2 I The Behrend Beacon
Cuba signs Human Rights Agreement
NEW YORK, NY - Days after Raul Castro was
sworn in as the new president, Cuba has signed
two human rights agreements with the UN. One
of the agreements regards social; economic and
cultural rights, and the other grants civil and
political rights.
Tile agreements are part of the UN Bill of
Human Rights and grant Cuba the freedoms of
expression, association and the right to travel
abroad. The agreements are a radical change in
human rights policy from the administration of
Fidel Castro. Felipe Perez Roque, Foreign
Minister for Cuba who signed the agreements
claimed they had nothing to do with the change
of presidency and instead
suggested it was just a way
of publicizing rights that
have been enjoyed by
“Lost Boy” comes to Behrend
Continued from page 1.
he ran into while making his film. At one
point when it looked like he would have
to scrap the project, he sent it to Nichole
Kidman and Brad Pitt as a long shot.
Kidman ended up narrating the film, and
Pitt helped to bring in the
money the project needed.
God Grew Tired of Us won
two awards at the 2006
Sundance Film Festival; the
Grand Jury Prize and the
Audience Award.
Quinn also talked about
how difficult it was to film
in Africa and keep the long term in mind.
“It was a constant mental struggle,” he
explained. Having to continue filming
without being able to offer immediate
help to the homeless and hungry boys
never got any easier. But now in the long
run, it is definitely paying off. Awareness
about the strife is growing and money is
pouring in to organizations in Sudan.
Dau told of his days journeying
through several countries, and his expe
riences as one of the oldest boys in a
refugee camp. For some time. 1,200
boys were under his care. “Most of them
went insane,” he said. Dau talked about
how sometimes he was able to feed these
boys powdered milk, and it would bring
them back from insanity.
However, this was not the focus of his
speech. Dau talked about coming to
"Politeness is the art of
choosing among one's
real thoughts."
•£. < \ \\
po
tial
Source: BBC News
America, and getting his first jobs at
McDonald's and UPS. Even while he
and his friends were getting used to
things like the automatic doors at gro
cery stores and how to order food at a
restaurant, he was going to college for an
la&fs is the true
Bui Dau
‘Lost Boy’of Sudan
New York. I brought my mother here. 1
have a 15-month old daughter. This is
the true American dream.”
After Quinn and Dau spoke, they took
questions from the audience. Quinn dis
cussed future projects, which may
include visiting Sudan once again and
keeping up on progress in the African
country. Dau talked about the hardest
adjustment in coming to America,
“Choices. It's a lot of work; I have to
think about it beforehand. What do you
take, and what do you leave behind?"
Dau closed the evening with a mention
of a trip to Sudan that he had just
returned from three weeks ago, and with
it a message of hope. "I love to see the
trees. They are the same. It is so good to
be back. And southern Sudan is doing
good. It is doing so good."
Janet Neff Sample Center KH
for Ma/tntrs & Civility
Cuban citizens since the revolution in 1959,
The Cuban government’s critics have urged
the administration to follow through with the
agreements by freeing dissidents. Currently,
there are at least 200 political prisoners being
held in Cuba. Carlos Lauria, a representative for
the Committee to Protect Journalists in New
York has asked Cuba to follow through with the
agreements and “immediately and uncondition
ally release the 22 independent journalists cur
rently imprisoned for their work.”
Roque first announced Cuba’s decision to sign
the agreements in December. He also stated that
in 2009, Cuba would welcome scrutiny from the
UN Human Rights Council, which Cuba previ
ously resisted due to fears of a pro-US bias.
education. Glazing
over his associate’s
degree, and the two
organizations he has
founded to aid Sudan,
he says, "This is suc
cess. 1 build my own
house -1 have my own
house in Syracuse,
evenson 11,
presiden
-1900-1965)
NSW.
C-SPAN reporter talks politics at Gannon
By Nick Haller
staff writer
nphsol2@psu.cdu
Insightful, informative and influenc
ing are the three words that came to
mind after leaving the Zurn building at
Gannon University. On Wednesday
night Feb. 27 Steve Scully spoke about
the on going political race happening in
our nation.
Scully, a former WSEE broadcaster
and native of Erie. PA has moved up
through the ranks of television and pol
itics and has landed a spot at C-SPAN.
Scully is an executive producer and
political editor who over sees many
debates and interviews that air on the
show. He “ also hosts "Washington
Journal,' a daily three-hour, public
affairs program. 1 ' " •
Michelle Toth a member of
Leadership Erie said. “He was awe
some and insightful, he really made me
think and made me want to get more
interested in politics.”
Scully's speech mainly focused on
how the election process will end up
and how each candidate has construct
ed him or herself during these past few
months.
Scully thinks that we arc going to sec
a campaign in Pennsylvania that wc
never seen before because if Senator
Hillary Clinton wins both Texas and
Ohio it will make the race closer than it
has ever been since 1980. 'it seems out
of her hands, but if she can pull these
two off it might end up going to the
convention," stated Scully.
Scully believes that Clinton's politi
cal campaign made a huge mistake as
thinking as her of the front runner and
that her not dealing with the press hurt
Nominations are now being accepted fro the following awards
Faculty:
- Excellence in Teaching
- Excellence in Academic Advising
- Excellence in Outreach
- Excellence in Research (through a school director)
faculty and Staff:
- Ben Lane Outstanding Service Award
For more information visit:
pserie.psu.edu/ faculty/ awards/ awards-index.htm
Deadline: March 19
Music at Noon:
By Walaa Ahmad
staff writer
wmalo9@psu.cdu
The Aspen Ensemble group, violist
Victoria Chiang, cellist Michael
Mermagen, flutist Nadine Asin and
pianist Rita Sloan will arrive at Behrend
on Thursday, March 6 at the McGarvey
Commons to perform a mixed quintet of
flute, piano and strings drawn from the
famed Aspen Music Festival. Admission
is free and open to the public.
In 1989, Kay Logan and the Warren
philanthropist were founded the Music at
noon. The music was honored with an
Adventurous Programming Award given
by Chamber Music of America and the
American society of composers.
r i
Israeli
On Wednesday, Israeli forces launched a continu
ous series of air strikes in the Gaza Strip which have
claimed the lives of 32 Palestinians (as' of press
time). The Isrealis claim the attacks are in response
to a killing on Wednesday, in which Hamas, the
militant organization currently in control of the
Palestinian government, fired a rocket and killed an
Israeli student.
In the northern Gaza Strip, an Israeli airstrike
claimed the lives of four children on Thursday. The
children were playing soccer near the Jabaliya
refugee camp. The Israeli army claimed the intend
ed target was a rocket-launching cell. Palestinians
are skeptical of that statement due to events that
occured on Wednesday. Ehud Olmert, Israeli Prime
Minister, said the “terrorists" would pay for the
attack.
Later on Thursday, Israeli strikes killed two
Hamas militants in Beit Hanoun and a security post
in Gaza City, near the home of Ismail Haniya, a
Hamas leader.
The Aspen Ensemble
The Aspen Ensemble Behrend pro
gram will be drawn from Bohuslav
Martinau’s Madrigal Sonata for flute,
violin and piano, Beethoven’s String
Trio in C minor, a Mozart piano quartet,
and "The Jet Whistle,” a Heitor Villa-
Lobos composition for flute and cello.
"The Aspen Ensemble brings an
unusual ability to color each work with a
new orchestration,” said series director
Gary Viebranz, who also is director of
instrumental ensembles at the college.
"Their diverse repertoire will allow our
audience to experience a reinvention of
the group with each musical selection.”
For more information about The Music
at Noon event contact the Aspen
Ensemble’s at (814) 898-6289.
attacks kill 32 Palestinians
Erie native Sieve Scully speaks to an audience at Gannon University on Feb. 27,
her chances rather than helped them.
Scully said. "The press is not the decid
ing (actor of the Presidency, but we are
a factor.
"I support Senator Barack Obama,
because it seems Clinton has been slip
ping and also a brighter future seems to
be in place." said Toth.
Scully said. "Math and momentum
are winning this democratic campaign
right now." Scully is talking about
Obama and how he has won over the
country with enthusiasm and some
thing different that this country has
never seen before.
Scully contrasted both Clinton and
Obama's campaign by saying that there
are alto of twists in the Clinton cam
paign. This is why the media is eating
her up rather than Obama who has been
on the straight track and has given the
Friday, February 29, 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice plans to
visit the Middle East next week to meet with
Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Rice claimed the Palestinian rocket attacks “need to
stop,” in which 200 have died since
November.
The attacks have killed Palestinian militants, but
also civilians including a six-month-old baby and
the four children.
Olmert said he would not make peace with peo
ple murdering civilians. “The only requirement we
have from the Palestinians is stop killing innocent
Israelis, stop shooting Qassam rockets at the civil
ian centres of Israel so that we’ll be able to do busi
ness together,” he said. Olmert has received criti
cism from Palestinian activists, which accuse him
of harboring double standards. Prominent
Palestinian activist Hanan Ashwari lashed out at
Olmert, critizing him for condemning attacks on
civilans yet doing so himself. “There has to be secu
rity for everybody,” she said.
media no incentive to attack his cam
paign, according to Scully.
Wayne Patterson a participant of the
Leadership Erie class said, “ I am real
ly not into politics, but Steve Scully
really made me interested and made me
want to know more about what’s going
on."
Scully then continued about the facts
and said that Senator John McCain is
running the same campaign we have
seen the past eight years, which is
strength and economic prosperity. But
Scully suggests it’s time for change,
and the America needs something new.
"We need change, and in the ballots
that we fill out will be that measure,”
stated Scully.
Flu cases
increase around
campus
Continued from page 1
When sick with the flu, students must
also attempt to deal with their heavy
workload. "I got behind in my classes a
little bit,” Lanctot said.
Peg Spear, Director of University
Health Services at University Park,
reminded faculty and staff of the Faculty
Senate’s policy on class attendance in a
university-wide e-mail this week.
“Instructors should provide, within
reason, opportunity to make up work for
students who miss classes for other legit
imate but unavoidable reasons,” Spear
wrote in the e-mail.
“I e-mailed all my teachers to tell them
I wouldn’t be in class,” Brown said.
“They were all considerate.” Brown is
worried, however, that her absences will
count against her grade.
The increased number of flu cases is a
common trend across the country.
According to statistics from the Center
for Disease Control website, 49 states
and the District of Columbia were
reporting widespread activity.
“Students need to listen to their bodies
[when they start to feel sick],” Pasky
McMahon said. “Slow down and treat
your symptoms.”