The Lion’s Eye - LJ 1. TA. % October 22, 2008 Histo ry of By: Caitlin Olszewski Lion's Eye Staff Writer c005024@psu.edu ‘Halloween, a day in which people dress up as demons and pop cul- ture icons while stuffing their faces with candy, is a holiday that was, surprisingly, not invented by the Hallmark Corpora- tion. What Americans today know as Hal- loween is actually a melting pot of 2,000 years of different traditions from various countries. The earliest record of Halloween goes back to the Celtic New Year. For the Celts, November 1st marked the begin- ning of their harvest and the time of year that was associated with death and the darkness of autumn. In order to honor the dead, on October 31st Celts celebrated the Festival of Samhain. During this event the Celts told fortunes around bon fires and gave up sacrifices to lost souls. The Celts also believed that during this time spirits and ghosts could transport to the living world, so they be- gan to dress as ghouls or in animal skins, to avoid being recognized as humans. Fearful of ghosts, the Celts placed various foods at their doorsteps in order to bribe the spirits into not harming them, which started the tradition of trick- or-treating. In latter years, a pumpkin lantern to ward off evil spirits accompa- nied the food and was then dubbed the Jack-O-Lantern. . The various symbols associated with Halloween, such as bats, zombies, mummies and devils, became popular due to classic horror movies and anything that inspires fear. Through such films as - Dracula, Frankenstein and Night of the Living Dead many symbols and motifs of Halloween became popularized. Although Halloween has be- come slightly commercialized, its rich history is still prevalent in many civiliza- tions. So, on October 31st when you put that Joker costume on or reach for that candy corn, remember to thank the Celts for this truly horrific holiday. By: Jill Marabella Lion's Eye Editor jdm5379@psu.edu On Oct. 8th the PA General As- sembly passed House Bill 2525, which was then signed into law by Gov. Rendell on Oct. 9. This bill—called the ‘puppy mill bill’—will greatly improve conditions for dogs kept and sold in Pennsylvania’s large- scale commercial breeding facilities. PA Rep. Bryan Lentz (D)—from the 161 district of Delco—-and PA Rep. Tom Killion (R)—from the 168 district of Delco—were among many House and Sen- ate members to work across party lines to help pass the bill. : Rep. Lentz’s assistant, Kim Hickey, a graduate of Penn State Brandy- wine, said Lentz’s office was swamped with emails from constituents showing their support for the bill. “We had 15 thousand letters come in total for the House,” said Hickey. She said letters from constituents also poured in for senators, in support of the bill. - “We actually almost crashed the Senate website because they got 33 thou- sand letters the day the bill was passed.” Instrumental in helping to get the ‘puppy bill mill’ passed was DogPAC, a political action committee responsible for SavingP- uppies.com. It was through SavingPuppies. com, says Hickey, that many people were “The Juice possibly down to its last Drop” The 0.J Simpson Verdict : By: Christian Varalli Lion's Eye Staff Writer cad5241@psu.edu Is O.J. Simpson spending the rest of his life in prison? Possibly. Simpson and his partner in crime, Clarence Stewart, pleaded guilty to 12 different charges that included armed robbery and kidnapping. Simpson if convicted of all 12 charges, at the age of 61, could very possibly spend the rest of his remaining years behind bars. When interviewing William Dunn, sophomore at Penn State Brandywine, he boldly stated, “It’s about time O.J. is going away and possibly for good. He has been spending the last few years of his life trying to dodge any bullet that came his way, even when he was accused of killing his wife, and now a bullet finally caught him”. After 13 hours of back and forth discussions, the jury finally came up with the decision. The decision didn’t go exactly how Simpson and Stewart would have wanted. This decision, made on Friday, October 3, was exactly 13 years to the day that Simp- son was accused of killing his wife, Nicole Simpson, in 1995. | After the verdicts have been read the Judge had refused to post a bail for Simpson, even refused to give him access to cable while being held. Simpsonthen gave his sister a hug, and was then placed in handcuffs and taken away. Simpson will be held in custody until his further sentencing on December 5th. O. J. Simpson, second from right, standing with attorneys (photo courtesy of Associated Press) made aware of the terrible dog abuse taking place in Pennsylvania’s puppy mills and were also given an outlet to contact their representatives and senators in support of the bill. “Without that web site, that bill, PUPPIES com SavingPuppies.com (courtesy of DogPAC) With support from public, ‘puppy mill bill’ passes in PA it wouldn’t have gotten passed, because nobody would’ve known what a big issue it was,” said Hickey. Started on Sept. 8, 2008, SavingP- uppies.com, as of Oct. 2, 2008, has earned $29 thousand dollars in donations. Thomas Hickey Sr., Kim Hickey’s father, and founder of DogPAC in Jul. 2008, was named to the state’s Dog Law Advisory Board, when Governor Ed Rendell replaced its members almost two years ago. Hickey along with other board members was asked by Gov. Rendell to put together a legisla- tive proposal that would help end dog abuse through puppy mills in Pennsylvania. In advocating for those who have no voice, DogPAC and PA’s Dog Law Advi- sory Board have seen support and success in getting passed into legislation House Bills 2525, 2532 and 499. These laws will double the floor space of dog cages, require solid-surface flooring for all cages, outlaw stacked cages, require a veterinarian to check each dog at least one time a year or during each pregnancy, outlaw surgery and euthanasia by owners, and deny kennel licenses to individuals convicted of animal cruelty. In addition, the bills mandate that all kennel operators are to uphold humane conditions such as adhering to temperature controls in the kennels, making water avail- able to the dogs at all times, and providing the dogs with outdoor exercise. These laws are not aimed at target- ing small scale breeders and would only ap- ply to facilities housing 60 or more animals. OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH AT YOUR CAMPUS BOOKSTORE!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers