The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 28, 2005, Page 6, Image 6
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
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Asst Sports Ed,tor Faculty Adviser University of South
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KATIE KIRKLAND times during the summer,
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MIKE CONWAY, JESSICA Advertising Manager university holidays and
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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.