Grand Theft Adults Only

Children and teens will have to wait until they turn 18 before they can get their dose of virtual, video game sex, but the killing of people and fantasy creatures rages on. This past summer, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game had its rating changed from “Mature” to “Adults Only.” The new rating implicates that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to purchase the game. Select retailers have already removed the popular game and its new rating from their shelves.

This comes in the aftermath of an Internet modification that enables players to enter an otherwise hidden sex scene and minigame. The principal character then engages in sexual positions with all his clothes while the woman is naked.

Amid the outcry over a sex scene, obtainable only through the process of Internet downloading, Democratic senators Hillary Clinton and Joseph Lieberman voiced their outrage with Rockstar’s video game. Despite the graphic violence of the game, which allows players to engage in brutal deaths, it took a secret hack-job of sexual pornography for Capitol Hill to denounce the game.

Are censors trying to make an example out of GTA: San Andreas? While this game and other violent games flood the retail markets, in his New York Times Op-Ed (7/22), Thomas Friedman describes the distribution of Islamgames at the Iqra Learning Center in Leeds, England. In the game “Ummah Defense I”, the world has “finally united under the Banner of Islam in 2114, until a revolt by disbelievers. The player’s goal is to seek out and destroy violence against others.” This game further divides the ideological differences between Islam and the Western world, and it may be Capitol Hill’s next biggest concern.

With sexually explicit porn sites a mouse click away and virtual violence role-playing at our hands on Xbox, PS2, and other game consoles, what are we trying to safeguard our children against? From the explicit and verbal violence in movies to music, it usually takes an act of juvenile violence before someone notices. The Columbine shootings brought accusations against music artist Marilyn Manson and video games such as Doom. If we want to stop future damage, perhaps politicians need to sit and play Grand Theft Auto or a similar game for themselves.

Now that the “Adults Only” rating is used, no longer will the images of sex drift into children’s and teens’ minds while playing a particular video game. Children are creative; they will find it elsewhere. Let us hope all the uncensored gun shooting in video games does not make a child a better marksman or trigger some mental imbalance causing a rampage shooting accident.

Censors and Senators Clinton and Lieberman are sending gray messages in a world of black, white, and red violence. It is unrealistic to believe that we can safeguard the youth culture from entertainment violence, but we fail at making the minor improvements where we can. It was not until a modified sex clip was attacked that the scarlet “AO” was embroidered on boxes of GTA: San Andreas. The killing of police officers, women, and thugs had previously warranted the playability by “mature” users.

A double standard lurks in the country, giving life to violence and death to sex. In a country that favors war as the end-all solution to conflict, it is no surprise that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas came under heat for its hidden sex content rather than its violent game play. As for its gun-slinging, civilian-killing protagonist, he is no longer allowed to have intercourse. Sex is dirty. Killing is tolerated.

This Article Published in "The Hurricane"

The War in Iraq: A Sad Look Back

I have spent my summers in Cape May Point, New Jersey for the last 19 years. For the past three summers, two little hands periodically knocked on my door. It was the neighbor’s boys, two brothers, one seven and one five. They came to my father and me looking for help with fixing their bikes. This year I took the boys to the beach where we tossed nets into the ocean hoping to catch some crabs. Their eyes lit up with every crab we trapped.

Their father, Michael Kelly, was the Washington Post Writer’s Group syndicated columnist and past editor for The Atlantic Monthly. He also wrote Martyrs’ Day: Chronicle of a Small War and Things Worth Fighting For. The last summer I saw Mike, I helped him shovel sand into his backyard so his boys had a safe play area. Like mine, this was the Kelly family’s summer home.

When this war in Iraq began, he was one of the first journalists to go; he had covered Desert Storm. At the beginning of the war in Iraq, when the news networks reported a humvee accident that killed a journalist, the conflict in Iraq hit me hard and everyone else connected through Mike.

I cannot leave my home without seeing those two little bikes parked next to the yellow house on the dunes. Walking out of my house is a constant reminder of the effect the war in Iraq has had on the Kellys and many other families affected by this war.

As the war progresses and the death toll rises, the more we at home are joined by these unfortunate losses. There is no telling the length of our stay in Iraq or its outcome, but as in any war, the damages are irreparable. Tremendous suffering occurs on all sides.

The impact of death is far worse than death itself. To shield the public, the media rarely reports on life after suicide bombings, insurgent surprise attacks, or stealth precision bombing. As life speeds ahead, creating news by the minute, we bury the stories that came before. All it takes is a picture, a newspaper clipping, the recitation of a dead soldier’s name, or two little boys with bike problems, and all those events of yesterday become reality again.

Life is filled with tragedies. No person should ever have to go through a senseless tragedy, but for those who do, life is forever altered in a way that they and their loved ones will only know.

We struggle through the rise of gas prices, the president’s decisions, our occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, political scandals, and life. With the impermanence of life comes the permanenence of death, and the emptiness that death leaves may grow smaller but it never completely closes.

Twenty-five years from now, when we have seen what became of the war in Iraq, the combat will be another piece of US history; a time of suffering in this country cemented in the history books. For some mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and friends, it will be a time when a loved one went away and never came back. In any conflict, foreign or domestic, we sacrifice something for the cause. As generations of people across the globe have seen, a war is fought not only on the battlefield but on our front doorsteps.

Mike Kelly will be remembered by his fellow journalists, his family, and his friends. Through his examples, Mike taught me to always try to live one’s life with concern for the truth, as well as standing up for the little guy when the big guy grows too powerful. For all those who have died and suffered in this Iraq war, it does not make it easier when the reasons for going to war now appear tainted.

This Article Published in "The Hurricane"

We Are the Weirdoes

Tuned in to Court TV, I listened as Michael Jackson was found not guilty on all counts. With the Jackson 5 quietly playing on my laptop, I thought back to the days when Michael was African-American and appeared to be normal. Now innocent on molestation, conspiracy, and alcohol charges, he is white and weird. I was stunned as the words “not guilty” were read 14 times, but moreover, I came to the conclusion that we, though not including me, are the weirdoes.

With every verdict, a woman released a white dove, and another person held a sign that read “Michael, on behalf of mankind, we’re sorry.” For these Jackson worshippers and others who deify the King of Pop, their idol returns to the Neverland Ranch a free man.

It is scary to think that the hundreds of sign-toting fans who waited for hours outside of the Santa Maria, California courthouse are in fact your future jurors. What these future jurors fail to realize is that a difference exists between Michael Jackson, the entertainer, and Michael Jackson, the man. He is no longer the man who once “thrilled” us, and the jury refused to brand him a “smooth criminal.”

As fans moved the party from the courthouse to the gates of the Neverland Ranch, a man who shares his bed with children was placed into both Hollywood and legal history. For a singer who has been in the celebrity limelight for decades, a part of his fan base was undeterred by the accusations that were at hand.

Those people whose lives are mesmerized by celebrities often fail to separate the human from the celebrity. Stripping Michael Jackson to a no-name, accused, child molester, we would be far from releasing doves into the air.

Celebrity lovers immortalize stars forgetting that these icons are as human as the rest of us. Not even celebrities are immune from the mental suffering that plagues mankind. Yes, celebrities make mistakes like the rest of us, but there should be no difference between a celebrity’s mistake and your neighbor’s mistake.

The Michael Jackson case is evidence that a percentage of the American population have their priorities in disorder. The King of Pop may be free, but our servicemen and women are still chained to the soil of Iraq. Three dollars per gallon of gas looms in the future. The Aids crisis in Africa worsens as U.S. aid has not yet met expectations. Should we release a dove when a human being dies in Iraq or Africa?

While fans waited patiently in the afternoon heat for the fragile Jackson, family members of servicemen and woman wait patiently in their homes for verdicts on the lives of their sons and daughters. No one is knocking down the gates to the white house.

It is no surprise that Michael Jackson’s superstar status brought out the masses to support him in his time of need. If enough people can rally for an acquitted child molester, let’s hope we will see the same vigor taken to the streets in protest of other credible current events. We can listen to the album “Thriller” as much as we want, but it will not help pay for gas. Michael may be free but can he help my unemployed uncle find a job in a country whose job market floats oversees?

Maybe the parents who allow their children to sleep with Jackson are to blame. Maybe Jackson himself is the only one to blame. Regardless, on behalf of humankind, I apologize for us.

Holiday Day Blues

Memorial Day marks the beginning of the summer of 2005 has finally begun. College and high school seniors graduate. “Star Wars: Episode III” kicked off the summer blockbuster movies. We’ve filibustered the Senate and fili-blasted Iraq. We’re throwing burgers and dogs on the grill, dishing out potato salad and slices of homemade apple pie, and cracking open a case of ice cold Michelob Ultra (We have to watch our carbs before we hit the beach). By the way, it was Memorial Day Weekend.

My 17-year-old sister made a very astute observation concerning Memorial Day. “We are a country that honors our dead servicemen and women with a celebration of cookouts, beer, and road trips,” she said. Yes, young Rega, this is very true, however such similar celebrations for other serious “holidays” is all too typical for the average American.

Jesus Christ’s birth is bombarded with twinkling lights, panicking shoppers, making out underneath plants, and most importantly presents. To remember the magical oil that lasted for eight days, Jews devour potato pancakes, pass around chocolate money, and most importantly exchange presents. St. Patrick’s Day makes our dreams of drinking green beer come true, and let’s not forget all of the bunnies, ducks, rabbits, and chocolate that helped Jesus rise from the dead.

At the end of summer, we celebrate Labor Day to honor the working class with a final barbeque before the kids are shipped back to school. The burgers, dogs, and slaw are put on the table for one last time, and the Budweiser is sucked down because we have nine months before we need to look good for the beach again. Once we amass giant piles of refuse from our three day weekend of pigging out and revelry, we send the working class back to their jobs the next day to clean it all up and keep us fed again.

In between the meat patties and a brew, what is it that this country really celebrates? Year after year, holidays and commemorations become code words for parties and togetherness. I don’t want to be a downer on togetherness because holidays and commemorations do have many positives such as the ability to bring family and friends together amidst their time-deprived lives. However, firing up the grill as we attempt to remember those who fought bravely for our country, while men and women are on the front lines in Iraq, seems ridiculous.

During the Memorial Day weekend, I found that a majority of the public that I interacted with rejoiced with the coming of this holiday weekend. Memorial Day food specials caught my attention as I entered my local supermarket. In retails stores, salespeople wished my weekend well. Additionally, I was asked if I had any plans to celebrate. I’ve decided to sit around a giant American flag in my home and pass out presents with a plate of ribs in one hand and an Atkins bar in the other. I wonder if people truly know why we celebrate Memorial Day. If the retail world is gearing up for a holiday celebration, then so does the rest of the country.

The “gift holidays” are just as guilty as Memorial Day. From the day after Thanksgiving until the New Year, our country is put into retail frenzy as we gobble up every conceivable electronic device, article of clothing, and talking stuffed animal in a strong effort to please our family and friends. Our money flies out of our pockets like its Monopoly money. In the end, religious symbolism and togetherness are generally overshadowed by wrapping paper and an empty wallet.

This all is a product of the excessive nature of Americans and America’s brand of capitalism. Any excuse to throw a party and get liquored up is quickly seized. Presents in exchange for love and happiness? I’ll take it.

When we aren’t celebrating, we walk around declaring that we are good Americans. How can we be so good when honoring the dead is a call for celebration or the resurrection of the dead equals chocolate rabbits? I do not want to discredit these moments that bring joy into the lives of many or proselytize that we should all sit in our homes depressed, but perhaps we could take a little more time for reflecting upon the dead and suffering that wars have caused and a little less time wasting away in Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville.” We can make war obsolete if we recognize the suffering it has caused.

When Tantrums Put You in Handcuffs

Around the age of six years old, I engaged in my first fight…with my speech teacher. During one speech lesson, I became extremely irritable and could no longer sit through this woman’s tutoring. I proceeded to scream in defiance and kick her in her legs. After hearing, “No one kicks Mrs. Whoever,” I finally calmed down and the issue was resolved within five minutes. I was punished by my mother, but as I look back, at least I was not placed in handcuffs by three uniformed cops.

A young girl in a similar situation was not so lucky. According to MSNBC.com, the cameras were recording in a classroom at the Fairmount Park Elementary school in St. Petersburg, Florida as a five-year-old girl became upset over an incident that happened in her math class. As the video shows, the girl can be seen swatting her arms at the assistant principle as she tries to calm the child. After an hour after the situation began, three armed and uniformed police arrived at the school where they handcuffed the child and placed her in the police car. The teachers were apparently unable to handle the situation.

From the video, the child was not destructive nor did she in anyway cause pain to the teachers. A small five-year-old girl can swing her arms, but she cannot throw a punch. She acted unruly as any other child throwing a tantrum.

I would like to know the type of adult that is unable to deal with a child’s hissy fit. What kind of society have we become that handcuffs a child for displaying her anger at something? Where do the police come off thinking that this situation needed to be dealt with like they were arresting a robber or a murderer?

The young girl could be heard repeatedly screaming “No!” on the video. It is a disgrace to the police and to this school that they felt the situation could only end in handcuffs. Elementary school teachers are supposed to deal with the problems of young children. Part of dealing with anger and being reprimanded when appropriate is all part of the childhood learning process. If the police were called every time a child became upset and started throwing a tantrum, they would have no time to arrest those delinquents who truly should be placed in handcuffs.

Where has the public’s reasoning and morals gone? If you cannot deal with the emotions of a five-year-old, then do not be a parent or work with children. We are dealing with a kindergarten student. Her short life has already begun with a traumatizing situation. The social values of our society are deteriorating. We rush to blame everyone else besides ourselves and do not take responsibility for our own actions. Common sense has been replaced by stupidity and ignorance. I am pleased to know that this is the education my future children will one day receive.

This Article Published in "The Hurricane"

Bringing the “Relay” Home to UM

For the past five years now, I have participated in the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising activity Relay For Life in my hometown of Sarasota, Florida. It is an overnight event where teams of ten to fifteen people walk or run around a track in an effort to fight cancer and support those affected by this disease. Relay was started in the mid 1980s by Dr. Gordon Klatt, a surgeon from Tacoma, Washington. He was looking for a way to raise the income of his local American Cancer Society. Money is raised before and during the event by individuals and through team fundraising that is donated towards cancer treatments and finding a cure.

The event opens with an honorary first lap by cancer survivors. It is followed by the special Luminaria Ceremony which begins at dark. Individual lights outline the track in a sentimental moment of inspiration and hope. The event continues into the morning where it ends with a closing ceremony.

On Friday, April 1^st, and into the morning of April 2^nd, I participated in the Pinecrest/ Palmetto Bay and University of Miami Relay For Life hosted by Palmetto Senior High; my sixth consecutive Relay. I was a member of one of nine teams that participated from UM; there were fifteen additional community teams. As I walked my share of laps and the Luminaria Ceremony brought tears to my eyes, I began to wonder why this Relay For Life was not held on UM’s campus. It would be to UM’s benefit to support the cancer patients and survivors who are a part of the UM community. “The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one-day cancer will be eliminated.” (From www.cancer.org)

With a voice in this newspaper, I want express to my fellow students the necessity and importance of bringing an event of this positive nature to the school. Last year, UM participated in the Coral Gables Relay For Life, and with each year, the number of teams and money raised has doubled. This year roughly one hundred UM students raised over $10,000. Without question there could be hundreds more to line a track on the IM fields if Relay For Life came to campus.

Cancer does not discriminate against anyone. Every dollar donated towards the American Cancer Society is a step towards finding a cure. If Relay For Life is held at UM, I know that the number of people participating, the number of teams formed, and the amount of money raised will greatly exceed what was achieved this year and last year. Contact umrelay4life@hotmail.com to get involved with UM’s Relay For Life and visit www.cancer.org to visit the American Cancer Society’s website.

This article published in "The Hurricane"

Thank You Chartwells: A Response

This is in response to my article about Chartwells, the University of Miami food service. I had a meeting with the Director of Auxiliary Services and this is in response to that.

Three days after the publication of my opinion piece regarding Chartwell’s hours of operation in the March 25^th issue, I received an email from Mel Tenen, Director of Auxiliary Services. He wanted to meet with me regarding my article to discuss my ideas and what Chartwells has done in the past with its hours. At first, I could not believe that my article had sparked enough interest to elicit an email, let alone a personal meeting.

With great ease, I spoke with Mr. Tenen for about an hour. He was very receptive to listening to the concerns of the students. I learned that the hours of operation are not determined by Chartwells; they are determined by Auxiliary Services and have been improved from recent years. To my surprise, Mr. Tenen was already working with Chartwells and Student Government to improve the hours of operation. He is looking into extending breakfast past 10 A.M. during the week and extending dinner past seven P.M. on Sundays. My constant nightly prayers were heard.

I want to thank Mr. Tenen for his time and seeking solutions for all of our concerns. He is extremely willing to work with students and student organizations in matters like Chartwells and other departments within the Auxiliary Services. His goal is to help us get the most out of our college experience and the meal plans.

On a final note, I am going to put an end to rumor that has been circulating the dining halls. Laxatives are not used in the food.