Searching for love in all the right places?

Look sharp! Valentine’s Day is lethal. It stands in back alleys, pushing stale boxes of chocolates and Care Bear cards at the naive. Valentine’s Day stalks the cold season: the CDC has released that they have antigenically characterized 197 influenza viruses. I have no idea what that means, but it sounds bad, right?

I’m pretty sure the Aztec calendar ends on Valentine’s Day, and it was Hitler’s birthday. LegalMatch, a San Francisco based service, claims the day results in the largest increase of couples seeking divorce attorneys. It’s a climate changing catastrophic event that causes rising sea levels, glacier retreat, and species extinctions. We want prenup. (Full story)

 So the saying goes, those who can, do; and those who can’t do, teach. That saying couldn’t be further from the truth here at Missouri Western. In all actuality those who teach do spectacular work, as well as inspire.

 At the faculty art exhibit that opened on Feb. 7 in Potter Hall’s art gallery 206, this statement becomes reality. Several members of the Missouri Western art department came together to display works of their own that they feel will both impress and inspire their students. One member of the art department faculty who exhibited work was Geo Sipp, associate professor of art. Sipp is in charge of the paint section of the art department, and he makes that obvious with his brilliant pieces done with vibrant color.

Sipp believes that with art you have to find yourself in the art. (Full story)

St. Joseph has a wide range of eateries to take your special someone to this Valentines Day.

One idea is to dazzle and dine your loved one with wine and pasta at the new Olive Garden opening up on the North Belt.
The Olive Garden will be open for the first time on Feb. 11, but if you plan on cuddling up for dinner on valentines day there you had better plan early because it will surely be packed, and they will not be taking reservations.  

Travis Ehlers, general manager, said they would be offering a special for sweethearts. You can have lasagna rollatini at $12.50 a plate and Italian margaritas will be the drink special. (Full story)

 If you really want to meet a bright and friendly face take time to stop by the hot dog cart in Agenstein Hall and say hello to Linda Gentry.

She has been working for Aramark for five years, which provides food service here at Western, and she has been serving snacks in Agenstein Hall for four years.

Gentry gave birth to twin boys, Kris and Kurtis. Unfortunately, Kurtis passed away from cancer in 2004. After her son Kurtis passed away she said the students and faculty here at Western were the ones who pulled her through and helped her keep going. Kurt would have been 31. 

Gentry is 53 and she came to Western when Roy’s Green Hills on S.22nd St. closed their doors. She had been the bakery and deli manager there for 11 years. (Full story)

Despite the democratic process and the right to vote being central to our constitutional rights, many choose not to participate and exercise their rights for a multitude of reasons.

In the presidential election of 2004 the overall number of voters reached 126 million, which amounted to a total of only 58 percent of the voting age population. 

What appears to be dismal voting rates, actually reflects a record high turnout for the second consecutive presidential election, 15 million more voters then the elections of 2000.

(Full story)

 Kings and queens. Moving into position and attacking while defending everything you have at the same time. Trapping your opponents into making a move that they can’t get out of.  It may sound like chess but to local poker players, the differences are negligible.

Texas Hold ‘em is known as the Cadillac of poker games and it has taken the nation by storm since 2001. Fueled by ESPN carrying the World Series of Poker and by a small time online amateur who won it all aptly named Chris Moneymaker, poker has been brought out of the seedy back alleys and into real legitimacy, garnering sports coverage from the major outlets. Because of the ease of access to the game, many local bars host poker nights as an added addition to their lineup. (Full story)

Every year countless people make resolutions with little to no success. Rather than making the same tired resolutions each year, take inspiration from the original guidelines for appropriate human behavior and consider the seven deadly sins.

Pride
There is a difference between a positive self-image and an excess of pride. When pride becomes too strong, it becomes conceit. Case in point, Facebook.

Facebook is a social networking site launched on Feb. 4, 2004 and boasts over 59 million members. (Full story)