By OSCAR BEISERT
Columnist
ODBIO2@PSU.EDU
While I do know that there are a
number of individuals that greatly
enjoy their jobs, I would say that
on a general basis most people
trudge through the day awaiting
that “end of the day” bell to ring so
that they are temporarily free from
the ball of chain that provides their
means of livelihood.
A gripe about
By MICHAEL ALBRIGHT
Staff Reporter
MBAI33@PSU.EDU
I currently have quite the gripe
with PSH. Last year, when I
transferred to this campus I made
a conscious decision to be more a
part of the campus activities. While
browsing over material provided
at an open house I was given a
pamphlet with a list of all the clubs
available on campus.
Two clubs quickly caught my
attention. The first being The
Capital Times newspaper, obviously
I signed up for that because you are
reading this, and this, and this...
By the way, while I’m on the
subject, I’d like to take a second
to encourage more people to come
Karma:
you every time
By LISA MAUTI
Columnist
LMM3SS@PSU.EDU
So most likely you have heard the
word Karma tossed around from
time to time. Karma loosely defined
is when you get what you deserve.
Do good things, get good Karma, for
now or for later. Do bad things and it
will eventually catch up
with you.
Up until lately, I have always
believed that yes, Karma will catch
up with you, but I was always
focused on the later portion of it. For
instance, help an old lady cross the
street now, and find a $2O bill on the
street a few years from now.
But a few weekends ago at work,
I hurt myself after joking with a co
worker. .. joke was on her (all in fun
and games of course). After I hurt
myself, she said, “Instant Karma.
See I don’t joke around. Mess with
me and the Karma is instant.”
Huh, this baffled me. I had never
heard of instant Karma before. So it
got me thinking, and I started asking
other people if they had heard of
this ‘instant karma’ and before I
knew it, instances of instant Karma
started popping up everywhere. Like
that time I was eight and whacked a
goose in the nose with a carrot. Next
thing I knew, I saw the goose flying
angrily towards me, and had then
latched itself onto MY nose!
Instant Karma.
Two summers ago, my cousin was
in the south driving on her way to
tip a few cows, when they ran into
a cow standing in the middle of the
road. Car totaled. I used to just think
CULTURALLY IN6P.T
A 81-MONTHLY PONTIFICATION
I would venture to say that the
majority of these Americans have
a half to one hour commute prior
to and following their eight hour
work day. If, at the least, there is
a thirty minute commute equating
to one full hour per day, there
is at least a one hour period of
time getting ready for the long
day of work and travel. And let’s
not forget the half to one hour
lunch break that we—working
Americans —are required, by
law, to take. So, all and all, on
the low end of the spectrum most
Americans spend about ten and
a half to eleven, maybe twelve,
hours per day trying to earn
enough money to make ends meet.
Furthermore, it is prescribed that
we get from seven and a half to
eight hours of sleep in preparation
for the next day. Considering seven
and a half hours of sleep and ten
to the Cap Times office and join
the staff. I’ve earned some great
experience and met some great
people since I began writing, but
I digress.
The next club to catch my eye was
WPSH Radio. I read the following
quote, be sure to take note that it is
a quote:
“WPSH Student Radio” - Offers
practical experience in the field of
radio and broadcasting.”
Now, I would like to ask PSH
what they consider practical
experience. If they define it as
building a beautiful radio studio,
then abandoning it and leaving the
students to find a way to fund it and
set it up, being constantly denied
any attention, leaving them pulling
their hair out, or just not caring
anymore, then they nailed it.
it’ll get
it was a coincidence, but now I say
instant Karma. I mean come on, who
hits a cow on the way to go cow
tipping? I can just hear the cows
laughing.
There are dozens of other instances
I can think of, but never thought
about until now.
So what does this mean? Is there
like some super power watching
over all of us like devil’s advocate,
just waiting for us to mess up so we
can get smacked.
And how does this instant Karma
play into our love lives? For some
cheaters, heh-hum, it can mean
getting the girl pregnant that they
cheated on someone with. That is
like eternal instant Karma. I can
see the Gods just watching down
chuckling, going, “Oh that’s not a
nice thing to do, Poof be Pregnant.”
And not to taunt the Gods, but is
every little thing we do tallied and
put into some equation to determine
whether the Karma should be instant
or later? I know, I know. I am taking
this just a bit to the extreme, but I
just can’t help it. Sooner or later
you’re gonna get what you deserve.
For some it’s instant and some
it’s not.
But I LOVE good instant Karma.
Like say you let someone into your
lane during a traffic jam when no one
else will. Then a few minutes down
the road you hit all green lights and
it’s smooth sailing from there.
OR that old lady that you were
helping cross the street earlier,
when you got to the other side her
gorgeous grandson that just happens
to be a doctor is waiting there
for her.
Ahh yes, meeting that cute
fish in the sea is always a great
serendipitous event to follow bad
Karma.
So not to make your mind wonder,
but the next time you run into some
good luck, or some bad luck that
came along just a little too fast,
maybe you just got hit with a case of
instant Karma.
and a half hours of work related
activity, Americans have about
six hours of time to themselves
per day. This doesn’t include the
obligations we have to school,
children, and relationships.
You might be wondering, what
am I driving at?
Well, my question is, is this the
life we’ve chosen or do we even
have a choice?
In regards to work, I would
generally say that the best life is to
be self-employed - well, as long
as such employment is lucrative!
However, in most cases, it is fair to
say that not everyone can have the
luxury of a job they love. So, my
prescription would be to find ways
to cut that 10 and half to twelve
hour days to the least amount of
time possible.
For example, there are over three
hundred thousand people who
WPSH
Last fall, during the club fair, I
signed up for the radio station being
told that it was down, but would
be up shortly. At the first meeting
that was held, there were at least 20
students in attendance. Now when
we have meetings there are at most
two or three people in attendance,
and this includes myself.
Why have so many people who
initially signed up, stopped coming?
The answer is easy. It should not
be the student body’s job to fund
something like this. The students
wanted to participate in the radio
station, not build it. The students
want to have radio shows..
The saddest part of remembering
that first big meeting is the fact that
it was so diverse. We had a great
chance of providing sports shows,
hip-hop shows, talk radio, rock/
punk shows and even an interest
in jazz radio. Among that I bet we
could even broadcast home field
sports games over the radio, I bet
we could even get the psychology
faculty to host a call in sort of show
for students to anonymously discuss
issues and receive advice.
While driving in my car, I was
listening to Harrisburg’s local
NPR station, 89.5, at the end of
an interview with Andrew W.K.; I
heard the stab of the line informing
Turn out the lights and go to bed
By JAMES BLAND
Columnist
JBLAND@DEJAZZD.COM
I did a quick count and found
that I had nine remote controls
in my home. I’m not sure how
this compares with the average
household. Each one has a purpose
- ceiling fans, stereo, DVD player,
TV, even video game controls.
These conveniences - along with
microwave popcorn, ice makers,
and cordless phones - opened up
countless hours once dedicated to
mundane tasks. With all of the time
freed-up due to these conveniences
my kids should have no excuse
for forgetting to turn off the lights
when they leave a room!
The path from my daughter’s
room to the sun room includes
nine light switches connected to
21 light bulbs. I can understand
the need to turn on a light to
guide her way in the dark, but for
some reason she does not believe
the sun provides enough light to
guide her way in the middle of
the day. Whether it is day or night
a quick survey of our home will
show there are at least three rooms
illuminated without a person to be
found in each.
My son is known for his uncanny
ability to leave water running in the
sink when he finishes his business.
The good news is he remembers to
close the door.
As a concerned parent, I began to
think that perhaps these habits were
an indication of an abnormality
with my beloved children. As I
asked neighbors if they had similar
experiences I was provided a
OPINION
work in the city of Harrisburg
and according to local population
records there are around fifty
three thousand people living
in the city proper. If you were
to poll the number of vacant or
blighted houses in the Allison
Hill neighborhood, you would be
astonished. What is even more
astonishing is the fact that most
of these homes are three floors of
hard wood floors, high ceilings,
and intriguing interiors that are
built ultimately superior to our
modern homes. Now, I know what
you’re saying—what about all the
riff raft, deterioration, and crime
that plague communities such
as these?
This is where the phenomena of
gentrification comes forth. Let’s
say that out of the fifty-three
thousand residents of Harrisburg
there is, on average, one home
heard without static
me that the radio station was funded
in part by Penn State Harrisburg. I
don’t think 1 need to elaborate on
this; the irony is too ‘in your face.’
So why don’t we have the needed
money? SGA says we don’t show
Photo by KRISTEN POOLE/The Capital Times
WPSH, a student voice on campus, has been off the
air for four years and counting. The radio station’s
office is pictured above.
plethora of stories that proved to
me my children were either
normal or the entire neighborhood
is in trouble.
Some spoke of refrigerator doors
being left open while the child
ate lunch in the kitchen. Another
described the obsession with
running water in the bathroom
the entire time he is in there
- whether he is using the sink or
not. Countless parents spoke of
kids returning empty containers to
the fridge.
Conversations expanded from
leaving lights on and water
running, to an obsession kids seem
to have with waste. Unfortunately,
they are not obsessed with
reducing waste to save the
planets resources, but in wasting
everything including food, drink,
electricity, paper, and especially
time. The only thing that kids
don’t seem to waste is toothpaste.
They seem to conserve it as best as
they can.
Most parents I spoke with
described the longest hours of the
day being the ones dedicated to
getting the kids out of bed in the
morning and then into be at night.
The delay tactics employed by
children show their creativity,
cunningness, and persistence. The
basic nighttime tactics are asking
for a snack or drink and expand to
“I forgot I have a science project
due tomorrow!”
The delay tactics don’t stop when
the child’s head hits the pillow.
Their minds are hard at work to
think of excuses to get out of bed
and start the process over again.
My daughter’s favorite is forgetting
THE CAPITAL TIMES April 10, 2006
per resident. And let’s say that
Allison Hill makes up a third of
that number. Is it possible that
there are 17,000 sensible people
who work in the city proper who
would like to eliminate blight,
their commute, and maybe even
their yard work? If the answer
is yes, then what do we need to
do to make this happen? If the
answer is no, then could it be
time to reevaluate what we —as
Americans —think is important?
Is it possible that we’d rather live
a life wherein eighteen out of
twenty-four hours of our week is
spent working or in preparation
for such?
This leads me to a greater
question. Once we’re home, after
ten and a half to twelve hours of
work, are we really in the mood
to live and experience our life,
or is it just easier to blob out in
there is enough interest in the radio
station. That is a huge joke to me,
if you take a University and throw
a radio station at them, there will
be interest. There are currently 46
members enrolled in our club on
Angel, but no
one comes to
the meetings!
Granted we
have been given
money in the
past, but once
we receive the
funds, we do not
know what to
do with it. We
are not radio
engineers or
sound engineers,
so the money
gets taken away
at the end of
the semester,
leaving us
back at square
one. This same
exact situation
happens every
semester, if we
even get any
money. Also,
the problem is
the amount of
money the club
to put something into her backpack
for the next day. My son wants to
find a toy to sleep with. And once
you think they are settled, they
reappear with my favorite line of
all “I can’t sleep.” Of course only
ten minutes have passed.
When morning arrives a new
challenge begins. Removing the
child from the bed is twice as hard
as getting him there in the first
place. The constant refrain from
each bedroom is “I’m up. I’m up.”
It is almost like an old folk song.
My version goes like this:
Daddy can’t be late for work
I’m up. I’m up
Mommy can’t be late for work
I’m up. I’m up
You’re going to be late for school
I’m up. I’m up
You’re going to miss the bus today.
I’m up. I’m up.
Hurry up and get dressed today.
I’m up. I’m up.
You’re still not out of bed today,
I’m up. I’m up
You haven’t eaten your breakfast
I’m up. I’m up.
Your hair and teeth must be
brushed today.
I’m up. I’m up.
This is the last time I’m calling you
I’m up. I’m up.
Go back to bed I forgot its
Saturday.
Too late, I’m up
front of the tube? Well, I’m sure
that in most cases the answer
to this question would be yes;
however, for some, it is possible
that while they’d like the answer
to be yes, they have many other,
responsibilities. So when parent
to child relationships go sour
and marriages deteriorate due to
constant bickering, are we really
considering all of the factors that
might contribute to these issues?
Do we really think about the
ramifications that living in the
suburbs, separating ourselves from
the ones we love, and having that
piece of green space around our
house really have on our lives?
Is it possible to consider that the
farmer lived in the country because
he worked there? And if these
considerations have any relevance,
then is it time to consider moving
back to the city ?
needs to start up is way beyond
what SGA or SAF wants to spend in
a single semester on a single club.
While rooting through boxes in
the radio studio, I came across t
shirts made in 2002 that complain
that the students voice is not being
heard. I’m sure that we can all do
that math. That’s four years that
the University has given us the
cold shoulder! That, above all,
should be proof that students should
not be responsible for building
this radio station. It needs setup
professionally, then select students
need to be trained how to use the
equipment, they in turn then can
teach the next few, and so on.
This is not a difficult concept in
my opinion.
To sum it up, I hope with the SGA
elections underway, that maybe we
will have a radio station ready for
us to enjoy and gain real “practical
experience.” Or maybe we should
just spend even more money in
bringing more jaded, insecure
actresses from Laguna Beach for
an hour.
I am urging anyone who reads
this article and has any interest
in reviving the radio station on
campus to please let SGA know, or
let me know and perhaps we can do
something about this.
As I shared my writing with my
wife she reminded me that I’m
worse than the kids. I’ll admit that
I’m not a morning person. In fact,
I don’t set my alarm but awake
to the announcement of the time
which is graciously shared every
three minutes.
The clock by the side of my
bed is precisely calibrated to
display the time I would arrive at
work if 1 left immediately. This
tool allows me to announce to
everyone exactly how late we are
running. It also saves me from
calculating complex equations so
early in the morning.
Although I complain about the
morning rituals of getting the kids
out of bed, it is an improvement
over a few years ago. For over
a year, beginning when my son
was two, he would awake - full
of energy - and find his way to
my room to ask for his morning
chocolate milk. He would
patiently stand at the side of my
bed hoping his quiet presence
would awake me. In time, he
would realize that silence,
accompanied with gentle tapping
on the bed, was not enough to
wake me. It was at that moment
that my son would smack me on
the forehead and utter the phrase
“Chocolate milk please!” Each
day the ritual would repeat. Each
day, I would shoot up out of bed
as if struck by lightening.
I don’t have a solution for the
rituals associated with kids and bed.
All I know is I look forward to the
weekends but I always find it ironic
that everyone is up and dressed
without incident on Saturdays.