BBEHREND
O BEACON
February 5, Op
www.thebehrendbeacon.com
MY VOICE
Every day as I walk to class in
at least 3-4 layers of shirts,
sweatshirts, jackets and coats, I
am always greeted with a sight
that always makes me smile
(and just a bit warmer inside):
some guy that's dressed in just
a sweatshirt and shorts, or a
girl that wears skirts as if the
weather couldn't be hotter.
Sometimes I wonder how
these people got as far as col
lege, but then I check myself:
We should look at these people
with appreciation.
Here we are, trying to brave
the Erie winter weather, and for
the most part, the chill still
reaches us, and the glumness of
winter continues. Yet these in
dividuals risk the cold and
chance of frostbite just to bring
us out of our snowy sadness by
making us feel better, for even
though we are still freezing, the
A s k7/01 , A•mt! PotAtie A3c7--ae,
POINT COUNTER-POINT
JOHN MOORE
I know I should quit.
It would show strength,
goodness, self-awareness, etc.
It would be a real step forward
in my maturation, right?
The problem that arises is
how much I love it. Do I love
standing outside my classes,
huddled in 30-degree weather?
No. Cancer? No. Acting "rebel
lious?" Not in the least. I'm too
much of a literature nerd. And
reeking of cigarettes? I can't
smell smoke on myself, but I do
like it. Cigarettes are like cof
fee taken black, so no wonder
the two go so well together.
I smoke American Spirits.
The box is light blue and
rently pay $6.22 for
every couple of day
own private phil,
About half this price
up of state and feder
funding everything fn
to health care and ed
What have you done f(
your community latel
slept in a cardboai
box on campus one
I'm no saint; I just
help—for the childre
If I could smoke in
do it constantly. I'd g ,
to buying cartons. I
the repetition, the ce
the action, the smoke, the com
munal enjoyment; there is an
unspoken understanding be
tween smokers, and that's why
the response to, "Hey, can I
bum a cig?" is usually a hesi
tant, "Yeah, sure thing." It's
comforting to know there's an
entire community of people
that understand the drive to
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Wearing shorts in winter
wind and snow aren't whipping are somewhere warm to the
around our hr I t that the rtually believe
But thesk farmer lo
not just tun
blue just fo
they're s:
how much
they have .
You see
have all
some til
daydream
about bein,
on a beach
some
where in
Florida
s u r
rounded
by beau
tiful, sin
gle women (at
have), but
"short-wearers" take it to the fluorescent poles you see lining
max. They imagine that they the pathways? The landscapers
Smoking on campus:
breathe fire.
All I want is somewhere
warm to sit with a cigarette and
do homework—to get away
from the doors where non
smokers have to shuffle
through my poison. I don't
want nonsmokers to breathe
my smoke. I pay too much for
it. On campus, the powers that
be have drawn lines for smok
ers to stay behind, and we
abide, standing directly behind
them. Decades ago, smoking
used to accompany one's daily
routine, my parents could
smoke while doing homework.
It would help them focus, being
warm and indoors all the while.
,I Of t‘ lit I
Today, smoking has become
a time-out, a "break." I have
to stop whatever it is I'm
a smoker's studio? The aes
thetics would outdo Bruno's in
a heartbeat for open-mikes; the
idea of it almost brings me to
utopian tears. Audacious as
this notion is, I think it's logical.
Though, this will never come to
pass, as nonsmokers' right to
clean air is somehow held
above my right to smoke. An-
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other, more realistic notion
might be those space-heaters
that look like lampposts. The
smokers would leave doorways
instantly, moving to the warmth
like vagrants around a burning
trash barrel.
If smokers look homeless to
you, it's only because we're
painted as such. In a society in
creasingly focused on political
correctness, it is somehow still
acceptable to reprimand smok
ers. People I've never met say,
"You know that's bad for you,"
in passing condescension.
Thank you, I hadn't heard. I
understand it's unhealthy: I rec
ognize that quitting is neces
sary at some point. I realize
that it will be difficult, not be
cause I will need a cigarette,
because I will
tnt one. One day a
:tor will probably
stop drinking cof
and sweets will
off-limits at some
When that time
listen to the man in
)at, but right now
t want a cigarette.
ing smokers as
giving us places to
,us simply drawing
in the sand, every
'he situation is cur
itive all around;
are, rightly, angry
, ut second-hand smoke, and
smokers whip about in Erie's
demonic weather. Now imag
ine leaving the Kochel building
without passing loitering smok
ers. They're gone, all over on
the patio by the Library
warmed by a heatlamp, smil
ing. Yes, smokers smile. We're
not that stoic.
rial B • : r
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use them to find the bodies of
find the bodies of frozen fresh
men. Our friends in the khaki
caravans give the freshman
something to aspire to. Some
day, if they work hard enough
and survive, one day I can be
like them.
winds to
t a gentle
:, and the
falls on
the cool
mist.
Now this can be good and
bad. The good is that they are
looking on the bright side of
winter. The bad, however, is
that it may take them awhile
before they realize that their
legs are just blocks of frozen
ice.
ese noble
nels of
mer also
the
eshman
)rnething
o aspire
Too
So if you know one of these
people, these nomads of the
Nike shorts, just go up to them
and remind them politely that
this is Erie, it is winter and that
no matter how much they try,
those beautiful women in biki
nis aren't worth losing your
legs over.
often, un
prepared
'reshman
Erie's arc-
Thr
Pko
P0047T3e,
Smokers aren't the only ones
with vices; I drink caffeinated
beverages religiously. If I don't
drink at least one every 12
hours, I'll get a screaming
headache. I also know how it
feels to spend a ton of money
each week for a guilty pleasure
that won't last. Where smokers
have to spend $7 per pack, I
spend nearly $3O a week on
comic books, and I can't stop.
So, in a very distant manner, I
know how they
I do not smolo
asthmatic, so
strong feelings
lic smoking. Le)
clear that I a,
against p(
smoking. If
want to, that
your decisiol
However, pleas
remember all
others have I
deal with it. It
no different th,
someone stint
ing up a roof
with his/
swamp-ass. I
derstand that
ers can't snit
smoke on thei
but think abot
who sits besidi
who doesn't shy.
of body odor. It's not pretty, but
that's the best analogy for how
non-smokers feel in your pres
ence.
The biggest problem with
smoking in public is that you
are affecting the people around
you, and I'm not even referring
to regular people with healthy
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tlTlAzg iu ,
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Yea or Nay?
NEIL JAMES
opinion editor
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MY VOICE
Super Bowl 2010
It's that time again: the Super
Bowl! But before getting into
this year's match-up, let's look
at previous ones. The stories of
Super Bowls past read like fairy
tales.
It goes as far back as Super
Bowl 111, when Joe Namath
guaranteed victory and was
true to his word in Hollywood
style.
Last year, we saw the heroics
of Ben Roethlisberger as he
threw a strike to Santonio
Holmes, who tiptoed
gracefully ne
line like a b
catch the
touchdown.
This year
plenty of in
esting scena
storylines, as
well. Even
for the ca
sual fan,
each team
has a story
line that can
be appreci
ated.
New Orle
Saints march
into this battle
strong and mighty, but it wasn't
always that way. The father of
Colts quarterback, Peyton
Manning, Archie manned the
Saints for 10 years, beginning
in 1971. They had losing
records in all 10 of those sea
sons, and it set a foundation for
the next 20 years.
The base of the franchise
changed in 2005, when Hurri
cane Katrina struck New Or
leans. Many stranded people
gathered in the Superdome,
home of the Saints. The city of
New Orleans rallied together
around the Saints as they
worked on rebuilding, giving
them a gleam of hope in stark
surroundings, eventually be
coming a reflection of the city's
rise.
Now, just a few years later,
lungs. I'm referring to asthmat
ics and people with lung dis
ease. While smokers might not
care, and regular Joes just get
annoyed, second-hand smoke
is a serious health risk for those
with respiratory illness. Imag
ine walking around wearing a
continuously tightening turtle
neck sweater. That's how it
feels to be an asthmatic and
walk through a smoke cloud.
I hear lots of smokers say,
"It's my body and I'll do what I
want." The fact of the matter is
I don't care what people do
with
their own bodies. We are sen
tient beings blessed with free
will. If someone wants to
smoke or eat tons of fast food,
that is their own personal
choice. However, we live in a
society and are held responsi
ble for our actions. Indiscrimi-
inion
the Saints head to battle in
Miami representing the soul of
New Orleans and making their
long awaited Super Bowl debut.
The Colts, on the other hand,
have been on this stage before.
They have Peyton Manning,
who could go down as the best
quarterback of all time.
The earthquake in Haiti has
dominated the news lately, and
Colts wide receiver Pierre Gar
con has been directly affected
by it all. A Haitian himself, he
has done all he can do to
ntry of de-
senior vriter
ness to Haiti,
but also to his football career.
He represents a feel good story,
coming out of little known
Mount Union College to make
the Colts team. With the injury
of fellow wide receiver Anthony
Gonzalez, Garcon took the
chance to start and ran with it,
having 765 receiving yards and
four touchdowns. He and the
rest of the Colts look to win
their third Super Bowl in fran
chise history this Sunday.
If you are neutral as to who
you want to win, maybe the sto
ries of two cities affected in
some way by natural disasters
can spark a temporary alliance.
Either way, both represent a
solid reason to cheer for either
team, or perhaps just a great
game for all involved, including
us fans.
nately smoking without caring
who might be around is the
same as punching someone
else in the throat. Second-hand
smoke can hospitalize a person
with respiratory, illness.
Smoking is a personal life
choice that the individual must
make. I won't tell you how to
live your life. However, if you
are going to choose that path, I
would ask you to step outside
yourself for a moment. A
smoker may not care much
about cancer, but think about
your future children or grand
'ver got to know
;r: I remember
As of him, but
;übstantial. I've
wonderful things
Lm and would give
hing to get to
iw him. Sadly,
smoked Lucky
rikes, and they
idn't pull any
)unches.
It's not that I
rave a personal
woblem with
;mokers on cam
is. My sister
cokes and I don't
id at all, simply
ruse she is courte
)out it. If we are
•gether and she
igarette, she lets
id stands down-
She respects
my asthma and I reciprocate
the respect by not throwing a fit
about it. I might not like sec
ond-hand smoke, but I'm not
going to be a dick and make a
scene. All I ask is that you be
courteous of others' needs, and
they will be courteous of yours.
!PO
Nobody
through that,
people who
fortunate al-
Garcon
"It's just
ing aware-
Every
been
showing
hands and
ping us out,
' I really do
preciate
tat."
Garcon not
has
rought aware-