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Whitaker any
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Mike Butala
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Last time I tuned into MTV I was
blessed with the joy of experiencing the
latest and greatest tune, compliments of
the newest five-man boy band. Honestly,
music has impacted my life in many ways;
however, within the past few years, music
has been rotten. Recently, bands, such as
'N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Three Doors
Down, Fuel, Stained and Lifehouse have
blessed MTV with their propagandic,
meaningless blather. The thought of even
turning on MTV enchants my dreams with
wicked nightmares and a cold sweat.
I remember the days of old when MTV
showed ... music videos. And when I say
music videos I'm not talking about
random people staging ferocious
arguments pertaining to their sexuality,
living habits or attitude. When was the
last time you turned on MTV and saw a
music video being played? If you happen
to tune in to the 10 minutes they show
music videos a day, you will most likely
realize that modern music lacks quality.
This includes any band that does not play
their own music, pours ANYTHING out
for their "homies," or has the word
"nookie" anywhere in their lyrics.
If I see one more pseudo-punk band,
like Mest. Sum 41 or any band of that
genre trying to make a dishonest buck by
selling their souls to corporate big shots
for a single, while clearing a few million
dollars for playing three different power
chords, I'm going to throw up. The lack
of talent on MTV is so incredibly evident.
Now, I'm not saying MTV isn't trying
its hardest to sell crap music. I mean, give
young, talented stars a chance to be self
conceited, money-hungry maggots. It
does. But whatever happened to
rewarding talent?
Obviously, if you hear the same song
100 times it's going to be stuck in your
head and you'll be humming it all day
long. This is not a good thing. It is just a
modern way of hypnotizing the American
public into a state of financial turmoil.
Tossing down $2O for a CD is ridiculous
to begin with, but it's even more
ridiculous when after having the CD for
a week you realize you've invested $2O
into a cleverly disguised piece of dog
feces.
To some people, MTV tells them what
music society deems "cool." They rely
on this in order to mix with other
brainwashed victims in a society hosted
by Carson Daly and Dave Holmes.
My suggestion can be summed up in the
poetic words of Sid Vicious: "Shoot your
T.V." Although it exposes people to new
types of music, it lacks originality and
adds no quality to anyone's CD collection.
My answer? The best way music can be
experienced is through your friends. So
next time you buy a CD, why don't you
ask someone who knows you what you
would like instead of a spokesperson
getting paid to sell you music.
Butala's column appears every
three weeks.
Mom told you to 'look both ways' for
As you gingerly make your way out
onto a busy street you are caught off
guard by a speeding sports car that
seems to have just come out of no-
where.
As you step out of the tub one
morning on to your bathroom floor and
chat
hange
,stine
k
As an individual state in the grand U.S. of A., Pennsylvania is
entitled to certain responsibilities and laws that are customized
within our boundaries.
Selling alcohol in state stores is one of them; controlling our
highway system (PennDOT) is another. And yet, the federal gov
ernment has threatened to take away state funding from our con
structio • oi 3e ' = ser the
influen
The c • , •t • - with a
- ' • •
blood alco of con em (re erre' to as B ) o .I. The federal
government is p , • • h Mpg .08, or we risk
losing our funds f F e ~• , • isirroves that no matter
what the state do. the .` , et will always have the
• ,
last say. As a stafelaw, sy .rtla shiiuld have the last say in
lowering the BAC levels for drivers.
Since 1997, alcohol-related deaths in Pennsylvania have de
creased by about three percent with the same BAC laws. Tougher
laws are still being pushed through legislation to prevent those who
are tempted to drive home under the influence.
Yet those who are asking for more justice against drunk drivers
(by lowering BAC levels) are aiming their scorn at the wrong con
cept. Those advocates for lowering the BAC levels should be ask
ing for NO alcohol in the bodies of drivers everywhere; it's been
proven that only one drink can affect your driving. "Zero toler
ance" means zero deaths by alcohol-related crashes; simply put,
alcohol is the root of the problem and eliminating it is a far more
effective way of keeping drunk drivers off our roads. And anyway,
aren't our roads already bad enough?
Every week, two editors from the staff will debate a topic that is hot. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to
email suggestions for the hot topic. Send ideas to behrcoll2@aol.com
Got something +o say?
for
• * Go
....
We're (ooking for
4/
cj°° S I V from +he students'
p o i n t of view
Come and knock on our
Press 'l' to
graduate
Katie Galley
In a time not so long ago, I
was a resident at Behrend, living in Almy
Hall. Life didn't get much better than liv
ing in a dorm. There were always people
around, even at four in the morning. People
(usually meaning girls) were having the
same problems (usually with boys) that I
was. And there was never a lack of fun.
But then I did something that changed all
that fun; I decided to live off campus.
I moved in with some friends that I had
made while on the newspaper. I didn't re
ally want to at first, but after some gentle
coercion, they persuaded me into thinking
that living off campus would be the best
thing since the BUDPOT. So the summer
flew by and I didn't really think about how
carefully make sure that your right
foot touches the ground, your left
suddenly seems to slip from
beneath you.
Someone catches your eye from
across the way and you move
forward to begin a casual
conversation. Within three
feet of your desired
conquest you must make a
quick detour in your route because
their significant other has decided to
make a beeline for the object of your
attention.
tt3~tlE'3t~F"llh~:
What do all of these situations have
in common? They all have to do with
taking chances. Whether the risk is tiny
or monumental, almost every action, as
taught in physics class, has an equal and
opposite reaction, or a consequence.
While some people base the chances
that they take on the conquest they hope
Friday, September 14, 2001
The Hot Debate of The Week
To drink or not to drink? That is the question
-R. Weindorf
itic a
6ehrconeaot.com
era it
different it would be to live somewhere
other than the place that I had lived
' two and a half years, but
.y hit.
te when I started getting
m bills in the mail and
- e significantly less than
ire when I lived on cam-
Not that paying less is
1 , it was one of the main
asons that I decided to
eve Residence Life the
old heave-ho, but then
the fact that I wasn't
moving in with the
world's best roommate starting creeping its
way into my brain.
There would be no more late-night talks
about life, no more late-night sessions
where all we did was bash boys. Room
403 had a bit of a man-hating theme last
semester. No more sitting across the room
from my roomie and typing on the IM to
each other, it was all coming to end. It was,
to sound totally trite, the end of an era!
I started regretting the fact that I was
moving off campus. I wanted to change my
mind, and call it all off and go back to the
nice cozy room that was in every way,
mine. I couldn't stand the thought of an
other, random girl sleeping on my side of
You may have heard of the accident involving a drunk freshman
d a vehicle that occurred already this semester. Drunk driving is a
situation that hits home for just about everyone. Luckily, in the case
of the freshman, no one was killed and no innocent bystanders were
injured but many were affected.
Innocent bystanders are often killed in these situations; just check
out the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site. In fact.
approximately 500,000 persons per year are injured in alcohol-related
crashes. A 'voided.
All that is alcohol.
So, where work...
that's beer in drink
responsibly )l-related
crashes is to decrease the blood alcohol concentration that is legal to
drive with.
Consider this, states that have lowered BAC limits for minors have
already experienced decreases in fatalities among this age group.
Lowering BAC levels has already worked. Seems pretty obvious to
try it for the over-21 crowd
A study of alcohol-related crashes investigated alcohol's affect on
reaction time, tracking ability, divided attention performance,
information process capability, visual functions, perceptions, psycho
motor performance. Impairment in most of them began at .02 percent.
At a BAC of .05 percent there was significant impairment in them all.
Yet, the legal limit to drive in some states still remains at .10 percent.
Anything that we can do to protect innocent bystanders, as well as
the drunken drivers themselves, will bring more safety to our
highways.
Ito ria
to achieve, just as many chance takers
focus solely on the consequences of their
actions
Conquests, chances, and consequences
are not just limited to the doing or the
action. Simply not acting or reacting to
any given situation can also present an
individual with several chances,
consequences and conquests.
Ending a particular situation has its
consequences as well. Feelings of regret,
neglect, and insecurity are just some of
the consequences one can experience
when ending a situation.
The elements within that chance must
also be taken into consideration as well.
While so many people say, "you never
know unless you try," it is important to
always understand the effects of taking
or not taking chances that you are
presented with.
A good rule of thumb (according to my
the room, and my roommate wasn't too
thrilled about it either.
Though, my housing contract had been
cancelled and I was about to sign a lease
on my first apartment. In order to not be
come completely bummed about leaving
the dorms, I tried to focus on the things
that made me choose the life of the com-
muter
For example, I graduate at the end of this
semester, and I remembered how traumatic
it had been for me to leave the fort of safety
known as high school. I thought that if I
could slowly ease myself away from the
full-time college life that it would be a lot
easier on me come December. Another rea
son I decided to move was because in my
mind it was easier to find an apartment in
the summer than during the cold, harsh
winter of Erie. The best reason that I had
for moving was that it would allow me to
use the pool and Nautilus on the grounds
of my apartment complex. I wouldn't even
have to walk as far as the ARC (excuse me,
Junker Center) to get my workouts. It was
looking better and better everyday. Before
I knew it, it was time to move.
Living with two people that I knew ex
tremely well, but never actually had to
share a living space with was, urn, differ
ent. It was not like living in a dorm either,
mother) is "If the consequence will kill
you, or if the consequence
outweighs that conquest, it just isn't
worth it."
Alanis Morissette so adequately
illustrates this idea in her song "Ironic."
While the artist proclaims, "It's the good
advice that you just didn't take," she
also describes how a Mr. Play It Safe
died in his first air plane ride. Morissette
is simply trying to tell us that when we
not only take chances, but also refuse
chance, we are faced with a
consequential and ironic "what if"
feeling in the end.
So where does that bring me? Taking
or not taking chances can lead to both
good and bad outcomes, so who cares,
right?
-A. Long
I guess the only advice that I can give
you is to think, really think things
through, before you take any chances.
The Behrend Beacon
How many times have you gone out drinking and limited
yourself to alcohol to the current DUI percentage 0.1%? Not
too many times, huh? Last year, President Clinton signed a
bill so more states in America will be forced to lower their
legal drinking and driving limit to 0.08% or will lose 2% of
their highway funding from the government. So, basically,
they ara Otou:regonna (100 nna
give you ccappYo* tOdte•Cilso #iprek ; cr
for you v to getio 4tece. We *X ' •
By 'lowering the legal limit; a tOO-ikim • 46. •Wi
to spend the nightip ter, ‘ , two glasses
of wine in twahotiri t llat***Wie 4 ; al. If anything,
they should raise th6atirtiaii . iiitiffit*co* abuse today is
rising by leaps and hounds ninci An*ticktiS start drinking
younger and younger. Most people believe this is a bad
thing, which it is. It's had because Americans' tolerance for
alcohol is getting higher and higher. Driving at an alcohol
level of 0.10% is not a difficult task at all. Sure, impairment
begins with the first drink, but if they're so concerned about
that, why not just make it zero tolerance or reinstate
Prohibition. The majority of alcohol-related accidents are
from drivers with BAC levels clearly higher than 0.10%.
Those are the guys you have to watch out for.
So in conclusion, don't penalize Norm the social drinker.
He just likes to toss a few down at the local tavern and enjoy
the company of his friends. He's not a threat to the roads.
Leave the legal limit where it is and just look out for the
careless drunks behind the wheels.
d00r...
where everyone tiptoes around the first
couple of weeks until they get acquainted
and comfortable with each other. It actu
ally felt kinda like the Real World, fight
ing over really dumb stuff, and just expect
ing everyone to act and feel the same as
you do about things. But, sadly, it wasn't
and it is still taking time into these first
couple of weeks of class to get adjusted to
everything and everyone. Not to mention
that I now live in a co-ed apartment, in
stead of there just being boys across the
hall. Totally different than I thought it
would he. Let's just say that the differences
between boys and girls (excuse me, men
and women) do exist, and it takes some
getting used to.
What's the point in all this? Nothing, just
wanted to let everyone know for this next
semester that I might have to vent and let
off some steam, and what better way then
through the Beacon? I know that there are
people out there in the same situation, and
let me ask you, if you have any advice for
me (and my two new roomier,) we would
he happy to hear it. We may need all the
help that we can get! Until next time, the
saga continues...
Galley's column appears every
three weeks.
li* - 1-1 - 11 I,
Whether you are deciding to use a pen
or pencil on your final exam, or whether
you are contemplating that one last drink
before you call it a night, always ask
yourself what the consequences are of
each choice you must make.
If the consequences outweigh the
conquest by any means, really think
twice about following through with a
decision like that.
After all, not checking and then
double-checking both ways before you
pull out onto a busy street can have some
pretty serious end results. Not thinking
before you step out of the bathtub is a
pretty risky chance. And any type of
love-related relationship can have its
positive and negative outcomes. It's up
to you. Are these conquests really
greater than their consequences?
Kleck's column appears every three
weeks.
Page 7
-M. Butala