Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

Yokohama nights

VOICES BY SCOTT MATTHEWS “She a friend of yours?” I ask, gesturing toward the girl grinding with an older, sweaty American businessman as he awkwardly contorts his mis-shapen carcass in a grim parody of dancing while 50 Cent blares over the sound system. My friend’s response is lost under the heavy bass, but I can tell from her expression that her answer amounted to something like “hell no.

By the March 4, 2004

Voices

The ugly truths of women and war

During the early months of the Iraq war, a new type of “friendly fire” was cheerfully revealed by the media to be sidelining troops: female soldiers were being taken out of action by pregnancies conceived while on mission. But the tales revealed in a front page New York Times article last week were altogether different.

By the March 4, 2004

Voices

Helping you help yourself

Isn’t volunteerism great? I really admire people who spend their weekends selflessly dishing out soup to the homeless or visiting shut-in convalescents. With every sandwich distributed or item of clothing donated, volunteers infuse society with optimism and hope for a brighter future.

By the March 4, 2004

Voices

Letter to the Editor

“Vote your conscience” Sonia Mukhi’s piece on presidential politics and negative campaigning (“Fragmented Democrats cannot succeed,” Feb. 26) begins and ends with an unfounded assertion that John Kerry is the better Democratic nominee, while the entire middle is a de facto endorsement of John Edwards.

By the March 4, 2004

Editorials

Human rights for the District

Once again, the world must deal with a government that denies its citizens basic human rights. Again, the world must wrestle with how to ensure that democracy and freedom prevail. Economic sanctions? International observers? Regime change? Not this time. Now, the human rights violation is in the United States-specifically, right here in the District of Columbia.

By the February 26, 2004

Editorials

Think Nader, vote Democrat

Ralph Nader ended weeks of speculation on Sunday by announcing that he will run for president this November on an independent ticket. Nader’s intention to run has been met with hostility from Democratic Party leaders, many of whom blame Nader, the former Green Party nominee, for President Bush’s victory over Democratic hopeful Al Gore in 2000.

By the February 26, 2004

Editorials

Hoyas sold on auction

On Feb. 17, the FRIENDS Initiative’s Hilltop Auction raised over $3000 by auctioning off dinners with various faculty members to student bidders. Proceeds from the auction will go to student groups in the Office of Volunteer and Public Service. The University, FRIENDS, and participating faculty and students should be commended for initiating this new event.

By the February 26, 2004

Voices

I’ll teach you to speak Aramaic

VOICES BY BILL CLEVELAND Three years ago, Fr. William Fulco, S.J. received a phone call from a production company asking him to help translate a movie script. “Hey, Padre, its Mel. I’ve got a project for you,” said a voice on the other end of the phone. As a professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he teaches courses like “Near Eastern Archaeology” and “Intermediate Classical Hebrew,” his litany of languages includes Aramaic and Latin.

By the February 26, 2004

Voices

No good shawarma in Georgetown

“What’s your hometown?” You heard it all through New Student Orientation and you’ll probably hear it for the rest of your time at Georgetown, every time you meet someone new. It’s a pretty simple question, answerable in one word. This is not the case for me.

By the February 26, 2004

Voices

Fragmented Democrats cannot succeed

As election time approaches, all disheartened and disillusioned with the current administration are dealing with a difficult internal conflict. On one hand, we have to work to remove Bush from office. On the other, our efforts appear frighteningly fruitless.

By the February 26, 2004

Editorials

Give someone else a shot

EDITORIALS In the 1980s, the Georgetown Men’s Basketball team’s national dominance was unquestionable. The Hoyas played in three consecutive NCAA title games, winning the national championship in 1984. John Thompson, towel on his shoulder and all, was among the most renowned of college basketball coaches, and every year the Hoyas were mentioned among the country’s top contenders.

By the February 19, 2004

Editorials

Mocha Hut for Petworth?

Thanks to the able coordination of city planners and developers, the District now boasts a few more affordable housing options. City planners chose a Bethesda-area developer on Feb. 6 to develop a new residential and retail complex above the Petworth Metro station on a mostly empty block of Georgia Avenue, N.W. This $40 million mixed-use development-consisting of 148 apartments located above 17,000 feet of retail space-is part of the city’s $111 million initiative to revitalize the Petworth neighborhood.

By the February 19, 2004

Editorials

Stick to the basics: 911

Responding to the possibility for congestion of the emergency communications system in case of a catastrophe, as well as a general need for increased capacity, D.C. will begin testing a new private wireless network that can handle high-speed data transmissions, according to the Washington Post.

By the February 19, 2004

Voices

The pitfalls of expression

Somewhere in my bedroom there’s a wooden box filled with empty journals. Some are small and leather-bound, some are handcrafted with homemade paper and colorful string. Others are standard yellow legal pads with “Journal” printed in pen upon the first page.

By the February 19, 2004

Voices

Come for the view, stay for the food

VOICES BY MIKE O’ROURKE Stomach growling, I rush into the Leo J. O’Donovan dining hall at 2:15 for a late lunch.I walk through the doors and wait patiently as the visitors in front of me pay in cash.After several minutes of arguing with the cashier, they pass through.She swipes my card, and I walk quickly towards the top level and pass through the halfway-closed doors.

By the February 19, 2004

Voices

Letter to the Editor

Inaccurate representation of The Georgetown Academy Perhaps the next time College Democrats president Scott Zumwalt dares to throw around slanderous words like “racist, sexist and homophobic,” all charges he levels at The Academy in your last issue (“GU Alum and Top Frist Aid Resigns,” Feb.

By the February 19, 2004

Voices

Don’t Asian-hate, appreciate

When the University student survey asked me about my ethnicity last year, I didn’t identify myself as “Asian-American.” Instead I checked the “Other” option and typed in “Japanese-Canadian.” Then I wrote an angry letter back to the surveyors about how it was inappropriate for them to exploit my ethnic background in order to say that Georgetown was “diverse.

By the February 19, 2004

Editorials

Elections tainted again

In this Monday’s GUSA presidential election, Kelly Hampton (SFS ‘05) and Luis Torres (CAS ‘05) won 36.3 percent of the vote before being disqualified for campaign misconduct. Adam Giblin (SFS ‘06) and Eric Lashner (CAS ‘05) won the election with the second highest vote at 32.

By the February 12, 2004

Editorials

ANC opportunity beckons

EDITORIALS This week, Jason Hurdle District, a representative to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, will resign from his position. A job relocation will force him to leave the metropolitan area for Memphis, Tenn. In response, the ANC will solicit applications for the empty seat and hold a special election if more than one candidate comes forth.

By the February 12, 2004

Editorials

Positive step for gay marriage

On Feb. 3, the highest court in Massachusetts ruled that same-sex couples must be entitled to nothing short of full civil marriage, strengthening and reaffirming the court’s Nov. 18 decision. The statement came in response to a Massachusetts Senate inquiry as to whether a proposed law permitting gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions but reserving marriage for opposite-sex couples would be considered constitutional under the court’s 2003 ruling.

By the February 12, 2004