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VIEWPOINTS AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Editor STEVEN VAN HAREN , i News Editor \ JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor j JACKIE ALEXANDER The Mix Editor j ALEXIS ARNONE Design Director chas McCarthy Sports Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Viewpoints Editor BRINDY MCNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER IN OUR OPINION Real World’ buffoons waste space, CPs cash Our top news story: Cast members of the “The Real Wond: Austin” are coming to the Russell House Ballroom tomorrow. In related news: No one gives a damn. How do we love thee, Carolina Productions? Let us count the ways. You bring great music, comedians, speakers and events to USC students. You keep things fresh and interesting and diverse around campus. Your stated mission is to provide USC “with diverse programs intended to educate and/or entertain” students. But this? “The Real World” doesn’t educate. It stumbles along like a drunken coed. Its members are ‘The Real World’ doesn’t educate. It stumbles along like a drunken coed. as interesting as piywooa. It’s a group of painfully attractive morons who live on another planet. How else do you explain having a tearful house meeting about losing a hairbrush? And that’s after heavy editing. Without the opportunity to throw lampsnaues or vomit everywnerc, east mcmucib 011 Thursday may very well slump over in boredom. Look for the audience to follow suit. Yes, “The Real World” can be entertaining, but only with the uncomfortable knowledge that what you’re seeing is a situation far more annoying and melodramatic than any reasonable person would ever be able to tolerate in real life. CP has to know there are better ways to allocate time and funding. Give us A1 Franken or Darrell Hammond. Give us — gulp — Gavin DeGraw. Give us 10 lectures on insurance codes. Anything but this. Every few months, the last cast of miscreants pops up, and it’s more money down the drain that could’ve gotie to something better. CP has its finger on diversity, but when they bring “The Real World” cast members to campus, they are saluting the gradual decline of MTV — a station that USED to be a diverse musical giant but has devolved into a sickening loop of the same three super-slick game shows. Supporting “The Real World” — and, in a larger way, MTV — flies in the face of everything CP stands for: “diverse programs.” IT’S YOUR RIGHT Voice your opinion on message boards at tvww.dailygamecock.com or send letters to the editor at gamecockopinions@gtvm.sc.edu CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know about it. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor STEVEN VAN HAREN Design Director chas McCarthy Copy Desk Chief AARON KIDD News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor JACKIE ALEXANDER Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Assistant Mix Editor KRISTEN TRUESDALE Sports Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Assistant Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Assistant Photo Editor KATY BLALOCK Page Designers MIKE CONWAY, KATE FENWICK. MEGAN SINCLAIR Staff Writers A.J. BEMBRY, TOM BENNNING, JESS OAVIS, tim McManus, marjorie RIDDLE, GINA VASSELLI Copy Editors PATRICK MASTERSON, BETHANY NICHOLS, ELIZABETH PARHAM, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY, KRYSTAL WEBBER, LIZ WHITE CONTACT INFORMATION Offices located on the thirdfloor of the Russell House Editor's office hours are from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays Editor: gamecockeditor@gum.sc.edu News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 ; Sports: 777-7182 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA Director scon IINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classifieds Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager C. NEIL scon i ■ 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 o/THE GAMECOCK- The Department of Student Media is the newspaper's \ 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. t Courtesy KRT Campus Birds and bees \cosmopolitan ? Most certainly One ignorant staffer’s boorish remark shows need for more sex talk During a recent production night, with the newsroom slightly more full of women than on a typical night, a discussion started about orgasms. And while everyone joined jn about the logistics of faking them and so on, we came across a “double standard” for journalistic writing. After a comment was made about faking orgasms, the participants in this conversation were told that sex-writing in this instance is more “cosmopolitan” than other forms of writing and should not be employed. One of the copy editors made an astute observation: Why is sex talk less or more “cosmopolitan” than other topics? Let’s not forget that Cosmo, Glamour and even Playboy sell millions of magazines each year, and I don’t think that number will be dropping anytime soon. And, according to the journalist’s best-buddy dictionary, “cosmopolitan” is defined as “so sophisticated as to be at home in all parts of the world or conversant with many spheres of L|2 interest.” I WHITE ask’ Vs that c j not what sex second is? year print journalism And student what is SO wrong with that? Do students of international studies and foreign languages not strive to become more cosmopolitan? What is it about the open discussion of sex that can instantaneously make people cringe or squirm? Is it morality? Religion? Notallsexispromiscuous. A lot of times it takes place between two people in love. Other times it takes place between people who think they are in love. The rest is just lust. I’m no fool, even if I look like one. I know I can’t assume the percentage of sexually active students who are in love with their partner(s). If sex is pleasurable, what makes it so different from that orgasmic double chocolate brownie or that winning touchdown against Florida? Sex talk may sound “trashy,” and it might even sound a little shallow, but what is the big deal? We live in a more sexualized America. From the movies we watch, the music we listen to and the things we read. D.H. Lawrence. Flaubert. Dostoyevsky. Shakespeare. The British Romantics. Tennessee Williams. More recently, New York Times bestsellers and major motion pictures such as “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Brokeback Mountain.” I’m not talking about erotica or pornography, just simple, everyday sex talk between friends and lovers. Is it taking it to too far to ask between reader and writer? And as journalists — you know all that babble about messages for the people — we should be able to discuss anything without squirming. This is a sexual America. It’s not immoral, just more in touch with another side of nature and art. It might be controversial; it probably does make people' squirm and cringe, but sex talk isn’t trashy. It is just modern, your iPod. So, yes, it is cosmopolitan. But why is that such a bad thing? Help end Nepalese leader's reign of brutality Militaristic king took power, erased rights, tortured protesters On Feb. 1, 2005, King Gyanendra of Nepal assumed absolute power and suspended all civil and human rights. Since then the king has ignored all international appeals to respect Nepali people’s aspirations for democracy and human rights, and he continues to unleash his military brutality against the people. The Royal Nepali Army has also been instrumental in setting up vigilante groups such as “Village Defense Committees,” which have been burning down people’s homes, chopping off their limbs, forcing their captives to eat their own flesh, and at times brutally beating innocent civilians to death. During this one year, more than 6,000 political and human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, trade unionists, women’s rights activists and students were arrested, tortured and held in ARCIMPAI1DE inhuman LflRllCHHRRE co^ltlon,s Environmental More th?n Epidemiology l,400people, mostly civilians, were killed despite a four-month long unilateral ceasefire. The king is also trying to legitimize his hold on political power by orchestrating municipal elections in areas close to army barracks (elections in which the king could not even buy enough of his supporters as candidates because the nominations were filed for less than one fourth of the total seats). All the major parliamentary political parties have been rejecting this illegitimate ploy by mounting resistance. After the formation of a broad alliance that includes the Nepal Communist Party and the seven parliamentary political parties, hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets holding mass meetings, rallies, sit-ins, and shut downs throughout Nepal in their bid to overthrow the monarchy forever. Unable to contain the resolve and resistance of the people, the king unleashed another reign of terror in the early morning of Jan. 19 when his army fanned out to arrest 200 opposition leaders, students, youth and human rights activists, journalists, and senior civil society leaders. A curfew has been imposed in several parts of the country, and a fresh ban declared on public meetings, assemblies and rallies in Katmandu. This latest desperate act of the king only shows that he has lost his political battle and is trying to hang on to power at any cost. If you would like to join a small protest here in Columbia, please come and join us at the intersection of Gervais and Assembly streets today at 5 p.m. Winners & Sinners The NFL pledged to put up $20 million dollars to repair the SuperDome in New Orleans. Can they repair the Saints, too? Beware ATM scammers who manipulate machines and con patrons into giving them their PINs. Watch out, Columbia. Famous folks can help needy with kindness, kidney stones Stars should make like Captain Kirk, auction body parts for charity Last month, the world witnessed a modern-day morality tale as Star Trek star William Shatner turned his lemons into lemonade □ by auctioning off his kidney stone and donating the proceeds — $25,000 — to the needy. It made me mcmnnus ,real'y want a fifth, kidney stone year print SO that I, too, journalism COuld do Such student great things for charity. Then I realized that no one would want the kidney stone of a non-famous person. Shatner’s actions raised the bar for rich and famous do-gooders everywhere, and they should follow his example. After Michael Jackson decided he didn’t want his nose anymore, he could have auctioned it and donated the profits to a charity such as the Ronald McDonald House. But did he do? To be honest, I really don’t know what he did with it (and I probably don’t want to know), but he definitely didn’t give it to charity. Tom Cruise also missed out on a chance to make the world a better place. He could have auctioned off his respectability and donated the proceeds to Scientology. Instead he gave it away on the “The Oprah Winfrey Show” by acting like a caveman. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff achieved celebrity status by bribing politicians to get legislation passed. Rather than just losing his sense of right and wrong, he could have auctioned it off and given the money to the Special Olympics, Sistercare, or even a homeless shelter. And if any politician ever did have a sense of decency active enough to spur donations to charity, it would be former President Jimmy Carter. For decades he has worked with Habitat for Humanity, building homes for the poor. And while I do not know if he has any kidney stones or plans on losing his nose, Carter does have one of the most recognizable set of teeth democracy has ever known. These teeth are surely worth much more than anybody’s kidney stone. So, if Carter is willing to go the extra mile for the needy by trading in his teeth for a set of dentures, his reputation for charity would be out of this world, possibly putting him well past Shatner. So, I call upon all celebrities, politicians and anyone else more famous than me to follow Shatner’s example. If you lose a body part (it can be something as insignificant as a fingernail) sell it, give the money to charity and make the world a better place. Submission policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, profes sional title or year and major, if a student. E-mail letters to game cockopiniohs@gwm.sc.edu. Let ters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information.