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The weather outside is nasty, but I saw a flock of robins when I was walking my dog in the foothills above Centerville over the weekend. I also have tulips and daffodils poking up on the south side of the house. So no matter the snow, no matter what the groundhog said, spring is sneaking up on us. Final proof is the fact that the Legislature has only two and a half weeks left. It’s a law of nature that when the Legislature is over, spring is here.
A Quick History of Valentines Day
By Mani Niall
In 5th Century Rome, mid-February was traditionally the time of the Lupercian Festival, an ode to the god of fertility and a celebration of sensual pleasure, a time to meet and court a prospective mate. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan festival. But he was clever to replace it with a similar celebration, although one deemed morally suitable. He needed a "lover's" saint to replace the pagan deity Lupercus. The martyred Bishop Valentine was chosen as the patron saint of the new festival.
Saint Valentine had been beheaded for helping young lovers marry against the wishes of the mad emperor Claudius. Before execution, Valentine had himself fallen in love with his jailer's daughter. He signed his final note to her, “From your Valentine," a phrase that has lasted through the centuries. Pope Gelasius didn't get everything he wanted. The pagan festival died out, it is true, but he had further hoped people would emulate the lives of saints. Instead, people latched onto the more romantic aspects of Saint Valentine's religious life. Eventually, the day set aside to celebrate true love became known as Valentine's Day.
Valentine joke from a 5-year-old: Why do valentines have hearts on them? Because spleens would look pretty gross!
UVSC and Academic Freedom
Apparently still smarting from reaction to the whole Michael Moore controversy, leaders at Utah Valley State College are publicly seeking understanding. The Moore visit created a media circus and was undoubtedly a good educational experience for the students, but it apparently has hurt the college’s fundraising, its reputation with all-important legislators, and a lot of people in the community. President William A. Sederburg and David R. Keller, director of the study of ethics, published an op-ed piece in the Tribune Sunday defending the “moral direction” of the school. With relatively few Utah County high school graduates getting into BYU, UVSC has become the go-to college in Utah County and lots of people expect it to maintain BYU-like standards.
Virginia Senate Rejects Crack Crisis
Who was it that said the states are the "laboratories of democracy"? Well, laboratory experiments sometimes fail, and we think there was a bad moon risin' in Virginia. Norfolk freshman delegate to the Virginia General Assembly Algie Howell, Jr., introduced a bill to battle another kind of "crack" crisis, targeting people who wear "low riding" pants which show their underwear in a "lewd or indecent manner." Howell said he was spurred to action by customers in his barber shop who were offended at young people who wear their trousers low, exposing their underwear. "That's why they're called 'undergarments,'" Howell, a Democrat, said. "They're supposed to be worn under something."
Aside from petty details like "enforcement" and "how low is low," our question is -- does this apply to plumbers? Aesthetically, one hopes so. But, alas, the Senate rejected the measure. (Source: The Federalist Patriot)
Reader Response
John Yewell, who writes essays for the Sunday Tribune and will soon launch a Weblog, sent along this note about my little Friday treatise about wanting to become “an old eccentric”:
“Had to laugh at your Casual Friday note. My advice on the eccentric thing: The reason there are so few of them -- us? -- is that there's no money in it. I say stick to your knitting -- and do the dishes from time to time. As Mark Twain is reported to have said about ‘doing the right thing’: It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
Practice-Building Tip
A fellow walks into a post office to see a middle-aged, balding man standing at the counter methodically placing "Love" stamps on bright pink envelopes with hearts all over them. He then takes out a perfume bottle and sprays scent all over them. The curious fellow goes up to the balding man and asks what he’s doing. The man says, "I'm sending out 1,000 Valentine cards signed, 'Guess who?'"
"But why?" asks the fellow.
"I'm a divorce lawyer," the man replies.
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