Articles by: jdavis15

 

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  Fearless: GMU students, ROTC cadets rappel down side of Fenwick Library

  News1 September 27, 2010 at 2:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  Two by two, Patriots scaled Fenwick library. The 90-foot western wall provided an intense training exercise and exhibition for Patriot’s Day at George Mason University. Rappelling is a core training event for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. “This training teaches students [cadets] how to challenge themselves and trust their training and leaders,” said Major Paul Kremer, the professor of Military Science at the Patriot ROTC Battalion. This training was not limited to cadets of the Patriot battalion. Anyone willing to sign a liability waiver could rappel. “This is a chance for students to experience something different and to see if they are interested in the army,” Kremer said. “There are a lot of smiling faces, and that is what we’re looking for.” Rappelling is an inherently dangerous activity. Safety was a paramount concern. Before anyone was allowed to get near the ropes they were instructed on safety procedures, how to tie their “swiss seat” harness and inspected by the staff at several stations, Kremer said. The event drew a large crowed of onlookers, and those who wished to sample the ROTC experience. “It was a chance to do something fun,” said freshman Nick Nicholson. “It was kind of a […]

   

• Words for Smart People: Words to woo her … or not

  Lifestyle September 20, 2010 at 6:51 pm Comments are Disabled

  ­­School is back in session, and you are both single and ready to mingle. You go to a party and start hitting on a cute girl with glasses. Somewhere in the conversation, she mentions her favorite movie is Cyrano de Bergerac and, as you shamefully tell her yours is The Waterboy, you realize that she is way out of your league (academically, at least). For those of you who spent your high school years watching Oprah and eating Oreos instead of reading Descartes and analyzing the finer characteristics of Fauvist paintings, here are some words that you can throw around in your conversation to make you look like less of a dummy. Anomalous means out of the ordinary or not normal. For example, you could say, “Listening to the guy at the bar dressed in Civil War regalia is an anomalous way to get dating advice.” Incorrigible is used to describe something that cannot be corrected. Use it to say something like, “My calculus teacher said there were so many mistakes on my exam, it was practically incorrigible.” Describing something as lugubrious means it is mournful or gloomy. “The kid at Starbucks with the My Chemical Romance T-shirt is looking […]

   

• From The Vault: Step Right Up!

  Lifestyle September 20, 2010 at 6:49 pm Comments are Disabled

  Hardly anyone can tell what channel The Game Show Network is. Some do not even know this channel exists. Most popular game shows today, like Deal or No Deal, Minute to Win It or Wipe Out appear on basic cable channels like ABC and NBC. While these shows still manage to excite with their million dollar offers, loud music and crazy antics, game shows today work too hard to get and hold our attention. The only game shows that exist today that have the potential to be “classic” later on are intellectual shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Three game shows of the ‘70s and ‘80s serve as perfect examples of a game show worth seeing week after week and 30 years later (that’s right, on the Game Show Network). The first is Match Game. Its biggest strength was its simplicity, which is the first thing that separates it from what we are used to today. Two contestants fill in the blank in a funny anecdote and try to match the answers that six celebrities have written down. The one who matches the most celebs wins. The biggest thing that made this show a classic was the host Gene […]

   
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  WANTED: A GLIMPSE OF THE KID: Fast-selling CFA show leaves Kid Cudi tickets in high demand for students

  Lifestyle September 20, 2010 at 6:46 pm Comments are Disabled

  An Evening with Kid Cudi, the much anticipated music event organized by George Mason University’s University Life and the Office of Student Involvement, is quickly approaching and excitement is in the air. According to the Director of the Office of Student Involvement Lauren Long, tickets for the event were only available for 10 hours before the Center for the Arts sold out its Concert Hall. While most students were too late, some are still trying different ways to acquire those tickets. “I was out of town when the tickets went on sale,” said junior global affairs major Deena El-Rashed. “When I got back, they were sold out. I tried posting a Facebook status asking if anyone had an extra ticket, but it turned out everyone else on Facebook was also looking for extra tickets.” While Facebook might be a relatively effective way to find tickets, students may have to result to other ways such as Craigslist or third party ticket sellers like Stub Hub, where tickets for the event are being sold for $150. Many students are upset that the tickets sold out so quickly, thinking perhaps Kid Cudi should be performing at a larger venue such as the Patriot […]

   
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  Fall for the Book speakers to see

  Lifestyle September 20, 2010 at 6:41 pm Comments are Disabled

  Each year, the annual Fall for the Book festival sees a bump in attendance. Most years, in fact, the increase is by a thousand or more. But for Art Taylor, marketing director for the event, this year has some new excitement. “While quality is the hallmark of all of our author participants … we’re also excited when authors that we’re proud of and enthusiastic about also capture a wide public enthusiasm as well.” For the past decade, Fall for the Book, organized by the City of Fairfax and George Mason University, has worked to bring well-known authors and up-and-comers to the area to give festival attendees an inside look at the writing and publishing process. In addition to nationally-recognized authors, Fall for the Book gives Mason professors a chance to publicize their own work. “Events will feature Mason professors showcasing their own works and alumni talking about their experiences,” said Taylor. “Lee Thomas, a Mason alum who’s now an Emmy Award-winning TV reporter in New York, [appeared] on Sunday, and several [alumni] of Mason’s MFA program in creative writing will read from their recent works on Thursday afternoon.” But ultimately, the festival aims to work with the university to bring […]

   
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  Band of brothers: First season of club paintball gets underway

  Sports September 20, 2010 at 6:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  “Intense paintball action. Team building to the extreme. Working on communication skills under fire.” These phrases from Matt Hardman and Alexander Wagenknecht, the captains and founders of George Mason University’s new club paintball team, give a face and an attitude to one of Mason’s newest club teams. This time last year, Hartman wanted to form a team to compete with the thriving paintball programs at Virginia schools like Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia and the dominating team at Liberty University. He looked into seeing how to create the team and, with the help of some other players he found by online forums and word-of-mouth, went to Mason’s club sports coordinator Bob Spousta. He and his team put money up front for tournament entry fees and hotel costs, hoping to get funding for the 2010-11 season. They received partial funding at the club sports meetings and went on to make their schedule for the season. A thousand dollars or more for a gun, $200 for a tank, $200 for hoppers, $100 for a mask, $70 for a jersey and plenty of money for other necessary recurring expenses like paint and the use of a field are just […]

   
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  Mason looks to tip Terps

  Sports September 20, 2010 at 6:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  After a strong performance against No. 1 Virginia (2-0-1) in an exhibition game, the George Mason men’s soccer team proved they can compete with any team they face, especially in the ACC. This holds true for another ACC and top-10 matchup at No. 7 Maryland (2-1-1) on Tuesday. The Patriots (3-1-0) have relied on CAA Rookie of the Week Sean Cote in goal as he held George Washington scoreless in his 45 minutes in goal as well as a shutout in his first start at American. Cote adds to a 2010 recruiting class ranked #13th in the nation, including key additions forward Wes Sever, defender/midfielder Alex Herrera, defender Zak Haapaoja and forward Hugh Roberts. As for upperclassmen, the Patriots have a talented array of scorers including sophomore forward Taylor Morgan, senior forward Parker Walton and senior forward Victor Freeman, who led the Patriots with 7 goals last season. The Terrapins return nine starters from last year including Jason Herrick and Matt MacMath as well as Casey Townsend, the ACC All-Freshmen team member in 2008, who missed 7 games with a leg injury in 2009. Last season, Maryland made a NCAA Tournament appearance and fell in the Elite 8 to eventual […]

   

• Wide Word of Sports: The epitome of cowardice

  Sports September 20, 2010 at 6:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  There is something about watching sports that makes us all hang on to the edge of our seats, just waiting for the next incredible play. We’re waiting for that game-saving catch or that series-winning shot that people will rave about for years to come. But, like I said back in August, we all thoroughly enjoy watching particular athletes crash and burn. Not literally, of course. Though I could certainly make a joke about Tom Brady’s car accident here and say something like, “I wonder if Gisele was chasing him with a football when he crashed his car.” But I won’t do that because he got in a car accident. There is absolutely nothing funny about that. What is funny, though, is that LeBron James now lingers among the top five of Most Disliked Athletes in the industry. According to the Q Scores Company, an organization that measures the general popularity of athletes, James used to be one of the most-liked athletes. But since “The Decision” on July 8, his reputation has sank to a valley so low that it rivals the reputation of Kobe Bryant, an admitted adulterer and an accused rapist. The only difference is that Bryant is the […]

   

• Letters to the editor – Sept. 20 issue

  Editorials September 20, 2010 at 6:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  Moore and the spaghetti monster Mr. Moore’s insulting attack on the Flying Spaghetti Monster is both troubling and disturbing to those students that have been touched by his noodley appendage. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Pastafarianism, is just as real as any other religion and very relevant. In a pluralistic society that prides itself on inclusion and religious tolerance, Mr. Moore’s article has no place in polite circles. Attacks on the belief structure of any other religion would be met with disapproval by other student organizations. I can only hope that there is a similar outcry against this senseless attack on the followers of the FSM. Perhaps Mr. Moore needs to realize that we are a secular society and that a belief in something without any empirical evidence does not qualify him as a spokesman for anything. The Secular Student Alliance does believe in fostering tolerance between religious faiths, it simply does not believe in the need for divine intercession to determine good behavior. Christians in particular are quick to call anything that doesn’t give deference to a non-existent sky fairy an attack on their faith. It is not; it is simply a statement of belief. I […]

   

• Activists fight for Appalachia: EAG wants you in the fight against mountaintop removal

  Editorials September 20, 2010 at 6:04 pm Comments are Disabled

  From Sept. 25-27, members of the Environmental Action Group will be participating in Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization in the District of Columbia to end mountaintop removal mining, a devastating form of coal production. Unlike traditional mining that extracts coal from underground, mountaintop removal mining does exactly what the name implies: The tops of mountains are blown off in order to reach the seams of coal underneath. Not only is mountaintop removal mining an environmental catastrophe, it is also a violation of human rights x it destroys the homeland of coalfield residents and damages their health through toxic substances that contaminate their air and water. To date, more than 500 mountains in Appalachia have been destroyed, over 2,000 square miles of streams and rivers have been buried and an estimated area in excess of 1 million acres lies in ruin. The goal of Appalachia Rising is to demand a permanent end to mountaintop removal and a just transition to a clean energy economy in Appalachia. Appalachia Rising will consist of two major parts. The first part will focus on providing participants with the skills they need to be effective allies in the fight against mountaintop removal mining. On Saturday, informational […]