6 I The Behrend Beacon
Lovestruck or Idiotic?
By Anonymous
contributing writer
“Love 'tis as fair a kiss, as to compare
thee voice to thine of an ant;cl. ”
-Shakespeare
Good relationships are hard to come
by because it is almost a guarantee that
one person will not be cared for as
much as the other. As a guy who isn't a
psychology major. I know little about
how the brain of a girl works. However.
1 don't understand this ridiculous love
for the typical "bad guy." Now. you're
probably not all that way. but as the
years - and relationships - pass. I'm
not being disproven.
Being what most girls would call a
"nice guy." I tend to be very traditional
in relationships. I enjoy listening to
everything you have to say. rather than
interrupting you. I open doors for you.
rather than getting in the driver's side
and suggesting you hurry. I'd rather pay
for the date than for you to pay. And.
lastly. 1 would graciously wait for you
to get ready rather than rant and rave at
the bottom of the stairs. I've had an
older sister my whole life. I know how
long it takes to look how you want to
look.
The funny thing about this is that I've
been dumped time and time again for
the "bad guy." Not to throw in a touch
of drama or anything, but I was dumped
the day before prom for this guy who
ended up not wanting to be seen with
her at all during the dance. He didn't
dance with her at all. yet she still kept
dating him. Long story short, she's now
living with him back in my hometown,
pursuing an anti-abuse order. So. I
Commentary: End of the casino economy —
and the resolution —forecasted long ago
The worsening collapse of the global
fmanicat system should not be a sur
prise to people. Nor should the solu
tion to get out of the crisis. Though the
media has used choice phrases for the
ongoing meltdown of the economy,
starting with "subprime mortgage cri
sis." proceeding to "credit crunch." and
now culminating with the carry-all
"financial crisis." the American econo
my shifted paradigmatically long
before last summer. I am aw are of one
statesman and economist who has
w'arned of the oncoming disaster for
decades: Lyndon Laßouche.
Laßouche is a poorly known, and
even more poorly understood, politi
cian whose ongoing efforts include
instilling in the U.S. Congress and the
next American president the legacy of
Franklin D. Roosevelt. The problem
with the economy is much more sys
temic than many people think, and cer
tainly much more than most people will
acknowledge. But Laßouche has. since
the 1980 s. ran in the Democratic presi
dential primaries with a fairly constant
message of returning the U.S. economy
to a high-tech, tnceasingly productive
and consumptive industrial base, while
warning of the doom that is in store for
the country and potentially the world, it
that call is not heeded.
Clearly, that doom is upon the United
States and the world. The solution is
NOT a bailout. In no way will the
delivery of taxpayers' money to the
U.S. Treasury for rotten mortgage-back
securities of Wall Street sharks improve
the economy. While it has been said
before, 1 will repeat it: "don't give the
foxes the key to the hen house." It is
possible that stocks might jump back
up with a bailout, but rising stock
prices do not correspond with improve
ments in basic economic inlrastrcuture.
Most people today admit that the
U.S. also suffers an "infrastructure cri
sis." The American Society of Civil
Engineers reported a letter grade ol D
on its 2005 report card lor the sum ol
ALL infrastructure (aviation, bridges,
dams, drinking water, energy, waste,
waterways, parks, rail, roads, schools,
transit, wastewater). In 2005, the esti
mated cost just to bring the infrastruc
ture network to breakeven was $1.6
trillion. Much of the country's infra
structure network was built during the
several terms of FDR., as means ol lilt
ing the country from the Great
Depression, or shortly after World War
11. Again, Laßouche has forecasted the
need not only for repairing exisiting
PSKJPS CJTI V.
missed my senior prom, lying in my
backyard on a log. drinking J.D. under
the stars.
Why * Is there anything I can ask
other than why? Granted. I suppose I
should've just gotten over it and went
to prom anyways, but 1 knew I couldn't
see her. Now we move a few months
into the future and with new friends and
a new environment, and I'm debating
whether or not I should start a mildly
long distance relationship with some
one I've known for years.
There's a predicament here too
because I'm having trouble realizing if
she likes me as much as I like her. She
just had an awful breakup with some
one she'd been with for awhile now.
Suddenly, the guy just decides to break
it off for no apparent reason and then he
gives her this BS about how she was
supposedly too controlling. So after
helping her through that breakup for
about two weeks now. I'm at a certain
crossroad. We've been friends forever
with so much in common, and I'm
recently beginning to see her as some
one I could go steady with - regardless
of how '9os that phrase is. If it turns out
to be a longer relationship, then great: if
it doesn't, then it may mess up our
friendship forever.
So. lovestruck and confused, should I
wait for her to be ready' 1 I’d have no
problem doing that, of course. Or.
should we stay as friends and maybe, in
time, a relationship will develop for me
on campus'.’ If you have any advice on
the subject, or constructive criticism
about anything I've said, you can write
a letter to the editor.
By Joseph Smalley
engineering science major
jss3s7Cpsu.edu
infrastructure, but also expanding our
infrastructure with the application of
cutting-edge technologies, such as
nationwide and high-speed magnetic
levitation rail.
If the government is going to do any
thing about the crisis, it must address
reality. The lack of productive capaci
ty (think, for example of just how much
production space was scrapped in the
past five years w ith the shrinking of the
automobile industry), is directly related
to the lack of adequate infrastructure
and vice versa. Unemployed and
underemployed people could work on
projects of regional and national scope
under programs modelled off FDR's
Works Progress Administration. Public
Works Administration, and Tennesse
Valley Authoirty (how about a Gulf
Coast Authoriy to address the reality of
Hurricane Katrina).
While these programs and construc
tion would cost taxpayers' money, the
return would be real. A more produc
tive. technically advanced country
empowers all citizens, while the deliv
ery of portions of their incomes to Wall
Street clowns is insulting and degrad-
One might wonder, "if the solution is
as obvious as building stuff, why has it
not been done yet?" This is a fair ques
tion and 1 can only hypothesize that too
many people in high postions have lost
too much money (that's what they think
anyway) and cannot stare reality in the
face —that their wealth was built upon
fictitous credit, supported by no physi
cally significant assets. In all actuality,
this has happened to people in not so
high positions as well, which means
that the problem of greed, typcial of
Wall Street, has permeated mainstream
culture over the past decades. Imagine
an alcoholic who knows what he is,
stares at his drink, and cries about his
worsening problem as he gulps it down.
Does this mean we are all screwed?
Well. 1 like to think that there are a
handful of minds capable of taking on a
challenge, or achieving their potential
as human beings. Laßouche's propos
als. viewable at w ww.larouchepub.com
and www.larouchepac.com, may
sound grandiose, but in time of an
ongoing economic collapse, are com-
mon sense.
Letters to the editor:
As anyone involved with a student
organization knows, regardless of how
well it's performing, there's always a
hiccup somewhere along the way.
That's what happened with the Lion
Entertainment Board's showing of
Rung Fu Panda last Thursday, and I
want to apologize for that.
Many don't realize that the LEB is a
relatively new organization. We've
only been operating as a club for about
six years now. and while I think it's safe
to say that we've become good at what
we do there is always room for
improvements and adjustments.
The change of movie time from 10
p.m. to 9 p.m. on weeknights has
worked exceptionally well, doubling
what we normally see. Our last three
Can’t Touch This
While attending Penn State's All
University Game against Illinois. I had
one of the most memorable game expe
riences of my life.
First, there was the man to my right
who apparently didn't get the memo
that alcohol is not to be brought into the
stadium. Perhaps this older gentleman
just didn't think the rules applied to
him. Whatever the case, he pulled out
his airplane sized bottle of whisky, and
proceeded to gulp it down with a bitter
smile.
Next to him was another man who
was very intoxicated by the time he
reached his stadium seat. He reeked of
cheap liquor and cigars and continued
to mumble inaudible words until his son
finally had to guide him out of the
stands.
Finally, to my left was a man who
tried, to no avail, to inconspicuously
slip his flask out of his pocket. Needless
to say. he eventually tied the stadium
before the start of the second quarter.
While all of these fans were quite enter
Cartoon contributed b\ Frank Weltner
Are you in love or is it just lust?
By Alyssa Weinstein
staff writer
abwsos3@psu.edu
Love. The word is thrown around a
lot. It is a huge part of our culture. It
pops up on television, in songs, in mag
azines, and unfortunately it has been
popping up sooner and sooner in rela
tionships. Those reasons could possibly
be why now over fifty percent of mar
riages end in divorce.
You go out with someone for a week.
That means you love each other right?
Wrong. Love is something that a lot of
college aged people haven’t experi
enced. I am never going to say that peo
ple our age don’t know what love is
because that isn’t true. I have been in
love. Many people have. But I can hon
estly say that that love didn’t come
about until well into the first year of my
relationship.
Love is hard. It isn’t all about flowers
and candy and diamonds. Love is about
knowing your significant other inside
and out. You trust them, you confide in
them, and you are comfortable around
acts in Bruno's have each had over 100
students in attendance. We're celebrat
ing Behrend's 60th anniversary with our
Flashback Fridays schedule, which
includes a lot of great tribute acts of
your favorite bands, and. if you thought
getting Third Eye Blind to campus last
year was exciting, wait until you hear
what we have in store for you this com
ing year.
We have an exceptional group of stu
dents this year and I know that our
organization will only continue to grow.
If you'd like to be part of that growth,
our meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on
Wednesday nights. If the LEB just isn’t
your bag and you have a question, con
cern, or need a comment, give me a call.
My cell number is 724-859-3851.
taining. they were nothing compared to
the young man donning Illinois attire.
Yes, I had the pleasure of being seat
ed next to one of Illinois’ most obnox
ious and smashed fans. Prior to kickoff,
this clown was clapping his hands like
“Slappy the Seal” and making incoher
ent remarks about Penn State’s defen
sive line. At first, the sea of white sur
rounding him just ignored his ram
blings, but Mr. Illinois didn't seem to
know when to just shut up.
Eventually the crowd grew weary of
Mr. Illinois and chants of “sit down ya
little moron" and "asshole" were being
shouted throughout the stands. Well,
Mr. Illinois was not going to stand for
this kind of treatment, and he started to
put more incoherent phrases together.
This was not a smart move at all, but
hey, this is coming from a kid who has
his name tattooed on his forearm.
Apparently, one of his remarks struck a
chord in a nearby Penn Stater, because
the next thing I knew someone was
walking towards him with a grimace
and clenched fists. This did not deter
Mr. Illinois from continuing to run his
them —and all of those things take time.
You cannot know everything about a
person after one week. They could be
an awesome person on paper, but trust
me, that means absolutely nothing.
Knowing someone’s habits can
change how you look at them com
pletely. Knowing their past, their pres
ent, their family, and how they act in
different situations will affect how you
view them, and honestly, without
knowing all of these things about a per
son, how can you know that you love
them?
Just because your boyfriend looks
good when he wears his Abercrombie
jeans or when your girlfriend wears her
tight, black tank top doesn’t mean you
feel love. It means you feel lust (which
isn’t a bad thing, unless you think it is
true love).
You probably are not in love if you
fight a lot. Love is about compromise
breaking up and making up isn’t what it
is all about. So, really, if you fight more
than anything else...it is time to move
There is a commonly perceived myth
Friday, October 3, 2008
i ci
jyJ
With that said, we still are a student
run organization. Our members have
tests, homework, and class projects.
Everyone knows from experience that
living the college life can be a bit over
whelming, and that from time to time
some things just slip your mind.
We're very sorry we missed you. and
to make up for it, we want a second
chance. Anyone who comes to see
Wall-E on Thursday, October 9, will get
in for free. So come enjoy a night at the
movies on the LEB. We appreciate the
student support we get for all of our
events and programs, and can't wait to
see you there.
mouth. In fact, this caused him to yell
out even louder! To my disappointment,
the man with the clenched fists was held
back by several other people. Those
that held the angry man back decided
that they had had enough of Mr. Illinois
and all of the trouble he was causing, so
they found one of the stadium officials
who glared angrily at Mr. Illinois. The
official continued to keep an eye on him
for the remainder of the game.
However, the stadium official didn't
really have to worry about another out
burst from him, because as usual Penn
State dominated, forcing Mr. Illinois to
sit down and fall into an inebriated stu-
Moral of the story? Don't mess with
the best. That's right: Penn Slate doesn't
just have the greatest fan section in the
entire country for no reason! We Penn
Staters go to bat for our team. Just ask
Mr. Illinois, he’ll tell you. Penn State
fans know how to put the smackdown
on their rivals!
that I would like to call out right now.
When you love someone, you have sex
with them. No. A lot of people have sex
with others that they are not in love
with. A lot of people have sex with peo
ple they barely know. And a lot of peo
ple who are in love wait. Waiting until
marriage seems, surprisingly, to be
more prominent among young adults
today.
Is your boyfriend or girlfriend more
to you than just a trophy? Can you tell
them everything? Do you like spending
time with them? Do you have a lot in
common? And thinking about it honest
ly, do you see a future with them?
Ponder: are you really in love? Or
are you just throwing the word around
because you think it’s the right thing to
do. Relationships are about getting to
know each other, not about being in
love right away. When you are dating
someone, it doesn’t mean you have to
marry them. So don’t rush love. It is an
awesome feeling and everyone should
know what it really feels like. Don’t
fool yourself into feeling something
that you don’t.
Brad Kovalcik
LEB Nightclub Chair
Lauren Dißacco
Communications Major