I The Behrend Beacon delphinidae - noun - I brought my kids to Sea World, and they were very happy to feed the delphinidae, which were flipping happily in the water Number of Facebook users rises exponentially, gains on MySpace By Matt Schwabenbauer staff triter misslB7 edu In the busy life of a college student, it can get hard to stay in touch with your friends. Having to budget time between going to class, doing homework, studying for tests, and going to work leaves little time for connecting with peers. This is where social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace come in handy. Through these web sites, people can keep in touch with their friends, post pictures of themselves, and even find people they may have lost touch with over time. The first thing most college students do when they start up their computer is check their Facebook profile page. Students are eager to keep up on who has "poked" them or written something on their "wall." These are just a few of the many features Facebook offers its users. With • . _ . . . . . . . • ~.,rt---,'‘.--1 ) Iti' • .• ...; / v „ , . , . , ~ ...• . , ......, •--............-....., the popularity of Facebook ris- ing constantly, it is quickly becoming a necessity many college students' lives. Before col- lege, most peo ple used coNTßiiit - FED PHOTO MySpace. There Facebook has been steadily approaching MySpace's total share is a clear divide of internet browsers since 2006, especially in the past year. e socta working community between what type of users each website has. MySpace is mostly populated by high school students, and Facebook tends to be more college-oriented. Some of this could be due to the fact that Facebook has only been open to high s since 2005. What is it that CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A Facebook Pa e. American Gangster could be this year's best film By Robert Davis staff writer rkdso23(a pu.edu Nov. 2, Ridley Scott's latest film achieve ment, American Gangster, hits the theatres. The movie follows the life of iconic Harlem gangster Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) who smuggles heroin into the United States inside the coffins of soldiers returning from Vietnam. Chasing behind him is Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), a detective looking to bring down Lucas's drug empire. The film has already received herald ed reviews. The story was bought by Universal Studios in 2000: it came from a New York magazine and was originally written by Mark Jacobson under the title,"The Return of Super Fly." In 2003, Universal Studios signed Brian De Palma to direct the film under the working title of Tru Blu, with the film's script written by Steve Zaillian. The film produc tion was to begin in 2004 when Universal began engaging in talks with Antoine Fuqua to direct the film instead of De Palma. Yet, when October of 2004 came, Fuqua abruptly left the project. Universal shut down production of American Gangster, stating that due to time constraints and creative differences, the film would not be made. In 2005, Universal again tried to start the proj ect. They approached director Terry George to take lead and revise the script. Eventually George's vision for the film was scrapped and the studio CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Denzel Washin I ton. _ fly . "dolphins." so many col students to cebook over ySpace? :cording to hrend freshman 't Mclouth, book is a more ommunity than MySpace. All the users tend to be older and are interest ed in connecting with their friends. MySpace users again to attempt 'other try at illian's draft of ie script. After ,everal false ;tarts and differ- .nt directors, Jniversal Studios )proached Ridley tt in 2006. Scott :ected such clas sic Films as Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator. f rri locus nu who has better pr file. It' almom like a populari- test Facehook does have more mat u interface t MySpace. )ical MSS is loaded with huge pic tures. blaring music and large font sizes that throw the profile's text right in your face pretty much only comment and message your friends. Facebook has a lot more fun and interesting features. You can do things like send your friends beer or presents and even tag them in pictures from parties." One of the most alluring features of Facebook is the photos application. Users are allowed to upload as many pictures as they want, and can tag the ones that have their friends in them so they are automatically uploaded to their friends' profiles. Recently. MySpace has been borrowing features from Facebook, including the photos application. MySpace users can now view their profiles in a simplified layout similar to Facebook, and even add applications similar to those of Facebook. Although more college students may use Facebook, the numbers still stand that MySpace is the more popular website. According to press releases from both sites, the total number of MySpace users has topped 100 million, while Facebook is teetering on the edge of 49 million. American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington, is expected to be a hit in theatres this week. Scott chose to direct American Gangster based on the paradoxical values of Lucas and Roberts: Lucas operating an ethical business despite its illegal nature, and Robert's continuing obsession with women despite his authority figure role. Washington is not a fan of gangster films, but was drawn to American Gangster because of Lucas's extensive depth of character. Crowe became involved in the project because of his former work with Scott in Gladiator. The film was shot entirely in Manhattan with much work done to make the streets appear as would have in the 19605. American Gangster is sure to be a great film, possibly even an Oscar worthy one. With such a great director and line-up of actors, it is almost cer tain to deliver. covntißuTED PHOTO A MySpace Page. Facebook, on the otter an., as a much more controlled layout. Instead of allowing users to alter the way their profile looks. Facebook lets them add applications which they can use to interact with their friends. "MySpace is a limited environ- Amanda freshman `You can Woiner Colbert's presidential race cut short By Connor Sattely entertainment editor ct<.so6o(q) Comedian Steven Colbert made the first real step towards a Presidential bid by filing to appear on the ballot in South Carolina as a Democrat. The decision of whether Colbert would get a spot then fell to the Democratic Party in South Carolina. Unfortunately, that group of people shot down the popular TV host because he did not meet the requirements for a spot on the ballot. The Democratic Party has two requirements for those who want to get a ballot spot in the state: that he or she is viable national ly and has spent time campaign ing in the state. Carol Fowler, the chairman of the Democratic Party, as quoted by CNN, said "he does not a Colbert's run for the Presidency has apparently ended, as South ppear to be Carolina's Democratic Party denied Colbert a ballot spot campaigning to win if he is only running in one state." Many Democrats in the state spoke out publical ly about Colbert's run, claiming that it cheapened the Democratic process, and that he would not he shown any leniency in the laws that he was required to follow "Stephen Colbert clearly didn't qualify under our rules, and it would have been a mistake and wrong to violate our rules," said Charleston Democratic party chairman Waring Howe. Reaction among Behrend students tends to he a lack of surprise. "It was dumb, of course," says Behrend student Mi Little Caesars® BEHREND STUDENT APPRECIATION DAY STUDENT MUST SHOW THEIR I.D. in South Carolina EVERY TUESDAY $3.99 Friday, November 2, 2007 James Wolfe. "But it would have been awesome if he had won. It would have been kind of scary, too. - Student Daniel Frankel agrees, and says that Colbert should have followed a much different strategy. "If he was serious, - he says, "he definitely would have started sooner. Everything he did was last minute, and even when he announced it. I was thinking, 'Wow, that's really sudden.'" Though Colbert's run seems to he over, the shot at the White House may have done more than elicit ed some laughs amongst his fans. Many claim that his presidential hid could have olutions on how to save the nation For this year, his run for the White House seems to be done early, as he has said he will not seek the Republican ticket's spot due to a 535.000 fine that he would have to pay for the spot. As Colbert's fanbase grows. there remains no doubt that he is one of the most popular comedians of the modern age. and his fans could expect to see a repeat performance in four years. Perhaps Colbert's fake hid will encourage imitations from fans or fellow comedians. Maybe next time, it will be serious. But, then again, Colbert's antics rarely are. just been a ploy to sell more copies of his hook, "I Am America (And So Can The book focUSCs things that Colbert thinks arc trying to threaten our and country his various
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