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CAMPUS DISCUSSION ON OCCUPY D.C. FUTURE PAGE 4

HOYAS FACE STIFF ROAD TEST IN ALABAMA PAGE 6

FROM LONDON WITH BETRAYAL PAGE 10

Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w December 1, 2011 w Volume 46, Issue 1 w georgetownvoice.com

best of 2011

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december 1, 2011

comments of the week “This is great! I was just saying to myself the other day, “We need less bookstores, and more designer shoes.”“

— Doug, “New Niketown store may come to M Street, replacing Barnes & Noble”

“I’d be more than satisfied with Saferides’ departure if we can continue to rely on Batman’s defense.”

—Steven, “Public Safety Alert: Heroic bystander thwarts robbery on P Street”

“Time and a place, dude. NOT the time or the place to be doing this.”

— gc83, “Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13) arrested in Cairo

amidst protests, won’t be released until Sunday”

Talk Back

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Voice Crossword “Festive Season” by Scott Fligor 1

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Across 1. Woods alternatives 6. Exhausted 10. Polish capital?

13. Ten Commandments mountain 14. Engineering school

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15. Guitarist Lofgren 16. Emphasize 18. Newspaperman Adolph 19. Observe 20. One of a hundred 21. Probie 23. Sleep 24. Horn 25. Motorcade component

answers at georgetownvoice.com 28. American dessert 31. Bull ___ Party 32. Back street 33. Captain’s journal 34. “___ la Douce” 35. Hundred-eyed monster 36. When doubled, a prison 37. Hawaiian neckwear 38. ___ Island National Monument 39. “Pagliacci” clown 40. Like many “Occupy” protesters 42. Virgil hero 43. Meyers and Rogen 44. Blunders 45. “___ wrap” (director’s phrase) 47. List unit 48. Adam’s counterpart 51. West Germany capital 52. Tress trouble 55. ___ Ata Declaration 56. Jazz great Fitzgerald 57. On edge 58. Stephen of “V for Vendetta” 59. High-schooler 60. French political divisions Down 1. “Stupid ___ stupid does”

35. Set of letters 2. Houston university 36. Heirs 3. Formerly 38. GERMS, e.g.

4. Scottish refusal 39. Home wrecker 5. Without wax?

41. Cigna competitor 6. Daring feat 42. Region 7. Miami team 44. Patriot Allen 8. Columbus day mo.

45. Ski lift 9. Knowledge gleaned from 46. Pit experience 10. “I think I lost my number, 47. Out of work 48. Novelist Ferber can I have yours,” e.g.

49. Immense 11. K-12 50. “For Your ___ Only” 12. To be, to Horace 53. Brew 15. Not a soul 54. No longer active: abbr.

17. Exam 22. Paris airport 23. Sub ___ (Secretly) 24. Just above average 25. Rousseau work 26. Existentialist Kierkegaard 27. Holiday comedian 28. Chilly 29. Land of Ephesians 30. Some waffles 32. Van Gogh home

Are you a logophile?

Share your love of words and help us write crosswords.

E-mail crossword@georgetownvoice.com

editorial

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VOICE the georgetown

Volume 46.1 December 1, 2011 Editor-in-Chief: Sean Quigley Managing Editor: Leigh Finnegan Blog Editor: Jackson Perry News Editor: Vanya Mehta Sports Editor: Kevin Joseph Feature Editor: Rachel Calvert Cover Editor: Richa Goyal Leisure Editor: Heather Regan Voices Editor: Connor Jones Photo Editor: Lucia He Design Editor: Kathleen Soriano-Taylor Projects Editor: Rob Sapunor Crossword Editor: Scott Fligor Assistant Blog Editors: Ryan Bellmore, John Spaunor Assistant News Editors: Soo Chae, Morgan Manger Assistant Sports Editor: Abby Sherburne, Assistant Leisure Editors: Mary Borowiec, Julia Lloyd-George, Kirill Makarenko Assistant Photo Editors: Julian De La Paz, Abby Greene Assistant Design Editors: Madhuri Varapandi, Amanda Dominguez Contributing Editors: Geoffrey Bible, Nico Dodd, Tim Shine

Staff Writers:

Nick Berti, Geoffrey Bible, Rachel Calvert, Mary Cass, Soo Chae, Patricia Cipollitti, Jane Conroy, Emma Forster, Daniel Kellner, Julia Lloyd-George, Kirill Makarenko, Morgan Manger, Kelsey McCullough, Eileen McFarland, Matt Pacana, Adam Rosenfeld, Jake Schindler, Melissa Sullivan, Fatima Toskomur

Staff Photographers:

Sam Brothers, Helen Guo, Kirill Makarenko, Tim Markatos, Jackson Perry

Copy Chief: Kim Tay Copy Editors:

Claire McDaniel, Jordan Moeny, Neil Sood, Chris Yamada, Keaton Hoffman

Editorial Board Chair: Gavin Bade Editorial Board:

Gavin Bade, Tiffany Brown, Rachel Calvert, Ethan Chess, Nicolo Dona Dalle Rose, Leigh Finnegan, Julia Jester, Julia Tanaka,

Head of Business: Keaton Hoffman

PROTEST LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

Emulate Sweeney’s spirit, not his actions While most Georgetown students were enjoying turkey and family time, one of our fellow students found himself incarcerated by a violent military regime. Derrik Sweeney had been studying abroad in Egypt, but was forced to bring his semester to an end after being arrested near Cairo’s Tahrir Square during the country’s most recent prodemocracy protests. Along with two other American students, Sweeney was captured after the demonstrations turned violent, and was accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at security forces. After a series of horrifying nights in custody, Sweeney and the others fortunately returned home Sunday.

Although he risked his life by putting himself in such a situation, Sweeney demonstrated a level of political concern and awareness often absent from students abroad. Too many Georgetown students spend time in other countries primarily for social and relaxation purposes. Often, they purposefully travel to cities in which the academic courses are less challenging, the

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On this week’s cover: Best of 2011 Cover Design: Richa Goyal and Julien Isaacs

drinking age is lower, and the party scene is crazier than on the Hilltop. Sweeney most certainly does not belong to this category of students, as demonstrated by his imprudent but socially conscious actions.

Sweeney showed that studying for a semester in a foreign country goes well beyond academics. It is about absorbing the culture, the moment, the feelings of the people. The Jefferson City, Mo. native said that he still thinks “going to the protests was a smart decision,” and although he sympathizes with the movement, he said he “could’ve stayed away from the most violent scenes” in an interview with the Voice.

He is certainly correct. The people in Tahrir square have a legitimate right to fight an institution trying to consolidate autocratic power (again) rather than assisting a transition towards democracy. Egyptians have already paid a high price in April against Mubarak’s forces. They deserve immediate representation, and Sweeney recognized this.

Of course, it is obviously more rational

and to stay away from situations of violence and high risk. The U.S. State Department had submitted a caution warning on the situation, and Sweeney admitted that disregarding it was not prudent. He says it seems “silly” now not to have stayed in a safer position. Yet, he does not regret participating. His means, he seems to suggest, were irresponsible, but the end of experiencing the Arab Spring was not.

It is clear that Sweeney could have avoided putting himself and his friends in danger in an unstable and unpredictable country. Yet, students should look at the example he set in his experience. It is essential for students abroad not to focus merely on academic ease and social life.

Rather, students should engage actively in the political situation of their new home, especially when it features moments of social and political upheaval. Derrik Sweeney’s experience may not display responsibility in action, but it certainly displays a responsible attitude of how a student should approach a study abroad opportunity.

LOCKOUT LOSERS

NBA misses its shot at meaningful reform

While most of the sports world was focused on football and the fallout of the Penn State scandal, National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern and Players Association Executive Director Billy Hunter were secretly hashing out an agreement to end the 150-day NBA lockout. Then, last Saturday, the Commissioner’s Office announced that an agreement was in place, and that the season would tentatively begin on Christmas day. Basketball on Christmas is certainly a great gift, but the sports fans must not ignore that this was fundamentally a raw deal for them and for the game overall.

Facing declining league income, owners and players had been deadlocked over the issue of revenue sharing between teams. To reach an agreement, the players ostensibly made significant concessions to the owners (about $3 billion in total salary) to get back on the court this season. However, this type

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of flash settlement is rarely the best course of option in sports negotiations.

The National Hockey League missed an entire season in 2004, but came out of the experience with new economics and a revived league. They implemented a hard salary cap to control salary growth and aggressive revenue sharing. Today, hockey-related revenues are at an all-time high. The reason why the NHL is back on track is careful negotiation and the fixing of structural problems, not putting band-aids on systemic problems.

In the NBA’s case, simply shifting money around does not change the fundamental economics of the league. Without a hard salary cap, teams will continue to spend whatever they can, and the big spenders will always come out ahead. The Los Angeles Lakers recently signed a mammoth $3 billion local television deal. It is wishful thinking that a “luxury tax” will deter the Lakers and

other such teams from paying players whatever they wish and buying championships.

Moreover, the NBA got into this mess in large part because its product is not lucrative enough under the current cost structure. This deal does little to correct this, as it does not target new revenue sources. The complicated fiscal recalculations between two already rich groups will do little to re-attract the average fan, who remains the real loser in the whole ordeal.

He works for a real union—the kind that makes sure he can feed his family—and not some conglomeration of rich athletes.

Shuffling money around will likely not affect whether he can afford to buy his kids tickets for the Christmas tip-off game. This hurried negotiation carries no real changes that will bring the NBA back to its former glory and riches. It’s one gift not worth putting in Santa’s sleigh this year.

C.R.E.A.M.

Black Friday: True American capitalism

Riots, gunfire, pepper spray, police brutality: although often attributed to the Occupy protests or political revolution in the Middle East, these images actually depict scenes from 2011’s Black Friday shopping brouhaha. Assaults over two-dollar waffle makers, parking lot robberies, a woman pepper spraying a crowd vying for an Xbox 360, and police knocking a man unconscious for attempting to protect a prized video game are all among this year’s Black Friday excursions gone horribly wrong. Although these are extreme cases, one could arrive at any mall or department store as early as midnight on Thanksgiving evening to find crowds of hundreds of angry, over-caffeinated shoppers lined up waiting for the doors to their material dreams to open.

Black Friday’s popularity comes from its seemingly incredible sales and deals, which cause people to spend money and in turn stimulate the economy. However, consumers do not receive much of a discount for their trouble. In recent years, retailers have been

caught raising prices before Black Friday so that they can lower them with alleged “discounts” that still leave the price higher than before. And even if Black Friday does bring lower prices, is a “good” deal worth the aggravation, hassle, and depletion of valuable family time caused by this yearly consumer ritual? Most Americans seem to think it a worthwhile tradeoff; clearly, we need to reevaluate what is important in our society.

This abhorrent behavior is not a natural eventuality of capitalism. Considering that other free market countries scoff at our consumer behavior, the Black Friday phenomenon can be characterized as distinctly American. The reason lies in our collective value system. Black Friday is not an societal anomaly, but a symptom of a virulent materialist disease. Americans continue to define themselves by the things they own and the things they can buy, which are often nonessential.

Black Friday is a heaven for consumerism, but a hell for a functioning, ethical society.

This “holiday” takes away time from family, affects the health and well-being of citizens, and decreases the overall quality of life. As a society, we should be able to rise above trampling others for a few-dollar discount, especially considering an Xbox and Saint’s Row: The Third may not be the best child’s toy. A value system that results in violence for material goods has serious ramifications elsewhere. Our undying allegiance to consumption and desire has gigantic and observable consequences on the environment in our country and others, not to mention on the millions of laborers who toil in sub-par conditions to deliver the goods that Americans throw under the Christmas tree and then throw away a month later. The current broken American materialist value system is not an economic problem, but a cultural one.

If America is serious about building a sustainable and just society, it needs to reevaluate the skewed priorities it displays through the madness that is Black Friday.

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december 1, 2011

Sweeney’s arrest jeopardizes future of AUC programs

by Morgan Manger On Nov. 23, Georgetown student Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13) was arrested in Cairo, Egypt, on allegations of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during a protest in Tahrir Square. He and three other American students were detained and released from jail on Nov. 25. Sweeney returned to his home in Missouri a day later.

In Egypt and in the U.S., Sweeney’s arrest raised questions about the safety of other

students studying at American University in Cairo, where Sweeney was studying. Such safety concerns had arisen in the past, and in January, Georgetown students studying in Cairo were evacuated to Georgetown’s campus in Doha, Qatar.

Stephanie Young (SFS ’13), another Georgetown student studying abroad in Cairo, chose to remain discreet in her behavior on the streets of the city.

“I am a little more wary telling people on the streets that I attend Georgetown University

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Three American students studying at AUC were arrested near Tahrir Square.

because there have been rumors going around of Americans being searched more by the police…and I do not want to draw unnecessary attention to myself,” Young wrote in an email.

Alice Maglio (COL ’13), another student studying at AUC, says that she does not feel any less safe than she did before the arrest.

“I am confident that as long as I avoid potential dangerous areas of Cairo, such as Tahrir Square, I will be perfectly safe,” she wrote in an email.

This sentiment echoes the recommendations that the Office of International Programs and State Department give students before studying abroad.

Students are cautioned to avoid protests in effort to prevent situations like Sweeney’s.

Amin Bonnah, a professor in Georgetown’s Arabic department, believes that students should not completely stay away from protests. He cautioned students to “be careful,” and stressed that “this is an experience that they live through, but [they should] use their judgment, not to go too far, and blend in with the local situation.”

Bonnah also reminded students that the legal systems abroad are very different from that of the United States. Students “can easily forget that the kind of constitutional law [and] rules that arrange life for Americans here don’t apply there,” he said.

Sweeney discovered this first hand. Of his first night in jail, the student said that he felt “kind of outside the legal process,” and was struck multiple times on the head. His situation improved after the first day, and Sweeney said that he felt as though he was being questioned fairly during his trial.

The reactions to Sweeney’s arrest have been varied. While virtually all are pleased to see him come home, there is a disparity in opinions as to whether or not he exercised the best of judgment.

“When I first heard about Derrik’s arrest, I was very concerned that he had jeopardized my position at AUC, as well as the position of all other Georgetown students here,” Maglio wrote in an email. “I was concerned that Georgetown would decide to evacuate us as a result of Derrik’s

precarious situation. When he decided to go to Tahrir, he was not only staking his own position at AUC, but irresponsibly staking the position of all Georgetown students.”

On Sunday, Assistant Vice President of Communications Stacy Kerr sent out an e-mail saying that Egypt’s current political situation is being closely monitored, and that “at this time we anticipate continued normal operation of the fall semester program.” Kerr said that they would continue to monitor travel recommendations from the State Department and the AUC. Both Young and Maglio said that they had been personally contacted by representatives from the Office of International Programs, asking about their current situation and also warning them to stay away from any dangerous situations.

While Sweeney’s arrest was shocking, Young still is enjoying her time in Egypt with all of the political excitement.

“Egypt is making history now, and as someone in the SFS, it is amazing to be able to be in the Egypt as it is transitioning from Mubarak’s regime to a democracy,” she wrote.

Students, faculty discuss Occupy’s future at two panels

by Patricia Cipollitti On Tuesday evening, two different speaker panels organized

by Georgetown Occupy and McDonough School of Business Dean David Thomas, respectively, provided contrasting viewpoints on the two-month-old Occupy D.C. protest in McPherson Square.

At “What is the Occupy Movement?” organized by Georgetown Occupy, a group recently formed in solidarity with the national Occupy movement, students gathered with professors for a panel discussion featuring lectures by three Georgetown professors and a doctorate student on the goals, achievements and future of the movement.

Jennifer Luff, a Georgetown history professor and Research Director for the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, set the tone of the discussion.

She related the contemporary Occupy movement to the history of social movements in the West that

“informs both the critiques and the assumptions that people make about what Occupy is and what Occupy should be.”

Barbara Wein, a Georgetown professor of Justice and Peace Studies, said that, contrary to popular opinion, the Occupy movement does possess a real list of demands.

These goals include the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act, the overturning of Citizens United, and the banning of high-frequency flash trading, he said.

“The Occupy movement has very clear goals, and don’t let people tell you it doesn’t!” he said.

Paul Adler, a doctorate student in the Georgetown history department and member of Occupy D.C.’s Outreach Committee, disagreed, saying that there “aren’t any policy demands that have passed in the general assemblies at any of the Occupies ... there are issues that protests have joined in with solidarity with existing struggles and movements. I think [there is an] immense diversity of political views.”

Adler feels this issue is both a strength and a weakness of the movement. He noted that many of history’s most successful social movements, such as the civil rights movement of the 1960s, were made up of groups that had very different political ideas coming together.

However, he also noted the potential problem this presents.

“I can see some very boring and also really angry conversations and arguments between people if you force all of those political ideas to become one,” Adler said.

The panel opened the doors for discussion on the pros and cons of the movement. “I think we had a successfully participatory event where people talked about how they were feeling about these issues. It opened the way for students to get more involved,” Samuel Geaney-Moore (SFS ’12), a member of Georgetown Occupy, said.

The MSB event, titled, “Where’s the ‘I’ in Occupy,” provided a slightly different viewpoint on the movement. Composed of Georgetown

students and people generally involved with the Occupy movement, the event focused on implications of the movement for the economy and potential job markets.

Both panels allowed for a range of views on the different facets of the Occupy movement. Gina Bull (COL ’12), a member of Georgetown

Occupy and one of the organizers of the first panel, was very pleased with the panel. “[It] emphasized the importance of engaging and participating with Occupy and the issues it addresses,” she said. “The event was successful.

We had a good turnout, and there was a lot of lively discussion.”

Georgetown students and teachers present contrasting views on Occupy.

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Independent retailers struggle on Wisconsin meet market demand. “Stores and restaurants that are more in keeping with what the consumers are looking for-- I think that’s more relevant to the conversation,” Asadoorian said. “What’s missing is more independent retailers... as opposed to the bizarre shops that are selling all kinds of poorlymade suits.”

Randy Roffman, owner of an antique shop on O Street, noted that small businesses encounter various obstacles when managing their enterprises. “Rents are too high … [and] it makes it tough for independent merchants to get into a storefront,” he said. “Landlords need to not be looking to get one of those chain stores … and parking has always been a problem.”

Panelists at the meeting shared Roffman’s view on these challenges. However, Asadoorian noted that the problem is not as simple as it seems. According to him, while the community would benefit from leases to more desirable businesses, a significant number of those who manage “junky” stores also own their storefronts and have the power not respond to these concerns.

Another problem is with the relationships between landlords

and their tenants. “Landlords don’t want to work with small businesses,” Georgetown Business Association Vice President Rokas Beresniovas said. When questioned about the quality of business in the area, Beresniovas said he thinks that “every business has its own story.”

While acknowledging the existence of high rents, Asadoorian asserts the need for businesses to increase sales. People who complain about rent “are complaining about a condition that exists because they’re not doing the business that supports the rents,” he said.

Budget summit breakdown

As a result, SAC had to cut all groups’ funding by 25 percent, eight percent more than the Fall 2011 cut. This semester’s cut was predicted to be less than those of previous semesters, as SAC’s budget was increased by SAFE reform and the revised guidelines sought to reduce clubs’ spending on expensive meals.

However, the immunity of travel allocations from cuts shifted the weight of the cuts to the rest of

by Soo Chae and Matthew Weinmann On Nov. 29, the Citizens Association of Georgetown met with neighborhood residents to address the longstanding issue of fostering Wisconsin Avenue independent businesses, which have struggled to establish themselves in the area.

Anchored by Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, Chairman of Western Development Herb Miller, and President of Asadoorian Retail Solutions John Asadoorian, the meeting shared visions of Wisconsin Avenue’s commercial development while responding to concerns about vacancies, numerous discount stores, and rundown buildings.

While M Street retail has thrived over the past 20 years, Wisconsin continues to struggle with a cluster of chains and quintessential small stores. At the meeting, Asadoorian addressed residents’ complaints about the lack of useful stores on Wisconsin.

“People living in a certain area have an idea of what they want ... but the community doesn’t control the process,” Asadoorian said.

According to Asadoorian, new business proposals have yet to

In Nov. 2008, Nick Troiano (COL ‘12), then a GUSA senator, staged a sit-in in a Student Activities Commission constitutional meeting to protest SAC’s closed voting policy. In response, SAC chair Sophia Behnia (COL ‘09) shouted, “You can all stay in here for this vote, I don’t give a damn!”

Fast-forward to Spring 2011, when student groups sent SAC a series of open letters criticizing the programming arc system.

“We, as students of Georgetown University,” the letter read, “expect a formal opportunity to offer constructive criticism of Funding Guidelines that enable us to make our own University better.”

Despite its flaws, SAC has come a long way in the past three years. In November, the commission allocated its first round of funds under the new comprehensive budget system, created in response to student groups’ adverse reactions to the previous system. The new guidelines al-

low groups to outline their own budgets, and most are pleased with the changes. The Philodemic Society, which was not allocated enough money for chairs for their weekly debates under the old system, requested their exact price in their budget. The International Relations Club is happy that travel is immune from the across-the-board cuts. Everyone is also pleased that SAC tip-toed around making value judgments about programming, something they were accused of last semester. SAC chair-elect Jack Appelbaum (COL ’14) told the Voice that the commission consciously tried to achieve an equitable distribution of funds without making such judgments.

However, even under this new system, some stubborn problems remain. “Here groups told us exactly what they need, and exactly what they want, and, not surprisingly, requests were higher than we had the money for,” Appelbaum said.

Beresniovas also noted the challenges that Georgetown businesses have been facing.

“Georgetown is overall struggling just like everyone else in this country” Beresniovas said.

“Georgetown is a hip area, but it is not immune to what’s happening.”

Evans addressed the need for change on Wisconsin and in Georgetown as a whole. “Now the private sector has to work with the city, with the property owners, so we can create something here … [that] can attract a better type of retail on the Avenue,” he said.

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Some residents are displeased with the quality of businesses on Wisconsin.

Saxa Politica

by Ryan Bellmore

A bi-weekly column on campus news and politics the budget. Another contributing factor was that clubs could now request the total costs for large events—an option unavailable under the programming arc system. Although it was a positive change for student groups, this option ended up straining SAC’s budget.

This semester’s changes also inadvertently hinder groups’ ability to compensate for budget cuts. Under the old system,

groups could redistribute money from events that were overfunded to ensure that their basic needs were met. Now, that money has to come from students.

Philodemic Society Treasurer Jacob Arber (SFS ’14) told the Voice that “SAC fully allocated us the cost of chairs. However, because of the across-the-board cut, we no longer have the opportunity to move the money around to fund our larger events, such as the Merrick debate, and this translates into a direct cost to students.”

But the alternative to making across-the-board cuts would be for SAC to make value judgments on which events should be cut or scaled down—something equally, if not more undesirable.

Despite the problems intrinsic in funding student groups, the success of the budget summit provided for under the new guidelines can be attributed to SAC’s newfound willingness to work with groups. Nanase Matshusita (SFS ’13), treasurer of IRC and President of the International Students’ Association,

SFS Dean Kasper set to resign At the end of this semester, School of Foreign Service Dean Bryan Kasper will leave Georgetown for a job at the State Department. Kasper has worked for Georgetown since 1998.

During his tenure at the university, Kasper has worked in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Student Affairs, and the SFS Dean’s Office.

Kasper received a BA and MA in philosophy from American University, as well as an MA from the Georgetown SFS Security Studies Program.

Stephano Medina (SFS ‘12), one of Kasper’s advisees, also took his proseminar course on war and civilization during the fall of his freshman year. He recalled the personal relationship Kasper developed with all his advisees.

According to Medina, Kasper’s strength as a dean lies in his commitment to accommodating the goals of his advisees within the rigid SFS general and major requirements.

“I see him a couple times every semester,” Medina said.

“Not only remembering me, he remembers conversations we had years ago.”

—Rachel Calvert

said that SAC did a one-eighty from the secrecy surrounding the creation of the programming arc system. “In general, they’ve given us a lot of opportunities to talk to them,” he said.

More basic than having open channels of communication, SAC is a fundamentally different organization from the group headed

by Sophia “I don’t give a damn” Behnia. The current commission has finally recognized that asking for group’s feedback seems like an obvious way to improve SAC. So how can SAC keep on this positive trajectory? First, the Commission needs to keep soliciting continuous feedback from groups. The comprehensive budget system is a testament to SAC’s ability to allocate funds effectively and equitably. However, as mentioned above, the system is still far from perfect, and everyone knows that the easiest way to best serve student groups is to communicate with them.

Want to break down Ryan’s budget? Send him a proposal at rbellmore@georgetownvoice.com

sports

6 the georgetown voice

december 1, 2011

Upstart Hoyas ready for tussle in Tuscaloosa

by Daniel Kellner The Georgetown men’s basketball team entered this season surrounded by doubts about the quality of their squad. Could the Hoyas fill the void left by free-scoring guards Chris Wright and Austin Freeman? Did they have a capable enough inside presence to succeed Julian Vaughn as the rock in the middle at Big Man U? To this point, the Hoyas have answered these concerns with an emphatic “yes.”

As the team prepped for the Maui Invitational tournament last week, many believed they would be lucky to avoid embarrassment against the stacked tournament field. But after battling then-No. 14 Kansas for 40 nerve-racking minutes and trouncing host Chaminade, the Hoyas outlasted number-eight Memphis in overtime to clinch a 2-1 record in Hawaii.

Subsequently, the Hoyas catapulted themselves into the national conversation, as the experts were forced to rethink their initial dismissal of the Blue and Grey.

Memories of the three departed starters quickly faded as senior guard Jason Clark inspired Georgetown’s perimeter attack. Clark averaged 23 points per game in Maui, including a 26-point effort in the Memphis win. Yet Head Coach John Thompson III believes it is Clark’s team-oriented mindset that has allowed him to play such an important role for the Hoyas this season.

“Jason Clark is an honest player,” said Thompson III. “He’s going to give you an honest effort every day. He also understands he doesn’t have to do everything … that’s what ‘team’ is all about.”

Clark needed his team Monday night. The guard struggled against IUPUI in the Verizon Center, shooting just 1-7 from the field. Despite ultimately winning 81-58, Georgetown led by just one point at halftime and trailed for most of the first 20 minutes.

That sort of performance simply won’t cut it, with Georgetown’s toughest non-conference game set for tonight against No. 12 Alabama.

The Hoyas are fully aware that they can’t afford another sluggish start.

“We didn’t come out strong in the first half, but we had a lot of energy coming out in the second half,” Clark said. “If we come out with the same energy we did in the second half, I think we’ll be able to beat this team.”

The matchup against Alabama will also be the Hoyas’ first legitimate road game, as the team has played all of its games thus far at home or in Maui, a neutral site. The Crimson Tide presents a particularly daunting challenge in this department, having won their last 24 games in Tuscaloosa, one of the longest home winning streaks in the nation. Clark and the rest of the Hoyas know full well what to expect.

“I think Maui geared us up for it.

Tuscaloosa is going to be crazy, and us having a young team, we have to understand to communicate even more. It going to be loud in there, and we have to stick together.”

The environment down South is not the only point of concern for the Hoyas. Alabama boasts one of the best defenses in the nation, ranked in the top ten in both opponents’ points per game and field goal percentage.

“They’re a terrific defensive team,” Coach Thompson said.

“If you look at the games they’ve played so far this year, they make good offensive teams look bad. You don’t get a good shot against them.”

The Crimson Tide’s lauded defense presents an interesting matchup for the Hoyas, who have been averaging 82 points per game, placing them among the nation’s topscoring teams. That output is not merely from Clark’s emergence as a go-to scorer, as both senior Henry Sims and junior Hollis Thompson have made remarkable strides in their offensive production this sea-

MAX BLODGETT

Hollis Thompson will face a much stiffer defense in Tuscaloosa tonight.

son. Sims has revealed a versatile post game, demonstrating the ability to will himself to the basket and hit mid-range jumpers. Meanwhile, Thompson is shooting a scorching 54.5 percent from three while averaging 14.7 points per game, second only to Clark’s 17 points clip.

However, Alabama presents more than just a blanketing defense. In senior forward JaMychal

Green and junior forward Tony Mitchell, the Tide has two elite scorers with a plethora of big-game experience. Green, a preseason all-SEC first team honoree whom Coach Thompson describes as “a beast down there on the blocks,” is a rare talent able to score from anywhere on the court.

Green’s presence will be felt, and the crowd will do every-

thing they can to throw Georgetown off. Yet despite what is up against them, the Hoyas remain confident they can build on their impressive start.

“We’re a really good team,” Starks said. “We’re a good defensive team, but we’re a great offensive team as well. The more and more we play together, it’s going to really come together.”

the Sports Sermon “This must be how the guys in Space Jam felt when MJ gave them their powers back through that old basketball.” - Clippers forward Blake Griffin on the end of the lockout because the team is a young, exciting contender. The same scenario The nuclear winter that almost arose for the Sacramento Kings came out of the NBA lockout could in their heyday, where they came have been the most devastating up just short against the Lakers occurrence in the league’s history. on multiple occasions in the early Just a short time ago, it was look2000s. Now? The Kings are a pitiing like the NBA was going to sufful franchise, Arco Arena is often fer a fate similar to that of the NHL devoid of life, and the Maloof in 2004, when the hockey league brothers have been plotting ways missed out on an entire season. to move their team to Las Vegas Fortunately, basketball players to somehow salvage their investand owners came to their senses at ment. Once Durant’s days in OKC the very last minute, just in time are over, it’s hard not to imagine a to salvage a respectable 66-game similarly dire fate for the Thunder. season, just 16 games shorter than The New Orleans Hornets the league’s typical 82-game slate. and Orlando Magic face similar That’s not to say this was an predicaments, as they may flounideal scenario—the concessions der amid trade rumors about that the league and players eventheir superstars, Chris Paul and tually agreed upon were all out on Dwight Howard. Like LeBron the table for months.

James and Chris Pete Rose Central Though the sides Bosh before them, Da bettin’ line eventually reached a these players yearn deal, the NBA faces for the greener pasDookies Margin Hoyas a larger issue: The tures and endorse(underdogs) (duh!) continued, lingering (favorites) ment paychecks of drag from their small big markets. For a Heatles Dream Big 3 Minnesota or MilKnicks market franchises.

SEC For the average Basketball waukee team to Big East fan, the response to a compete, it needs Big Blue Eli Packers mundane Bucks-Paca selfless superstar ers matchup is going to be a simthey are perennially successful. like Durant to commit for the ple click of the remote to almost It is also why teams in smaller long haul. anything else on television. All markets struggle to turn a profit, The 2011 lockout will have few major sports leagues have a numand why the lockout dragged on lasting effects on the NBA. The ber of these struggling franchises, for as long as it did. Even though league has survived one before, die-hard New York fans still came as well as plenty of turmoil since but the NBA quite possibly suffers to Madison Square Garden to then, like the Tim Donaghy reffrom the largest number of these teams. Struggling, unappealing watch the Knicks during the dark eree game-fixing scandal of 2007. franchises like those of Milwaukee days, when a grossly overweight These events, however, were oneand overpaid Eddy Curry played and Indiana are the principal reatime occurrences that the league son why the NBA’s problems are alongside past-their-primes Steve did and will recover from. Nevfar from over.

Francis and Stephon Marbury, ertheless, the adverse drag that With the lockout over, fans people in Charlotte or Minnesota these small-market teams have on will focus, as they should, on the probably would not pay a dime to the long-term health of the league see such poor basketball. gripping storylines for this trunneeds to be stopped. Whether it cated season. The league is comRevenue sharing, in cases like occurs through relocation or fulling off arguably its best playoff the NBA’s, will not fix the probon contraction, Commissioner performance since, coincidentally lem. The disparity in resources David Stern and company need to enough, the lockout-shortened between teams is too vast. A team find a permanent solution. Other1999 season. For all we know, this like Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma wise, Stern won’t be able to avoid could be the last hurrah for Kobe City Thunder is thriving now, as the nuclear winter that comes in Bryant’s Lakers or Rajon Rondo’s the city is enthralled with its first 2021, the next time these two sides Celtics in their current iterations. professional sports franchise and have to hash out a deal.

by Kevin Joseph

Perhaps the average fan is sick of watching those teams garner all the headlines. That’s just fine, since there are plenty of other interesting narratives to follow. Will the Knicks’s new nucleus of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire play even a lick of defense over the course of 66 games? Is this the year LeBron James breaks through and rides Dwyane Wade’s coattails to a ring? Or is one championship not enough time in the limelight for Dirk Nowitzki?

Though these are compelling storylines, they also highlight the heart of the problem.

All of the franchises mentioned above have one thing in common: they’re large-market teams.

That, for the most part, is why

sports

georgetownvoice.com

Women rebound with Round-Up wins

by Abby Sherburne Instead of sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner in their homes across the country, the Georgetown women’s basketball team feasted on the Georgia Bulldogs and the UNLV Lady Rebels, earning the championship title in the Lady Rebel RoundUp tournament. After a tough start to the season, the No. 20 Hoyas have since attained a laudable record of 5-2, especially considering the caliber of their opponents.

The first win in Vegas came against the No. 10 Bulldogs. The Hoyas out-rebounded Georgia and capitalized on their quickness, scoring 9 fast break points and 11 on second-chance attempts.

Head coach Terri WilliamsFlournoy says that this game had some added pressure.

“We needed to beat a top-ten, a top-ranked team,” she said. “That’s the confidence we needed to really keep us going.”

The team certainly needed the confidence boost, feeling pressured to improve away from home going into the tournament after hav-

ing lost their only two road games.

When they came out strong against the Bulldogs, and were able to make some big defensive stops at the end to snag the win.

Rodgers missed the previous game against Monmouth due to an ankle injury, the first time she’s missed a game in her career. She said she was glad to be back on the floor.

“We’re just fighting for our spot back,” she said, referring to their preseason top-ten ranking.

She took off almost a week, which she says helped her to get back on track. In the three games leading up to Monmouth, Rodgers was limited on the offensive end, but she doesn’t want to attribute all of that to the injury.

“Good players have bad games.

I happened to have three bad games,” she said matter-of-factly.

Rodgers came up big in the Round-Up, scoring 23 against Georgia and 16 against the Lady Rebels, earning her the title of tournament MVP. Williams-Flournoy believes that Sugar’s return to form helped the team turn things around, but

Taylor Brown has impressed early in her freshman campaign.

MAX BLODGETT

Young Hoyas turning heads To say that people were expecting a down year from the Georgetown men’s basketball team before the start of the season may be an understatement. The Hoyas were picked to finish tenth in the Big East in a poll of the conference’s coaches, their lowest ranking since the conference expanded to 16 teams in 2005. They didn’t receive a single vote in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s resident “bracketologist,” had the Hoyas missing the NCAA Tournament in his preseason projections.

It’s hard to say those predictions were unfair. John Thompson III lost three senior starters and returned with a roster featuring 10 freshmen and sophomores.

If last year’s veteran squad couldn’t win a game in March, no one was foolish enough to say that the 2011-2012 iteration of the Hoyas was going to do better.

After four straight seasons where Georgetown attained a top-ten ranking

with zero Sweet Sixteen appearances to show for it, the Hoyas finally had to start from scratch. But while those seasons started off promising only to fall apart later on, this one looks like it may be running in reverse—six games in, and it’s already time to start raising our expectations.

It took all of three days in Hawaii.

The Maui Invitational is a tournament where a team can make a name for itself—national champion UConn, also picked to finish tenth in the Big East, stormed into the conversation by winning it last year. While the Hoyas didn’t quite replicate the Huskies’ dominant performance, they notched a marquee victory over then-No. 8 Memphis after nearly knocking off Kansas in the first round. Showing that those preseason rankings should be taken with a truckload of salt, Georgetown hung with what are supposedly some of the best teams in the country.

doesn’t think that it was the deciding factor. Instead, she attributes the wins to their key point of preparation—defense.

“I think our defensive intensity really picked up,” she said. “Defense is how Sug scores.”

Rodgers said that, because their offense comes organically, defense comprises the vast majority of what the team works on during practice.

But she does believe that her own offensive performance ramped up the team, adding that “it just motivates you in the best way.”

She’s been playing a similar role with freshman Taylor Brown, who has stepped up as a key offensive contributor under Rodgers’s guidance. Both Rodgers and WilliamsFlournoy characterize her as “quiet Taylor Brown,” but she’s just letting her performance speak for itself.

“She’s a magnet to score right away,” says Williams-Flournoy.

Brown posted 18 points in the two tournament games, consistently providing a stable option for the squad on offense. Seniors Tia Magee and Alexa Roche contributed heavily over the weekend as well, as Magee scored 26 points over the course of the tournament while Roche scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

With Rodgers back on the floor, the Hoyas are firing on all cylinders. The guard drained seven threes in the first seven minutes of the game, scoring 26 points in a 70-54 victory over Coppin State.

The Hoyas look to continue their winning ways and validate their preseason ranking as they face Rider on Saturday afternoon.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m at McDonough Arena.

No one knows anything before the season starts—not analysts, not coaches, not bracketologists. And now that we’re three weeks in, well, we still don’t know much. Sometimes two months isn’t even enough time to accurately assess a team, as any veteran of Georgetown’s 2008-09 campaign knows. But that doesn’t mean Georgetown fans can’t get their hopes up.

Double Teamed

By Tim Shine a rotating column on sports Maybe by the end of the season, Memphis and Kansas will be exposed as mediocre teams propped up by inflated preseason expectations. Even if that’s the case, the Hoyas have shown things in those contests, as well as their other four games, that indicate this is an objectively better team than everyone thought a month ago.

Trying to read the minds of college basketball coaches is a dangerous

the georgetown voice 7

Miltenberg guides Hoyas to title

by Melissa Sullivan Since his days as a student, Chris Miltenberg (MSB ‘03) has bled Hoya blue, which made his transition from athlete to coach especially seamless. The Peter Tegen National Women’s Coach of the Year channeled his Georgetown tradition to his women’s cross country team, guiding them to the national championship.

Miltenberg began his career at Georgetown in 1999 as a runner. He is a two-time All American and the 2001 Big East champion in the mile event. While on the team, he helped bring the Blue and Grey to four conference team championships, and led his team for two seasons as a captain.

Now, Miltenberg enters his fifth year coaching for the Hoyas, and was recently voted Cross Country Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Miltenberg credits his experience running for Georgetown as a major influence on his coaching.

“I … understand what life is like here, being able to really understand the challenges our student athletes are dealing with,” he says. “Because I ran here … I have such a different connection to what I do, to what this place is. It’s so much more than a job to me.”

During the 1999-2003 seasons, Miltenberg ran under Director Ron Helmer and Coach Patrick Henner. He truly respects Henner, the current director of men’s and women’s track and field, who he feels shaped him as

game, but I think it’s safe to assume that Big East coaches didn’t expect the Hoyas to have a 6-foot-10 center capable of posting a 24-8-5 line against a top-ten team. Henry Sims did just that against Memphis, and it wasn’t far out of line with his performance in the rest of Georgetown’s games. The senior big man has had a rocky college career after coming to the Hilltop as a highly-touted recruit from Baltimore, but it seems like Sims has finally harnessed his talent.

He’s displayed an array of post moves, flashed a competent mid-range jumper, crashed the boards, and even shown off a deft passing touch.

The Hoyas’ other unexpected asset is the play of the team’s newcomers.

This offseason, Thompson brought in his most highly-ranked recruiting class in years, and they’ve shown a precocious ability to compete at the college level. Forward Otto Porter is leading the charge, averaging 9.6 points through the first six games and leading the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game.

In Maui, Thompson told ESPN that

both a coach and a person.

“The biggest aspect of my coaching is individualization,” he says. “The biggest thing we’re built on is having fun at practice every day.”

He even applies this individualization towards strategizing for races. As opposed to comparing themselves to other schools, the women’s runners simply look within themselves and to each other.

“Our focus for the last five years has been being the best us we can be,” the coach said. “If we do that, then we won’t be worried about expectations and the outcome … we try to stay consistent with that.”

With a team as hard-working as this one, Miltenberg is not entirely surprised that it won the NCAA national championship.

Miltenberg has certainly fostered his “best us” mentality with the obvious success of this fall season, but he is more proud of the way the Hoyas ran together.

“What our team did was run really, really well,” he said, “but most importantly they all ran [together] … I think that’s great cross country, getting a whole team to all run together.”

The triumph of the women’s cross country team can certainly be attributed to the runners, but the influence of Coach Miltenberg has helped the program immensely. However, Miltenberg still maintains that “this isn’t about win or loss … it’s about being the best team we can be right now.”

This season, that was good enough for best in the country.

Porter was “the most prepared freshman that I’ve coached.” As the rest of Porter’s classmates catch up to his level, Georgetown should only surpass its Maui performance.

The season is still young, but the landscape has already shifted such that a clear path is open for Georgetown.

While the Hoyas have yet to break into the top 25 in either of the major polls, the preseason Big East projections seem far off-base now. Six of the nine teams picked ahead of them have already lost to unranked opponents, including conference co-favorite UConn. It’s hardly time to start calling Georgetown a favorite, but there’s reason to believe that the Hoyas can make some noise once conference play starts. If this young squad can keep its composure in the face of the raucous crowd in Tuscaloosa tonight against Alabama, it may be time to elevate those expectations even further.

Tell Tim how you really feel about Georgetown’s young team at tshine@ georgetownvoice.com

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On July 15, the single 12:01 showing at the largest IMAX Theater in New York City was the Comic-Con of Harry Potter diehards. Appropriately themed sing-alongs hyped up the costumed audience as midnight neared. We were not disappointed. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was not just the best film in the series, but a proper closing to a lifelong adventure with Harry, Ron and Hermione. We laughed, we cried, we screamed, and deep in our hearts, we knew that despite the billboards proclaiming “It all ends,” Potter-mania will never die. --Iris Kim

1. Drive

Violent, weird, and at times unexpectedly beautiful—and I’m not just talking about Ryan Gosling. Drive is an independent neo-noir drama set, like all films of the genre, in the gritty underbelly of glamorous Los Angeles. The film’s star power, fueled by Gosling, Christina Hendricks, and Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, does nothing to subtract from the film’s unsettling, art-house mood and style, which is magnified by Cliff Martinez’s chilling soundtrack. Gosling solidifies his talent for multifaceted characters as the film’s little-spoken, strangely loyal, criminal protagonist, and James Bibieri is perfect as a terrifying Albanian gangster. Even better than the sum of its parts, this haunting film is the year’s frontrunner. —Leigh Finnegan MOVIEVIRAL

3. bridesmaids

on Ernest Hemingway’s memoir A 5. midnight in paris Based Moveable Feast, Midnight in Paris is sure to

AROUNDPHILLY

please Woody Allen fans and ex-patriot enthusiasts.

Written and directed by Allen, the film brings to life the personalities of “the lost generation” for a contemporary audience. Owen Wilson plays a frustrated screenwriter who travels to Paris on the untaxed dollar of his fiancé and Tea Party-sympathizing parents.

Unexplained time travel allows him to meet—and drink with—Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Picasso, and Dali, among others. The film is a literary inside joke, tempered by Allen’s classic critique of the pseudo-intellectual. Fantastical nostalgia and familiar faces provide audiences just what the trailer promises: “Paris after midnight is magic.” --Vanya Mehta and Audrey Walker

MOVIEMANMENZEL

8. the help

7. the muppets

The Muppets is not perfect. It’s a bit too self-conscious, has pacing problems in the first half-hour, and Chris Cooper’s lines are hammy enough to make the audience’s stomachs churn. But it almost doesn’t matter—when nearly half of The Muppets’ college-age audience strolls out singing, it’s hit those magical movie notes that render criticism pointless. Writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller transform their nostalgia into a sublimely entertaining film, and even those who did not grow up with The Muppets will find the crew of tipsy, fuzzy creatures endearing. It has enough witty metajokes for the older crowd, with enough unabashedly goodnatured fun for the young ‘uns. --Richa Goyal

BANGNEXT.COM

In one of the better sports movies of recent years, director Bennett Miller brilliantly adapts Michael Lewis’s best-selling book detailing the revolutionary philosophy of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt). The book’s trademark statistical mumbo- jumbo threatens to alienate all but the most hardcore baseball fans, but humorous and uplifting performances by Pitt and Jonah Hill provide a distinctly human element. Pitt’s portrayal of Beane—a confident and intelligent man still haunted by his past and his shortcomings as a father—has us cheering for the A’s regardless of fan allegiances. --Daniel Kellner

ONLINEMOVIESHUT.COM

9. moneyball

DIGITAL TRENDS

When Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared in the 50/50 trailer, it seemed like it could have been Funny People all over again—a cancer patient comedy with Rogen attached. But a poignant performance by Gordon-Levitt transcends the comedy genre. With bits of hilarity sprinkled throughout, the film’s real strength lies in the realism of its characters, allowing the movie to hit an emotional nerve unlike that of your standard Notebook tear-jerker.

While putting dick jokes into a tragic story line may seem insensitive, the balance of humor and drama teaches us a good lesson about how some people deal with bad news. And let’s face it—sometimes it’s healthy to laugh at what makes us cry. --John Sapunor

Despite the trailer’s suggestion that Super 8 would be driven solely by special effects, director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg force the film’s audience to sympathize with their creature, a larger-than-life monster terrorizing small-town U.S.A. Although the subterranean spider-alien monster at times seems all too willing to suspend its rage due to the philosophical prowess of some kids, the teenaged protagonists’ acting is just good enough to accommodate this suspension of reality. The film’s technical merit lets the audience come away with its powerful underlying message: that personal suffering is not always endless. --Daniel Kellner

TEASERTRAILER.COM

10. contagion

the georgetown voice 9

1. fleet foxes,

2. harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2

JABBERINJESSIE.COM

In this girl-powered comedy, SNL’s Kristen Wiig stars as Annie, the maid of honor for her best friend Lillian’s (SNL alum Maya Rudolph) wedding, bringing her A-game awkwardness to the silver screen. The supporting cast of eclectic bridesmaids helps add not only laughs, but also some surprising (and at times uncomfortable) depth to the comedy. Absurdity reigns as Wiig is drugged on a plane, brings food poisoning to a bridal salon, and falls in love with a cop with a questionable accent. Bridesmaids doesn’t hesitate to make the audience wince, pairing raunchy scenes with a cutesy plot line. All of it makes for a fun film to watch. --Abby Sherburne

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georgetownvoice.com

6. super 8

MOVIEOVERMIND.COM

Director Tate Taylor’s interpretation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling book managed to earn itself a spot as one of the better movies released this year. This tale of an aspiring author daring enough to tell the story of African-American maids in the midst of the civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi, may not be an especially memorable film that retains its value after the first viewing, but it certainly satisfies those who are simply looking for a feel-good movie with a redeeming conclusion to brighten up a gloomy day.

--Kirill Makarenko

If you get sick, you will die. That’s the gospel according to Contagion, and it’s delightfully horrific. A lethal airborne virus that sweeps the planet and kills mercilessly sets the stage for the most realistic disaster movie of the year. Boasting a stellar cast, the film weaves together the poignant stories of those affected by the disease with the efforts of the coolly clinical doctors and researchers trying to cure it. Director Steven Soderbergh creates a thrilling and tense vision of the disintegration of global society—complete with shocking mass graves and lawless mobs. Thankfully, it’s only fiction. For now. --Claire McDaniel

mUSIC

movies

december 1, 2011

the voice presents the best of 2011

8 the georgetown voice

helplessness blues

The second album from folk group Fleet Foxes capitalizes on the remarkable instrumental features of the group’s self-titled debut album, while eliminating the a cappella introductions that many critics found unappealing. Helplessness Blues combines elements of melancholy and disarray in the instrumental sections of “The Shrine / An Argument” with more upbeat qualities of tracks such as “Battery Kinzie”—all while maintaining an existential theme in the group’s poetic lyrics.

Still, the album’s true appeal lies not in the vocals, but in the growing instrumental virtuosity of Fleet Foxes, a mastery that makes Helplessness Blues a worthwhile investment. -- Kirill Makarenko Defying the traditional sophomore slump, British songstress Adele definitely kicked up the soul for her second album, 21. With pounding piano lines and flawless, gut-wrenching vocals, Adele recorded the breakup album of the century, taking the listener through all five stages of grief—and then some. 21 has the lyrical vulnerability to bring audiences to their knees in candid surrender to her musical prowess. Even though the singer belts “we could have had it all” on the album’s hit single “Rolling in the Deep,” with 21, the audience has everything it could ask for. -- Keaton Hoffman

3. adele, 21

2. kanye west & jay-z,

watch the throne

Jay-Z and Kanye West have competed for the number one album in the country for quite a few years now, from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (the Voice’s favorite last year) to American Gangster. So it was no surprise when the duo’s first collaborative album, Watch the Throne, took off and reached number one almost immediately, resting safely in the top 30 in the fifteen weeks since.

“Otis” and “Niggas in Paris” steal the spotlight, but the album also boasts a whole bunch of underrated songs, including “Who Gon Stop Me” and “Made in America.” Its rock and orchestral influences help it stand out, but let’s be honest: Watch the Thone is awesome because no one can out-swag Jay and Kanye on the same stage at the same time. -- Kevin Joseph

4. the weeknd,

Abel Tesfaye’s debut album as The Weeknd is trendy in all the right ways, taking indie rock samples and stretching them into sparse, trunkrattling post-Drake R&B ballads about loneliness and alienation in the midst of drugged-out hedonism. House of Balloons succeeds with a brooding, coked-out minimalism that owes just as much to the xx and Burial as it does to The-Dream. It’s often beautiful and unsettling and bumping all at the same time. At its best, it’s heartbreaking: “I left my girl back home / I don’t love her no more / and she’ll never fucking know that.”

-- Sean Quigley

house of balloons

5. bon iver, bon iver

Picking up where For Emma, Forever Ago left off, Bon Iver’s self-titled record reaffirms the cult following that began with the first soulful strummings of “Skinny Love.”

While not recorded in a hunting cabin, Bon Iver has the same woodsy ambience and emotional depth that gained Justin Vernon his fame. The evolution of Vernon’s style, however, is evident in the synthesized, dreamy sound that accompanies his folksy guitar. His signature falsetto is a mainstay in songs like “Holocene” and “Michicant,” giving the album a haunting, soul-searching feeling.

-- Julia Lloyd-George

The King is Dead is the Decemberists at their brightest, most lively spirits. The indie folksters have no problem punching out cheerful melodies, but the way The King is Dead alternates between quick-paced tunes and slowed-down ballads keeps listeners on their toes. While lead singer Colin Meloy churns out sweet vocals, the guitar plucking and soft drums place this band somewhere between Death Cab for Cutie and Fleet Foxes, a compliment in the highest sense. The results speak for themselves, proving yet again why these Portland natives stand apart from the all-too-homogenous indie folk scene. -- John Sapunor

7. the decemberists,

the king is dead

6. coldplay,

mylo xyloto

Coldplay shows no signs of age on their fifth studio album in eleven years, banging out even more of their titanic anthems for the world’s romantics. The British quartet incorporates some new flavors, including electronic influences and a collaboration with Rihanna on “Princess of China,” alongside their uplifting arenatested melodies. They pull off what many veteran bands struggle to do—produce an album that doesn’t sound like their last one. Mylo Xyloto makes clear, whether the world likes it or not, that Coldplay can still unabashedly aim for grandeur—and achieve it.

-- Jackson Perry

Following a near-eternal recording process with rehabbing guitarists and an uninvited lead singer, The Strokes’s album drop seemed more an eventuality than an event. At least it got the band on the road.

Apart from a few—here it comes—sharp tracks, the rest of the album is kind of a downer. Luckily, the band avoids embarrassing itself by trying anything new, and instead rekindles its earlier sound. Listeners might argue that The Strokes’ separate members are greater than the whole, but in the end, Julian Casablancas is still getting more girls than Bradford Cox. --Nico Dodd

8. the strokes, angles

9. childish gambino, camp Camp, the first full-length release from actor-comedian Donald Glover’s alter-ego Childish Gambino, is a masterful synthesis of self-deprecating lyrics, grandiose backbeats, and dick references. This witty, expertly produced album integrates eclectic pop culture references with Gambino’s observations on race and countless mentions of his affinity for Asian women.

Technical ability and clever lyrics make for an enjoyable album, but the true charm of Camp is in Gambino’s vulnerability. In the sweetly sad spokenword riff that concludes album closer “That Power,” Gambino makes it clear that Camp is anything but his coming-of-age tale. Rather, it is the story of an underdog still fighting his way to the top. -- Emily Hessler

10. tom waits, bad as me

Tom Waits was born with the voice of a 75-yearold two-pack-a-day cigarette smoker. How do we know? Because 38 years after his first release, 2011’s Bad as Me features those same roughed-up whiskey vocals that have carried the musician through his career. His new album ain’t pretty, but the vaudevillian storytelling and messy, theatrical instrumentation is strong as ever. And while fans have always known that Waits’ leathery voice would age well, the songwriting that carries Bad as Me proves that this musical fixture’s still got more surprises in his bag of tricks. –John Sapunor

leisure

10 the georgetown voice

december 1, 2011

Tinkered and Tailored to perfection

by Jake Schindler

Though Intro to International Relations professors may paint the Cold War as a nostalgic period of simple bipolarity, in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the period’s politics were anything but straightforward. The Cold War of British novelist and retired spy John le Carré is dizzyingly complex, and offers no reassurances of the West’s moral superiority.

Swedish director Tomas Alfredson is the latest to take on le Carré’s work, adapting his novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy into a film with a starstudded cast led by Gary Oldman.

Thankfully, Alfredson abandons none of the book’s complexity in this stylish, throwback spy flick.

Oldman stars as George Smiley, who has recently been forced out of “the Circus,” of MI-6 . The reason has to do with his boss, played brilliantly by John Hurt, who goes stark raving mad. Soon enough, as the old action-movie trope goes, the retiree is approached and begged to take on “one last job.” Smiley is told that

are played by a very strong ensemble, including Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, and Mark Strong.

Oldman plays Smiley convincingly, remaining restrained in an intense part and appearing about fifteen years older than

Alec Guinness in a beloved BBC miniseries. If there is one disappointing performance in the film it is that of Firth, who brings little more than stutters and fidgety grins to what should be the film’s most nuanced role. Instead, that

title goes to Strong, who plays a burned spy and spurned lover.

Alfredson is an impressive stylist, and does not settle for using foggy, dreary London scenes to convey shadiness and suspense. Production designer Maria Djurkovic created an elaborate fortress within the walls of the Circus; her most striking set is a hermetically sealed boardroom at the core of the building, covered in gold-colored soundproof foam that Alfredson imagines is “drenched in cigarette smoke and whiskey breaths.” Hoyte Van Hoytema’s camera is like a Soviet agent, following Smiley down streets and corridors. Many of the shots are short and silent, and dialogue often spills over into the next scene, as if it is being remembered by the characters.

Despite being a spy movie, Tinker does not have too much action, and proves difficult to follow for those unfamiliar with the book.

Alfredson doesn’t seem concerned about leaving people behind, and he expects a lot of inference on the part

a single performance. While it succeeds in creating an unexpected effect with video projection, this piece sheds little light on “human interaction and intent”—combining two scenes to create one with two identical characters has a minimal connection to human interaction, unless the intended effect of the merging video channels serves as some kind of vague metaphor for converging human narratives. In any case, the spark that the creative use of media provides is not enough to fuel interest in its subject, which leaves excessive room for interpretation.

While “You Made This Happen” provides a subtle introduction to Holtin’s vision of video media, Passage later takes a step further when the artist uses nine independentlylooped video channels on LCD panels in a circular structure.

Enclosing the viewer in a sphere of vision, the piece draws the eye to two “performers” as they spontaneously walk, run, and leap down a mysteriously infinite passage. Standing in the middle of the circle, the viewer isn’t sure where to look—move-

ment on each screen is punctuated by unpredictable and spontaneous interaction that competes for attention. While this piece effectively targets the concept of movement in multiple dimensions, it only hints at the supposed subject of human encounters and relationships.

The final piece of the exhibit, “Glance,” resonates most with the viewer, as Holtin successfully incorporates the nature of human interaction into his use of media. Using two separate LCD screens—one with a man’s face and one with a wom-

an’s—“Glance” directly and realistically portrays the kind of interaction that occurs between strangers in everyday life. Like those of the two other pieces, the video channels used in “Glance” are out of sync, and thus capture only spontaneous encounters. In this way, the glances that occur between the two “performers” echo those that would occur naturally on, say, a subway. The use of screens to imitate the head movement that accompanies a glance effectively brings the media to life, and turns “Glance” into the key part of the exhibit.

there is a mole at the highest level of the Circus, and he is to investigate, from the outside, four of his former colleagues. It would be futile to go into more detail, but the key spooks

he really is. Oldman is in a precarious position with the role, as Smiley is an iconic literary character in the actor’s native Britain, and was once played by Sir

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.”

IMDB

of his audience. The camera never shows the faces of key characters, and important romantic histories are implied through glances alone.

The reveal of the mole’s identity is tense without being overplayed, and a memorable denouement resolves the story to a well-placed bit of period music.

This is Alfredson’s first Englishlanguage feature; his previous effort, the moody vampire love story Let The Right One In, was a critical darling. This entry confirms his reputation for tackling clichéed genres with strong source material and photography to please the art-house crowd. But at a recent roundtable with D.C.-area press, Alfredson asserted that Tinker isn’t a genre piece or specific to the Cold War. “The story is very much about loyalty and friendship and betrayal, and those subjects are eternal,” he says.

What does Oldman think is eternal? “The world’s a mess,” he said, “and it’s perfect. It always has been.” Now that sounds like something a Cold Warrior might say.

Viewed as a whole, the meaning of A Theatre of Objects takes shape as it forms a tentative exploration of human interaction and relationships. Dissected into individual pieces, however, the objective of the exhibit is overwhelmed by excessive subtlety that fails to raise interest in the “performances” at hand. While its creative use of media is evident, it fails to compensate for the vague subject matter, and leaves the exhibit hardly worthy of a visit.

These digital canvases fail to inspire

by Julia Lloyd-George For an exhibit entitled A Theatre of Objects, artist Andy Holtin’s collection of video channels at Flashpoint Gallery near Mount Vernon does little to entertain or stimulate the viewer beyond its original use of media. Using a trio of varying yet simplistic scenes, Holtin attempts to “understand and narrate human interaction and intent, even with the vaguest of clues.” A secondary goal is to reevaluate the role of the video equipment itself, making it a dynamic medium rather than simply stationary machinery.

While this objective adds an intriguing dimension to the favored medium of our YouTube generation, it fails to make up for the lack of captivating content in the scenes themselves.

The first piece, the mysteriously titled “You Made This Happen,” uses two independently-looped video channels in projection to draw the eye to their mutual element—the scenes, which portray a man interacting with a table and two chairs, are first viewed separately before merging to form

Washington City Paper

“And after Cecelia and David both got iPads, we were all able to have a passionate, late-night, three way... chat.”

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“Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave.” —Madagascar

the georgetown voice 11

Wheatgrass shots, limes, and carrotinis

by Mary Borowiec At Georgetown, we live on a campus where most beverages are either caffeinated or alcoholic (or, in the heyday of Four Loko, both). So D.C.’s latest food truck, Juice Revolution, can offer Hoyas a new, healthy and refreshing drink option—live juice. Instead of prepackaged juice, which is inevitably pasteurized, Juice Revolution offers its patrons a series of live juices

packed with vitamins and antioxidants made from fresh fruits and veggies.

Launched by Jessie and Rick Kennedy—a marathon running, yogini power couple—Juice Revolution began when these two nutrition-conscious District residents fell in love with juicing.

Former attorney Jessie first got the idea from her personal juicemaking pursuits, which began when she cut coffee and other artificially made beverages out of

her life in favor of a homemade cocktail of leafy romaine, kale, cucumber, pineapple, and lemon.

This signature juice, which turned into Juice Revolution’s menu item “Green Ohm,” became one of the truck’s three nutrientrich offerings, in addition to shots of wheatgrass. Though some might be suspicious of drinks like “The Purple Rain,” which is made with red cabbage, beets, and apples, the sweet and undeniably fresh taste of Jessie’s juices

FooD trUCK FIesta

The revolution will be televised, tweeted, friendstered, myspaced, linkdined, facebooked, tumblred... and juiced.

No Green for NC-17

Walking into a screening of Shame, an upcoming film labeled with the dreaded NC17 rating, I felt a tingle of excitement. No, not the excitement a pubescent boy feels before opening his first Playboy, but the excitement that I was about to witness a quality film. Unfortunately, the stigma of pornography that an NC-17 rating carries has left many independent films like Shame at the cruel mercy of the Motion Picture Association of America. And while this palpable, disingenuous form of censorship has let torture-porn movies like the Saw sequels slip through the cracks, many arthouse indie films have been unfairly stamped with the NC-17 rating for their graphic, though contextualized, sex scenes.

According to the MPAA, an NC-17 rating means that no one aged 17 or under can be admitted to the film, even under the supervision of an adult. And while the MPAA

does not vocally condemn NC17 movies as pornographic, their 18-year-old required age essentially places these films on the same ground as pornography. But before judging if NC-17 should be so heavily restricted, let’s take a look at some of the movies the MPAA has deemed appropriate for an R rating.

The Saw series represents the archetypal torture movie.

Characters are thrown into chambers where they’re forced to cut off their own limbs, rip piercings from their skin, and dig through other people’s intestines. But what’s the difference between this gratuitous gore and the gore in Saving Private Ryan? Well, Private Ryan’s violence is there to portray the horror of war in its most brutal and realistic sense.

Saw, on the other hand, shows gore for gore’s sake—any plot or character developments are tawdry, peripheral justifications for the violence. Yet year after year, the MPAA condones

this objectified violence while berating “graphic” sex scenes that a 17-year-old cannot, apparently, handle.

Comparing violence and sex may be like comparing apples and oranges, but the rating system would be doing an injustice if it ignored the context of the sex and violence within the movie. Shame follows a sex addict whose life

Box office, Baby!

by John Sapunor

a bi-weekly column about film has become replete with guilt, a loss of control, and in insatiable lust for physical pleasure.

Just as Spielberg tried to give the most accurate depictions of war in Saving Private Ryan, Shame shows its lead engaged in relatively graphic scenes of sex. Yet these are not purposefully salacious or idealized sex scenes. By showing the emotional toll of an addiction, the feeling of guilt after indulgence, and the self-destructive nature of promiscuous sex,

will turn almost any skeptic into a juice believer. Juice Revolution also provides the opportunity for customers to create their own vegetable-rich juice concoctions, as each juice is squeezed on the spot.

In the sea of D.C. food trucks that serve every cuisine from artisan grilled cheese to lobster to cupcakes, The Juice Revolution stands alone as a mobile eatery for the health-conscious. With three to four servings of vegetables in each hearty and delicious drink, the nutrients and vitamins in Jessie’s live juice are unbeatable. As she explained to the Washington Post, “You know if you go to Juice Revolution, you’re going to get something healthy in your body.”

In addition to its juice offerings, Juice Revolution’s wholesome veggie-based soups provide another delicious option for lunchtime patrons. Kennedy’s vegan soup recipes, which include carrot-ginger and butternut squash, impress with their simple but powerful flavor. As Kennedy develops more recipes to coincide with the fruits and vegetables in season, she promises patrons a

the graphic scenes are honest, natural, and contextualized.

There’s no rape, there are no close-ups of penetration, and really, the sex is not all that excessive considering the subject matter of the movie. So if the MPAA was willing to bend its limits on violence (if it has any limits on violence) for Saving Private Ryan’s gore, couldn’t it do the same for Shame’s contextualized sex scenes?

The tolerance for violence has a pretty simple explanation: major studios have clout with the MPAA. Saving Private Ryan and Saw have more than just violence in common— they’re put out by big-time studios, making it easier to get passable ratings without cutting out too much of the blood.

Yet when a smaller movie like Shame faces the MPAA, it’s forced with a tough decision: if it wishes to preserve the director ’s original vision, the film will suffer at the box office. As of now, most movie theaters won’t show NC-17 movies, so not only does the rating limit the audience size

menu that always puts quality and freshness first.

Beyond its mission to bring nutritious and delicious live juices to D.C., Juice Revolution has extended its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility as well. The truck’s carry-out boxes are 100 percent compostable, the Kennedys work with local farmers to purchase their fresh produce, and they even make sure that the vegetable pulp from their juices is composted.

Though gourmet, super health juices may seem to draw a certain type of clientele, Juice Revolution aims to serve all District residents looking for something healthier with friendly customer service and encouragement for “juice-doubters” to try a sample. Regardless of whether or not one is willing to try wheatgrass, which is potent but superbly nutritious, Juice Revolution has revolutionized food truck nutrition in D.C. with its original trio of live juices. With this juice revolution, D.C. residents have every reason to put a halt on caffeine, and take their mom’s age-old advice to eat their vegetables.

through age requirements, it tremendously limits the scope of the movie’s release. This usually leaves movies with little choice but to give in to the MPAA, and cut material to get that R rating. Coercing studios to cut movies not only inhibits the artist’s vision, but also does a disservice to the customer who wishes to see that original vision, regardless of how much violence or sex is involved.

In a defiant move, Shame’s distributor Fox Searchlight Pictures accepted its NC-17 rating as a badge of honor.

Being in the company of the MPAA’s other victims like Last Tango in Paris and A Clockwork Orange, the studio might have a right to feel this way. But as long as these arbitrary standards for what is permissible exist, the prudes at MPAA will have the upper hand—that is, until Steven Speilberg decides to make a Ron Jeremy bio-pic.

Fulfill John’s sex addition: send him your NC-17 movies at jsapunor@georgetownvoice.com

leisure

12 the georgetown voice

december 1, 2011

C r i t i c a l V o i ces song defies any semblance of wellconstructed rap—the beat is interrupted numerous times, and the lyrics drift from sex to money to, inevitably, mass consumption of marijuana. Songz attempts to emulate the confusion and disorientation that comes with smoking, but only ends up sabotaging a track that may have at the very least been acceptable.

By briefly mentioning his rise out of poverty, “Top Of The World” attempts to delve into the increasingly popular social consciousness in the music industry. But the next track, “What I Be On,” dives once again into the dark turmoil of women, drugs, alcohol, and suffers from a complete lack of lyrical substance.

In an attempt to recreate the success of “Say Aah,” Trey Songz once again teams up with Fabolous, but “What I Be On” ultimately falls flat.

The final track on the EP, “Sex Ain’t Better Than Love,” nearly redeems the album by focusing on an emotional ideal as its main subject.

Though having an actual, concrete subject scores points for Songz, the aspiring rapper/singer ruins the opportunity he created when he starts off by bragging about having had more sex than Herman Cain has thus far denied.

This last song rounds off a truly disappointing EP, and sets low expectations for Chapter 5. For an artist with as much potential and as many collaborations with successful performers as Trey Songz, Inevitable should not have resulted in such a complete failure.

In sickness and in wealth

setting reality TV can offer. In the beginning, all seems well.

“You’re my wife now. It’s gonna take a lot to get rid of me,” Kris says.

Unfortunately, his words don’t seem to ring true. In just the first episode, we’ve already seen tempers flare—Kris calls Kim a

Trey Songz, Inevitable, Atlantic When Trey Songz rocketed to mass popularity in 2010 with hit singles “Say Aah” and “Bottoms Up,” he set a high standard for his music. With the internet buzzing with speculation about Chapter 5, his upcoming 2012 studio album, the five-track EP Inevitable provides a clear preview of Songz’s newest work. Unfortunately, Inevitable without question misses the high mark of his 2010 singles, and what remains is a steaming pile of rap that leaves former fans praying that the inevitable transformation of the EP into Chapter 5 never comes.

Trey Songz begins his album with shameless self-promotion in the track “Top Of The World,” singing, “if you’re talking money, boy, you’re preaching to the choir.” The

This Thanksgiving, the Kardashian clan has a lot to be thankful for. Rob came in a respectable second in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars finale (his sister Kim only lasted three weeks). Khloe’s husband Lamar Odom returned to work thanks to a breakthrough in negotiations between the NBA and the players’ union. Kourtney revealed the shocking news that she and boyfriend Scott Disick are pregnant with their second child. And this Sunday, the next installment of the Kardashian saga, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, premiered on E! to an impressive 3.2 million viewers.

The season features Kourtney, Scott, baby Mason, and newlyweds Kim and Kris Humpries moving to New York. Amid the oil enemas, the naked yoga teachers, and Scott’s freshly shaved underarms, conflict brews as Kris struggles to get used to living with the Kardashian family

and Scott yearns for a more intimate relationship with Kourtney.

In the end, Scott makes amends with Kourtney, who promises better behavior. Kris, on the other hand, announces that the situation is affecting his work, and that he is moving to Minnesota to train for the NBA season. But unlike other shows in which viewers can’t wait to see how conflict builds towards an unexpected and cathartic climax, the finale of Kourtney & Kim Take New York is already set in stone—Kris and Kim separate, and, citing irreconcilable differences, Kim files for divorce after just 72 days of marriage.

In the real world, we all know about Kim’s tragic, though perhaps premeditated, divorce, but the onscreen Kim and Kris are completely unaware. Kourtney & Kim Take New York offers viewers the chance to watch a marriage collapse in the most organic

Voice’s Choice: “Top of the World” —Kirill Makarenko

Curren$y, Jet World Order, Warner Bros.

In concept and construction, the latest album from prolific rapper Curren$y, Jet World Order, is a lot like Lil’ Wayne’s We Are Young Money or Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc la Familia— albums worth of tracks from associates and labelmates, with different artists featured in various combina-

trash talk

by Keaton Hoffman a bi-weekly column about reality TV bitch for asking him to pick up his clothes. We’ve witnessed a stubborn inability to compromise, as the two bicker over how long to take pictures for on the red carpet. And we’ve watched, horrified, as petty arguments turn violent, with Kim punching Kris after he accidentally messes up her pedicure. We know what happens, so why do we watch?

It boils down to asymmetry of information, brought on by what I’ve deemed the “reality

tions in each song. An album of this type usually works nicely because it gives listeners the opportunity to listen to a familiar artist while exposing them to the stylings of associated up-and-comers. Unfortunately, on Jet World Order, Curren$y himself only appears in three of the album’s twelve tracks, and without him the other artists fail to hold up.

Curren$y’s Jet Life label features himself, Young Roddy, and Trademark Da Skydiver, both of whom appear on all of JWO’s tracks.

Harlemite Smoke DZA makes a memorable appearance on “The Set,” but with the exception of him, the other artists hardly make any splash. Curren$y’s absence magnifies the shortcomings of Roddy and Trademark. Roddy’s flow seems to be modeled off of Curren$y’s, yet unfortunately he does not come close to matching his predecessor’s nonchalance and trademark smoothness. He drops a few nice verses, but without Curren$y to shift the focus, Roddy quickly fails under the intense scrutiny of the limelight.

Listening to him keep repeating “Jet Life” quickly gets old. It feels like the rapper is trying a little too hard.

Trademark, on the other hand, simply fails to stand at all. His verses consist of the worn-out rap tropes

lag,” the expanse of time between real events and their portrayal on reality television. Though present in all reality shows, this lag is particularly prominent in celeb-reality, where tabloids can instantly cover celebrity gossip before it goes through production and editing and eventually makes it to your screen. The resulting shows seem more like documentaries than traditional reality programming. Reality standouts like The Hills and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were notable exploiters of the lag, milking viewers out of delayed tabloid tales like Heidi Montag’s plastic surgery debacle and, more tragically, Russell Armstrong’s suicide.

The problem with (or, for some, the benefit of) the reality lag is that it incentivizes scandal to boost viewers. While Kim’s marriage may not have been a complete sham, the timing of the divorce certainly was. Sandwiched perfectly between the end

of money, women, and drugs, but not in a way that is at all creative or interesting. Just as Roddy is a victim of his overexertion, Trademark is a victim of his own mediocrity.

Curren$y, master of the effortless delivery, stands levels above Roddy and Trademark in his rare appearances on the album.

However, what JWO lacks in talent it makes up for somewhat in production value. The beats are phenomenal, and the matchup of specific artists to various beats highlights the Jet affiliates’ styles wonderfully.

Although the album would have been better with more Curren$y, he wisely stays away from the boisterous beat in “Blow Up,” which is completely incongruous with his style. Smoke DZA, however, melds with it perfectly.

But even with superb beats and a few tantalizing tracks by the man himself, Trademark and Roddy ultimately bring JWO’s downfall.

If you’re a big fan of Curren$y, he doesn’t disappoint on the songs he raps on. But for a casual fan, it’s hard to recommend this exercise in mediocre rap nepotism.

Voice’s Choice: “1st Place” — Michael Mouch

of the show’s production and its premiere, Kim’s sudden divorce provided just the right amount of buzz to encourage new viewers (including yours truly) to tune in to the first episode. But at the same time, it gives Kim and her part-producer, part-psycho-mom Kris Jenner enough time to frame the divorce in a way that furthers their brand.

Surprisingly, the most damning problem with Kourtney & Kim Take New York is not its contrived and predetermined plot, but its stunning lack of originality.

Eventually viewers will realize that, barring Khloe, the Kardashian family is just plain boring. In summing up the drama of the episode, Kim took the words right out of my mouth: “Enough is enough already! It’s like the same thing over and over.”

File your divorce papers with Keaton at khoffman@georgetownvoice.com

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page thirteen

the georgetown voice 13

Every Hoya down in Hoya-Ville liked Christmas a lot But the Neighbors who lived just north of Hoya-Ville did NOT! The neighbors hate the whole holiday season And they have a whole, big, long list of reasons: They hate the Chimes and the Phantoms’s songs They hate the freshmen, their schmobs and their throngs.

They despise all the students that are living in houses They even hate the cute little rats and the mouses They hate the students who leave out their trash They want home values to rise, they want CASH, CASH, CASH! They complain when the Christmas lights are too bright They say student homes are a neighborhood blight When they see a young Hoya carrying books They give him or her a bunch of dirty looks.

As the campus had gathered in Dahlgren Quad To celebrate Christmas, the great Navidad The neighbors would steal what Hoyas valued most The clock tower hands! Disguised as a ghost, They climbed all the way atop Healy tower Their egos did rise just to think of the power!

This symbol of Georgetown would soon disappear And with it the death of the campus plan near!

With a pluck and a swoosh they were gone in a flash Up to Burleith, and away in a dash!

They stood and they scoured on top of Book Hill But as they succeeded, and started to cackle, They had a mischievous plan they had to fulfill And they looked down on Hoya-Ville with a sense of remorse They heard something below and were totally baffled!

And said “Block the campus plan! We must change its course!”

The Hoyas were happy, the Hoyas were singing And the bells in Healy tower went right on ringing.

They got Councilman Evans and all City Hall All over campus, there was happiness still To fight against Georgetown, its students, and all.

And worst of all, there was still a school on a hill!

When they heard a noise, police they would call, They’d even support Syracuse against Hoya basketball.

But as they kept listening something magical occurred Their cold hearts turned warm as the Hoya voices were heard.

They didn’t want to see any Christmas trees And as the spirit on their cold hearts started to work, They didn’t want Georgetown to give out degrees.

As they saw Cindy-Hoya, took her hand, and they shook.

They didn’t like Jack the Bulldog either, For their hearts were cold and a bit too meager.

And as they joined with Hoya and sang the Christmas song And forgot their fight, as words carried along.

But the thing that they hated most above all And in the night, they decided, “This isn’t so bad!

Was how Hoyas were happy for a holiday ball.

We used to be angry, but now we’re quite glad, Hoyas decorated trees and lit up their dorm rooms, As the neighbors sat full of seasonal glooms.

That Hoyas and neighbors can live side by side And get together in Christmas Yuletide.

Then one night on Christmas Eve, the neighbors did plan A scheme to wreck Christmas for every Hoya woman and man. We can hang up the lights, we can decorate trees And make the community better with ease.”

And the Hoyas, they welcomed their neighbors now friends Their relationship whole after many twists, turns and bends.

They took them to their great Leos feast Where the food was surprisingly edible at least.

And the neighbors, they screamed, as they gave up the fight “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

JULIA KWON and SHAYNA BENJAMIN

voices

14 the georgetown voice

december 1, 2011

Even Georgetown students struggle with mental illness

by Connor Jones As Georgetown students, we pride ourselves on being accepting of all those who study and work at our school. To most students, the days of widespread institutional racism, classism, and heterosexism are gone. Bureaucracies have been established, policies enacted, and we all live thinking that justice has overcome bigotry. And, in many ways, it has—when I’ve encountered racism, it has been with my distant, parochial relatives, not with my classmates at Georgetown. But while students would camp out in Red Square, stage protests, and hold rallies against a racial or social injustice on campus, no one will venture to openly discuss issues of mental illness.

There is a pernicious attitude on campus that Georgetown students—bright, well-rounded, and healthy—are immune to mental illness. Ask any of your friends if they know someone who struggles with mental health, I doubt that any of them would say yes. This, in itself, is damaging. Mental illness affects 46% of Americans at some point in their lives, and ac-

cording to the National Alliance on Mental Issues, depression alone affects one third of college students in any given year. One in four contemplate suicide.

For most sufferers,college is the first time in their lives that mental illness seriously develops.

At home, teenagers generally have stable lives—eating well, sleeping well, avoiding drugs, and coping with stress. When freshmen come to college, these support mechanisms diminish or disappear entirely. Students maintain poor sleep schedules, are less controlled in their experimentation with drugs, and experience new stresses—instead of dealing with algebra and relationship troubles, students struggle to fit in and keep a budget, and worry about making it in the real world. Approximately half of students nationwide report not receiving an education from either their parents or their college about issues of mental health.

As far as this type of education at Georgetown, all I can remember is receiving a little sheet of paper about Counseling and Psychiatric Services in a folder filled with similar pieces of information, and

an assurance from the College Dean’s Office that they’re here for us when we need to talk.

The problem clearly exists, but many at Georgetown refuse to acknowledge it. There are students here that struggle with mental illness, yet whenever someone acts dejected and alone, people seem more ready to blame the victim than to reach out to help. Though the number of adults who would say that depression is at least in part due to a flaw in character has decreased over the past twenty years (around 70 percent in the 1990s versus 20 percent in 2010), around half of adults would feel uncomfortable dating someone dealing with depression, and 23 percent reported that they would feel embarrassed telling someone that they were diagnosed with depression. I suspect the true number, or at least the number at Georgetown, would be much higher.

And while the stigma seems to be diminishing—at least in opinion polling, where people know what the pollster wants them to say—the issue itself is only getting worse. Last year, Stony Brook

University hospitalized three students in three days around final exam period for psychiatric reasons. All across the country, university mental health centers are reporting steady increases in the number of students coming in for serious mental issues like lifelong psychological trauma, eating disorders, self-injury, and suicide attempts. In days past, such centers largely dealt with comingof-age crises and the aftermath of messy breakups. Now, 44 percent of existing cases involve serious mental illness, up from 16 percent in 2000. Yet while the numbers grow, the university mental health systems established in decades past generally have not grown to meet new demand. Although at Georgetown, appointments can be scheduled within three days, some colleges have waiting lists weeks long.

The upward trend in the prevalence of mental illness in college students mirrors the trend in the general population, but other factors are likely at work. It could possibly be only that more problems are being recognized and treated, but experts say that, in part, the

articles that they found insensitive toward minorities and women who had faced assault.

It was students who led the subsequent drive for institutional diversity initiatives on campus. Brian Kesten (COL ’10) started the Student Commission for Unity in 2007, which eventually developed into several working groups chaired by faculty and students aimed at increasing diversity at Georgetown in its academics, recruitment, and student life programs.

Not all students were on board with diversity initiatives. There were many students who decried the

idea of a diversity class requirement, and felt these initiatives dwarfed the importance of “diversity of thought.”

What is significant about this period of time is that students who thought Georgetown still had room for improvement on diversity issues had a platform on which to voice their opinions, through town halls and the ample real estate dedicated by student newspapers. During these years, discussion about diversity issues was vibrant, and I think these discussions made campus a better place.

As a senior at Georgetown, I find myself explaining what SCU stands for and what the protests of 2007 through 2009 were about to underclassmen, and I worry that the institutional memory of these events will not last. The SCU website’s domain name has expired, town halls addressing diversity initiatives are a thing of the past, and coverage of the progress of the diversity initiatives by the student press has dwindled down to a once-a-semester update.

In 2011, many students don’t think there are diversity problems at Georgetown. Kara Panzer (SFS ’14), who transferred to Georgetown from the American University in Cairo, said that Georgetown’s student population is as diverse as the Egyptian university, as well as the boarding school she attended for high school.

“I think people [at Georgetown] do tend to associate more with

people of similar backgrounds but I don’t think that people I’ve met here are limited in any way,” Panzer said. “I haven’t experienced any racism at Georgetown or witnessed any racism.”

There doesn’t seem to be any breaking news about diversity at Georgetown, which is both good and bad. For the most part, students are getting along. However, the lack of news obscures the room for improvement that still, and always, exists.

The absence of acts of racism does not mean that all students at Georgetown understand the specifics of growing up as a minority in the United States. It is unfortunate that the discussion of minority issues is sometimes relegated to classifying a statement as politically correct. This often happens during class discussions, and heavy-handedly simplifies the perspective of a minority community to whether or not a certain statement offends their identity. Being politically correct doesn’t correct mischaracterizations of the community, nor does it understand the culture of the community, and it does not recognize that the community is made up of individuals.

A nuanced understanding of the perspective of people from a different background means getting acquainted with and empathizing with a different story than your own. It requires a certain amount of curiosity.

new prevalence of prescription drugs has allowed students to go to college who wouldn’t have been able to a decade before. However, the most convincing factor is the rise of social networking. Despite Zuckerburg’s insistence that Facebook is bringing the world together, contemporary culture’s focus on online communication often serves to isolate. Instead of security in their community and friends, Facebook users can feel scrutinized by anyone at any time, damaging sense of community and sense of self.

While everyone experiences mental difficulties in college, mental illness is just that—an illness. We at Georgetown need to realize that no one chooses to be depressed any more than someone chooses to be tall. Then, maybe people who are coping with mental illness would be more willing to seek help from their mentors and their peers.

Connor Jones is a freshman in the College. He sincerely hopes that becoming Voices editor doesn’t drive him insane.

Political correctness muddles discussion of race on campus

by Holly Tao A few years back, several incidents pushed issues of race and diversity at Georgetown to the forefront of the campus’s mind. In 2007, the attack of a gay student on campus prompted the formation of the LGBTQ center at Georgetown. In the same year, some criticized the priorities of Georgetown students when a protest on the alcohol policy received more attention than a vigil for the Jena Six that was held on the same day. In 2008 and 2009, students protested the Hoya and the Georgetown Heckler for publishing satirical

Students and professors discuss issues of diversity in April 2011.

MAX BLODGETT

This open-mindedness is important for Georgetown students entering the workplace who will, more likely than not, end up working closely with people of different backgrounds. This curiosity is incredibly important for students who want to work in politics, who want to write policy, who want to be writers, and who want to be leaders of their field.

Many students have engaged in meaningful relationships with people of backgrounds different from their own. Joohee Kim (SFS ’13) feels that there aren’t any barriers for students of different races to form friendships at Georgetown. However, Kim also said that these friendships mean stepping outside of a certain comfort zone, and that it is easier to form friendships with people of the same race. “You don’t have to explain [cultures and customs to them] because life has already done it,” she said.

Four years ago, the push for institutional diversity initiatives was a student led-effort. In 2011, Hoyas should follow this tradition and continue pushing themselves and their classmates to expand their cultural horizons.

Holly Tao is a senior in the College. During interviews, she can reduce Georgetown administrators to tears with one critical question.

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Faster-than-light particles may contradict Einstein himself

by Alex Zajac It was rumored that only three people in the world have understood Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it,” physicist Niels Bohr once said. Quantum theory is now recognized as the most significant advancement in physics of the last century, yet recent experiments in Europe suggest that neutrinos can travel faster than light, in seeming violation of quantum theory and Einstein’s equations.

When Newton first introduced his Law of Gravitation, no time was required for a gravitational interaction to take place. If the sun were to explode, the Earth would instantly “know” and veer off-course, according to Newton. Theoretically, then, it would be possible to send information instantaneously across the universe. But in the early twentieth century, Einstein proposed a new theory. Experiments had recently confirmed that whether the observer was moving or not, light appeared to travel at the same speed. Einstein thus inferred that,

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The CERN ATLAS, a device designed to detect massive emission particles.

An N64 to fall back on Over Thanksgiving break, my roommates sent me home with a request. Actually, it was more like an order: “Don’t come back unless you bring your Nintendo 64.”

The Nintendo 64 was first released 15 years ago. We already had a nice, modern Xbox 360 hooked up to our television, but my roommates (and myself, to be honest) were still borderline obsessed with being able to Mario Party like we were six years old.

We want to play N64 for the same reason why countless college students shelled out $15 to see the Lion King 3D, and why Beavis and Butt-head has new episodes running on MTV—we used to enjoy these things, and we want to enjoy them again.

Nostalgia is an inevitable part of growing up. I’m sure

there were twentysomethings in Elizabethan England who commiserated about how awesome the “classic” Shakespeare plays of their youth were. I also know that, as a college senior, I’m right in the middle of the demographic Tornado Alley for the swirling winds of youthful remembrance. But even so, I think nostalgia is more prevalent than ever, not just in my life, but in the culture-at-large.

And as much fun as I have kicking my roommate’s ass in Mario Tennis, I can’t help but think all this looking back has a hidden cost.

It’s certainly easier than ever to be nostalgic. Thanks to the internet, I can access pretty much any ‘90s cultural artifact in a matter of seconds. A quick Google search will not only turn up dozens of links

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for observers in motion, distances must shorten and time must slow down. Moreover, he proposed that objects require more and more energy to increase their speed as they near the speed of light (except for photons, the massless particles of light), and objects would need an infinite amount of energy to accelerate to light speed. Hence, nothing except light would be able to travel at light speed.

While scientists were slow to accept his radical proposals (Einstein’s Nobel Prize was actually for his work on the photoelectric effect, not for his Theory of Relativity), they eventually became the dominant form of physics, and were confirmed when laboratories showed that protons and electrons could not be accelerated to light speed.

This last September, however, Switzerland-based European science consortium CERN measured the time it took neutrinos emitted from its large hadron collider to travel to Italy. According to the New York Times, their results were about 58 nanoseconds faster than light would have travelled. Moreover, a second experiment, designed

to watch Space Jam, but hundreds of like-minded individuals sharing YouTube clips and creepily detailed Toon Squad box scores.

If I can’t find something from my past online for free, there will certainly be someone willing to sell it to me. There’s no shortage of people willing to pay to relive their past either.

Carrying On

by Tim Shine A rotating column by Voice senior staffers

Disney re-releases are hardly a new trend—Snow White alone has had eight theatrical runs since 1937—but Lion King 3D’s success was unprecedented.

With box office sales of $94 million and counting, Disney has already committed to similar re-releases of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.

The phenomenon may be even more prominent on the small screen. Beavis and Butt-head is just one example, and at this point, they’re almost running out of television shows to revive—seriously, NBC just announced a Munsters reboot.

So what’s the problem with the nostalgia overload? For

to rule out a potential problem involving the bursts of neutrinos emitted, produced a time 62 nanoseconds shorter than that of light, seemingly confirming the previous result.

While testing still remains to be done, this experiment could have a far-reaching effect. NASA, for example, is working on sending astronauts to Mars and satellites to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to earth. If particles can travel faster than light, then Einstein’s equations might be mere approximations of a more general law of physics, just as Newton’s equations are approximations of Einstein’s laws. NASA may need to use more precise equations when calculating the trajectories of their spacecrafts.

If traveling faster than light is possible, space travel may be easier because there would no longer be a speed limit on objects sent into space. Additionally, information might be able to travel faster than light. Today, cell phones, the internet, and GPS devices use photon exchange to send data, so information travels at light speed.

Future technology, however, could

once, it’s not the creative bankruptcy of entertainment companies—that would still persist even if remakes and re-releases were banned by law. No, the nostalgia problem begins with us, the consumers. The entertainment industry is just giving us what we want: our pasts, repackaged as comfort food. In excess, this nostalgic consumption becomes more like a drug.

Familiarity is easy to fall back on. Revisiting the cultural touchstones of our past not only allows us to enjoy them again, but it brings back enjoyable memories as well, reinforcing the pleasure of an activity like watching Hey Arnold on Netflix. The problem is that nostalgia is basically empty calories. It makes us feel good, but the reward is short-lived.

Without finding new things to like, we’re not forming those same memories that make nostalgia so comforting. It’s not as easy to seek out the new, and there’s a chance that the new will suck, but it’s ultimately more rewarding.

I’m not recommending abandoning the past—I’m listening to a Spotify playlist of ‘90s hits as I write this. Nostalgia is perfectly acceptable in moderation. Sometimes it’s even necessary, as forgetting

use neutrinos to exchange this information. While the difference in speed may not be noticeable on earth, communications with satellites and distant space probes could be greatly expedited.

As exciting as this discovery is, much of the news hype is mere speculation. In fact, one laboratory has disputed the experiment’s results because the neutrinos had the same energy when they left CERN as when they arrived in Italy. If they were indeed traveling faster than light, they should have emitted energy en route and arrived in Italy with less energy than they had when they departed. So, while it may be too early to throw out Einstein’s laws, scientific discovery occurs when data is uncovered that contradicts accepted theory. The experiments at CERN may very well usher in the next revolution in theoretical physics, just as Einstein’s equations did a century ago.

Alex Zajac is a freshman in the College. Mostly, he’s just excited to use neutrinos to send messages to aliens.

what you used to like can be just as bad as constantly reliving it.

One of the reasons I think that the nostalgia industry, for lack of a better phrase, has kicked into overdrive in recent years is that the same tools that make recalling the past so easy also make it more necessary. The internet has accelerated culture—we have access to unlimited content, and it moves into and out of our lives quicker than ever before.

Nostalgia is a coping mechanism. It comforts us by halting the pace of our lives.

The problem is that we can’t really escape from modern culture, and the crutch of nostalgia only prevents us from fully embracing it. I want to avoid nostalgia because actually engaging with the present offers opportunities that my past self couldn’t dream of. Now is the time to actually enjoy things that I can be nostalgic about for the rest of my life.

Until that happens, though, N64 is awesome.

Tim Shine is a senior in the MSB. He’s mostly nostalgic for the days of Britney Spears and *NSYNC, but he’ll never tell.