Good reads all around in this week’s print version of the Voice:

• This week’s cover story  explores filmmaking in DC and theories on getting Keifer Sutherland’s attention (hint: your breasts!).
• The Sports Sermon uncovers Georgetown’s rugby scene.
• In Voices, Cathy Vargas explains why she went to a male strip club instead of the Big East tournament. That needs explaining?
• Shira Hecht bends the art world to her will this week, reviewing both Wristcutters and Trees and Ghosts. Incidentally, shame on Trees and Ghosts for abusing probably-illicit poster space in Lauinger Library. You’re going to ruin it for everyone!
• In News, the gay agenda returned to public schools, laptops were stolen probably because the University can’t be bothered to fix doors, and the lieutenant in charge of our Police Service Area is named Roland!

Swing by the basketball issue while you’re at it.
-Will Sommer, blog editor 

A certain high-ranking person in Washington’s government doesn’t leave home without his or her Glock, according to WUSA anchor Bruce Johnson. This is especially newsworthy since the Supreme Court is going to consider Friday whether to hear a federal appeals court decision that overturned DC’s ban on handguns.

Johnson saw the official’s gun but was told it was legal. He’s making the lame decision not to say who it is until he finds out more about whether the official has a permit. If there is no permit, that official definitely won’t be wearing their gun after seeing Johnson’s post, so he killed the story before it became anything. At least his blogging is crazy:

It’s information that I have been wrestling with for days now. I learned…no make that…I saw for my own eyes… a gun hidden in the backside of a DC Government official…

At this point I’m not sure that it’s necessary to reveal the name or position; I’m seeking advice on this; but I will say this person holds a visible high ranking public position and comes in contact with the public as part of the job. This city official heads an agency that makes decisions that affect us all at some point.

Did the official really have the gun in their back pocket, like Johnson seems to mean? That’s not working under the gun laws–that’s flaunting them.

-Will Sommer, blog editor. Flickr photo from Greenmelinda.

It’s particularly galling, in light of our recent editorial on the subject, to see D.C. police apparently discounting a rape allegation from an intoxicated woman. Even worse was their response to a local do-gooder who brought a female officer to the scene to try to get the victim some aid—they handcuffed him and roughed him up a little before sending him on his way. The incident took place in Adams Morgan, a night-life district frequented by Georgetown students. The police district in question is investigating what happened that night, so we’ll see if any of the officers involved receive reprimands. Oh, and the police involved were part of Chief Cathy Lanier’s “All Hands on Deck” Intiative, which is supposed to “improve community policing.”

—Tim Fernholz, Editor in Chief

Turns out Bush is ruining it for Republicans on days you didn’t even know there were elections. Democrat Steven Beshear unseated Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher in Kentucky, and Satan is being fitted for a fur coat. Locally, Dems took control of the Virginia Senate for the first time in a decade, and some Republican SFS grad who I’m totally not related to is the new Supervisors Chairman (what?) in Prince William County, where he’ll put his international relations skills to work by ordering some Taco Bell.

-Mike Stewart, Managing Editor

The case of six swastikas drawn on a George Washington freshman’s door may have a culprit—the freshman herself. The GW Hatchet is reporting that GW police are blaming Sarah Marshak for the swastikas.

Marshak was caught drawing the swastikas by a camera set up in her hallway. Things aren’t going to go well for her now, it seems. The Hatchet reports she’ll probably be expelled. The FBI got involved in her case when they thought it was real, and they won’t be pleased. She says she only drew a few of the swastikas and was just trying to make GW pay attention to the first real swastika she says was drawn on her door.

Marshak was a reporter for the Hatchet, which you’ll notice they don’t mention in the latest article now that she’s disgraced. I guess they enjoyed the easy access to a hate crime victim as long as she was reputable.
Also, why are swastikas the fake hate crime of choice for attention-seekers?

-Will Sommer, blog editor

President DeGioia’s decision to fund a resource center for LGTBQ students was huzzahed both on-campus and online. But if you thought his sensible decision would go over well on the internet, you don’t know Catholic activists. Several Catholic and conservative religious websites are less pleased.
One asks readers to contact the Archbishop of Washington about Georgetown’s designation as “Catholic.” Another says DeGioia wimped out:

Once again, when the culture wars come to the Catholic university, we see the white flag waved from the administration building before the fighting has a chance to begin. Once again, the threatened battle is a battle the administrators want to lose.

The reaction isn’t surprising, but the resource center seems like such a reasonable concession that conservative, Georgetown-fixated Catholics would focus their ire on the Law Center-abortion dispute instead.

After the jump, blog commenters call us apostates. Read the rest of this entry »

I would pay the price of a movie ticket to sit and watch 2 or 3 hours just of previews. Wouldn’t you? All the fun of a movie, with none of the boring parts.
Until that day, we’ll have to stick to the Internet and the small screen. And so I present Shira’s Trailer Roundup of trailers for exciting movies or exciting trailers for movies. Because you needed one more thing to do instead of your HW.

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Patrick Fugit, of Almost Famous! Will Arnett, of Arrested Development! Tom Waits, of complete and total awesomeness! And it’s a story about committing suicide, and purgatory, and, I think, falling in love with people? And it has a kickass Ukranian punk song, lowercase letters, and a bunch of those truly beautiful shots that make movies worthwhile. I dare you to watch this and not be charmed.
Why is it never coming to DC?
Read the rest of this entry »