8 The Behrend Beacon
Congress snail make no law respecti
By Jennifer Juncosa
perspectives3lot's editor
jdj5061 ,,, psti.eclu
It's a safe assump.
tion that no one
likes head colds.
They are a pain and
they stop you from
carrying out daily
responsibilities like class or work. A
head cold puts you in the situation
where you have to decide if you
should miss class or not and you
spend a half an hour debating with
yourself while you get ready. It's
annoying
Breaking the vicious cycle
THE AVERAGE GUY'S GUIDE TO SURVIVE MEDIOCRITY
• 4IF
By Neil J. Peters
stuff tvri ter
njp5083 , ,/ psu.edu
Insecurity is a
difficult thing to
understand. It is
something that
every person has
had to work
through. It almost
seems to he a right of passage into
adulthood; like puberty, only worse
and you aren't nearly as horny. In
most cases, we are introduced with it
around middle school and depending
on our individual characteristics, we
get over it in our own time.
Ilowever, we are never truly rid of
insecurity. Like a crazy ex-lover or
herpes. it continues to creep up when
we least expect it and cause severe
discomfort in our private areas. The
sad thing is that if a person does not
truly understand insecurity and how
to recover from the depression that
ensues, it can lead to serious decline
in the health of our social and physi
cal lives. It begins to drag you down,
and fighting back only seems to
make the insecurity more obvious
More people begin to catch on and
drift away. so we fight even harder
and even more fade away. It contin-
When emotions get in the way
In my cre
ative writing class
we were assigned
to write our own
five page creative
nonfiction. We were
instructed to write about a time in
our lives where our emotions, good
or bad, were vet y strong.
I started writing about my depres
sion. I am "officially" recovered from
clinical depression, and I figured that
it had potential for interesting read
ing. I was hoping to go for a Ned
Vizzini effect like in his book, It's
Kind of a Funny Story. Instead I got
to the end of page four with tears all
over myself and decided I did not
want to write about depression any-
The next day I popped out a live
page essay that was about my laptop
Such originality.
That Friday when we peer
reviewed other students work I was
able to read three essays: One about
a student overcoming an eating dis
orderidepression, another about a
Beacon Thumbs Up
• ft
- The Behrend Bacon
- Gorilla suits
- Pizza
- Warm weather
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
rig on estob/i;tlpl , 2nt f
,71 k -, riThib;ting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
Despite how much I hate head
colds, I have gotten over the idea
that I will always get a head cold
when the seasons change. With
spring approaching quickly I just
assumed I was due for a cold, but
this time I was going to be prepared
I drank an obscene amount of
orange juice and made sure I washed
my hands in the hope that I might
get away without being sick until
spring moved in.
But then I was in an English class
in a dysfunctional circle working in a
group. I sat next to the one person in
that room that a walking bacteria
motel. Then without any warning, a
By Emily Reichert
staff writer
ecrso6B- , psu.edu
Well, that was
COVER YOUR MOUTH PLEASE
ues on this path until the person hits
rock bottom.
So how do we break the vicious
circle? First, pick a time in your
busy college schedule and clear a
couple hours for alone time. Once
the selected alone time has com
menced, stop what you're doing, sit
down and think. And when I say
"Once you have estab
lished the cause of
your blues, it is time
for a game plan. Any
problem can be solved,
it's just a matter of
finding your way
through it."
that. I don't mean look at porn or
ponder how stupid the idea of Scale
Up Physics is. I mean really soul
search and find out what the root of
your insecurity is. Maybe it's a cute
girl or boy that won't talk to you.
Maybe you are a tad overweight.
Maybe you don't do as well in your
classes as you would like to. or
devastating car accident where a stu
dent's sister's recovery time was esti
mated to he ten vears if she was
lucky. (The third, just to satisfy
curiosity, was about a students expe
rience while taking drugs. This essay
has nothing to do with my overall
point.)
The eating disorder essay shone
light into the mind of a very sad girl
only striving toward what we all
strive for- happiness. I ler struggle
for happiness had the opposite effect
and tore apart who she was along
with her relationships. This essay
stated in the end that she had recov
ered from her struggle and was on a
better path to happiness.
The essay about the car crash was
heartbreaking. The first half covered
what happened before the accident
in deliberate detail. After the car
crash her sister was not the same
person, and the doctors told her fam
ily that it would take ten years for
her sister to return to the way she
was. The student's attentions to the
details before the crash were devas
tating because in hindsight the read
er knows that all of those details are
lost. The essay stated in the end that
her sister was recovering well.
As I was reading over these stories
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PERSPECTIVES
Lis , ;erhbie ;Ind to petition the Goy ernment for a redress of grievances
forceful gust of air passed by the
right side of my face. By the time the
stench of death hit my nostrils, I
realized the gust of air was a cough.
Once my hair had settled from
being blown to the side, all I could
think was that in three days I was
going to have a head cold just
because of that one cough. And like
clockwork, I was suffering from the
common cold.
I got sick last Saturday and six
days later I can say that I am making
a speedy recovery, but what is differ
ent about this head cold is that it is
not necessarily going around. For
me, I can pin point my cold on one
maybe it is all three of those things
with some funky body odor thrown
in for good measure.
Once you have established the
cause of your blues, it is time for a
game plan. Any problem can be
solved, its just a matter of finding the
solution and fighting your way
though it. If you are overweight,
then set aside at least an hour a day
and hit the gym. It will take time,
but if you keep with it, that dream
body will come. If you have the
funky body odor, then buy some Axe
and hop in the shower at least once a
day. If your grades are lacking, then
get your butt a tutor at the Learning
Resource Center. Just make sure you
set a goal and work towards it.
Now that you have a plan and a
finish line, you can now begin your
journey towards change. However,
here comes the hard part: sticking
with it. After a few weeks pass, you
may realize that not much has
changed. Your waist is still a bit too
wide, or your grades are still "iffy".
At this point it is really easy to throw
in the towel and say "Screw It." Just
remember that anything worth get
ting in life never comes easy. That
includes your dream body and GPA.
So stick with it and be patient. It will
come in it's own good time.
I became not sad or pitiful but
instead proud and inspired. Here
were two students who had been
through traumatic experiences that
changed their lives. they overcame
them, and then to top it all off they
had the courage to write about them
I was only able to accomplish the
first two of the three.
I was inspired because these two
essays proved to me that I was not
alone in my struggle. A lot of the
time we as people feel alone. This is
especially true for people suffering
from depression, which can stem off
of traumatic events such as a car
crash. As far as your mind is con
cerned when it is sad, the world is
only as big as the inside of your
skull.
If you are struggling with some
thing, anything, you are not the only
one and you are strong enough to
overcome it. And one day you will
find the strength to write about your
battle and how you emerged victori
ous.
The Behrend Personal Counseling
Office is located in REED 1 and is
open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Good
Luck, Blue and White.
just gross
person, and let me just say that when
I see him walking around, I am filled
with anger.
Just knowing that when I lay down
to take a nap to get over this head
cold, I can look out my window and
see the person responsible walking
into my dorm building.
So, how can I prevent this from
happening to anyone else I know?
It's easy.
If you are sick, cover your mouth,
cough into your elbow or into a tis
sue, and wash your hands constantly.
If you are not sick, drink orange
juice, the extra vitamin C will help
your immune system fight off what
Stop, look, and think
RESPONSE TO: UNNECESSARY ROAD BLOCK
This letter is directed to Russ
Becker, the 9th semester
Management Major. Who for some
reason had a problem with the
Pennsylvania State Police doing their
job. To him I say, WHAT?!
For those of you who may not have
read his letter, I'll guide you through
it as I reply to it. Mr. Becker's first
point is he suspects that the Pa State
Police were deliberately targeting
students. Perhaps they were. College
students who drive are in the age
group that insurance companies con
sider the most at risk for accidents.
How many of the students stopped,
didn't have insurance? Had a sus-
pended license because of accidents?
Random stops like this keep you and
me safe from those who don't obey
the law.
Russ's second "complaint" is the
fact that he had to "present identifi
cation to police authorities" even
though he had not done anything
wrong. He also believes that the
"checking of papers of citizens
smacks of creeping totalitarianism."
Hate to break it to you but a police
officer checking your driver's license
and car registration at a safety stop
is nothing like totalitarianism. Why?
Think back to that traffic stop where
how many officers were standing
outside your car? Did they have large
weapons? Did they use excessive
force for the situation? Do you still
have a way to express your views
and opinions in free and open venues
(hint: you just sent a letter in to
The Beacon is always
looking for more writers.
Have an opinion?
Want to write about sports?
Want to get a front row seat to an event?
Want to write about movies or music?
Like to take pictures?
All you have to do is email any of the editors
or stop by the Beacon office
in the basement of REED
or submit articles online at
thebehrendbeacim.com
It's not too late. Start writing.
Friday, April :3. 2009
ever comes into your body. There is
also a dissolvable tablet that you can
put into water, called Airborne, that
will help you fight off colds. It's not
recommended to be taken daily but if
I had had some left, I would have
drank an Airborne drink right after
my English class.
Head colds and other illnesses can
be prevented if those already sick
would just be courteous about others
around them.
I bet the guy in my English class
didn't mean to cough on me. But if
you are sick, please don't be like
him, cover your mouth and keep the
cold to yourself.
one)? You're not in a totalitarian
society. We have a democracy, for the
most part, elected president and con
gress, and voluntary military and
police forces. If it's privacy and who
knows what, then you're better off
worrying about Google and its
power; the government has nothing
on them.
Russ is also worried about the use
of police resources. Now this is a
decent concern, but clearing the
streets of unlicensed drivers, drivers
without insurance, and cars that are
past due for inspection. This is the
kind of "general maintenance" that
makes the roads safer, preventing
accidents and keeping you from get
ting injured or killed by someone
who doesn't care about the well
being of others.
His last point stated that this was
"simply another case of using the
police to generate revenue for the
state." Really, if they wanted to gen
erate revenue using the police, they'd
just have to increase the number of
speed traps on the Bayfront
Connector.
All in all Russ, if you don't want to
get pulled over by the cops and have
to show your "papers," take the bus.
Jeremy Korwek
10th semester communications major
jdk5009( , / psu.edu
Beacon Thumbs Down
40...;
r if ) ..." I
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1 '4,
- Headcolds
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