A foreign new year celebration
By MARKO PRIMORAC
Staff Reporter
MCPIB4OPSU.EDU
The cheap beer and liquor numbed
our senses and blocked out the heavy
snow that was hammering down
upon our eager heads as we waited
for our buses behind the Student
Center in Zagreb, Croatia. We
Croatian University students (and
those of us shamelessly and quite
frankly, illegally posing as them)
were too excited to be bothered
by the excessive precipitation: a
four-day trip to Cracow, Poland,
awaited our adventurous souls, for a
whopping $ 140 United States Dollars
thanks to the Croatian students’
organization who organized the trip.
The surprisingly clean buses were
boarded full of spirits, both human
and liquid, and the 12-hour-tumed
-24-hour bus ride was quite enjoyable
despite the hour-on-end stops in the
never-ceasing continental blizzard.
Drinks were consumed, polemics
began, and never-ending, incoherent
political monologues spewed by
certain travelers much to the chagrin
A student holds up his scarf with pride while gathered at the
Cultural Emissaries.
“Muhammad” cartoon debate
Vucic's Media Management class discusses the controversy
By HEATHER COLEMAN
Staff Reporter
HMCSO2I@PSU.EDU
Muhammad cartoon hullabaloo
started after editorial cartoons
portraying the Islamic prophet
Muhammad were first published in
the Danish daily newspaper, The
Jutland Post, on Sept. 30, 2005.
They were published in an article
titled “The Face of Muhammad”
and consisted of 12 cartoons,
some depicting Muhammad. An
article on self-censorship and
freedom of speech accompanied
the cartoons. In response, Danish
Muslim organizations protested,
some in violence.
The whole thing began on Sept.
17 when another Danish newspaper
called Politiken ran an article
under the headline “Profound fear
of criticism of Islam”. The article
discussed the difficulty encountered
by the Danish writer Kare Bluitgen
in finding artists to illustrate his
children’s book about Muhammad.
Bluitgen reported that no one
was willing to work with him
for fear of violent attacks from
Muslims. The cultural editor of
The Jutland Post then decided to
contacted about 40 cartoonists and
ask them to sketch the prophet
as they saw him. He received 12
cartoons from different cartoonists
and published the cartoons to draw
more attention to the difficulty
encountered by Bluitgen.
Asthe controversy has developed,
some or all of the cartoons have
been reprinted in newspapers in
over 50 countries. The cartoons
have caused disorder around the
world, specifically in Islamic
countries, where those against
the printing say that the cartoons
are blasphemous.
Senior John Engel who has seen
the cartoons said, “They are an
Gallery). The going rate is $5 - $l5
USD a night, depending on room
size and or group size (it’s cheaper if
you go as a larger group).
We unloaded our bags and waited
in line for the 3 showers and 2 toilets
that the 3rd floor had to offer (one of
the downfalls of a hostel, but for poor
folks like myself, I take what I can
get). Our first stop was towards the
center of the city, where I had the best
Turkish Kebabs outside of the Middle
East, and we headed to a trendy club
for some beer and house music.
Our group of about forty Croats
disintegrated into the more numerous
Poles, who were quite friendly.
One problem we encountered was
that, other than small-time beer
and food purchases at various
gas stops, no one from our group
exchanged much currency, and
all of the exchanges were closed.
Make sure to exchange your
currency before you go party, because
the service became drastically bad
for us without the correct, Polish
currency (even I, the Ugly American,
loto courtesy of
insult, irreverent, ill-mannered,
and shameful.”
Supporters of the cartoons say
their publication is exercising their
right of free speech.
“I strongly believe that the
cartoons should be printed because
the cartoon is the story,” said
Senior Holly Weichman. “Freedom
of speech does not always mean
‘playing nice’ because eventually
someone is going to be offended.”
Muslims consider any pictures of
the prophet Muhammad blasphemy,
yet alone, the pictures that were
printed, which were drawn in
disrespectful ways. One picture
portrays Muhammad with a bomb
as his turban. Another picture
shows him ready for battle with a
short knife in one hand and a black
bar across his eyes. He appears
to be smiling and has two women
beside him in black clothes with
only their eyes showing.
Rabyia Ahmed, junior
communications, said, “Printing a
cartoon of just the holy prophet is
one thing, but with a bomb as his
turban is another, even though they
are both considered disrespectful.”
Once the news of the cartoons
reached America, editors had a
choice of whether their newspaper
was just going to describe the
cartoons or print them. Several
editors across the world have
either been fired, arrested, or their
newspapers shutdown for printing
the cartoons. America, along
with the United Kingdom, almost
collectively took a stance against re
printing the Muhammad cartoons.
The only newspaper in America,
so far, known for printing them is
The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb.
4. Inquirer editors explained the
reason they published the cartoons
as part of a rich offering of coverage
on the whole issue.
got the stare of shame with our ever
powerful and superior USD in hand).
After a few rounds, our flock began
to scatter back towards the hostel for
some much needed R & R: a day-trip
to Auschwitz awaited us.
Cracow has much to see within and
outside of the city limits, and there are
many day-trips to choose from. The
most known, and frankly important,
was for us a trip to Auschwitz. It is
about an hour and some change away
with snow-covered roads, and upon
entering the camp, the vibe gets bad.
Even in the dead of winter, death
and inhumanity permeates through
the camp. After passing the infamous
“Arbeicht Macht Frei” (Work Sets
You Free) sign that hangs over the
entrance in Auschwitz I (which is
dwarfed by the death chambers that
make up Auschwitz II), the tour
guide lead us in the various housing
units-tumed exhibits where you see
the unquestionable evidence of how
inhumane humanity can become.
In certain parts, you are not
allowed to take pictures, which I
think is a shame; everyone should
see. The going price is about 130
Polish Zloty per person.
We purchased tickets for one of the
On Tuesday, Feb. 14, Professor
Bob Vucic’s Media Management
class turned this very subject into
a class role-playing assignment.
Seven of the students were
editors and the rest of the class
were reporters.
Each editor played as if they were
an editor of a major newspaper
in America and then had decide
whether they would print any of
these cartoons in their newspaper.
They then gave their reasons why
they choose what to do.
Three out of the seven said they
would print them because it was
their freedom of speech and the
people had a right to see them.
One editor said, “It’s news. It’s
affecting our world. It’s our job to
report it.”
The four that said that they
wouldn’t said they had no need to
print them since they were readily
available on the Internet.
Jomall Scott, junior, said, “I
believe that religion respect should
come before the first amendment.”
Even after an hour of debating,
students still had passionate beliefs of
what should or should not be done.
“Print them - if violation of
someone’s beliefs is necessary
to get across a political point, so
be it,” said Senior Kara Chapak.
“Cruel but powerful, that’s the
whole point of a political cartoon.”
Another student said words can
explain just as well as seeing it,
someone would be just as upset
if a cartoon was printed about the
Holocaust or 9/11.
Senior Danielle said, “It all comes
down to your morals and ethics.”
To see all twelve cartoons or find
out more about the developing
controversy visit Wikipedia
Encyclopedia online and look up the
topic “Jyllands-Posten Muhammad
cartoons controversy.”
New Year’s celebrations (in Europe,
it is all in-advance ticket purchases
and or private parties) in a pretty
happening nightclub, whose name
escapes me for various reasons,
though I do remember having ginger
chicken, beer, and ginger-snaps; the
price was a bit steep, but bearable.
After about 4 a.m., we headed
back to our hostel, which happened
to be right next door to the Rotondo,
a well-known spot where most
of the other students, and those
posing as students, were partying
it up. Warning: Europeans listen to
Techno, quite a bit actually, which is
fine for Eurotrash like me (I can trace
my roots there, thank you), but if you
do not like it, try
to fish around
on the Internet
beforehand,
otherwise your
head may explode
from base-beats
of Euro-nightlife.
On Jan. 1, while
everyone else was
sleeping off their
hangover,
cousin Ana and I
headed towards
the center of
the city to take
pictures of the
square, which,
at any time of
Waiting over an hour to enter the Salt Mines outside of
Cracow was well worth it to view the life-sized sculptures.
day or night,
is full of life
We stopped in to a restaurant, which
served excellent Polish cuisine. I had
the plum-chicken, and my cousin had
the roast-beef and potato pancakes.
I noticed a burly Pole staring at
me, the odd-man-out; burly Pole
entered with a group of about 10 or
so friends, and they were all wearing
KS Cracovia scarves, the colors for
their team. As he approached, I got
my feet into position and prepped
the buckle of my then-removed
belt, but he asked inquisitively with
a smile, “Amerrrika?” I answered
yes, and the language of beer began.
After taking some photos with our
extremely intoxicated new friends,
my cousin and I walked to the center
of the Old Town, and we linked up
with my sister and my other cousin;
BUENAVENTURA:
Beyond the classroom
Continued from page 1
she said,
Unlike most high school students,
there were several subjects that
Buenaventura was interested
in. “Anything that had to do
with social science, education,
economics, history, philosophy and
women studies was of interest to
me.” And now as a professor at
Penn State Harrisburg, she teaches
courses like social and cultural
theory in education and curriculum
foundations, both of which she has
a great amount of interest in.
Aside from teaching,
Buenaventura is on several hiring
committees for faculty and staff,
which has been keeping her
busy lately, she said. She is also
a member of the Pennsylvania
American Council and Education
Network. This is a network of
women in higher education who
help promote leadership where
they encourage and learn how to
apply leadership roles. Previously,
Buenaventura was on the board
of the Arthritis Foundation. She
believes in the foundation strongly
because so many people suffer
from it, she said.
It was apparent that Buenaventura
is a very family oriented person.
She said that she enjoys spending
time with them. “1 enjoy watching
movies and going out to dinner
with my family.” She has a
husband and two daughters, one
of whom is a junior at Penn State
Harrisburg and is majoring in
psychology. Her other daughter
is in high school and it won’t be
long until she, too, will be thinking
about college, said Buena\entura.
Baking and knitting arc a lew
other activities that this education
professor enjoys doing. “1 unjoy
knitting things like shawls and
scarves,” said Buenaventura.
“Really nice ones,” she added,
THE CAPITAL TIMES February 27, 2006
it was already too
dark for pictures (for
my loser disposables,
that is); damn Polish
soccer hooligans
We visited the
cathedrals, Cracow
literally has dozens,
and simply absorbed
all of the beauty that
they had to offer. The
first was the Church
of the Virgin Mary, a
Gothic basillica which
was stunning in both
its detailed art and
architecture. Next, we
went to a live classical
music concert ($l4 USD) in another
cathedral a quick walk away, which,
while smaller, harbored as much
beauty. I just closed my eyes and
took in the sound and surroundings.
Next, we went to Jazz Club Muniaka,
for another live show. It was right in
the main-square, or Stare Miasto, as
well. The price was a mere 20 zl, and
the band was great, as was the service
and the brick-cellar bar atmosphere.
It was a good way to enjoy our last
night in that great city. Cracow is
famous for its jazz, and the band we
listened to did not disappoint...
The following day, we boarded our
buses, and drove to the Salt Mines
outside of Cracow. The hour-and
a-half wait outside was miserable,
but once inside, my disappointment
was replaced with excitement. There
movement.
and gives them to people. But
Buenaventura also has an interest
in something that not many people
may be aware of. It’s wine. “I
like to watch it on TV and I like
learning about it too,” she said.
“The different places it’s made
and the process it takes to make it
is interesting to me,” she said. So,
not surprisingly, her favorite drink
is indeed wine. “I love to drink
it,” said Buenaventura. And as far
as food is concerned, she’ll eat
anything as long as it’s not alive. “I
like to be adventurous when I eat,”
she said.
When asked who her favorite
musical artists were, she
didn’t hesitate to answer U 2,
Bruce Springsteen and Tracy
Chapman. “It’s good music,”
said Buenaventura. She said that
she would also like to do more
international traveling and more
writing and publishing someday.
She has already vacationed in
Ireland and Scotland and said that
she would love to spend more
time there.
Buenaventura considers herself
to be very fortunate to be where
she is today. “It’s the best teacher
education profession I can have
because I get to prepare the next
generation of teachers,” she said.
“And they need to be well prepared
and professional because they
have a big responsibility to teach
children, who are our future,” said
Buenaventura.
Her theory on classroom
education is simple but important.
“Diversity is very, very, very
important,” she said. “It’s so
important to learn to respect and
understand the differences and
similarities among us. If people
are culturally or linguistically
different,” she said, “we all have
to learn how to understand them in
order to avoid conflict.”
Photo by MARKO PRIMORAC/The Capital Times
were literally miles upon miles,
or for the Poles, kilometers
upon kilometers, of mines. We
were 200 meters underground,
and there were chapels and
life-sized sculptures and
fascinating stalactite and
stalagmite formations.
There are always good travel
deals out there. I would definitely
recommend Cracow, Poland, which
was one of the nicest European cities
1 have visited to date. You can always
find a way to travel on the cheap. If
you can, do it; or you can go into
massive credit card debt like I have.
Either way, get off your rotting hide
and leave your natural surroundings,
even if for just a little while.
Photo courtesy of ZUGA
Links and contacts:
http://www.auschwitz-tours.com/
auschwitz tour.html
Address: al. 3 Maja 5.
Phone: /+4812/ 6221102 (operator),
/+4812/ 6331914 (reservations)
Fax: /+4812/6328735
Email: zaczek@bratni;
http://www.cracow-life.com/guide/
Further Afield/Wieliczka.php
PARKING
! Continued from page 1
An older issue regarding parking
many students have forgotten about
' was a tax imposed by Middletown
for parking. It is called the
Middletown Area School Patron
Parking Tax. The Middletown area
has imposed a 10 percent tax on
j our parking permits.
Since a parking pass, and the
ensuing ticket for a lack of a pass,
costs enough to feed an average,
poor college student for two weeks
there are always complaints about
what students get for the amount of
money they pay.
The biggest complaint comes
in the form of snow removal. It
is not uncommon for students to
have to walk to their 8 a.m. classes
with snow and ice still covering
the sidewalks. The snow on the
sidewalks isn’t cleared until after
11 a.m., a time at which most
students are already in school.
Another winter related issue
that students have is a safety
concern. The parking lot behind
Olmsted building has a road that
runs alongside a steep hill, which
leads directly to the building.
When snow covers the parking
lot and students need to drive along
this road there is a possibility
for drivers to lose control
and slide down the steep
embankment. With no guardrail
in place there is no protection for
drivers that lose control due to
icy conditions.
If students do not pay for their
tickets by the end of the semester
a hold can be placed on their
student records. This means
that no transcripts are released
to the student, they cannot re
enroll, and they will not receive
their diploma.
All tickets can be appealed by
filling out the proper form found
in the Vehicle Registration Office,
provided the appeal is done within
10 days of the actual violation.
Little more than an hour
away from Cracow’s city
limits lies Auschwitz.