Articles by: jdavis15

Freshman Midfielder Has Found a New Family at Mason

Sports October 3, 2011 at 11:22 pm Comments are Disabled

RICHMOND, Va. — When most freshmen walk on campus, their aim is to find new friends, find off-campus parties and overcome homesickness. When Verneri Valimaa, the Patriots’ midfielder, walked onto campus, he was met by a family that was already in place. That was, in fact, one of the reasons he chose to call George Mason Universtiy his home in September of his senior year in high school. While Mason’s assistant coach and main recruiter, Nick Carlin-Voigt, went all-in on Valimaa, it was not the Floridian’s only offer. He may be as good in class as he is on the field. He was staring down offers from the likes of Ivy League schools like Harvard and major conference schools like teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was a member of the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society while attending American Heritage Academy. The academy was ranked first for Mu Alpha Theta in private schools and second when private schools were thrown in to the mix. “Verneri was injured his sophomore year and ended up having a great senior year and being named Gatorade Player of the Year,” Carlin-Voigt said. “He’s a player that had ACC interest. He could’ve gone […]
It’s Time to Stop Worshipping at the Altar of Objectivism

Editorials October 3, 2011 at 11:19 pm 3 comments

Nothing really inflamed me this week — but then again, I’ve had a pretty busy week. Between school and athletics, it can be tough to catch up on current events. I haven’t watched any presidential debates recently and haven’t given much thought concerning Michael Jackson’s death trial. I haven’t, this week, pondered the best way to relieve our country from its deficits nor have I disagreed with any peers or professors. (As you might be able to tell by now, I do disagree with everyone pretty often.) I did, however, notice a quote on a friend’s Facebook wall. It was a quote by Elizabeth Warren, a candidate running against Scott Brown in the U.S. Senate and it read: “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there — good for you! “But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces [sic] that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding […]
Facebook Is Your Life

Editorials October 3, 2011 at 11:19 pm Comments are Disabled

“Pimp My Ride” was a former MTV show hosted by rapper Xzibit. In each episode, Xzibit takes a lucky contestant’s beat-up clunker and completely rebuilds it — or “pimps” it. The finished product was then adorned with every gadget and upgrade possible. Whenever the car was re-introduced to its owner, Xzibit would slip a phrase that went something like: “Yo, dawg, I heard you like (fill in the blank), so I got you (fill in the blank with said like but in excessive quantities).” I found a comic with a picture of Xzibit with a caption over it reading “Yo, dawg, I heard you like Facebook, so we put a Facebook in the upper right of yo’ Facebook so you can Facebook while you Facebook.” So funny. So true. This Internet meme — a popular concept spread on the web — was calling attention to the ever-evolving applications of the social network. Creator Mark Zuckerburg has recently released a video letting us know what to expect with the coming changes so we’re not all flipping tables in rage and confusion. I plan on doing it regardless because I am set in my Facebooking ways. In his presentation, Zuckerburg explains what […]
Mainstream Sexism Is Leading Girls to Hurt Themselves For Beauty

Editorials October 3, 2011 at 11:18 pm Comments are Disabled

Persuasion is a means of social influence used to affect attitudes and beliefs. When persuasion permeates thinking, people adjust opinions, ideas, attitudes and then actions. This concept has been studied in depth for decades. Persuasion enables peace treaties, compels individuals to take part in everything from safe sex to wearing seatbelts and now, more than ever, it is planting images of the way in which people, women in particular, should look in order to receive maximum approval. Approval, after all, is the most basic criterion in molding how people think, and subsequently how they behave. According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point,” mass media has become viral. In other words, the images and information that are constantly bombarding an audience become settled opinions, creating the norm. Generally, viral marketing has been linked to word-of-mouth and to the Internet. It successfully provides a means of expanding brand awareness, duplicating ideas and spreading ideals to a broader audience. As you sit back in your La-Z-Boy and turn on the television, you are exposing yourself to advertisements, television shows and movies. With one flick of the remote, you are setting yourself up to be persuaded whether you realize it or not. Typically, people realize […]
There Is No ‘I’ In ‘We The People’

Editorials October 3, 2011 at 11:16 pm Comments are Disabled

Nothing really inflamed me this week — but then again, I’ve had a pretty busy week. Between school and athletics, it can be tough to catch up on current events. I haven’t watched any presidential debates recently and haven’t given much thought concerning Michael Jackson’s death trial. I haven’t, this week, pondered the best way to relieve our country from its deficits nor have I disagreed with any peers or professors. (As you might be able to tell by now, I do disagree with everyone pretty often.) I did, however, notice a quote on a friend’s Facebook wall. It was a quote by Elizabeth Warren, a candidate running against Scott Brown in the U.S. Senate and it read: “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there — good for you! “But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces [sic] that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding […]
The Next Watergate

Editorials October 3, 2011 at 11:15 pm Comments are Disabled

In 2009, the Department of Energy loaned $535 million in taxpayer money to Solyndra LLC, a solar panel manufacturer and former flagship for green energy. After running into major financial problems in late 2010, the company filed for bankruptcy this September. So how does such an unstable company receive over half a billion dollars from the federal government? As the story unfolds, it’s looking more and more like the Obama administration knew the risks associated with Solyndra and yet, still pushed the loan through with devious intentions. In front of a congressional committee, Solyndra executives refused to testify and pled the Fifth Amendment. You don’t plead the Fifth if you’ve done nothing nefarious; you only invoke that right to avoid incriminating yourself. There is clearly something sinister going on here. The Los Angeles Times now reports that even Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the poster boy for incompetence in this administration, expressed concern over awarding loans to companies like Solyndra. The Times discovered an internal battle between key administration officials over whether the loan program for green energy initiatives was too risky. A now- public internal memo showed that Geithner, along with Chief Economic Advisor Larry Summers and Chief of Staff […]
Where’s the Pride?

Editorials October 3, 2011 at 11:15 pm 1 comment

I got an email this week about buying a school ring, which led to a question forming in my head: Do people actually still buy those things? And just as a train of thoughts tends to do, my mind raced to other scholastic memorabilia like letterman jackets and on to school spirit in general. It’s just not looking good. When I was in high school, I was a varsity wrestler and my letterman jacket, with my varsity letter on it, was one of my most prized possessions. Call me crazy or cliche, but wearing that jacket helped me walk a little taller and added a little pep in my step. As a kid with a ton of confidence issues, it was like wearing a superhero costume. It gave me strength that I didn’t know I had. Then there was the ring dance. I’ve asked around and it turns out most people have no clue what the heck I’m talking about when I say “ring dance.” Once again, when I was 16 years old, the ring dance was a big deal. And I’m not coming across as too biased or just talking about the traditions at my school. It was a […]
Odds Are You’ll Enjoy 50/50

Lifestyle October 3, 2011 at 11:12 pm Comments are Disabled

Anyone who read my review of “Abduction” last week knows that I absolutely loved the movie “Drive.” I thought it was well-written, did an amazing amount with very little and it just seemed to buck the norm that had become the Hollywood standard of the action film. In much the same way “50/50” takes the “dramady” genre and kind of turns it on its head. I’ll let you guys know right up front though that I’m torn between “Drive” and “50/50” for my favorite film of the year thus far. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, who turns in a rather reeled-in performance considering what he is typically known for, the movie shows what happens when JGL’s character learns he has cancer and has a 50/50 shot of surviving. The thing about this movie is that it’s genuinely funny but never reaches for laughs. Even more impressive though is just how genuine the entire thing feels. You truly feel like these two people have been close friends for a long time and that Seth Rogen’s character is very invested in his friend’s well-being. Some of my favorite bits of the film, however, revolve around the relationship between JGL and his […]
What Makes Love Turn Sour

Lifestyle October 3, 2011 at 11:11 pm Comments are Disabled

When I first came to George Mason University as a freshman, I was as single as you could get. I went to parties with my girls, had nights in and then the inevitable first date popped up. I never really dated back home. It was more like this guy takes me to a dinner and movie, holds my hand and then, if we both liked each other enough, we became boyfriend-girlfriend. College is different, though. Single gals can go out with three different guys in two weeks and keep going out with them. That is, until they find the deal breaker. The deal breaker is the thing that you absolutely cannot stand about the other person which leads to the “It’s not you, it’s me” breakup line (or lie, depending on how you take it). For some people, such as myself, it’s kissing. If you’re a bad kisser then you can just forget about it. I don’t care if you’re sweet and charming, or humorous and handsome; if you kiss me in a way that leaves spit or bruises on my face, or if you have a tongue that just intrudes upon my mouth’s personal space by darting in and […]
Blink’s Grown Up — Have You?

Lifestyle October 3, 2011 at 11:10 pm Comments are Disabled

Blink-182 was one of those bands that helped pave the way for where my musical interests would go. They opened the flood gates and exposed to me bands like New Found Glory, NOFX, AFI and the countless others. When I pushed play on Blink’s new album, “Neighborhoods,” I knew the band that helped shape me was no more — but that doesn’t mean the one that showed up in their place is terrible. When the band members parted ways in 2004, my heart sank. You could literally hear the melancholy on their last single “Not Now.” Since that time we’ve had two albums from the Tom DeLonge lead Angels & Airwaves, as well as one album from Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker’s +44. I’m a fan of both bands for separate reasons, which is probably why I don’t hate what they’ve put out since teaming back up. This isn’t Blink-182 anymore; this is +44 with A&A doing a collaboration. DeLonge’s voice is still ghostly and carries the echo that has become synonymous with A&A. The music is edgier and more erratic, which was all over +44’s album. Just listen to the first single, “Up All Night.” You’ll hear exactly what […]