Archive

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The next Fugazi takes Tenleytown

The free event takes place at the highest natural point in the District and features a panoply of local talent.

By Daniel Cook April 24, 2008

Newseum: where the news comes to die

Pennsylvania Avenue’s towering new monument to journalism, the Newseum, opened last week with a six-story glass and steel atrium, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, an interactive newsroom, a 4-D theater, an apartment complex, two operating broadcast studios and over 15 galleries.

If that sounds expensive, it was: total costs for the new museum are estimated at $450 million. Paid for by major donations from Bloomberg LP, the New York Times Company, News Corp, Comcast, Time Warner, ABC, NBC and others, the Newseum claims in its promotional material to have two major goals: to educate the public about the importance of the First Amendment, and to help “the media and the public gain a better understanding of each other.”

And if a museum of the media, by the media and for public relations purposes sounds a little fishy, it is.

By Sara Carothers April 17, 2008

Cabaret: what good is sitting alone in your room?

Before the audience of Mask and Bauble’s spring musical, Cabaret, is ushered to its seats, it is afforded a brief glimpse into a dimly lit dressing room. The room, populated by ladies in bustiers and hotpants and men in lipstick, is just a tantalizing taste of the raucous, racy experience ahead. While not without its serious plot points, the show is worth seeing for the erotic musical numbers alone, which almost make the storyline incidental.

By Katherine Norton April 17, 2008

Smart People, stupid movie

Smart People really should have been called “Arrogant and Socially Inept People”—all of the characters have chips on their shoulders proportionate to the sizes of their IQs. Characters in a film like this one should fall into one of two types: either delightfully dysfunctional (see: Little Miss Sunshine) or delightfully malicious (see: The Squid and the Whale). The problem with Smart People is that writer Mark Poirier (COL ’91) can’t seem to decide which type he wants his characters to be, so their constantly bizzare behavior comes off as disingenuous. And because its characters are at the heart of the film, Smart People falls flat.

By Vivian Chen April 17, 2008

Popped Culture: I can has meme?

I absolutely love lolcats.

My brother once told me that they are the worst thing ever to befall the internet, and our disputes on the subject have done almost as much damage to our relationship as the time I broke his K’NEX tower when he was 8.

Lolcats, for the unfamiliar, are an internet phenomenon that consists of pictures of cats with captions in a big ugly font, posted on icanhascheezburger.com.

By Shira Hecht April 17, 2008

A Papal visit without pontification

On the first day—well, Tuesday—the Pope crossed the Atlantic, and he saw that it was good.

By Tim Fernholz April 17, 2008

It’s the end of the world and we know it, and I feel fine

I recently read a New York Times article about a new particle accelerator in Switzerland. Articles in the Science section don’t normally fill me with a sense of foreboding and doom, but this one succeeded where others failed. With the accelerator, scientists hope to recreate the “Big Bang” on a small scale in order to explain the origins of the universe. It seemed alright until I got to the paragraph which said that two men “think the giant particle accelerator that will begin smashing protons together outside Geneva this summer might produce a black hole or something else that will spell the end of the Earth—and maybe the universe.”

By Dan Newman April 17, 2008

Geography porn, or: How not to study abroad

My interest in studying abroad was inspired by my first visit to the Epcot World Showcase at age eight. For those of you who weren’t as lucky as I was, Epcot’s World Showcase is Disney’s take on globalization, a mini-park featuring small-scale replicas of eleven countries, centered around a beautiful lagoon. At Disney’s Epcot Center, not only is China walking distance from Belgium, but every “country” serves French fries, accepts VISA and closes at midnight. The fantasy climaxes every evening in a choreographed display of global friendship performed to inspirational music and accompanied by fireworks and lasers. This experience is the reason I thought the entire world spoke English until I was 12.

By Sarah Harman April 17, 2008

Trying to cut down on the costly habit of parking in Georgetown

It’s 6:03. I race past St. Mary’s and down Reservoir Road. I’m stopped by the ridiculously long light on the corner of Reservoir and 37th Street. I check the street for cars as I race across the street. I continue down 37th looking for my car. There it is. Damnit, I’m only three minutes late. I curse loudly while removing the offending leaflet from my windshield—another ticket to add to the ticket wall.

By Nicole Bush April 17, 2008

Critical Voices: Subtle, ExitingARM

ExitingARM as whole, though, represents a gamble on Subtle’s part. They’ve seemingly restrained their sound to rope in more listeners, at the expense of some of their more substantive content. Not that I can blame Doseone (see: Subtle album sales), but I get the sense that ultimately no one’s happy here: the songs aren’t poppy enough for mass appeal and will likely disappoint former enthusiasts.

By Daniel Cook April 17, 2008

Route leaves GU going in circles

During the never-ending parade of GAAP tours last weekend, campus tour guides extolled the virtues of going to school in Washington: internships, proximity to power and cool events in the city. Meanwhile, Georgetown’s administration had already implemented a change that will likely dissuade some students from leaving campus at all: an absurd new route for the Dupont Circle GUTS bus.

By the Editorial Board April 17, 2008

For MPD, the eyes don’t have it

Can’t find your wallet? The Metropolitan Police Department and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency will soon know exactly where it is, even if you don’t. They’re in the beginning stages of a program to consolidate 5,200 District surveillance cameras into a single network. These cameras will infringe on the privacy of all D.C. residents.

By the Editorial Board April 17, 2008

Clearing out schools with cash

For too long, the District of Columbia Public School system has failed to give Washington’s students a decent education. The appointment of new DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee was supposed to change that. Rhee has already proposed closing under-enrolled schools and has laid off part of the administration, all in the name of saving money and refocusing efforts. Last Thursday, Rhee announced the latest positive step in her strategy of school reform: offering buyouts for as many as 700 teachers, which will allow the District to cut costs and better serve its students.

By the Editorial Board April 17, 2008

GUST duo guides co-ed squad to semifinals

The 420 class dinghy, a popular sailboat used in collegiate competition, is named for its length: 4.2 meters. That’s not a lot of space for one person to maneuver, let alone two, but senior Chris Behm and junior Carly Chamberlain seem to do just fine. Just keeping the boat upright and moving is a miracle to the outside observer, but the Georgetown University Sailing Team’s (GUST) top duo does a little better than that.

By Anthony Francavilla April 17, 2008

Hoyas halt slide

Georgetown baseball snapped a four-game losing streak yesterday afternoon, continuing its streak of success against Navy with a 6-2 win. The Hoyas have won only two of their last 10 games, but both of those victories came against the Midshipmen.

By John Cantalupi April 17, 2008

Go the distance

Three years ago this sports writer began his career with the Voice as a sophomore. I remember that first article, an introduction to then-new athletic director Bernard Muir. Countless columns, game coverages and features have followed in the time since then. This week marks the last time my byline will grace these pages.

By Mike Kuebler April 17, 2008

Men’s lacrosse fighting for post-season lives

Going into their game against No. 18 Loyola (Md.) last Saturday, the eighth-ranked Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (7-3, 3-1 ECAC) needed a win to maintain their hold on first place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. After a tough 11-9 loss, though, the Hoyas fell into a second-place tie with UMass, potentially jeopardizing their postseason hopes.

By Justin Hunter Scott April 17, 2008

Player of the Week: Jimmy Saris

Seven innings pitched, eleven strikeouts, no earned runs and a mere five hits allowed was the line on this week’s player of the week, Jimmy Saris. Those impeccable stats catapulted Georgetown baseball to a much-needed 7-0 victory over Navy. It was Saris’s seventh start of the season, and by far his best. He had retired eighteen batters all season before his stunning performance that sent twenty-one Midshipmen back to the bench.

By Joseph Richmond April 17, 2008

Sports Sermon

This Friday the Multi-Sport Field will be transformed into what might appear to be a campground. Blue-topped tents and tarps will line the field, a stage will be constructed on the south end and banners will hang from every inch of the field’s walls. From 8 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday morning almost 2,000 students will spend their night on the field participating in a gigantic relay.

By Liz Kuebler April 17, 2008

EcoAction: they speak for the trees

As Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall goes trayless for the month of April, EcoAction is celebrating Earth Week next week by hosting a variety of earth-minded activities, from a tree-planting to a dramatic reading of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.

By Molly Redden April 17, 2008

City on a Hill: So long Solberg!

Commander Andrew Solberg recently left his post as the leader of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, which includes Georgetown. Hopefully his replacement, Commander Mark Carter, will change MPD’s attitude toward Georgetown students.

By Juliana Brint April 17, 2008

The Pope visits D.C.

As part of his first trip to America, the Pope will speak with 200 Catholic university and college presidents today. Since he arrived on Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI met with President Bush and various Washington dignitaries, celebrated his 81st birthday and held mass at Nationals Park this morning. Prior to tonight’s discussion, at the Catholic University of America, several Georgetown papal experts speculated about what issues the Pope will address during his stay.

By Crystal Chung April 17, 2008

GUSA passes funding budget

The Georgetown University Student Association Senate voted 24 to zero with four abstentions to approve the $310,000 Student Activities budget for next year, allowing GUSA President Pat Dowd (SFS ’09) and Vice President James Kelly (COL ’09) to go ahead with their Summer Fellows program. Representatives of the six funding boards and GUSA drew up the budget at the Funding Board meeting last Wednesday.

By Juliana Brint April 17, 2008