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The Worthington ALC Insider
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Volume 1, Issue 11
February 12, 2004 |
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Why and when did the tradition begin? By Steven BlueArm This week we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. Who is this mysterious saint and why does he have his own holiday? St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. One legend say’s that Valentine was a priest who lived during the third century in Rome. During this time, the Emperor Claudius II had outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put in prison and eventually put to death. According to legend, while in
prison, Valentine fell in love with his jailor's daughter who visited him
during his confinement. Before his death, it was said that he wrote her a
letter, which he signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in
use today. |
Although the
truth behind the Valentine legend is uncertain, the story certainly
emphasizes his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and romantic figure. It's no
surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular
saints in Western Europe. |
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The Insider February 12,
2004 Page 2 |
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From your Valentine… Sami Koehne Some people believe that Valentine’s Day is just a holiday that was created by to card companies to ensure that more people would be buying cards. Well, in some ways that can be true. Valentine’s Day is the second biggest holiday for sending cards. Christmas is the largest with 2.6 billion cards sent, and Valentine’s Day comes in second with over one billion cards sent. Today the majority of Valentine cards that are sent out, are sent by women, about 85% are bought by women, that just shows that women make up the larger part of the target market for card companies. The holiday, on the other hand, has been around far longer than any card company, so all of you critics that think that Valentine’s Day is all a fake; here are some facts for you to swallow. Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is celebrating the death or burial of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. He was a priest who performed illegal marriages after Emperor Claudius banned marriages. Claudius believed that men did not make good soldiers when they were happily married because they did not want to leave their loved ones. Valentine believed in love and would secretly marry young lovers in secret. When he was caught he was beaten and put in jail in 269 A.D. While in jail, Valentine fell in love
his jailer’s blind daughter. It is said that his love for her and his great
faith healed her Cont. ŕ |
of her blindness. Before his death he wrote her a letter and signed it, “From your Valentine,” a familiar phrase that is still used today. It was not until 496 A. D., when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 Valentine’s Day. Quick Facts: ü Oldest Valentine is a poem by Charles, Duke of Orleans written in 1415 ü Miss Esther Howland sent to first Valentine card in the United States ü Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, And Australia also celebrate Valentine’s Day
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The Insider February 6, 2003 Page 3 |
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Valentine’s
Day By Angela Ruiz What does Valentine’s Day mean to most
people? February 14 every year is a day that some people wait the whole year
for. But why? What is it about Valentine’s Day that gets people in the mood to celebrate this holiday? Juan Hernandez says “It sucks” because
“it’s getting old.” Some people obviously don’t enjoy this holiday. Mr. Zotalis thinks “it is the most
overrated holiday of the year.” Obviously that’s why they both get along so
well. There are others who do try to enjoy
themselves on this day like Amanda Rodriguz who say’s “Valentines day is a
time to be with your honey and enjoy yourselves.” Evelyn Gonzalez thinks
“It’s romantic and sweet a day for Troy to have another reason to buy me
flowers.” February 14 is Sara Schirmacher’s birthday. She will be 18 years old this year -- congrats!!! On a more romantic note Chris
Sayavong thinks” A guy should do something special for his girl, like cook
her dinner. Then make love to her all night long.” Cont.ŕ |
An Anonymous person said, “The day
after Valentine’s Day is the best time to get a girl because they are all desperate then dump
them before X-Mas like a true player.” Blanca Conchas said “Don’t know don’t
care.” Well I guess Valentine’s day means a lot
of different things to a lot of different people. In my own opinion
Valentine’s Day can be a very romantic day of the year but so can any other
day. Got a question? Got a
complaint? The Insider will begin a new column soon. It will be entitled Cuz Sami Sayz So and will be written by Sami Koehne. Students may send questions to Sami, and she will answer them in her column. Questions may be written anonymously. Only questions appropriate for school will be published. Boxes will be placed in selected teachers’ classrooms. Deposit your questions these boxes or e-mail Sami at mailto:cuzsamisayzso@hotmail.com |
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ALC
Insider February
12, 2004
Page 4 |
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War on terrorism Are we really in a war, or chips on a board game? The real question… By
Angela Ruiz January 27, 2004, three
American soldiers and two CNN reporters were killed by a roadside bomb in
Euphrates valley in the town of Khaldiya, west of Iraqi capital. They were
sent by the UN to study the Iraqi elections. Their deaths bring the death
tell to 243 since President Bush declared a end to major combat May 1st.
According to a
CNN report, at least 517 American soldiers have died since March
2003.That estimate dose not include the CNN reporters or any casualties. It makes a
person wonder how many people have really risked their lives and died for
what? Our freedom? Or was it for the freedom of people who don’t even like
us?
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In reality,
Iraq had little to do with that terrorist attack. The president said that he
was going to capture Bin Laden and make him pay for what he did, so why did
he capture Saddam Hussein? Every day when I watch the news I see 5 killed, 3 killed… Someone continues to die everyday. It seems to me that our country should stop sending young men and woman to die in Iraq. Soon enough, no one will want to fight for our county. Where will President Bush Find himself then? When the U.S
invaded Iraq, many people supported the war, but only from confusion of emotion.
The country was still grieving for attacks on America and was vulnerable to
any attempts to help change the world for the better. So when the president
proposed helping a country in need of independence and destroying a horrible
leader, the people felt as if the U.S was finally getting it’s revenge for
what happened on 9/11. |
ALC Insider February 12, 2004 Page 5 |
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Grad-Standards Genesis A timely parable In the beginning was the Governor’s grad-standards plan, and darkness was upon the faces of the teachers. And they went unto their building principals and said, “This new plan is a piece of crap and it stinketh.” And the building principals went unto the district superintendents and said, “This plan is a bucket of dung, and our teachers cannot abide the odor thereof.” And the district superintendents went unto the various school boards and said, “This plan is a vessel of that which makes plants grow, and it is very strong.” And the schools boards went unto the Department of Education and said, “The components of this plan help to promote strong growth in all educational areas.” And the Department of Education went unto the Governor and said, “This strong new plan actively promotes educational growth in both the affective and cognitive domains.” And the Governor looked upon the plan and he was
pleased. And the plan became law, and
all students throughout the state grew in knowledge and wisdom thanks to the
plan. |
Why some people shouldn’t drive. By Juan Hernandez. I think old people shouldn’t drive because they cause a lot of accidents. Like the time in California when this old guy fell sleep as he was driving and he got into a flea market and ran over some people. Eleven people died. I think there should be a certain age for people to drive, because older people lose their skills, their vision, their strength, and they drive too slowly. Here are some opinions from students from the ALC who also think that old people shouldn’t drive:
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The Insider February 12, 2004 Page 6 |
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Advancements
in the medical field By Crystal Melendez New medicines created in America over the last decade have spurred wondrous advances in the treatment of the world's worst afflictions: high blood pressure, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and HIV/AIDS. More than 300 new drugs developed by innovative U.S. pharmaceutical companies moved from research labs into the marketplace in that time, restoring health and enhancing the quality of life for millions worldwide. In 2002, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America member companies invested $32 billion to develop new medicines. Pharmaceutical advances have enabled patients with debilitating illnesses, who once faced major surgeries and lengthy hospital stays, to be treated effectively with medicine. And in fact, prescription medicines are far less costly than surgery or hospital stays, accounting for just 10 cents of every U.S. health care dollar. Throughout the decade, pharma-ceutical companies shifted research to
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more complex diseases, while facing a more challenging regulatory environment. The result of these growing demands on drug development has been an escalation of the costs -- to an average of $897 million in 2003, according to the Tufts University's Center for the Study of Drug Development. That's up from $802 million in 2001. U.S. pharmaceutical companies are just starting to reap the harvest of their massive research and development investment. By the end of 2002, they were readying 28 percent more medicines for Food and Drug Administration approval than a decade ago and had 1,000 new medicines in development. The companies expect even greater accomplishments in the next decade, but we cannot achieve these results on their own. The U.S.
government should defend the intellectual property protections of U.S.
manufacturers against unscrupulous foreign manufacturers who are intent on
stealing our innovation -- often with the support of their own government for
doing so. |
