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Thursday, December 6, 2007 | The Red a Black
Juanita Cousins | Editor in Chief
editor(Qjrandb.com
Matthew Grayson | Managing Editor
me(Q randb.com
JoAnn Anderson j Opinions Editor
opin ions (a ra tulb.com
Our Take
Majority opinions of The Red <& Black’s editorial board
Knowshon nation?
Cotigrats to our players' SEC accolades
and the aura of one Mr. Moreno.
After the ESPN announcement Monday
night about Georgia’s place in January’s Sugar
Bowl, the week just got sweeter for three of
Georgia’s football players.
This week, redshirt freshman running back
Knowshon Moreno was voted as a first-team
All-SEC player, and was unanimously selected
as the SEC freshman of the year, rushing for
1,273 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Senior center Fernando Velasco and junior line
backer Dannell Ellerbe were chosen for SEC
second team selections.
These players have done a fantastic job this
season. And looking back, it has been a cranked
year for our team.
Speaking of Moreno’s success, we don’t want
to say the h-word too fast —and by “h,” we
mean “Herschel” —but Moreno is the most
exciting back since the Walker era.
But he’s gotten our fan base pumped by
being more than merely a good player. He’s
got outstanding moves on the field, and he’s a
good dancer. More than 20 Facebook groups
have been dedicated to him, including “I use
Knowshon as a part of speech” and “I’m chang
ing my major to Knowshon.” Actually, saying
his name is enough to get people excited, and
is often attached to the theme music of “Crank
Dat (Soulja Boy).”
Congrats to the Dogs for their SEC honors,
and let’s all hope that the Dogs can pull a vic
tory in New Orleans in January.
JoAnn Anderson for the editorial board.
Merry movies
Got the finals blues? Dust off your DVD
player and get into the holiday mood.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year to
curl up by the fire, ’neath the mistletoe and
in front of the TV. However, with 23 days of
Christmas-break time to pass, we’re predicting
you might get a little bored and a little home
sick for Athens. In order to cope, we have come
up with a list of excellent seasonal films that
will bring true holiday cheer, guaranteed.
In no particular order, here are a list of our
faves:
1. “It’s A Wonderful Life” A man is
down on his luck. Angel comes to his rescue.
Everyone sings.
2. “Bad Santa” The F-word and its varia
tions are used 147 times while the s-word
appears 34 times amid a total of 243 “profani
ties,” thought to be a record for a Christmas
film, according to www.slashfilm.com.
3. “Miracle On 34th Street” The F-word is
used zero times in this Christmas classic, which
is not very surprising. If you like really old
movies, this is right up your alley.
4. “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” To
be clear, we’re talking about the cartoon ver
sion, not the Jim Carrey flick. We’re willing to
bet you’ll be humming “you’re a mean one, Mr.
Grinch” for days.
5. “Die Hard” This movie will make you
appreciate not having to fight terrorists in a
skyscraper on Christmas Eve.
6. “The Holiday”— Talk about a heart-warm
ing, tear-jerking, make-you-want-to-fall-in-love
kind of great Christmas movie.
7. “Elf’ “We elves try to stick to the four
main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy
corns and syrup.”
Curl up by the fire and enjoy these classics.
Jacquelyn Greenwood and Matt
Brandenburgh for the editorial board.
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and not necessarily those of The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the
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BUI Richards, JoAnn Anderson
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Opinions
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Extra semester proves valuable
Slow down every
body. You are in col
lege. You go to this
University.
Let me remind you of
a phrase most of us have
heard at some point in our
coUege tenure coUege is
possibly the best time of
your life.
I’ve heard it from recent
graduates as much as I’ve
heard it from prior genera
tions.
Most people may agree
upon hearing this state
ment, but how many of us
actually take the time to
process it?
I, myself, could have
(and some say should
have) graduated this past
May “on time.”
Instead, I chose to
return to Athens for my
own redshirt-senior year.
Some frowned upon the
idea (relatives); others
commended (my fellow
super-seniors).
Although I intended to
extend my stay through
this fall all along, I began
to question this decision
last spring.
I wasn’t sure what
exactly I wanted to do and
often wondered if gradu
ating in four years would
have allowed me to figure
it out in a timelier man
ner.
I would ask myself ques
tions such as, “Should I
get out of here so I can
begin to get ‘real world’
experience?”
For all those who are
lost, let me offer some
simple advice do not
rush out the door. It will
not solve your problems or
Female athletes deserve more kudos
What bowl game
will the Bulldogs
play in? I bet any
University student, sports
fanatic or not, could tell
you the answer.
Sadly, many students
are not able to do the
same with women’s
sports. Just last month,
the Georgia’s women soc
cer team earned the No. 3
seed in the NCAA tourna
ment. But the football
team received the most
attention.
Don’t get me wrong.
I love football and many
other sports played by
men, but women’s sports
deserve to be acknowl
edged as well. When we
hear sports mentioned,
many, including myself,
automatically think of
men’s teams.
This is a big no-no.
Sports are not just for
boys anymore.
I’m a sports nut who
just happens to be a
woman. I face the occa
sional ignorant comment
from the opposite sex.
Many guys feel a need
to quiz me on my sports
knowledge.
Once I “pass” the
test, they say it’s cool to
talk with a girl who actu
ally likes sports. I don’t
bother anymore asking
why “that’s cool.”
Growing up, I had
girlfriends on high school
softball and volleyball
teams who loved their
sports.
But they didn’t have
the same opportunities
as their male counter
parts and were reluctant
to continue playing in
college.
This is a reality for
female athletes. A stellar
male athlete can advance
and make a career out
Adam Wexler
“That extra semester
has allowed me to
discover what I enjoy
doing coupled with
what I am good at. ”
concerns.
Consider the job mar
ket, for example. Why are
you in a hurry to graduate
under these conditions?
A significant percent
age of college graduates
quit their first job within
one year of being hired,
and according to the
National Association of
Colleges and Employers,
that percentage is at its
lowest in years.
Even if they are not
content or happy, these
recent grads have nowhere
to go and no pending
offers on the table.
While some of my grad
uated peers remain at
home searching for jobs,
I have had a great time
soaking up my last semes
ter in school.
This fall has been great
on so many different lev
els, yet there is one ele-
Jenna Martin
“A stellar male
athlete can advance
and make a career
out of his sport,
but women have
greater obstacles in
their way. ”
of his sport, but women
have greater obstacles in
their way.
Things gradually are
improving, but women’s
sports teams are scarce
and receive little atten
tion when compared to
men’s teams.
I seldom see women’s
sports televised on
ESPN. There are the
occasional cheerleading
and gymnastic competi
tions, but even they are
rare.
I know that men’s
sports teams bring high
ratings and revenue. Still,
women’s teams shouldn’t
be left out of televised
events.
Female athletes face
a slew of stereotypes and
are often seen as “tom
boys.” Even worse, they
can be seen as “butch” or
face invasive questions
about their sexuality.
Red&Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
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ment that makes it even
more rewarding for my
future moving forward.
Fortunately, the last
six months have allowed
me to clear my mind and
discover what I am truly
passionate about.
I realized the jobs l
would have taken back
in May, I wouldn’t even
consider at the moment.
It’s funny how things work
themselves out.
This extra semester
has allowed me to dis
cover what I enjoy doing
coupled with what I am
good at.
That is what matters.
That is going to get you
and me out of bed every
morning. That is going to
make you and me success
ful down the road, how
ever you might define that
word.
I even gained a greater
appreciation for Athens
over the last couple
months.
You should understand
you go to school in the
greatest college town in
America.
Don’t take that for
granted. No one else can
boast our athletics, aca
demics, nightlife and cui
sine. And, it’s not even
close.
You have the rest
of your life to figure out
“what you want to do.”
Enjoy your time in Athens
or else you will regret it
later. I know I have.
Adam Wexler is a
“redshirt” senior from
Atlanta majoring in real
estate and music business.
Female athletes aren’t
the only ones who face
prejudices. Women sports
journalists also face an
uphill battle. Many are
pushed aside to the side
line because they “don’t
know anything about
sports.” When was the
last time you heard a
female broadcast a prime
time football game?
This semester, I shad
owed a female sports
reporter at the Athens-
Banner Herald during a
high school football game.
I asked her if she ever
faced obstacles as a
female sports journalist.
Her response yes, but
she likes a challenge. %
Women have gained a
lot of respect and equality
over the past few decades.
It’s time we extend
that equality to sports.
Women and men’s
sports should both receive
equal expenditures and
high viewership. I under
stand this won’t happen
overnight, but now is a
good time to start.
As college students,
I know we are on busy,
hectic schedules, but next
time you have the chance,
support our women’s
sports teams, too.
Why not attend a Lady
Dogs basketball game?
Don’t just limit yourself to
one or two sports. There
are a variety of sports on
campus to cheer for.
Sports may always be
viewed as a man’s world,
and women athletes
shouldn’t just find then
place in it. They should
build their own.
Jenna Martin is a
senior from
Augusta and is a
news stringer for
The Red & Black.
Christopher Smith
Going ‘green’
realistic goal
for students
As I was sitting in
my car the other
day, an unwashed
campus bus passed
me and rumbled out of
sight. On the side was
a message etched into
the dirt caked on its
windows.
I expected a clever
joke. Instead, I got a
message of conserva
tion.
“Proud to be dirty,”
it said. “Save water.”
My mind raced back
to the football game
with Auburn. You
couldn’t miss the mes
sage that day, either.
It was painted on thle
backs of students,
“Conserve water.”
Stodgy old critics
like to talk about how
apathetic we students
are. You know, our
generation won’t get
behind a cause, and on
and on. But as our state
has suffered through
one of the worst
droughts in history, I
have seen evidence that
maybe our generation
is starting to coming
around.
The drought, con
servation and climate
change may be the
cause for which this
apathetic generation
has been looking.
I don’t blame our
critics. We probably do
look from afar like a dull
and unengaged bunch.
That’s the result of a
generational misunder- .
standing.
But, we aren’t the
flower generation. For
the idealism of the 19605,
we have our cynicism.
What better issue,
then, for cynics to rally
around? The “green”
issue is a 21st century
issue for a 20th century
minded group.
Conservation makes
sense to us. It’s practi
cal and concrete. It may
not be as sexy as world
peace, but it makes an
impact.
It’s the impact our
generation thrives on.
Impact means results.
To us, a cause isn’t
worth much unless •
there’s a clear, definable
and positive result.
That’s one of the
principle reasons I
think you don’t see our
generation out march
ing in the streets for
peace or an end to the
wars in the Middle East.
It’s too hard to see
the results. Peace is
vague, and the Middle
East is a long way from
home. How are we to
define a good result
under those circum
stances?
Fortunately, the
results of conservation
are as clear as clean
water. Every time we
take a shorter shower or
use less energy to light
our homes, we know a
measurable amount is
saved, whether that’s
water, energy or better
yet, money.
So, will this be the
cause that ignites our
generation and finally
brings us to life? It’s a
cause that has all the
right ingredients for us
to make it ours.
Who knows?
We may just throw
aside the water-con
scious lessons we’ve
learned once this
drought finally ends.
But if we are as
smart as I know we are,
and maybe just a little
scared straight, we will
carry on.
Not to get too
doomsday or anything,
but the planet may
depend on it.
Christopher Smith
is a senior from
Fayetteville majoring
in publication
management.