Articles by: sonya hudson

 

• Mason Edges Pride in Five Sets

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Staff Writer Prior to Thursday’s match at Springfield College, the George Mason University men’s volleyball team took on the Springfield Pride at the RAC and were unable to come up with a win in their three-game homestand. The Patriots (4-6, 2-2) started the match with a 2-0 lead and held on in five sets against the Pride (8-5, 2-3), winning with a score of 30-28, 31-29, 22-30, 27-30, 15-13. Mason had an extremely strong first set, recording 21 kills and a .436 hitting percentage. The Patriots rallied from being down 18-13 and 24-20 to force a deadlock tie at 24-all. Springfield regained the lead at 28-26, but Mason closed out the set with four consecutive points. The team continued its early success with another exceptional performance in the second set. As a team, the Patriots hit .500 with 18 kills and just two attack errors. However, the Pride roared back from the two-set deficit with 19 kills in the third set and 16 kills in the fourth for .516 and .325 hitting percentages, respectively. While the opposition struggled to score points off kills in the fifth set, Mason gave up seven unforced errors that kept the Pride […]

   

• Run, Kimmy, Run: The New Track & Field Metric: Moss Per Hour

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor On your mark, get set, go! For junior Kimmy Moss, a member of the women’s soccer team and track team, the world, in a continuous motion, features dynamic characteristics. While her athleticism is vastly beneficial to her success, Moss’ ability to adjust and turn the corner from start to finish has been equally vital in her role as a two-sport athlete. Moss, a tri-sport athlete when she attended Broad Run High School, was named to the first-team All-Met, All-State, All-District and All-Region in her junior and senior seasons and garnered District Player of the Year honors in her junior year while amassing 12 goals and 47 assists in her four years with the Spartans. Moss came to George Mason University looking for the opportunity in soccer to be part of a competitive team and to contribute individually. “I definitely wanted to play Division I soccer, but [since Mason is] not at the bottom and not necessarily at the top tier like the ACC teams, I knew coming in I could play and be an immediate impact,” said Moss. In her first year with Mason, Moss started three of her 14 appearances and managed only three […]

   

• Reluctant Refereeing: Game Light on Fouls until End as Huskies Top Patriots

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:36 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Staff Writer After 18 consecutive Colonial Athletic Association victories at the Patriot Center, the George Mason Patriots men’s basketball team dropped their third straight home game on Saturday afternoon in a nail-biting 50-48 finish to the Northeastern Huskies. The Patriots conclude the regular season with a 17-13 overall record and a 12-6 conference record, while the Huskies improved to 19-11 overall and 14-4 in the CAA. Mason held a slim 48-45 advantage with 25 seconds left to play when senior guard Matt Janning canned a deep range 3-pointer to knot the game at 48. The Patriots held the ball at the top of the key as the clock wound down before freshman forward Luke Hancock made a strong move toward the rim. Hancock’s shot rimmed out and a missed dunk attempt by sophomore Mike Morrison allowed Northeastern one last desperation heave with five seconds to go. Junior Chaisson Allen pulled up short of the 3-point line and drew a questionable foul call on Patriots’ sophomore forward Ryan Pearson. Allen knocked down two of three free throws with less than one second to go to seal the deal for the Huskies. “I thought we did everything we needed to […]

   

• Rebuttal to Climategate Response: Bring It On: ‘Debate on the Hypocrisy of Anthropogenic Global Warming’

  Editorials March 1, 2010 at 2:30 pm Comments are Disabled

  Alan Moore, Staff Writer Apparently, there are still a minor few out there who drink the climate change alarmist Kool-Aid. While people like George Mason University Sustainability Assistant Colin Bennett and seemingly the entire Office of Sustainability would prefer to mudsling, I am happy to level some truth. I’m thrilled to report that support for this eco-radical farce is dwindling and that the lies are being exposed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, recently came under attack by one of its former lead supporters, John Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. “The temperature records,” Christy insists, “cannot be relied on as indicators of global change.” IPCC then asked Professor Ross McKitrick of the University of Guelph in Canada to formally review its latest report. “We concluded,” said McKitrick in his review, “with overwhelming statistical significance, that the IPCC’s climate data are contaminated with surface effects from industrialization and data quality problems. These add up to a large warming bias.” In other words, the IPCC scientists lied, much like Mr. Bennett has done. I understand why Mr. Bennett is upset that I called for his office to be eliminated. I also understand […]

   

• Spirituality As I See It: A Walk Through GMU Campus is a Personal Pilgrimage

  Editorials March 1, 2010 at 2:25 pm Comments are Disabled

  Vincent Ali, Broadside Correspondent Every day I walk the paths of George Mason University waiting for someone to hand me a flier explaining why I should follow their path to God and leave my heathen lifestyle behind without a second thought. I politely listen to them, giving them a chance to convince me. However many times I am approached, their aim is always the same. A five-minute conversation to convince me to change my ways is not an effective method to change the beliefs I have had for the past 23 years. How can you possibly fathom the idea that I will change my life after five minutes? It blows my freaking mind. Half of the time it feels like these preachers just want more people to join their following. They see it as a way to strengthen their faith, even though they assure me that they are just trying to spread the word. It is kind of selfish when I look at it that way. Most of my experiences with religion and spirituality have been pretty generic. Someone comes up to me saying that they have the cure to all of life’s problems — all you have to do […]

   

• Great Mason Dates: Students Weigh in On Their Favorite Date Ideas

  Lifestyle March 1, 2010 at 2:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  This list contains the top 10 affordable ($30 or less) date ideas accessible by George Mason University transportation, which were received by Sexual Assault Services during Healthy Relationships Week. 1. For lunch, walk to University Mall to Otani Japanese Steak House and get the hibachi ($7 each, or less if you use a 10 percent off coupon found in the Mason coupon pamphlet book). Next, see a movie at the University Mall theaters ($2 each on Tuesdays). Then take the Mason shuttle to the Vienna Metro and go to Ibiza nightclub for a night of dancing (free if you go before 11 p.m.). [Bri Green] 2. Take the Mason shuttle to the Vienna metro and ride it down to U-Street to eat at Ben’s Chili Bowl (cheap food, historical location) and enjoy a walk downtown. The U-Street district is beautiful and full of D.C. culture. [Melissa Edwards] 3. Here’s a great idea for a ‘home date’: get some arts and crafts supplies from a craftstore (like Michael’s), a pizza and make fun crafts for each other in the comfort of your own home. [Nicholas Brightwell] 4. Go to Fat Tuesday’s at University Mall across the street. Two shrimp po’ boys […]

   

• The Crazy Heart of Jeff Bridges

  Lifestyle March 1, 2010 at 2:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer This year, Los Angeles native Jeff Bridges is the forerunner for the Best Actor award for his role as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart. For fans like me, this attention, praise and heaps of “shoo-in” talk is a long time coming. A major Hollywood presence since 1971 with the release of The Last Picture Show (where he starred with his brother Beau), Bridges has been a fan favorite for decades. Besides his Best Supporting Actor nomination for Show, Bridges has also been nominated for 1974’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, a car-theft thriller that featured alongside the great Clint Eastwood, and 2000’s The Contender. He also earned the first of his two Best Actor nominations for the sci-fi film Starman in 1984. Following several flops in the early to mid-90s (the terrible remake of The Vanishing, Blown Away and Wild Bill among them), Bridges appeared in what is arguably his most widely recognized role as “The Dude” from the Coen Brothers’ cult classic The Big Lebowski in 1998. Already known for his on-screen charisma and formidable talent, Bridges channeled his inner So-Cal stoner to give a performance that united classic Bridges fans with a younger generation of viewers. […]

   

• From Sundance to Oscar Gold: Silver Screen Novice Gabourey Sidibe Hoping for Precious Win

  Lifestyle March 1, 2010 at 2:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer In the history of the Academy Awards, there have been several times that a talented newcomer has come along and won the hearts (and votes) of the Academy. Hilary Swank surprised the world with her 1999 Boys Don’t Cry Best Actress win. In 2007, American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson won the best Supporting Actress award for her role in Dreamgirls. Both pale in the face of Gabourey Sidibe, nominated this year for her debut role in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. Sidibe plays Claireece “Precious” Jones, an obese, illiterate African-American girl impregnated for the second time by her father, and enduring long-term mental and physical abuse from her unemployed mother, played by actress and comedienne Mo’Nique. As you can obviously tell, it’s a tough movie to watch. Sidibe plays the title role with such vulnerability and hopelessness that the hardest parts of the film, especially the moments of abuse, make you want to look away. Born and raised by her mother in Harlem, the 26-year-old half-Senegalese Sidibe attended several New York City-area colleges, including Mercy College, where she was in the middle of taking an exam when a friend phoned her and encouraged […]

   

• American Media Today: Where Did The News Go?

  Editorials February 22, 2010 at 2:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  Justin Lalputan, Staff Writer The American media has changed from what it used to be. The American media used to play a watchdog role, being there for the people and giving the people access to information that they wouldn’t otherwise have. From what I see in today’s media, there is almost nothing that resembles that. First, I have to address the fact that media is changing. Newspapers used to be the main source of news — people would pick them up and actually subscribe to them — but now, newspapers are dying. Sure, newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times will always stay in business, but they are cultural icons. Most other smaller newspapers are shutting down. However, this doesn’t mean that the role of the media has to change. With the advent of the Internet, the popularity of TV media and their integration in our society, the media should be even closer to the people and people should be well-informed about current issues. Sadly, this is not the case. I turn on the TV and, the majority of the time, I am greeted with biased news, not even in an editorial section, but in the actual […]

   

• Of Friends and Health Care Reform: My Money Is Your Money, Is The Entire Country’s Money

  Editorials February 22, 2010 at 2:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brandon T. Minister, Staff Writer Some of my friendships make sense; my friends and I do or like the same things. Others, though, make less sense. Still, regardless of our differences, I value these friends. No matter how far apart we are on many issues, I think the world of them. Yet these friends don’t always feel the same way. I lost one friend by questioning President Obama’s qualification for the Nobel Prize. I might have lost another with a Facebook status update. I innocently posted a link to an article in The Atlantic by Megan McArdle. The article points out that mortality statistics don’t seem to support the idea that there are Americans currently dying for want of health care coverage. Immediately a friend of mine posted an emotional comment in response. This is my friend who, despite my overlooking her volunteering with ACORN, can’t overlook my listening to Rush Limbaugh. I could backtrack, begging her forgiveness, but I decided instead to respond to the issue at hand: Should some people’s high health insurance costs require others to pay the bills? I knew I stood to lose another friend, but I figured I was better off finding out how […]