Friday, February 11, 2011 Print Edition

April 16, 2011 Schedule of Events 9:40 a.m. @ Alumni Mall 3.2 Mile Run in Remembrance

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. @ Holtzman Alumni Center Memorial Exhibit and Slide Show

11:30 a.m. @ the Drillfield Community Picnic

Midnight @ Memorial: Ceremonial Candle Lighting

7:30 p.m. @ Memorial University Commemoration and Candlelight Vigil

Auditorium, Graduate Life Center Video of April 17, 2007 Convocation

11:59 p.m. @ Memorial Extinguishing of Candle Ceremony

Virginia Tech recently announced its tentative plans for its upcoming 2011 Day of Remembrance on April 16.

This year’s commemoration will be the first to fall on a Saturday.

The day will commence with a ceremonial candle lighting at midnight. The candle will remain lit until 11:59 p.m.

The morning will feature a 3.2 mile run starting up at 9:40 a.m. Sponsored by Tech’s department of recreational sports, commemorative shirts will be given to the first 4,000 who register online for the race. Sign-up for the race is free.

The run will be followed by a community picnic on the Drillfield starting at 11:30 a.m.

Several events will commemorate victims of the shootings throughout the afternoon, including a memorial exhibit at the Holtzman Alumni Center and a continuous screening of the April 17, 2007 convocation in the auditorium of the Graduate Life Center.

The day will culminate with a candlelight vigil at 7:30 p.m. at the April 16 memorial.

-news staff

DANIELLE BUYNAK / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Friday, February 11, 2011

An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

www.collegiatetimes.com

COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 16

News, page 4

People & Clubs, page 5

Opinions, page 2

Sports, page 8

Classifieds, page 6

Sudoku, page 6

New dining hall breaks ground SARAH WATSON news reporter Voracious students stumbling out of academic buildings craving a gourmet meal will be satisfied in 2012 by a new dining hall, Turner Place.

Virginia Tech recently broke ground on the three-story, 90,000-square-foot multipurpose dining and academic that will be located on the academic side of campus on Old Turner Street next to the ICTAS building.

The $35.7 million project will include 8 restaurants and seat up to 700 patrons.

“Being on the academic side, we envision this facility being very popular,” said Ted Faulkner, current associate director of dining services.

Rick Johnson, former director of housing and dining in an interview in January 2009 said the two-floor dining area would be “super busy” once open because of its location near academic buildings. In addition to the 700 seats inside the building, there will be a heated patio designed to provide extra seating during colder months of the year, along with a walk-up, outdoor ordering window on the second floor for students in a rush.A 200-seat dinCOURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH ing area dedicated to the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is also planned for the These conceptual drawings from January 2009 show the location of the new dining hall, recently christened Turner Place. The building, as first floor. Johnson said in 2009 that this seen in the map above, will be the only dining hall on the academic side of campus, located between the ICTAS building and Randolph Hall. area would help replace Shultz Hall, as the current corps dining facility will be turned over to the performing arts center renovation project slated to begin sometime this year.

Johnson said the dining room is designed with long tables to “preserve the traditions of the corps all eating together.”

The cadets eat dinner together four nights per week.

The process of adding a dining facility to the academic part of campus, according to Faulkner, began several years ago when a consulting firm visited the Tech campus and surveyed students.

It became clear that students wanted a Qdoba and other restaurants that will appear in Turner Place, Faulkner said.

“We’re not trying to duplicate things that we’re already doing,” Faulkner said.

With this in mind, dining services is blending chain restaurants and other non-franchised options. Jamba Juice, a full-size Qdoba and Bruegger’s Bagels COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH will be anchors of the dining hall.

Attached to Bruegger’s Bagels will be Left, a conceptual drawing shows the outside of the three-story 90,000-square-foot building. Right, a drawing shows plans for a Japanese an outdoor patio area and a walk-up teppanyaki grill, which will feature a sushi bar and cooking in front of the table. The grill will be the first of its sort on a university campus. window for orders on the go.

“Students can go (to Bruegger’s Bagels) without having to deal with crowds and finding a seat,” Faulkner said.

Located on the first floor will be Stanger Street Pies, an Italian-style restaurant with a wood fire, brick oven for “upscale pizzas” and pasta dishes, according to Faulkner. Bistro 412 will also be located on the ground floor of the facility, offering traditional southern flare, along with a grilling area that uses real wood to cook. Bistro 412 is named after the future address of Turner Place.

On the second floor, students will find Le Cafe, a coffee shop with baristas creating specialty beverages, a crepe bar and an area with gelato that is made onsite. It will also include a grab-and-go section similar to DXpress. Also on the second floor will be a Japanese grill with a sushi bar, along with Soup Garden, which will serve a variety of soups, tossed salads and artisan breads.

In January 2009, Johnson said he was especially proud of the Japanese grill and the Qdoba.

“This will be the first Japanese grill on a university campus as we understand right now,” he said.

The grill area will be able to seat 40 people at a time. Chefs will cook at the table in front of diners, similar to the setup of Kabuki Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi in Christiansburg, Johnson said.

He also said that the Qdoba would be the first to be featured on a college campus as part of a student meal plan.

“Qdoba is very excited for this contract,” Johnson said. “They usually like to be really close to a college campus, but for us to be able to get them on campus is very exciting.”

The third floor of the building will feature six multi-purpose classrooms that Johnson described in 2009 as medium size, able to seat between 50 and 75 students. The office for Services for Students with Disabilities will also find a new home on the third floor of the building.

The building is being designed according to sustainability guidelines governed by LEED. A resolution passed by the Board of Visitors in June 2009 states that all new buildings constructed on campus will be up to the standards of at least a “silver” LEED rating.

“This is a state of the art facility that’s going to be cutting edge,” Faulker said.

-associate news editor liana bayne contributed to this report.

Tech to require all users to change passwords annually SARAH WATSON news reporter Virginia Tech is making an attempt to ramp up cyber-security by requiring more than 100,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni to change login passwords for all university accounts by July 1.

Everyone operating a Tech account must change their passwords, including their PIDs, Hokie ID and Oracle ID by July 1. Passwords must then be changed once a year for the remainder of that account’s activity.

Earving L. Blythe, the chief information officer at Tech, set the parameters for this initiative in consultation with the Board of Visitors.

This new mandate aims to meet a requirement set by the state of Virginia that anyone using state computers must change their password every 90 days unless they show a business need to not do so. According to Randy Marchany, university IT security officer, Tech presented the need for password alterations to coincide with the academic calendar, allowing these changes to occur once a year.

If those with university accounts do not change their passwords, on July 2 they will be notified that their passwords have expired and they will be redirected to a password change screen, according to Marchany.

Another reason for this directive is to protect the users of these accounts. Over the past few years, Marchany has noticed a consistent issue of e-mail passwords being cracked and used to send spam and junk mail.

“It’s not a big problem, but it’s a persistent problem,” Marchany said.

Students are at risk of contracting viruses spread through e-mail or facing changes in information on their MyVT account if someone breaks into their accounts. If an individual manages to crack the password of a faculty or staff member, grades, rosters, tax forms and other information can be viewed and altered.

“

We’re doing our best to make sure people change their passwords, and strengthen them.

RANDY MARCHANY UNIVERSITY IT SECURITY OFFICER

“This is a preemptive effort to protect ourselves,” Marchany said.

Information Technology is taking this time to educate users on safe computing habits.

According to Marchany, there are passwordguessing programs that are preloaded with dictionaries that can guess upwards of 50 passwords per second.

“We’re doing our best to make sure people change their passwords and strengthen them,” Marchany said.

IT has also created password strength rules that require passwords to be at least 8 characters long. If a password does not meet the strength requirements, the user must choose a new password.

“Our goal is to eliminate trivial passwords,” Marchany said.

Creating an

UNCR

E L B A ACK Password

username: Strong_passwords

username: Passwords_should

password:

password:

- are at least eight g characters long

- not be an alphabetic or numeric series

-

- not be a string of identical numbers or letters

-

GOHOKIES combine the first letters of words or phrases VATECHOKI include at least one symbol or number y G0_H0K1E$

no ABCDEF or 123456 no AAAAAA or 111111 - not be a common keyboard shortcut no ASDFGH or QWERTY - not be your name/userid/any variation no JONDOE or EODNOJ - not be any words easily associated with you no HOKIES or VTECH

- mix case i using i g upper and d lower l

username: Password_formula

- not be a common dictionary word password: username: Maintain_security

1. Select a four-letter word

tech 1872 3. Intermingle the numbers and letters 7t2h8e1c 4. Capitalize a letter.

7t2H8e1c

password:

2. Select a four-digit number

-

by using different passwords for each account by changing passwords at regular intervals by never writing your passwords down by never sharing your passwords with others DANIELLE BUYNAK / COLLEGIATE TIMES

2 valentine’s day

news editors: philipp kotlaba, liana bayne, gordon block newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

february 11, 2011

Importance of love needs to be recognized, understood out to write a column on love and Ihavesetits place in our current society. I could begun with some quote or story about the beauty and magnificence of love but as I stared at this blank screen my mind drew the same. I searched through quotation Web pages, books of poetry, philosophy on love desperately trying to find that one-liner that would really illustrate what I wanted to express — to no avail.

As I failed over and over trying to find something to begin this column, I realized the story of trying to find that beginning was the best one I had. This failed attempt to express what I already know and finally the surrender to that ignorance seems to me to be the best expression of love I could find.

As everyone knows, Monday is Valentine’s Day. The one day a year where everyone who is in a relationship is supposed to show their partner how much they appreciate them and the day where everyone who is single gets to see what they do not have blatantly thrown right into their face. I do not want anyone to think I am hating on Valentine’s Day — quite the opposite. I have always loved getting Valentine cards and free candy from people I barely know.

In a way, Valentine’s Day is that Halloweenish pick-me-up following the depressing post-Christmas phase when the magic of the holidays is over and our New Year’s resolutions are long since broken. Under normal circumstances, I would love to keep a holiday in this same time of year just for those reasons. But I have never been able to

understand why people feel the need to make a day about a way of life.

Love is like freedom, you always long for it when it is not there and are constantly hurt by it when it is. It is a way of life, a manner of approaching the world. It is the way the universe has of throwing us a bone given the circumstances we are all thrown into (please forgive the existentialist overtones).

Of course, it is not enough for people to leave it at that. Like we do with almost everything else that should be left silent, we need to plaster it on billboards and paper cards, candy hearts and lapel pins. We need to make a spectacle of it, while perverting it into a clown to dance for our joy.

In the process of this, all we now all love everything. We love our TVs, sports teams, cell phones, video games, schools, neighborhoods, books and people we would barely consider friends. We have given love so much meaning, so as to encompass everything, that in the process we have stripped it of all meaning.

The famous Greek playwright Aristophanes told a story of creation in Plato’s Symposium. The idea is, individual people at the beginning of time were really two people fused together, but when the people planned to threaten the authority of the gods ,Zeus cut them in two.

And so here we are several millennia later, and we are living a life with the purpose of finding our missing half — that other person to make us whole.

Aristophanes called this search for our other half “love.” Even though the story

itself may be rather bizarre and absurd, I think it is important. Honestly, I cannot say that having my cell phone on me or finishing a book that really touched me made me whole.

Perhaps, instead of loving everything ,we should reserve our love for something. We all know how difficult it is to find “true love” these days but maybe that is because we have cheapened love to such a level that we no longer know when we have it. Or maybe it is so hard to find “true” love because in our world of loving everything the idea of loving just one thing seems wrong and outdated.

We are a species that strives for the absolute and universal and though this may do fine with universal laws of gravity or metaphysical principles, is it so wrong to keep one thing focused on the particular?

In one of my usual articles I would be wrapping up my argument at this point hoping to have convinced some and anger others. Not this time. I make no argument here but simply submit this for your consideration for you to make of what you will.

I’ll just leave you with this last thought — the apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians wrote of love: “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” How many things in our life can we say really do that?

JASON CAMPBELL -regular columnist -sophomore -philosophy major

COLLEGIATETIMES

Our Views [staff editorial]

Showing appreciation important every day, including Valentine’s eware the ides of March.” The second most famous B line in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” (second only to the timeless Latin, “Et tu, Brute?”), proved to be a fatal prophecy for the character for whom the play is named.

Even the great Caesar was doomed by ignoring the foretold fate in the middle of the month. In modern times however, most men rue the halfway mark of the month prior to March, Feb. 14 – St. Valentine’s Day. Stress. Annoyance. Frustration. These are just some of the words guys use to describe their feelings toward Valentine’s Day. It’s not something most men look forward to — albeit with less trepidation than Caesar faced March 15.

It’s not as if there aren’t reasons for these feelings; excessive commercialism, conformity, and distaste for being expected to give a gift on a particular day simply because something is written in fine print on our calendars. To an extent, these are valid objections. But it’s not as if commercialism isn’t part of other holidays we gladly celebrate (Christmas comes to mind), and as for conformity, we have no problem dressing up for Halloween.

Still, we’re able to get past these grievances and find our own special way of enjoying the holiday season with family and friends, and Halloween with an M.C. Hammer clock and a red Solo cup. Perhaps, then, we resent the idea that our culture commands us to reserve a special day for our significant other. But is that really a damnable offense? To quote Shakespeare, “me thinks thou doth protest too much.”

Father’s Day and Mother’s Day come and pass each year without much grumbling about obligations. Instead we focus on celebrating the people who raised us and made us who we are. We see these days as convenient reminders of how much we owe to the people who brought us into this world, and make special arrangements for dinner or brunch to remind them of our gratitude. But Valentine’s Day, a day, for those who are married, to celebrate the single most important person in their life, is dismissed out of hand.

True, married people have their anniversaries, which are admittedly much more significant than Feb. 14. But if

we really love someone as much as we say we do on our anniversaries, is it really enough to have only one day to set aside to remind each other how much we care? Life is busy, work is overwhelming and sometimes we can forget to show our love on a daily basis (if you don’t believe that, just look at the national divorce rate). There can be no harm in a national holiday to remind us to take time not only to love each other, but to actually show it.

Unmarried couples, which more accurately describe most college couples, have even more reason to celebrate Valentine’s. In the absence of a formal anniversary (some may count the day they started dating), Valentine’s is a convenient substitute, especially in longer relationships.

Again, it reminds us to consider how much we care about the person we are with and why we are with them, and again, if we really care as much as we say we do, then how could one extra day to remind us to show it hurt?

Many couples will likely not extravagantly celebrate this Valentine’s Day, and with good cause: economic hardships, unchangeable commitments (a test the following day, for example) and the simple fact that the day falls on a Monday are solid reasons not to take your girlfriend out to dinner for three hours on Feb.14.

Still, it seems obvious that in our cynicism, we’ve really missed the point. We don’t have to celebrate on Valentine’s Day itself; the weekend before or after is fine. It doesn’t have to be prime rib and wine; the cozy atmosphere of the Rivermill and a Tech hockey game in Roanoke are surely more than enough to show how much you care.

If we really truly love someone, then we should strive to show that love to them every moment of every day — even the Valentine’s cynics can agree on this.

Obviously that is an unachievable goal. We all have rough days, get caught up in the daily grind and may lay our frustrations upon people who don’t deserve it. How then, could we not appreciate a day reserved for the sole purpose of reminding us to show our love for those we love the most?

Homemade celebration deserves honorable mention Holiday’s purpose cheapens relationships aybe it’s because I’m not single.

M Maybe it’s because my girlfriend and I aren’t high-end thrill seekers.

Maybe it’s because I’m relatively pragmatic.

Valentine’s Day isn’t necessarily another corporate ploy to get millions of Americans to buy cheap cards and chocolate. It is a spontaneous yet arbitrary excuse to acknowledge the relationships that have had the most impact on us during the course of the year.

My girlfriend and I are happy to spend our Valentine’s Day by being far less flashy than our peers.

Valentine’s Day 2011 will be spent in an apartment with some network television entertainment. We are going to celebrate by making a pizza from scratch — including flour and yeast — and hanging out on a Sunday night.

I’m going to be at work on Valentine’s Day itself.

We are not the gift-giving types, but I’m sure we can slap something small together as a token of our thankfulness for a good relationship. And seriously, why should we get extravagant with our gifts? We just bought each other Christmas presents less than two months ago. And even for Christmas we scaled down the grandiose consumerism that is expected.

You see, Valentine’s Day does not have to be celebrated by putting on airs for your significant other, buying cheesy cards or doing anything out of the ordinary at all. Valentine’s Day can be a more low-key event.

I am blessed to date someone who

would prefer sharing costs of dates, taking me to the movies or just staying in to save money. We are both seniors in college facing Sallie Mae’s knee-breaking henchmen or tremendous graduate school debt, so if we really want a steak, we’ll go to West End Market and put it on our meal plans.

This thrifty date is not being cheap; it is being frugal. Saving for graduate school and being honest about our modest financial positions takes precedence over another holiday filled with easily conquerable norms.

There are many social norms that college students question — from gender roles to media filtering. Valentine’s Day is not a day that is so hallowed in our society’s collective psyche that ignoring it will be detrimental. Instead, the occasion should be more voluntary, personal and adventurous. My version of Valentine’s Day features cooking — my preferred method of artistic expression.

Cooking at home is a far more personal experience — especially if you cook together. Many pieces of popular culture that encourage epicurean exploration provide all sorts of rationalizations for the intimacy of cooking, and rightfully so. Making your own meal has a more positive impact than buying an entree you have had already.

If you have the money to throw around on a Monday night, then by all means, go nuts. Buy a lobster or something.

Please do not feel obligated to go all out just because advertisers tell you to. Take your girlfriend out to dinner because your schedules and desires permit, not

because it’s expected.

And if you are recently single for this Valentine’s Day, the last thing you need is to sit at home and worry yourself over your ex. Reconnect with your friends and indulge in their support.

Sure, we should not need a holiday in the middle of the month to accentuate our thankfulness for a relationship — instead, we should maintain the level of intensity for the entire calendar year.

But seriously, the idea of a day asking for a meditation on the impact of your relationship is probably a good thing.

People celebrate their anniversaries for that reason specifically.

Despite Valentine’s Day’s stigma with cynics for being a mushy consumerist spectacle that detracts from its essence, celebrating it with your significant other is something your writer highly encourages. My girlfriend and I have suffered our hardships and joys alike, and we greatly value each other’s purpose in our respective lives. Our friends — both single and spoken-for — agree that we are a pleasure to spend time with.

We are happy together, and we don’t need a holiday to recognize this fact.

However, we agree that Valentine’s Day does deserve an honorable mention.

BEN WOODY -regular columnist -senior -English major

am sure that we are all aware of Icelebrated. holidays that are not universally There are those who do not celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Easter or Ramadan. Coming up, though, is Valentine’s Day — and it’s safe to say that not everyone will be celebrating that. Why does anyone needs to celebrate it?

This day is put aside for everyone in a relationship to celebrate their commitment to each other, but, isn’t that what anniversaries for?

I’m not saying I have a problem with couples being happy — I think it’s great. I’m just wondering why people need another day to be told to recognize that they are in a relationship. Are you not aware of your boyfriend or girlfriend every other day of the year?

Valentine’s Day bastardizes relationships. It sends out the message that this day, of all days, is when you should be crazy about your partner and proclaim your love to the world.

It’s all a bunch of crap, really. If you’re dating, don’t you recognize it every day?

Maybe it’s because I’m single and I just don’t care, but even in the past when I’ve been dating on this “holiday” it just hasn’t meant anything. It’s a holiday I cannot understand to save my life.

We joke about how it’s just a huge scam by the card companies and candy makers, how it’s a big scheme to just make everyone pay for useless and almost meaningless things — but really, isn’t that what Valentine’s Day

-the editorial board is composed of peter velz, scott masselli and gabi seltzer

is about?

I wouldn’t hesitate to say that most people follow along with Valentine’s Day out of a feeling of obligation. This is when you go to dinner, buy some flowers, sign a card and wear somewhat decent clothing. So then, what’s the big deal? What has prompted this major “holiday” into existing?

If I remember correctly, I think it was a holiday that was created to commemorate a saint who cured a blind girl. Guess what, they weren’t dating.

You might look at Valentine’s Day as a chance to go all out and be romantic, but why don’t you save that for the anniversary? At least then you’ll be commemorating something that you are aware of — rather than a saint who has nothing to do with your relationship, unless you’re dating the girl he cured. But let’s be honest, that’s not the case, and there really is no reason or legitimate meaning behind this holiday.

I keep saying people should turn their focus back to anniversaries, and that’s pretty much all I can think of.

I would like to say you should celebrate being with someone who loves, admires, adores you, every day, but I think that might be setting the bar too high.

There are things you should and shouldn’t do when in a relationship, obviously, and one thing you should do is realize the importance and meaning of your relationship every day, not just once or twice a year when

tradition calls for it.

Valentine’s Day is often called Single Awareness Day, to recognize those of us who are not in the position to celebrate being in a relationship — and to that, I say, grow up. While Valentine’s Day is a little too much for me, saying it is Single Awareness Day is equally upsetting.

Does Valentine’s Day make you any more single? No, it’s just another day, and it should be treated like that.

Single people are still single, and people who are dating are still, dating — maybe, if the relationship makes it through the day.

Rather than commemorating the pseudo-holiday with cheap stuffed animals and chocolate, or re-labeling it to make your single self feel better, treat it like you would any other day. Instead of going all out for your relationship on this one day, set the bar a little higher every other day.

Whether you are single or not, Valentine’s Day debases the value and merit of a relationship, so do something different. Following a holiday that has no value attaches a label to your relationship, and that’s not something anyone wants.

SEAN SIMONS -regular columnist -junior -English major

valentine’s day 3 february 11, 2011

editors: scott masselli, gabi seltzer opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Wisdom to be found in other cultures’ love n introducing a discussion on love, a sociology professor once told my class of a study that Ishowed 30 percent of people marry a partner who grew up within five or 10 blocks of them. With billions of people inhabiting the earth, this news made me wonder what the true meaning of a soul mate could possibly be. What are the insane cosmic odds that you’ll meet the one person truly meant for you, let alone that they might live down your street?

The only logical answer I could come up with is that maybe we are more compatible with each other than many of us tend to believe. This could lead one to the conclusion that with the intent to want to like each other, any arbitrary male and female with some common interests and values could easily find they like each other after spending enough time with one another.

If this is true, the growing popularity of dating sites such as eHarmony.com may have some merit, as people put their trust in a sort of reasoning and compatibility process by a third party to match them with someone without having met coincidentally first — as those who believe in fate might have preferred.

This process of selecting a mate, as new-age as it seems, can actually be thought of as a modern take on the principles that guide the very traditional and practiced custom of arranged marriage. Arranged marriage occurs on a spectrum of scales that we may not be quick to associate it with at first.

On one end lies the extreme cases we most readily associate with the practice, and on the other lies more contemporary adaptations that don’t seem that foreign at all. One common version is essentially what we in America refer to as being “set up” or “blind dating,” but strictly for the purposes of marriage — never simply for a fun night out.

Between the two ends of the spectrum lie many in-betweens, which involve different degrees of judgment in selection administered by people other than the prospective bride and groom.

Perhaps ironically, statistics actually show this system is highly effective in fostering long-lasting and even happy marriages. India, a nation that is notoriously known for its tradition of arranged marriages, has the lowest divorce rate in the world at slightly more than 1 percent.

It would be foolish not to point out that many factors play into the complexities making it so low, including social stigmas against divorce, but nevertheless many argue the fact to show arranged marriages prove to be successful on some level.

The U.S. divorce rate is closer to 40 percent and is increasing still, to the point where almost half of all

marriages entered into under the premise of “till death do us part” end up parting much sooner.

With most American males and females holding all the power to make their own decision, essentially from start to finish, on who they would want to spend the rest of their life with, why is it that nearly half decide they made a grave misjudgment?

Among many issues, a stark point to consider is the premise that each type of marriage is built upon. While “love marriages” are often centered on individuality, freedom, romance and conceptions of love-at-first-sight, arranged marriages by their very nature are oriented toward selflessness and adaptation.

This is because from their conception arranged marriages are centered on the notion of fostering a family; the underpinning is that of familial values, adjustment to each other as partners, and building love over time — the combination of which could be contributing to their success.

Love marriages seem to provide a fantasy notion that choosing one’s own partner means fights and struggles are supposed to be prohibitively rare. On the other hand, arranged marriages are entered knowing that adjustment and compromises will be made, lending the view that struggles are natural occurrences — not in the slightest a cause for divorce unless they become out of hand.

Although the typical style of dating is considered “Western,” I am hesitant to use this phrase as I remind myself that arranged marriage has been common practice in Western nations as well. Elites and aristocratic societies of Europe have practiced the tradition among royalty for centuries.

Lessons can be learned from the principles that guide the practice in a modern context. The principles that peaceful and consensual arranged marriage seem to offer to a potential bride and groom do not seem all that outrageous after all when given deeper thought.

This serves as evidence we should rethink our stereotypes and that systems we are accustomed to aren’t automatically the best systems in every way.

After all, other cultures that are deemed backwards or traditional may hold some positive aspects or guidance for even our own beliefs that we can grow to appreciate for their advantages.

NOOR KHALIDI -regular columnist -junior -economics

Day holds significance regardless of orientation hen I take her hand, I always look 50 yards ahead of me. If I see a cadet, a W group of guys, or an older Blacksburgian on my radar, my fingers start to squirm. I hate to pass judgment based on statistics I hardly have, and even more, I hate that I allow myself to stereotype individuals into categories when ultimately all I fear is that they’ll do the same for me. But despite some sense of rationality I do hypothetically possess, my fingers twinge, because even in the final semester of my senior year I still haven’t shed all of my high school insecurities about who I am.

A similar thing happens when we walk into a restaurant, and it’s just the two of us, but there I’ve at least morphed my anxiety into some sort of game. The host may make a passing judgment on the status of our relationship: Are we classmates, sisters, friends — or something more? But once we’re all set at our designated table it’s on to the waiter’s turn, and he’s got more time on the clock to make his call.

Every once in a while a more-forward waiters will skip the guesswork and ask why we aren’t out with boyfriends, but usually I have some fun reading the micro-expressions on their faces, looking for the shift in their expressions when they figure out we’re more than just friends. If they’re perceptive, they’ll realize it when I can’t stop myself from locking eyes with her. If not, maybe they’ll catch a glimpse of her putting her hand on mine or the moment when we brush legs underneath the table.

Valentine’s Day is different. I’ve only had a few of them where I ask for a table for two with a girl by my side, but from my brief experiences there’s more of a question on everyone’s faces as to what I’m doing showing up to this fancy restaurant without a boy in-tow. Ultimately, I know I’m thinking way too much about this.

I envy my friends who can just go to dinner and talk about how the food tastes without considering how the waiter looks at you or, really, doesn’t look at you. Thanks to decades of silent heroes who chose to be with the one that made them truly happy, even in the face of grave difficulties, I’m pretty sure the vast majority of waiters now are only concerned with how to earn a respectable tip at the end of the meal.

This is where my mind takes me when asked to write an opinion on what it’s like to identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer — if you didn’t know) on Valentine’s Day. So far though, all I’ve really answered is what it’s like to identify as LGBTQ, and ridiculously overanalyze the brains out of any scenario — because that’s just how I roll.

But I’ll do my job and let you in on a little secret:

There’s no gay boycott of Valentine’s Day. In fact, unlike the moment you go home to mom and dad and tell them about your new boyfriend, while he goes home and does the same, some of the basics of the holiday are rather LGBTQ-friendly. Valentine, for instance, is a gender-neutral term of endearment that allows you to refer to one without your lab partner even raising an eyebrow. There’s no hidden queer truth to Valentine’s Day. All I can offer is that if you took a straw poll of everyone around, the only statistically significant data point you would find is enjoyment of Valentine’s Day is positively correlated with whether the respondent has a Valentine to call his or her own.

Here’s the point again: There’s nothing different about “us” on Valentine’s Day. We passed out candy hearts to you in elementary school, and yeah, we’re even on a date at Gillie’s sitting at the table next to you in college. Just like you, all we really want is a shot at convincing the one we like to say “yes” when we ask them out.

So when the CT asked me to write an opinion column on what it means to be gay on Valentine’s Day, what really sparks my scattered brain is how I can monopolize this opportunity.

See, I’ve been dating this awesome girl for a little while now. She can rack up a mean killdeath ratio on “Call of Duty,” and digs the game “Settlers of Catan.” She’s helping me dress a little nicer and hyper-analyzes the “Black Swan” with me even days after we’ve walked out of the Lyric. She’s made me some killer mix CDs, and dances with me while we’re driving to Kroger.

We’ve also danced around “the talk,” and the only reason I haven’t asked her sooner is because I couldn’t figure out how to inquire in a way I feel she deserves. Since I’m laughable at similes, I told her I’m like the Puerto Rico to her U.S.: We haven’t come to a mutual agreement on the terms of our relationship, but there’s definitely an exclusive connection there. And although there’s certainly something to be said for sovereignty, there’s no competition to the way she makes me feel.

So while I still can’t avoid the fact that my fingers may twinge when I see a judgment call on someone’s face as we walk on by, there’s nowhere else I’d rather hold my hand. So ... would you consider upgrading me to Hawaii status for more than just Monday? And if you want a translation, although I know she won’t need one: Will you be mine, Valentine?

SARA BRICKMAN -guest columnist -senior -English major, biology minor

Keep open dialogue about relationship red flags onnie and Sam are at it again. TV’s “Jersey Shore” couple can be countR ed on to be fighting one minute and fine the next. This reality show drama is just one example of an unhealthy relationship played out on TV for the world to watch. But what happens when instead of a celebrity, your friend is the one in an unhealthy relationship? How do you know when a relationship crosses the line from unhealthy to abusive?

Moreover, if your friend’s relationship is abusive, what are you supposed to do?

As members of SAVES, an anti-violence peer education group based out of the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech, we watch these same shows and struggle with these types of questions. Valentine’s Day, a day that has become intertwined with romance and love, is a fitting time to encourage everyone to think about characteristics of healthy relationships and to decide what they want from a romantic relationship (whether they are currently in one or not). Relationships

are about more than candlelight dinners and heart-shaped boxes of candy — they require effort and consideration on all 365 days of the year. No relationship is perfect all of the time, but healthy relationships are built on trust and safety, which help them weather the bad times. Equality, honesty, respect, comfort, sexual respectfulness, interdependence and humor help build trust and safety, making them crucial components of healthy relationships.

Trust in a relationship is hard to earn and often easy to lose. Honest and respectful communication is key to a building trust. If both people sit down and talk about expectations, desires, and ground rules from the start, they set the stage for open communication in the future. From how fast the relationship moves to what kind of words hurt each other’s feelings, nothing is too small or petty to discuss. Disagreements will probably happen, and it is important to remember to fight fairly. Both people

need an environment where they feel comfortable expressing feelings and opinions without fear of intimidation or retaliation. Disagreement and conflict are important parts of a healthy relationship as long as both people feel comfortable and safe in the relationship. When conflicts start to make one person feel unsafe, it is a red flag for an unhealthy or abusive relationship.

Equality and balance in a relationship are also important. When both partners share responsibility for big decisions and responsibilities, they both stand on equal ground. When one partner tells the other what to wear, who to spend time with or what sexual activities to engage in, they are controlling and therefore make the ground uneven. Along with equality, keeping a balanced life helps make sure neither person is dependent on the other. People who have strong friendships and connections outside of a romantic relationship are usually happier within the relationship. We have

all probably known people who stop spending time with their friends when they get into a relationship; it is important to note this is not only a sign of an unhealthy relationship, but it could also be a red flag of an abusive one.

Relationships of course should not be all work, though. While talking about the logistics of your healthy relationship is important, so is laughter. In healthy relationships, people enjoy being with each other and having fun together.

Beyond those key elements, we all have our own characteristics of potential dating partners and relationships that are important to us. Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking about what we don’t want — we forget to think about what we do want. Whether you are in a relationship or not, take some time this Valentine’s Day to think about what you want your own relationships to be like. We all deserve to be in relationships where we feel happy, safe and supported.

While we don’t know Ronnie and Sam from “Jersey Shore,” or what their relationship is really like, many of us have friends whose relationships look a lot like theirs from the outside. If you notice that a friend’s relationship has unhealthy characteristics, say something. If a friend is being abusive, talk to the person honestly about your feelings and their problematic behavior. Listen, be supportive, and offer resources to a friend who may be abused. The Women’s Center at Virginia Tech (540231-7806) and the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley (540639-1123) offer information and support for people who have been abused or who are helping someone who has been abused. Additionally, SAVES can talk with your group or organization about healthy relationships and relationship violence.

SHELBY VASKO & JEN UNDERWOOD

-guest columnists

Long-distance relationship makes Valentine’s feel more worthwhile elieve me, I know how easy it is to criticize the fascination with B Valentine’s Day and take a cynical approach to the whole production of it. The heart shaped boxes of chocolate, the teddy bears, red roses, the mushy cards with a voice recorded message; it’s enough to make you sick, right?

Wrong, and let me explain why.

Now I would be lying if I said I didn’t used to be one of these cynics or if I told you I never held distaste for the kind of commercialization seen on a day that actually originates from the story of a Christian martyr (who knew?). I also know that I’m going to narrow a good chunk of my audience by going forward here, but I think this is a message anyone in a relationship should hear.

Embrace Valentine’s Day fully.

Appreciate it to the upmost extent.

Realize how lucky you are and go all out to do something special with your significant other.

See, I am currently studying abroad this semester and won’t be with my girlfriend on Monday, or the better part of four months for that matter, and I would give anything to be with her on a day that embellishes love in so many ways. I still hate the cheesy, conveniently released romantic comedies as much as the next guy, but what I wouldn’t do to be able to pick up my girlfriend, have a romantic meal (maybe cook a pasta dish with a bottle of red wine), and go see a crappy movie like “Just Go With It.” We’d probably agree on “King’s Speech,” now that I think of it.

I am not telling you this to make you feel sad for me or to guilt trip you into “going on a date for Owen!” I’m only writing this to remind you of the millions of people who don’t get to spend Valentine’s Day with their significant other. Facing this new reality myself has only made me feel for those relationships where this is the norm.

Partners split apart because they are attending different colleges, traveling for work, living in different states, or separated by serious illness and other crises wouldn’t make me the only one wishing to be with their loved one on this special day. I admire those, my roommate for instance, who show such resilience to persevere through the times where it is toughest to be apart.

Even more sentiment and special consideration should be given to those disjoint by military service or by the death of their loved ones. The stress and heartache that riddles both of those circumstances are unimaginable and we should be sympathetic in keeping those who deal with that situation in mind.

What I have to go through is absolutely nothing in comparison.

But that’s the point. Just as I feel so much sheer thankfulness every morning I wake up because I know the one I love is home safe and out of harm’s way,

those of you who are fortunate enough should also appreciate the fact that you are here and together with that someone you care so deeply about.

Obviously, this should be embodied in every day you spend together, but what makes Valentine’s Day so special is the chance it offers to turn such love into a marvelous spectacle for an internationally recognized 24 hours.

Rather than looking at February 14th as an inconvenient chore, a deadline to get a gift together, a financial investment, or a day that puts pressure on you to do something “special,” look at it as an opportunity. An opportunity to take full advantage of the emotional and physical proximity you have with that someone that so many people are desperately missing. Money doesn’t even have to be a factor unless you make it one.

As a person who will spend Monday only wishing I was somewhere else, at least think about the advice I want to

give to you and don’t hold back because of any sardonic or cynical preconceptions you might have toward an undeniably marketed holiday. Embrace the consumerism in your own special way and spend the time with your partner that many of us wish we had.

Sure, you might make those of us apart from the ones we love feel a little more desolate as you gleefully skip by hand in hand, with chocolates and teddy bears in tow, and a big toothy smile on your face.

But trust me, us couples separated by distance would only be more upset to see you monotonously going about the day, treating it like any other, because in the end, we are the ones who really know just how lucky you are.

OWEN DAVIS -regular columnist -senior -political science major

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february 11, 2011

page 7

He Said: Valentine’s Day without a woman is ideal been dreading this column for a while. There’s I’ve only two ways to approach a humor piece about the aggressive stimulation of hormones we call love: a listless, one-size-fits-all collection of sitcom jokes (“and then she makes you watch Lifetime, am I right fellas?”) or a tragicomic odyssey into the writer’s own romantic exploits, warts and all.

Loyal followers of this column — to whom I am so deeply apologetic — already know where my tendencies will lead. Enjoy, voyeuristic readers; you will now get a peek into a love life so barren that my mother stopped asking about it years ago to preserve any hope of seeing grandchildren.

There are 364 days in the calendar year that reward the single college lifestyle and one that bombards its participants with cheerful, heart-shaped reminders of failure.

Valentine’s Day is an excruciating 24 hours where the rules of everyday college life are thrown out the window. A campus that celebrates no strings attached hedonism suddenly flips on its head and decides that indentured servitude is a worthy ambition.

Boyfriends normally taunted with chants, such as “no wifin in the club,” suddenly look smugger than Bill O’Reilly, become fully aware that their pals’ “friends with benefits” are reduced to friends this day. It’s like a bad ’80s comedy where oppressed couples turn the tables on the wild singles: “Revenge of the Monogamous 2: Electric Boogaloo.” And while that movie would feature colorful urban dance-offs and no shortage of gratuitous flesh, the reality of the action is much less titillating for the unattached among us.

I spent last Valentine’s Day enjoying my own company and “Chappelle’s Show” on Netflix. Previous years’ festivities included “Call of Duty: Zombies” and a “Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions” marathon. Just try to convince me that the reciprocated love of a woman can top those wild nights at the bachelor pad.

If asked to rank holidays, I would place St. Valentine’s Nestle revenuebooster below a shadowy Groundhog’s Day and slightly above National ProLife Cupcakes Day. The whole enterprise just does nothing for me. You could call me a love hater, but that wouldn’t be quite accurate; my heart is filled with affection for family, the show “Community” and one of my two cats (not you, fat, unpleasant Dutchie).

A more accurate diagnosis of my condition would be that I am allergic to sincere emotional exchange.

Relationships require two people to express genuine, snark-free feelings for each other. Christina Aguilera is more likely to be invited back to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl than I am to sustain that requisite sincerity for more than five minutes.

So, running down the checklist, I’m incapable of honest emotional interaction, ambivalent to the idea of committing time to non-bro pursuits and saving my heart for the majesty that is Alison Brie. Where does that leave me?

Oh, that’s right: collegiate paradise.

Unhindered by obligation to any one female, I roam free through the Blacksburg jungle enjoying the sights and sounds without fear of spousal reprimand.

As a wise man once said: “Having a girlfriend in college is like bringing a bagged lunch to a buffet.”

At least one February night each year I’m forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror at the way I live my life. In this rare moment of self-doubt, I begin to wonder if my mom is right about the waste of fratting through college.

Could my hollow emotional capacity be the result of deeply buried pain over failure to build meaningful relationships? Has my shallow, self-absorbed lifestyle left me the bitter Ebenezer Scrooge of a campus bustling with love-struck euphoria?

Nah, I’m just screwing with you. I’ll cross that bridge in 10 years when I start to feel bad that my mom has no baby grandchildren to make goofy faces at.

In the meantime, season two of “Parks and Recreation” is queued up on Netflix and D.P. Dough is en route to the man castle. This is shaping up to be the best Valentine’s Day yet.

But really, enjoy the whole gazing into your true love’s eyes deal. Just remember that come Feb.15, the world returns to normal, and swinging singles will rule the roost once again.

ANDREW REILLY -features staff writer -junior -communicaton major

he she

SAID

She Said: The perfect gift relays a message of love first word that comes to mind when I think The of Valentine’s Day is “pressure.” It’s supposed to be a holiday where you show someone how much you care about them. However, our society has blown it out of proportion. The expectations have increased almost as much as the prices of flowers.

The concept of Valentine’s Day is great. Having an annual day to show a loved one that you care for them has the potential to be a great holiday.

It may be the second largest cardsending holiday of the year, but these paper messages apparently are not enough anymore.

It’s all about the presents.

Companies know all about relationship expectations and take advantage of them. In fact, grocery stores now dedicate an entire aisle to candy, bears and other goods. Everyone tries to get in on the scheme, and we all become pawns. My dad was even persuaded to buy a rose at a red light last year for my mom.

Before we decide on what to spend

our money on, we have an even bigger issue. Are you in the awkward phase with someone? How “together” are you? Is the person you’re involved with going to get you something?

This is what I like to call the “just in case gift.”

We’ve all bought one once or twice.

But if you do decide to buy one, how nice should the gift be? You don’t want to blow a bunch of money on a gift that ends up being your own. Deciding whether to get this gift is a big decision. If you end up buying something, and your special someone doesn’t, you feel like a loser.

However, if you end up not buying your partner a gift, and they get something for you, you look like an idiot.

To be honest, I feel for the guys. We are all on a college budget and flower prices skyrocket on Valentine’s Day. But I’m going to tell you guys a little secret. We girls don’t care how expensive the gift is. It sounds corny, but simple gestures are everything.

A girl just wants to know someone

cares about her. No matter what it looks like, it really isn’t about the money for us.

I’m clearly not going to buy roses for a guy. Guys are supposed to get a girl stuffed animals and flowers, but what are we supposed to get them?

I decided to a do a little research online to find out what some of the popular gifts for men are. After a few searches, I found personalized “I love you books,” personalized boxers and romantic coupons. The day I buy a personalized “I love you book” is the day one of my friends needs to slap me across the face. And if a guy ever wants a personalized “I love you book,” you should be concerned — very concerned. Coupons, on the other hand, feel overrated.

Has Valentine’s Day become an event where men are supposed to buy women expensive gifts and be rewarded with sexual favors? What happened to the simple card to show that you care?

My roommate and I are currently at a loss for what guys want on

Valentine’s Day. Should we bake? Do guys want baked goods? Can I even bake? All I know is that I will bow down if I ever meet the person who invented pre-cut cookie dough.

This year, let’s all keep it simple. We don’t need to give in to the expectations. Whether it’s baking or not, don’t be fooled by the idea that you need to spend an obscene amount of money to make your partner happy.

And when all else fails, head to the Dollar Tree.

Let’s all look to the light at the end of the tunnel. Some of us may be spending a ridiculous amount of money for Valentine’s Day, but we can all look forward to what comes next — St. Patrick’s Day.

CHELSEA GUNTER -features reporter -sophomore -communication major

february 11, 2011

page 6

Lack of unity may threaten GOP objectives in House pened in the election,” said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a leading conservative voice. Asked whether House GOP leaders were slow to pick up on the newcomers’ resolve, he said, “Yeah.”

WASHINGTON — A month after they took control of the House of Representatives with their biggest majority since the Truman administration, Republicans are stumbling and finding it difficult to pass some of their priorities.

That could make it hard for the party to unite behind its biggest priority, due for votes next week: cutting federal spending.

Tea party conservatives rebelled at the House GOP leadership’s initial spending cut package as too puny. It’s since been revised to come closer to meeting the right’s demand for $100 billion in spending reductions this fiscal year.

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio maintains that he’s unworried. For some time, he’s said he’s not

inclined to muscle legislation through the House, as his predecessors often did.

“We’re in a new era,” Boehner said Thursday. “We’re going to allow the House to work its will. Leaders are not going to get what they want every day.”

Analysts offer a different take.

“This is a battle for the soul of the Republican Party,” said Michael Munger, a political science professor at Duke University.

It’s a fight between what he called big-government conservatives — who helped drive up spending during the George W. Bush era — and the smallgovernment tea party activists elected last year, who vowed serious change in how Washington does business.

Of the 241 House Republicans, 87 are freshmen, many elected in November with tea party backing.

“This is a reflection of what hap-

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This is a battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

MICHAEL MUNGER DUKE UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR

Among the problems roiling the House GOP this week: —Patriot Act. The House failed Tuesday to extend the act, which expires Feb. 28. The law authorizes tough measures to fight terrorism; opponents say it’s big government trampling civil liberties.

Boehner miscalculated in calling it up for a vote under a rule requiring a two-thirds majority to pass; 26

Republicans joined 122 Democrats to oppose the measure, enough to defeat it. Boehner blamed Democrats for the defeat, saying that in the past they were more supportive. The House is expected to consider the bill again next week under a rule requiring only a majority vote. It’s expected to pass.

—Trade Adjustment Assistance.

This is a popular bipartisan program to help workers get aid and training.

A long-scheduled vote was postponed Tuesday after tea party conservatives complained that such workers already had programs they could tap for help.

—United Nations funding. A GOP leadership bid to deny funds for the United Nations fell 27 votes short Wednesday because the leaders again overestimated their strength. The measure said the U.S. should get back $179 million it’s overpaid to a U.N. fund. Until the money is returned, the

legislation said, the U.S. was to withhold that amount in U.N. payments.

House GOP leaders touted it as “this week’s winning cut.” But they brought it up under parliamentary terms requiring a two-thirds majority and fell short, even though all but two Republicans favored it.

—Former Rep. Christopher Lee. The married western New York Republican, a reliable conservative, resigned Wednesday about three hours after the website Gawker reported that he’d contacted a woman who’d run a Craigslist ad seeking men. He sent her beefcake photos of himself. His resignation didn’t help the GOP caucus.

—Budget cuts. House Republicans ran last year on a “Pledge to America” that promised to “roll back government spending” to 2008-09 levels, “saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone.” But the fiscal 2011 package that Budget Committee Chairman Paul

Ryan, R-Wis., unveiled offered only $32 billion in cuts.

A revision Wednesday by Appropriations Committee leaders raised the total cut, but it still met tea party resistance as insufficient. Finally on Thursday, committee leaders offered a $100 billion package of fiscal 2011 reductions.

That plan, said Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, RKy., aims to make “deep but manageable cuts in nearly every area of government, leaving no stone unturned and allowing no agency or program to be held sacred.”

Boehner dismissed this week’s turmoil as normal growing pains. “We’ve been in over five weeks. We’ve got a long way to go,” he said.

House leaders intend to schedule votes on the budget cuts next week, in a potentially big test for Republican cohesion — and Boehner’s leadership.

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9 AM12 PM 12-2 PM

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Steve Nimitz

7-9 AM

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Pete French

Sunday Morning Classical

9 AM- Hickory Dickory 11 PM Dock 11-1 PM

1-2:30 PM

Day Drinking 2:30-4 PM w/ Stacey

The Greek Show The Turkish Show Miko & Starflower

Aaron Horst Sounds Good Skylights Talk at the Table Top 15 Tune Talk Tech Talk

topic:

3:30-5 The JFK Memorial 4-5:30 Nathan & Jared PM PM Cat Show Oscar Salguero’s The Entertainment Actual Miles 5-7 5:30-7 z Jaz PM PM Peruvian Chicken & Sports Show Ellenberg 7-9 Terrence lty 7-9 a i Shawn Manns PM The Billy Goat c PM Torrence Spe t r Symphonies of A 9-12 Brenden Evans 9 PM- The Whatever ht PM Sickness & Marc Kravitz 12 AM Hour Nig y t l L’Guida’s 12-2 12-2 Walter Valencia George & JR cia AM Vaudeville Revue AM Spe 2-4 Caitlin Belcher 2-4 ed Mix cs Dis

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HOW TO PLAY:

Diesel & Cox

Andrew Barnes

Sebastian Walker

By Kelsey Blakley

ACROSS 1 Squish 5 Flintstone word 10 Bairn, e.g.

14 Pick of the litter?

15 Stevie W onder ’s “My Cherie __” 16 Horse around 17 Zoo retreat 18 Red and yello w but not green 20 Iowa/Arizona/ Maryland tri-city area?

22 Sing like Slim Clark 23 Cut from the staff 24 Arterial implant 27 “__ Town Too”: 1981 hit

2/11/11 29 The Concord Sage’s monogram 31 My __, Vietnam 32 Washington/ Georgia/New Hampshire tri-city area?

36 K-12 38 It may be precious 39 Percolate 40 South Dakota/ Nevada/V irginia tri-city area?

43 Like some outlet mall mdse.

44 Quite a long time 45 Announcer Hal l 46 Alberta natives 48 Anesthesiologists’ work sites, briefly

Sports

51 Neapolitan song starter 55 California/ Alaska/Tennessee tri-city area?

58 Soldier who has completed most of his tour of duty 60 Drops of f 61 Saarinen wh o designed th e Gateway Arch 62 Even a little 63 Passed-down tales 64 Skating maneuver 65 Broadway matchmaker 66 Oven cleaner chemical s

DOW N 1 Asia’s __ Peninsul a 2 2007 Enterprise acquisitio n 3 Spotted 4 Paintbrush material 5 Become clear to, with “on” 6 Radarange maker 7 Cleansing agent 8 Crash course vehicle?

9 Not pizzicat o 10 Cheerleader ’s feat 11 More than a glanc e 12 Crew tool 13 Cobb et al.

19 “The Daily Planet” reporter 21 Pianist Templeton 25 ’70s “Concentration” host Jack 26 Ocean phenomenon 28 Lover boy 30 Stout hero Nero

32 Start of a conclusion 33 Anabaptist denomination 34 “From __ Zinc”: vitamin slogan 35 Time to bundle up 36 Like some proportions 37 NYC commuter line 41 Odometer button 42 Blue Moon of ’60s-’70s basebal l 47 Swashbuckler Flynn 49 __ candl e 50 Silver fish 52 “Whoopee! ” 53 Vers __: free verse 54 Switchback features 56 Layover 57 Contemporary of Rex and Agatha 58 Something fishy 59 Give the evil eye Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

2/10/11

Spell the phrase in the grid above it, writing each unique letter only once.

The correct solution will spell the complete phrase along a single continuous spelling path that moves horizontally, vertically and diagonally. Fill the grid from square to square - revisiting letters as needed to complete the spelling path in order. Each letter will appear only once in the grid.

4 news page A

september 23,block 2009 news editors: philipp kotlaba, liana bayne, gordon newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

february 11, 2011

COLLEGIATETIMES

what you’re saying //comments from online readers...

On Backstreet’s food: Anonymous>> Way back when I was in school (geez I sound old), I went with my girlfriend...Stood there for about 7 mins w/out anyone coming to the host stand. The place was fairly empty. As someone who has worked in the restaurant business, waiting 7 mins. to be acknowledge, is an eternity. I never went back, heard the food is great though.

Anonymous>> if you don’t want to have to wait so long for your food don’t order something that requires so long to cook

Kevin>> Sure Backstreets is an just ok restaurant, but honesty it’s nothing special. The food is mediocre and the service is worse.

On dog parks: Ianni>> I have broken up a few fights at the dog park and yes some are due to the owner’s behavior or lack thereof. Most dog fights occur when some dumb owner brings their dog(s) into the park while still on a the leash and therefore the dog(s) feel trapped and lash out. The other instance of owner fault is when they are high strung that project that upon their dog(s).

world Egypt’s Mubarek refuses to step down CAIRO — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down Thursday but said in a nationally televised speech that he would hand more authority to his vice president, a move that drew rage and bewilderment from hundreds of thousands of protesters packed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

The nation was anticipating an address that would mark the end of Mubarak’s 30 years in power but instead was told he was going nowhere. Protesters shouted “leave, leave,” and chants of disapproval echoed across the Nile at the prospect that the 17-day standoff with the government was not over.

“For the benefit of this country,” Mubarak said, “I have decided to assign the tasks of the president to the vice president according to the constitution.”

Mubarak spoke like a leader aloof from the demands of millions of his people and increasing pressure from the United States and other Western powers. He said his government would work on constitutional

I obviously wasn’t there during that fight so I can not and would not pass judgment, but I will say that over 90% of the time the owner of the aggressor will immediately take the dog out of the park when there is a problem. Sometimes dogs just don’t like other dogs and they can’t be around one another. That will happen at the dog park or your beloved Flying Fur. There is nothing stopping a dog fight from breaking out at Flying Fur.

state

The dog park has done wonders for my dog. She was the shiest thing in the park and today everyone keeps telling me how much she has grown. I had to let her get roughed up and pushed around and honestly, I had to let her get into a scruff and stand up for herself before she felt safe around other dogs. I encourage people to take their dogs to the park. It is a learning experience for the dogs as well as the owners.

It has been one year since Danville resident Barry Keyes went missing and his girlfriend, Debbie Ingram, still misses him.

“I’ve been praying, that’s all I can do,” Ingram said during a telephone interview Wednesday.Ingram reported Keyes as missing to the Gretna Police Department on Feb. 12, 2010. Keyes, 33 when he went missing, lived at 430 Holbrook St. in Danville but had been staying at Ingram’s house at 110 Northside Drive in Gretna.

Keyes had been diagnosed with depression and mild schizophre-

Anonymous>> Dogs are dogs, like boys will be boys. Their is always the potential for a fight. You should know that bringing your dog to the park, it’s life. Regulation will ruin it for everyone including the dogs.

Pepper spray will end up in somebody’s face too, the stuff is not as easy to use as I suspect you think. A stiff cane would work a lot better imo.

reform, punishing abusive security forces and preparing a transfer of power leading to September elections.

None of that satisfied protesters whose central goal is for the 82-yearold former air force commander to leave office.

Delegating more authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman was viewed by many demonstrators as keeping intact the vestiges of Mubarak’s ruling establishment.

Mubarak did not make clear what duties Suleiman — the country’s former intelligence chief and one of his confidants — would assume.

Hours before the speech, a senior army commander appeared in Tahrir Square and told protesters that all their demands would be met.

Their rallying point has been Mubarak’s removal from office. It was later announced that the president would be addressing the country. A mood of celebration settled over the square. But after the speech, Tahrir filled with chants of “Down, down with Mubarak!”

The announcement came after two days of warnings by top Egyptian officials, including Suleiman, 74, that the army might stage a coup if protests didn’t stop.

Mubarak came to power in 1981 upon the assassination of his predecessor, Anwar Sadat, by Islamic militants.

He imposed a state of emergency throughout his three-decade-rule and used his ruling party and security forces to crush political opposition, winning re-election repeatedly in balloting that was widely condemned internationally as fraud-ridden. If Mubarak’s rule ends, it would reverberate across the Middle East, where protests and unrest in recent weeks have engulfed Yemen, Jordan and Algeria. It would mark the end of an era and leave the region without one of its most prominent leaders and a trusted U.S. ally in stemming Islamic terrorism and solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

-jeffrey fleishman, mcclatchy newspapers

A year later, Danville man is still missing

......radio for

nia and was briefly hospitalized in January 2010 after going missing for one day.

Gretna Police Chief David Wilkes said he follows up on Keyes’ case occasionally, calling his mother in New York and his ex-wife in Colorado There is no way to track Keyes -- no phone, no credit cards and no bank account, Wilkes said.

Kamilah Keyes-Brown, Keyes’ exwife, said she last tried to call him about two weeks ago.

Throughout their marriage from 1997 to 2008, Keyes never showed

everyone

signs of mental illness, KeyesBrown said.

They moved to Danville in 1998 before Keyes-Brown joined the U.S. Army in 2006.

“It’s very upsetting,” Keyes-Brown said. “He always checked on his children.”

Keyes-Brown, who is remarried, said she noticed a change in him in January 2010. He would be fine one minute and the next talking about how everyone was out to get him, she said.

-john crane, mcclatchy newspapers

people & clubs

editors: lindsey brookbank, kim walter featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

february 11, 2011

5

blogging

in style COURTESY OF JINNA YANG

Jinna Yang majored in communication, focusing on public relations, while attending Tech. During her senior year, Yang created her blog GreaseAndGlamour.com to pursue her passion for the fashion industry.

VIRGINIA TECH ALUMNA CREATES SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN THE FASHION BLOGGING INDUSTRY MAJONI HARNAL features reporter In less than one year, Virginia Tech alumna Jinna Yang has transformed from a graduate who was unclear about her future, to a career woman in the fashion industry.

The previous communication major specialized in public relations but had no idea what she wanted to do with her degree, let alone her life, after graduation in spring 2010. After thinking about her interests, Yang decided to enter the blogging world. In April of her senior year, Yang’s fashion blog, GreaseAndGlamour.com, was born.

“It was a way for me to channel my interest in fashion and showcase my skills and passion and form it into an actual career,” Yang said.

With a range of interests from fashion and music to art and video, Yang saw a blog as a cohesive way to display her talents and establish a name for herself.

“Like every little girl, I loved dressing up,” Yang said, “but I didn’t start getting serious about fashion until a few years ago. There’s a difference between wanting to dress up and wanting to get involved and be successful within the fashion industry.”

Attempting to make an honest effort

in turning her blog into a career, Yang left Virginia Beach for New York City.

Although the move and career choice were big decisions, Yang said she was ready to take the big leap.

“I saw inspiration in other fashion bloggers and where their blogs had taken them,” she said.

Seeing the success of other like-minded bloggers gave Yang the encouragement to pursue her career.

Yang also attributes her success to the ever-evolving fashion industry and the rising blogger influence. She said trends are not only reflected in fashion blogs, but are also often started among everyday people.

“There are lots of trends being formed by the blogging community as opposed to solely by the industry giants alone,” Yang said. “It’s not just ‘Vogue’ or ‘Elle’ or the designers, it’s you and me.”

As bloggers express new ideas, the industry notices and looks to people for new trends, while taking inspiration from the streets. This symbiotic relationship has opened a niche for bloggers like Yang to establish themselves as an active part of the industry.

From a private Keri Hilson performance, to an interview with famed male model Pierre Woods, to events with designers, such as Rebecca Minkoff, Yang is literally living her dream.

COURTESY OF JINNA YANG

Through connections, Yang has met many celebrities, including Ice-T. However, her unconventional career choice was not the easiest to explain to her parents, who hold high standards.

Yang said it took a while for them, and others, to understand her decision was not made on a whim. She said it was not until her parents saw her videos and interviews that they realized she was truly serious about what she was pursuing.

Yang said the third-party recognition she received from participating in a fashion blog contest was important to her and solidified how far she had come.

Yang was chosen as a semifinalist in the Sunglass Hut Full Time Fabulous Blogger contest by a judging panel

made of up Sunglass Hut Executives and noted fashion bloggers. While Yang ultimately lost the competition, she said making the top 10 alone was a huge indicator that all her hard work was paying off.

“I’m a walking testament that following your dreams is possible and you shouldn’t be discouraged,” Yang said.

“It takes a lot of hard work but it’s also about passion, about how bad you want it.”

Yang said students should not be discouraged by what they want to do with their lives.

“It’s important to figure out what you’re good at and find a way to showcase it,” Yang stated.

Channing Tatum talks new film, ‘The Eagle’ CARY DARLING mcclatchy newspapers FORT WORTH, Texas — Even though much of Channing Tatum’s career is built on roles displaying a rugged physicality — “Fighting,” “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and “Step Up,” among them — the 30-year-old actor found the shoot for “The Eagle” in the wilds of Scotland particularly grueling.

In addition to the usual battling and swordplay, he was hospitalized with burns to his groin after a crew member accidentally scalded him TATUM with hot water. It was just one of the many challenges that he faced during making of “The Eagle.” We caught up with him on his recent visit to Dallas.

Q. How did the mishap happen?

A. The quick story is we were in a river, and you can’t be in more than 5 or 10 minutes. The guys were coming down with the (hot) water bottle to pour down our wet suits. He didn’t get to dilute the water with the river water; as soon as he saw me he wanted to warm me up. Accidents happen.

If the guy had been incompetent, I would have blown his teeth down his throat. But he’s a hard-working, smart guy. He took care of us all day.

It was truly an accident. We were all mentally, spiritually and physically exhausted.

Q. What other challenges were

COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Tahar Rahim (left), Jamie Bell (center) and Channing Tatum star in the Roman epic adventure “The Eagle.” there?

A. If you’ve ever been to Scotland, it’s so wet. The rain and the fog every single day. You wake up every day and the crew would put on their wet-weather gear. They’re covered up to here and here in gloves and everything. Me and Jamie (Bell) are in cheap leather and are convulsively shaking. (But) it helps put you in the place so you’d know what it would be like. One reason why the Romans could never conquer that part of the world was it was so foreign to them, and they had no idea how to negotiate it.

Q. Could you have survived in A.D. 120?

A. As a soldier, probably not. You had to be some of the toughest things that ever crawled this earth. We had a few fight scenes that lasted more than a minute. Even just fighting for a minute, I was exhausted. I’m a decent athlete. I don’t know how these guys would fight for months at a time. ...

And just being a civilian was daunting, living without medicine or you catch a common cold, you can die.

It’s crazy.

Q. You started as a fashion model.

Do you find you still have to live that down for movie roles?

A. No, even in the beginning, I still say it definitely helped me more than it hurt me. There were a couple of times when people said they were not seeing any model-looking type guys.

Like I think even for “127 Hours,” I know that was an issue. But (director Danny Boyle) always wanted James Franco for it. That does come into play, but I don’t look on it as a weakness.

COURTESY OF JINNA YANG

8 sports

editors: michael bealey, garrett ripa sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

february 11, 2011

Softball looks to rebound from dismal 2010 ASHLEIGH LANZA sports staff writer Coming off a 25-33 season, statistics seem to show that the Virginia Tech softball team is going to need to find a new game plan in order to prepare for a more successful 2011 campaign.

However, this might not be the case.

“We had at times five starters out — it was just ridiculous,” said Scot Thomas, head coach. “It’s a matter of staying healthy. That’s our biggest thing as of right now.”

Last year, from what Thomas described as “freak accidents,” many of his players were unable to compete because of injuries. He believes this is why his team did not finish the season with record higher than .500— something it has done for 11 of the past 15 seasons that he has been the head coach.

This year the team is coming back strong, with many returning players who bring experience that Tech lacked the previous season.

There is more depth in case of any more “freak accidents” that wiped the team’s hopes of an Atlantic Coast Conference title, which it continues to shoot for this season.

“Last year we struggled with making sure the small things were taken

care of,” said Kenzie Roark, senior pitcher. “This year we are a veteran squad, so I think the little things we let get away from us last year will not be a factor.”

With freshman pitcher Katie Banks coming to Tech and the injuries from last spring seemingly healed, the pitching mound is looking much better than it did last year.

Injuries forced senior Ashton Ward from the mound to the outfield, where she played most of the season, leaving Roark and then-freshman Jasmin Harrell to pitch virtually every game. With their schedule packed with double headers, the pitchers had virtually no rest time.

With four pitchers to rotate into games this season, the Hokies are looking much better than before, and they have the attitude to match.

“I think mentality will be a big difference,” said Roark. “We now have a seasoned staff and it will definitely show this year.”

Tech is also coming off of a promising fall season. Dani Anderson, a freshman from California, hit a home run on the first pitch of her first at bat this past fall.

And Banks proved not only her strength as an upcoming pitcher, but also showed good speed on

the bases. Players believe the team chemistry has improved, and many players have made large strides through their fall conditioning and training.

“We don’t have that one player. We are very balanced up and down the lineup, and the new kids fill the gaps really nicely for us,” said Thomas.

The Hokies face a tough ACC slate.

Georgia Tech, ranked No. 17 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, is predicted to win the ACC title.

The Yellow Jackets return all but one starter — first team All-American Jen Yee who graduated after last season. Florida State is also looking very competitive.

It returns seven position starters and four pitchers, including senior pitcher Sarah Hamilton, who finished last season with a 1.50 ERA. Finally, North Carolina is ranked 25th and is returning 14 players to its squad, which made its way into the NCAA tournament last year.

“We hope to finish in the top of the ACC and then make it to regionals and go all the way back to the college world series,” said sophomore pitcher Jasmin Harrell. “We have the talent and competitiveness to do it.”

Tech kicks off the regular season on Feb. 12 at the 49er Round Robin in Charlotte, N.C.

Softball Results Since Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference

2010: 25-33 overall, 8-13 ACC 2009: 28-28 overall, 8-10 ACC 2008: 49-19 overall, 16-5 ACC 2007: 49-16 overall, 15-5 ACC 2006: 39-22 overall, 12-8 ACC 2005: 44-25 overall, 4-13 ACC DANIELLE BUYNAK / COLLEGIATE TIMES

the sorority, fraternity, dorm or any other student organization that orders the most pokie sticks during this semester will win a FREE pizza party thrown by us!

MEDIUM (12”) $5.99 LARGE (14”) $6.99 X-LARGE (16”) $7.99

Order online at campusfood.com or come in: Mon. - Thurs. - 4p.m. - 3a.m.

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