage@wou.edu. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

It’s Ok to Buy That One Dress From SHEIN

Written by Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

The allure of clothing brands like H&M, Shein and Forever 21 can be tempting to many consumers. With their cheap prices, trendy clothing and wide display of styles, fast fashion clothing brands have become increasingly popular amongst social media influencers or so-called “trendsetters.”

It is a generally undisputed fact that fast fashion is bad for the planet and ethically immoral — but what some need to acknowledge is that, for many people, it can be their only option. 

Many environmentalists opposing fast fashion argue that it is worth it to spend the couple more dollars needed to buy something that will last. But when it comes down to using that last paycheck to buy an expensive pair of jeans or save it for healthier grocery options, most would choose the latter. High end and sustainable clothing is sometimes just not an option, especially for college students, who are often living paycheck to paycheck.

Perhaps it’s time to stop dumping all the blame on those who shop fast fashion, and instead look at the systems businesses employ that encourage this behavior from their consumers. Today, an individual cannot scroll through Instagram without seeing a Shein ad urging them to buy that baby blue mini dress — regardless of the fact that it’s fall and they would probably freeze to death trying to wear it.

While there have been various attempts to boycott fast fashion companies, the reality is that it would take an enormous portion of consumers to make enough of an impact for prominent companies to even consider changing their ways. 

Cutting out fast fashion from an individual’s lifestyle choices can be difficult for many; however, it is possible to be an ethically responsible and conscious consumer. 

Shopping fast fashion does not necessarily have to result in the disposal of such large amounts of clothing after a short period of time. Fast fashion is often not the stereotypical “wear once and throw away” notion that many people seem to believe. 

If shopping fast fashion is an individual’s only option, being a more sustainable consumer can simply mean: “buy what you need and wear what you buy.” If properly maintained, a clothing item from Shein could last up to four years. 

Furthermore, depending on the condition, used clothing can be consigned, lent to others, or donated to second-hand shops. In recent years, shopping at thrift stores has become more normalized. Some popular Oregon second-hand stores include Salvation Army, St.Vincent de Paul and Goodwill.

The verdict is this: above all, one should be conscious of their shopping habits. In the end, giving in to buying that Shein dress from an Instagram ad every once in a while is not going to make much of a difference in the vast, unethical world of fast fashion. What will truly make a difference is what one decides to do with that piece of clothing down the road. Will one throw it away after a single use? Or will they consciously maintain it so they can wear it proudly for the next four years?

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

New Food Truck Opens in Mounmouth’s The Annex

Written by Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

The Monmouth community recently welcomed a new locally owned food truck — Aaron and Jack’s Snack Shack, an “out of the box” diner-style eatery with a dash of cultural delectables. The Snack Shack is now serving customers at The Annex, located near The Donut Bar.

On Oct. 10, owners Aaron and Jack held a soft opening with a starter menu,  including burgers and philly sandwiches. An official grand opening was held on Oct. 13. As they have become more established, Aaron and Jack have broadened their menu options to include ramen, loaded fries and mac and cheese.

Aaron and Jack both have 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, with Jack as a former employee at Jack’s Pub, and Aaron a former employee at Dry Town. According to Jack, the pair have not had the best experiences with past employers, which catalyzed their eventual opening of their own business. 

“We just wanted to bust out, do our own thing, and serve the community good quality food that you can’t get anywhere else,” Aaron said.

Customers’ favorite menu item from the Snack Shack as of late is the philly cheesesteak — a mouthwatering combination of thinly sliced steak, homemade cheese sauce, onions, mushrooms and peppers. Another bestseller is the beef ramen and birria tacos, a delicious Mexican dish. Outdoor seating is provided for customers wishing to dine-in.

The Snack Shack is included as one of the 31 restaurants participating in WOU Wednesday. Students who visit on Wednesday will receive 10% off of their meal when they show their Western ID or show up in their favorite Western gear. Students also receive $1 off when they order a wolf juice, a flavor-infused energy drink. 

The food truck also offers customers the chance to order a new secret menu item on Fridays. To obtain the password for the secret menu item, customers must monitor The Shack’s social media the day of from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Currently, the Snack Shack is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

“Most (businesses) are closed around town (on Monday), so we’re open on Monday,” Jack said. “If you got the late night munchies at 10:30 (p.m.), come by and get some food.”

To check out the menu for Aaron and Jack’s Snack Shack and remain updated on future deals and specials, follow them on Instagram at @aaron_and_jacks. 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

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