Lifestyle

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  Pause, Play, and Learn: International Week

  Lifestyle April 16, 2012 at 3:20 pm Comments are Disabled

  International Week, an annual event enabling the George Mason University community to experience various cultures from around the world, is taking place on the Fairfax campus Monday through Saturday. Other than the International Dinner Dance, most events are free. The theme of the 32nd International Week is “Pause … and View the World Around You! Play … and Explore the World Around You!”  The idea is for students to recognize, interact with and experience diversity on campus. InternationalWeek comprises numerous events such as the Dance Competition, Cultural Workshop Series and International Dinner Dance. These events would not be possible without the collaboration between the Office of International Programs and Services and the Office of Student Involvement. Research is a vital component of preparations for International Week, said Saraschandra Arveti, a graduate assistant at the Office of International Programs and Services and the Office of Diversity Inclusion and Multicultural Education. “There are three F’s [in any event] — fun, food and fiesta,” Arveti said. “But in international events, there’s an additional F, which is fact.” Much of Arveti’s research into food, music and culture has proven directly applicable to the International Week events. The Dance Competition will be held from noon […]

   

• Mason’s Drag Show Packs JC

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  Pride Week culminated Friday night with the much-anticipated drag show. The Johnson Center was cleared of all food court tables, making room for a stage and a few hundred chairs. But that wasn’t sufficient for the turnout. Spectators dragged chairs from other areas of the JC in order to get a good view of the show. When there still wasn’t enough seating, viewers climbed the stairs to every level of the building and lined the railings. “I went last year and maybe the year before that. I just don’t remember,” said Jarrod Wadsworth, a junior communication major. “I was here last year with JuJuBee, and it was amazing!” Mason’s drag show is the best known and most attended event of Pride Week, generating an audience filled with not only students but people from throughout the region. “I know some of the professional people who are performing, so I thought I would come out and support,” said Manuella Hancock, a spectator in the audience from Washington D.C.  “[I found out about the event on Facebook]. I guess I have the power of social media to thank.” Alex Gant, a 2008 Mason grad and the show’s master of ceremonies for the past […]

   

• Relive 2011-2012 With GMView

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:27 pm Comments are Disabled

  In high school, usually around the end of May or the start of June, there would come a day when students got together to connect and reflect over the past year — yearbook day. What you might not know is that George Mason University has its very own yearbook, GMView. “Students don’t think about how important a yearbook is going to be in the next five to 10 years,” said Cynthia Lont, faculty advisor to GMView. “I get a lot of students who contact me and ask if I still have extra copies of older editions.” Like many programs at Mason, GMView is entirely student-run. “I teach a class called ‘The Yearbook Workshop every semester,” Lont said. “It brings students from across [the] university because everybody needs that one more credit in a 300 level course to graduate.” The Yearbook Workshop not only offers students an opportunity to earn that ever-elusive last credit, but it also provides a chance to become a part of something larger. “A lot of them are actually students who probably work part time or full time,” Lont said. “They’ve never really had a chance to be part of a tradition here at Mason. They’re not […]

   

• Button Mashing – ‘Xenoblade Chronicles’

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  With the loud, fan-driven uproar about “Xenoblade Chronicles” not coming to North America, Nintendo has finally responded, announcing that the game will hit shelves stateside April 6. It’s a thumbs-up for the Wii, which is heading toward its final days in preparation for Nintendo’s next console, Wii U. “Xenoblade Chronicles” will feel untraditional compared to other games in the genre, but it will still satisfy the needs of the most jaded RPG lover. Take a 60-hour campaign, a plethora of side quests and an out-there story about people who reside on the backs of giant robots, and you’ve just hit the RPG mother lode. “Xenoblade Chronicles” follows 18-year-old Shulk, who resides in Colony 9 (located on the foot of a giant, fallen, mechanized fighting robot named Bionis). When the colony is attacked by the Mechon, which are a horde of machines from the Mechonis (another giant, fallen robot), Shulk obtains the legendary energy blade called the Monado, which was thought to be the sword of the Bionis eons ago. With this, Shulk leaves Colony 9 to stop the looming Mechon threat. He is joined by Reyn, a willful Defense Force soldier; Fiora, Shulk and Reyn’s childhood friend; Dunban, the previous […]

   

• Headphones On – The Great Lake Swimmers

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  The Great Lake Swimmers are a Canadian folk-rock band led by singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Their fifth album, entitled “New Wild Everywhere,” is a job well done. In the past, the band had recorded its records in some odd places. Their fourth album, “Lost Channels,” was recorded on an archipelago between the U.S and Canada. For “New Wild Everywhere” they decided to move into the studio, a decision that almost certainly contributed to the quality of the music. Like most of their work, this album has heavy themes of nature and our interaction with it (without feeling preachy). “Ballad of a Fisherman’s Wife” is a song dedicated to those affected by the BP oil spill, while “Easy Come Easy Go” feels like a nod to The Eagles and other bands of that era. The musicianship showcased on “New Wild Everywhere” is definitely another good reason to give it a listen. Miranda Mulholland’s violin is clear, strong and effortlessly melodic. When paired with Dekker’s ethereal voice, the combination is inspiring. My only complaint about the album is that the guitar work is less interesting than it could be. There is something lacking and the album could have been even more impressive if […]

   

• WGM Who?

  Lifestyle April 2, 2012 at 4:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  With walls of CDs and a plethora of posters, the WGMU studio is a visual extension of the hard work and dedication that goes into ensuring George Mason University’s student-run radio station is always delivering the best content possible to the Mason community. “Currently we have 80 hours of programming every single week,” said Alex Romano, a senior and general manager of WGMU. “[We have] live and original programming created by students, hosted by students, and there’s everything from sports shows and talk shows to music shows and variety shows. There’s a little bit of everything.” Some of the shows that students can listen to include “Party Like It’s 9 Teen 90 Nine” with Alex Howard, “Girlfriends” with Le’andra Jones and Kala West, and “The Fearless Hour” with WGMU Program Director Monet Sutton. “Last year, taking the radio workshop class, we were supposed to come up with our own original show, and I did purely ‘90s,” Sutton said, “and doing that show was fun. But I also realized that there are a lot of bands that I listen to that I think are great that a lot of people don’t know exist.  So I decided to do a feature show […]

   

• Button Mashing – Afterthoughts

  Lifestyle April 2, 2012 at 4:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  Gaming has been a passion of mine since the tender age of 4. Gaming allowed me to retreat into a world where imagination had taken a physical form, where the fates of one or more characters were literally at my fingertips. Knowing this, I would remain vigilant and complete the objective whether it was a strenuous boss battle or simply clearing a stage, I was in it for the long haul. The reason behind this was simple: I enjoyed a game with a good story. Recently there have been a string of disappointments with this important element that should be in games. Flustered, I searched endlessly for a game or series (besides “Mass Effect”) that would give me that childhood nostalgia I wanted to feel again, and it was given to me a few weeks ago. During the well-needed spring break, I had the rare opportunity to throw the textbooks aside and focus on some much-needed game grinding. Although I had quite the pile to finish (Dead Space 2, Final Fantasy XIII-2), there was one game series amongs the others that induced me into a geek-like trance. The “Uncharted” series is an action-adventure platformer, mixed with basic shooter elements.  Developed […]

   

• Get Your Relay On

  Lifestyle April 2, 2012 at 4:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  “Cancer doesn’t sleep, and neither do we.” The motto for this years Relay for Life is telling of how much effort has been put into this year’s relay. The student-led organization puts on an all-night walk in which they hope to raise a lot of money to send to the American Cancer Society. The walks are created with the intention of raising money while having a good time, so it is carefully planned and crafted beforehand. “This years’ theme is Festivals Around the World, but we’re kind of focusing on Marti Gras in particular,” said Mackenzie Ellis, a sophomore government and international politics major. “We make these purple batons out of yardsticks, and each team gets one. You want to have at least one person from each team on the track all night because cancer never sleeps, and neither do we. We try to cater our events to our theme. So this year with the kind of festival Marti Gras theme, we are doing a limbo lap and you get a [Marti Gras] bead lap. We try to gear the kind of mini events that we have going on during the entire event towards our theme.” Teams typically consist of […]

   

• The Latest Slice is Quite Nice

  Lifestyle April 2, 2012 at 4:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  When I was 13 my parents rented me a film they thought would speak to my blossoming adolescence — “American Pie.” Needless to say the film packed more punch than either I or my parents were expecting, but from that moment on, I forever felt a connection with Jim, Stiffler, Oz, Kevin and, of course, Finch. Luckily, after 13 years — has it been that long? — “American Reunion” proves that even if the actors involved haven’t had stellar film careers, they still understand these characters and deliver all the raunchy, crude humor that is associated with these films. “American Reunion” is going to work best for people who grew up with the characters or at the very least have seen the films. Considering that a majority of the film’s soundtrack is made up of songs ripped from the ‘90s, it’s possible that the feeling of nostalgia the film is going for will be lost on those who weren’t old enough to appreciate the decade. As the title suggests, the film centers on the gang reuniting to go to their school’s ten-year reunion, three years late — something I’m glad the movie references. “American Reunion,” spends its first act giving […]

   

• This Week, Take Pride

  Lifestyle April 2, 2012 at 4:10 pm Comments are Disabled

  Pride Week began Sunday with the annual Pancakes With Some Queer on Top offering free pancakes and some queer-themed films. The remainder of the week will be dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ culture and educating the Mason community about relevant issues. “The planning for Pride Week is always an unpredictable and fun thing,” said Ric Chollar, associate director of the LGBTQ chapter at George Mason University, “because we bring in lots of students as well as whatever departments and offices want to help us in the planning process.” This year’s Pride Week takes its cues from Mason’s very own motto, “Where innovation is tradition.” It offers events that students have come to regard as traditional, like the drag show and the Pancakes this past Sunday, while also introducing a host of new events. “Some years the group wants to fall back on traditional programs that we have every year,” Chollar said. “But this year, with regards to things we do all the time, the group said we don’t have to do all of them just for the sake of doing them. So we’ve got some innovative things and some traditional ones as well.” First-time events include Let’s Talk About Leather, a […]