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The Pilot Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Page A3 Opinions Our ignorance and inaction peijpetuates suffering in Sudan By Rebecca Clark Pilot editor I sat in the dim audito rium in a creaky wooden chair about a week ago and listened to David Johnson speak about his trip to a Su danese refugee camp. He has published a book of his photographs from the camp and displayed some of them that night. A picture flashed on the screen at the front of the room and the image of a woman, kneeling in water the color of milk chocolate was displayed. This is the water the people have to drink. They scoop it up from hand-dug “wells” and carry it home to their families. And these are the lucky ones. At least they are alive The Pilot Nancy-Pat Dire Faculty Advisor Rebecca Clark Editor in Chief Stephanie Kay Designer Ashley Carter and Haley Black Photo Editors Jacob Conley Sports Editor Jared Graf Kory McNair Christopher Shaver Staff Writers Sarajane Burroughs Kate Gazaway Jessica Jones Tyler Kucifer Rachel Tucker Staff Photographers Phone Number: 704-406-3844 P.O. Box 5192 pilot@gardner-webb.edu Five bad Christmas gift ideas By Christopher Shaver Pilot staff writer During the holiday sea son, it feels like everyone is telling us what we need to buy for each other. I’ve decided to take a different route. Here is what not to buy for Gardner-Webb students, your little brother or anyone else, for that matter. • $5 gift card to Petro Ex press. As many of you know, gas prices are insanely high. So don’t ask your cheap un cle for a gas card, or he may give one in just this amount. Don’t you dare do it either. Even the students who travel to Gaffney for gas are paying about $3 a gallon, so a $5 gift card won’t go very far. • University of Con necticut sweat shirt. Like many other GWU students, I am still bitter about the bad COLUMN: Quit complaining, start acting By Aaron Igdalsky The Daily Campus (U. Con necticut) (U-WIRE) STORRS, Conn. - I’ve written about many issues in my column this year, issues that I think are of interest to college stu dents. But one issue contin ues to plague our generation: a lack of interest in politics, current events and society at large. Thomas L. Friedman, a columnist with The New York Times, has called us “Generation Q,” the “Q” representing “quiet.” This could not be more accurate. Though there are certainly some of our peers who are engaged and interested in their government and per forming their civic duty, they are in the minority. Simply look at the abysmal number of people our age who vote; in the most recent presiden tial election it was less than 50 percent. I understand I may be preaching to the choir here: the fact that you are reading the newspaper and keeping an eye on what’s going on means that you at least care a little bit. Sadly, just read ing the paper isn’t going to cut it. A microcosm of this phe nomenon is the Social Se curity crisis happening right now in the United States. "What about the ever growing budget deficit? You can respond to my argument in one of two ways. If you’re a moron, you will tell me that things are just ducky and the mounting fi nancial deficit is nothing to worry about. If you have a solid head on your shoulders, you may say, “I’m concerned about these issues, but I’m just one college kid who doesn’t mean anything.” To that I answer get off your ass and start making some noise. If you are loud enough, peo ple will listen. University students and other young folks can be powerfol at the polls. Don’t just toe the party line. Republican or Demo crat. Question what politi cians are doing. We can be a force to be reckoned with if we stop complaining and start voting. to drink the water. Roughly 2 million Su danese in the Darfur region have been forced to flee their homes in the past few years and thousands more have been murdered. It is an eth nic issue, with Arab Muslims killing black Muslims. It is a political issue, with govermnent-backed Arab militias attacking African tribe. It is a global issue with China, a permanent United Nations Security Council member, heavily invested in the oil fields in southern Sudan. It is also a widely ig nored issue. You might hear whispers of the name “Darfur” on the news, a few rumors of it on college campuses and an echo or two in the commu nity, but a genocide is tak ing place that we know little about it and do even less. During the aftermath of the Holocaust, as the horrors of the concentration camps and the sheer magnitude of the hate directed against Jews were revealed, many Ger man citizens simply claimed to know nothing about it. Jews passed by in cattle cars and they knew nothing. The smoke from their ashes hung on the air, and they did not know. Let us not do the same. One of the first things we should do is be aware. Edu cate yourself on what is go ing on and be informed on the issues behind this tragedy. Not only be aware your self, but make sure others are aware of the genocide taking place in Darfur. I believe ig norance is a weakness that affects not only ourselves, but others. I also think we can all make some sort of differ ence, no matter how small. There are various ways to support relief efforts in the area. Also, write to congress men who are apathetic about the issue. The UN has large ly turned a blind eye on the murder, rape and abuse of millions of people. Put pres sure on political figures. Go to a rally. Speak out about it. The end of the semester is around the comer and most of us have final exams on our minds, but every action - no matter how small - can make a difference. As we finish the semester I wish everyone good luck with exams. Have a great Christmas break! Wisdom on Wheels Some ^ngs jn life are just worth crying about By Jacob Conley vicariously together. Pilot sports editor Since the preceding issue of the Pilot came out I have caught a lot of flack for my comments about Liberty University’s conduct on our football field. Some people want me to apologize and chalk Lib erty’s party on our logo as exuberance after winning the game. However, I do not regret and I stand by my ear lier comments; therefore, no apology or retraction will be made. While we are one the sub ject of class, I would like to applaud the Redskins, Bills and the NFL in the way that they handled the Sean Taylor situation. The way the Redskins honored him by hav ing 10 men on thWid for the first defensive play made COMMENTARY: This (crying) does not happen often. In fact, I have only cried five times that I remember. The first occurred when I was 9 years old and my dad ran over my cat, Tango. 1 learned a very important lesson that day. Never put a cat on the hood of a truck to watch him play with the windshield wipers. The next time I cried was when I saw the film “Rudy” for the first time. The tears came, unbidden, when Rudy was carried off the field, because I have that same dream. No, not playing for Notre Dame, but playing sports in general. I understood that even if I worked as hard Rudy, that dream would nev er J^kalized. iBer I came to that tough realization, I began to live vicariously through my teams: Duke, the Braves, the Panthers and the Bobcats (and that Conley other team in Charlotte that was their predecessor). My emotions went through peaks and valleys based on wins and losses of these games. The next event put some perspective on the things I valued in life. In January 2004, my good friend and surrogate roommate Justin Alston passed away. His death hit me hard an- deven though I did not cry at the funeral, I would cry when I would be watching a Panthersgame or the ACC tournament. These were events we had always done together. The last two occasions I have cried have come re cently. When we beat Kentucky, it felt like all of my yelling, sweat, fhistration and joy over the past six years cul minated in that one glorious event. After watching “Sports Center” for the third time that night, I went to my room and thought about how much Justin would have enjoyed this win, and I cried. People say that God’s favorite color is Carolina blue, but I tend to think it is a darker shade. I can’t help but think on that for two hours on Nov. 7 Justin’s mansion was turned from gold to pewter, black and red. God had some new fa vorite colors thanks to Justin. Keep cheering my friend. I miss you. calls the referees handed out like candy that fateful night. However, I am still proud of the GWU basketball team. • Aqua Dots. In case you are unaware of this, this toy has an ingredient that, if swallowed, becomes the date-rape drug GHB. There was a recall last month, but if you find them on the store shelf, don’t buy them. They definitely send the wrong message. • Snow blower. With global warming in effect, we won’t need these anyways, right? Not to mention it still feels like spring here in the Piedmont, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting snow any time soon. • O.J. Simpson memo rabilia. He may try to steal it back from the person you gave it to. Maybe at gun point. Tis the season to be stylish; Five holiday fashion mistakes By Lara Stevenson & Vir ginia Beckett The Eagle (American U.) (U-WIRE) WASHING TON - Whether it’s Bridget Jones-esque chunky holiday sweaters, socks with bells or singing Christmas 1j^«ve’ve all seen our fair shaWmboli- day-fashion faux pas. However, many are not aware of the more subtle fashion mistakes frequently made during the holiday sea son. Whether you’re off to a family holiday party, dinner or just dressing for the sea son, it’s important to not go overboard. We’ve gathered the five most common mis takes made during this fes tive time of year and differ ent ways to correct them. Oversparkling It’s not attractive to go out looking brighter than your Christmas tree. Many people falsely believe the holiday season is a valid ex cuse to break out all of their silver and gold ensembles at once. Metafiles, sparl^k and sequins are all acce|^Ple at tire for the season, but being the most stylish one at the party doesn’t require being as bright as one of the win dow displays at Saks Fifth Avenue. Try wearing one se- quined piece with a neutral color — like black or navy blue — to balance it out. For maximum impact, wearing just one embellish ment at a time will help you glitter to your full potential at any holiday gathering. ^Ming too much skin ^Pmough many stores sell revealing Christmas out fits at this time of year, it’s important to remember that it’s still chilly outside. Put a blazer over that lacy cami sole and some tights under that sparkly mini skirt. If you arrive at a holiday party wearing fewer clothes than everyone else, you’ll look stupid, not sexy. Here’s a good rule to live by: If your shirt has sleeves, it is proba bly acceptable for the season. Long sleeves are preferable, but short, puffed princess sleeves with a high neck are also a cute way to look fes tive. If you absolutely have to wear your sleeveless shirt, do everyone a favor by throwing over a cropped sweater and a blazer, but not a shawl. « [billing holiday rs in one outfit For those of you who celebrate Hanukkah - lucky you! Your colors match. Blue and silver wifi rarely ever look bad together, so cele brate away. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, you are not as fortunate. We know that red and green are the classic Christmas colors — but just because you see red and green on the sweater that your grandma gave you doesn’t mean they match. Separate red and green. Al ways. Enough said. Being under- or overdressed Since it’s the holiday sea son, everyone is bound to be flooded with party invita tions once they return home. It’s important to dress well for these, especially because we’ve been away for months and want to come back with a bang. Whether you’re going to a family gathering, a perfor mance of “The Nutcracker” or the annual Christmas Ball, it’s crucial to dress accord ingly. A good rule to instate for yourself is to never wear jeans. Not with heels, not with a nice top, not even if they’re red or green jeans. Never. If you’re trying to make a good impression, wearing jeans is a surefire way not to do it. Men, this goes for you, too. Jeans aren’t acceptable with a suit jacket or shirt with a tie. Try wearing corduroys- they are cute, comfortable and seasonally appropriate. Things that you just don’t EVER wear For our last holiday-fash ion tip, we decided to put the things that, no matter what the circumstance, you should never be caught wearing. First, the holiday sweater. It’s ugly. Never wear it. Next, the holiday brooch — we know that this may seem like a simple way to spruce your outfit up for the holidays, but it isn’t. They are tacky and, although small, can ruin an entire outfit. For men, holiday ties are a big “no.” When you wear a tie, you’re telling the world, “It’s business time.” When you wear a holiday tie, you are telling the world, “Not only am I unstylish, I look like an elf just threw up on me, and I’m a fool because I am unaware of either of these things.” Don’t even get us started on singing ties. For the acces sory-obsessed, ornament ear rings and jingle-bell jewelry should be avoided. Save the ornaments for your tree. And for the record, jingle-bell ing wherever you’re going is a terrible way to announce your arrival. So, this season when you go out to celebrate your re spective holidays, look styl ish and spread holiday cheer. Merry ChristmaKwanzakah, everybody. O'. : •BlJSINteS^: lylAkAGER ' N EEPEd • ' ' x'’ • •• ^ • • by SEULINE ... - 1 ADS rOR THE PILOT CONTACT THE PILOT AT NDIi fSARDNER-WEBB.EDU
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