The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 20, 1999, Page Page 5, Image 5
EVENTS
Die Zauberflote or "The Ma
Flute." Mozart's operatic masl
piece. 7:30 p.m. Tbday through ?
urday, Drayton Hall. Tickets:!
and $15 for adults, $5 for studei
Wednesday, January 20,19
Studeni
by Erin Reed
Features Editor
He only races camels for fun. He
doesn't ride them to work.
Qatar exchange student Mohammed
Al-Abdulla, 23, wants to dispel the
stereotype he believes most Americans
seem to have about the Middle East.
"Everybody thinks we live in tents
and ride camels, but we live a normal
life," he said. He said the country of
Qatar, his native home, is developed
like any major city, with malls, tall
buildings and the Internet.
Mohammed, an officer in the Qatar
army, was sent in August 1997 by his
government to the United States to
study English and electrical engineering.
He will stay four more years.
The government
ordered Mo- "EVCrvtxX
hammed specifi- .
cally to the United live IT
states, and he and ride <
chose USC because i . ?.
he had some but We 111
friends here. He es- mal life."
timates there are Mobammei
about eight other Qatar
students here from
Qatar.
Coming to America wasn't so much
of a challenge for Mohammed.
"I used to travel to Europe, so I know
the system," he said.
Although he has studied English
for 12 years, his only significant adjustment
was in getting accustomed to
the American accent.
"Our system there [in Qatar] is
British English, and here it is American
English, so it's hard to speak with
people on the street," he said.
In Qatar, his family employs
three live-in servants who do the cooking
and laundry, so Mohammed has
had to learn to do for himself while living
alone in Columbia.
"Sometimes I miss them [the servants]
being here, but sometimes no,"
he said.
Not being one for American fast
food, Mohammed mostly cooks for himself,
sometimes driving out of state to
buy food. "Sometimes I need to go to
"jMjjg. ? - 19
iwmmm
Special to Tlie Gameccxrk
Mysterious si
roses on pcx
by Alex Dominguez
Associated Press
BALTIMORE ? A mysterious
stranger clad in a three-quarter-length
black peacoat left roses and cognac at
the grave of Edgar Allan Poe early Monday,
continuing a tradition that began
50 years ago.
About a dozen u
people waited inside IVIlOWl]
and outside West- traditioi
minster Church until
the tall, unknown visitor
made his arrival eilCOUTS
at the tiny brick- was a U,
walled cemetery just ,
before 3 a.m. dCHCd
The stranger
placed his hands on
Poe's tombstone and
appeared to pray. A
moment later he was gone, leaving three
roses and a bottle of cognac to mark the
190th birthday of the macabre author
The identity of the first mysterious
visitor, who had been dressed in
black topcoat and fedora, has remained
a riddle since the ritual began in 1949,
a century after Poe died.
i ne aging visitor believed to be tftt
original carried on the tradition until
1993, when he left a cryptic note saying,
"The torch will be passed."
His followers have agreed to cany
on the anonymous annual tribute, said
Jeff Jerome, curator of the Edgar Allan
Poe House and Museum in Baltimore.
"They said they would continue tht
tradition in his footsteps,"'Jerome said
I don t want to say too much more be
igic
ter5at
?10
its.
?99
t gives i
North Carolina or somewhere just to
buy our special food," he said.
Mohammed's typical day in Qatar
isn't much different from his typical
day here. In the morning, he attends
classes, goes through anny training exercises
and works as an officer, giving
orders to soldiers.
"In the afternoon, we do nothing,"
he said. "We just waste our time ?
hang around, go to the malls."
Although Mohammed lives a
modern life in Qatar, his family owns
a farm on the desert, where they keep
camels.
They go to their desert home every
weekend with Mohammed's eight brothers
and sisters, and occasionally aunts,
uncles and cousins.
Besides his family and friends, Mohammed
misses the
dv thinks desert more than
* . anything else back
I tentS home.
camels, "When we go
? to the desert, we live
nor- a sjmpie he
said. "We have no
i Al-Abdulla TYthere; we can
exchange student bring our ^ ' p
and everything, but
we don't want to do
it. We just go there and live in tents.
The children go and play together; we
make a fire and stay around it and have
coffee and tea."
In the morning, the men hunt
rabbits, lizards and birds, and sometimes
they race camels.
"We just do what our parents and
grandparents did?toy to be away from
modern life," he said.
On the subject of Saddam Hussein
Mohammed can't say much, as the government
doesn't allow him to discuss
his country's general opinion on the
matter. But as Qatar is so close to Iraq
? halfway along the western coast ol
the Arabian Gulf ? Mohammed admits
he's concerned.
"Both of them [Iraq and United Nations],
they are doing a mistake," he
said. "And we [Persian Gulf countries
are paying for all their mistakes."
He said the Qatari people are
worried about Saddam's actions.
iF
flQR
lid aiatci oaiu tiic awinv/opii^i c na
' "almost spooky."
I "It's such a mysterious devotion,
Gaskin said. "And the cemetery is al
most like a little time capsule in th
middle of the city. Ifs beautiful."
mlr^m
JmSmH '
Special to The Garnecocl
:ranger leaves
it's grave
cause some of the note's contents art
of a private nature. I'm not trying to b<
mysterious, but some of this has ti
remain with me because it may give j
clue as to who it is."
Poe penned classic horror storiei
such as "The Fall of the House o
Usher," "The Pit and the Pendulum,
"The Telltali
, Heart" and "Thi
^8 that thC Masque of thi
H will l) Red Death." Hi
famous poems in
WHS clude The Raven
iging, but I and"Annabe
ttle sad- i , .
He lived 11
Baltimore fron
Lynns Finlay 1829 to 1836 am
Poe enthusiast there 1?^'
at age 40. Th
three roses lef
s each year are thought to represent th
i poet, his wife and her mother. All ar
buried in the tiny cemetery,
i Lynne Finley, of Nashville, Tenn
i spent the night at the church with he
[ sister, D.J. Gaskin, of Burke, Va., t
, celebrate Finley*s 40th birthday, whicl
she shares with Poe.
> "Knowing that the tradition will b
1 carried on was encouraging, but I wa
a little saddened," Finley said.
Uonirl ikn nfmnonknvA um
Et
The Gar
"I j
nsigni in
m ML" 1%^r
Qatar, a coastal country on the weste
11,427 square kilometers.
"Whenever they try to do something
for Iraq, we have an emergency in the
army to be ready if something happens,
and the price is going up," he said. He
said there's always a chance the army
will order him to return to Qatar "if
something big happens."
Mohammed believes Saddam will
1 continue his fierce quest for control.
"He will try to stay, and the U.N.
s will try to take him out," he said. "There
1 will be an end for everything, but when,
we don't know."
Mohammed said there's some unease
in the Middle East with the United
Nations' involvement.
^ "They [United Nationsl don't like
Iraq to buy medicine or food for the people,"
he said. "The people do no misi
take, so whv do thev stoD eivine them
food and medicine and everything?
1 They are tryin'g to punish Iraq, but
! they should punish Saddam, not the
I people," he said.
f "Now they are punishing the people,
not Saddam. He still gets the power,
he still gets the food, and he has
everything. But the people have noth*
ing. This way, we will have no end for
1 all of that."
USC signs <
by Jamie Bowman
Senior Writer
The process of buying senior rings
at USC has undergone a significant
change this school year.
In the past, a variety of companies
competed for students' business, but
no longer. Dunng fall semester, a decision
was made to allow Art Carved
to be sole vendor of USC class rings
through a five-year exclusive contract.
IThe decision was made through a
long bid and purchasing process of five
national ring companies. The process
included evaluating both students' preferences
?by reviewing past orders ?
and each company's benefits and marketing
services.
Art Carved has been students' preference
for the past eight years. Art
Carved's attractions include quick delivery
time, flexible payment options
5 and close attention to detail,
g In the past, each company offered
o more than 60 rings. Even though stua
* North Dakota
e
e
e by Brian Write
Associated Press
s
? BISMARCK, N.D. ? Randy Mastre
j is a tattoo artist of Christian themes.
He inks Jesus into his customers.
His tattooed Biblical inscriptions
i t ;* ? J ?
aiiu pui uana ui v/inist piuviuc aiaitling
contrast to more typical flam3
ing skulls and "Born to Raise Hell"
e markings adorning the leather-clad
bikers he rubs elbows with at natione
al tattoo conventions.
e It was at one of those convention
that he met the Rev. Daniel Ostrowski,
a born-again Christian and Word
^ of Faith pastor who runs a tattoo par0
lor in Wassau, Wis.
Last year, the two decided to unite
other Christian tattooers. Since
e then, almost 100 tattoo parlors across
s the nation have heard the call of the
Christian Tattoo Association.
g "Our idea is: Let's take Christianity
out of cloistered halls and put it
? right in the forum where people live,'
1 and let's make it so real, so up-to-date,
so today that it impacts peoples' lives,"
r^of?*AUfoln omro
vyouuTfoivi oajo.
Adds Mastre, who is studying to
bePentecostal pastor, "I think the
best way to put it is a few like-mind
necock
Lto life i
Special to The Gamecock
trn side of the Arabian Gulf, covers
* & ^Smmfm?/ 'i
I JL
Erica Perez Special to Tlie Gamecock
This is the first feature in a series ofar- I
tides on exchange students at USC. The I
Gamecock hopes to increase awareness
of, and interest in, diversity on campus
by focusing on international students '
and their lives at home and at USC.
exclusive co
"USC has a diverse sti
seems appropriate th;
diverse selection of st
dents want individuality in a class ring,
they also desire a common design.
By taking control of the ring situation,
USC hopes that the confusion
of selecting a class ring can be reduced.
"The goal is to create a sense of
identity and eliteness with the guarantee
of a quality company serving students
and alumni," Art Carved representative
Julie Hicks said.
Although it's projected that students
will ultimately be pleased with
the decision, the question of reducing
their choices about something as personal
as senior rings is still a concern.
Computer science major Candice
Dellinger said, "With so many students,
it's not fair that they have narrowed
our options to such a minimum."
man makes ma
"We don't want ever
to think that tattooii
devil, because it isn'1
ed people that are trying their very
best to share the word of God in a place
where it's never heard."
At tattoo conventions, they put up
a table and work the crowd. Some members
adopt tattoos that cover their entire
backs. Tattoos of St. Michael slaying
the devil and the Last Supper are
popular.
"I've seen hundreds of full-back
Christian tattoos," Mastre says.
Mastre says he's wanted to start a
Christian tattoo group for years. He
said Christians in the industry need
to encourage each other.
"We don't want everybody in the
world to think that tattooing is the
work of the devil, because it isn't," Mastre
says. "It's a beautiful art form."
Rand Johnson, a tattooer in Willmar,
Minn.,-describes the group as a
ministry focused on people in the tat
n Midc
Left: Qatar exchange student Mol
he won in team handball, wears i
Above: Clad in the traditions
Mohammed smokes tobacco fi
Columbia apartment. Regular tot:
in the top of the pipe, and smoke
ntract for
ident body, and it
at it should have a
udent rings."
Tim Redding
engineering major
Engineering major Tim Rede
said, "USC has a diverse student b
and it seems appropriate that it sh<
also have a diverse selection of stue
rings."
This change has also brought al
decreased prices. There is now an e\
day low price that eliminates thi
sue of on-the-spot discounts.
"A symbol of the university shi
not be regarded as a discount prodi
Hicks said. "Rather, it should be a1
able to everyone at any time for a g
price."
A twofold savings has also occui
resulting in lower advertising and i
keting costs because of the elimina
of competing companies. rk
with Chris
pbody in the world
lg is the work of the
t."
Randy Mastn
Christian tattoo arti:
too industry ? and whoever else
listen.
Tor the most part, the world ol
toos and tattooing and such is a ]
ty dark world, and as a Chris
you want to shed a little light in th
Johnson says.
Some members of the clergy a
wild about the idea.
Fargo Bishop Rick Foss says
if somebody has to have a tattoo,
rather it have a Christian theme,
he adds, there are better ways to sp
God's word.
Td be really surprised if any
could make a very good case if
Bible or the basis of Christian ti
tion that this is somehow a really
thing," says Foss, who heads the 1
ern North Dakota Synod of
Evangelical Lutheran Church in A
ica.
SITE OF THE PAY
Dedicated to crime comics of
the '40s and '50s.
http://www.crimeboss.com
Page 5
lie East
if.. J* -v
lll:; I
IVx>^.
^
Sm^mk
I
Erica Perez Special to The Gamecock
hammed Al-Abdulla, pictured with medals
regular street clothes when not in Qatar,
il clothing he wears when in Qatar,
'om a traditional smoking pipe in his
tacco, similar to that in cigarettes, is lit
i is inhaled through the end of the pipe.
senior rings
The official ring is actually the historic
Carolina ring that has been lost
in the shuffle in past years. The men's
and women's official rings are exactly
alike except for size. Ifs a gold signet
that bears the school seal.
There is an "official" collection of
class rings that offers five additional
styles.
Art Carved will remake other class
rings or even other company's rings
'u*c* into the official ring for a small charge.
len Its goal is to provide students with a
high-quality product with a lifetime
^?ut guarantee.
rwy* "In a large university, you are gene
,s" erally known by your social security
number," Hicks said. "That's why it's
3U'1? so important to have something like a
ac*' traditional class ring. It makes stu"
dents feel like a part of history."
reat "Students that ordered a class ring
will be invited to attend a ring-turnTed>
ing ceremony before the president's renar"
ception on May 6," said Lisa Tillman,
to?n graduate assistant for the Alumni Association.
Han taltnn arm in
vxwjl x vw vvvy vy vy j^y
Some clergy members who are
against tattooing cite a Biblical passage
in Leviticus, which they say warns,
J "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your
flesh for the dead, nor print any marks
upon you..."
e Mastre argues that the passage
sl is part of the Old Testament, and that
many rules were changed in the New
will Testament.
"If they want to live by the Old
f tat- Covenant, they have to do it all," Masoret
tre said. "They just can't pick out one
tian thing or the other."
ere," Christian tattoos have always comprised
a sizable piece of the tattoo marren't
ket, Ostrowski says. Whafs new is the
effort to organize,
that From small Biblical quotations to
he'd portraits of Jesus, Mastre works in his
But, tattoo parlor in a Bismarck mall. A
iread sign saying "Praise the Lord" hangs
above one of his studios, where he'll
body make a small tattoo for $40 to $100.
. fV? a T orrror* \ir/-vv?Lro run fvnm 4- V* / ?
1 W1C LJdl gci w \Jl rvo 1U.11 11 win ?puvv llltu tlic
radi- thousands. Mastre says he also regood
moves about 40 tattoos a month.
Sast- "I know that several times people
the have come in with demonic type of tatiner
toos, and they've become Christian and
wanted them removed or covered," he
says.