news-features

I am not an NHL fan, but I really wish I was

By GREGORY MELICK
April 24, 2019

As a National Basketball Association (NBA) fan watching the playoffs, I want there to be intrigue, upsets and games that go down to the wire, but unfortunately most of that does not come until the Conference Finals and NBA Finals. Meanwhile, I overhear ...

Tampa Bay was swept after having one of the best seasons in NHL history
James Schumacher/CC BY 2.0 Damian Lillard may have been the best player in the entire first round.

NBA playoffs are as exciting as ever, and you should be watching

By MATTHEW RITCHIE | April 24, 2019

In a media atmosphere where the entirety of television is fighting for viewership from a week-to-week basis, it’s important to not fall behind in the ratings war. With the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, the National Hockey League (NHL) Playoffs and the National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs all occurring at the same time, each night is a battle to capture the eyes of America. 

Poet Rickey Laurentiis gives emotional reading

By EMILY WHITNEY | April 24, 2019

“Poets are the oracles — they just know things, and though we may not always be able to decode what they said, the oracle, they absolutely know things,” said Associate Director of the Archaelogical Museum Sanchita Balachandran when she introduced poet Rickey Laurentiis to the stage on Tuesday, April 16 in Mudd 26. Laurentiis, tall with long braids down their back, took the microphone and started with a poem. 

BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA/CC BY-S.A 3.0 Divya Datta starred in Netflix's The Music Teacher in the role of Geeta.

Netflix's The Music Teacher fails to take advantage of its strengths

By COLE DOUGLASS | April 24, 2019

If, like me, you go into Netflix’s The Music Teacher without any prior knowledge of the film, its narrative and tone will likely surprise you. Although the preview images and narrative summary paint the film as a romantic comedy, the narrative is actually much more dramatic and contemplative in its exploration of isolation and regret. Unfortunately, although the film’s thematic structure is interesting, the overall execution is lacking, and its flaws make it difficult to find the strengths.

Donald Glover and Rihanna release new film Guava Island

By KANAK GUPTA | April 24, 2019

Unexpectedly, at 12:01 a.m. PST (3:01 a.m. for us poor souls on the East Coast) on Saturday, April 13, Childish Gambino released Guava Island immediately after it’s premiere at Coachella the night prior. The 55-minute movie (arguably, musical) was released on Amazon Prime and made available to everyone for free for the first 18 hours, though it is now only available to Prime subscribers.

EWATSON92/CC BY-SA 2.0 Donald Glover’s latest project Guava Island pushes his own boundaries.
David Lee/CC BY-SA 2.0 Mkitski performed to a packed crowd at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore on Friday, April 19.

Mitski performs for an energetic crowd at Ram’s Head Live!

By JAE CHOI | April 24, 2019

Mitski performed a sold-out show at Ram’s Head Live! on Friday, April 19 to a wildly receptive crowd. At the venue, listeners filled every inch of the floor and the balconies, soaking up every moment of the performance. The crowd was pulsing with energy; There was rarely a moment when people weren’t screaming or singing along to the music. Mitski herself, on the other hand, was strikingly reticent, performing alongside her band members and, among other items, a simple white desk and a chair. As the night went on, however, I found these to be among the least surprising elements of one of the most breathtaking, unique shows I’d ever seen.

Barnstormers end 100th year with staged reading

By CHRISTIAN HELGESON | April 24, 2019

The Barnstormers performed a staged reading of George Bernard Shaw’s You Never Can Tell on Saturday, April 20. You Never Can Tell is the first play the Barnstormers ever performed; This brought a certain nostalgia to the show, as it is also the 100th anniversary of the formation of the theatre group in January 1919.

Coxy/ CC BY-SA 2.0 Cage the Elephant’s fifth studio album Social Cues is successful yet hits a lot of the same notes.

Cage the Elephant’s Social Cues proves monotonous

By CATE TURNER | April 24, 2019

Cage The Elephant released their fifth studio album, Social Cues, on Friday, April 18. Cage The Elephant consistently impresses me with the range of music they put out. There are songs I absolutely love, songs I cannot stand listening to and songs that I simply forget. I’ve found that it’s difficult to take in an entire Cage The Elephant album at one time because their music is so high-energy and intense that it’s hard to figure out which tracks I actually enjoy. Social Cues is no exception in that many of the songs blend together on first listen. However, the album definitely has some standouts, and Cage The Elephant never fails to prove their musical prowess. 

oSTEM hosts its first inaugural drag show

By KATHARINE LEE | April 25, 2019

As April Awareness winds to a close, the University’s chapter of Out in Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics (oSTEM) broke new ground with their inaugural annual drag show, “Drag Them,” on Sunday, April 21. The thrilling evening was hosted by the two event organizers, Miss Anne Thropy and Suey Sigh Delle — juniors Coleman Haley and Jane Brusilovsky respectively — in full drag and bio drag (when a female dresses in the style of male drag queens). 

COURTESY OF TONY YANG oSTEM hosted their first annual drag show with seven student performers on April 21.

Genetic tests like 23andMe and Ancestry may not accurately predict diseases

By SAMI SANIEI | April 25, 2019

It has long been known that some diseases are genetically inherited.  For example, sickle cell anemia is caused by a single mutation at a specific point in a gene responsible for hemoglobin. Having two copies of this mutated gene guarantees the disease. However, the relationship between one’s genes and disease is not always direct. 

CC BY 0 The accuracy of genetic tests like 23andMe are under scrutiny.

New human ancestor discovered in the Philippines

By JESSICA KASAMOTO | April 25, 2019

Researchers recently discovered the remains of a species of human that existed over 50,000 years ago in the Philippines, showing scientists that the Southeast Asian region played a larger role in human evolution than previously thought. 

   CC BY 4.0 Researchers uncovered remains believed to be the intermediate between apes and humans.

Anderson .Paak reflects on love, relationships and his career in Ventura

By KATY OH | April 23, 2019

Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals joined Childish Gambino, Jaden Smith and BLACKPINK as one of the opening performers for Coachella on Friday, April 12. But before taking to the highly-coveted stage in Indio, Calif., he took us back to Ventura County in his 11 track LP, Ventura, which comes just six months after the 2018 release of Oxnard. If Oxnard’s hit song “Tints,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, was the song that helped me deal with my homesickness and longing for sunny Southern California last semester, Ventura’s “Make It Better,” featuring Smokey Robinson, is the next perfect song that will get me through this particularly gloomy spring season. 

Governor Hogan signs Hopkins police bill into law

By RUDY MALCOM and SABRINA ABRAMS | April 27, 2019

On Thursday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan approved legislation that will allow Hopkins to establish a private police force. By signing the bill – titled the Community Safety and Strengthening Act – into law, Hogan has authorized Hopkins to be the first private university in Maryland to have its own police force.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Governor Hogan was widely expected to sign off on the Hopkins bill
COURTESY OF MACK ASTIN Sebastian Durfee and Usman Enam starred in the high-energy Mauritius at the Merrick Barn.

Students shine in production of eccentric Mauritius

By RUDY MALCOM | April 18, 2019

The John Astin Theatre presented their second weekend of Mauritius at the Merrick Barn. Directed by James Glossman, a lecturer in the Theatre Arts & Studies program, the show centered around two denominations of postage stamps issued in 1847 by British Mauritius, then a colony off the southeast coast of Africa.

Lawyer calls on Asian American community to unite

By RIA ARORA | April 18, 2019

Ronak D. Desai gave the Asian-Pacific Heritage Celebratory Keynote Address in the Glass Pavilion on April 15. His presentation focused on Asian American narratives and the challenges that the community faces. Desai, a lawyer and Hopkins alum, is an affiliate at the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University. 

Sit-in in Garland Hall continues on day 15

By RUDY MALCOM and RACHEL JUIENG | April 20, 2019

For over two weeks, members of the Hopkins and Baltimore community have participated in a sit-in at Garland Hall to protest the proposed private police force and the University’s contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Pull Quote Template 32 (33).png

Local journalists explore media and news in the 21st century

By NEHA SANGANA | April 18, 2019

Inform, Discuss, Enlighten, Acknowledge, Learn (IDEAL) JHU hosted a discussion on the role of local news and journalism in Baltimore on Wednesday, April 18. The discussion was moderated by Political Science Professor Emeritus and Academy Professor Matthew Crenson. The event featured Doug Donovan, an investigative reporter at the Baltimore Sun, and Ron Cassie, a senior editor at Baltimore Magazine.