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_ VIEWPOINTS TH#l&AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Editor Sports Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA JONATHAN HILLYARD News Editor Viewpoints Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU BRINDY McNAIR Asst. News Editor Copy Desk Chief JUSTIN CHAPURA STEVEN VAN HAREN The Mix Editor Design Director ALEXIS ARNONE CHAS MCCARTHY IN OUR OPINION For you, Mr. Miyagi, well always wax on So long, Mr. Miyagi. Seventy-three-year-old actor and comedian Pat Morita, famous for his role as Daniel-san’s sage Japanese sensei in “The Karate Kid,” died of natural causes Thursday at his home in Las Vegas. Some say Morita pigeonholed himself by portraying Kesuke Miyagi in the wildly popular ‘80s film, and other (sometimes demeaning) Asian roles for film and television. But few people ever get the opportunity to become a pop culture icon. Morita, the son of poor Japanese immigrant^ and a former prisoner of a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, saw an opportunity and took it. According to the folks who select the Academy Awards, Morita did a good job. In 1984 he was nominated for an Oscar r i • i 1U1 UCM auppuillllg dLlUl UiC F6W PS0pIG 6V6T g6t subdued karate master. the Opportunity Morita is often overlooked for to become , . . . . .. . the countless other roles he a pop culture icon. , . . . ,. . .. , ■ played, including Arnold in the hit T.V. show “Happy Days,” and characters such as Richard Limp in the 2002 film “The Biggest Fan,” Ah Chew in TV’s “Sanford and Son” in the mid-’70s or Capt. Irving Ho in the now obscure 1973 TV show “Cops.” But it’s as Mr. Miyagi that Morita will always be remembered, and for good reason. The sensei was 100 percent cool. Who doesn’t love an ass-kicking old man whose hobbies include catching flies with chopsticks? He never went out of style, reprising his marquee role three different times during a 10-year period. His patience and wisdom factored into the consciousness of an entire generation. And because of this, the death of Mr. Miyagi, like the death of Fred Rogers in 2003, signals some thing profound to college students. As our fictional guides, role models and guardians fade away, it reminds us that we’re not kids anymore. So thanks, Mr. Miyagi, for the laughs over the years and for painlessly impart ing to us lessons of discipline and restraint. Here’s hoping we can live up to your standards. IT'S YOUR RIGHT Exercise your right to voice your opinion. Create message boards at wtvw. dailygamecock. com or send letters to the editor to gamecockopinions@gwm.sc. edu CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA Design Director CHAs McCarthy Copy Desk Chief STEVEN VAN HAREN News Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Asst. News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Asst. Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Sports Photo Editor KATIE KIRKLAND Page Designers MIKE CONWAY, JESSICJ ANN NIELSEN, MEGAN SINCLAIR Graphic Designer LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH Copy Editors CHELSEA HADAWAY, KRISTY LAUBE, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY LIZ WHITE Online Editor RYAN SIMMONS Creative Services JOSEPH DANNELLY, LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH, MARGARET LAW, MEGHAN WHITMAN STUDENT MEDIA Director SCOn LINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN 1 Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classified Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager c. neil scon Advertising Staff BREANNA EVANS, RYAN GORMAN, KATIE CUPPIA, APRYL ALEXANDER, MARY RACHEL FREEMAN, MCKENZIE WELSH, DEIORE MERRICK THE GAMECOCK is the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. It is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer, with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in THE GAMECOCK are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher <?/THE GAMECOCK. The Department of Student Media is the newspapers parent organization. THE GAMECOCK is supported in part by student-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 each from the Department of Student Media. S* CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. The Editor’s office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1-3 pm. Editor: gamecockeditorQgwm.se. edu News: gamecocknewsQgwm.se. edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinionsQgwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfeaturesQgwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksportsQgwm.sc.edu Public Affairs: gamecockPRQyahoo. com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726; Sports: 777-7182 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 ____ TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Ftp: 777-6482 9 * «E>2*=a£Meieafla*»- juqO I I I 5 Cartoon courtesy of KRT Campus Control chaotic cramming during exams Nutrition, alarm clocks essential during frenzy of finals week studying Well, it’s the week before exam week. That means it’s high time for you to buckle down and start reading that book you were assigned the first week of the semester Go ahead and start now, because if you think your friends will let you get away with using “reading day” to read, you’re sadly mistaken. Final exams are probably worth half your grade, and let’s be honest, it’s your last chance to pass. So, for your benefit, here are some handy tips to keep in mind as exam time rolls around. First, make sure you start going to bed at a decent hour. For those of you unfamiliar with this idea, that means your cue to go home and get some sleep shouldn’t be “last call!” Secondly, before you go to bed, make sure you set your alarm. The key is making sure that your alarm is set for the correct time of day. I suggest setting your alarm well before you plan to go to sleep. This avoids the problem of stumbling in bleary eyed and mistaking the 12 p.m. on the alarm for 12 a. m. Nothing is worse than thinking you’re getting up to head for an afternoon exam, only to realize you’re just in time to catch “Show Time at the Apollo.” Keep in JACOB mind that by OBOIS this time in the Third-year print 1S a hlgnly journalism tuned college student machine. You can’t expect to live between the hours of 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. all semester and then doze off to sleep fitfully at 10 p.m. the night before an early-morning exam. Plan ahead and trick your body into thinking it’s on its usual schedule by engaging in some sleep-inducing activities before bedtime. Personally, I recommend watching PBS. Having a back-up ride to campus is also not a bad idea. You never know when your battery will go dead or you’ll run out of change for the meters. Plus, this is a perfect time to make use of your bum friends who go to Midlands Tech for class only two days a week or that roommate who dropped out a month ago and hasn’t had the nerve to tell his parents. Its also not a good idea to waste the entire night right before the exam studying. You can only cram so much into your brain before it burns out. The night before the exam is for sleep,, not trying to catch up on the last three months of study you’ve neglected. That’s what the 30 seconds between the professor’s “don’t cheat” speech and when they hand out the exams are for. Some tipsters will tell you that nutrition in a vital key to success during exam time. Personally, I think the pre-test meal is overrated. I prefer jto dry heave on an empty stomach when I see all the material on the exam I didn’t study for. However, if you feel you just can’t make it without a meal, here are a few helpful suggestions. I would go with the GMP breakfast. Usually nutritionally balanced variety, it’s hard to go wrong with the option that has a Facebook group devoted to it. Avoid going for the quick sugar fix by chugging soda or stuffing down doughnuts and assorted pastry. The last thing you need is to feeL like Buzzy the hummingbird coming down off a bender when you need a steady hand to write that last five-page essay. Finally, do your best and don’t cheat. If you couldn’t pass, it wasn’t meant to be anyway, and I don’t want you designing my bridges, defending me in court or teaching my kid. Let’s face it: If that guy next to you is just as dumb as he’s been all semester, you’re on yout own. Good luck. IN YOUR OPINION i Freedom of speech protects racist views While I respect the fact that people might get offended by the content on the fratty.net message board and view many of its posters as wholly racist individuals, this is still a country where people can burn the American flag in the name of free speech! This “Web community” is no different, and to prevent people from seeking an outlet to speak their mind is a compromise of that First Amendment right. If people are truly offended by things said (mainly in the form of crass satire) on fratty.net, they have the right to stop coming back. No one is going to force them to read things they do not want to read or find demeaning and offensive. And they also have a right, if they choose to exercise it, to post their thoughts and comments, as well. There are plenty of remarks made in a derogatory fashion (most likely in a joking manner) which pertain to women posted on this board, and as a woman I f www. daily have a right not to be subjected to those kinds of comments. Therefore, I choose not to read them or, on occasion, have posted that I feel the remarks to be classless. I do not, however, go to a member of my university community or town council to lobby for action to take away those individuals’ rights to post such remarks. Just as people have a right not to read what they find offensive, people have the right to speak their mind — no matter how crass or offensive it might be to others. There are protests, demonstrations, rallies and public gatherings every day in this country that preach a message that someone will take offense to whether it be about race, religion, politics, abortion, war, etc. If we start to limit which venues are considered acceptable for an individual to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech, we are in danger of plummeting down a slippery slope to compromise the premise upon which that right is based. Of course, not everyone has imecock.com the same idea of what is humorous and what is not, but that is what much of this country stands for — the right to be different and to have different opinions. University officials neglecting to acknowledge that they are limiting their students’ rights to free speech simply because they do not agree with how that right is being exercised goes against what that right was put in place to uphold. Simply because those in power do not agree with something does not mean that it is wrong and should therefore be eliminated. Let people exercise the rights that have been given to them: the right to express themselves as individuals with different opinions. MEGEN K. TENNANT UNC Wilmington student Submission Policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. E-mail letters to gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. ¥ For excellent name games, it’s Facebook all the way Discriminating groups provide ample friends, cheap entertainment The popular Web site facebook.com is not only a place for finding “random play” and offending - people with failed attempts at humor. It is also a great way to network with others who yjjjj share your mcmmius intprests- , for people Fourth-year interested in such print , . journalism networking, student facebook.com provides “groups.” You can find quite a variety of groups on the Web site, ranging from a group called “South Park is the Moral Standard of America,” to the “Machine Gun Killaz 4 Lizz ife.” One fairly common type of • group is for people who share the same first name. One night, I wondered how hard it would be to get into one, so I joined “Alisons of USC,” a group that apparently doesn’t know proper apostrophe use. They let me in and as of about two weeks later, they still haven’t kicked me out. I mentioned this to my friend Ashley, and she mentioned to me that the group “Ashley’s of Carolina” (why can’t these people learn how to use the apostrophe?) invited her to join their group, but she thought it was “dumb” and declined the invitation. So naturally, I took her spot and joined and as of this day, I am still an Ashley. But what started as a not that-funny joke, which amused me much more than it did anyone else, quickly became an addiction. Within two nights of becoming one of the “Ashley’s,” I had joined 32 groups — all specializing in names. I noticed quite a bit of animosity from some groups. For example, I ran into two groups for people named “Katie.” They would accept Kates as well. But one group — “f-ck Katies... KATES Do ■- it Better!” — seems to have a very low opinion of Katies. Oddly enough though, I was able to join without any fuss. Apparently they dislike Katies so much .that Tims are prereiaDie. One group I joined, “Guys With the Name Rob are The Coolest,” had no one in charge of the group. So after joining, I appointed myself the leader (you can do that when no one is in charge). I gave myself the tide “Someone Named Robert” and kicked out the other two members. I sent them a message explaining that I, the new moderator, was not impressed with their performance in the group, so I was kicking them out. Then I invited a few of my friends. Most of them didn’t join. Another group that offered me a great deal of upward mobility was “The Fraternal Brotherhood of aaron Johnsons.” Joining required that Aaron Johnson, creator and “A.J.C.E.O.” of the group had to approve me. He did so, and later promoted me to the position of “Wannabe AJ.” Needless to say, when I ran across the group “Tims, Timmys, and Timothys around the World, unite,” I did not join, but went on to join the hallowed ranks of the “ Sara(h) Squad” instead. *