Archive

Mike Birbiglia returns to GU, aims to kill with laughter

Mike Birbiglia (COL ’00) won “Funniest Person on Campus” his sophomore year at Georgetown—let’s see if he’s still got it. His latest one man show, “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” will run for five nights at the Davis Center’s Gonda Theater beginning Monday, Feb. 25.

By Tim Barnicle February 21, 2013

Critical Voices: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Push the Sky Away

A band that successfully released 15 albums certainly earns the right to poetic license and work packed with perplexing content, but a limit on such creativity should be observed. The Australian group Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds become an unfortunate testament to this fact with the release of Push the Sky Away, an album so tumultuous in quality of music that the entire LP is nearly unbearable. Wildly swinging between refreshing spiritual revelations and sex-fueled rants by an apparent drunk old man, Push the Sky Away is salvaged only by its soothing instrumentation.

By Kirill Makarenko February 21, 2013

Critical Voices: Beach Fossils, Clash the Truth

With a number of low-fi surf-inspired bands releasing music lately it’s easy for some of them to get lost in the mix—especially since they all seem compelled to choose names involving the ocean, beach, or other trite references to surfing or the coast. With their second album Clash the Truth, Brooklyn rockers Beach Fossils don’t do much to distinguish themselves in this somewhat crowded field, as the band fails at achieving any musical growth while losing some of the charm from their first record. The end result is an album that while certainly solid lacks enough vitality or innovation to make it particularly memorable.

By Sam Wolter February 21, 2013

Under the Covers: Pow! nails a home run

How do you take your meat—if you do? Well-done or still bloody? Are you queasy at the thought of slaughter or do you ignore the source of your Leo’s, Tombs, or 5 Guys burger?

By Emilia Brahm February 21, 2013

Editorials

Activists demand Obama reject Keystone XL

Last Sunday, the world witnessed the largest rally against climate change in U.S. history. Over 40,000 concerned citizens gathered on the National Mall to demand President Barack Obama use his executive power to once and for all deny TransCanada, a Canadian energy company, permission to construct the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

By the Editorial Board February 21, 2013

Forward on Climate Rally draws 40,000 to capital

This past Sunday, nearly 40,000 people stood together on the National Mall in the Forward on Climate Rally and challenged President Barack Obama to live up to his inaugural promise to combat climate change. Led by environmentalist groups 350.org and the Sierra Club, the rally was the largest environmental demonstration in history.

By Julia Jester February 21, 2013

Reel Talk: Abrams fuels war of the nerds

Despite Star Wars fans’ best efforts, a Disney-owned sequel to the franchise is in the works. Still, the situation could be worse. George Lucas has abdicated his tyrannical control, Lawrence Kasdan, the co-writer of Episode V and VI, has been brought on board as a creative consultant, and J.J. Abrams has agreed to direct.

By Mark James February 21, 2013

Student group endorsements indicate potential GUSA frontrunners

Based on endorsements, two tickets have emerged as clear favorites in the Georgetown Univeristy Student Association presidential campaign: the ticket of Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) and Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14) and the ticket of Jack Appelbaum (COL ’14) and Maggie Cleary (COL ’14).

By Rhiannon Greene February 21, 2013

On the record with former ambassador Melanne Verveer

On Wednesday, the newly established Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security was officially launched in a series of remarks by President DeGioia, Dean Lancaster, and the executive director of GIWPS and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer. The Voice sat down for an exclusive interview with the ambassador.

By Claire Zeng February 21, 2013

Features

I’m gonna pop some tags: Thrifting adventures on the East Coast

My shopping retreats went from thrift stores Housing Works on East 23rd St to chain stores like H&M and Zara. The megalithic fashion factories could not quench my sartorial thirst. I anxiously awaited the occasional weekend trip home to New York City where I would reserve an entire day to get thrifty.

By Neha Ghanshamdas February 21, 2013

City on a Hill: D.C. reaches higher ground

Last week, anticipation for medical marijuana in the District heightened, as its first medical pot dispensary announced it plans to open as soon as April. The time for medical marijuana has come, and D.C. has an opportunity to act as a model for the nation on how to manage and regulate it.

By Gavin Bade February 21, 2013

Basketball pounds DePaul to remain at top

On Wednesday night, No. 11 Georgetown (20-4, 10-3 Big East) proved why it sits atop the Big East in a bucket-fest victory over DePaul (11-15, 2-11 Big East). The Hoyas’ 90-66 win at the Verizon Center yielded their highest point total of the year. Freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera racked up a career-high of 33 points. Smith-Rivera became the first Hoya to score this many points since Victor Page scored 34 in 1996. The freshman guard shot a sizzling 10-of-12 from the floor including 5-of-6 from three point range.

By Keith Levinsky and Joe Pollicino February 21, 2013

The Sports Sermon: Basketball loses Jerry Buss

When people talk about sports, they always argue over which players are the greatest and the astounding feats that some of these athletes are able to accomplish out on the court or field. Not often enough do fans talk about what goes on behind the scenes in a sports organization. How those great players end up on certain teams and who makes the decisions that build franchises is rarely that popular of a topic. With the passing of Dr. Jerry Buss this past Monday, the role of the owner should be getting more attention.

By Steven Criss February 21, 2013

Men’s lacrosse drops season opener in overtime

The Georgetown men’s lacrosse team endured an up and down opening game against the Lafayette Leopards on Saturday, ultimately losing 11-10. After a strong first half, the Hoyas faltered on defense in the second, allowing their opposition to secure the win. The game was not without its highlights, as senior attacker Brian Casey put out a Big East Honor Roll-worthy performance.

By Chris Castano February 21, 2013

Double-Teamed: Athletes easily shed scandal

The best of times, the worst of times—no matter the situation, there is a group of people who will have your back. With Oscar Pistorius, it is expected his family and close friends will remain by his side despite his alleged murder of South African supermodel and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

By Kevin Joseph February 21, 2013

Shortened debut for baseball

The Georgetown baseball team (0-2) kicked off a highly anticipated campaign this past weekend in Spartanburg, S.C. The Hoyas started the weekend against Wofford University (3-1), falling 6-5 in 10 innings. Wofford opened up the scoring in the third inning, scoring 2 runs on 2 hits, benefiting from a costly error by Georgetown junior first baseman Steve Anderson. Georgetown answered with their first run of the season in the fifth inning via a home run by sophomore third baseman Ryan Busch, but the Terriers responded with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

By Brendan Crowley February 21, 2013

Voices

Carrying on: Talkin’ ‘bout my generation

At the end of every year, Lake Superior State University releases a list of “banished words,” or words which have been so overused throughout the preceding 365 days that they have lost all meaning and should never be said again. When I looked at 2012’s list, though, I was disappointed.

By Leigh Finnegan February 20, 2013

Voices

Arabic department mimics chaos of Tahrir Square

Since I can remember, I have wanted to study Arabic. The Arab world has always had some inexplicable draw for me: I am fascinated by its culture, food, and history. So when I chose to attend Georgetown, I immediately enrolled in Intensive Modern Standard Arabic.

By Sara Ainsworth February 20, 2013

Voices

Academy shoves ‘torture’s handmaiden’ into a Hurt Locker

The Academy Awards definitely has a high school lunch table element to it. It’s the biggest bling-out of the Hollywood year where the celebrity elite applauds each other’s artistic efforts and secretly hopes nobody else wins. Somebody’s bound to get snubbed—this year, however, the nominations have stirred special indignation.

By Julia Tanaka February 20, 2013

Editorials

Tisa/Ramadan promise much-needed change

Two weeks ago, the Voice Editorial Board laid out our priorities for Georgetown University Student Association executive candidates this year. We have decided to endorse Nate Tisa (SFS ‘14) and Adam Ramadan (SFS ‘14) for the GUSA presidency and vice presidency this coming year, as their understanding of what Georgetown’s student body needs best aligns with our values.

By the Editorial Board February 19, 2013

Council pushes to end coal use in all District power plants

In his State of the Union, President Barack Obama made a forceful case for combating climate change. Ironically, he spoke less than a mile away from the Capitol Power Plant, the last coal-fired plant in the District and a major source of the city’s air pollution. Last Tuesday, the council introduced the Coal-Fired Prohibition Act of 2013, which would ban the use of coal as a fuel source in D.C. by Jan. 1, 2016.

By Claire Zeng February 14, 2013

Jumpstart to be official club, hopes to raise profile and membership

This year, Jumpstart, a non-profit organization started in 1993, has begun the process of becoming an officially sponsored Georgetown club. Becoming an official club will help Jumpstart raise its visibility and recruit more students, improve its access to space on campus, and complement the efforts of the D.C. Reads program.

By Jeffrey Lin February 14, 2013

CISR still developing procedure to review proposals

The Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility has been working to match Georgetown University’s investment decisions to its Jesuit ideals. Over a year ago, on Feb. 17, 2012, the University announced an expansion of the CISR, but the committee has yet to find a systematic way to engage students actively and consistently over time.

By Lucia He February 14, 2013