Jewish students show their support of rally's message by Alan Brody Knight Ridder/lYibune News Service Ben Caplan was just a speck among the thousands of rally participants who gathered at the National Mall Monday in support of Israel, but he wouldn't have missed it for the world. “This is a wonderful opportunity for American Jewry to come together to support Israel, not only because of its future, but also in the war on terror ism,” said the George Washington University jun ior, one of the many students who attended the rally that was sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The impact of student involvement and participa- People are spending more on home entertainment systems by Heather Newman Knight Ridder Newspapers You walk up the steps, guided by the aisle lights, and take a seat in a cushy chair. The screen covers most of the wall in front of you, flanked by Grecian columns and heavy velvet curtains. A click and the lights dim, the beams of the pro jector appear over your head, sound gently swells around you and on screen appear the credits for “Sur- vivor.” Welcome to the magical world of home theater systems. They range from tiny theaters-in-a-box with a few gadgets and speakers for less than $5OO to the full-scale theater experience, architecturally and vi sually, which can cost upwards of $200,000. Most folks fall somewhere in between, putting in a media room with a large-screen TV and a surround sound system that costs a few thousand dollars. (Not so long ago, builders and buyers usually called these spaces the family room.) People with more money to spend typically pay ra tf[^er W &&re gfa&d TRANSFERRING TO PSU MAIN CAMPUS THIS FALL? THEN CALDER COMMONS IS THE PLACE And look what else... Fabulous Fitness Center X Fantastic Downtown Location On-Site Laundry and Parking Roommate Matching tion in the rally cannot be underestimated, said Sa rah Levin, a George Washington University fresh man. “That’s of utmost importance," she said. "When people question Israel’s existence, they question Judaism’s future.” Even high school students made the rally part of their visit to the nation’s capital. The program Panim el Panim, which translates to “face to face,” brings Jewish high school youth to Washington for four-day seminars to gain exposure to American government and the political process and to leam about Jewish community relations and the Jewish public policy agenda. The schedule of this week’s seminar was altered difference in the experience is the /ence between watching television and having goosebumps electronics, controls and some flavor of a theater en- vironment. Home entertainment rooms add one more way for people to reconnect with their families at a time when some surveys suggest people are spending more time with their loved ones at home. Media rooms and home theaters are also the new place to entertain friends and extended family: a comfy. 360-degree experience you can create when woc yottiike.Jiighrirnd systems can look andsound NEED A PLACE TO LIVE? Calder Commons is now offering TWO BEDROOM, 2 BATHROOM FULLY FURNISHED APARTMENTS! CALL TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION! HURRY - THEY WON’T LAST LONG! Check out Our Awesome Website! NATIONAL CAMPUS NEWS Friday, April 19, 2002 -Eric Seiger, a West Bloomfield, Mich., dermatologist. Seiger has a nine foot screen on one wall of his bedroom. Calder Commons 520 East Calder Way State College, PA 16801 814-238-3456 www.caldercommons.com to include participation in the rally, much to the de light of students. “I am a Jew and my homeland is Israel,” said David Ades, a junior from Deal, N.J. “I believe it is my obligation as a Jew to support Israel, whether it is lobbying government or fighting in the Israeli army.” “It shows that it's not just the adults that care about (Israel), it’s the whole community,” said Miriam Prensky, a sophomore from Silver Spring, Md. Once the rally was announced a week ago, semi nar leaders had little doubt that it would benefit the students. “We are Panim el Panim - ‘face to face’ - and we come face to face with political and social issues,” said Jack Rosenbaum, assistant director of the Wash- better than what you get in a typical movie theater. “The difference in the experience is the dif ference between watching television and having goosebumps,” says Eric Seiger, a West Bloomfield, Mich., dermatologist. He has a nine foot screen on one wall of his bedroom, complete with columns on either side and a sound system. His installation cost as much as a low-end luxury car. “I go to the movies now and the movies don't even compare to my bedroom,” he says. “I’d trade in my car. Heck, I’d trade in my house. I’d move off the lake. But don't take away my TV.” Don’t dismiss media rooms and home theaters as the playthings of people with money to spare. Not so long ago, “home theater was a ‘something you heard about but not for me’ thing,” says Randy Blanchard, vice president of Troy, Mich.-based Pecar New Study Lounge Only 1/2 a Block to Campus Free Cable TV Friendly Management The Behrend Beacon ington Institute lor Jewish Leadership and Values, the organization that inns Panimel Panim seminars. “One of the reasons they are here is to make change in the world through polities." For Ades, the significance of the rally was clear. “We are sending a message that we will not go away." he said. “We have been persecuted since the beginning, through the < msades. the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, in gcnetal. Hut regardless of how many people have died, we have survived. Home Theater Ins uonmenls. “Now we’re doing higher end. verv nice home theaters in homes that arc much moie modest than we would have antici- pated.” Many icmodeh. m ‘sJOO.UOO S2SO,(XX) homes now include a basic media rm mi in the basement, he says. Home theaters in a bos are selling like hotcakes, according to the ( on sinner Flectronics Association: From 2000 through the end of this year, sales are expected to triple to gist under $1 billion. And pro fessionally installed units aren’t far behind; one es timate puts the im rease in media rooms and home theaters at close to 83 percent over the last year alone. Watching television is America’s favorite leisure activity. Folks who live: in industrialized countries worldwide spend m ,n v ago of three hours a day in front ol the mb. . icp-'" lentil Ameiiean maga zine. That’s mme than any single activity other than work and sleep, and half of all leisure time. FOR YOU! Page
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