Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

ONLINE this week’s question Should the USC baseball team share a new ballpark with the Bombers? Vote at www.dai . lygamecock.com. Last week’s question Do you think the Russell House should offer more services alongside the eateries? See oth er poll results at www.dai lygamecock.com. YES 89% NO 11% TOP 10 Ways to beat the Columbia heat. The Gamecock staff creates the weekly ‘Top 10.” Submit topics to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com 10. Well,.we would say drink the water, but ... 9. Take a breather in the frosty air of the Columbia/USC relationship. 8. Relax on the National Audobon Society Horseshoe. 7. Skip class. Also a great way to beat lots of things. 6. Bat .406 so you can die and get cryongenically frozen. 5. Take a stroll through the GMP walk-in freezer. Report the 10-year old mold samples to DHEC, please. 4. Three words: “Hey, beer man!” 3. Avoid hot air coming out of Ankit , Patel's mouth. 2. Take a dip in the BioGuard Pool at the MetRx Blatt PE Center. 1. Get head shaved. Oops, that isn't an option here anymore. FIND A PROBLEM? Did you find a fact error in this week’s issue of The Gamecock? We strive for accuracy in our reporting and want to print corrections if errors are brought to our attention. If you find an error, please report it to: . - gamecockeditor@hotmail.com and we will correct it in our next issue. • • * * What's better than an explorer? An urban explorer BY PHIL WATSON GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Just when I think the Internet is totally inhabited by liars, thieves and perverts, it comes back and redeems itself like Paul Reubens (the artist formerly known as Pee Wee Herman) did in the critically acclaimed 1996 film “Dunston Checks In.” You remember, it was the one about the monkey who stayed in a five-star hotel. I had just finished browsing the ads on Yahoo! Personals, and I was putting the final touches on a piece I was going to post on my favorite Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen message board when I accidentally came across a web site that made me rethink one of my favorite pastimes. I’ve always loved going places I'm not supposed to go. Whether it's an abandoned prison, a shut down mill, an underground utility tunnel or a Dykes on Bikes convention, I've been there uninvited. This web site I came across told me that I am not, in fact, a petty trespasser like all those judges told me I was. No, sir, I am an urban explorer. Let me say that one more time. Urban explorer. Let it sink in. Magellan, Columbus, Cortes, Cook, Raleigh ... Watson. Who would have thought I'd ever be an explorer? And not one of the dorky kinds from high school that spent their Saturdays washing squad cars and mopping the drunk tanks at the local police stations. I'm talking about a metal hat-wearing, gold-stealing, machete-waving, cannibal-fighting, chandelier swinging explorer. As if simply being an explorer isn't cool enough, I take it a step further by being an urban explorer; I think that's a rank above a regular explorer. Evidently, there's a whole subculture of people just like me, who love sneaking into places they're not supposed to. Some even take it a step further and get the prestigious title of “vehicular urban explorer.” In other words, they find big storm drains and drive their trucks in them. Explore on, you courageous, noble patriots. In the old days, explorers took great risks to find out more about the world in which they lived. They wanted to see what was over the horizon ... and then plunder and kill it mercilessly. While I don’t want to kill or pillage, I do want to see what hasn't been seen in weeks. I want to know whether or not there really are crazy hobos in the old prison. I want to see for myself if there are ghosts in the old Olympia mill and, ok, I admit, maybe do a little pillaging while I'm at it. My first urban exploration mission was in the old prison near the Broad River*. I was as nervous as Mohamed Atta at a three-day Charlie Daniels music festival in hell. Shadows seemed to move. Every scurrying rat sounded like a razor-wielding meth addict getting ready to lunge at me. We eventually made it to the roof of the three-story building and took some pictures of the Columbia skyline. It was a memorable experience. Calling it urban exploration may be a stretch, but it was fun and adventurous. Columbia's a great town for urban exploration, or harmless trespassing, as some call it. There are all kinds of old mills, prisons and water works to check out. There's even an elaborate system of tunnels running under this very campus. I have to hand it to the Internet. Before I ran across all these sites, I was a petty trespasser. Now I'm a prestigious urban explorer. Just call me Sir Phil de Watson. * Any stories involving illegal activities in this column are fictional. Readers are discouraged from breaking the law and putting their lives at risk by illegally entering structures that are not open to the public, no matter how fun or cool it might be. Watson is a fourth-year print journalism student. IN YOUR OPINION Top ten draws ire of S.C. Springsteen fan While I know the Top Ten Lists are supposed to be for fun, I just had to respond to Wednesday's list regarding “features/amenities/events we want in the Carolina Center.” Apparently, we should want to see “Good concerts, not '80s relics like Springsteen.” Wow. First of all, “The Boss” is one of the best major live acts around. “Bruce Springsteen” and “good concert” are synonymous. Second, Bruce is far from being an “ '80s relic.” “Born to Run,” perhaps Bruce's best album, was released in 1975. He has also produced solid work in the '90s, winning Grammys for his folk music. Furthermore, Bruce's '80s works are among the most innovative and socially relevant works of the decade. No wonder his songs have been covered by bands such as 10,000 Maniacs and Rage Against the Machine. If you enjoy paying to see groups that don't play instruments, don't write their own songs, and won't be remembered ten years from now, don't see Bruce. But if you want to see a good concert and feel honored that Columbia could host such an event, well, “The Boss” is coming to town. ERIC DOUGLASS SB\RTAi\'Bl!RG, S.C. 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 gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. Letters will be.edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. You don’t like what you see? Then quit whining to your mother and write a letter to the editor. Winners and Sinners V WINNERS LANCE ARMSTRONG Put down the bread and wine, Pierre. Lance charges to Tour de France lead. USC FOOTBALL FANS Tailgating season commences in six weeks. Football season does, too. AUSTIN POWERS Yet another shagadelic spoof opens this week. Grr, baby. Very grr. "THE BOSS" Still has fans and will soon be rockin' in the USC. And he's not a relic; we like sarcasm. SINNERS THE STOCK MARKET Rolling over and dying worse than a Brad Scott/Wally Burnham defense. TIGER WOODS Shoots an 81 on Saturday at the British Open. Earl Woods not amused. Tiger's girlfriend almost earns Tiger a move to Winners list. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Pastime set to take ““backseat as NFL training camps open. MALE USC STUDENTS Hooters not part of renovations; Russell House not yet man-tastic.