Articles by: skline

 

• I’d Rather Be Eating: Coyote Grill and Cantina

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  Time and again, internationally renowned music group Celtic Woman has won the hearts of Patriot Center audiences. They perform at the arena every year, and returned Saturday, for their latest American tour “Believe”. Celtic Woman is an all-female singing sensation, comprised of three vocalists — Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe and Susan McFadden — as well as effervescent violinist Mairead Nesbitt. As the show started, bright, multi-colored lights shined into the audience. The raised stage was set with veiled curtains, and drum sets towered over on side platforms. With slow and careful grace, Nesbitt played the violin, with accompaniment from a piano, a guitar, drums and a haunting tin whistle. Nesbitt, wearing a sparkling, baby blue dress, smiled at the ever-receptive audience. Seconds later, the three vocalists stepped out while singing their high-energy opening number “Awakening.” Agnew, Lambe and McFadden wore a pink dress, lavender dress and purple dress respectively. The audience was in for a treat. The appreciation between the audience members and Celtic Woman was mutual. “We’re delighted to be back in Fairfax and to bring our show to you,” said Agnew, 22, Celtic Woman’s youngest member. “I hope you can all take something special from it.” Celtic Woman […]

   

• Students Turn to Online Shopping

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  Online shopping has become one of the most viable forms of commerce. Almost all major stores have online sister sites, some even having special offers only available on their website. According to a September 2011 article by Orange Collar Media, Americans spent $186 billion online shopping in 2010. During college, money can be tight. Combine that with students not having cars, and it can be difficult to even get to stores nearby. That is when most of us turn to the Internet. Nowadays, almost anything can be purchased online from food to technology to clothing, which is quite convenient in a college setting. In fact, according to the same Orange Collar Media article, clothing is the most purchased item on the Internet. There are thousands of clothing stores on the web, many of which are strictly online. While the web offers convenience, there are some experiences that factor in to the decision to go into an actual store. “I enjoy shopping online at places like Wet Seal,” said freshman psychology major Katelyn Squicciarini, “but I like going to the store better. I enjoy trying on the clothing.” Of course, there is another side to that coin. “I prefer online shopping […]

   

• The Ultimate Party Movie?

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:20 pm Comments are Disabled

  Flame thrower — check.  Mayhem — check.  Best party movie ever — two out of three isn’t bad. It’s so disappointing to report that “Project X” doesn’t rise to the lofty expectations it set for itself. That’s not to say it’s a bad movie, but with comparisons to “Superbad” and “The Hangover” in the trailers, the film set its own bar too high. If you’ve somehow managed to not see the trailers for “Project X,” it’s the story of three dudes — because it’s always three — who set out to have a small party in an attempt to become popular, but end up throwing the kind of party most fraternities only dream about. The gags are plentiful, and there are more than enough WTF moments. In particular, the pint-sized security team played by Brady Hender and Nick Nervies steals the show. If “Project X” had focused more on concocting original material — like it did with the security team — and spent less time trying to duplicate something that already exists, it could have been this year’s best R-rated comedy. The real problem with this move lies in the three leads. “Superbad” and “The Hangover” worked because we cared […]

   

• Button Mashing: Mass Effect 3

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  “Mass Effect 3” is right around the corner, and for some gamers, this is the best news they’ve heard in a while. For those unfamiliar with the “Mass Effect” series, this is a great time to get caught up and weigh the decision to jump into the battle to save the galaxy. The original “Mass Effect” was released in November 2007 and earned 91 out of a possible 100 points on the Metacritic rating scale. The storyline of the original game unfolds several hundred years in the future as you take control of a male or female version of the game’s protagonist, Commander Sheppard. Humankind has made technical leaps and bounds; space travel has become instant; and alien technology has finally been found on Mars. When a Prothean Beacon is unearthed on the Earth-like colony of Eden Prime, it is revealed that Saren Arterious, a Spectre — agents who are entrusted with great authority by the Galactic Council — has gone rogue and is leading a race of artificial intelligent aliens known as the Geth. Saren’s purpose behind this attack was to use the beacon and find clues that would lead him to the Conduit, the key component in reviving […]

   

• Third Annual GBAY is Great Success

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  Raising your hand is a universal way of saying you would like to be heard. When you add in money and items of value, that raised hand is a universal way of saying, “Mine.” The third annual George Mason University GBAY auction drew a large crowd of faculty and students Thursday night fand earned XXXX for Mason’s scholarship fund.  At the time of this printing, the exact amount raised could not be obtained. In addition to the money raised through the auction, all proceeds from Dippin’ Dots ice cream sales during the event went to the scholarship fund. Items up for bid ranged from autographed Mason sports memorabilia to lunch with President Alan Merten. The lunch with Merten sparked a bidding war that ended with a final bid of $150 from junior psychology major Alex Thomas. “I’m really pumped,” Thomas said. “One of my friends and I talked about it and we got one other person to chip in, so it’s only $50 a piece. Besides, it’s lunch with the president who’s done so much for the school over the past 18 years.” One student — a member of Mason’s crew of green-and-gold-morph-suit-wearing G-Men who frequent Mason basketball games — […]

   

• Snookinomics

  Editorials March 8, 2012 at 1:00 pm Comments are Disabled

  Imagine a person who embodies all the virtues of free-market capitalism. I’m guessing Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is at the bottom of your list. Let me explain why she should be at the top. Snooki is a great example of the relationship between wages and productivity, which is one of the tightest statistical correlations in the social sciences. You might not like the fact that Snooki gets paid millions of dollars to get drunk and make imprudent decisions. However, if she weren’t incredibly productive, MTV wouldn’t be paying her a dime. MTV doesn’t pay Snooki millions as an expression of altruism. It pays her millions because she produces droves of a good for which consumer demand is exceptionally high: entertainment. Snooki has generated more economic activity over the past few years than many of us will in an entire lifetime. Consider how many people are employed as a direct result of the immense popularity of “Jersey Shore” — directors, producers, cameramen, film editors and publicists, not to mention all of the people working for companies whose products Snooki endorses. This is to say nothing of Viacom’s shareholders, who saw the company’s domestic ad revenues go up by eight percent in 2010, […]

   
• 

  Sub-Radio Standard Wins the Battle of the Bands

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 12:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  On Friday night, five talented bands battled for the chance to open for this year’s Mason Day headliner. From indie to rap/rock, the five gave their all and delivered a stellar show. Walking into the ballroom on the top floor of The Hub (Sub II), students passed by tables offering giveaways. Posters, CDs and sample-size sticks of deodorant were available for students to grab while they jammed out to awesome tunes. The Summer Floods kicked things off with some mellow but engaging indie rock. Longtime readers of Broadside might have recognized front man Ramy Zabarah, the former editor of the style section. Their second song of the evening “It’s a Hurricane!” was a highlight of the set. With a midlevel tempo and Zabarah’s vocals adding to the ambience of the moment, the entire crowd swayed and swooned for the remainder of their performance. With each band only getting 20 minutes to perform, everyone had to bring their A game to win over the judges. As The Summer Floods playlist came to an end, the lights shifted and the crowd migrated to the other end of the room where The 6th Degree kicked things off. Dreamy — that’s the best way […]

   

• Disney Creates the Norm

  Editorials March 8, 2012 at 12:53 pm Comments are Disabled

  We were all five once — that age when we were transfixed by beloved Disney characters. The funny thing is that back then, we probably never realized how these children’s movies perpetuate the privileged status of heterosexuality. “Heterosexuality is constructed through hetero-romantic love relationships as exceptional, powerful, magical, and transformative,” said Karin A. Martin and Emily Kazyak, the authors of “Hetero-Romantic Love and Heterosexiness in Children’s G-Rated Films.” The researchers explained that by the time children enter elementary school, they have a general heteronormative understanding of the world. “Heteronormativity structures social life so that heterosexuality is always assumed, expected, ordinary and privileged,” Martin and Kazyak said. “Its pervasiveness makes it difficult for people to imagine other ways of life.” Many people claim they support their children in whatever relationship choice they make, but it’s important to note that these same people also show their children Disney movies, thereby reinforcing a heteronormative worldview. Parents and guardians are often unaware of the heteronormative effect of the media. They view these movies as nothing more than entertainment. They fail to see that these very media are helping to shape their children’s identities at an early age. So how do these movies influence identity? […]

   

• Humiliating the Film Industry

  Editorials March 8, 2012 at 12:52 pm Comments are Disabled

  In cinema today, there are some spectacular actors. They light up the screen and always put on terrific performances. This article is not about them. This article is about the scum of the screen. It’s about the worst actors of our generation. It’s about those actors who can single-handedly ruin a movie. Let’s count them down, shall we? Number five: Keanu Reeves. There are a couple reasons Keanu Reeves does not rank higher on this list. The first is that all the other actors are just worse than he is. The second is “The Matrix” — just “The Matrix,” — not the “Matrix Reloaded,” “Matrix Revolutions” or “Enter the Matrix.” And definitely not “Constantine,” “Speed” or “Something’s Gotta Give.” Other than “The Matrix,” Keanu has produced, at best, mediocre films with poor plot lines and bad acting. Not to mention he looks like a homeless person 90 percent of the time. Number four: Paul Walker. Let’s talk about the “The Fast and the Furious” movies for a hot second. I’ll go ahead and say it: Those movies are straight up amazing. Like, incredible. I love those movies, all five of them. They’re so good. They are wildly entertaining and a […]

   

• Fighting the Fat: Calorie Counts on Menus

  Editorials March 8, 2012 at 12:48 pm 1 comment

  In 2008, New York and California passed laws requiring restaurant chains with more than 15 and 20 locations respectively to post calorie counts on their menus, the idea being that with access to such information, customers would make healthier decisions when ordering. A study published in 2011 in the British Medical Journal surveyed roughly 8,000 New Yorkers and determined that one in six customers pays attention to calorie counts when ordering. Those who considered this information consumed, on average, 106 calories fewer than those who did not. These results are promising, although not stellar, for those fighting against the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Would this law be beneficial in Virginia? To answer this question, we must first examine the two stakeholders that would be affected: restaurant chains with more than 15 or 20 locations and the customers who dine in them. The laws in New York and California have inconvenienced restaurant chains, particularly smaller chains that lack the necessary capital to make drastic changes to their printed menus. Restaurants in New York can be fined up to $2,000 for violations running the gamut from neglecting to post calorie counts to printing the information too small. The problem lies not […]