Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.



Voices

The light in the attic

Now, before anyone accuses me of being a too-intense Shel Silverstein devotee, I want to point out that I’ve been driven to keeping the light in the attic on by circumstances outside my control. Yes, a single bulb burns in my attic on T Street, and will continue to burn for the foreseeable future.

Voices

Shortly thereafter, there was contempt

In order to properly understand why I’m so angry at AT&T, you’ll need a little bit of background.

I guess in order for things to be perfectly clear, we’ll have to go back to the magical month of June in the magical year of 1980. It was a strange time for the United States.

Voices

Falun Gong-a path to one’s true self

Perhaps you’ve seen me sitting out on Healy Lawn, with legs crossed and eyes closed in peaceful meditation amidst the hustle and bustle of the early afternoon. So what is this meditation practice? Is it tai chi? Yoga? Why do I practice it? Actually, this practice is called Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), and my reasons for practicing it are much deeper than mere stress relief and peace of mind.

Editorials

One war’s enough

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) stressed in his speech Monday in Gaston Hall that the war on terrorism “will not be over until Saddam Hussein is removed from power.”

Lieberman reminded audience members that Saddam already “has the means?chemical and biological weapons that he hasn’t hesitated to use .

Editorials

Ethics for Life

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) stressed in his speech Monday in Gaston Hall that the war on terrorism “will not be over until Saddam Hussein is removed from power.”

Lieberman reminded audience members that Saddam already “has the means?chemical and biological weapons that he hasn’t hesitated to use .

Voices

Idle days in Richmond

Austin Powers: “Two things scare me. One is nuclear war.”

Basil Exposition: “What’s the other?”

Austin Powers: “Excuse me?”

Basil Exposition: “What’s the other thing that scares you?”

Austin Powers: “Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage.

Editorials

Plagiarism.com

The University announced last week that it will be introducing anti-plagiarism computer software from Turnitin.com. This new software is designed to aid professors in identifying student papers that have been copied or substantially paraphrased from online sources.

Voices

A new message …

“Writing an article ? “

I just put that away message up.

“Writing an article ? “

That should get a huge response. I mean, the brilliance of it, the sheer splendor of the wit. It’s amazing. It really is. Writing an article ?

It’s got that simplistic beauty to it.

Voices

The gambler

“Writing an article ? “

I just put that away message up.

“Writing an article ? “

That should get a huge response. I mean, the brilliance of it, the sheer splendor of the wit. It’s amazing. It really is. Writing an article ?

It’s got that simplistic beauty to it.

Voices

The smallpox threat

For centuries, the smallpox virus remained one of the most dreaded and deadly diseases to plague mankind. It is a virus that infected and killed the most privileged in society, such as King Louis XV of France, as well as the poorest populations around the globe.

Editorials

We’re watching you?too closely

Over winter break, Big Brother came to Georgetown. After years of discussion between business groups and the Metropolitan Police Department, the first of at least five video surveillance cameras which will be located in the area will be placed on the corner of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, N.

Voices

A dangerous train of thought

I saw them as soon as I sat down. They were just one row in front of me and across the aisle. South Asian, maybe? Pakistani? They spoke in hushed voices in a language I couldn’t readily identify. What I could hear of their whispers didn’t sound like Arabic but might have been Pashto or Dari or Urdu.

Editorials

Time to zone out

District taxicab drivers are firmly opposed to Mayor Anthony Williams’ new proposal that would replace the current zone system for calculating fares with a meter system, which is used in other major cities such as New York and Chicago.

Representatives from the D.

Voices

A funny thing happened during finals

Maybe it’s a trite opening, but I’m going to use it anyway. I had an interesting week.

It started last year (OK, so it was in 2001, but I figure it’s a more exciting intro if I say last year?gives it that sort of historical flavor).

I had been dating a girl from Duke, whom I’d met while interning at the State Department over the summer.

Voices

A different holiday homecoming

I think I realized I had changed somewhere outside of Dallas, speeding towards Kansas City about 30,000 feet above the earth. As I sat wedged between a nicely-dressed businessman and a college student from George Washington University, I attempted to sleep but could not avoid overhearing their conversation about this student’s first semester away from home.

Editorials

Voting rights for all

This past March, Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced the No Taxation Without Representation Act 2001 in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill is designed to gain voting representation for the District of Columbia.

Voices

Tommy Girl

I swore off Tommy Girl because the scent caused me great humiliation?romantic humiliation?my sophomore year of high school. It was during the last 10 minutes of a varsity basketball game at my school when the embarrassing incident took place. Knowing that my Romantic Interest had left the gym for a Sprite, I made the stragetic decision to walk across the gym floor, towards the girls’ bathroom?the intersection was precise.

Voices

I need a hit off the old tube

I am an unabashed TV snob. For three years now, I have been that guy who, in response to inquiries on West Wing or quips about The Weakest Link coolly shoots back a disenchanted, “I don’t really watch TV.” I only turn on the idiot box to take in the latest in world news or the occasional highbrow film.

Editorials

Gonzalez: take a stand on GLBT

On Nov. 14, a group of students met with Vice President of Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez and presented him with a preliminary proposal for the creation of an on-campus resource center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. The report included statistics reflecting the problems sexual minorities face as well as information that pointed out that, historically, Catholic Church teachings are not imcompatible with sexual orientation.

Voices

I’m already dead

Don’t cry for me; I’m already dead.

Well, no, I can’t back that up. But while I might not be dead, many of my movements are.

You see, I, like you, came to Georgetown with the intention of overthrowing the administration with a cadre of well-trained, stealthy and loyal commandoes.