Local Restaurant a Hidden Gem: Bernie’s Delicatessen Features Mouth-Watering Subs, Friendly Atmosphere October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentRob Bock, Broadside Correspondent
About six months ago, I went to Bernie’s Delicatessen on Chain Bridge Road in search of a delicious meatball sandwich. SubConnection and Gold Rush weren’t cutting it anymore, and I had heard good things about Bernie’s from my roommate.
So I went in and $7 later, I ate one of the best meatball subs I’ve ever had.
The soft, fresh Italian bread perfectly held the provolone cheese, the sweet marinara sauce and the delicious meatballs in place.
On that day, I swore to return to Bernie’s to see if they had anything that could top my meatball sub experience.
Turns out, they do. I had a chance to speak with Bernard Socha, owner of Bernie’s Deli. After having co-owned Wagshal’s Deli in Washington, D.C. for around 20 years, Socha and his family opened Bernie’s Delicatessen and Gourmet Market two years ago to work closer to home. Business has been picking up slowly but surely since then, and for good reason.
Turns out Bernie’s cooks its own corned beef, roast beef and roasted turkey every day, in addition to fresh potato salads, bread and desserts made daily without preservatives.
When I asked Bernie himself what I should order, he told me, “Anything with meat.”
The first thing I sampled was the “Mom’s Potato Salad.” I really noticed the lack of preservatives in this, having eaten grocery store potato salad all my life. It was surprisingly rich and flavorful, and the crumbled bacon bits and cheddar cheese on top were a nice touch. If you like potato salad, you’ll love this.
Next, I tried the Italian cold cut sandwich. Since this sandwich had three kinds of meat on it, I was eager to see if it would stand out. Turns out it did, but not for the reason I originally thought.
Of course the Capicola ham, hard salami and peppered Italian ham made the sandwich tasty, but the sweet peppers added a sweet, fun taste to the salty meats and cheese to push the sandwich from “good” to “great.”
After this, I decided to move to the dessert counter to try something even sweeter. My eyes settled on an Oreo brownie, and I tried it out. I’m sure nearly everyone’s found their perfect brownie before—soft and chewy and chocolatey and delicious—so I’m just going to let you know that I found my perfect brownie at Bernie’s. And it was heaven. The white “Oreo” layer in the middle was a wonderful touch.
Surprisingly, I ate something better that day. After the brownie, I tried to eat one of the more meat-packed sandwiches, just to see how right Bernie really was. I settled on a Reuben, a sandwich commonly found at delis, usually made of corned beef, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on toasted rye bread.
Bernie wasn’t lying. The sandwich was phenomenal. This time, all the credit went to the corned beef.
I have no idea what Bernie’s does to make its beef so great, but I don’t really care as long as I can keep going there to order Reubens.
The only problem I had with the sandwich was its size. It was a quarter pound of meat on a small rye bread sandwich. It may sound like a lot, but as a hungry college student, I was left wanting a little more. Luckily, you can ask for extra meat, but it’s another $2. I’d probably recommend this.
I left Bernie’s feeling extremely satisfied. The prices were a little more than what you can get in the on-campus cafeterias, but for the increase in quality, it’s totally worth it.
The only real fault I had with the restaurant was its hours. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday are okay for commuters, but for college students, later hours would be awesome.
Don’t let that ruin Bernie’s for you. When it’s open, Bernie’s is easily one of the best take-out places around.
Taking the Lead: Penn Badgley Opens Up About New Thriller October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentThe Stepfather is a new film that portrays a family whose lives are threatened by the new addition of an unhinged stepfather.
This recently released thriller movie stars Penn Badgley and is giving the Gossip Girl cast member his first chance at a lead role in a major production. Badgley took the time to talk to a few colleges about the experience.
How will this film be different than other thrillers?
Well, there are actually, I think, a surprising number of differences between The Stepfather and a lot of modern thrillers or horror films.
First off, it is a thriller. It’s not straight-up horror. It’s not a slasher the way that I think maybe the original was in 1987. It’s a simpler, story-driven thriller.
It isn’t full of twists and turns. I think for that reason, people might not be getting what they’re expecting going in, but they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
What personal touches did the writers made to separate this film from the 1980 version?
First off, I think the biggest difference we had was that I thought it was an eerie, creepy slasher film, like much more in that ‘80s vein of the cult genre picture. This is a broader thriller. I think there’s more of a story that will draw you in and keep you invested as opposed to relying on gimmicks.
Also, a huge difference you have in this one from the original is my character was a girl. I think they changed that to make the relationship between the stepfather and my character to be one where you can only see one of two ways for it to end, and that’s probably one of them dying. So it has to end in a battle. It’s a different kind of tension and it’s a different kind of rapport that they developed, a different kind of interaction.
What are the similarities and differences of playing someone who is alienated in their own home as in The Stepfather and someone who is alienated in their socioeconomic setting as Dan Humphrey is in Gossip Girl?
I think Michael, who is the kid in The Stepfather, he comes from a very different place I think mentally [and] emotionally than Dan . . . because I think most of his life he’s had the acceptance, he’s gotten the girl and things have sort of come easily to him, probably too easily, which is why he became disenchanted or whatever it was that drove him to act out and rebel and then they sent him off to military school.
Are you a fan of horror films yourself?
You know, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a fan of horror films. Everybody likes a scare, and around this time of year, I’m always game.
I saw the first two Saw films and then after that I thought it got kind of silly. Yes, I think it’s really fun, and that’s the whole point of these movies.
Yes, you want to terrify the audience for a bit, but the whole reason that anybody does that is because it’s fun, especially during the time around Halloween.
What was my most memorable experience working on the movie?
You know what? I don’t want to give away too much, but there’s a sequence that takes place outside on a rooftop where we were shooting in the rain, in movie rain. Movie rain is really heavy in order for it to read on camera. So the second it turns on, you’re soaking wet. We shot this over a three day night shoot which happened to be scheduled on the only three days where it was below 50 degrees in L.A. I think it was about 40 degrees and they had to make the water cold, otherwise it would steam and would read on camera.
So I was in this thin cotton t-shirt and jeans all night for three nights under these rain machines in freezing cold weather. It came to this point where I couldn’t get dry in between takes. For 12 hours, 14 hours at a time I would just be wet and either cold or hot because I’d be standing in between these body heaters. It was physically – I wouldn’t even say it was a challenge; it was just miserable. At the time it was really close to unbearable, but I look back on it fondly. Honestly, the whole movie was an incredible experience for me. I’d never done a big picture like this, let alone a lead in a big picture. So it was just, in so many ways, an awesome time.
From the Bathroom to the Big Time: Local Band Set to Release Sophomore Album October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , 1 comment so farNicole Ocran, Staff Writer
Writing songs in the bathroom may sound strange, but frontman Brad Rhodes of Melodime appreciates its simple solitude. To escape the craziness of growing up in a household full of older siblings, at 10 years old, he retreated to the basement bathroom of his house to begin the writing process.
This Northern Virginia band’s latest endeavor, The Bathroom Diaries, Vol. 1, is a nod to Rhodes’ songwriting tendencies. Although now, the rest of the band—keyboardist Sam Duis, drummer Tyg Duis, bassist Nate Thomas, and violinist and George Mason University music major Katie Shanta—play a large role in the production.
Rhodes, Sam and Tyg have been together since the band’s inception. Rhodes was first introduced to Tyg in high school by a mutual friend and soon after, they recruited Tyg’s brother, Sam.
“They’re brothers so, [there is a] package deal with that,” said Rhodes. “It was just us three for awhile. In the spring of ’06 was when we kind of got serious about it and started playing together. Then, the two new members, Katie and Nate; they were brought on [about five months ago].”
The group has been slowly but surely climbing up the ranks. “D.C. is definitely a great place to grow and it’s a very creative place to be when you’re making music. It’s been good, there’s lots of great places to play and bands to play with, so it’s been nice,” said Rhodes.
Their hit song, “Sweet Contentment” off their debut album Memories in the Form of Sound was featured on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance last summer.
Rhodes explained the differences between Memories and their upcoming album.
“With the first album, we had a much larger budget and we had a lot of time just to go into the stud . . . we were kind of learning how we wanted to do it,” said Rhodes. “This album on the other hand, we had a very small budget, and we had not a lot of studio time . . . The whole thing was recorded, pretty much in about a week—it was a lot of just all-nighters in the studio, recording this one. It’s a totally different feel.”
After an abundance of studio time and playing three-hour sets at local bars, what’s next for these up-and-comers?
“We’re trying to get a lot more opening slots for bands down the road. I feel like that’s the next thing we need to do to broaden the fan base,” said Rhodes, “we’ve also been working on a few tracks in Raleigh, N.C. with our producer that we’ve got hooked up with, which we’ve never do . . . so we’re hoping with his connections, some things can happen to take us to that next level. That’s kind of what we have in mind for the future.”
Described as a “stripped down, acoustic-y feel,” The Bathroom Diaries, Vol. 1 is comprised of songs from their first album, as well as exclusive tracks. The album release party will be held at Iota in Arlington, Va. on Oct. 24.
For more information, check out the band’s MySpace at www.myspace.com/mymelodime.
The “Pack” is Back: The Top 10 “Frat Pack” Films October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentRoss Bonaime, Staff Writer
Last weekend, Vince Vaughn’s Couple’s Retreat opened with a surprising $34 million dollars, proving that the films of The Frat Pack—movies featuring Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Luke and Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Steve Carell and Will Ferrell—still have a chance against films from Judd Apatow’s crew.
In honor of this box office victory, here are the top 10 films from The Frat Pack:
10. Zoolander
The world’s two top models face off against the evil creator of the piano tie in Ben Stiller’s Spinal Tap of the fashion industry.
Stiller and Owen Wilson are ridiculously dumb as the two models and Ferrell as the villain is one of the most over-the-top antagonists in recent memory.
9. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
The first and best of Ferrell’s sports parodies, Ricky Bobby was the epitome of a racer stereotype.
His father told him “if you’re not first, you’re last,” so when he does lose a race to Jean Girard, played by Sasha Baron Cohen with arguably the worst French accent ever, Bobby starts to go a little nuts. And if anyone knows how to go crazy, it’s Ferrell.
8. Step Brothers
Speaking of Ferrell being crazy, imagine if he was a 40-year-old still living at home with his mom when she gets married and the stepfather’s 40-year old son, perfectly played by John C. Reilly, moves in.
After hating each other and trying to bury one another, the two bond over their favorite types of dinosaurs, using night vision goggles and their guy-crushes on John Stamos to create one of last year’s weirdest and funniest films.
7. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Vince Vaughn and his crew of misfits try to save their gym by entering a dodgeball tournament against a rival gym, led by Ben Stiller.
Dodgeball was an insane success, even beating Spielberg’s The Terminal in its first weekend. With its supporting characters including Justin Long and Alan Tudyk, it’s not hard to see why it was so loved.
6. Meet the Parents
Stiller was at his neurotic best with this 2000 comedy hit where he faced his fiance’s father, Robert De Niro.
Nothing goes right as Stiller is given a polygraph test, breaks an urn filled with a loved one’s ashes and ruins everything he touches.
But the film has as many sweet touches as it does laugh-out-loud moments. Let’s just forget about that terrible sequel, though.
5. Wedding Crashers
Vaughn and Owen Wilson play two friends who have a great time at weddings they aren’t invited to but get in dangerous territory when they start falling for two girls they meet at one of the weddings.
Like Meet the Parents, everything goes wrong for Vaughn’s character, and the believability level might be pretty low, but hilarious moments, including a great cameo by Ferrell, make this a pretty great comedy.
4.The 40-Year-Old Virgin
This is the film that put Steve Carell and Apatow on the map. Carell’s character Andy is the perfect lovable loser, and his friends, played by Romany Malco, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, are misdirected but have their hearts in the right place.
As Andy tries to find love and his friends try to find him lust, Carell became one of the most likable entertainment personalities in the comedy world.
3.The Royal Tenenbaums
What could be called the dramatic Frat Pack movie is a beautiful film from director Wes Anderson and written by Owen Wilson. The film stars Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow as the children of an uncaring dad, played by Gene Hackman.
But the beauty of the film is how out of this confusion, they create their own mixed-up family. Wilson and Stiller take on some of their most dramatic work, including Wilson, whose attempted suicide scene is one of the greatest scenes Anderson has ever directed.
2. Old School
Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson relive their college days by creating their own fraternity in this gigantic hit.
Old School made Vaughn a comedic giant for the first time since Swingers and brought Ferrell into the pantheon of Saturday Night Live alumni who were actually successful.
1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman was the film where truly the entire Frat Pack shine. With the exception of Owen Wilson, all of the members make appearances and feature easily some of their best comedic moments.
The film has become a monster of its own, becoming one of the most quoted films of the decade, and for good reason. It’s hard to not still laugh at the ridiculousness of Ferrell, or the stupidity of Carell’s Brick Tamland.
But the fight sequence between the news anchors in the pinnacle of the film and allows The Frat Pack to be as ridiculous as they want to be. And it’s pretty ridiculous.
Liberty and Justice for All October 20, 2009
Posted by Sonya Hudson in : Style , add a commentKatie Miller, Staff Writer
On Sunday, Oct. 11, fabulous people from across the nation came together to march on Washington for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community.
Kicking off the march with an actual rainbow (mind you, there was not a drop of rain in the sky), the event proved to be magical.
With waving banners and elaborate chants, 200,000 LGBTQ rights supporters marched from McPherson Square to the Capitol, a three-mile trek.
The organizing body known as Equality Across America asserts on their web site that the National Equality March was an effort to fight for “Equal Protection for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.”
The movement’s urgency was palpable. During the rally on the steps of the Capitol following the march, all speakers, ranging from Lady Gaga to Academy Award-winning screen writer for Milk, Dustin Lance Black, to slam poet and LGBTQ activist Staceyann Chin, called for people to take action to make the march more than just an afternoon of waving rainbow flags.
While Lady Gaga’s booming cry for Obama to listen was surely one of the events highlights, the overall importance of the march goes far beyond the spoken word. The entire event proved that mobilization can happen.
Equality Idol Runner-Up and rally speaker Mario Nguyen, who is a sophomore at Western Kentucky University, was skeptical about how impactful the march would actually be. Once there, however, his doubts evaporated as quickly as the grass before the Capitol filled.
“This march was organized at nothing but a grassroots level, no corporate endorsement at all. And it was not just some cute gathering of pretty gay people, or some little pride march. No, it was a convention, where we networked, we connected, we inspired,” said Nguyen.
As a participant in the event, with a twisted ankle no less, I have to say that limping for three miles and standing for three hours left me much more than just sore and slightly sunburned.
As kids we hear about this thing called civil rights and that it is something people have died fighting for, but until you actually participate alongside those fighters, hold their hands, listen to their stories and become one of them, do you understand the urgency for a piece of what has been deemed our inalienable rights.
Not everyone shares my or the marchers’ views on gay rights, but anyone can understand that when surrounded by like-minded strangers expressing pure joy at the thought of working together to bring change to life, you are forever impacted.
“We gained knowledge, and most importantly we got ready to take what is rightfully ours with our own two hands,” said Nguyen. “So watch out America.”
In Bed with Billy: Getting Through the Dry Spell October 20, 2009
Posted by Sonya Hudson in : Style , add a commentBilly Curtis, Sex Columnist
When you’re as dumb as I am, sometimes bad things happen. Like losing your USB card with everything you’ve ever written on it, or making a vow to yourself to give your born-again virginity to someone you care about in a world where promiscuity runs rampant, and marriage is the non-socially accepted option—because you’re gay.
I’m just kidding. Regardless though, finding something to occupy yourself in the meantime can be a bit easier than finding someone.
For obvious reasons, my sex life has been drier than the Sahara desert, so alternate options needed to be utilized. What other options are there when you can’t have sex, do you ask?
Well I mean, there are many other options to sex, like oral sex, and foreplay (a dying art) and, clearly, masturbation.
Unfortunately the only one I have really been able to do is masturbation, as finding someone legit to date has deemed itself a harder task than finding the missing magic piece of this golden amulet, or the Holy Grail.
No matter how many people say they don’t do it, I’m quite sure they do. It’s almost as if it were an innate behavior that becomes familiar to us once we hit puberty.
Everyone remembers their first time, the first time someone walked in on them doing it, or the first time they may have done it with another person.
Unfortunately, if you’re looking for something more than just a crazy hook-up in a world where hooking up is basically your only option, masturbation is a great method of keeping your brain aligned with the goals you have for your body.
Masturbation can come in a variety of forms. There is always the self-method, you know, masturbating alone.
I’ve always been a fan of using my imagination to spark sexual desires—I’ve never been much of a pornography person.
Many other people, on the other hand, love to use videos of other people having sex, doing the strange positions that everyone loves—like the frequently used 69 position.
My first time in a pornography shop was quite the experience.
My friend Jessica had started working in one of these shops, and upon my first visit, I was extremely shocked at the different varieties of sexual fetishes that people have.
Midgets with MILFs, sex along with some golden showers, or maybe even something like “Two Girls One Cup” . . . I mean, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Another useful option to make masturbation more interesting is toys.
Women and some gay men happen to love using toys to get them off during the dry spell—I am not one of those people.
While at a birthday dinner for my friend Amy, I was air-hustling (eavesdropping) on a conversation that was going on between my friend Wolfie and Tony.
“I just ordered this new paperweight,” Wolfie said with such enthusiasm that I had to inquire why he would be so excited. Come on, a paperweight?
I’ve been more excited about watching CNN. They explained that “paperweight” was just a pseudonym to disguise the conversation that clearly wasn’t suitable for a birthday dinner—unless you’re my friends.
Lily Tomlin once said, “We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his hands for masturbation.”
The obviously tried and true method of using your hands has always been prominent in both the male and female communities.
After all, you and you alone know exactly what you want and need to get you off.
Therefore, if you want it done right, or even done quickly, the hand is always your best option, because sometimes five fingers can be a lot better than one penis, especially if that penis is small.
Masturbation is normal and healthy. It’s even been proven to be extremely healthy for men to masturbate as it helps prevent prostate disease.
Trust me, if you do it, God really isn’t going to murder a kitten somewhere, unless you’re the kitten that got ran over by one of my co-workers this morning—maybe she masturbated and God saw it.
I would say that the most harmful aspect of masturbation is the religious connotations against it and the anxiety that can come to those who feel guilty about doing it.
Just remember that no matter what people tell you, you’re really not doing anything wrong.
There are many options for entertaining yourself during a dry spell; whether it’s for reasons like mine, or because you’re just between partners.
So no matter what your method of choice for releasing your “sexual eruptions” may be, just remember that you’re not committing a crime—you’re just doing the act that has gotten me through the past two months, and will hopefully continue to do so until I find someone important enough to me to give my born-again virginity to.
Just make sure you do what you need to do in order to get yourself through your own personal dry spell, pray to God that it will end soon and hope that your dry desert will soon be soaked with whatever it is you’re looking for.
Halloween Rock: Deathklok and Mastodon to Headline Halloween Show at Patriot Center October 16, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentPearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor
Halloween provides the yearly excuse to dress up as some of the strangest and most iconic characters without looking too out of place in public. In keeping with the Halloween spirit of make believe characters, George Mason University has scheduled the virtual cartoon death metal band Dethklok to perform at the Patriot Center this Hallows-Eve.
Also known as the TV-famed cartoon band featured on the show Metalocalypse that’s aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, Dethklok will be joined on stage by Grammy-nominated heavy metal band Mastodon as the two groups continue on their “Adult Swim Presents” tour.
Mastodon has become a driving force in recent years behind the movement of new wave American heavy metal and also have been connected to some of Adult Swim’s shows by donating songs, most notably to Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Most people are familiar with Dethklok as the drawn out Scandinavian band from Metalocalypse, but during their tour, audiences will be able to see a more realistic side to this comedy rock band, a style of their own that can only be slightly compared to that of GWAR and Spinal Tap.
However, ultimate question becomes how does a fake cartoon band that only exists on paper perform a live show?
The band’s songs will be performed by real-life musicians in a performance the band said would resonate with how similar cartoon band Gorillaz did their live show. Brendon Small, one of the two minds behind the show Metalocalypse, will be fronting the performance on guitar and lead vocals.
The only difference between the two imaginary bands’ performances, though, is that Dethklok plans to perform their songs without the use of screens to cover the musicians. Gorillaz used screens that only allowed the audience to see the outlines of the performers. While this idea may evaporate the true essence behind the idea of a band being fronted by cartoon characters, it will undoubtedly make the performance more engaging for the audience.
Dethklok and Mastodon will both be making their appearance at Mason’s campus on Oct. 31 at 6:30 pm. Tickets will be sold for $35. Check out http://today.gmu.edu for more information.
Roller Derby, Texas Style: Drew Berrymore Excels in Directorial Debut October 6, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentJosh Hylton, Staff Writer
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It is like an online gaming avatar: it allows the audience to step into the shoes of somebody else and live vicariously through them, even if it’s only for a brief period of time.
Whip It is a coming-of-age story told with equanimity and aplomb, a story that is likely to resonate with many who have had a desire to follow our dreams, but have never realized them.
Based on the book Derby Girl by Shauna Cross, Whip It stars Ellen Page as Bliss, a 17-year-old high school student in desperate need of a new life.
Cross lives in a small, desolate town in Texas, has a miserable job at The Oink Joint (a local restaurant where she is forced to wear an embarrassing pig apron in front of her peers) and participates in a myriad of pageants to please her mother, despite her secret hatred for them.
She is emotionally lost and unsure of where life is taking her until she finds a flyer for a roller derby league promoting the upcoming pre-season game.
She attends the game and falls in love with it, eventually trying out for the team and making it, due to an intense determination and speed the team had never before encountered.
Because she would never be given permission from her parents, she keeps it a secret as long as she can, but the championship game and the biggest pageant of the year have conflicting dates, so she is forced to choose between her happiness or her mother’s.
Whip It is yet another sports movie that follows the same genre conventions of so many films. It is about overcoming hardship, dealing with emotional pain and following your dreams.
The difference between this and others, though, is that there is no revelatory experience. There is no message about racism or the fragility of life. No, Whip It is just pure fun, a feel good movie that doesn’t bombard you with guilt or sadness, but rather whimsy and wit.
The film is mostly a comedy, and a good one at that, but it is not always entertaining, as seen with the mediocre romance that feels inauthentic in an otherwise perfectly convincing world.
Page is wonderful in her role and exuberates the same bubbly charm that she displayed so wonderfully in Juno, but her romantic counterpart, played by Landon Pigg, is a poor match to her charisma and allure.
Despite the movie’s dominant romantic theme, the passion felt forced. Bliss is a girl who wants to be on her own, away from her parents and the drudgery of school and work.
She wants to join the team so she can truly feel alive for the first time in her life.
This is what the movie is really about and the relationship seems misplaced.
The emotional center of the film explores opposing viewpoints in the mother/daughter relationship. Bliss’ mother is somewhat of a Christian conservative type who believes in a ‘50s-era style of womanhood where the women were prim, proper and orderly .She hates to see Bliss venture down a path that she deems crude and unruly.
She is too hard on her at times, but Bliss mistakes her love and compassion for selfishness.
Bliss feels as if she is doing these pageants to live out the life her mother had, but it is really only her desire to see Bliss succeed that drives her to push her daughter so hard.
Though simple in concept, each part of Whip It combines into an absorbing tale whose appeal is undeniable.
It is a strong directorial debut for Barrymore, Page is beautiful and fun as usual, and Jimmy Fallon plays a small role as the commentator for the derby events, gaining more laughs in his few brief scenes than in his whole tenure on his late night show.
It won’t turn any heads, but Whip It will delight those with light hearts and pure minds.
Farmers’ Market Going Sour?: Mason, Smart Markets in Contract Dispute October 6, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentPatrick Wall, Style Editor
This is not the plan Smart Markets founder Jean Janssen had in mind. Less than two months into the school year, there is growing concern that her farmer’s market, like much of the produce sold there, will not survive the winter.
Janssen is locked in a scuffle with George Mason University over the future of her program. According to Janssen, University Services has informed her that they plan to close the market at the end of October to assess its future.
Last year, University Services started investigating farmer’s markets to bring to campus. They decided on Smart Markets, and opened the market on Earth Day last year, continuing during the summer. It started with only a few vendors, but slowly gained momentum as the summer progressed.
It was a hit with faculty and staff and is now reaching an increasing student audience. Mason’s market was recently named the third best small market in the country by American Farmland Trust. However, tensions between Mason and the market began when, according to Assistant Vice President of University Services Mark Kraner, the university asked Janssen to submit language to change their contract.
According to Janssen, Mason is neglecting the goal of Smart Markets. According to the company’s website, the goal of Smart Markets is to “respond to a need in Northern Virginia for well-managed, well-publicized and guaranteed producer-only farmers’ market.” For Janssen, this creates a conflict of interest for the university.
But Kraner says these needs are already being met. The popular Southside dining hall using local produce, and Mason is actively seeking out new ways to provide students with locally grown options.
Janssen says she was able to attract vendors during the summer because of the potential of the new school year. University Services has said they plan to bring the market back next semester, but Janssen says it won’t be that easy.
“I will not be able to put together a market for next spring if we are kicked out now,” Janssen said in an e-mail. “No one will come back to campus in the spring when we did not make money and suffer another horrible summer to make money next fall for two months.”
The market’s vendors come from within 150 miles, which cuts down on transportation cost and minimizes pollution. Smart Market emphasizes nutrition, resulting in local families and businesses to sell their products to consumers who value them, all while building a stronger sense of community.
This is not to say that Smart Markets and Mason cannot work together harmoniously. “We are asking Jean what we can change for next year,” said Kraner, who added the university may look to other providers.
In the end, chances are good that Mason will continue to have organic and local food on campus. Who provides it remains to be seen.
Making Peace Funny: Comedians Encourage Communication in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict October 6, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentAlex Hilton, Staff Writer
The StandUp for Peace comedy show Wednesday night was a huge success. The two comedians, SNL’s Dean Obeidallah and Comedy Central’s Scott Blakeman have created a comedy show bringing together people of all religions, including Israelis and Palestinians.
The show is designed to put people of different faiths in the same room and give them an hour of comedy to enjoy in each other’s company.
Following the show was a discussion about the purpose of the show as well as a question-and-answer session with the comedians.
The two friends came up with the idea to create the comedy show while on a bus in New York. The duo performed their set at George Mason University four years ago.
There has been an ongoing conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian people. Blakeman, an Israeli, and Obeidallah, a Palestinian, incorporate this into their show by bringing the two groups together and spreading a message that there can be peace through communication.
Both comedians had the audience laughing the entire show. This was even true during the discussion, where the duo answered questions ranging from their political views to which country they thought had the best hummus.
During the comedy section Scott Blakeman poked fun at Mason’s Presidents Park, asking, “Is there a Clinton dorm yet? ‘Cause that would be a fun dorm.”
Obeidallah had the crowd laughing when talking about the movie He’s Just Not That Into You and declaring, “I actually had my period during the movie.”
The show was a night to laugh at yourself and others in while driving home that by being optimistic about a peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, more people will support those trying to make that happen.
As the discussion drew to a close, Blakeman encouraged students to “find common ground on faith” and to “have fun together, anything to make peace.”