Archive

The best part of waking up is a Murky cup

You may be sipping on your daily caramel macchiato as you read this. Or perhaps you are more of a “Beloved” fan. Either way, why the extra flavoring? Can’t you handle the taste of real coffee? Would you prefer to drink straight sugar? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it’s not you; it’s the coffee.

By Miykaelah Sinclair January 31, 2008

The faith-based fight against poverty

“Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness,” wrote the British essayist Samuel Johnson. “It certainly destroys liberty and makes some virtues impracticable and others extremely difficult.” Johnson’s understanding of the threat that poverty posed to London in the 18th century holds no less true for Washington, D.C. in the 21st.

By José Canto January 31, 2008

The pursuit of happiness

I have been told that January 22nd is the most depressing day of the year. Sunlight is scarce, Christmas bills are filling mailboxes and people are coming to the realization that their three weeks of New Years-inspired jogging and Pilates will not actually help them land a model, a professional football player or even a promotion. Forget April, Mr. Eliot; January appears to be the cruelest month.

By admin January 31, 2008

Buying organic is meating vegans halfway

If you love Mother Earth, good food, animals and being a human, please don’t become a vegan. While adherents to vegetarianism’s extreme cousin claim that their lifestyle, which completely eliminates the consumption of animal products, springs from a concern for animal rights and the environment, a close look at vegan practices reveals them to be largely ineffective in terms of their stated goals. A simple awareness of the benefits of locally-grown and organic food and a dedication to small lifestyle changes is much more beneficial to the earth we all love so dearly.

By Katherine Norton January 31, 2008

Not bitter, all sweet

Going into last night’s Big East Conference match-up against St. John’s University (7-12, 1-7 BE), the sixth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas led the league in points allowed per game (57.5) and led the nation in field goal percentage defense (36 percent). After the Hoyas’ 74-42 thrashing of the Red Storm, both of those numbers will improve.

By Anthony Francavilla January 31, 2008

What Rocks

After leaving the West Virginia Coliseum with a win, something only three teams had done in the previous two and a half years, all eyes were on Patrick Ewing Jr.

By John Cantalupi January 31, 2008

No Cheerocracy

It’s no secret that the two most important aspects of a home basketball game are the players on the floor and the fans in the seats. This season, Georgetown’s players have spoken for themselves, whether it’s Jessie Sapp hitting big buckets down the stretch against Syracuse or Roy Hibbert stepping back to put away the Huskies. And the fans have been spoken for by none other than head coach John Thompson III.

By Anthony Francavilla January 31, 2008

Lez’her Ledger: COLBERT!

As we live less than an hour from the National Portrait Gallery (right by the Verizon Center), a few friends and I decided it was incumbent upon us to make a pilgrimage to Stephen Colbert’s portrait, hanging next to a bathroom in that esteemed institution through February as part of an elaborate prank by the show. (The need to fill time without writers might have something to do with it). We weren’t the only ones—the place was packed, and we kept turning corners and running into vaguely familiar people, possibly from campus.

By Shira Hecht January 31, 2008

Critical Voices: Hot Chip

Hot Chip’s third album really should have been called The Warning Pt. II instead of Made in the Dark. The latest installment from the British quintet has all the trappings of a great album, but there’s no avoiding the similarities to their 2006 sophomore effort, The Warning.

By Daniel Cook January 31, 2008

Critical Voices: Nada Surf

After listening to “The Film Did Not Go ‘Round,” the quiet love song that concludes Nada Surf’s fifth studio album, Lucky, I searched for one word to best capture the latest effort from the New York-based rock band. Unfortunately, the word I settled on was “unimpressive.”

By Eliott Grover January 31, 2008

Culottes for you lots: Books = Looks

It’s not my job to tell you what’s new and hot. Figuring out what everyone is wearing is as easy as looking around in class or watching people in Red Square. It doesn’t take a dedicated Vogue reader to know that neutrals are in and that classic shapes are making a slightly-better-fitting comeback. The more interesting question is finding out where these trends have their genesis. Why am I drawn to toggle coats and tiny pleats? Luckily for you, I’ve done some sleuth work, and have come up with a provocative new theory about why we dress the way we do: children’s books.

By Katherine Norton January 31, 2008

Forte: Wedding Songs

I’ve been slowly whittling down the playlist for my wedding reception for the past five years or so. Just to clarify, I didn’t want to get married at fifteen; it’s just the age when I realized how much the atmosphere can make or break the reception.

By Daniel Cook January 31, 2008

Two tales of success

In swim meets, because times are recorded for each swimmer, individual athletes can have unprecedented success without the team itself having much of it. This season, Georgetown’s men’s and women’s swim teams have fallen into a rut, but head coach Steven Cartwright was confident and proud when given the opportunity to defend his swimmers.

By Justin Hunter Scott January 31, 2008

From court to court

She’s the endangered species of pick-up basketball: “that girl.” The lone female brave enough to rough it with all the Allen Iverson wannabes and Larry Bird look-alikes, she’ll wait her turn with everyone else just so she can get a little run. She’s usually better than half of the hairy, sweaty guys on the floor, but most times you’d never know it. For the drop of estrogen in an ocean of testosterone, earning respect on the court is tough. Touching the ball every few possessions would be nice, but at the same time, special treatment is an insult. Don’t go easy on these chicks.

By Phil Perry January 31, 2008

The Sports Sermon

The biggest day of the year for the sports world, Super Bowl Sunday, is right around the corner. Sports folk all around the country are planning out their game day festivities, and in the midst of the countdown to the game I was reminded of the fantasy football team I had created last September.

By Liz Kuebler January 31, 2008

Features

A Jesuit Past, A Jesuit Future

At a panel discussion about Jesuit identity earlier this week, Father John O’Malley scanned the twenty or so faces in the spacious sitting room in Wolfington Hall. Fewer than half of the faces belonged to students, most of whom drifted out of the room before the discussion was finished.

By Molly Redden January 31, 2008

Warm up on Wisconsin Ave. with cafes

Smaller than a restaurant but with more room to relax than a carry-out joint, cafés are meant for light bites with little wait and warm coffee for defrosting. Despite their name, cafés are not limited to French cuisine, and a bounty of options is available just north of campus on Wisconsin Avenue.

By Vivian Chen January 31, 2008

Death in Wisconsin

The “folk opera” Wisconsin Death Trip, now playing at the Gonda Theater, is based on a book/art piece consisting of archival photographs from Wisconsin in 1890, framed by newspaper reports, asylum records and other “primary sources.” Apparently, 1890s Wisconsin was a terrible place to be, and people suffered a rash of suicides, murders, insanity and general mayhem. The play sort of frames this story with the perspective of a Reagan-era drifter, a possible heir to the misery of the American Midwest.

You now know as much about the plot of this show as I do, and I saw it. More about sustaining a tone than creating a story, the play doesn’t really “go” anywhere.

By Shira Hecht January 31, 2008

Bildungsroman in Iran

A film like Persepolis, which is set amidst extreme political turmoil, runs the risk of being identified as simply about conditions during the Iranian Revolution. While the spirited protagonist Marjane lives in a country that becomes increasingly veiled, repressive and dangerous, the film appeals to emotions more than politics, and tells an engaging story about a curious young girl who grows up on her own terms.

By Sara Carothers January 31, 2008