By OSCAR BEISERT Columnist ODBIO2@PSU.EDU This being, most probably, nn final analysis (for The Capital Times) of culture and all the possible details that abound the all-inclusi\e subject matter, 1 will implore your recollection of my first articles, which were published a few months short of two years ago In opening, what, incidental!} became a two year endea\ or: I rendered an overture of im lust impressions of I larrisburg, and. in several instances, its surrounding area. In closing, 1 will perform a, hopeful!}, more thorough generalization regarding our locale. For those more intrigued by the negative notes of life, bear with me because I shall begin with a few positive observations. Harrisburg, in its frontal exposure, giv es the impression of a small, but yet imposing. Turopean municipality Its westward entrances (the bridges) are, for the most part, archiformed in their foundations, relininn the structures in a (iothic manner the foregrounds or riverbank. a narrow park or greenbelt. is a velvet-like and v erdurous vista for (hose inclined to take alternoon walks or evening runs- the houses, mostly connected, tall, and narrow, and close in location to prominent workplaces, arc equally private or div ided depending on one's needs. \ ; vxX f i x - By HILARY ISLEIB Staff Reporlet HDLI f !@PSU f DU This semester, since the eery frigid first days ol'January. I ha\e been training to run a half marathon in San Dieuo, Calilornia to raise money to light leukemia and other blood cancers. The theme of m\ run has been ''Celebrate Life." because my race coincides w uh my 21 1 birthdae. and rather than celebrate the big dav in wa\ s in which I would probable ne\cr eoiored' ribbon on our shirts. Almost at the end oi the \erv long da\ alter most of ns had worked through the night. a mother slopped h\ our table. I didn’t e\en have to though, when m\ hometown was tell her what the treadmill was lor remember, 1 wanted tins birthdav to be unforgettable. After April 16 the site of the terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech. my hie has changed forever. And. like most people. 1 am still trying to figure out how 1 feel about e\erything, including my birthdav eelebration. While shopping at a local bookstore recently, 1 noticed several books on wine and thought ol how I would spend the actual day ol my birth since my race is still a lew short weeks away. Hut tears bubbled to the surface ol my eyes as I thought of the nearly dozen students who lost their lives at Virginia Teeh who never reached ■their 21 1 birthday . I feel lortunate and guilty at the same time. I am able to experience so much that none of the v ietims ever vv ill. Does my birthday even matter? feeling bitter, I wonder what reason there is to celebrate at all when all a birthday really means is a passage ol time-time that can never come back and time that can be so easily and so cruel I v taken away. Since that black day. 1 have not eared much for any other social or political cause either. Relay lor Life has ctfime and gone, the local Humane Society dog wash has come and gone, and nothing seemed as important as remembering the victims of April 16. But, I was painfully reminded recently how life and death still go on even alter such a terrible tragedy. I wrapped up a 24-hour treadmill walk at my local grocery store to raise money loi the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society where my teammates and 1 slatted at 3 p.m. on Saturday. April 2 I and continued until 3 p.m. Sunday. Some of us sold baked goods CULTURALLY INEPT A 81-MONTHLY PONTIFICATION and are some of the finest specimens of smAII-tovvn architecture; some even emulate the Second I'.mpire's Mansard roof or even the brick and stone mixtures of Romanesque cathedrals the religious institutions, although not overbearing in indicting their doctrine, are numerous in denomination, diversified in size, and usually cloaked in architectural mastery- the eateries are numerous, affordable, and diverse, and in all most cases are particularly tastelul in their own style, while always occupy ing and reusing historically significant structures characteristic of the city the employers, although deficient in prov iding wealth to all, remit professional salaries beyond the town's cost of liv mg the local policy, while contrary to any in Central Pennsylvania, is progressive and inclusive of all its citizenry find the most notable edifice is the capitol, which, m its own ways brings the Grecian or Roman temple to mind, including American taste and perfection. All of these attributes w hich even include a farmer's market and independent film theatre arc most appealing because of their appearance. The mixture of architectural styles and the low height oftlie structures are what call to palette a l.uropean flavor. I lovvev cr, in singing the city’s praises, the most primal advantage is its urban-like atmosphere and low cost of living that is within a few hours of travel from great and barbeque sandwiches while another team member took their turn keeping the treadmill going for 24 hours. ( I'o lind out more about the fundraiser and cause visit mv website at http: www.aelive.com donate tntva tntvalllsleib). Until Saturdav, I was very nervous about the treadmill walk not knowing hot to successfully grieve and mine on but my teammates and 1 kept the v ietims in our hearts and a I lokie- or why we were raising money. She read the sign and shoved a S2O bill into nn hand sav ins: Mv four-vear-old has Leukemia Thank \ on She walked away as I stared alter her. Her words, the 1 lokie ribbon, my birthdav. the half marathon. every thing seemed to collide in my head al once. When 1 still fee! like eriev mg and missing life the way it was on April 15 before everything changed. I have to remember that time does not turn back and all that is left is what lies ahead, file I'our v car-old Leukemia patient still celebrates her birthdays although her mother doesn't know how many birthdays her daughter has left. But. then, nobody does. The point is that they celebrate her life. The last week has also been a week of memorial services and funerals for lives lost at Virginia Tech. Lach service was also intended to celebrate the life of a loved one. Around the work), the 1 lokie nation is celebrating life. Celebrating life is not just about milestones or overcoming adversity Life is what we make of everv minute of every hour of every day Age does not matter as much as 1 once thought it did. ()ld or y oung, voting or old, the gift of life is the same-precious. We are all affected bv different things. Some face leukemia: others face something entirely different. But, each life is just as precious as any Do not let any time be wasted time Do not wail for your next birthday. Do not wait for the next holiday. Celebrate life, today. metropolises such as Baltimore. Washington. D.( ~ Philadelphia, and New York (. hv. But let us not sing too louiilv. lor unfortunately, there arc greater issues that detain this place from wholly exemplifying the principles of democracy, the pride of homestead and ownership, anil, probablv most hurtful to itself, the hope of progression. Remember the praises of great architecture? Well, about a mile from the capitol are communities of people who. rather than exonerate. assert themselves to deface and delile the formerly great residences and streetscapes of I larrisburg. For others vv ho do not take residence in the city, they do not mind earning their salaries from letting rooms, even in their capitol city, in fatally divided mansions, to the most despicable characters furthering destruction ol the beauty once enjoyed in all parts of town. And what about the employ er that was previously given hind/ Do we see a w ant of talent and ability in gov eminent jobs'.’ Absolutely not, for if one has been reared or educated elsewhere, they are given less of a chance than the under qualified natives. And as for progress, we must thank Vlavor Reed, but, uniortunalelv. he is among a minority of natives working to elevate this place. W'hen such acts arc being performed, it is usually the foreigner from another the city. VT remembered through student's eyes By HILARY ISLEIB Staff Reportei HDI 1 I I@PSIJ EDU On April 16, 2007. I was preparing to start writing mv honors thesis I had put in for lime off work and lile had no meaning for whoever planned to spend all week at the was responsible, devastated that this library with my laptop, canteen of tragedy occurred in my hometown, coffee and no distractions. This and worried sick for Iriends I hadn’t semester I have been living al home even seen since I graduated high in Chrisliansbura. Virginia flushing school. up my degree online, and I was looking forward to limshmu up the last of my coursevvork. (>n that Monday morning, mv mom woke me up before she was leav mg for work as I had requested, so that 1 could get an early start. 1 gathered mv research together and sal down breakfast * " >i s '' before I left for the librarv. flic longer 1 sat however, the less I vv allied to go to the library, f or 10 minutes. I debated vv ith mv sell die \ irtues ol being a good student and how I should follow mv plan to go to the library ... the library at Virginia lech's campus j List Id minutes from mv house where I had spent nearly half the semester researching for im honors thesis. finally, I relented and chose to slay home. I curled up with a lew ol my books on the sofa in front ol the TV until about 10:50 a.m. By then, I had'been researching for almost three hours and I was ready for a mid morning break. Will, uni (Irucc reruns are on around that tunc, so I turned on the I V to take a quick half hour sitcom break, flic TV was on the local station, so when I turned the I V on 1 immediately saw the breaking news of the massacre at Virginia Tech. At that point, only the first student had been reported killed, flic next two hours passed like half a minute that is until the press conference was aired and the death toll was updated. The Blacksburg Chief ol Police stated very calmly right before mv disbeliev mg eves that slate, or country capitalizing from making improvements rather than by causing harm as hav c tasteless slumlords. I urthermore, attention must be paid to the lack of diversity in regards to popular culture when it comes to vendors and arbiters of modern taste and grandeur. Yes. there are three malls: however, the place remains devoid of high-end fashions or even ihe more moderate tastemakers. Why is this the case'.’ Is it perhaps not justified by the same circumstances that have caused the aforementioned mavor so much toil in rehabilitating— with next to no funds a much distressed capitol city? ( an a lack of fashion and the disability of a town have a close connection'.’ Perhaps, it is the lack ol such a link that is behind the lack of progress. Now, please call mind the number ol cities, townships, and boroughs one encounters when leaving Harrisburg in anv general direction. In the blink of an eve the identity and. most importantly , the gov eminent—-will change when in the midst of travel. Because of this, what the postal scrv ice regards as I larrisburg is really a disjointed, endless number of places all as far away from cohesion as a pile of untouched puzzle pieces. Yet vve see the div ersity of locations tine to their name and nature all about us -most noticeably, in Philadelphia. However, unlike this great city, the capitol region has not 20 students were confirmed dead. 1 wondered why my face felt cold until 1 realized that 1 was crying and crying hard. I called my mom in tears angry that someone could be so senseless and heinous, angry that By mid afternoon, 1 had heard from everyone I could think of to contact. 1 was lortunate; I didn't know any of the v ietims. But in such a small community, 1 know people who losl a friend or family member or who were in Norris Hall or Ambler Johnson, file magnitude of the effect that this tragedy has taken not only on this area but also on the nation is incomprehensible, fen minutes from Virginia lech's campus, my younger brother's high school was also in lock down for several hours. Students were not permitted to leave their classrooms. When I finally picked him up at the end of the day, we hugged and he told me he was worried that I'd gone to the library at Virginia lech. I told him I had not gone and had to reassure him over and over that I was okay. He's been asking questions about the shootings ever since, wanting to know why someone would hurt so many people for no reason I don't know if I've answered anv of inv brother's questions, because 1 don't have any of the answers. Why tin people seek to cause so much pain and sorrow'.' Could anything have been done to prevent this tragedy? Can anything prevent parents from hav mg to bury their kids m the future as a result of murder in schools'.' There will THE CAPITAL TIMES adopted even the legal cohesion, much less the mentality, of a much need conurbani/.ation- a juncture of locality that might give rise to a tax base supportive of a capitol city; a city in which many work, but do not support in regards to its upkeep. It is the same lack of cohesion that di\ ides w hat could be a great shopping place into three segregated, separate malls—-only hurtful those who frequent them and long for greater modern fashions. But I will not belabor the point. In'faet, 1 will close my labors by posing a lew questions. Does a desire for an Abercrombie —or ev en a Nordstrom —not understandably accompany other means of progress? And does that progress not usually involve an all-inclusiv e junction of persons? Is it not the mentality of a place —w hether that be a great pride or lack there of —that can really make or break an environment's attractiveness? Can it not be said that one with no confidence in his or herself will be as faraway from success as an aimlessly w andering vagrant? And can these same principles not be applied to greater topics such as the progress of an area —and, most importantly, the culture it embodies or invokes? Will Harrisburg, remain—at-large-—a place between Philadelphia and Pittsburg? And wouldn’t the departure from such a demoralizing identity not start with its own residents? be those who scream at the top of their lungs that guns are responsible and gun safety needs to be a higher priority in government. There are those who will shout back that guns had nothing to do with the deaths of almost three dozen innocent kids and teachers at Virginia Tech. But, w hat leaders and citizens have seemed to neglect even after Columbine and other atrocities is the subject of safety in schools. For a few weeks alter the tragedy, school safety is a sexy issue. Then the whole issue gets rolled up in the "education" package and ignored. We cannot change what happened in Blacksburg, Virginia, and w e may not be able to ensure this will not happen to another town or another school. But I am going to Google Images do my part to make sure that school safety is an issue that never tiocs No matter what side of the gun safety fence people fall on, we can all agree that we need to find ways to protect our schools. If we can find ways to secure banks and courthouses and other public buildings, can’t we find ways to safeguard public schools and universities? Lockdown or no lockdown, I could walk inti' my brother’s high school and have him leave with me be I ore anyone knew he was gone. 1 shudder to think what would happen if someone had malicious intentions ... but then 1 guess the world realized the results on April 16, 2007, at an innocent, unpretentious, larm-country campus. 1 will never buy into the argument that public places are too difficult to protect. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers