Emotions and self-expression should not be taboo

I was stalking my brother on Facebook last week when I came across a photo of him in stage make-up, posted by a girl who was working on the school musical. She clearly had too much free time. I nearly clicked past it, until I saw the comment that someone had left: “gay homo fag.”

Henderson’s record deserves examination

This Saturday, D.C. Public Schools chancellor and Georgetown alum Kaya Henderson (SFS ’92, G ’07) will receive an honorary degree from Georgetown for her contributions to education reform in the D.C. public school system since she first became chancellor in 2010. Henderson is known for transforming DCPS classrooms and was named one of “World’s 7 Most Powerful Educators” by Forbes in 2011, and her honorary degree from Georgetown is an opportunity to analyze and challenge her education policies.

Spring should mean a new approach for Occupy

The key strategies of the Occupy movement have always been rooted in the idea of physically taking up space—democratically reclaiming it as a locus for populist action. However, as winter set in, police forces across the country brutally evicted the activist encampments. Eventually, though, as the movement’s energy fizzled, those who sought to reclaim its communal spirit looked forward to the spring, when they hoped Occupy could move back in to its former camping sites. So far, no major sites have been reoccupied. Now in the middle of what would be “Occupy Spring,” the movement is facing an identity crisis of sorts. If it wants to survive, it needs to rethink its position as a force for social change.

U.S. needs new Latin American foreign policy

This past weekend witnessed the surfacing of long standing tensions between several Latin American countries and the United States at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. During the meeting, Washington was publicly criticized for the U.S.’s widely detrimental drug policy in Latin American countries, as well as its non-negotiable position on the disclusion of Cuba in the regional summit, among other U.S. stances.

The Capital Swings: Jazz in the District

“Wait. I hate to do this, but we gotta start over.” Allen Jones is playing his first gig as the leader of his own group. Seconds after dropping his drumstick from the ride cymbal, he and his fellow musicians launch head-on into “Diamond,” one of the 18-year-old’s original compositions. Despite the false start, the crowd at The Dunes receives him warmly.

Page 13′s Campus Plan

Julien Isaacs throws some glitter and makes it rain

In the basement of a Burleith apartment, the floor of Julien Isaacs’s (SFS ’12) art studio is covered in an inch of glitter. These are the remnants of his latest work of glitter-based iconic images, from a glitter sphinx statue outside his apartment to a glitter painting of Madonna. From this explosion of sparkles, Isaacs has taken Georgetown and the D.C. art community, by storm. Divine Chaos, his exhibit at the Adams Morgan coffeehouse Tryst, is running until May 31 after a sold-out opening night on April 5.

Pleasant Pops takes off its training wheels for new store

In Adams Morgan, the cost of fame is steep, but it comes with delicious perks. For $1,000, anyone can become a “Pop Star” at Pleasant Pops—an honor which involves naming your own flavor and getting a free popsicle every time you walk through the door of the store, which opens this July. The Pleasant Pops D.C. food truck started out as a single pushcart at farmers’ markets in 2010, but with two years of experience and the help of a Kickstarter campaign, Pleasant Pops co-owners Brian Sykora and Roger Horowitz are rolling their business into a full-fledged store.

Mock horror fans get Cabin fever

Let’s meet the cast of The Cabin in the Woods: there’s Dana (Kristen Connolly), a moderately attractive college student waiting to be deflowered by the right guy, and her best friend Jules (Anna Hutchinson), a more experienced blonde who is being courted by football stud Curt Vaughan (Chris Hemsworth). Accompanied by conspiracy-theory pothead Marty (Franz Kranz) and not-so-stupid jock Holden (Jesse Williams), they go to Curt’s cousin’s cabin in a setting that looks straight out of a hick-infested History Channel. Sounds like a classic horror movie setup, right?

Trash Talk: This baggage is emotional

Have you ever wondered what happens to all that luggage that is never picked up from the baggage claim? I haven’t. I don’t even know anybody who checks luggage anymore, because of those ridiculous baggage fees. But apparently it’s a pressing matter, and Spike TV is hoping to capitalize on this obvious gap in the reality programming schedule with its newest series, Luggage Wars.