I The Behrend Beacon
Kansas reverses Intelligent Design standards
TOPEKA, Kansas: The Kansas State School Board has repealed the controversial state science stan
dards that required school science teachers to criticize the theory of evolution and offer Intelligent
Design as an alternative.
A coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans were elected to the school board after contro
versy over the pro-Intelligent Design standards caused voters to eject several former members. The
new school board voted 6-4 in favor of adopting new standards that follow the scientific method more
closely. The vote marks the fifth time in under eight years that the state's science standards have
changed, but the new standards should stay in place at least until the next election in 2008.
"I think we're good for two years," said Democratic board member Janet Waugh, who supported the
new standards. "Who knows what the election will hold in two years?"
Although the new standards have passed, a large portion of Kansas' fundamentally religious residents
have already started taking steps against them. Retired lawyer John Calvert, co-founder of the
Intelligent Design Network, has canvassed the state collecting thousands of signatures for petitions
against the new standards, which he claimed "promote atheism" and weaken traditional family values.
The much-publicized standards hearings in 2005 in which the former school board proposed the
Intelligent Design-friendly curricula drew reporters from as far away as France and Japan, and was the
target of political and scientific satire in the United States and around the world.
Microsoft debuts new operating system
Microsoft Corporation recently launched their newest operating sys
tem. Windows Vista is the first release since 2001's Windows XP.
Vista comes in four editions, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business,
and Ultimate. Microsoft has upgraded just
about every aspect of your computer expe-
Vista makes communication between
friends and coworkers much easier.
Internet Explorer has been upgraded to
version 7. The explorer's stylish new
design provides you with Quick Tabs
instead of having multiple windows open
at one time. Windows Meeting Space
allows all Vista users to instantaneously
share their desktop and documents to work
on projects together. share information, or
pictures.
Surfing the web with Vista is much safer
than before. Microsoft says, "New dynam
ic security protection and integrated anti
phishing technology in Windows Internet
Explorer 7 help protect your PC. including
your personal and financial information." Vista also gives parents
new protection for their children. Parents can monitor usage. control
time limits, set program controls and retrieve detailed activity infor-
mation
Outlook Express has been replaced by Windows Mail. The new e
mail software realizes that e-mail has become a vital part of most
Quotes Ci v ilit y
• •
"Two things fill the mind with ever new
and increasing admiration and awe: the
starry heavens above me and the moral
law within me."
- Immanuel Kant
1 Janet Neff, or a!n i epler=fry
Source: CNN.com, Yahoo! News
By Lenny Smith
assistant new editor
I • ;
f E
everyone's daily life. The software has new features that allow you to
manage junk mail, viruses attached in e-mails, and phising, which are
attacks at your personal information.
DirectXlO and Games Explorer are the newest ways to get the most
out of your computer gaming. Directxlo has features that allow you
to plug in your Xbox36o controllers to get the most out of your games.
Games Explorer is a management tool that gives you the opportunity
to easily access, load, and install your games.
The new Windows Media Center gives users control of their enter
tainment. Instead of missing your favorite television show because of
a class or meeting, you can record, watch, and pause live TV. This fea
ture is only available in the Home Premium and Ultimate editions.
r\l
Koreas agree to restart peace talks
SEOUL, South Korea: Between high-level phone conversations and low-level meetings near the
Demilitarized Zone, leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to a new round of peace talks.
The two countries, which have been at war with each other since 1950, agreed to resume peace talks
that were interrupted by North Korea's advances in nuclear technology and test firings of rockets into
the ocean that have enough range to attack cities in South Korea. While neither country has gained ter
ritory since a cease-fire was enforced in 1953 and the Demilitarized Zone was established, soldiers still
occasionally engage in skirmishes and there is no travel between the countries by land.
President Bush said the new agreement was a "step in the right direction."
"There's a lot of work to be done to make sure that the commitments made in this agreement become
reality," Bush told reporters in a news conference Thursday. "But I believe it's an important step in the
right direction."
Also on the table is food aid to the North, which suffered a poor harvest in previous years and requires
millions of dollars in imported rice to sustain its population. South Korea is willing to provide more
food aid since an agreement earlier this year in which North Korea agreed to a sweeping disarmament
policy that would reduce tensions between the two countries.
MOVIE LOVERS--IT'S OSCAR TIME
WIN A MOVIE PRIZE BASKET FROM THE BEHRENO BOOKSTORE
BY FILLING OUT OUR OSCAR BALLOT. ADDITIONAL BALLOTS
ARE AVAILABLE IN THE BOOKSTORE. THE WINNER WILL BE
SELECTED ON MON., FEB. 21 FROM THE BALLOTS WITH THE MOST
CORRECT ANSWERS. STOP BY THE BOOKSTORE ON FEB 22 & 21
TO DROP OFF YOUR BALLOT AND SAVE SON. ON A SECOND CANDY
BAR WHEN YOU PURCHASE ONE AT THE REGULAR PRICE.
CZI CZ)
Leonardo DiCeprlo Ryan Goan Peter O'Toole
Blood DiamonO Melt Nelson Venus
I=
Penebpe Cruz
Vdver
rl• u • •I
Man Arkin Jackl Earls Haley Dilmon Hounsou
Lae Miss Sunshine Lillie Children Blood Diamond
I=
Adrian' Banns
Babel
Clint Eastwood
Leaks from Iwo Jkna
Windows Flip 3D is a part of Windows Aero interface. The
Windows Flip 3D allows the user to tah through their open windows
with ease giving them a preview of the window on the screen before
picking the screen.
However, some are still skeptical about the new system. A Penn
State Behrend computer technician said that people who buy the new
operating system should he aware
that it is brand new and still has a lot
of hugs and problems that need to be
worked out. Freshman Brad Troyan
said, "I have no plans of upgrading
my computer. It works fine as it is
and I'm already used to XP."
Vista is now available to all stu
dents through the Penn State's
Microsoft Developer Network
Academic Alliance (MSDNAA)
program. But. University computer
technicians warn that the upgrade is
at your own risk. They say users
should proceed with caution; Vista
has many hardware requirements
that must be met in order for it to
function properly. Since Vista is so
new, support is limited. Upgrades or
installs will be performed at your own risk. It's recommended that as
with any operating system upgrade, all important user data, photo, or
music files are hacked up on another form of media prior to the
upgrade attempt
CM =
The Departed Letters from Iwo
=
Jud Denth
Notes on a Scandal
CD
Haien /Arran
The Qum)
=3
Cate alanchell Abigail email,'
Notes on a Scandal Litl4 Miss Sunshine
Stephen Friars Paul Greenwass
The Queen United 93
Friday, February 16, 2007
1
4
i 2 1,1
111
Little Miss Sunshine
=
The Queen
I=l
WO Smith roe
PursA of tiappyless
forest Whitaker Re
Last King of Scol'aria
Meryl Streep
the Oevd Wears Pf atla
C. 72.)
Kato Wlnslet
little Cruidren
Eddl• Murphy
Oreamuir.3
C:1
Mark Wahlberg
The Copselee
Jennifer Hueson
Oreemor is
O
Rink* Klkuchi
Babel
ca
Alejandro Gonzalez
Inarniu • Babel
0
Martin Scorsese
The Departed