Career fair, T.O., politics, oh my!

All the news that's fit to blog...

The leaves are turning colors, the semester is nearly halfway over, and the Career Fair is reminding us seniors that we really need to pump up our résumés.

The first round of Teach for America applications are due soon. The LSATs and GREs are just around the corner. Let the nervous breakdowns commence.

But despite the conversations that permeate our early morning chats with the guys or girls sitting next to us in class, there are a few other minor things going on in the world. Here’s the weekly roundup.

Leading on CNN was the suicide attempt by Terrell Owens. The fact that at least two people were taken hostage at a Colorado high school got second billing.

Apparently, people are more likely to read about T.O. than more legitimate news. Flashy newsreels draw people in to the latest celebrity trial or crisis: A big celeb is on her deathbed, news at 11.

Didn’t catch ex-President Bill Clinton jumping down the throat of Fox anchor Chris Wallace? Don’t worry, YouTube has it covered. If he gets this mad at a journalist, we wonder what he’d say to President Bush.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings wants state universities to take standardized testing. Yeah, that will work.

On to that big Senate race taking place in Pennsylvania. You may have heard of the contestants, Rick Santorum and Bob Casey. Casey’s up by 12 points in the latest Quinnipiac Poll. He may have a reputation for being dull, but if nothing changes between now and Election Day, we may have a new Senator come November.

Then there’s that Gubernatorial race where Lynn Swann is trying to stay within striking distance of Gov. Ed Rendell. Campaign finance, debates, oh my! For all things Pennsylvania politics, go to Morning Call Capitol Bureau chief John Micek’s Capitol Ideas.

My blog can beat up your blog

It’s funny how one little thing can spark a big debate.

About two weeks ago, there was a column about the new Survivor series (you know, where they segregate the tribes by race), and the writer made a mention of the Confederate flag, inferring that only racists flew it.

Well, regardless of the Confederate flag, I was pleasantly surprised with the debate it sparked in our letters to the editor section. We’ve been handling two or three letters a day about the symbolism behind the Stars and Bars, and it’s great.

It’s nice to see students be passionate about something. Whether it’s abortion or the Confederate flag, or the pope’s most recent comments, Penn State students are getting up on their soapboxes —nice.

Hopefully you’ve all been keeping up with the news lately so that you can write in letters and express your minds.

Here are some of the more interesting news from the past week:

A drunken Chinese tourist bit a panda. Yeah, you read that right… I mean I guess it’s okay because the panda bit him first, but still, who goes to the zoo drunk?

A Nigerian girl is getting the opportunity to "experience" space. Stella Felix was chosen out of a pool of around 400 students to take a flight in a special Boeing aircraft that will simulate what it feels like to be in outer space. The program is hosted by the Houston-based Spaceweek International Association.

This is a great opportunity, and Felix deserves a ton of credit for her accomplishment, but when 70 percent of the Nigerian population lives on two dollars a day, couldn’t the money for this flight have been put to a better use? How about some new school books, or clothing?

The third premature infant died last week at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after being given an adult dosage of blood thinner. The accident was caused by a pharmacy technician who accidentally stored adult doses in the neonatal unit’s drug cabinet. This is horrible. Besides the fact that the pharmacy technician screwed up, don’t you think the person applying the medication should be well versed enough in dosages to realize something was wrong? What a tragic accident.

If you liked what you’ve read, then that’s awesome — you should write in and compliment us. If we offended you, even better! Write in and express your viewpoint. Don’t worry, we’re not too proud to publish a letter bashing us. Also, any suggestions? We’re new at this blogging thing, feel free to give us some pointers: collegianletters@psu.edu.

Here's what you may have missed.....

Welcome to the first edition of "All the News That's Fit To Blog," The Daily Collegian's weekly news blog by Opinion Page editors Kathleen Haughney and Alex Muller.

In this blog, we'll remind you of recent news and tell you about all the headlines you may have missed this week, whether it's campaign news or celebrity gossip. So with that said, we begin...

What does it take to anger a bunch of college-age kids?

Well, a few things.

Try telling students they can't drink during game time or letting them know they can't bring food to class. Or, watch them log on to Facebook only to find that their "friends" now know their every Facebook action.

That's just a sampling of news that happened right here at Penn State this week.

Other things you may have missed?

The President used the 9/11 anniversary to remind voters that we were making an impact in Iraq. Have we found Osama bin Laden yet?

And in case you wondered how various people know what you're talking about in private, the Senate Judiciary Committee just approved a bill that would allow the Bush administration to continue its wire tapping program.

But in really serious news, Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown are on the rocks. So sad.

But in happier news, it's a boy!