Recent Posts

• 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 […]

   

• Our Formative Years: What Makes A College Student?

  Editorials February 22, 2010 at 2:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  Stephanie Tran, Staff Writer If you take a moment to pause during your daily rush to class, you’ll notice more than a few tours of potential students with green George Mason University tour bags on their backs, with anxious and inquiring parents following closely behind them. With only a semester and barely a month of college living under my belt, I find that it’s still rather easy to spot these high school hopefuls as they plod around the campus. I wondered about the reason for this and, after mulling it over for some time, I finally found the answer in several of my high school friends and high school teachers who I popped in on during winter break. The word “mature” and “college girl” were tossed around so frequently during these visits that I eventually concluded that I exuded what I like to call “the college glow.” From what I gathered from the reactions of these friends and teachers, this glow includes a maturity that is gained from college. I seem to have acquired a weathered and experienced visage and the quiet dignity of one who has survived her first semester of college. The interesting thing to note is that […]

   

• China Vs. Google and The United States’ response: The Real Story and the Fight for Freedom

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

  Michael Dematteo, Broadside Correspondent In a recent article published in Broadside that dealt with the ramifications of China’s most recent attempt at hacking Google, Inc., Broadside correspondent Justin Lalputan stated that the United States has “berated” the Communist nation in response to its policy of informational oppression. Mr. Lalputan uses the logic of international political sovereignty and an advancement of Chinese state-sponsored actions. According to Mr. Lalputan’s reaction in “Secretary Clinton vs. China: Is the United States Government Going Too Far with Foreign Google Affair,” it seems that he thinks the United States is taking the role of the meddler and continuing its perceived role as global police in all foreign policies, regardless of the nation in question. As he put it, “the United States has no business telling [China] what to do.” While he makes valid arguments in some parts of the report, the article is hypocritical at best and could not be further from the truth. Edmund Burke once wrote that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In an era filled with the blossoming of freedom and democracy progressed by the actions of good men, evil still may […]

   

• Letter From Student Government: Student Government Reaches Out

  Editorials February 22, 2010 at 2:19 pm Comments are Disabled

  Jennifer Mancini, Student Government Senator I was thrilled when Student Government was given permission to have our own column in Broadside to relay to the student body the current projects, recent accomplishments and things we hope to see in the near future. Before I became a member of Student Government, I really did not have any idea of how much work actually goes on behind those glass doors across from the Information Desk in the Johnson Center. Because of that, I want to personally make you aware of the effort George Mason University’s Student Government is putting in on your behalf. University Services Committee is in the process of bringing Car Sharing to Mason. Car Sharing is comparable to a rent-a-car service on college campuses, but provides an eco-friendly car that can be reserved months or minutes in advance. Gas and insurance are included in the overall price. Cars range from minis to BMWs to pickup trucks, or even hybrids. Check back to this column for more updates. University Services is establishing a “Housing Town Hall” to help students who have concerns throughout the year with their housing arrangements, as well as for students to be able to find out […]

   

• Muse and Silversun Pickups to Visit Mason

  Lifestyle February 22, 2010 at 2:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor Expect a hard-rocking crowd and two harder rocking bands when Muse and Silversun Pickups take the stage at the Patriot Center on Monday. Hailing from across the pond in England, Muse is enjoying some of the greatest success of its career. The Resistance, the trio’s latest release, held the number one spot on Billboard’s Rock Albums chart. The single “Uprising,” a remix of the band’s song “I Belong to You,” was featured on the platinum-selling Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack. The band entered the spotlight in the U.S. with their 2003 release Absolution. Fueled by singles like “Hysteria” and “Time is Running Out,” the band earned a solid fanbase outside of their native country. Opening for Muse is California’s Silversun Pickups, a band whose young career is taking off. On the heels of Swoon, the band’s sophomore release, they were nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy this past year. The band’s lead single “Panic Switch” reached the top of the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. This show marks only the beginning of a North American tour that will take the bands across the United States and Canada through April. Tickets have sold out through the Patriot […]

   

• The Patriots Go Marching: Mason’s First Annual Parade a Success

  Lifestyle February 22, 2010 at 2:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  Marine Jaouen, Broadside Correspondent The chilly conditions and quickly dissipating sunlight did not deter the dedicated Patriot fans who came out to watch the 1st annual George Mason University Homecoming Parade. The parade led followers to the 12th annual Homecoming Pregame Block Party, building excitement for the anticipated men’s Basketball Homecoming game. Beginning at the Rappahannock Parking Deck, the parade followed Patriot Circle around to the Patriot Center. Led by President Merten, the parade included student organizations, but also contributed an eclectic mix of student organizations and other oddities. Resembling a walking forest, the George Mason Rowing Team held up oars rising high above their heads. The RT 66 PT Cruisers Club showed off their flashy vehicles, adorned with beads, balloons, Mardi Gras masks and logos, and a stuffed tiger also decorated with party beads. The Spunkmeyer cookie mobile was escorted by a vivacious Cookie Monster and three women dressed as a cookie, a spoon and a glass of milk. Several fraternities and sororities also paraded and Mason’s own Patriot escorted the Mason cheerleaders. Finally, the Jazz Ensemble brought up the rear, performing Mason’s fight song and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The block party allowed friends and Patriot […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: The Life Lessons of Commitment

  Lifestyle February 22, 2010 at 2:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist In life we are constantly challenged — challenged to do the right thing, to keep moving forward, to continue to better ourselves. Yet through all of this, we remain steadfast, we remain adamant and we remain committed to our goals as well as to ourselves. We remain committed to the truth, our truth, whatever that may be. When most people think of the word commitment, they think marriage, but we surround ourselves with commitment every day. A driving force of determination and persistence that perpetuates the dilapidation of ignorance with every passing day, our level of commitment is essentially what shapes who we become, or more importantly, who we wish to become. And one of the best ways to better ourselves is through education. This semester didn’t seem very promising for the classes I selected, and the fact that this is my last full semester only added to my trepidation towards putting in as much effort as I should — God love senioritis. There was one professor in particular that made me doubt I would learn anything important in his class. Last night, he proved me wrong and put me in my place. After debating whether […]

   

• Blinded by the Lights

  Lifestyle February 22, 2010 at 2:09 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer Charlie Chaplin was easily one of the most influential filmmakers in film’s infancy. He became one of the first successful combinations of writer, director and actor, and still remains one of the most recognizable stars of all time, with his brand of heartfelt and hilarious silent comedy. And then sound arrived in films. To counteract this rising trend, Chaplin released quite possibly his greatest silent film, City Lights. Chaplin played his classic character, the tramp, who falls in love with a blind flower girl who mistakes him for a rich man. In order to help the girl receive an operation that could restore her sight, he does anything and takes any job he can find to raise the money for it. City Lights is beautiful in its simplicity, yet Chaplin, always the perfectionist, makes it a wonder in multiple viewings. Chaplin shot the film over three years, the longest of any of his films, because of his attempts to make everything perfect. A scene in which the tramp buys a flower from the blind girl was shot 342 times for Chaplin to get it just right. This dedication to perfection shows why City Lights is one […]

   

• Cinema’s Dynamic Duos

  Lifestyle February 22, 2010 at 2:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer This weekend, Martin Scorsese released his highly anticipated Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who has collaborated with Scorsese on four of his last five movies. When a great director finds an actor they want to use over and over again, it usually makes for movie magic. With that, here are the top 10 actor/director pairings, along with their best works. 10. Kevin Smith & Ben Affleck – Chasing Amy Smith loves using Affleck in his movies so much, he has said that he would even cast him as the shark in Jaws. Smith and Affleck have done much of their best work together such as Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but with Chasing Amy, Smith got Affleck to a comedic, yet dramatic peak that he has not topped since. 9. Steven Soderbergh & George Clooney – Ocean’s Eleven Everyone knows that Clooney is cool, but never quite as cool as he is in Soderbergh’s films. Clooney shined when he played the Frank Sinatra character in the remake of Ocean’s Eleven, propelling himself into movie superstardom with the help of Soderbergh. 8. Quentin Tarantino & Uma Thurman – Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 […]

   

• Comedians Get Edgy at Mason’s Komedy Jam

  Lifestyle February 22, 2010 at 2:04 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ramy Zabarah, Staff Writer The Johnson Center Cinema filled up on Thursday night as students rushed to find seats and prepare for a night of laughter. Although full of audacity and risk, the show was definitely not a disappointment. What started out as a cloud of noise as students socialized waiting for the show to begin, quickly turned to applause followed by silence while the first comedian, Arvin Mitchell, was introduced. Mitchell was an instant hit, drawing laughter from almost everyone in the room. Originally expressing some reluctance as to whether he should curse or not, he was told he could speak freely, and the expletives came out like water from a hose that had been bent into a kink and then released. Nobody was safe from Mitchell’s sometimes offensive digs. About 10 minutes into his set, a late arrival opened the door, accompanied by a friend pushing her wheelchair. Mitchell immediately called her out, saying he thought she was a midget until he realized she was in a wheelchair. “I really thought she was a midget — I was about to bust out with some height jokes,” Mitchell said after the show. “It’s comedy. If you don’t want to […]