Recent Posts

• The Stepfather has Daddy Issues: Remade Thriller Lacks the Depth, Suspense of Original

  Lifestyle October 27, 2009 at 2:59 pm Comments are Disabled

  Josh Hylton, Staff Writer There is a brewing hatred for remakes across the movie landscape. Fans cry “foul” when their beloved memories are altered and filmmakers are troubled to see a new generation receive a watered down version of their work. Both should be equally upset over the newest remake, The Stepfather. The 1987 original was a surprisingly tense little thriller that effectively explored the emotional distress and psychosis of its antagonist. The remake is teen fodder toned down to a PG-13 rating to bring in crowds of delusional high school students who can’t separate quality from trash like this. The film follows David Harris, played by Dylan Walsh of Nip/Tuck fame, a mentally unstable man who cherishes family, yet does not have one of his own. To compensate, he finds single mothers with children and marries them, placing himself into a false reality as the new father. However, when he becomes disappointed by their lack of togetherness, he murders them all, changes his identity and moves on to the next helpless family he can find. Eventually, he remarries a woman whose son has just arrived back from boarding school, an astute young kid who quickly realizes that something may […]

   

• Mason Students Seeing Stars: Astronomy Night Gives Students a Look at the Heavens

  Lifestyle October 27, 2009 at 2:57 pm Comments are Disabled

  Pras Gustanto, Staff Writer Dr. Harold Geller and George Mason University go back a long way. After getting his undergraduate degree from the University of the State of New York, Geller proceeded to get both his Masters and doctoral degrees at Mason. He rose from being an adjunct faculty member to full-time faculty in 2000 and ultimately became the current observatory director for the College of Science. Each semester, an estimated 1,200 students flock to Geller’s telescope for research and entertainment. As the director, he helps manipulate the campus observatory telescope in order to provide viewers with what he calls a “better vantage point above the fourth story roof.” He adds that inquiring minds are able to see how a professional telescope facility works. But it hasn’t always been easy for Mason to be able to see the heavens from this vantage point. The first observatory telescope was built in 1975 by students Chipper Peterson, Bob Veenstra and John Whalan. Within four years, the observatory was torn down to make way for the Field House. An observatory was built around the Baseball Fields in 1980, but it too was torn down due to damage from a truck accident. And due […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: What Can Anal Sex Do for You?

  Lifestyle October 27, 2009 at 2:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist For scores, centuries and even millennia, women have been letting themselves be engaged in an act that is not only unnatural to their body, but painful when improperly experienced. I’ve always wondered why girls let their boyfriends, or just guys in general, do this to them. I know, you may be thinking, This kid is gay. He has to love anal sex, doesn’t he? Yes, I do enjoy anal sex and yes, I am obviously a gay man; therefore, I have the necessary functional tools, as well as the desire, to enjoy such things like anal intercourse. Girls do not have a prostate gland and thus, I don’t think getting anything shoved up their bum would give them any sort of pleasure. This begs the question, what can brown really do for them? I can imagine that some girls are more afraid of anal sex than they are of bugs and spiders. While smoking a cigarette outside with some co-workers the other day, one decided to blurt out that her boyfriend had been trying to get her to try anal sex, which further led to the question of why men are so fascinated with having anal […]

   

• Search For Missing Student Continues: Metallica Puts Money Toward Reward for Virginia Tech Girl

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  Heather Gioia, Broadside Correspondent Popular metal band Metallica announced last Friday that they were giving $50,000 towards the reward for any information about Morgan Harrington, the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who went missing during the band’s concert at the University of Virginia on Oct. 17. The total reward currently stands at $150,000. According to CBS News, Harrington and her friends were together to see opening act Lamb of God, who took the stage at 7 p.m. Sometime before 8:40 p.m. Harrington stepped outside to and was denied re-entry under John Paul Jones Arena’s policy according to a press release from the Virginia State Police. After being denied re-entry, friends phoned Harrington who told them not to wait for her and that she would find her own ride home. Following the concert, Harrington’s cell phone and purse were found in a parking lot of the John Paul Jones Arena the following morning. There was no sign of any struggle in the area according to the release. Harrington’s parents reported her missing when she failed to show up at their home in Roanoke, Va. on Oct. 18. On Oct. 20, Metallica released a statement on their official website about Harrington’s disappearance. “We […]

   

• Patrolling the Streets: Students Participate in Witch Watch

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yasmin Tadjdeh, Asst. News Editor This Halloween, parents living in the City of Fairfax can breathe a little easier knowing their children will be safer while trick-or-treating. Coming back for another year is George Mason University’s Witch Watch. Witch Watch, a Student Government initiative, has been occurring since the 1994–1995 school year, according to Lynn Gold, chair of the University Life for the Student Senate. “Witch Watch is an event that brings Mason students into Fairfax in order to monitor trick-or-treating and ensure that all children are safe,” said Gold. According to Gold, this year 275 students are participating in the event. Registration for volunteers closed on Oct. 19. According to Speaker of Student Senate Mhehvish Khan, students who registered to volunteer for Witch Watch will be arriving on campus at 4:30 p.m., where they will be given a free t-shirt, a free meal and will be briefed by Mason police on what to do and not to do. Volunteers, after being briefed, will be put into groups and dispersed into Fairfax where they will watch for any shady behavior or creepy cars that might be a rick to trick-or-treaters, according to Khan. Students should be done volunteering no later […]

   

• End of the Season: On-Campus Farmers’ Market Closes for the Winter on Wednesday

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  Katie Miller, Staff Writer This Wednesday, the weekly Mason Farmers’ Market comes to a close after three seasons on campus. The market’s success ebbed and flowed, depending on how populated the campus was at that time. “In the spring, there were very few participating vendors and very little attention from the campus community,” said Mark Kraner, vice president of University Life. Jean Janssen, market organizer and spokesperson, explained that because the summer was so slow, they lost all but three vendors by the end. She also said those three pushed through in the hopes of establishing a solid base for a year-long market. Because the market does not continue on for the entire year, vendors are projected to suffer financial stress, according to Janssen. “We wouldn’t have sweated through last summer if we didn’t think we would be here all year long,” said Janssen. “For us, the bigger problem is the loss of income for the vendors, [which] they counted on to get them through the winter season.” During any season, vendors and farmers have to do multiple markets a week to survive, according to Janssen. Janssen also stated that during the summer, vendors have to do between three and […]

   

• Pumpkin Art Contest Open to All: Mason School of Art Holds Annual ‘Extreme Pumpkin Makeover’

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  May Fakhriyazdi, Staff Writer As Halloween draws closer, organizations at George Mason University have begun to create new and creative ways of celebrating the holiday. For the fifth year in a row, the American Institute of Graphic Arts is holding their annual “Extreme Pumpkin Makeover” event. In years past, the event has been limited to art and visual technology major students only. This year, for the first time, the event is open to all students, staff and faculty members at Mason. “Anyone who wants [to] can participate,” said Lindsey Smith, a junior graphic design major and member of AIGA. “All you have to do is create a visual art piece. It can be anything from a poster, to a sculpture, to a film. The only requirement is that it include some aspect of a pumpkin, like texture or color,” said Smith. “It’s really fun, and you can win a lot of cool prizes and have your work presented at the new School of Art Gallery on campus and the Point in Space Gallery in downtown Fairfax,” she said. The event is being sponsored by companies like Sodexo, as well as the George Mason Bookstore. By submitting your artwork to the […]

   

• Mason Student Speaks on Surviving Violence: Domestic Abuse Survivor Talks About Life-Changing Experience

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:31 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brenda Shepard, Staff Writer As Domestic Violence Month draws to a close, the George Mason University community reflects on people in their own lives who have been affected by this sad reality. Whether it’s a friend, neighbor, roommate or family member, there are no specific boundaries to this issue. However, there are ways to promote change in people’s attitudes regarding domestic violence, and there is hope. Karen Bontrager, a junior studying communication, has been a victim of domestic violence. After being kicked out of her home, Bontrager was left with few options for housing and little money to keep her in school at Mason. Through her experiences she has decided her voice is one thing that can save her. “These kinds of situations build character,” said Bontrager. “I fought really hard and I’m going to use my voice, which was oppressed and depressed, to help others at Mason.” According to their brochure, Mason’s Sexual Assault Services “is committed to providing direct services for anyone impacted by sexual assault, stalking and dating/partner violence.” They offer support, advocacy and intervention services, to name just a few of their services. Sexual assault is a general term that defines many different crimes such as […]

   

• Student Government Strives to Keep Gold Rush Alive: Student Senate Votes for More Funds for T-Shirt Program

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:29 pm Comments are Disabled

  Matt Loffman, Connect2Mason Podcast Director The George Mason University Student Senate voted Thursday to approve $12,500 in funds to continue the Gold Rush program this year. The money will initially come out of the Student Government budget funded by student fees, but Student Government members are working on getting donations from Mason departments and local businesses to cover the cost of the program. Last year, Student Government approved $17,000 for Gold Rush, but more donations came in, so they made money on the program. As of the Thursday meeting, $5,000 had been promised from Mason departments to fund the program, and another $5,000 in verbal promises had been made. “I feel really confident in Secretary [of University Life Krista] Muise with her track record and getting donations, and that it will all be paid for, if not more, and we’ll actually be able to buy more t-shirts,” said Senator Allyson Bowers, a government and international politics major. “I think we don’t have many traditions at Mason, and Gold Rush is one that we have.” A few changes are being made this year. Along with a new design for the t-shirts, 1,000 fewer shirts are being ordered for a total of […]

   

• Forensics Team On Winning Streak: Mason’s Legendary Speakers on Fire; Team Maintains Victory at Competitions

  News1 October 27, 2009 at 2:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brenda Shepard, Staff Writer If you are ever walking around Thompson Hall, you may see students pacing and talking to themselves. No, these students are not confused – they are practicing. These students are members of the George Mason University’s Forensics Team, one of the most successful and long standing groups on campus. For almost 40 years, the team has produced numerous trophies, national championships and graduates who go on to even greater accomplishments. According to their website, www.gmuforensics.org, the team has “produced no less than 35 national champions, and in 2002 we won our 14,000th trophy.” However, for Peter Pober, communication professor and director of the Mason Forensics team, “It’s much bigger than the trophy.” The forensics team competes against approximately 400 schools across the country. Larger competitions have seen between 1,200 and 1,400 student entries, with about 100 students in each category. Mason’s competitors work diligently to prepare for these competitions, mentally preparing to stand and deliver. When asked if members of the team feel a great deal of pressure, Pober said, “I think they do – mostly from themselves. They have tremendous pride in the legacy of the Mason name.” But by far the greatest successes as […]