Friday, October 24, 2008
rThe First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Don't forget about fall
By Jennifer Juncosa
perspectives editor
jdjso6l@psu.edu
Fall is by far my favorite season. After
a hot summer, the best feeling is break
ing out the courdorays, boots and vests.
It's cold out, but a sweatshirt or vest is
all you need. If you go outside to play
football, a long sleeve shirt is even
acceptable. Fall is when you have "rak
ing parties" with neighbors, drink hot
apple cider, and eat any other product
made with the fresh apples you picked.
The only problem is that fall is usual
ly overshadowed by winter. It has only
felt like fall for a few short weeks and
there were snowflake sightings in the
surrounding area on Tuesday.
Before the start of October, HBO was
showing National Lampoon's Christmas
Vacation. That was just unacceptable. It
wasn't even October yet. As if it couldn't
get worse, HBO is now playing Deck
The Halls on a regular basis.
I love Christmas as much as the next
person and I can't wait for the snow, the
lights, the happiness, and the break from
school. But leave my fall alone.
Fall is for my other favorite holidays:
Halloween and Thanksgiving. The fun of
Halloween is ruined if it's snowing.
What's the point of dressing up if your
costume is hidden under a jacket?
Now, snow doesn't necessarily ruin
What girls
look for
By Alyssa Weinstein
staff writer
abwsos3@psu.edu
Every day, a guy I know will ask me
what girls are looking for in a guy.
Apparently I am supposed to know the
answer to that question because I am
female. It took me awhile to figure out
the answer because I wasn't even aware
of what I would qualify as "the perfect
Trust me guys, all girls have a list.
They like guys who are tall or medium
height; bulky or skinny; blonde, brunette
or redheaded. They like guys that listen
to country, rap, or rock. Whatever it may
be, physically and personality wise, that
we look for, there are always going to be
things that every girl wants in a guy.
This is what I have so far.
First of all, we do not want the perfect
guy. I believe that there is no perfect guy,
just the perfect guy for you. So know
what you are looking for. All of my
friends make fun of me because I won't
date a guy under six foot. It isn't because
I am discriminating, I just prefer height.
We want you to notice things. We
don't pick what to wear by accident. We
don't pick our perfume by accident
either. And if you like our hair up or
down, straight or curly - look closely -
we wear it the way you like it when you
are around. So why don't you notice'? If
you do notice, say that you do.
Girls like guys that are spontaneous.
We want you to show up at our door,
unannounced, just to say hello, to hug us
or kiss us. Just go a little out of your way
to show us that we are worth it. We aren't
looking for a ring - just attention.
We also like guys that listen. I am not
talking about listening while they multi
task, saying "Yeah. Uh huh. Gotcha."
That doesn't work. We want you to look
Beacon Thumbs Up
I . I ♦ I
(O t.
- Having a Halloween costume
- Pop punk
- Football
- Meat lovers + Buffalo sauce
my Thanksgiving but I would still like
Christmas and winter to hack off. My
favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving is
to go outside and play football with my
brothers. Would you want to play foot
ball in a few inches of snow? I don't. I
won't he dirty and tired: I'll be muddy.
wet and freezing.
Being in college, I appreciate the little
breaks I get to spend at home with my
family. It's sad though; I have yet to get
over not being around for the pre-
Christmas things like baking cookies and
pies or decorating the tree. I appreciate
that the mall puts up every Christmas
decoration up a few days before
Thanksgiving, but the day after it's prac
tically shoved down your throat and
you're being run over by shoppers. I'm
all about getting as much as I can while I
am home, but the day after
Thanksgiving, I'm still suffering from
the turkey hangover. Let things settle
before I'm swarmed with Christmas.
The worst part is that Christmas isn't
even waiting for Black Friday: it's taking
over my Halloween. I love you
Christmas, hut hack off.
I think it's important to enjoy each
season and holiday without rushing to
the next thing. They lose their flavor if
you do that. It's had enough that snow is
coming earlier and earlier each year.
Leave my fall alone.
in a guy
at us when we arc telling you something,
and engage in conversation. There is
nothing more boring than a guy who
doesn't talk hack.
Tell us how you feel - don't dance
around it. Guys. you say girls are hard to
read? Well, you are too. We like it when
you spell things out for us. We don't
want to have to guess what you are
thinking. We don't like to he wrong, and
when we are, it just makes the whole sit
uation worse.
We also want to be able to trust you.
We want to know that when you tell us
something it is real. So how does one
know if they can trust someone? Get to
know them. You don't need to start dat-
ing someone just because they are attrac
tive. Being friends first is never a bad
thing.
The guy that I like is one of my
friends. Will it work out? Maybe it will,
maybe it won't, but who knows. As long
as people give it a chance, you never
know what the future may bring. When I
decided that my crush was worth liking,
it wasn't because of how he looks.
Granted, he isn't unattractive, but it was
because he is what I am looking for at
this point in my life.
Girls, if you cannot find a guy who
meets all of your needs, don't be with
him. It isn't worth it. We are still young.
There will be time to find someone. Just
make sure it is more than someone you
want to be with; it should be someone
you need to be with. When you start
looking, a good place to search is the
friend zone.
Guys, we don't want you to be some
thing you Aren't. We like you because of
who you are. Just try a little harder to
figure out who we are.
Submission Guidelines:
Letters should be limited to 350 words and commentaries 700 words. The more
concise the submission, the less we will be forced to edit it for space concerns and the
more likely we are to run it.
The Beacon does not publish anonymous letters. Please include your major, faculty or
administration position, and semester standing. Deadline for any submission is 3 p.m.
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The Behrend Beacon reserves the right to edit any submissions prior to publication.
Please keep complaints as specific as possible.
Email submissions to jdjso6l@psu.edu or drop them off at the Beacon office.
PERSPECTIVES
Who are you calling a socialist?
By Christopher Brown
contributing writer
cmbs3l3kapsu.edu
After months of scattered and uneven
messages on the campaign trail. John
McCain and Sarah Palin have finally found
their voice, or at least that of "Joe the
Plumber." Like "Remember the Maine" and
other rallying cries of yesteryear.
"Remember Joe" has become a central
theme of the campaign, a rallying cry to
incite the masses, hut devoid of any substan
tive points.
In his weekly radio address, McCain said
his opponent's plan "sounded a lot like
socialism." At a campaign stop in Nevada.
Palin agreed, "Joe didn't buy it ... he said that
sure sounded like socialism." However, not
only are they misrepresenting Ohama and
Democrats, this tactic represents their latest
attempt to smear and caricaturize Barack
Ohama. Last week McCain and Palin called
him a terrorist. This week they called him a
socialist. Maybe next week their campaign
plans on revealing to the American public
that Barack Ohama is actually black.
October surprise anyone?
By John McCain's own standards, both
he and his running mate. Sarah Palin. are
socialists. After all, it was Pah who raised
windfall profits taxes on oil companies arid
"spread the wealth" through checks made
out to Alaskan citizens. And it was the John
McCain of 2(XX) whose response to a ques
tion about progressive taxes was. "We feel
obviously that wealthy people can aftbrd
Then why make these unfounded and
baseless accusations? Because Palin and
McCain know their campaign has been
reduced to nothing more than seedy insinu
ations and rabble-rousing rhetoric. McCain
and Palin are all killer and no tiller.
Over the years we have come to accept a
certain level of governmental intervention.
The few times this country has edged closer
Bored? Entertain
Hi. My name is Jeff Kramer, and I'm
from Vermont. We do cool things in
Vermont, like hang out, listen to
Dispatch, listen to Phish, hang out, and
swim. This column is for all the flat-lan
ders from Pennsylvania to help them
understand how awesome it is in the
Green Mountain State. Things are green.
it snowed this week, and the leaves are
all changing.
In Vermont, some people think there
isn't much to do. We find ways to enter
tain ourselves. Some say it sucks, but
what are they looking for? You can find
people unsatisfied with their situation
who say, "there's nothing to do here."
Most of the time, there is something to
do, but people are either too lazy or
aren't creative enough to think of some
thing.
By Jeff Kramer
staff writer
jsks I 6 1 C_tpsu.edu
to pure capitalism, the results have been less
than beneficial (see: the Great Depression).
In fact, we benefit from government
redistribution every single day of our lives.
whether we realize it or not. Few Behrend
students would be able to attend college
without a progressive tax system in place or
programs that "spread the wealth. - If you
receive federal financial aid, you are a ben
eficiary of the government "spreading the
wealth. - The government collected taxes
from people and redistributed their income
to help pay for your education. Does that
make you a socialist?
Like McCain and Palin*s past tactics, this
one will probably fail. Rhetorically, social
ism lacks the gravitas it once had. Few stu
dents lived with a fear of a Soviet invasion
and, fortunately, did not have to live through
McCarthyism. Calling someone a socialist
just doesn't have the same impact today.
Furthermore, "Joe the Plumber - did not
say anything we didn't already know.
Ohama has been saying the same thing
about taxes since the beginning of his cam
paign. He wants to give tax cuts to the mid
dle class and raise taxes on incomes over
$250,000.
McCain's argument seems horribly out of
touch with the reality many Americans face.
This past week the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) released a devastating report on
income inequality. It found that in the U.S.
income inequality has widened by more
than 2(Y); since the mid- 1980 s. The only
OECD countries to score better were
Turkey and Mexico - not exactly welcome
company:.
Additionally, the OECD report found that
there isn't just a growing gap between the
rich and ptvr; the U.S. is one of the few
countries where there is a growing gap
between the middle class and rich. The
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Inund that, in 2()06, average incomes tnr the
What those people don't realize is that
what they are looking for isn't out there.
You have to make your own situation.
My 9th grade friend told me that only the
bored get bored. He's right. There's
always something to do, even if it looks
like there's absolutely nothing. I stay on
campus every weekend and find some
thing to do.
Here is an example of an invented
activity: a college in my town hosted the
strangest event I've seen in a while.
Middlebury College. a small-town
school that is so prestigious it turned
down Ivy League status, had a day of
quidditch. Like, Harry Potter quidditch.
In 2005. a few students decided to take
the rules out of the hooks, write up a set
of rules for real life, and put out fliers.
The whole town showed up. Teams put
on capes, tossed around dodgeballs. and
ran around with brooms in between their
legs. The snitch was a distance runner
The Behrend Beacon I 5
bottom 9(Y of the income bracket gained
just $430. Income inequality is as high
today as it was in 1928. The specter of a ris
ing oligarchy hovers above the United
States.
Political scientists. sociologists and econ
omists have all identified the pitfalls of
widening income inequality. These include
declining political engagement. rising
poverty, stymied social mobility. increased
crime, and rampant cormption.
Conservatives like to talk about progres
sive taxes that punish pet - 14111 mm but
what about the poor urban or rural family
who. without any prospect of social mobili
ty, don't even try? According to the
Economic Mobility Project, "36 percent of
children born to parents in the bottom
wealth quintile remain in the bottom as
adults." For many. the American Dream will
never he a reality. Just a dream.
Are higher taxes on the rich and lower
taxes for the rest of the country the sole
answer? No. but it's a start. And McCain's
tax plan, an extension of the Bush tax cuts.
would he an unfortunate step backwards. a
further redistribution of wealth to the luck ti
few. In contrast. Obama's economic policies
and educational policies point the WaN for
ward. On education, where McCain has no
plan for making higher education. including
technical schools and universities. more
affordable. Mama proposes giving ...4.(XX)
towards education if a person agrees to
work in the public sector or community
service, making a solemn vow to guiu - antee
a college education for anyone who doe,,
community service.
We're left with a choice on Nov. 4. We
cm either support a candidate more interest
ed in scoring points with tag-lines and
sound bites and ignoring reality, or we can
support a candidate willing to address the
problems of the middle class that have been
ignored for the last eight years.
yourself
from the track team dressed in gold with
a stuffed sock hanging out of the hack of
his shorts. The snitch and the two seek
ers could run at the beginning of the
match and go anywhere on campus. and
they did. If you search for "quidditch
Middlebury . ' on YouTuhe. there's a I°
minute video. It sounds silly on paper.
hut when you watch it. it's totally seri
ous. Look up the video, you won't he
disappointed. Maybe that's just me: I
love Harry Potter. Don't judge me.
Next time you're bored and complain
ing about nothing to do. find something.
Learn to play hickey sack, get into sonic
new hands, do something you've been
meaning to do. install Stumble Upon on
Your internet browser, go for a jog, or
read Wikipedia. Maybe I'm just easy to
entertain because I have giant bouts of
Attention Deficit Disorder. but most
people I hang out with share my senti
ment.
Beacon Thumbs Down
- ,
.i .
- No Halloween costume yet
- No apple cider at Peet's
- Fish in Lake Erie
- Snowflake sightings