Archive

Goldman won’t change until we make them

Last week, Greg Smith decided to resign from his position as an executive director at Goldman Sachs with a bang. He lashed out, via an op-ed in the New York Times, at the predatory and indecent banking culture that is the norm at Goldman Sachs, claiming that the company had detracted from its previous mission of “teamwork, integrity, a spirit of humility and always doing right by our clients.”

By the Editorial Board March 21, 2012

Sports

Hoyas comeback bid falls short against North Carolina State

Georgetown finally broke out of their NCAA Tournament slump on Friday, but that win was only a mild reprieve from the Hoyas’ postseason woes. Poor shooting and foul trouble doomed the Hoyas on Sunday, who lost to a double-digit seed for the third year in a row.

By Tim Shine March 18, 2012

Sports

Clark leads Hoyas to first NCAA Tournament victory since 2008

It took four years, but Georgetown is once again advancing in the NCAA Tournament. Jason Clark ensured that he wouldn't graduate without an NCAA victory, scoring 21 points to lead the Hoyas to a 74-59 victory over Belmont.

By Tim Shine March 16, 2012

Long-delayed boathouse project moves forward

On Saturday, March 3, the National Park Service held a public workshop on the construction of a boathouse along the Potomac River waterfront near Georgetown.

By Morgan Manger March 15, 2012

Students support Fluke with petitions, gatherings

Over the past week, Georgetown students angered by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh’s verbal attack on Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, have created petitions and begun planning events to protest Limbaugh’s comments, which drew national media attention and outrage.

By Matthew Weinmann March 15, 2012

Housing responds to student outcry over air conditioning

On Wednesday, after an outpouring of student complaints and online protests, the Office of Student Housing addressed concerns that buildings on East Campus would not have working air conditioning until early May.

By Soo Chae March 15, 2012

Saxa Politica: Life report lacks data

Last April, the GUSA Executive commissioned the 2012 Report on Student Life, and allocated a large portion of their budget to the project. Although they call the resulting 73-page report “rigorous” and “empirical,” the report’s findings and methods are dubious at best.

By Ryan Bellmore March 15, 2012

Features

Justice vs. Jesuit Values: The struggle for reproductive rights

"I was in shock the first time I tried to get my prescription filled as a student, and I was told that I owed seventy-five dollars. I’ve never paid over twenty dollars for it. I was hurt and embarrassed and felt powerless.” This is the story of one of many anonymous law students, explained in a survey-based memorandum delivered two years ago to the University by the Georgetown chapter of Law Students for Reproductive Justice.

By Vanya Mehta March 15, 2012

“Frothy mixture” definition hurts more than Santorum campaign

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has become an object of ridicule in popular culture. Santorum’s statements—including ones describing how President John Kennedy’s 1960 speech on religious liberty made him want to “throw up” and claiming that Obama wanted to send more kids to college to make them liberals—raised eyebrows even inside Republican spheres.

By Connor Jones March 15, 2012

Carrying On: Capitalism on cable

While surfing TV channels over spring break, I noticed a show on ABC called Shark Tank. A knock-off of a British and Canadian show called Dragon’s Den, Shark Tank provides entrepreneurs and ambitious small business owners with a chance to pitch their business or product to boardroom of “sharks,” shrewd, self-made millionaire investors with a considerable talent for making money. The contestants approach the sharks requesting a specific dollar amount for a percentage of their company, make their pitch, and wait to see if the sharks care to make them an offer. Many propositions are immediately dismissed as ridiculous and hopeless, while others are so potentially lucrative that the sharks will compete with one another for the contestant’s partnership.

By Daniel Kellner March 15, 2012

Hunger pains: Teens starving for better literature

March 23 is generally not a particularly memorable date. But this year, it is a day of incredible importance for a multitude of children and young adults: At 12:01a.m. on Mar. 23, 2012, the first Hunger Games movie premiers. The first book of Suzanne Collins’s trilogy appeared in print in September 2008 and has since become a critical success, having been named one of the New York Times’s “Notable Children’s Books of 2008,” translated into 26 languages, and published in 38 countries. But all this hype begs one very important question: does The Hunger Games deserve of all its acclaim?

By Jill Robinson March 15, 2012

Corp controversy shows need for more civil discourse on campus

In the past few weeks, media attention has fixed on Georgetown as a result of Rush Limbaugh’s slanderous comments against Sandra Fluke (LAW ’12). President John DeGioia came to the defense of Fluke and Georgetown women with a well-received letter to the Georgetown community.

By Abby Sherburne March 15, 2012

We are all to blame for sensationalist media

Even for the exceedingly low standards applied to the American press, in these past few weeks our media machine has outdone itself. The public has been exposed to an uncommon amount of sensationalized, dubious news reports surrounding topics like insurance coverage for contraception and the Invisible Children documentary about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Although not altogether uncommon, this round of media malarkey is especially destructive for what it covers up—the civilian killings in Afghanistan, a pressing transportation bill in the house, Voter ID laws, and more. Sensationalism has become a natural part of our media’s culture, as people follow trends instead of properly informing themselves. We must commit to consuming thoughtful, competent media and shaping a society where others do the same.

By the Editorial Board March 15, 2012

Voter ID laws undermine American democracy

On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department blocked a proposed voter identification law from taking effect in Texas, saying it violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure, approved in May 2011, would have required voters to show photo identification in addition to already stringent voter registration requirements in the state. The DOJ’s move is undoubtedly the correct one, but more must be done to combat these overt conservative efforts to disenfranchise minority voting blocs.

By the Editorial Board March 15, 2012

Military culture must change after killings

In the early morning of March 11, a U.S. Army sergeant stationed near Kandahar, Afghanistan, slipped away from his base and murdered 16 civilians, including women and children. Evoking memories of the Haditha killings of 2005, as well as the recent urination on civilian corpses by U.S. Marines and the burning of Qur’ans on military bases, the tragedy provides an opportunity for the leaders of our armed forces to examine a military culture in which these atrocities arise.

By the Editorial Board March 15, 2012

Ewan McGregor fishes for compliments with Yemen

As long as you don’t have plans to seriously pursue becoming a fisherman in the desert, Ewan McGregor will charm you in his attempt at this impossible task. Though his latest film, the aptly titled Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, is blithely unconcerned with the gritty details of this aquatic pursuit, the movie portrays an entertaining and inspiring tale of unlikely individuals working together toward an even unlikelier end.

By Jane Conroy March 15, 2012

Too little, too late: Artisphere paints Kahlo’s life

If you are offered a magnifying glass while walking into an art exhibit, it is natural for a bit of confusion to set in. These sentiments set the tone for Frida Kahlo: Her Photos, the highly anticipated U.S. premiere exhibition at Rosslyn’s Artisphere, as Kahlo’s photos hold their own element of surprise.

By Mary Borowiec March 15, 2012

Leave your house to go see Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Writer/director/actor brothers Mark and Jay Duplass have, in recent years, been known for a brand of off-beat humor associated with a film movement called “mumblecore.” This genre is usually defined by a socially downtrodden middle-aged man going through some event and handling it in the way that a socially downtrodden middle-aged man would, often with self-deprecating humor, as in the FX show The League. Jason Segel and Ed Helms, who play brothers in Jeff, Who Lives at Home, the brothers Duplass’ most recent effort, are perfectly cast for the film’s niche humor and surprisingly well-suited for the movie’s sentimental notes.

By Will Collins March 15, 2012

Trash Talk: America(n Muslims), fuck yeah!

In the post-9/11 era, American Muslims have struggled to assert their patriotism while simultaneously observing a religion that many perceive as fundamentally at odds with American society. Naturally, reality television programs have latched onto this conflict, featuring a batch of American Muslims who buck the gruesome American stereotype of bomb-wielding, misogynistic extremists.

By Keaton Hoffman March 15, 2012

Box Office, Baby! Bad Casting: What Dafoe?

You probably know who Willem Dafoe is—you’ve seen him as the Green Goblin in Spiderman, or recognized him in Platoon, The Boondock Saints, or American Psycho. But to this writer, he’s more than just an actor. He’s an artist. No, he’s an icon. Maybe it’s his deep, grainy voice. Maybe it’s the intensity of his facial features. Whatever it is, Dafoe has a lure that keeps me shelling out money to see him on the big screen, as I, in a state of fanboy hypnosis, continually ignore the title or synopsis of the film I’m about to witness. Forget the movie; it’s Willem I’m paying to see.

By Mark James March 15, 2012

Critical Voices: Lucero, Women and Work

With the way it pushes the boundaries of country and punk, infusing the two seemingly disparate styles into alternative rock, Lucero is something of a musical anomaly. But the band makes its unusual group of influences work, due largely to lead singer Ben Nichols’ bourbon-soaked voice, which brings this unlikely pairing of genres together brilliantly. With their tenth release, Women and Work, Lucero dives right into its Memphis roots to demonstrate a side of the band not seen in their previous work.

By Shom Mazumder March 15, 2012