The Crier Thursday, February 14,2008 Issue 18 Spring 2008 1957-2007 An Afternoon with Eric Massa By Michael Coates Many of us come from New York’s 29th district, which includes Schuyler, Steuben, Chemung, Allegany, Yates and parts of Monroe and Ontario counties. Elmira, Corning, and Watkins Glen all fall within the 29th, and our present Congressman, Randy Kuhl, is up for re-election in the fall. On Thursday, February 7th, I sat down with his opponent, Mr. Eric Massa of Corning, to discuss his campaign and his positions on some of the issues facing our district in the upcoming congressional election. Mr. Massa is a former naval commander and spent a large part of his impressive military career in the Middle East, “from Alexandria to Oman,” as he put it, and he said some things that surprised me. The Middle East has been portrayed to us in the news and by our politicians as an inherently hostile place, a region of the world where it is absolutely unsafe to be an American, and it is - now. But according to Massa, there was a time when America was very popular with Middle Easterners - before the war in Iraq. As a man who holds “a masters degree in waging war” from the Navy War College, Mr. Massa is no stranger to the tactical and strategic necessities of waging a war on foreign soil. When asked about the current situation in Afghanistan, he said that our policy had been disastrous from day one in large part due to two major shortcomings - that the Bush administration ignored the lessons of the first Gulf War and of Bosnia, and that they allowed themselves to become distracted by a disastrous war in Iraq. Like many former soldiers, he was modest when I brought up his military record, saying of his career that “it was something that happened to me, not because of me.” When asked about his military experience in comparison to that of most of the nations politicians, he said that military service was not necessary, or even always desirable, in our republic: “We have today the fewest number of veterans serving in the United States Congress than we have ever had.... As military service becomes less and less universal, as a smaller percentage of the population has served in the military, were seeing that reflected in those who represent us in Congress.” That, and veterans don’t usually have the "millions of dollars” necessary to run for Congress. As Mr. Massa put it,“Veterans don’t have money, and the number one issue today in a race at the federal level like Congress, is money. It takes millions of dollars to run a Congressional campaign, and veterans are not a constituency that has deep pockets...” But there is a need for some military experience among members of Congress, especially while the nation is enmeshed in a “war of occupation and attrition” in Iraq. We need that experience to “ask the tough questions,” and to ensure that the people have adequate representation. Story continues on page 8 & 9... Inside: Proposed Smoking Areas Check out a map of the areas where you may be able to smoke on campus. Page 2 Benefit for Adam Weaver Find out about the basket raffle to benefit CCC student Adam Weaver who was injured in a car accident on February 1st. Page 3 Flashback Take a trip down memory lane with a reprint from a past issue of The Crier. Page 6 Weekly Column Safety Synopsis Find out what the Department of Public Safery has been up to. Page 7 Weekly column Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 2 Proposed Smoking Areas By Anthony Popkin Since the Fall Semester, an initiative was taken by the President of the College to make Corning Community College the first public community college to become smoke free in the state of New York. As could be expected, there was an outcry of supporters and critics. Since the initiative was put into place, a small number of groups on campus have come to support the President, but there has not been a wide range of support as hoped for originally. As a step towards going smoke free in the campus, the Joint Council has developed a proposed plan where smoking areas are specified at all on/off campus locations. Please review the below map and proposed smoking areas and give your comments and feedback to your Student Association Government Assembly. You can stop by SAGA offices in the lower level of the Commons or e-mail your comments and concerns to cccsenate@corning-cc.edu. Proposed smoking areas for Corning Community College locations: Spencer Hill Campus: the map below shows the parking lots in which smoking will be permitted. Those lots are marked A, B, C, D, E, F H and I. Physical Plant: parking lot will be marked with blue line designating the outside two rows of the parking lot as smoking area. Airport Corporate Park: smoking permitted in parking lots beyond the median that contains the flag pole Business Development Center: smoking permitted in parking lot across the alley. Goff Road: parking lot will be marked with blue line designating smoking areas beyond 200 feet from the building. Elmira Center: parking lot will be marked with blue line designating smoking areas beyond 200 feet from building. **A11 other off-campus sites will continue to follow the rules of said location** Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 3 Basket Raffle Benefit for CCC Student Adam Weaver CCC student Adam Weaver was in a very serious car accident Friday, February 1st in Bath, NY. He suffered a blood clot in his brain on which they performed surgery and has a contusion on his lung. He is currently at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. To help Adam’s family, Intramurals & Recreation has put together a basket raffle with all proceeds going to Adam. The basket contains: 1- Black 8C Red Boathouse pullover coat embroidered with I & R logo 1-Black zip -up hoodie embroidered with I & R logo 4- Regal movie passes 4- Crystal Cinema movie passes 4- Hornell 1,2,3 movie passes 4- Palace Theatre movie passes 4- Watkins Glen Theatre movie passes 4- Ice-skating passes (Nasser Civic Center Corning) 4- Elmira Jackals tickets for Saturday, March 1st 4- Elmira Jackals tickets for Friday, March 21st Basket value over $275. Raffle tickets: 1 ticket for $1,00 4 tickets for $3.00 7 tickets for $5.00 15 tickets for $10.00 Since Adam was a member of our CCC Men’s Soccer Team this past Fall, the Athletics Department has added a second basket to be drawn for from the raffle tickets purchased. The Red Barons Gift Pack will include: 1 - Red/white Nike full-zip jacket w/ Red Barons soccer logo 1 - Red Barons Black Hooded Sweatshirt 1 - Red Nike Duffle bag w/ CCC Soccer logo 1 - Red Barons seat cushion 1 - White Nike Hat w/ Red Barons Golf logo 1 - Black long sleeve CCC Basketball t-shirt 1 - Red Mesh CCC Soccer shorts 3 - CCC Team short sleeve t-shirts 1 - White long sleeve basketball t-shirt 1 - White long sleeve CCC Volleyball MSAC Champions t-shirt Basket value of over $250 Members of the CCC Soccer team and athletes from all sports will be taking raffle tickets around campus. This raffle is in connection with the I&R raffle. All tickets purchased will be placed in the same drawing. Raffle winner will be announced on Friday, February 15th♦ If you would like to support Adam in this raffle, please contact: Deb Prutsman Coordinator of Intramurals & Recreation prutsman@corning' cc.edu ext. 9476 Employees: Deb will have one of her student workers bring the basket to your office to view and to purchase tickets. Thanks in advance for your support! Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 4 The History of Valentine’s Day By Leah Jumper Some things never seem to change: chocolate is still a girl’s best friend, and a dozen red roses to accompany said chocolate makes the day seem extra special. For those men who really want to treat their sweetheart (and who just happen to have some money left in their wallet), a delectable dinner and a love story of a movie is certainly next on the “to do” list. After all, a girl cannot expect any less, can they? But, once upon an age, women and men did expect less— much less. This so-called “lower expectation” is found in one of the legends of Valentines Day, in the days of Ancient Rome under the reign of the Emperor Claudius II. Ancient Rome was hardly we would call an idealistic place; after all, war, blood, and death are hardly romantic. At this point in history, war was the popular state to be in, and acquiring willing soldiers was a difficulty in and of itself. For those who cannot guess why, allow me to put it into perspective. For the men, imagine your wife, or significant other, and you have been drafted into one of many wars. A few months after the war has ended, you are called upon again, and perhaps a few years after that campaign (if you have survived as of so far), your Emperor calls upon you yet again. Besides this being obviously repetitious, you have a family to take care of, and going to war time after time does not prove to be promising for those who wish to live and come home to see their wife and family again. For the women, years of war with your beloved in the middle of it is more than worrisome, and receiving news that your husband has been killed in the line of duty is a constantly foreboding thought. Because of the unwillingness to fight that was spawned from such thoughts, Claudius oudawed marriage in hopes that it would “cure” those who had become diseased with love and urge them, as single men, to fight for the glory of the Emperor and Empire. This hardly seems romantic, does it? But, the romance and the courage can be found with the man we know as St. Valentine. There were those, such as the good St. Valentine, who defied the Emperor’s decree and secretly married these young couples. This noble man was found out, and he was brought before the Prefect of Rome where he was beaten to death and then beheaded on the 14th of February. Fie became a martyr in the name of love. This seems like a rather depressing legend, and a holiday of love to celebrate it seems hardly appropriate. After all, most have forgotten about Valentine, and none are really sure which legend is true; but, if this legend is true, what better way? According to this legend, Valentine became a martyr for love. If he saw it fit to die for love, then celebrating what he died for is more than proper. So enjoy the card, the chocolates, the roses, the dinner, the movie, and enjoy celebrating the holiday. The only depressing part to be found in this holiday is found in one thing: going broke. “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Exhibit in Triangle Lounge Can art lead us from fear to trust, from isolation to community? Soulful Singer Tina Turner once asked, "And what's LOVE got to do with it ?!?” On Thursday, February 14, 2008, at 12:45pm, three noted artists from CCC’s faculty and gifted students in CCC’s Drama and Music Programs will explore HOW ART INSPIRES in CCC’s Triangle Lounge for Valentines Day. This CM Forum is free and open to the public. All are welcome. This program invites participants to view original landscape paintings of Upstate New York, to meet one of Elmira’s most famous historical personages in a scene from a brand new play and to savor song that soothes the soul in troubled times. This moving collaboration of music, theatre and visual arts will be led by CCC Professors Mary Guzzy, Instructor of Humanities, David Higgins, Associate Professor of Art, and Lee Martin, Assistant Professor of Music. Fourth in a series of Campus Ministry programs to examine HOW ART INSPIRES, it is co-sponsored by CCC’s Communications/Humanities Division & Social Science/Social Service Division. Campus Ministry Programs at CCC highlight the gifted work of students, faculty and community members and evoke considerable interest among audiences gathered. For more information, contact Chaplain Peter Ladley at 607-962-9413 or e-mail: pladley@corning-cc.edu. Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 5 Happy Corporate-Fueled Love-Fest Day By Lindsay Woodruff I was recently riding in the car with my boyfriend discussing the snow storm that closed area schools on February 14th of last year when I proudly proclaimed that I hate Valentine’s Day. He seemed slightly taken back, yet mostly curious as to how I could use such a harsh word to describe my feelings concerning what should be a somewhat joyous holiday. Though I’m used to receiving this reaction from others when I express my distaste for Valentine’s Day, somehow I felt unable to justify my claim in a logical manner on the spot. Why do I look on this holiday with such disdain? Is it due to bad past experiences? Is it because I started hating the holiday in the middle of my goth phase and I have yet to just let go of it? Is it because it falls three days before my birthday and I feel it steals my thunder? Maybe all of these are true, but I still believe there is something more. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that importance of the economics involved with holidays. As my dad always says, “The most important thing in the world is the jing” (which, to clarify, means money). My issue here is simply with the traditions. Then again, my Valentine’s Day traditions consist of giving the day a theme, (my favorite being “Black and Blue and Screw You Too Valentine’s Day” celebrated in 2005) and listening to nothing other than Alkaline Trio’s beautifully brooding“Enjoy Your Day” repeatedly simply because it says “Happy Valentine's Day” in the lyrics, so my customs are probably just as silly, if not more so. I like to think of my traditions as symbolic of the undeniable truth that holidays can have the stupidest rituals associated with them. Story continues on page 10... For one, Valentine’s Day is full of the most futile traditions that are desperately lacking in creativity. Buying your loved one candy seems reasonable - it’s a consumable that won’t go to waste on typical Americans, plus it’s quick and relatively cheap, and it requires no thought at all. However, it also says, “Your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight is clearly not working. Have another crappy coconut-filled piece of overpriced chocolate from this cheesy heart-shaped box.” Flowers, the next sensible option, are a tremendous waste of hard-earned cash. Sure, they’re pretty for a little while, but soon they wilt and die. While there are some girls, myself included, that will keep dead roses in their bedroom for years and call it “decoration”, most girls do not, and that pricey bouquet will soon end up in the trash. Other various gifts - jewelry, stuffed animals, perfume or cologne, whatever - just represent our natural human greed. Have you forgotten that just a mere 50 days prior was Christmas? And even if you aren’t of the Christian faith, you cannot deny partaking in the consumerism that has come to define the holiday season. And speaking of greed, let’s not forget Hallmark - don’t even get me started on corporate greed of the chocolate and card companies or that of our dear friends in advertising! Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 6 Flashback In honor of Corning Community College’s 50th Anniversary, we will be featuring one or more reprints each week from past issues of The Crier. This can be a photograph, article, letter, advertisement, factoid - anything that we can dig up in the archives! Articles are chosen each week with the assistance of Cindy Maier in the Library. These materials have not been edited or otherwise altered from their original form. Smoking ban in effect at CCC By Erika Remlinger August 31,1988 The designated areas for smoking in the Commons include the Spencer Pub and a reserved section of the caf-This fall students will feel the effects of CCC’s new smok- eteria. Student clubs are optional. Faculty members will ing policy. Smoking is not banned in all campus buildings not be permitted to smoke in their offices during posted except in designated areas of the Commons building. hours. According to CCC President Donald Hangen, “within The college staff is currently looking into programs to a few years the New York legislature will probably ban help smokers overcome their high risk habit, smoking in all public places.” Ban ignites controversy By Kirsten Hagar September 23, 1988 The new smoking policy, in effect for its fourth week, has caused some problem for students, faculty and staff members. It has also affected the appearance of the campus. Students seem to feel that when the policy was created, more student input should have been allowed. They also feel that the new policy presents some logistic problems. Since students only have ten minutes between classes, smokers have to rush over to the Commons, go downstairs to Spencer Pub, and still be on time to their next class. A student commented, “It isn’t always convenient to go to the commons just for a cigarette. There should be a designated smoking area in each building.” Student seem to feel that the designated smoking areas are impractical and that upstairs in the Commons the area is not large enough to accommodate the smoking population and so, they smoke outside. The first signs of cigarette butts appear along the walkways, on the edge of the grass, and under the trees. Moving closer to the Classroom Building, and the cigarette butts multiply and form a clutter in front of the entrance. “Smoking policy is too rigid. The grounds of the campus are beautiful and are properly taken care of. I personally don't want to put my cigarettes out on the ground,” said Marlene Poch, CCC student. Cigarette debris is also a problem in front of the Library, the Commons and the Nursing Building. There have also been some positive results with the new policy. It has been helpful to the nonsmoking population and for smokers trying to cut back or quit. In the past, when smoking was permitted in buildings, walking down the hallways could be hazardous.“People can get burned and it ruins your clothes," said Scott, a CCC student. However, there are other students who believe that smoking is a freedom of choice and that the decision to smoke should be their own. A student who stands behind this belief says, “I’m a nonsmoker, but if I wanted a cigarette that’s my choice.” Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 7 Safety Synopsis: Department of Public Safety Campus Beat All information provided in the Department of Public Safety Campus Beat is provided by Sergeant Michael Von Bevern and the information provided is not altered from its received form. 02/06/2008 9:07am Medical Emergency Public Safety Officers responded to the basement of the library for a report of a student feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Upon arrival the student was unable to be located. Officers cleared. 02/06/2008 10:10am 911 Hang Up Public Safety Officers received a 911 hang up call from the Learning Center. Officers called the extension back and discovered it was an accidental misdial and there was no emergency. Cleared scene. 02/06/2008 10:43am Miscellaneous Complaint Public Safety Officers spoke with a group of people who were smoking right outside the front doors to the Elmira Center. The subjects were advised to move down the sidewalk, farther away from the main doors. 02/06/2008 1:15pm Medical Emergency Public Safety responded to the Health Office for a report of a student who was having complications due to donating blood. Rural Metro Ambulance was contacted and Officers remained on scene until the ambulance was prepared to transport the subject. Officers cleared. Upcoming Events Thursday, February 14th - Intramurals & Recreation 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Gymnasium - Valentines Day Give-aways 7:30 a.m. - gone Find a paper teddy bear in the Commons lobby. Turn it in to the Student Life Office for a prize. - HOW ART INSPIRES “What’s love got to do with it?” 12:45 p.m. Triangle Lounge Saturday, February 16 - APC Presents A Black History Month Celebration with Yewande and the Kelly Bell Band 7:00 p.m. Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium Free and open to the comminuty, but tickets required. Tickets available in the Student Life Office - Women’s 8c Men’s Basketball vs. Finger Lakes 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. Gymnasium February 18th -22nd Semester Break Break week activities: Tuesday, February 19 th - Women’s & Men’s Basketball vs. Broome 6:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. Gymnasium - Film & Food Festival ‘"The Big Chill” 6:00 p.m. Palace Theatre, Market Street Tickets: $10 in Student Life Office The student-made binary clock, removed during the construction of the Learning Center a couple years ago, was put back up on Friday, February 1 in the Science building above the CAD classrooms. Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 8 An Afternoon with Eric Massa Continued from front page... But there is a need for some military experience among members of Congress, especially while the nation is enmeshed in a “war of occupation and attrition” in Iraq. We need that experience to “ask the tough questions,” and to ensure that the people have adequate representation. There are very few veterans in office these days - but, as Mr. Massa assured me, those veterans who are serving in our government tend to ask “tough questions - ... the right questions.” And while his experience would certainly lend a unique and qualified perspective on the state of things in the Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a considerable amount of expertise in conducting a successful war, there are many in both parties who see his career as a problem. When asked why Massa explained that: “On the liberal end of it, many are very fearful of military people going into government; on the conservative end of it, I am discounted because I don’t agree with President Bush, and therefore my military experience is almost traitorous. And when you look at the extremes, that’s the story you hear; but the reality is I’m smack in the middle, and I know I’m doing something right, because I’m angering the fringes on both sides.” While we were on the subject of Iraq, Mr. Massa expressed his regrets that the war has dropped below notice in the news - and his disgust with the trillions of dollars wasted on this administrations escapades in the Middle East. By following a very simple strategy, the Colin Powell Doctrine, he called it, which is the same strategic outline we followed in the Balkans crisis of the mid-90’s, Mr. Massa believes that we could have our troops home in eighteen months: “By recognizing that there are three semi-autonomous regions, by allowing the Iraqis to set up a federal government of their choosing, and by leaving.” As we discussed the permanent military installations built in Iraq by the Bush administration, a note of disgust crept into his voice; like many Democrats, and many of us, Massa advocates the end of our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, an end to our permanent military bases there: “We have no reason to maintain 300,000 Americans in Iraq... We’ve built military bases the cumulative size of the state of Connecticut, permanent military bases, and that’s not right. We are not an empire, we are a democracy;” Moving into other things, I asked why he decided to run for Congress. Massa replied that while many people assumed, due to his military experience, that it was the war in Iraq: “That’s not actually true... About ten years ago; I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and given four months to live. That experience is really what has drawn me into the political arena.. Every year a new generation of Americans steps into the health care market, and many of them are stunned to find out that its going to cost them eight hundred dollars a month just to go to the doctor... the American health care system is broken - its catastrophically broken, and we have 47 million Americans who don’t have health insurance, which means that we have the most expensive, least efficient health care system in the world - and there’s a better way. The problem is: are we brave enough as a nation to recognize that we can learn from other countries and actually build a better system?... It’s easy to wave the American flag, complain about the French, and say that we have the best of everything in the world when we don’t. So, it’s going to take a little bravery, and a little bit of self inspection to realize we could do this better and that’s why I'm running for Congress;” While we were on the subject, I asked if he thought either of the Democratic Presidential candidates had an inherently superior health care plan. He said that “either one of their plans is far superior to McCain, who believes in returning to a free market approach, meaning that health care is a commodity that will compete in a demand access market just like Coca Cola, Q-Tips and Quickie Lube.” Sounds like a proper capitalist answer, except that demand for health care is not constant. As Mr. Massa observed when we spoke, no one can predict when they will need to see a doctor, and who goes to see one unless they need to? As Mr. Massa put it: “Because health care can’t be modeled like other commodities, this concept of the free market approach will fail, has failed, and in fact has been rejected by 26 of the 27 industrialized nations in the world. Only we believe somehow that for-profit HMO’s are in fact securing this nation’s health care future. It’s obvious they’re not, because 47 million Americans can’t go to an HMO; so, if functionally a third of the competitive population can’t access the market, then the free market is not the answer. Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 9 As he said, Health Care is Massa's pet issue, and he speaks about it very seriously: "Every American deserves to have what every member of Congress has already given themselves, period. And I won't rest until they do.” Mr. Massa has been talking about the economy for a long time. While the Republican candidate and the Bush administration were busy lauding the robustness of the stock market, Mr. Massa was trying to explain “the reality that the underpinning of our economy, the foundation of our economy, has been destroyed... Were not facing a recession in this country; were already in a recession. Were going to have to fight to stay out of a depression.” Because of the economic blunders of the Bush administration, and the unworkable fairy tale of trickle-down economics, our nation is in serious trouble, and we need to address the problems. As we are all aware, student loans have become ridiculously expensive, and millions of Americans are teetering on the edge of foreclosure and homelessness. As Massa pointed out, our nation has not been in such terrible economic straits since the great depression of the 1930’s. And the solution, according the Massa, is to restore some of Works Progress Administration programs of President Franklin Roosevelt, in order to create a “true infrastructure reclamation project” and fix not only our economy, but our decaying highways- especially here in the 29th. We need a massive influx of infrastructure spending, both in our district and in the nation at large, according to Massa, and we need to do away with the shameless pork-barreling of Congressional earmarks. It the duty of members of Congress to return tax dollars to their constituents - but in the form of federal services like the expanded State child healthcare program, rather than bridges to nowhere or bowling alleys in Canandaigua. We next discussed the No Child Left Behind Act, which Mr. Massa calls “every child left unfunded,” and the candidate stated a fairly simple position. The program, he said, is ridiculous, and its focus on teaching tests instead of material is philosophically repugnant. “But the legislation is there, and...my best bet is to demand that it at least get funded, because in rural communities like Corning/Panted Post or Tuscarora...it's costing a tremendous amount of money just to implement this incredible unfunded mandate from Washington... The strength of the American educational system comes from the strength of the participation of local communities, not in the strength of dominance of Washington D.C. in our educational system," Massa said. As we wrapped up the interview, I asked Mr. Massa why citizens of the 29th district who are students at CCC should vote for him. “Let's be very honest:” he replied, "we live in a district where a lot of people are registered Republicans, who may have never voted for a Democrat in their entire lives because of their vision of what a Democrat is. They'd be very surprised to know that I’m an exceptionally strong supporter of the Second Amendment, that I’ve been a churchgoing man with my family my whole life...that I served for 26 years in the military, and that I enjoy working in the dirt or changing the oil in my car just as much as the next guy....If you’re sick and tired of how your government in Washington has been treating you, then you really have one thing you have to ask yourself, and that is ‘is it time to change who’s representing you? Are we going to do more of the same, and get more of what we’ve got, or are we going to try something different?”' And Mr. Massa is adamant that his campaign is something different. "I don’t accept money from corporate lobbyists- at all,” he said, “the only people that I owe an answer to are the people that I'm representing from this district.” Several times, Mr. Massa reiterated the need for change, most notably when we discussed the course of the Presidential election. While Mr. Massa spoke very highly of both Democratic candidates, his opinion of Senator McCain, who seems almost certain to take the Republican nomination, were less than charitable: "His entire vision for the future is rooted in the mind of an angry old man, whose visions come from 1972. We need a new way of doing business - his generation is done. Thank you, we’ve got to now clean up and go forward.” Central to Mr. Massa's campaign - and the entire Democratic platform - is the concept of a real and abiding change in American politics, and he seems well-prepared to deliver. Story continues on page 10... Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 10 An Afternoon with Eric Massa Continued from page 9... Eric Massa explains his position on issues such as Iraq, veterans in office, and especially health care. While in the past, it has been almost a heresy for any candidate to express even a passing respect for an opponent, Mr. Massa openly expressed agreement ith Mike Huckabee’s position on the economy. He not a Washington insider, or even a Democratic Party insider, and many of his policies seem to blur |the lines between liberal and conservative. o get involved, or just learn more about Mr. Massa’s ampaign, visit www.Massaforcongress.com, where everything from a summary of the candidates ositions on major issues to campaign photos and recorded speeches are available. To learn more about ur district, current issues facing Congress, or the ositions of the incumbent Congressman Randy Kuhl, visit either the US House of Representatives website at www.house.gov or Congressman Kuhl’s site at www.kuhl.house.gov. Happy Corporate-Fueled Love-Fest Day Continued from page 5... Here's another undeniable truth - these traditions can possibly put a lot of unfair pressure on couples that could make or break a relationship. Granted, they were somewhat logically and emotionally crippled, but I’ve known many girls who have been upset with their beaus for not making the most out of Valentine’s Day, for not making the holiday “meaningful”. But how meaningful is it to put forth a lot of effort to express your love for someone on the same exact day as everyone else is expressing theirs? You can fight for that dinner reservation or for that last box of chocolates on the shelf, but you aren’t doing it to show someone how much you care about them, you’re doing it to fulfill a social obligation that you’ve been conditioned all your life to follow. How romantic. (Cue eyeroll.) It is also true that the very existence of Valentine’s Day complicates the dating scene. I read an article on MSN last year that was very similar to this one I present you with today that outlined the ways in which the already complex ritual of dating is made all the more difficult in the first fortnight of February. Probably the most affected group of people are those who are single. If you have no potential prospects, the elaborate celebration of love around you may be the worst kind of emotional slap in the face. However, if there is someone you may be warm- ing up to, you might need to act as frigid as the February temperatures to avoid seeming desperate. Perhaps the biggest conflict is for those who prefer casual dating. Who should you see that night? What does that date mean? How do you feel about that person? How do they feel about you? Talk about complicated! Maybe your best bet is to stay in that night and commit only to Ben and Jerry. Essentially, Valentine’s Day is primarily an excuse for enhanced social interaction that may result in happiness, disappointment, or self-loathing. Remind me why that's different than any other day? Because we celebrate love in the name of a Saint? Because it’s been designated as a day where it's socially encouraged to express love? If you truly love someone, why not show them when it’s least expected? Isn't that when love is at its strongest? Yes, I realize that I’m cynical. This doesn’t bother me. But I will throw this out there in an attempt to make myself seem somewhat human - Roses are my favorite flower. I have been known to save greeting cards. I like going out to dinner. I am a big fan of fine jewelry. I like romance as much as the next girl. But if I open the door to a suitor on Valentine’s Day who tries to get me to buy into this socially organized love-fest, he might not receive what could be considered a typical response. Save it for a day when you truly feel it, not on a day when our culture tells you that you should. Or better yet, save it for my birthday. Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 11 Dear Editor: I have seen lately through the news how drastic our nation’s focus has changed. We hear of Clinton and Obama fighting nice, which states they are winning over, and who may or may not stay in the race for the presidency. Aside from politics, there’s Britney Spears’ latest meltdown, which hospital she is being committed to and who gets custody of her children. Did we forget about the thousands of brave soldiers still fighting the war on terror in Iraq and Afghani stan? It certainly can be draining and heartbreaking to read about how many soldiers have died this month from IED’s and car bombings, or how many Iraqis have died trying to save their country along with us. But those men and women are enduring this world we only read and hear about, everyday. The war personally affects me because my husband has been deployed in Iraq for eight months so far. I think about him and his fellow soldiers constantly: how they are doing, where are they today, when do I get to talk to him next? I don’t expect everyone to surround their lives and thoughts around this war we so desperately want to end. Just remember it’s still happening and those soldiers still need our support and prayers. It is our job to make sure they know we are still behind them in spite of our busy lives. SUPPORT THE TROOPS! Sincerely, Angela Hale Mr. Arndt - I must disagree with some of the facts and many of the opinions you express in the 2-8-08 edition of the Crier. As a member of the Gaffer District Board of Directors, I know and have worked with both Mr. Ryckman and Chief Trentanelli. And although parking regulations and enforcement do not fall under the direct purview of the Gaffer District, they are integral to the opera tions and success of the district. If you are so inclined, I would be happy to discuss with you why the regulations are the way they are. While on the sur face, the parking regulations and their enforcement may seem draconian, I can assure you that there are both good reasons and intentions behind them. Call, email, or stop by the studio any time. Dave Rochelle Media Services Administrator/ Communications Instructor The Crier Staff Editor Student Lindsay Woodruff Association Lindsay Woodruff Representative Photographers Vazmenko Bondulic Assistant Editor Amanda Morse Alexander Coates Reporters Anthony Popkin Treasurer Elise Eberhardt Michael Coates Leah Jumper Lindsay Woodruff Secretary Meagan Marsh Advisor Anthony Popkin Paul McNaney Thursday, February 14,2008 Page 12 MID-DAY MEDITATION: listening in silence WEDNESDAYS 12:15 - 12:45 pm ROOM: R213 BEGINS JANUARY 16, 2008 CONTINUES THROUGH MAY 7TH ALL CCC STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF WELCOME refresh body, mind and spirit! 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