Lifestyle

• New sparring club uses old-world techniques

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Jason Ulrich, Broadside Correspondent Walking past one of the ballrooms in SUB II, spirited grunts, shoe squeaks and sword thrusts echo as two students engage each other in a sparring match using long swords. Some people join clubs to share in their ethnicity, some to share in a foreign language, while others have a strictly political aim. But there is one club on campus that puts all these aspects of modern society behind them for a couple of days out of the week. It is the George Mason Medieval Swordsmanship club, or GMMS for short. The swordsmen practice in medieval weaponry, helping each other learn different styles and techniques from countries such as Germany and Italy. Most of each meeting is made up of drills and sparring until “the desired result is met, or if something weirder is found,” says James Clark, club president and biology major. “We also laugh, joke and generally enjoy ourselves, even in the middle of a spar.” Still limping into existence, this club normally meets in an aerobics room inside the Aquatic Center or a ballroom in SUB II on Wednesdays and Sundays from 3 to 6 p.m. History professor Samuel Collins is the […]

   

• In Bed With Billy: Reconnecting to the past for the sake of a future

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:16 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Every now and again it’s a good idea to take a moment to stop and evaluate the good in your life. We often forget to do this, and in the process can sometimes disregard what is important to us in the long run. Goals, friendships, relationships: all can be lost as quickly as they were found. But life is funny. Connections are constantly changing; one minute you’re dating someone, the next you are enemies and never speak again — or so you think. The many roles people play in our lives are important, and it’s also important to remember that no matter what happens between anyone you encounter in this life, it’s for a reason. I had been asking myself questions about the ties I had to the people who were important to me presently, to the people I had lost in the past and to the endless possibilities of what the future may hold. This got me contemplating some reconnections, along with some failed ones, a friend of mine and I had been going through recently. Caroline and I had been friends since we were introduced in college, and after graduating, she moved back […]

   

• George checks our NUTS: Annual festival a smash hit with students

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Aisha Jamil, Broadside Correspondent “Check your nuts!” — The memorable slogan blared out by volunteers that no student who attended this year’s Testival will forget. The slogan was also printed on this year’s blue T-shirts that featured several large peanuts on the front with the word “Testival” bolded and enlarged on the back. Testival, which is an annual testicular cancer awareness-raising event, provided George Mason University students a fun way to learn how to check themselves for lumps. With games like Testicle Toss, Guess that Nut, Balls to the Wall and Plinko, students were ready to stop by and play. Winners received prizes such as a blue balls keychain, a ballsy mouse pad, a nutty stress reliever, a ShamWow or a “Check Your Nuts” calendar depicting ordinary objects in suggestive poses. When asked what he learned at the event, sophomore Justin Ladson replied enthusiastically, “I learned how to check my balls!” In order to get the prized T-shirts, students had to talk to three different volunteers about testicular cancer, who taught them how to check for unusual lumps and nodules. “I learned how to do a self-exam,” said sophomore government major Nicholas Mondi. “They actually made me touch fake […]

   

• Take the stress off exams: Spring Finals Madness helps students relax

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Jason Hasnat, Broadside Correspondent In the midst of final presentations and exams, George Mason University will be holding its Spring Finals Madness event from 10 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday in Dewberry Hall. There will be plenty of free food, games, giveaways and live performances for students to enjoy before they settle in for the long haul of studying for their exams. Exams this year begin on Saturday, May 8 and end on Wednesday, May 12 due to the almost week-long class cancellations from “Snowpocalypse.” “It’s a good way to release stress,” said sophomore communication major Diana Pham. “It’s perfect timing for finals week.” The event, hosted by Student Centers in conjunction with Mason Dining and Alphi Phi Alpha’s Iota Alpha chapter, was created to give students an opportunity to have fun and blow off some steam before finals really kick off next week. One of the major draws of the event is the free swag, which many students are looking forward to getting. According to Mecca Marsh, associate director of Training and Programs for Student Centers, there will also be scantrons and blue books available for students to take. Spring Finals Madness is a continuation of Fall Finals […]

   

• Come fly with me: New Aviation Club lets prospective pilots take the controls during ‘Flight Day’ at Warrenton Airport

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 12:48 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief It’s been nearly three years since Rick Davis, associate provost for undergraduate education first hatched the idea of a flying club at George Mason University, close to a year since student James Buttery began rallying support and gathering paperwork to make it a reality, and a little over a month since the Mason Aviation Club has been instated at Mason. Already the group has gathered close to 200 Facebook fans and 50 official members, 29 of whom gathered on Saturday for the club’s first-ever Flight Day at Warrenton-Faquier Airport. “This is really a test semester for us, we’re just kind of seeing what works and what doesn’t,” said Conor Dancy, a freshman environmental science major and vice president of the Aviation Club. Last Saturday, the Aviation Club got together at Warrenton Airport to fly airplanes, eat BBQ, and have a meet and greet with local pilots, including famed Flying Circus Aerodrome airshow pilot Charlie Kulp, also known as “the Flying Farmer.” “In the aviation world Charlie Kulp, especially around here, is a pretty big celebrity, so even just the fact that he would come out to something like that, in the eyes of the aviation community, […]

   

• In My Own Words . . .

  Lifestyle April 26, 2010 at 2:16 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Erin Thompson, Broadside Correspondent Hi, my name is Erin Thompson. I am a senior at the Mason LIFE Program. I would like to share my residential dorm life experiences. Mason LIFE Program has a residential program as a component that continues to build upon the foundation fostered in the independent living and community access classes as taught in the academic program. While one-third of the Mason LIFE students commute to the university, at least two-thirds are residential students who live on campus. But I am actually enjoying myself in the dorms. The reason I decided to live on campus is because I always wanted to be independent and hopefully to move out of my parents’ house. My parents always taught me how to be independent, like taking my own responsibility, doing my chores (including homework) and making sure that I take my medication ever morning. Also, making sure that I get to bed on time. In the Mason LIFE Program, we have a 102-dorm class that involves friendship, roommates and residential assistance. We usually meet every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. This class will help us learn more and be very independent in our dorm room. We have […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: Oral sex and communication: What closed mouths are missing

  Lifestyle April 26, 2010 at 2:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Throughout the decades, it has been given many names: giving head, eating out, going down, carpet munching and, of course, the blow job — just to name a few. Whatever you may call it, oral sex is one of the most pleasurable experiences out there; why do you think it’s considered such a great preamble to intercourse? Foreplay and oral sex can be the best way to get your blood pumping in all the right places for longer nights of bliss, and an even better way to get off while not worrying about pregnancy. Personally, oral sex, whether as foreplay or just the act itself, is definitely an enlightening activity, and certainly an act I enjoy thoroughly — with the right person. But not everyone is good at giving head, and like any other skill attained in this world, to become proficient in this art form one simply needs guidance and practice. Like most first sexual experiences, oral sex can be a little intimidating, but the best way to solve this problem is with communication or even getting a critique of your performance. The only way to get this information is by asking your partner, […]

   

• Going Nuts for Testival: Annual festival educates and entertains students

  Lifestyle April 26, 2010 at 2:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Evan Benton, Staff Writer Testival, arguably George Mason University’s best and most popular celebration of testicles, returns Thursday for another bout of ball-grabbing and free T-shirts. Sponsored by the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education, University Life and Phi Sigma Kappa, Testival has been going strong for the past several years and manages to support a very important cause while keeping it all tongue-in-cheek with their catchy slogan, “Check your nuts.” The festival for testicles will feature such nutty games as Guess that Nut, Balls to the Wall, Testicle Toss, Whack-a-Ball and Balls Bingo. Exams will be demonstrated but not administered by the Student Nurses’ Association, and those who need practice can use the effective but disgusting Ball Bags, which are replicated testicles in bags of gel complete with those pesky little cancerous polyps and cysts males have to watch out for. So on Thursday, students walking to and from the Johnson Center might see countless numbers of their peers spending the afternoon squeezing little gel sacks — that is, if they’re not trying desperately to get the limited edition Testival shirts that seem to sell as soon as they open the boxes. Testival 2008’s shirt featured an […]

   

• Denzel returns to Broadway in Fences

  Lifestyle April 26, 2010 at 2:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Jason Ulrich, Broadside Correspondent In Denzel Washington’s riveting return to stage acting, both he and fellow thespians Viola Davis and Mykelti Williamson appear in the Broadway revival of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences. The play, written by famed playwright August Wilson, will officially open up today, April 26, and will run for 13 weeks at Cort Theatre in New York City. Part of Wilson’s famous “Pittsburgh Cycle,” a group of dramas concerned with the African American experience during the 20th century, Fences is one of his most popular pieces. Taking place in the Pittsburgh of 1957, Troy Maxson (Washington) is a family man who works as a garbage collector with aspirations to be the first black truck driver. The character, originally played by James Earl Jones, constructs a fence around his home throughout the play, reminiscing his heyday as a ballplayer for the Negro Leagues. Washington, whose last Broadway venture was 2005’s Julius Caeser, takes this tough role and runs with it, playing off both Maxson’s ferocious anger and indignation as well as displaying a surprising inflection of physical humor. Troy Maxson is unlike any character Washington has played in his long career. Through concentrating on the man’s […]

   

• Radiohead’s debut not so sweet

  Lifestyle April 26, 2010 at 2:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ramy Zabarah, Staff Writer To everyone who’s sung the song “Creep” on Rock Band and called themselves a Radiohead fan, I ask you this: Where did it all begin? For over 18 years, the English alternative rock band has been writing, recording and performing music, gaining worldwide recognition for their unique style and experimental sound. But where did it all begin? The band’s debut album, Pablo Honey, was released in February 1993, after they signed a six album record deal with the British record label EMI. Despite what some may think, Radiohead didn’t always have the great diverse talent that they have today. Pablo Honey was a career landmark, but it failed to show signs of hope for the band at the time of its release. At the time of its original release, Pablo Honey couldn’t bring the band fame and fortune, or even proper venues to perform in. In fact, their first album tour was comprised of British colleges and small clubs. It wasn’t until the album gained recognition in the U.S. that the band started to build a name for themselves. Their debut single “Creep” had all the catchy qualities that the average listener was looking for, […]