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VIEWPOINTS 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 Put down controller; go outside andplay Don’t get us wrong, we enjoy a good game of “Grand Theft Auto” as much as the next group of college kids, but sometimes video gaming can go too far. Some people, such as Florida attorney and anti-game crusader Jack Thompson, say video games exact a psychological toll on kids, turning them into violent, baseball bat-wielding monsters. We don’t know whether video games can have those kinds of effects. " But we do see something wrong with any lifestyle that includes several hours at a stretch in front of the boob tube. Consider obesity levels in America today. It’s ridiculous to blame PlayStation for the rolls of fat surrounding today’s society. But an eight-hour Sunday session of “Final Fantasy X” won’t burn too many calories. And with some online compa We encourage game fanatics to get together outside of a game of “Mario Party.” Why not play a game of touch football once a week? Or maybe a little ping pong? A huge part of college life is socializing. That means outside of the dorm room, preferably in a club or student organization. But parties work fine too. A high-speed Internet game of “Half-Life 2” against some super-techie in China doesn’t count. The point is video games — like everything else in life — are fine in moderation. But an overload will prove harmful, whether by warping minds and helping hands to deadly weapons or by piling on pounds and encouraging pallor. And to you game fiends who are going to grow up and have kids of your own, we hope you’ll encourage them once in awhile to forgo an hour of blasting aliens or stealing cars to go climb a tree. IT’S VOUR RIGHT Exercise your right to voice your opinion Create message boards at wunv. dailygamecock. com or send letters to the editor to gamecockopinions@gwm.se. 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 contact information -. . p. ■ Offices on third floor of the Russell House. cfiflS MCCARTHY Tifo Editor’s office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. Copy Desk Chief Editor: gamecockeditor9gwm.sc.edu STEVEN VAN HAREN News:gamecocknews9gwm.sc.edu News Editor Viewpoints: gamecockopinions9gwm.se. edu STEPHEN FASTENAU The Mix: gamecockfeatures9gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports9gwm.sc.edu m'eTIUTUADMDA Public Affairs: gamecockPR9yahoo.com JUSTIN LHArUKA Online: www.dailygamecock.com Viewpoints Editor Newsroom: 777-7726; Sports: 777-7182 BRINDY MCNAIR Editor', Office: 777-3914 ALEXIS ARNONE STUDENT MEDIA THE GAMECOCK is the Spot,, Editor Director editorially independent JONATHAN HILLYARD SCOTT LINDEN8ERG student newspaper of the Asst Sports Ed,tor Faculty Adviser University of South ALEX RILEY ERIK COLLINS Carolina. It is published Photo Editor Monday, Wednesday and NICKESARES SUSAN KINGFriday during the fall and Sports Photo Editor spring semesters and nine KATIE KIRKLAND times during the summer, Page Designers CAROLYN GRIFFIN with the exception of MIKE CONWAY, JESSICA Advertising Manager university holidays and ANN NIELSEN, MEGAN SARAH exam periods. Opinions SINCLAIR SCARBOROUGH expressed in THE Graphic Designer Classified Manager GAMECOCK are those of the LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH SHERRY F. HOLMES editors or author and not Copy Editors Production Manager °f th‘ University °f CHELSEA HADAWAY, GAREN CANSLER South Carolina. The Board KRISTY LAUBE, 0f Student Publications and ffSfSS- mSBFnfis. l“ KStumT £S Online Editor »nnui »I r v* »!in r n re J RYAN SIMMONS uP.ovLdA.L|2?iN0ER’ Department of Student MARY RACHEL Media is the newspaper’s Creative Services FREEMAN, MCKENZIE oarent orvaniration THF JOSEPH OANNELLY, WELSH, DEIDRE f ZJr ZZ I LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH, MERRICK GAMECOCK is supported in MARGARET LAW, part by student-activity fits. MEGHAN WHITMAN One free copy per reader. -- Additional copies may be TO PLACE AN AO purchased for $1 each from The Gam,cod, Advertising: 777-3888 the Dcparnnent of Student 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Medta‘ Columbia. S.C. 29208 Fax: 777-6482 fjeutf*. JvQOt WANT5" fAO££ (NfO (M tfctfDMAUfc OftSlffSW "V V^VK>i/<-V/ -V / rH£\WKyou po« Yooe A / T€5r(rti)wy,youw& maw- } V yoi) MAX pou, SACK f£> j Ay^ywfg 5gAT yowV^/' r-— I I Muslims fasting to strengthen spirituality Food replaced during day by reading Quran, worship, giving charity There are more than 1 billion Muslims around the world observing the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a spiritual month for many because it involves fasting — abstaining from food and drink of any kind. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Quran, giving charity, purifying one’s behavior and doing good deeds. For Muslims, Ramadan is an opportunity to gain by giving up, to prosper by going without and to grow stronger by enduring weakness. Ramadan is an important time not only because one develops a spiritual connection with their faith, but because it is also a time when one reflects on what they have in life compared to those less fortunate. One of the main goals for fasting during Ramadan is to experience first-hand the hunger many people around the world face on a day-to-day basis, and through this sacrifice, it shows us how to be compassionate and sympathetic for the unprivileged. Fasting is also beneficial to health because it provides a break in the cycle of overindulgence. The most important reason for fasting is obviously □ because of a religious obligation. In religious fast, there are three SUZMIIIC primary FRAU purposes: self „ , control over the pharmacy appetite and student over the body, focusing the mind on God and prayer, and making sacrifice to God for offenses made. Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory for those able to do it. Sick people and long distance travelers are exempted from fasting if they are unable to fast but must make it up at some point in the year. Ramadan is the ninth of the 12 months of the Islamic lunar calendar. A lunar year is about 11 days shorter than a Gregorian year. As a result, dates of events in the Islamic lunar year move forward about 11 days every year. So, because Ramadan this year started Oct. 4, next year Ramadan will start approximately Sept. 23. The length of the day and the fasting period vary from place to place through the years. No matter where you live in the world though, you will see an average of about 13.5 hours of fasting during the day. A typical fasting day begins at the break of dawn and ends at sunset. A fasting student at USC right now probably wakes up 10 to 15 minutes before dawn, which is at approximately 6:08 a.m., to have a pre-fast meal, called suhoor, to last them the entire day. Throughout the day, rigorous walking, such as having class in the business building and then walking all the way over to Jones Physical Science Center within a 15 minute span, tends to get a person pretty thirsty and forgetful of the fact that they are fasting. So don’t give someone a dirty look if you see them sipping water from the fountain and all of a sudden spitting it out all over the place like they are having a heart attack. It happens, I promise. So after going through a day filled with classes, tests and studying it’s finally time to break fast when the sun goes down at approximately 6:48, and this meal is called iftar. After the breaking of the fast, one is able to eat and drink all they want until the next morning. This process is continuous for 29 to 30 days. If you know someone who is fasting, be respectful and considerate of what they are giving up for the day and make sure you do not eat your Russell House lunch right in front of them. IN YOUR OPINION Dargan has no place in The Gamecock I’m disappointed that the editorial staff allows Randy Dargan to use The Gamecock to espouse his biased and racist opinions. Previously, it was his displeasure with a student body president’s sexual orientation. Now, you’ve given him a forum for the Facebook fiasco. Mr. Dargan, through his opinions published in The Gamecock, established himself as a very conservative and closed-minded individual. I find his comments destructive and dismissive of the more sensitive concerns surrounding racism. As a white kid, Mr. Dargan doesn’t have the proper standing to presume the opinion of blacks on any issue (“Readers misconstrue ‘straddling the fence,”’ Wednesday), regardless of his personal feelings toward the subject. The greater issue, however, is that the Facebook fiasco and Mr. Dargan’s subsequent comments undermine the terrific diversity and strong interracial relations present at use. Our university makes a strong effort to retain our minority students, and we are consistently a leader among our peers in terms of minority enrollment. Furthermore, as a “gatekeeper,” the editorial page should reflect opinions that benefit the public discourse at the university, rather than function as a sounding board for divisive and degrading ideas. JOHN GOWAN Class of2003 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. 9 nline ^° y°u think video games I« contribute to the increase Oil in obesity in American youth? www.dailygamecock.com College kids personalities go far deeper than major Childhood education tops nursing for USC’s best-looking females I’m a history student. It’s a good thing I plan on being a teacher; otherwise, I could - have problem* trying to figure out what to do with this degree. Why do I puncp want t0 ** a PTAHnnnmmfl teacher? I say STOUDEnmiRE it.s bccause I Second-year have a heart. history Others say it’s because I ve grossly underestimated the size of a teacher’s salary. In all likelihood, it’s a bit of both. But for the average student, how much does the choice of major really dictate their career AnfiAnc) MAf Ac <te rvtlT advisors would have us think. In my opinion, for most guys, their major does nothing more than identify their merits as a potential husband. The joke has always been that when girls are trying to find a husband, they should hang out around the medical school and the law school. I seem to have missed the lecture where they taught boys what majors make the best wives! As a matter of fact, I’m not sure that lecture has ever been given. It’s about time. Gentlemen, get ready. After much (and by much I mean very little) consideration, I present to you the official list of the sexiest majors on campus. (Before we start, honorable mention goes to journalism students. I mean, they’re kind of a big deal. People know them. They own many leather-bound books, and their apartments smell of rich mahogany.) Coming in at No. 3, we have any kind of visual or They’re _ _i -—— will be a great asset to your Trivial Pursuit team. Forget Patty Hall — McMastcr is the new cool place to be Friday night. Holding strong at second, we have nursing. Anyone who wants to be a nurse has an almost infallible combination of pleasant traits — they’re smart, hardworking and would rather spend their time helping other people than making tons of money by using their talents elsewhere. That, and well, my mommy is a nurse. And finally, the sexiest major on campus — early childhood education. Admit it guys — you were in love with your kindergarten teacher. Faced every day against an army of rowdy children who don’t quite have complete control over their bodily functions, kindergarten teachers manage to maintain order, teach the alphabet and construct puppets out of Popsicle sticks on a daily basis. That’s hot. Chase’s Law states, “If anything can go wrong, it will, l _ _• •__III (U1U yuiu v,uuiw utUTVijuj mu read about it and laugh at you.” Accordingly, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll have met and fallen in love with a double majoring in advertising and political science. Moral of the story? This column was a joke. Stereotypes are fun, but your major doesn’t make or break you. When the right person comes along they’ll have spent a lot more time studying you than they ever spent studying a textbook.