March 2008

Lunch Break: Insert Indiana Jones Theme Here

By Connect Mason Life Director Sorphea Sam, Asst. Life Director Cheryl Jones and Video Director Scott Williams

Daily items of interest from all over the news and blog feeds.

This song is addictive.

Not that I have anything against Hillary Clinton, but...

Q & A with President Merten on Leadership

Three weeks ago, Mason's university president held a dialogue with students on the subject of leadership. During the question and answer session, students discussed with President Merten the merits of leadership, and posed questions about issues inherent in such a role.

What follows is a partial transcript of the discussion, compiled by Connect Mason reporter Mrinalini Ramanan.

Mason Health and Fitness Expo This Week

By Connect Mason Managing Director Dane Styler

This week Mason is holding the 12th Annual Health and Fitness Expo in Dewberry Hall.

TIME: Wednesday the 26th from 12pm-6pm, and Thursday the 27th from 10am-4pm

The Prince William Campus is holding this event as well on Thursday, April 3, 10:00am – 4:00pm. The office of University Life is in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and also Aetna Student Health, who is sponsoring this event.

Events and activities include:

  • A rock climbing wall
  • Healthy cooking demonstrations
  • Opportunities to donate blood
  • Health education, screenings, and fitness physical challenges
  • Mason Top Chef cook-off
  • A power walk with Debbi Spino, three-time Olympian power walker
  • Pets for adoption thanks to the Washington Humane Soceity

REVIEW: Drillbit Lacks Logical Plot

By Connect Mason Reviewer Emily Culley

Imagine going into high school knowing that you are a dork, that your best friend is a dweeb and realizing that the two of you are in for a tough first year.

That's exactly how Wade and Ryan start out their high school lives in the new PG-13 Paramount movie Drillbit Taylor.

Five Bands to Battle in the JC

Five local bands are set to duel chords against chords in tonight's Battle of the Bands!

The event is brought to the student community by Programming Board as part of their Every Freakin' Friday entertainment series.

The festivities begin at 9 p.m. in the JC atrium, which promises free food to boot. For those of you who have been studying in a closet all year, that means there will be pizza.

The five bands are:

  • Damage Control - So new they don't even have a website!

Basketball Team Comes Home Tonight

Leaving behind the dreams of another run to the Final Four, the men's basketball team and pep band are scheduled to return home at 11:15 p.m. tonight, according to an email sent out today. They will disembark at the loading docks behind the Patriot Center.

The team returns from Denver after their defeat to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA championship tournament.

Why Bill Richardson’s Endorsement is Important

By Connect Mason Columnist and Convergence Director Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

When Bill Richardson dropped out of the race for the Democratic Party's Presidential Nomination on January 10, he cemented the respect that I had been garnering for him while following the campaign trail:

Protestors Funk the War

This Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. Connect Mason takes you into the nation's capital to see what Americans think of the war now, including coverage from the Funk the War protest organized by D.C. Students for a Democratic Society.

A Reporter's View of Funk the War

By Connect Mason Reporter Rachael Dickson

I hardly saw a dull face that day. Almost no one seemed annoyed, not even the cars trapped in the streets. Instead, the bystanders and citizens of DC showed a curiosity to the actions of “Funk the War” that was beyond the typical protest.

The joy was infectious. Whatever your opinion of the war or President Bush or even the ability of protests to create change—it was there. 300 people, mostly students, dancing through the streets to loud, pounding music. Some wore polar bear suits, some wore pink. Some wore long loose clothing with their faces painted and their dreadlocks pulled out of their faces. But when the rain came pouring down from the skies that Wednesday afternoon, no one left, it seemed, they just danced harder, chanting, screaming, and grooving to the beat.

Professor Layton Brings New Twist to Village Mystery

By Connect Mason Game Reviewer Daniel Sims
 
You have eight seemingly identical weights and a scale.  One of the weights is slightly lighter than the rest.  Only using the scale twice, how would you find out which weight is the light one?

This is one of the puzzles players are tasked with solving in Level-5’s (Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII) Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the Nintendo DS.  Taking on the appearance of a classic-style puzzle adventure, Professor Layton is really a series of 135 brain teasers wrapped in a text adventure.  The result is something like a mystery novel with a brain teaser printed on every other page