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September 2011


Editorials

Georgetown has a Big decision to make

Over the weekend, news broke that Syracuse and Pittsburgh have decided to leave the Big East Conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference. With some predicting that the defections will prompt the Big East’s remaining members to strengthen the conference and others already preparing to write the league’s eulogy, Georgetown must be proactive in the coming days and months to protect the school’s athletic programs and ensure that they have a place to compete at a high level.

Leisure

Drive blends the bloody and the beautiful

There’s a scene in Drive where Ryan Gosling and his love interest share a passionate, climactic kiss. Then Gosling ruthlessly proceeds to kick a thug’s skull in. This combination of excessive violence and theatrical set-ups gives Drive a gritty, gore-is-good charm. With quiet, tension-building scenes interrupted by gut-wrenching violence, the film pays tribute to classic car-chasers like Bullitt while mixing in the satirical wit of Tarantino. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s final product is a stylish, bold, and brutal film, filled to the brim with superb acting and beautiful cinematography.

Leisure

District of Pi: pizza and politics at their best

By now, most of us have picked out our favorite spot for a dose of cheesy pizza goodness. Some of the less adventurous, such as my gastronomically uninclined roommate, frequently turn to boring chains like Pizza Hut or Domino’s. For pizza snobs, this type of behavior is unacceptable, so it comes as a relief to learn that our president’s taste is a little more sophisticated.

Leisure

Houston, we have a soda

Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall has turned a new page. While complaining about Leo’s is a Georgetown pastime, the cafeteria has finally struck a change that will last. And no, we’re not talking about vegetable-infused water. We’re talking about the Coca-Cola Freestyle, the high-tech soda-bot next to the ice cream station. Overnight (or at least over the summer), Leo’s has entered the space age.

Leisure

A glimpse into middle America

In a small but compelling collection of large-scale landscape paintings, D.C.-born artist Ben Ferry succeeds in capturing the essence of his travels to the American Midwest. His exhibit, Upper Middle, featured in the Walsh Building’s Spagnuolo Gallery is relatively small, including only ten paintings, but each of the works is brilliant. Ferry’s merit lies in his ability to transport the viewer from D.C.’s urban chaos to the forgotten worlds of America’s past.

Leisure

Whiskey Business: Two sharks walk into a bar

“If you took a cab here, you don’t belong here.” So says one of what must be a million articles of graffiti on the bathroom wall at The Raven Grill, one of D.C.’s dive-iest bars. Although this quote nicely sums up the general atmosphere, it is difficult to describe exactly what makes a bar a dive. Like pornography, I know it when I see it. But there are a few generally accepted principles that all dive bars—or at least the good ones—have to follow.

Leisure

Byte Me: Google Plus doesn’t add up

I logged into my Google Plus account today for the first time since August 15, only to find that during the past month, I had missed absolutely nothing. During the time that my account went completely unused, there were four new posts in my “stream,” the Google Plus equivalent to the Facebook newsfeed.

Leisure

Critical Voices: Kasabian, Velociraptor!

After a two-year wait, English rockers Kasabian have released their fourth album, Velociraptor!, but contrary to the title, the album is an electronically-charged shift to contemporary music, not an homage to Jurassic Park. While showing off Kasabian’s trademark versatility, Velociraptor! maintains enough of the group’s pumping beats and straightforward guitar riffs to keep its older fan base on board for the ride.

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Kooks, Junk of the Heart

Loyal fans of British indie darlings The Kooks will thoroughly appreciate their third album, Junk of the Heart, an album teeming with the upbeat, whimsical music that made their first two efforts hits. But where Junk succeeds in melodies, its cynical lyrics are an unwanted change to the group’s trademark buoyant subject matter.

Sports

Hoyas win thriller, prep for long road stint

The Georgetown Hoyas (2-0, 1-0 Patriot League) will be taking their quest for a Patriot League title on the road for the next five weeks. But in their last home game until mid-October, the Hoyas gave fans a thriller, coming back in the last minutes to defeat conference rival Lafayette 14-13.