Archive

M&B is in too deep with Rabbit Hole

From its opening scene, you might expect Rabbit Hole, Mask & Bauble’s latest production, to be the stage version of a gender-reversed Knocked Up. Izzie, a carefree woman-child clad in a Beatles t-shirt and skinny jeans, recounts her most recent bar fight to Becca, her tightly-wound older sister. After Becca gives her a verbal slap on the wrist for profanity and some motherly chiding about her partying lifestyle, Izzie reveals the reason for her alcohol-fueled altercation—she is pregnant by the woman’s boyfriend.

By Leigh Finnegan March 31, 2011

We like Venus’s big butt, and we cannot lie

Although the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus arrived in D.C. last week, another sideshow act lurks just beyond Georgetown’s front gates. The set of Venus has transformed Walsh’s Black Box Theatre into the underbelly of a circus’ big tent, outlined by thick, red bands of fabric that drape from ceiling to floor. At center stage dangles a performer’s swing, where Tess Trotter (COL ‘14) plays Saartjie Baartman, or the “Venus Hottentot.” To reach the circus stage, however, the audience must first pass through a sobering setup chronicling Baartman’s life in a miniature mock-museum.

By Heather Regen March 31, 2011

Local artists pop up in AdMo

In fiction, the vanishing shop is a pretty common convention—an exploring protagonist is surprised to find a store sitting where there might have been an abandoned building or vacant lot the day before, only for it to disappear soon after. Much like this proverbial protagonist, folks traversing through Adams Morgan over the next three weeks are likely to see a shop on the corner of 18th and Mintwood that isn’t normally there. However, there’s a more natural force at work here: a collection of Adams Morgan artists have turned the vacant space into a “pop-up shop” until April 16th, as a neighborhood component of the citywide Cherry Blossom Festival.

By Samuel Buckley March 31, 2011

Critical Voices: The Mountain Goats, All Eternals Deck

Listening to All Eternals Deck, the latest album from indie rock institution The Mountain Goats, is a bit like flipping through a photo album chronicling a stranger’s entire life. Each track is a snapshot—a single image, light on context but with an emotional weight that rings clear. Depression, isolation, fear, and despair permeate the album, but are always tempered by lyricist John Darnielle’s trademark touch of guarded hope. So when Darnielle sings “Rise if you’re sleeping, stay awake/We are young supernovas and the heat’s about to break” on “High Hawk Season,” it’s hard not to feel stirred, even if you aren’t entirely sure why.

By Brendan Baumgardner March 31, 2011

Critical Voices: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Belong

When listening to an album for the first time, people often find it helpful to ignore the lyrics to better get a feel for the album’s musical merit. However, in the case of Belong, the sophomore release from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, this proves an impossible task—the trite, clichéd lyrics mar the album from its very start. The album’s opener, “Belong,” sets the tone for the rest of the tracks, complete with uninspired lyrics that sound like they come straight from the pages of a dramatic high-schooler’s diary. Although it begins hopefully with a pop-friendly guitar introduction, it takes a turn for the worse soon thereafter, with scratchily mixed overtones and the murmurs of lead singer Kip Berman’s repetitive and dull chorus of “we don’t belong, we don’t belong.”

By Mary Borowiec March 31, 2011

Fade to Black: Kicking and streaming

Movie studio execs must be keeping America’s psychiatrists pretty busy. I imagine all their therapy sessions start out with a discussion of the same recurring dream: their spouses have lost all interest in them and have fallen for the small, evil red envelopes that have been moving in on their territory for years. Of course, when they first met, the movie execs thought the envelope was awesome: it babysat the kids, walked the dogs, and trimmed the roses. Then, boom! One day, said executive catches the little red bastard in bed with their better halves!

By Mark James March 31, 2011

Amuse-bouche: Whole Foods, entire budget

When I read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma for a class last week, I violated one of the few rules I live by: eat in near-complete ignorance of where your food comes from. As a rule, I don’t want to know how my chicken was treated before it became a component of my McNugget, which species of fish are farmed unsustainably, or which vegetables are still awash in pesticides when I buy them at the supermarket. I don’t eat any foods specifically for its locavore … ness, and I just barely can argue that I eat healthy.

By Molly Redden March 31, 2011

Dancing into the hearts of Georgetown’s Best Buddies

Ever since I began Irish dance lessons in second grade, the month of March has always been filled with performances. Whether marching in my town’s parade or dancing at black-tie events, during the week of St. Patrick’s Day, my dance shoes almost never leave my feet.

By Caroline Garity March 31, 2011

More practice space is instrumental to musicians’ growth

When I made the decision to go to Georgetown last spring, I knew what the school was known for and, well, what it was not known for. The strengths, which in my eyes outweighed any drawbacks, included its relatively small size, location in D.C., and academic reputation. But my decision still meant making sacrifices. As a musician who plays many instruments, including piano, guitar, and (my personal favorite) drums, I found Georgetown had relatively few outlets to satisfy a non-music major’s cravings for jamming.

By Mark James March 31, 2011

The Times, it is a changin’

The New York Times has always held a special place in the hearts of liberal elitists like myself. When I was young, I grabbed the Los Angeles Times on Sunday to read the color comic strips. Decidedly uninterested in the latest shenanigans of Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, or that cheeky bunch over at Family Circus, my parents went for the Gray Lady’s news and opinion sections. Long after our subscription to the L.A. paper was cancelled, the New York Times remains an integral part of my family’s breakfast routine. It is considered a grave offense to throw the paper away before both of my parents have the opportunity to read it.

By Jackson Perry March 31, 2011

A mural dilemma: Looking for inspiration on the Leo’s wall

Like almost every Georgetown student, I don’t enjoy much of the time I spend in Leo’s. But it’s not the food that bothers me. I love the “Flavors of Home” line, I love the sweet potatoes and the white sauce on the boiled noodles, and I love making myself waffles downstairs. People who complain about the food in Leo’s are either spoiled or not hungry enough. But, though it has nothing to do with the dining hall’s gastronomic offerings, my lunches and dinners are still unsatisfying.

By Sean Quigley March 31, 2011

Student leaders criticize SAC, push for funding changes

Although student leaders vocalized months worth of pent-up criticism about the Student Activities Commission’s new funding method at a town-hall meeting Tuesday night, SAC commissioners made no definite commitment to change the policy in the near-term.

By Jeffrey Niedermaier March 31, 2011

Working group proposes sexual assault conduct changes

A subcommittee of the University’s Sexual Assault Working Group recently drafted a proposal to change the student code of conduct’s language pertaining to sexual assault in order to clarify the definition of sexual assault.

By Rachel Calvert March 31, 2011

Obama lays out energy plan in McDonough speech

President Barack Obama formally introduced his adminstration’s new energy policy during a speech in McDonough Gymnasium on Wednesday morning.

By the Voice Staff March 31, 2011

Editorials

Funding proposal for Healy Pub holds promise

No proposal to spend the $3.4 million Student Activities Fee Endowment has received as much attention as the “Bring Back Healy Pub” movement, and for good reason. The proposal is well thought-out and shows great promise for the University’s campus culture. Crucially, it would provide students a place to meet and socialize other than Lau 2. Both the endowment commission and the Georgetown community should embrace this historic opportunity and bring back the Healy Pub.

By the Editorial Board March 31, 2011

Editorials

Uribe’s tenure offers lesson for University

As Álvaro Uribe approaches the end of his yearlong appointment as a Distinguished Scholar in the School of Foreign Service, his tenure offers some clear lessons for the administration on how to handle high-profile and controversial guest scholars. When Uribe arrived, there were reasonable concerns about his record on human rights, but the University promised that the ex-Colombian president would provide students with a “unique perspective” and be a catalyst for fruitful debate. Instead, the administration has sheltered Uribe, preventing the type of open and honest interaction with students that could have justified his appointment.

By the Editorial Board March 31, 2011

Applications up in ’11, admission rates down

After marginal changes in acceptance rates over the last two years, Georgetown’s admission rate has shrunk by more than a point to 18 percent, due in part to the largest applicant pool in the school’s history, according to data provided by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

By Samuel Buckley March 31, 2011