EDITORIAL: James Sterner As I write, 2011 has just be- gun. Facebook statuses around the world are proclaiming the mind-blowing discovery that this particular New Year falls on 1-1- 11. TI can only imagine the cele- brations that will result when the world community realizes that 1- 11-11 is just around the corner, with less than a year until 11-1-11 and 11-11-11. It’s almost as if some sort of mysterious numeri- cal progression has led us to this string of interconnected dates. Clearly, these are signs of a good year. However, as we all look forward to a new semester at Mont Alto we must also consider, with great fondness, the most im- portant. PSMA events of fall 2010: 5.) Random Gunman Shows Up In General Vicinity Of Campus: Before classes even officially began this semester, excitement was brimming in the air around Mont Alto. In the week before the official start of the semester, Mont Alto students received a text message from Penn State’s Emer- gency Messaging Services an- nouncing the presence of an armed intruder in the woods of “the Mont.” Franklin County natives laughed at this apparent overreaction towards yet another crazy armed person wandering the woods of South Mountain, where- as students from inner cities pre- pared for a turf battle against the Crips over the quad. A few hours later, the announcement was made proclaiming a false alarm, what- ever that means. Nevertheless, I feel much safer because of the Penn State Emergency Messaging Services. 4.) That Guy Tells A Funny Joke: Remember that guy who told a funny joke? I do. It was hilarious. It was also the fourth most important thing to happen at Mont Alto in fall 2010. 3.) Raw Sewage Leaks Around Sci-Tech: In what was shaping up to be the first full week in Mont Alto history where the cam- pus did not constantly reek of manure from the surrounding farms, a sewage line burst near Sci-Tech, resulting in a small part of the quad receiving a light sprinkling of human feces. Stu- dents ill-adjusted to this particular stench remained in their residence halls while repairs were See Recap, page 3 Toi Bain It's likely many Mont Alto students have heard about the tragic shooting that recently oc- curred in Tucson, Arizona. People may know that a U.S. House Rep- resentative was shot, along with six others. People probably know that Jared Lee Loughner was ar- rested at the scene of the crime. It's possible, however, these same people may have missed a few things. For example, who were the other victims? Who is Daniel Hernandez, and is it possible he saved congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s life? How did President Barack Obama respond to the shooting? The Fourth Wall has all you want to know. Among those who were tragi- cally killed in the shooting in ® Arizona is John Roll, a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush. Christina Taylor Green was just a 9-year- old girl, and was only present as part of a student council event for her school. Gabe Zimmerman was Gifford’s constituent services director. Dorothy Murray, 76, and Phyllis Schneck, 79, were two retirees who were gunned down. The Stoddard family also has a sad story to tell. Dorwan Stoddard was at the political event with his wife — and high school sweetheart — when the shooting started; both he and his wife were shot. Mrs. Stoddard survived, but Dorwan was not as lucky: he was killed. From a Federal Judge to a little girl, what happened in front of that Safeway in Tucson Arizona was dreadful. In talk of such awful events it is easy to get lost in the tragic, but, as in many American stories, there is a hero. His name is Dan- iel Hernandez. The 20-year-old intern from the University of Ari- zona raced to Gifford’s side to elevate and turn her head so that she would not choke on her own blood. Mr. Hernandez told report- ers he held Representative Gifford’s hand, after the shooting and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and told her to squeeze it so that he knew she was still with them. In President Barack Obama's address after the shooting, he called Daniel Her- nandez a hero. President Barack Obama has been called a highly-liberal presi- dent. Ex-Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin has been described as very conservative. Regarding this top- ic, both were quoted as giving very similar responses. This is not the time to turn on each other; we must use this event to strengthen us as a nation. Lauren Deckert In recent years, the world has been in a global struggle to ad- dress the issue of water shortage. Over 2 billion people worldwide lack sufficient access to clean drinking water and proper sanita- tion. In response to this devastat- ing number, private companies have jumped on the opportunity to gain economic and political power by controlling the world’s most precious resource, water. The World Bank and the Interna- tional Monetary Fund (IMF) have been pushing for water pri- vatization in third world coun- tries for the past two decades, in many cases setting privatization as a condition for development loans with the promise that it will improve water quality and avail- ability. But is water privatization really the answer? Experts and activists argue over the efficien- cy, economics, cost, and conflict of interest within the water in- dustry, as well as how it affects every person’s fundamental right to clean water. Water privatization is often incorrectly defined as full private -sector control of water re- sources. For the purpose of this article, we will instead define privatization in the more accurate sense as any full or partial con- trol of water resources by the private sector combined with the introduction of a “water market” that establishes prices and com- petition which may then lead to commercialization and profitabil- ity. A major argument against water privatization is that it simply does not work and can not be considered an See Water, page 5
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