Scene

News

ROTC heats up competition

By Ruben Luong | November 9

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets at American University placed third in Division I at this year's Ranger Challenge competition, held at Fort A.P. Hill on Oct. 28. Ranger Challenge is a one-day competition that brings together ROTC battalions from universities around the region.

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News

AU's own Gorenman shines in Katzen recital

By Peggy Wu | November 9

Yuliya Gorenman's black sweater was not the only thing that sparkled on Friday night. The sold-out crowd was awestruck by her flawless and stunning performance presented at the Abramson Family Recital Hall in the Katzen Arts Center. Described as a "world class pianist of international stature" by Nancy Snider, music program director, Gorenman displayed an impressive level of virtuosity.

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News

Balancing work, play

By Blair Bryant Nichols | November 9

If studying literary theory has taught me anything this semester, it is that language has the power to draw both negative and positive things into presence and that it is inherently contradictory. I'm sure many of you are familiar with saying one thing while meaning another and regretting what you might have said or perhaps that you didn't say more.

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News

Dupont's Raku pleases with Asian diner cuisine

By Andrew Gardner | November 9

Raku - An Asian Diner 1900 Q Street N.W. Metro: Dupont Circle (red line) (202) 265-7258 Price: $7-$17 Grade: B+ Finding a unique dining experience in D.C. for the cost-conscious student is not always easy. But in the quest for the perfect Asian fusion dining experience, look no further than Raku.

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News

Birds and Bees infest Trailer Park

By Christopher Patriquin | November 9

Before I begin this edition of The Trailer Park, I would like to discuss some news from another trailer park altogether. If you haven't heard by now, Britney and K-Fed are calling it quits. As such, I will never again review a romantic comedy because it just won't measure up.

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News

'Harsh Times' for Bale's war veteran

By Tracy Townsend | November 9

The new drama "Harsh Times," opening this weekend, centers on Christian Bale's character Jim Davis, a military vet who returns to the streets of Los Angeles with few skills other than those of a trained killer. As Jim attempts to reintegrate himself into society, he is haunted by memories of war and the temptation to break all the society's rules that were foreign to him for so many years.

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News

Chamber singers traverse time

By Drew Richardson | November 9

This past weekend the American University Chamber Singers performed their concert, "Across Many Centuries." Described by conductor Daniel Abraham as a varied performance featuring classic and contemporary selections, the 21-member group sang mostly a cappella for pieces ranging from the 15th to the 21st century.

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News

'Sisters' bring Vaudeville to AU

By Madalyn Wasilczuk | November 9

"The Cherry Sisters Revisted" Directed by Cara Gabriel Katzen Arts Center Nov. 9-11 $5 The American University Department of Performing Arts presents the world premiere of "The Cherry Sisters Revisited" this weekend. The play, written by Dan O'Brien, raises sincere and provocative questions through its vaudevillian comedy.

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News

Tech bits

November 6

'Street Fighter' returns to theaters, 'Halo' on hold A new film based on Capcom's classic "Street Fighter" series is in the works, reports Variety magazine. College students may remember the last "Street Fighter" movie, which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as American fighter Guile and Raul Julia as M.

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News

Minimal props, maximum morals

By Madalyn Wasilczuk | November 6

The Keegan Theatre's production of "Agnes of God" challenges its audience. That is the very reason why director Susan Marie Rhea chose to put on the show. "It is a topic that fascinates me," she said. That topic would be, as Rhea puts it, "miracle versus logic.

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News

Prof makes students aim high

By Rebecca Shillenn | November 6

Professor Karen O'Connor's voice has a tart edge and her gaze does not waver when she speaks. She would never let her students sleep in class or get away with not doing the assigned work. Her office is neat, orderly and impressively stocked with books. She does not hesitate to remind students that she once sent failure warning notices to almost an entire class and that she "tears apart" paper drafts.

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News

Former friends, future lovers

By Blair Bryant Nichols | November 6

Dear Blair Bryant, Before my sophomore year of school started, I hooked up with a guy I met at a club. He goes to another school in D.C., and although it wasn't a bad hook-up I wasn't really interested in seeing him again. So after a few semesters, I just began seeing him out this semester at the same bars I frequent - and by "see him out," I mean he seems to be at the same bars on the same night EVERY time I go out.

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News

New 'Fantasy' breaks RPG mold

By Eric Ford | November 6

There are certain stabilities in the video game world: Mario will always jump, "Grand Theft Auto" will always incite a rebellion from the Moral Majority and "Final Fantasy" will always live on. At least that was supposed to be the case. After the lackluster performance of "Final Fantasy XI," Square Enix's foray into the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game scene, and the constant delays of the highly anticipated "true" sequel to "Final Fantasy X," some doubted FFXII would make it to the gaming world.

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News

Ferrell brings 'Fiction' to life

By Michael Carusi | November 6

The line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred in the new Marc Forster movie "Stranger Than Fiction." This mischievous film employs an impressive cast and dynamic plot that come together to bring audiences something rarely seen in the world of movies: a unique plot.

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News

'Babel' cuts across countries, language

By John Grooms | November 6

"Babel" is Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's vision of the great tragedy that occurs when people refuse to listen. The vision comes from the story in the book of Genesis when people of all different backgrounds came together to build a tower to reach heaven. God punished these people by bewildering their languages, taking away their ability to communicate and destroying the tower of Babel.

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News

Punks rattle Kay basement

By Mia Steinle | November 6

The new documentary "American Hardcore," which chronicles the creation of hardcore punk music in the United States, concludes with the sentiment that hardcore is dead. However, over 25 years after the first hardcore bands appeared on the scene, countless newer bands tour and perform incessantly.

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News

Nerd rapper reboots genre

By Jeff Lambert | November 6

If nerd rap has a spokesperson, it is reluctantly mc chris. The cough syrup-sipping, helium-voiced rapper, born Chris Ward, made a stop at the Rock and Roll Hotel last Monday to promote his new album, "Dungeon Master of Ceremonies." Though Ward's set was sprinkled with references to Star Wars and DQ Blizzards, he doesn't even see himself as part of the nerd rap scene, much less its leader.

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