Archive

Kabombing fine dining

If you were to try one of Red Fire Grill Kabob’s signature dishes at an event, or somewhere outside of their M St. shop, you might enjoy it. Sure, it is not a gourmet kabob, but for a chain restaurant, the food is decent, and maybe even enjoyable. The basmati rice is well seasoned, and the fresh baked bread complements the chicken, beef and lamb kabobs—which sadly give the impression of being overcooked and reheated—nicely.

By Mary Borowiec February 2, 2012

Caught defenseless against the dark arts

Although Daniel Radcliffe’s brooding face graces posters for The Woman in Black, viewers hoping to find Harry Potter magic in the film are setting themselves up for sore disappointment—the only essence of Hogwarts to be gotten from this film is its foggy intro and outro. But if you’ve been hankering for a creepy, British haunted house film that will give you more than two jumps, then The Woman in Black will deliver. Like Paranormal Activity, it is the kind of film to see with an easily frightened friend and a bag of well-buttered popcorn. And although its trailer sells the movie as a nuanced, psychological thriller, the film is simple, spooky, and fun. Going in with horror movie expectations rather than high hopes for Radcliffe’s budding career will leave you satisfied instead of disgruntled.

By Will Collins February 2, 2012

Picasso masterfully maneuvers his pencil

According to his mother, Pablo Picasso’s first word was “piz,” a shortening of the Spanish word for “pencil.” And although his legacy is as the co-founder of cubism and creator of such groundbreaking paintings as “Guernica,” a new exhibit of his work at the National Gallery of Art demonstrates his power with that most basic of artistic tools. “Picasso’s Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition,” on display through May 6, explores the evolution of the artist’s style as he instigated the rise of a revolutionary movement.

By Julia Lloyd-George February 2, 2012

Blast that Box: The old me’s dead and gone

Every rapper’s favorite tagline seems to be that the game is always changing. However, I doubt 1988 Ice Cube, having just released the massively influential album Straight Outta Compton, would ever have believed that he would go on to create family fodder like the 2005 kiddie roadtrip film Are We There Yet? In the 24 years since his N.W.A. classic, Ice Cube underwent the amazing development from gangsta rapper to cuddly movie father figure.

By Matt Pacana February 2, 2012

God Mode: Doppel-gamers

Ever since arcade games first started sucking down people’s quarters, video games have allowed players to create alternate identities. But we’ve come a long way since Pac-Man limited your digital persona to three letters on a scoreboard.

By Tim Shine February 2, 2012

Critical Voices: Gotye, Making Mirrors

The Belgian-born Australian singer, songwriter, and musician Wouter De Backer goes by Gotye, the French translation of his name. Yet despite his adopted Frenchness, the multi-talented artist is immensely popular down under, and Making Mirrors, the singer’s recently released third album, was voted the number one album by listeners of Triple J, Australia’s renowned radio station. With a soulful, ‘60s-style pop vibe featuring simple, poignant lyrics accompanied by a diverse amalgam of instruments—from trumpets and wineglasses to guitars and bells—this album is a standout, and a breath of fresh air, in the current pop scene.

By Lacey Henry February 2, 2012

Critical Voices: Lana Del Rey, Born to Die

While Lana Del Rey has been incessantly assaulted by a hailstorm of criticism since the release of her single “Video Games,” most of the insults have had little to do with the quality of the rising pop star’s music. Despite being accurately described as spoiled, contrived, and dead inside—or perhaps as a direct result of these qualities—Del Rey has released an album that is far more refined than her debut LP, A.K.A. Lizzy Grant, and more enjoyable than her critics are willing to admit.

By Kirill Makarenko February 2, 2012

In 2012 presidential race, our last hope is Leslie Knope

No currently airing television show highlights the tedium and frustrations of government bureaucracy with comedic ease quite like NBC’s Parks and Recreation. The show’s popularity and comic brilliance is assuring to viewers, especially those who double as voting citizens, that government officials like the Deputy Parks Director of the Pawnee Parks Department, Leslie Knope, exist. Sadly, however, it seems characters like Knope only occupy in the fictional sphere.

By Iris Kim February 2, 2012

The gender spectum spans more than just pink and blue

A few years ago, when I was coloring with my nephew, he asked me which crayon I wanted to use. I chose purple, saying, “It’s my favorite color.” He picked up pink, and said “I love pink, it’s my favorite color.” Unconventional, but who really cares? Two weeks later he came back, and reported that pink was no longer his favorite color. Only girls like pink. That particular wavelength of light had been designated effeminate.

By Ana Smith February 2, 2012

Turkish Ambassador speaks in Copley Lounge

Namik Tan, Turkey’s envoy to Washington, proudly asserted his country’s crucial role in Middle Eastern and European affairs yesterday in Copley Formal Lounge. “The sick man of Europe is now the healthiest man of Europe,” Tan declared.

By Jackson Perry February 2, 2012

Carrying On: A pirate’s life for me

In the war against online copyright infringement, the Stop Online Piracy Act—better known as the reason you couldn’t use Wikipedia two weeks ago—represents something in between a scorched earth policy and the Death Star’s destruction of Alderaan in Star Wars. The problem with the bill is that its definition of piracy is so general, and its enforcement mechanisms so extreme, that it could require the shutdown of large swaths of the Internet (including pretty much any site with user-generated content). Under SOPA, everyone would be a pirate.

By Tim Shine February 2, 2012

Obama’s courageous plan to steady the cost of college

During his State of the Union address last week, President Obama proposed a plan to slow increases in college tuition. His strategy calls for steering federal dollars to colleges that keep tuition low while cutting federal support to colleges that continuously raise price of attendance. Focusing on campus-based aid programs that go to university administrators instead of the much larger federal grants that go directly to students, Obama’s plan places the incentive to keep costs down squarely on the universities themselves, which ultimately have the power to prevent future increases in tuition.

By Ambika Tripathi February 2, 2012

SAFE reforms move into implementation phase

After the student body passed the three Student Activities Fee Endowment reform proposals last week, three steering committees prepare to guide the proposals toward their implementation in the coming months.

By Vanya Mehta February 2, 2012

CSP seeks to connect student groups with Hoyalink

In an effort to centralize processes like group registration, event calendars, websites, and transitions in leadership, the University launched a new communications platform for student organizations called Hoyalink at the beginning of this semester.

By Fatima Taskomur February 2, 2012

Student-led sustainability projects expanding

Of the three Student Activities and Fee Endowment proposals passed last week, Georgetown Energy received the greatest support from the student body. With 2,269 “yes” votes, its resounding success serves to highlight a campus-wide increase in student-led sustainability projects.

By Morgan Manger February 2, 2012

City on a Hill: Demand statehood for D.C.!

Last week, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, five D.C. council members, and a delegation from the non-profit group D.C. Vote flew to New Hampshire to support a resolution supporting statehood for the District.

By Gavin Bade February 2, 2012

Editorials

Leo’s protest exposes broken Hoya values

Last Thursday, the Voice’s blog, Vox Populi published an article on a lunchtime protest held by Georgetown food service workers with facilitation assistance by Georgetown Solidarity Committee. While the inspiring demonstration in Leo O’Donovan’s Dining Hall lasted about two minutes, what followed in many of the comments below the piece amounted to nothing more than a despicable display of ill-informed, amateur economics, elitism, and disregard for the interests of the working class that this campus should be looking to leave behind.

By the Editorial Board February 2, 2012

Editorials

District residents need their right to choose

A new bill proposed by Arizona Republican Congressman Trent Franks, the “District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” aims to prevent women in D.C. from getting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, claiming that after that point fetuses can feel pain.

By the Editorial Board February 2, 2012

Editorials

Right-to-Work lowers wages with no reward

Yesterday, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed into law legislation making Indiana the first Right-to-Work state in the industrial Midwest. While Indianapolis union members protested the bill for over a month, it took a speedy route through the Indiana House of Representatives and its Republican-controlled Senate.

By the Editorial Board February 2, 2012

Page 13 Cartoons

The Funny Pages

By the Voice Staff February 2, 2012

Hoyas dominate UConn at packed Verizon Center

All season, the Georgetown men’s basketball team has stressed the need to play a game with a full 40 minutes of consistent effort. The Hoyas got close on Wednesday, but even 37 minutes or so was more than enough for a double-digit victory.

By Tim Shine February 2, 2012

Sports Sermon: National Signing Day

We live and die with our sports teams–what could be and what could have been. And for that reason, the media circus that surrounds high school athletes, for better or for worse, isn’t going anywhere.

By Kevin Joseph February 2, 2012

Swimming dives into Big East

With the culmination of the swimming season just two weeks away, the Georgetown men’s and women’s swimming teams are stepping up their preparation and expectations. This weekend, both teams will face the University of Maryland in their last dual meet, their final chance to qualify more swimmers for the Big East Championship meet.

By Steven Chriss February 2, 2012