Hamilton takes wrong message from WatchmenJoshua Hamilton’s letter on March 19 showed a remarkable lack of understanding of the film Watchmen. He claims that the film supported rape because one of the protagonists raped another superhero. Mr. Hamilton shows no comprehension of the context in which the act was committed and then proceeds to get up on a soapbox and talk about boycotting the film.The character of The Comedian was meant to be a criticism of the traditional hero mold- namely that those attracted to such positions would have a tendency to become like The Comedian. After experiencing the tragic events he does, he becomes a stark contrast of what a hero should be. He becomes dangerously amoral, nihilistic, cynical, and jingoistic; a parody of the ideal- hence the name Comedian. The rape scene was intended to be the most notable indicator of his corruption, a sense of undue entitlement for his protective services.Yes, the movie is much darker and more serious than the standard fare of a comic to movie adaptation. It is deep and complex, and raises many moral questions. However, the film never advocated rape, and the suggestion that it did indicates a failure to grasp the meaning of the movie.Samuel Seemanfreshman, nuclear engineeringBeauty is more than skin deepIn this society, women struggle everyday with the discrimination of beauty and body image.  Women are generally seen as sexual objects in magazines, TV, and film.  These different types of media have influence on how people perceive women, which is usually nothing but physical beauty.  Being that this country is mostly controlled by men, their ideas and concepts have somewhat of an influence over the media.  We have to understand what type of society we live in order to cope and adapt, which is a male dominated culture.  The recent ad in Playboy is a reflection of that in which it has nothing to do with the women’s thoughts but always emphasized on how they look, to men. This particular ad is targeting college students and trying to manipulate the fact that these “beautiful” women are in college and getting an education.  The fact is it really has nothing to do with education.  Looking at the requirements and eligibility to apply basically gives that point away. Even though they ask for campus involvement and activities, they require no GPA and they still require a full figured picture and a head and shoulders portrait.  Obviously, education is not taken seriously, it is just used as an excuse. Beauty should not just be judged by the outside appearance but by the character of a person.  This ad is going against the fight that women face against discrimination and definitely should not be encouraged towards our college students in our newspapers.Dana Dixonsophomore, political sciencePlayboy ad uncalled forToday in the Technician I saw a disturbing advertisement of a half naked woman encouraging students to pose for Playboy as if it were a wonderful opportunity. Seriously? Playboy’s denigration of women contributes to our rape/sexist culture where women are seen as sexual objects for the pleasure of men, and sexual assault is widespread. In fact, every academic year as many as 480 N.C. State women will experience a rape or attempted rape. I am appalled that at a research I institution, where women study to be engineers, teachers, journalists, etc. they would be encouraged to pose for a corporation that could care less about education or anything beyond physical appearance. I was disgusted as I investigated the Technician’s coverage of Playboy”s presence in 2004. Quotes from representatives about how they were glad no “fat women” showed up made me sick, and the nearly nude photos of students on the front page were even worse. N.C. State values diversity and individualism and is a University where everyone is encouraged to be who they are, where academics come first and involvement is not far behind. Yet the Technician is advertising for a corporation that reiterates the message that women are only worthy if they are tall, skinny and large-breasted. Case and point: to be considered for an audition women have to send their photo (then property of Playboy) and measurements instead of say their GPA or resume. I hope students will acknowledge the negative implications of Playboy recruiting here and resist its presence.Krista Princesenior, psychologyDon’t hide the crossword answersTuesday’s crossword had a couple of the clues that were hidden by your “clever” scheme to try to get more people to visit your Web site. 36D and part of 48D were hidden by your box that covers the answers to the previous crossword. Please, for the sake of all your readers, just remove the box permanently and allow us to view the answers easily — then you will not have to update your Web site everyday. On that point, if you leave the box, please keep the Web site updated with the answers and maybe a archive of past answers. And while I’m at it, spend some time and print the crossword with a little quality — the numbers can be pretty difficult to distinguish.CJ Huelsmansenior, civil engineeringElisabeth Brown graduate student, civil engineering