Friday, Apri 3, 2009
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
"Change always comes
By Rachel Reeves
editor in chief
rcr5057,/ psu.edu
My time at
Behrend is running
out. I flipped the
calendar from
March to April
today, and it dawned
on me that I only have one full
month left at Behrend. Next week I
schedule for classes at University
Park, and will attend a meeting that
will select the new editor in chief for
the Beacon next year.
After that it's all about the transi
tion. I have a few short weeks to
train someone in the job I have spent
months learning how to do. And I
have to let go and let the paper take
on the shape it will settle into next
Letter to the
NOVA OVER
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my con
cerns about the validity of articles in
last week's Beacon, particularly the
graphic which was included on page
seven. There was an erroneous
assumption made which not only did
I find insulting, but also demonstrat
ed the elitism of a certain group of
individuals that are strewn around
college campuses and offices every
where.
I am of course talking about the
most arrogant, annoying and elitist
group of sports fans that walk this
earth, those who subscribe to the
wrong set of Blue and White, those
who think the "Cameron Crazies" are
a choir of angels and that God him
self is Mike Krzyzewski. Duke bas
ketball fans are the most bigheaded
sports fans in the stands even though
their team has not advanced to the
Final Four in five years and haven't
been a National Champion since the
2000 - 2001 season. Duke was
(thankfully) shut down again; this
year by Villanova with an embarrass
ing final score of 77-54.
However, in the Beacon's Bracket, I
noticed that Duke somehow
advanced to the Elite Eight over the
Wildcats. In the "real world," the
Villanova Wildcats are in fact not
eliminated but have went on to beat
the top seeded Pittsburgh team in the
East Bracket and, some (including
myselt) say, are poised to upset tour
nament favorite UNC.
I have found that certain members
of your staff are in fact some of those
very Duke fans that give sports a bad
name. Instead of actually checking to
see who won the game, these writers,
as any Duke fan would, decided not
to watch the game and assumed that
the mighty Blue Devils would crush
By Mike Wehrer
asst. news editor
mrwso94«/ psu.edu
Recently, ever-present loudmouth
pundit Bill O'Reilly has been tooting
his own horn about being the num
ber one rated cable show for the
100th month running. This is very
revealing about America's tastes and
preferences, especially in this age of
"infotainment." What kills me though
is that its impossible to tell whether
or not people actually believe what
the guy is saying.
It's a not-so-well kept secret that
many of today's popular talking
I have mixed feelings about the
whole thing. On one level, it kills me
to walk away from something that
has been such a big part of my life.
I'm not sure how to go back to plain
old living after this experience this
year.
But there's always the other hand
to consider. Learning how to edit a
newspaper has been one of the most
rewarding things I have ever done.
The list of things I have learned is
more than long enough to line 1-80
all the way to State College.
I've learned how to shake a profes
sional's hand and look them directly
in the eye. I've learned how to bal
ance a budget of thousands of dol
lars. I know how to shop for comput
ers, office furniture, and the snack
food that will get you through a long
work night.
the three seeded Nova. Typical.
I understand that it may be hard to
cope with the college basketball dar
lings choking a considerable amount
of the time in the postseason, but
denial ain't just a river in Egypt, my
friends. Our campus has a fantastic
engineering program, and I urge all
of the Duke fans out there to find
some of these students to help build
a bridge and get over the fact that
Duke just doesn't seem to be able to
operate in the NCAA Tournament
any longer.
Furthermore, the egotism and
superiority complex that radiates
from that program and its fans is
unbelievable and makes portions of
college basketball unenjoyable. After
President Obama revealed his own
predictions for the tournament, the
beloved Coach K pitched a 5-year
old-style hissy fit when he found out
that his team didn't crack Obama's
Final Four. According to an article
on ABCnews.com Coach K replied,
"Somebody said that we're not in
President Obama's Final Four and as
much as I respect what he's doing,
really, the economy is something that
he should focus on, probably more
than the brackets."
Classy. Well, maybe Coach K
should spend his time worrying
about advancing his team in the post
season and getting his team to move
a little further than they have in
recent years. Personally, I called
Villanova over Duke in my bracket
Count it. Unlike all those missed 3
pointers from Duke's postseason
Don't always believe what you hear
heads (Sean Hannity, Anne Coulter)
don't actually believe the things that
are coming out of their mouths.
Instead, they just look at an issue,
pick out something that the far-right
wing would take issue with, and run
with it. This is especially noticeable
with Anne Coulter. This woman,
ostentatiously an author, spouts ideas
that would make even the most radi
cal elected official blush, but by God,
those ideas sell books.
As far as I can tell, there are two
levels of awareness in people who
watch these pundits. First are the
people who, like in professional
wrestling, think the whole thing is
real. These people believe that
In my opinion:
Everyone needs a little more comedy in their lives.
Most people thought the April Fool's edition of the Beacon was full of comedy.
If people just laughed a little more, things wouldn't be so tense.
So crack a joke, dress up as a Gorilla, and make someone laugh.
Trust me, it's cheaper than other things to make your toubles go away.
PERSPECTIVES
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
editor:
DUKE
Brad Kovalcik
College Basketball Realist
bcksol3((/ psu.edu
I know what to do when I have no
idea what I'm doing. I can fix a print
er with not much more than sheer
willpower, and I can write an article
in twenty minutes flat. I have built up
epic levels of endurance when it
comes to proofreading, and can stay
sharp for hours at a time.
But I've learned more than certain
skills - I've learned life stuff, too.
I know now that some things are
worth taking calls for at 3 a.m. or on
the weekends. I know what it's like
to work with a team of people so
closely that you begin to seep into
each other with food and music and
clothing. I know how to make good
mistakes, and how to use the bad
I've learned that if you love some
thing enough, no task is too tedious,
menial, or painful. I've learned that
teaching other people and protecting
Only at Behrend will you see a
gorilla with a golf club fighting
a Commador with a plastic
bugle.
contributed by Jennifer Juncos(
Want to Make cartoons for the Beacon?
The Beacon staff is currently looking to
fill open spots for next year.
If you are interested in making cartoons for next year's
paper please contact Jennifer Juncosa (jdjso6l) or
Rachel Reeves (rcrsos7).
Limbaugh and O'Reilly are the cham
pions of the middle class (despite
being multi-millionaires) and tune in
every night to hear who their knights
in XXXL shining armor are telling
them to hate and why.
The other level includes the people
who know that their idols don't really
believe what they are saying and
either don't care because they agree
or don't care because they find them
entertaining.
I recently saw an interview with
MSNBC's Keith Oblerman in which
he made this same point. This man
and the network his show is on are
the target of choice for Bill-0 and
Limbaugh, mostly because nothing
bearing gifts."
opportunity for them is one of the
most valuable things you can ever
do.
I know what it's like to have a job
that I love. I understand the feeling
of getting out of bed in the morning
with energy and motivation. And
each day at Behrend I had a place
where I belonged.
Between the things I've learned
and the people I've met since taking
this job, the world is permanently a
different place for me.
It's exciting to think about the
future, even if I won't be a part of it.
The Beacon and Behrend are always
changing, and there will always he
new opporuntities and challenges.
And there will always be people
coming through these doors and
finding something that they love. I
remember the first time I walked in
the newsroom and knew that I had
brings people together like having
someone to hate. Olberman claims
that he is the exception to this cul
ture of phony outrage and cultural
divisiveness and points out a conver
sation he had with FOX News com
mentator Sean Hannity where
Hannity said, "Isn't it funny how
everyone thinks we hate each other,
but really its just TV." Olberman was
nonplussed, as he claims to be
espousing his true beliefs on his
show, not a party line or the latest
red-hot talking point.
My final point is this; we as
Americans no longer want news in
our prime time slots on the 24%7
"news networks." Instead we want
The Behrend Beacon 1 9
found something that I wanted in my
life. I like to think of all of the people
who will get to feel the same thing.
I'm glad that the Beacon has been
part of my life for two years. But
more than that, I am grateful that I
have been a part of the Beacon's life
for two years. Of all things, of all of
the crazy emotions that come with
transitions and changes, what I
always come hack to is thankfull-
This may be premature, but it's
never the wrong time to say these
things. For those who I have worked
with, who have helped us and even
those who have challenged us, thank
you.
And to next year's crew, good luck
Own it, make some waves, and raise
some hell. Try stuff. Don't be afraid
of anything. And don't miss a second
of it. It's all too good.
the latest on Britney and Paris. Even
when the correct people and events
are the subject of the stories, such as
President Obama and his trip to the
G2O summit in London this week,
half of the newscast is devoted to
reading way to much into the body
language of the First Lady and the
Queen of England when they
exchanged pleasantries. I will grant,
that watching the last president awk
wardly fondle the shoulders of the
German Chancellor, but "news" sto
ries such as these should be the
domain of the Daily Show and
Colbert Report, not fodder for the
people we trust to keep us informed