Paige Miles, Editorial Page Editor The Behrend Beacon , ih ~ „,,,, ~„ News Editor Erin McCarty Sports Editors Scott So/Us Zoe Rose Editorial Page Editor Paige Miles Features Editor Karl Benacci Staff Photographers Jeff Hankey Heather Myers Krystle Morales Jenn Schwant Office Manager Jason Alward Beacon The Beacon is published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, the Behrend College; First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed Union Building, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563. The Beacon can be reached by calling (814) 898-6488 or (814) 898-6019 (FAX). ISSN 1071-9288. Guess who's back? Back again Well, it's been two years, anyone miss me? I And people wonder why no one comes out to didn't think so, but in case you didn't notice I'm vote anymore? back!!! It's been a fun-filled two years in gross trying to spread panic by putting forth the the real world, but it does feel good • idea that West Nile is a terrorist attack. Appar to be back at Behrend. But as I ently, terrorists are now recruiting mosquitoes to 4 4* returned to campus I felt I need to . • do their dirty work. As if people are not scared do something for the great insti- enough we have government officials trying to tution that gave me so much. „ scare us more. And we are the ones who elected so I figured I'd spread my these morons! newfound wisdom in the RAI ISA Now I understand why politics turns oft form of a few witty edi- many Americans. After reading things like teriIIIS this "9. -TT GII 1. -. 3:1 6 this in the newspaper, t have to admit that So sit back, strap in, I was pretty disgusted with the entire sys and enjoy the ride! Mike Frawley tem myself. But that is the reason that How many of you we all need to become more involved, out there realize that not less. If we don't do anything, an election is about take place? Guess what? There is! But how many people on this campus really care? Very few. Politics in this country has become like a had rerun of the Jerry Springer show. And with the new piece of stupidity that comes out of Washington each week, we find more and more reasons not to care. Florida proved yet again that it put more thought into setting up a bingo game than it did in its elec tion system. After spending millions of dollars on new voting equipment and training for new personnel at the polling sites, they still found a way to mess things up. At some sites they could not even figure out how to turn the machines on! Autumn in Erie: Celebrating life in the midst of death Although the crisp autumn wind has only begun Within a few weeks of my parents' 20th wed ding anniversary in October of 1997, my father had to carry with it the memories of this year's trees open-heart surgery to replace a valve in his heart. and plant life, 2002 has presented my family with Because of poor care and a very strong dosage of many celebrations of life and death, thus far. With the passing of my father, Michael Kleck, medication (as prescribed by the doctors) he had a just this past August, and the celebra- stroke, went into a coma and was like that until his tion of the golden anniversary of death on Aug. 3. Every evening, my dedicated and loving my mother's parents, Raymond and Mary Lou Osiecki, just in Ag ok elk grandparents would visit him and sit with him at last few weeks, m famil its nursing home, Brevillier Village. They just y y . wanted to make sure that he was OK and that he learned how precious life cal was well taken care of. So many people thought be and how important it is' celebrate life even in thithat they were his parents. We would simply say, midst of death. "yes," because he never looked at them as in- My dad was born just five laws, but rather as a second set of parents. My great aunts and uncles visited him often to keep and a half months before m: my father and grandparents company. maternal grandparents were Christine Kleck married, although they didn't My mother's family had plans to celebrate meet him until he started my grandparents' wedding anniversary the week of August 5-9, so my mother's brothers dating my mother when they and their families from Texas and South Carolina met at General Electric in Erie in 1975. My dad graduated from Penn State University in 1974 with were already in town when he passed away. My a bachelor's degree in computer science, and moved father's oldest sister, my Aunt Judy and her hus band from South Carolina were also in the Oil City to Erie to begin a career at GE. He would be so proud to know that the Penn State tradition contin- area for a family reunion, so his passing almost ues on in our family, as his two older children (my seemed as though he had planned it that way. brother Matt, and myself) are currently a freshman Within five minutes of my last relative arriving in Erie for the wedding anniversary celebration, we and senior at Penn State Behrend. Coming from a long tradition of "great planners," got the phone call from the nursing home that he the amazing connections and coincidences that have had passed away. The only relative that had to do any kind of traveling was another one of older been made in my family over the last 50 years have brought me comfort in the last few months. sisters, my Aunt Cathy, who is on a special nursing When my mother was making her wedding plans, assignment in California. she wanted to make her wedding date as close to My father was also very involved in Saint James her parents' as possible. My grandparents were Church, especially the annual summer festival. He married on Sept. 13, 1952 and my parents were passed away right in the middle of this year's festi married on Oct. 1, 1977 -25 years apart from each val. Many people have commented, that my dad other. knew that the festival needed some "heavenly help." Editor-in-Chief Robert Wynne Managing Editor Rebecca Weindorf Asst. Managing Editor Kevin Fallon Professional Publication Mgr The Beacon encourages letters to the editor. Letters should include the address, phone number, semester standing, and major of the writer. Writers can mail letters to behrcoll2@aol.com. Letters must be received no later than 5 p.m. Monday for inclusion in Advertising Managers Melissa Powell Christine Kleck Calendar Page Editor Erinn Hansen Humor Page Editor Ross Lockwood Associate Editor Jen Henderson Distribution Manager Scott Soltis Technical Support Doug Butterworth Dave Richards Advisor Cathy Roan "Professionalism with a Personality" that week's issue We have elected officials on the floor of Con- things like this will continue to happen. And the easiest thing for a person to get involved is vote. Why should our government officials make any effort to changes things. They keep getting elected, so why should they rock the boat? You will not find a person in government right now who truly wants to change things, they like things the way they are. The only way things will change is if we vote people into office that will make those changes. I constantly hear people complaining about how horrible of a president George W. is and how the country is going to hell under his leadership. Well, we elected him (sort of) and now we are Friday, September 27, 2002 Speak up. Speak out. Send your letters to the editor to behrcoll2eaol.com Include your name, semester standing, and major. stuck with him whether you like him or not. But if you don't like him, there is something that you can do. Vote in the midterm election that is com ing up for Democrats, help them take over Con gress, send a message to "W." And. closer to home, there is an election for gov ernor going on in our own state. Now, with Ridge not around any more people in this area don't re ally care about this election, but we should. The people we elect will have control over future fi nancial aid for college. They'll control) how much in taxes we will have to pay when we jolt) the work force (or how much we currently 'in taxes for those of us already in the work force). They'll have a say in if we arc going to have to go to war with Iraq. Now, I for one, would like to have a say on how much I pay in taxes and whether we are going to go fight a war, so every election I trot out to the polls and place my vote. Even if there is no one I want to vote for, there is always someone I want to vote against. By casting my vote I give myself the right to moan, groan, and complain about how awful our government is. To those of you who don't vote but moan, groan, and gripe about the government anyway, shut up. Why should you have any voice in a system you don't participate in? Frawley's column appears every three weeks The tone of the festival really changed, someone said, when the news of his passing began to make its way around the festival grounds. So many dedi cated and loving families from our parish that knew him and knew how involved he was with the festi val, church and school, were so saddened by his death. The funeral Mass was just amazing. My father has two cousins who are priests, Monsignor An drew Karg and the retired Monsignor William Karg and my mother has a cousin who is also a priest here in Erie, Father Joe Wardanski (he married my parents 25 years ago). The three of them celebrated the Mass, in addition to our pastor and friend Mon signor Cohan. I wrote a poem in 1997 commemorating him, and then rewrote the poem the day after my father passed away. Cohan read the rewritten poem at his funeral. My mom's cousin said that there wasn't a dry eye in the entire packed church. Later at the Mary Queen of Peace Cemetery. the sun poured into the window of the chapel as we said our final prayers before they entombed him. The clouds in the background almost looked painted onto the beautiful stained glass window. I wish that I could have taken a picture of it. The last few months, and even years, have been hard for my family and I. But we all know now that life is so precious and that it needs to be cel ebrated and cherished each and every day. I know that my dad is with me every day that I go to school at his alma mater. If you look to the crisp autumn skies, the colors say it all, BLUE AND WHITE. My dad is home in his own little piece of Penn State Heaven. Kleck's column appears every three weeks. The Behrend Beacon Staff Editorial Record companies should throw in the towel The hattle hemeen record comp um", and lilt Sharing websites has been much like a tight 1,(•1A ccti two heavyweight boxers. With every vv it,' that the recording industry has been ahlr I, oi alter dramaticalL it ~ cen, 11 , if 1 ,1 ' . hack with about three more. No \ l / 4 , 11,0 Neersion of the merwhelmingl populai Kaiaa it appears that Once again the 111(111 , 11 two steps behind technology. According to NlSNBC.coni, K,l/.1,1 11.1 , , been (lownloatte(l more than 120 million time , in the year. making it one of the 11 1,1, 1 ,1 ( .,1 pin grants in the history of the World \\, t, a rev, crsion of, the popular e iitl4l tt.„in , I I_o ;.i .. „pen 1 l ,l ite punlic,nringing I (1 lii Sll.ll ' VeNII. recoil! companie‘, in the ii rrlrunt nu, lhiti ersion of p0 , ,, , ,11 , 1,\ he the In ,t file-sharing program otit nil the market tuda \ l It, program keeps the peer-to-peer Atm it) , the old slim had, but has added fle How, !hat (10 \k 1110a(krti Will me about. The s( t \%,11(' • I allows users to search and download Islav 11,4 s groups of stings. as one \ t.'nl. In HIR'l I' it a user finds SOlllehOd \ II() shares in the \;ic! S;.III1C taste of music he does. then a hoard i,t .(m!., Call he ClllllllllCd 11110 (MC V11)111) ;111(1 11C \ l / 4 nip ~ t(lt1 SllllllltallelltllV. 1 he new Kama inother nc\\'cituir . ,‘ hRII is the most contro ersial and is Ci111,111 , ,' umodi in the record industr y . The ptomain contain . sic Weh search function, allowing people 11 through Ordinary WLh pare', as kl Cal as ()Orel computers. Ihe recording industry once again inn; 11j , same argument of tile-sharing being and sidered stealing and Halt, hlah. hlali . 1 hr .lint l tact is that programs like Kaiaa ateilt go away. The industry now laces a question ()I whether or not to even bother continuing lighting companies that support free file-sharing. Most likely, Kazaa will eventually he shut (h li. just as many of the other programs were Kaiaa will either have to start charging users mines use its product, or alter the program t( I contain mu sic from only those artists who allow them to. or completely eliminate itself. Of course h\ the Inn , : that happens, how many programs NAill he out on the market just like if! The industry has won its battles apiwf onrpa tiles just like Kaiaa before. but when it conies to the War, it is it completely different ' , for\ \ almost everybody has heard of the patent ;Id !did of all file - harers• the all-mighty Ndl)(el with Scour Lxchange and Audioplax). titift.ter eventually succumbed to complaints and lawsuits f rum record companies. These three cc ere the nio,t popular and arguably the most reliable mifirie , . for Internet users to obtain music from their 1a \ (trite artists for no charge Little did the industry rcaliie, hoNI vCI. th,it the fall of programs \I. 01.11 d 'TIM mid less more. Napster users v,ent right ut stl,ir!Hy nth Scour, who then ‘‘ ere toned \ t,, Audiogalaxy, who now reside at kataa And, Of course. these aren't Ili nur, „Hi Ili!, file-sharing programs out there. \\ I`. Ind Morpheous are alternatives to nit, w iin hi not find Kalaa all that appealing. The fact is easy enough to mulct-Amid Pc companies are spending millions ot dollar I tight that they just cannot win. Perhaps 111 c-shale!. and the recording industry can conic up ith sonic kind of compromise. Allow file-sharing ovci the Internet, hut only keep one program. and dis,,d‘c the others. Let either Kalaa or WinNlN or v. honr ever wants to take the reigns to lead the v‘ Kazaa's day in court is set for Dec. 2, hut it seems clear that whatever is settled h‘ the case is ohso lete. Record companies have lost Own tU , lit . ' Voss it's up to them to admit defeat Page 7
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers