I The Behrend Beacon
The 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 j
Gaming boyfriends
By Catherine Frisina
staff writer
cmfs244ovpsu.edu
It's last Thursday at midnight. Do
you know where your boyfriend is? If
you are like me, he is probably at one of
the various gaming stores in Erie, wait
ing in line for the release of Gears of
War 2. A typical war video game in
which you, for lack of a better term,
shoot things. While I'm sure there's
more to it than that (apparently there
always is with these types of games).
Let's face it, I'm a girl and I don't real
ly care for violent games. However, my
current boyfriend does.
Since July, I have been listening to
him talk about Gears, and how exciting
it is, and how much fun it's going to be
to play it, etc. etc, etc. All of this kind
of talk was reminiscent of hearing the
boys talk in middle school, high school,
and now college about Halo, Halo 2,
Guild Wars, World of Warcraf t.
Rockßand, Guitar Hero, the list goes
on and on.
I'd like to think I am a good girl
friend, I try to he at least. So as I was
sitting in class at 8 a.m. last Friday feel
ing a bit irritated with the knowledge
that my boyfriend had finally gone to
bed just two hours prior, I thought of
the things that I've been doing or could
be doing to deal with this sudden and
hopefully short-lived obsession with a
video game.
One: Be understanding. It's totally
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Letter to the Editor:
Your October 31st editorial on the
front page, along with page three, about
the Behrend student who received mul
tiple felony charges at the University
Gates is libelous, and unwarranted. As
a sophomore at Penn State Behrend I
personally don't read our schools news
paper in order to derive my weekly
source of gossip about what criminal
actions our students have taken over
Letter to the Editor:
I couldn't agree with some of
Christopher Alphen's thoughts in a
Letter to the Editor published in last
week's issue of the Beacon more
Students should have the right to
express their beliefs freely and openly.
At the same time, many of the guide
lines in which all clubs are expected to
adhere to are in place for the student's
protection and wellbeing. Flyers being
Beacon Thumbs Up
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- Vitamin C
- Buses of all kind
- Oranges
- Flying projectiles
normal for your boyfriend to have a
hobby that doesn't involve you.
Gaming is not a threat to your relation
ship as long as you are still being treat
ed well.
Two: On the other hand, if you are
feeling neglected, speak up. I've
learned time and time again: men are
not mind readers, so don't expect them
to he. Tell them when you feel ignored;
if he's a good guy, he'll listen.
Three: Learn about the games he is
playing. Ask questions. Get him to
teach you how to play. Show some
interest because it's something he
enjoys.
Four: If possible, go and hang out
while he is playing. I'm sure this
sounds absurd to most, but for games
like Rockßand and Guitar Hero, it's a
lot more fun with more than one per
son. So join in, you may end up getting
into the games yourself.
Five: If you really can't stand the
game, do something you like while he's
playing. Rather than sit alone pouting,
read a book, hang out with your friends,
draw - anything you enjoy.
So as for me, I will not be venturing
to my boyfriend's dorm room to play
Gears of War 2. In fact, I really enjoy
writing, so as I am typing this out he is
currently shooting the Locust Horde on
planet Sera. I can only hope that he will
be as understanding as I am trying to be
right now when The Sims 3 comes out
in February.
the course of the weekend (If I wanted
to read about gossip and not news I'll
purchase a copy of Star Magazine, not
The Behrend Beacon). Lets face it 95%
of us are engaging in illegal activities
anyways (I.E. underage drinking), and
to object to that idea would be ignorant
I understand the need to warn our stu
dents about the potential dangers that
could afflict them, but shouldn't this be
done in a fair and balanced way? I
don't read editorials about how to
posted do not have to be "approved,"
but must simply have the name of the
sponsor organization on them. This is
so that persons unaffiliated do not
come on to our campus and deface the
entire school with posters (but, there
are certain means to allow unaffiliated
parties to distribute their literature).
The posting guidelines, available at
the student toolbox page online, have
been set up for good reasons. If no
posting guidelines were in place, stu
PERSPECTIVES
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
it right
Developing the Technology Potential Field
It's a shame more economists are not
physicists, or that more physicists are
not economists. If they were, then the
chances were much greater that good
decision-makers would populate our
government in Washington. The
chances would be also greater that peo
ple who understand the physics of tech
nology would surround President-elect
Barack Obama.
Economics, as a word and a disci
pline, always connotes the image of
money, but the Chinese economy is not
simply a cash machine. It's a produc
tion machine. And with the wave of
new investment from the Chinese gov
ernment into the country, the machine is
destined to grow.
What the Chinese are doing makes
sense. They're spending hundreds of
billions of dollars on expanding trans
portation, water, and power infrastruc
ture. On rebuilding disaster-ridden
cities, and effectively better integrating
the rural regions with the urban indus
trial centers, even amidst the closing of
numerous factories and deceleration of
the economy. What's being done in our
country makes little sense. We spend
billions of dollars to keep afloat insol
vent institutions while we watch the
avoid the people who are driving under
the influence, or who have drank so
much that they belligerently attempt to
start fights with strangers who so much
as look at them in a manner they don't
deem appropriate. I assure you that if
you asked every student on campus
whether or not they knew of an occur
rence of drunk driving over the week
end a majority of them would say yes,
and yet this goes unreported. I also
don't see the danger that this accident
dents could post flyers everywhere.
Not only would this cause our campus
to look like downtown Los Angeles,
but it would cost the students even
more money. If posters are put up on
painted walls, the adhesive being used
could tear the paint off. If this occurs,
walls would constantly need to be
repainted, and that money will come
out of our tuition.
As for their organization being
kicked out of the REDC, and the threat
Chinese have
The
By Joseph Smalley
contributing writer
jss3s7@psu.edu
infrastructure of our cities and country
side drown in structural deficiency.
The problem as I see it is a matter of
physics. When we improve and expand
infrastructure, we're doing more than
just creating jobs for folks out of work.
We are actually positively transforming
the economic timespace upon which we
all operate.
Consider a little thought experiment:
Imagine a school with no computers.
Now, with computers, but no worldwide
web. Now, with the web but no search
engine. Now, appreciate your search
engines. Each improvement in infor
mation technology enables you to
accomplish more work in a shorter
amount of time. The closer you are to
mechanical or intellectual tools, the
greater is your potential to accomplish
useful work (Note: just because your
potential increases with proximity to a
tool does not necessitate your intelli
gent use of that tool).
The same holds for basic physical
infrastructure—roads, railways, ports,
water supply and management, power
generation and distribution. The point is
that your potential as an individual
human being to create is directly related
to the technological potential field, and
this potential can be increased with
advances in basic infrastructure (in
addition to IT infrastructure).
Naturally, your own will is also a key
Surviving a power outage
By Jennifer Juncosa
perspectives editor
jdjso6 I @psu.edu
It's here. There are salt stains on the
bottom of your jeans and your winter
shoes are not as practical as you would
like. As the freezing temperatures and
snows continue to come, there are
tricks you learn to deal with.
As an upperclassman, I feel it is my
responsibility to share the things I have
learned. Hopefully this will benefit the
lowerclassmen.
First of all, based on last year's
events, Behrend is known for power
outages. So what do you do when it
goes out for eight hours? Here are some
activities you can do to pass the time.
When the power goes out, you can't
do homework. You need to face the fact
now. Instead, re-arrange your room.
You can do it in the dark and it's a
bonding activity.
caused that warranted a 700+ word arti
cle to be written, seeing as how no one
was harmed in the incident, minus the
emotional duress that the girls may face
,coupled with the damage to the cars.
The other weekend while sitting out
side my apartment at University Gates I
saw a student being questioned by
police with handcuffs on. If this story
wasn't newsworthy then why is other?
For these reasons I feel that you have
done nothing but gossip about a student
of security being called, I have no idea
why this would take place. I would
love to discuss the matter with Mr.
Alphen to get all the details of this situ
ation so that the Student Government
Association can help to remedy it.
This is what we are here for, and
why the students have elected us.
While the SGA feels that the posting
guidelines are necessary, we will be
working to investigate other problems
as described in Mr. Alphen's letter.
Friday, November 14, 2008
determinant of your creativity. In fact,
your actions might transform the tech
pot-field.
The individual in China, even amidst
political repression, has gained more
power over nature and his fellow man in
the recent decades, because the techno
logical potential field in which she
exists has improved and expanded so
rapidly. Yes, she has more money and
purchasing power, but this is an effect,
not a cause of her influence within an
increasingly global society.
Why have major corporations (e.g.,
GM, Ford) and governments on all lev
els in the U.S. failed to reinvest in infra
structure and new technologies?
The brand of economics taught in
most schools tends to emphasize mone
tary and financial characteristics of
businesses and industries, and deem
phasize the importance of physical pro
duction. Hence, the cultural shift from
respecting 'blue collar' work to idoliz
ing 'white collar' work. The recent
months of turmoil has made glaringly
obvious the destination to which this
mentality has misguided us.
Fortunately, we elected Barack
Obama, who, at the very least, promises
to use the government to expand the
technological potential field. His first
test: To learn the physics of technology
and forget the economics of money
making.
Hallways are the only place with
lights. They have emergency back-up
generators. This is where you can play
board games and do sleepover games
from high school. Guys, you don't
know them, but girls *ill share the'best
ones so you can enjoy them.
You will have to go to the bathroom
in the dark. Just to feel better you
should invite someone to be there in
case you come across a problem.
Chinese food delivers to Behrend and
snow is the best way to refrigerate the
food in your defrosting fridge. No one
likes warm milk.
Just because it might not be
Christmas season, you can still carol.
Go door-to-door singing random songs
that will brighten anyone's day.
Hopefully this will help those sitting
in their dark room. Just because you
can't check your Facebook doesn't
mean you can't have fun.
who wished to remain anonymous, and
yet his name was published in the arti
cle. That is the sole reason that this
piece is unjust, it would still retain it's
informational properties as well as
informing your readers as to the "dan
gers" that could potentially harm them
while at school.
Jonathan Altman
Sophmore English major
The SGA would also like to take this
opportunity to let other students and
organizations know that we are here to
serve you, and if any problems ever
arise, please bring it to our attention.
Our meetings are at 5 p.m. every
Wednesday in Reed 114, and we hope
to see you there.
Beacon Thumbs Down
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- Scurvy
- Late nights
- Broken treadmills
- Being fooled by doors
Brad Kovalcik
SGA Vice President