Page 6 The Lion's Eye Opinion January 18, 2005 An editorial Hang tough: Summer’s not all that far away Summer will soon be here again. Happy New Year and Spring Semester to the readers of the Lion's Eye. We hope you had a nice and relaxing break. We are back to start off the new semester with flying colors. Spring semester usually starts off easier than fall for a few reasons: 1. The faster we finish this semester, the faster sum- mer is here. 2. We want to put the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, not to men- tion those horrible fruitakes. 3. We weren't off from school for a long period of time, unlike summer, so we are more able to fall back into the groove of homework, quizzes and tests. Spring, though, can seem to drag on at times for lack of holidays and days off. Although there are no holidays big enough to break up the semester, there are thankfully events and occasions that will be happening around campus. The holiday of Martin Luther King Jr. is already upon us. A few weeks later, it will be Valentine's Day, and then everyone's favorite moral holiday — St. Patrick's Day. We also have to mention THON, a huge event at University Park, which takes place at the end of February. THON is the largest stu- dent-run organization in the United States, raising money to support children with cancer and their families. The club will be raising money on campus throughout the beginning of the semester with date auctions and concerts. Speaking of concerts, the Fireside Music series 1s well underway with artists such as Katie Todd, Chinua Hawk and Chapter 6 scheduled to perform. Later in the semester, Spring Week, spon- sored by the SGA, will take place. Food, fun and activities will keep the minds of the stu- dent body active with breaths of fresh air. Also in April, Litapalooza will enlighten the literary enthusiasts with poetry readings and the publication of Penn In Hand, Penn State Delco's literary magazine. Spring break seems like it's far away now, but in reality it is only about less than two months away. Immersing yourselves in schoolwork can help pass the time and so can planning your spring break getaways. When school and winter become too much for you, we here at the Lion's Eye recommend finding a peaceful, happy place for you to visit. It doesn't have to be somewhere physical, but a place where you can close your eyes and just imagine the sights, smells and emotions to take you to a relaxed state of mind. It could be Florida. It could be your bed, or even a grassy field filled with flowers. Visit your peaceful place at least once a day so you can refocus and reinforce your energy. Before you know it, all your hard work will have paid off and summer will be here. Good luck as the spring semester gets under way. The Lion's Eye "| Love Lucy” on My pink simple A suit. DVD. plain shirt! Stephanie Bucari Crystal Bowhall Steve Varisano DUS Business Business An I-Pod A Marshall guitar amp. Money! - Ranveer Basra Chris Khatchadrian IST Accounting Mike Volpe Civil Enginering The new year at a new place Over the winter break I decided to try out one of the trips and travel not only to Prague, in the - Czech Republic, but also Vienna, Austria. Prague was the first country we visited. One of the biggest sites to visit is the Prague castle, but it's on top of a massive hill. Reaching the top made me realize that the walk was well worth it. The view is magnificent. I think the most exciting part of traveling dur- ing the winter break was that I got to celebrate the new year in a foreign country. My friends and I decided to count the minutes until 2005 at Old Times Square in Prague. It was packed. The scariest part of celebrating the holiday in a new country is you don't know their customs. Who knew that throwing glass and firecrackers at people was fun? Apparently it is. The Czech people seem to think that throwing little fire- crackers near people's feet and watching their reactions to the explosions is fun. I can't say I experienced a firecracker exploding next to my boots, but seeing people jump was very entertaining. When the clock struck 12 the city went crazy. First, some guy close to us threw a flame down on top of a tree branch. My friend Jared started stomping on the flames immediately. I still don't know if the guy did it on purpose or by accident. I know he was little drunk, because he couldn't stand up straight. The trip to Prague was well worth the money. The only problem I had with the city was the fact that the metro closed at midnight, after that you were supposed to get a cab. I also wish the people were a little bit friend- lier. The first night we were there. the café we ate at wanted charge for items we didn’t order, and when you walked into a store the sales people never paid attention to you. But the moment you wanted to make a sale they tried to push more products on you. Vienna was the next place we visited. It was beautiful there, if you take away all the pickpock- ets. My first night there my glove disappeared. It was hanging out of my pocket when I was sur- rounded by a few men who looked grungy. Man, was I upset when I realized it was missing. Oh well, it could have been my wallet. The people in Austria were also rude. I guess it’s their German demeanor. The one positive thing was they all spoke English. I hated the hotel workers in the hotel where we stayed. First, let me explain the beds are pushed together whether you sharing a room with another man or not. Next the pillows are flat, I don't even know why they even bother giving one. But the most frustrating thing was the fact that the maids disregarded the "Do Not Disturb" sign and entered my room anyway. My friends even called the front desk to make sure it wouldn't happen again. When they returned later that day to find that the maids not only were in their room, but didn't clean they were furious. They could tell they were there because the blankets were all on the floor.They immediately started checking to make sure nothing was stolen. My question is why would the maids enter their room, and do nothing unless they were looking for something? Another big disappointment was here By DAVE HARDISON EEE Wasn't much on Mozart there other than little shops called "Mostly Mozart." But I don't want to talk bad on Vienna to much because it was a beautiful city, and there were many great sites to go to. The museum I liked the best was the Haus Der Musik. It was an interactive museum, where you were able to learn about sound waves, sing, and play a few instru- ments. It also featured a section devoted to Vienna's famous composers. A main attraction of these trips is their inex- pensive fees. Had I booked the flights and reserved the hotel rooms by myself,it would have cost more. Penn State really knows how to save students money. As long as it’s not Penn State that you're pay- ing. Copy Editor: Editor-In-Chief: Managing Editor: Gerry Dungan Stephen Watson Jennifer Rufo Photography Editor: Matthew Kelly Business Manager: Matthew Aragona Contributing Staff: Katie News, Dan Delaney, Lauren O'Neil, Martin Beatty, Sean Orner, Amanda Hinkle, Kimberly Ruff, Julia Hagan, Charlotte Barr, Kevin Krauss, Andrew Walter, Quinetta Wilson Contact the Lion’s Eye: JLR397@psu.edu or 610-892-1258
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