Commonwealth Times

Globetrotting for health care equality

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Q&A with Dr. Mark Ryan

Hillel director practices creativity, commitment to students

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Last spring at a Weinstein Jewish Community Center softball tournament, K.B. Levin did not want to play ball.

It was the last game in the tournament and Levin, the Hillel of Richmond director and Jewish Education coordinator, was told her team needed her.

News Briefs

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

This week's national and international news briefs

Phase one-complete:VCU returns home to smash William & Mary in game one of 'revenge week'

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

According to VCU coach Shaka Smart, junior guard Brandon Rozzell (Richmond/Highland Springs) coined the term "revenge week" to describe the first week back for the VCU student body.

The Rams will play two of the four teams that have beaten them this season during the week, the other being Northeastern on Saturday, and it began with a home match against conference, rival William & Mary at the Stuart C.

University professors get lesson in lobbying

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Faculty members from colleges and universities across Virginia converged Jan. 14 on the State Capitol to urge legislators to support higher education.

During Higher Education Advocacy Day, hosted by VCU, about a dozen professors visited with lawmakers and urged them to protect higher education from more state budget cuts.

Virginians unite to help Haiti

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A collection point for financial donations to the American Red Cross was created by the VCU Health System to contribute to Haiti relief efforts.

Volunteers will staff tables in the first floor lobby of the VCU Medical Center building from 7 a.m. through 5 p.

What a difference 2,000 people can make

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

17 days ago VCU suffered one of its most surprising losses of the season when the Rams lost to Northeastern at home for the second season in a row.

In front of a less-than stellar crowd of 5,741, which can be expected when the largest student body in Virginia is on holiday break, the Rams stumbled in a rare home loss.

2000-2009: the return of the musician

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Y2K came and went, Harry Potter found the sorcerer's stone, the prisoner of Azkaban and the half-blood prince. All the while google became a verb, former President George W. Bush launched a "War on Terror" and President Barack Obama gave a nation hope. The 10-year span that launched the Xbox and low-rider jeans also rocked the faces of politics, technology and world relations.

Avatar' pushes film foward

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

If the Discovery Channel hired an egotistical visionary to concoct an interstellar sequel to "Planet Earth," it might look something like "Avatar." James Cameron's long awaited film, his first non-documentary piece since "Titanic," takes us to a phosphorescent world so exotically colorful that it rivals the balloon palette of Pixar's "Up.

Golden Globes entertains audiences

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

On Sunday, January 17, E! Entertainment and the like bravely endured a rainy California evening to await the arrival of who the show's host has deemed the most important people on the planet: actors. Despite the undesirable conditions, NBC and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association trekked forward and hosted the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards; which as always exceeded the standard of most all other award shows of the like.

Vampire Weekend is in the joke

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

"Contra," Vampire Weekend's second album to date, is covered by a pretty blonde girl in a yellow Polo-collar popped, vacant-eyes staring out at the viewer. Says front man Ezra Koenig to MTV's James Montgomery of the curious photograph, "We know where the image came from, but we're not being very specific about her.

VCU alums ready to rock Grammys

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Q&A with Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler

Weekend Calendar

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Spectrum Weekend Calendar

40 Years Later: The youth protest movement in retrospect ... and what we can do about it

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

As I walk around the city, I see peace signs everywhere-spray-painted on buildings, printed on Victoria's Secret outfits, as bumper stickers on minivans. The peace sign has always been used to symbolize anti-war initiatives throughout the Cold War, and became known as a visual connection to pacifism, especially during the youth protest of the Vietnam War.

Haiti is a sad story, U.S. negligence is sadder

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Looking at footage from the 7.0 earthquake that took place in Haiti last week leaves one feeling sick, sorrowful and scared. As President Barack Obama and his aides (former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) lament the Haitian peoples' loss of life and collect funds to bring aid to the ruined nation, another emotion stirs: the sting of shame.