Articles by: sonya hudson

 

• Nothing to Eat on the Weekends?: The Lack of Dining Options Frustrate Students

  Editorials December 1, 2009 at 6:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  Kenny Tindal, Staff Writer Some weekends I have to catch myself while searching for food on campus. I forget that I can’t go to Taco Bell, Burrito Del Ray or many of the other dining options because they are closed for the weekend. This is something that has confused me ever since I moved on campus as a freshman a year and a half ago. During the weekdays I was always impressed by the variety and sheer volume of different restaurants and dining facilities, but I was never sure why they closed on the weekend. This weekly closing of restaurants still gets me down. Anytime people visit me at George Mason University, usually on the weekend, I have to explain the weekend dining situation. I normally say something like, “Oh, well on weekdays we have tons of food to choose from, just not now.” It took me a year to build up the nerves to go and ask Denise Ammaccapane, resident district manager of Sodexo, the company Mason has hired to run the schools dining facilities, why no one seems to like us lowly weekend diners. She set me straight, sort of. As anyone who has even seen this campus […]

   

• China’s Lack of Responsibility: The United States Needs to Lead by Example in Cutting Air Pollution

  Editorials December 1, 2009 at 6:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  Justin Lalputan, Broadside Correspondent President Barack Obama has made a trip to China to speak with its leaders about many things, but one of the major things that he wished to talk about was the impact that China has made on the environment. This is a good move on the president’s part. China needs to be steered in the right direction. They have simply continued to pollute with no care for the environment. In 2007, China overtook the U.S. as the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, and it has not slowed down since. Cancer has become the leading cause of death in China, and the pollution that causes it comes in many forms. Air pollution has poisoned the lungs of many Chinese people. A recent study shown in The Independent, a British newspaper, said that China’s pollution had doubled in the last decade and, “with its recent growth rate of nearly 10 per cent, could do so again.” So why has the U.S. allowed China to do this for so long? Sure, people have mentioned China’s consumption of coal and their emission levels, but China isn’t taking them seriously. As of right now, China is considering setting a target […]

   

• Bob Dylan Brings the Blues: Rock Legend Keeps Fans on the Edge of Their Seats During Patriot Center Performance

  Lifestyle November 17, 2009 at 5:04 pm Comments are Disabled

  Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief When you’re songwriting deity Bob Dylan, praise comes without try. So despite the fact that his tunes are a-changin’ and these days “Like a Rolling Stone” has morphed into a much mellower melancholy anthem without all the triumphant vocals of the original recording, fans remain loyal to the 68-year-old frontman. On Wednesday night, Dylan took to the stage with a devil-may-care attitude, delving deep into his vast pool of music to give Patriot Center patrons an eclectic 100-minute set that sampled only a handful of folk favorites reincarnated. These days, Dylan is much more blues than he is folk, but fans didn’t take issue with the freewheelin’ Dylan’s approach to his music — even the classics, which, save the lyrics, are nothing like they were in their heyday. He didn’t play “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “Mr. Tambourine Man,” everything was electric and if you didn’t know anything about Dylan, folk music wouldn’t have even crossed your mind. But folk be damned, it was really Bob Dylan. Knowing full well there is a lot of great music Dylan wasn’t going to play, the crowd was enthralled with the tracks he did choose which came from almost every […]

   

• Sports at a Glance

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 4:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey. Staff Writer NCAA Football Top 25 This past weekend featured some major games in college football. Some could determine a team’s placement in bowl games, while others could cost some teams a bowl game appearance. One of the most exciting games was when 11th-ranked Ohio State University (9-2, 6-1) upset tenth ranked University of Iowa (9-2, 5-2), 27-24. Another exciting game came as the University of Stanford (7-3, 6-2) went on the road to defeat ninth-ranked University of Southern California (7-3, 4-3) 55 to 21. Notably, the University of Southern Florida (6-4, 4-2) defeated 15th-ranked Houston University 37-32, while the University of North Carolina (7-3, 3-3) defeated 14th-ranked University of Miami (FL) (7-3, 4-3) by a score of 33-24. NFL This past weekend in the NFL, there were games that were exciting, boring and just plain expected. We all knew that the Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) game was going to be one of tough defense and sure will, but I do not think anyone expected the Steelers’ to lack a touchdown the whole game. It was apparent that the Bengals were a better team as they defeated the Steelers 18-12 and remained unbeaten in conference […]

   

• Cracking Up with Cook: Popular Stand-Up Comic Takes the Stage at the Patriot Center

  Lifestyle November 12, 2009 at 4:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor Controversy is apparently wrapped in jeans and a t-shirt. When people look at comedian Dane Cook, he makes people laugh or people hate. From his humble beginnings of performing in a laundromat for his first standup show, Cook has gained international acclaim after appearing on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend in 1998. His standup has given him roles in more than 20 movies and TV shows going back to 1997. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, and has even hosted Saturday Night Live. His five albums are consistently funny, and his second album, Retaliation, debuting at the number four spot in the Billboard 200, making it the most successful comedy album since the release of Steve Martin’s A Wild and Crazy Guy in 1978. Adding to the Steve Martin and Dane Cook relationship is the fact that Martin’s comedy was what inspired Cook to get into comedy in the first place. Cook’s fame and success has not come without criticism, though. Comedians such as Lewis Black have openly said they did not like Cook’s comedy. “[He] doesn’t make me laugh at all, in any way, shape or form,” said […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: Selecting Classes and Men

  Lifestyle November 12, 2009 at 4:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Selection can be a really important thing. Whether you’re choosing your classes for an upcoming semester or the right guy to date; your choice can make all the difference. As class registration opened this past week for the spring semester, I began thinking about how important these options can be. Think about it, if you choose the wrong schedule, there is a strong probability that you could end up spending more time in college than you originally intended and if you choose the wrong person to date, you could end up investing your time in a relationship that may be more damaging than beneficial, resulting in you losing in the end. Either way, it’s always smart to weigh your options and understand the risks that can vital to consider. Mason’s selection of dating material hasn’t showed much promise, at least for me, but I am sure some have had better luck. So what happens when you aren’t happy with the class options you are given, you search for alternatives. In my case, I looked to other college campuses in search for a better dating opportunity. James Madison University didn’t have a very promising selection, mostly just […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: Does Size Really Matter?

  Lifestyle November 5, 2009 at 8:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Once upon a time, there was a young girl with long golden hair. She wandered the lands far and wide in search of something she was direly looking for – the perfect sausage. The girl saw many things she thought she would never see and felt things she never thought she would feel along the way, but none of the sausages she had were good enough. Then finally, she came to a house. The girl slowly opened the front door and walked into a kitchen with three plates on the table. Each plate had a sausage on it and she decided to try each one. She tasted the first plate, but the sausage was just too small and didn’t satisfy her. So, the girl moved on to the second sausage and it was just too spicy. “Ouch! This is too hot,” she said, and moved onto the last plate, with the largest sausage of all three. She stuck a piece of the sausage in her mouth, and let it sit there until the wonderful taste seeped into her throat, and then proceeded to finish off the entire sausage. Some girls just prefer the bigger sausages. Big […]

   

• The Absence of Letters to the Editor

  Editorials October 27, 2009 at 3:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer While editing the Opinion section two weeks ago, I noticed a glaring omission, something even a casual reader of the Broadside Opinion section would notice the lack of: no letter to the editor. There’s a reason why I, in particular, noticed its absence. The Letter to the Editor section is a magical section. It allows anyone, even those that wish to remain anonymous, to say anything their little hearts desire. Someone writes a piece on a controversial topic that is so against everything you believe in and you want to go into Broadside offices with a shotgun? Write a scathing letter instead. Have an issue with anything that involves George Mason University but can’t seem to find a section for it? Get out your laptop and send in some beautiful opinions. The Letter to the Editor section is especially wonderful because the writer of the letter can call out another writer in particular, almost like slapping them with the proverbial black glove and shouting “At dawn, sir!” And if that writer is so disgusted by this unmitigated, passionate bashing that he or she needs to defend himself and reply—then there’s another letter to the editor. It […]

   

• Halloween Playlist

  Lifestyle October 27, 2009 at 3:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief The drinks have been bought, girls have found the smallest costumes they could possibly fit into and the Facebook invites have been sent out. So, with Halloween just around the corner, it’s come time for frat bros and general party throwers everywhere to begin making crucial choices about what songs to put on this year’s “Halloween Mix ‘09.” But not just any songs will do. To make sure your guests stay longer than the drinks hold out, your Halloween mix has to be equal parts funny and cool, conventional and current. To give your party the right vibe, I suggest pulling from this list of Halloween-inspired songs. Enjoy! “A Nightmare On My Street” – DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince “Monster Mash” – Bobby “Boris” Pickett “Thriller”- Michael Jackson “Spooky Scary Skeletons” – Andrew Gold “Don’t Fear the Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult “Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker Jr. “Hell Sent” – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony “Bat Out of Hell” – Meat Loaf “Black Magic Woman” – Santana “Werewolves of London” – Warren Zevon “Dead Man Walkin” – Bruce Springsteen “Somebody’s Watching Me” – Rockwell “People are Strange” – The Doors “Suicidal Thoughts” – The Notorious B.I.G. “Abracadabra” – […]

   

• Bunny Man: Fairfax’s Own Urban Legend

  Lifestyle October 27, 2009 at 3:08 pm Comments are Disabled

  Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Since at least 1903, area residents have been haunted by the legend of the Bunny Man, Fairfax’s own urban legend, fueled by many different incidents reported in Clifton, Va. for over 100 years. While most Northern Virginians are familiar with the age old tale of the Bunny Man and the infamous Bunny Man Bridge, an overpass of the Southern Railway located on Colchester Road about 20 minutes from George Mason University, many out-of-staters are unfamiliar with the tale. So for those who don’t know how the story goes, I’ll give you a brief run-down of the legend of the Bunny Man. There are many different variations of the tale, though most involve a man dressed in a bunny suit attacking people with an axe. In 1903, there was an asylum in Clifton, a small town of no more than 300 people. Residents passed a petition to move the facility to a new location, called Lorton Prison. On a fall night in 1904, the convicts at the Clifton asylum were loaded onto a bus and driven to the new facility. Somehow, however, the bus swerved off the road and many convicts escaped into the night. Police were able […]