It’s election season again at Georgetown, which means in a few weeks and after numerous appeals Martha Swanson will have handpicked a successor to Twister. Nevertheless, students will still be granted the privilege of participating in mock elections, and it appears this year’s ultimately meaningless battle for hearts and minds will be fought on YouTube. Here’s a breakdown of the videos: (more…)

Excuse the tiresome meme, but a Leo’s employee whose name starts with an “R” and ends with an “mberto” was recently overheard arguing with a less sweater-loving cashier about security cameras in Leo’s. The latter was passionately supporting installing security cameras in the Grab ‘n’ Go nook, the better to “catch them.” The former employee, presumably realizing that pre-made sandwiches are a right, not a privilege, was less enthusiastic.

This isn’t as worrying as a keg ban or actual spooky cameras, mainly because it would only make stuffing cookies in a jacket pocket that slightly harder. It does, however, bring up a question: why are Leo’s cashiers so intense about Grab ‘n’ pilfering? The penalty when you’re caught is always just fidgeting and acting confused, but it’s a penalty they zealously impose.

Posted by Will Sommer

A Fenty official bragged recently at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission about the mayor’s new city call number, 202-727-1000. It’s unclear why this is better than DC’s standard 311 call system, but one thing is sure—calling the number is one of the best ways to help Washington short of giving up your Congressional representation. (more…)

Georgetown, no longer content with the traditional housing lottery, has decided to kick things up a notch this year with a real lottery. For just two dollars, students can buy a raffle ticket that gives them a chance to win some quality housing like a Henle apartment, a Village A apartment and an LXR single. Each student is limited to six tickets, so a group of five potential roommates could potentially drop $60—not an insignificant sum.

This raffle, however, is not just another petty fund raising opportunity. Rather, it makes an already screwed-up housing selection process even more unfair. Georgetown should stay as close to a simple housing lottery as possible and avoid exploiting the freshman lust for a sweet party pad. Worse, the proceeds are benefiting Interhall, a student organization. Why, then, can’t the Voice raffle off some choice housing too?

Posted by Sam Sweeney, Voices Editor

If you’ve walked through Red Square or the Leavey Center lobby lately, you’ve probably noticed the SSTOP (Students Stopping Trafficking of People) banners that boldly proclaim “Buy brownies, not people.” Now, I’m obviously not advocating human trafficking, but despite its good intentions, this slogan really bugs me. Cashless and on my way to Leo’s, I didn’t buy a brownie, but I’m not about to sell my roommate into sex slavery, either. If we want to stop the trafficking, we’ve got to stop the guilt-tripping first.

Posted by Anna Bank, News Editor

(An Occasional Ruben Review)

The Tombs
1226 36th St., NW

The Tombs Ruben, appearing at first glance to be a promising subject, rather disappoints. While the bread is initially buttery and crisp, the bottom slice soon becomes a soggy mess. A dependency on an (excellent) corned beef overwhelms the lacking sauerkraut, creating a poor ratio of meat to kraut. Not enough French dressing.
7.0 out of 10 Delicious Points

Posted by Tim Fernholz, Managing Editor

The Voice hits the street once again. What’s inside?

- For years, the Medical Center has been a drain on the University’s budget. But Anna Bank sees signs of a renaissance in this week’s cover story.

- The rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour—no, it’s not the State of the Union, it’s the yearly fracas of the GUSA executive elections. Kate Mays finds out who’s in the running.

- Remember when we beat Duke last year? That was great. Remember that controversial sign that was in the crowd? The Athletic Department didn’t, either, until they put it on the season tickets, writes Katherine Brand.

- Austin Richardson careens down the Arizona highway asleep before encountering a Cactus Priest.

- Feeling particularly punchy this week, the Voice Editorial Board takes on both the Hoya and the State of the Union.

- Editor-in-Chief Chris Stanton wines and dines you in the Voice’s new column, Goes Down Easy.

That’s all she wrote, folks. Don’t forget to stay in touch—hit us up at thevoice@georgetown.edu.

Posted by Tim Fernholz, Managing Editor

Last Friday, Andreas Dreson’s subtly powerful Summer in Berlin kicked off the 15th annual “New Films Festival” at the E Street Cinema. Presented jointly by the Goethe-Institut and the Austrian and Swiss embassies, this collection of films offers a refreshing departure from Hollywood. It showcases the recent explosion of German-speaking cinema, little of which has managed to break its way into American theatres.

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The Georgetown house where Alan Senitt was murdered is going on sale, and its owner isn’t deterred by the property’s notoriety. According to Washingtonian, the house is priced at $28 million, which is $13 million more than the most expensive house sale in Washington’s history.

Last year’s murder of aspiring British politician Senitt in the house’s driveway set off DC’s crime emergency. If you want to pop in for an open house, it’s at 31st and Q.

Posted by Will Sommer. Link via Wonkette.

One of the things we do at the Voice is take a lot of things seriously, and one of those things is press freedom. You may recall last Spring we recognized Jihad Momani, a Jordanian newspaper editor who courageously stood up to censorship, and was punished for it, during the controversy surrounding the publication of Danish political cartoons featuring Muhammed, the Prohpet of Islam.

Today is another sad day in that vein. Yesterday, Hrant Dink, the editor of a bi-lingual Armenian-Turkish newspaper, was gunned down in the street outside of his publication’s office. Dink had been known for refusing to deny the Armenian genocide, and at the same time opposed those Armenians who demanded that Turkey recognize the genocide before it enters into the EU. Dink was also prosecuted and convicted by the Turkish government for making remarks against the Turkish state and identity. He had recieved repeated death threats from those who opposed his ideas.

Dink was a courageous journalist and an iconoclastic intellectual. It’s easy to forget here in the States that journalism is a dangerous job, but people like Dink and Momani remind us of the importance of free thought and speech, and the price that must be paid to earn it. One hopes that this will be a catalyst for more freedom and Turkey–and with people on all sides of the issues there condemning the killing, maybe it will be–and not a spark for more violence.

Posted by Tim Fernholz, Managing Editor