Archive

Hollander talks Guantánamo

Internationally renowned criminal defense lawyer Nancy Hollander spoke in the Intercultural Center last Tuesday about the rights of prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

By Ambika Tripathi February 16, 2012

Putnam’s Spelling Bee will change your weltanschauung

A story about six pre-pubescent spelling bee contestants is not exactly an intuitive subject for a musical. But it is precisely the quirky idiosyncrasies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee that make it such an appealing success. Satirizing the pressure-filled childhoods of middle school overachievers, it tells the simple tale of a county spelling bee while simultaneously capturing the growth of all its individual contestants. Filled with sharp comedy, much of which is improvised, Spelling Bee will have its audiences both falling off their chairs and pondering how to spell the names of obscure South American rodents.

By Julia Lloyd-George February 16, 2012

Strathmore pays tribute to Ellington, and all that jazz

“I’m not going to do justice to Duke Ellington tonight in just one lecture,” speaker Rusty Hassan said to the audience on Monday evening. This two-hour session was just one part of a series taking place at the Mansion at Strathmore Hall in celebration of the life and music of the world-renowned jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and Washingtonian. The series, entitled the Discover Ellington Festival, runs from the Feb. 3 to 20 and focuses on the “African-American Aesthetic,” making this praiseworthy celebration all the more appropriate during Black History Month.

By Kirill Makarenko February 16, 2012

City on a Hill: DCPS cheats the public

It’s been over three years since the first reports of cheating on standardized tests surfaced in D.C. public schools, and yet many questions remain unanswered.

By Gavin Bade February 16, 2012

GU students connect with Cuban youth

This weekend, the Cuban American Student Association (CASA) is partnering with Raíces de Esperanza, a nonprofit that works to empower young Cubans, for the Cuban Youth Summit. As Cuban society becomes increasingly open, the summit aims to foster relationships between young people in Cuba and America.

By Eileen McFarland February 16, 2012

To beef or not to beef?

After the carnivorous barbeque overload of D.C.’s Meat Week, the District’s all-veggie alternative, Meat-Free Week, began its third annual celebration this Monday. The festival challenges meat-eaters to try new diets, and record crowds show up to trade their bacon for Boca Burgers.

By Mary Borowiec February 16, 2012

God Mode: This money’s Double Fine

There is a rare class of entertainers who could ask their fans for cash and raise over $1 million in less than 24 hours. It would take a gravity-shifting megastar to generate that kind of outpouring of support, someone with a cultish following like Oprah or Justin Bieber—or, apparently, Tim Schafer.

By Tim Shine February 16, 2012

Blast that Box: Decent lyrics? That shit cray.

Detractors say rap is the bane of the music industry, inciting youth to worship talentless frauds that can neither sing nor craft lyrical greatness. I have one response to this criticism—really, who cares? Hip-hop can be hilarious. Delving into the shittiest lyrics on the market gives us a tragic and comical look at the failures and successes of some of the most popular artists’ attempts at lyrical ingenuity. The amusement listeners get from dissecting the lines of their favorite goofy rapper is a perfectly legitimate reason for listening.

By Matt Pacana February 16, 2012

Critical Voices: Yuksek, Living on the Edge of Time

Frenchman Pierre-Alexandre Busson, Yuksek’s sole member, admitted that the majority of songs on his romantic Living on the Edge of Time, released on Valentine’s Day, were written all alone in between the wings of a plane or above winding train tracks. As such, the album often comes off a little solemn. The opening lines of “On a Train,” sung out in a Wombats-style Britpop accent, are sad a self-deprecating: “Thanks, I’m fine, but I’ve nothing to give.” With a tone like this, Yuksek’s sophomore official release brings the new era of dance-pop music a darker, TV on the Radio-esqe twist.

By Will Collins February 16, 2012

Editorials

Clara and Vail provide the best vision for GUSA

There are a great many options in this year’s GUSA presidential election, and each one presents quality ideas. But one ticket clearly stands out from the pack with the necessary experience, a practical and ambitious policy platform, and a wider vision for what GUSA can be. Clara Gustafson (SFS ‘13) and Vail Kohnert-Yount (SFS ’13) are that ticket, and a vote for them represents a concrete investment in enhanced student life, a richer academic environment, and a redoubling of Georgetown’s commitment to sustainability and social justice.

By the Editorial Board February 16, 2012

Critical Voices: Tennis, Young and Old

For today’s indie bands, the risk of drowning in a sea of synthesizers and hipster criticism is all too real. Any wrong move results in uncompromising irrelevance, which is followed by the immediate rise of another, similar band to fill the void. Luckily, Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, the husband/wife duo that makes up Tennis, have not succumbed to this fate. A career that began on a seven-month sailing expedition along the eastern coast of the United States has begun to blossom into a powerful act which attracted the likes of the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, who produced the more professional Young and Old.

By Kirill Makarenko February 16, 2012

Editorials

D.C. must curtail corporate political influence

On Thursday, Feb. 9, D.C. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan ruled that the “Fair Elections to Restore Public Trust” initiative, a potential revamping of D.C. campaign finance law, is constitutional and not in conflict with the 2010 Citizens United vs. FEC decision by the Supreme Court. Supporters will now need to collect 22,000 signatures from registered voters in the District before the measure can go before the public in a referendum on election day. The initiative proposes a series of measures that would bring D.C. campaign finance regulations into line with federal regulations. Although the proposed rules do not entirely curtail the insidious influence of money in politics, they represent a step in the right direction for D.C., which currently lags behind many states and the national government in addressing this fundamental problem in American democracy.

By the Editorial Board February 16, 2012

Hoyas set for rematch with Friars in Providence

Providence and Georgetown have headed in vastly different directions since their first meeting. Georgetown has continued their early-season success, while the Friars sit in last place in the Big East.

By Tim Shine February 16, 2012

Sports Sermon: Murky, but promising future for Hoya football

Coupled with the seemingly daily changes to the Big East conference, Georgetown athletics faces perhaps its most difficult and unclear era. However, for the football program, that could signal the restart of continued progress.

By Kevin Joseph February 16, 2012

Tennis wins Big East opener

The Hoyas beat the Panthers 4-2 last season after losing to them in a close 4-3 match in the spring of 2010, and they’ve continued their three-match winning streak by downing them 6-1 at the Alpha Tennis and Fitness Club.

By Melissa Sullivan February 16, 2012

Double Teamed: Reevaluating Cuban talent

While it is completely understandable to have reservations about paying $36 million for a player completely unproven in the MLB, scouts need to start showing some consistency when evaluating these unknown international talents.

By Daniel Kellner February 16, 2012

Hoyas bounce back against Villanova

The win came after a close five-point win over Seton Hall and an 80-38 pummeling by No. 3 UConn.

By Abby Sherburne February 16, 2012

Aramark, union reach contract agreement

After a year of protracted negotiations, representatives of the Georgetown Dining Services union, Unite Here!, and University food services provider Aramark have agreed on a three-year contract.

By Rachel Calvert February 9, 2012

Seven candidates launch GUSA presidency campaigns

The GUSA presidential campaign kicked off this morning at midnight, marking the start of a two-week race.

By Fatima Taskomur February 9, 2012

Pro-choice group provokes complaints

Last Thursday, two Planned Parenthood representatives tabling with H*yas for Choice in Red Square were confronted by a University employee and asked to leave when they could not provide identification as students.

By Vanya Mehta February 9, 2012

SGU holds executive board elections

Wednesday night, voting for the 11 positions—one for each of 11 student group categories—on the first executive board of Georgetown’s Student Group Union finished, with candidates for nine of the spots running uncontested.

By Matthew Weinmann February 9, 2012

Saxa Politica: This is what bureaucracy looks like!

In the press conference for the release of the 2012 Student Life Report, the GUSA President Mike Meaney (SFS ’12) and Vice President Greg Laverriere (COL ’12) were asked when they thought another large-scale, student-driven self-study should be executed.

By Ryan Bellmore February 9, 2012