Joy abounds for all on Valentine's Day

It is easy to think that Valentine's Day is just a day to celebrate love with your sweetheart.

Most retailers agree, setting up displays filled with candy hearts and valentines for schoolchilden. At the end of the schoolday, many children come home with heaps of cards, candy and likely a new crush.

Restauraunts offer specials for couples to dine and two-for-one deals abound. Moms and dads have another excuse to enjoy a quiet night alone in each otherÕs company.

Many people, especially those without a "signifigant other," forget that Valentine's Day does not have to be only appreciated by couples and card-exchanging schoolchildren.

Valentine's Day is a day for simple caring, appreciation and obviously love.

On our calendar, Feb. 14 is set aside exclusively for love, but not simply romantic love.

If you have a pet, you can show it love. Take your dog for a longer walk or snuggle with your cat. Buy your pet a new toy or treat.

Among the guys, get together and have a fellas night, whatever that may entail. Men can take a cue from the ladies on Valentine's Day for this one. Women who prefer not to handle dates have been seen in groups in places ranging from bars to theaters to living rooms.

And it could be said here that having a honey is not a prerequsite for Valentine's Day. Going out, even if you are flying solo, could be profitable decision, especially if you happen to be in one of the aforementioned groups.

Also, don't forget to call your family. Valentine's Day is a good day for this and chances are your mom, dad, grandparents or siblings do not hear from you enough.

When full participation occurs on Valentine's Day, it radiates amongst everyone, and in Grinch-like fashion, even cold hearts begin to feel a little warmth.

People may find it hard to admit, but somewhere inside, even the hardest hearts will feel a little twang of emotion.

If you have your match, make the most of Valentine's Day. If you don't, hope is not lost. Just understand that Valentine's Day, like Virginia, is not just for lovers.

Campaigning offers most fun during presidential race

- Editor's Note: This is second in a three-part series by Student Government Association Vice President Preston B. Powell.

With spring approaching, it will soon be time for the student body to decide who will be their next Student Government Association (SGA) president and vice president.

What you may not know is that just about anyone can consider himself or herself candidate material. Last week I mentioned the first two steps in doing so: meeting the qualifications (2.25 GPA; at least a rising junior or senior) and finding the right running mate (someone you can see yourself working well with).

That's really the hard part -- actually deciding to run in the first place. Now comes the fun part.

Phase III: Filing for office. So you have got the perfect running mate and know your ideas will change Appalachian State University for the better; now it is time to pay the chair of the Elections Committee a visit.

His name is Justin Farmer and he is also chair of SGA Rules Committee. During the entire elections process, he and his committee try to make sure that proper rules and regulations are followed.

Nominations will be accepted at the Farmer's desk in the SGA office on the second floor of Plemmons Student Union across from the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership from Monday, Feb. 26, at noon through Friday, March 2, by noon.

Next, you and your running mate will attend a mandatory meeting of all candidates in accordance with the Rules Committee bylaws Monday, March 5. This is to make sure that all candidates understand the rules of the elections and campaign process. It is important because the campaign is by far the most fun of this entire process.

Phase IV: Platform, platform, platform. What makes your ticket the best thing to hit Appalachian since Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski? Your platform. This is the list of goals and ideas that you hope to accomplish and what you hope will attract the attention and support of the student body.

Maybe you want to create a new eating establishment on campus or reform the current state of parking conditions on campus.

I speak with people everyday who have wonderful ideas to help student life at Appalachian. We have all had times in class where something has irked us to the point where you wish you could do something about it. The place to publicize those is in your platform.

Last year, Ryan Bolick and I ran on several issues that were extremely important to us. Our core vision included eight goals that we sought to accomplish if elected. To date, five of those goals have been accomplished with the remaining three currently in the works.

Particularly, thought the Student Discount Card could be improved. We both promised that if elected, the number of businesses on the card and the discounts given would increase.

By August 2000, our staff had added 101 businesses and made the card available to students when they returned in the fall.

We saw an improvement that needed to be made and went out and went for it. You too may have an idea or suggestion that would improve life on campus. With the proper campaign, the student body may agree with you and elect you to represent them.

As I mentioned earlier, the election is the fun part. It is the work once you are in office that determines the success of your administration. In my final piece Thursday, I will explain just how the campaigning process works, explore some do's and don'ts, and shed some light as to what happens after the dust settles on a hard- fought election.

The South has not sold out to tourists

Adam Bennett

The recent warm weather has everyone on campus thinking of the emergence of spring, including me. With spring comes more outdoor activities, such as baseball, kayaking and tennis. The season also means everyone in the country wants to visit the mountains. That's right. Tourists will be soon be Down South again.

I'm from Asheville, the largest tourist city in Western North Carolina. I worked at a Days Inn for three years as a front desk clerk. I know tourists. Most are nice, some are cranky, and some dress weird. But they all have one thing in common: they want to see "the mountains" and while they are in the area, they want to soak up as much local "culture" as they can.

They also want to visit famous and historical sites. Many movies such as "Dirty Dancing," "Last of the Mohicans," "Richy Rich," "28 Days," "Patch Adams" and the recent "Hannibal," have been filmed there. Countless celebrities, such as Billy Graham, Thomas Wolfe, Carl Sandburg, Zebulon Vance, Tom Cruise and Andie MacDowell have all had homes in the area.

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians have a reservation next to Asheville, which opens another whole tourist scene. It's amazing how much of the fake hype tourists actually believe. They are mesmerized about how Cherokee Indians still wear traditional headdresses (only for the tourists) and they just can't put out of their minds that everyone in the mountains is a "hick" and live in shacks barely hanging on to the mountainside. (They still exist, but tourists will never see them.) These attractions bring tourists in droves and the big bucks help our city thrive.

Not everything advertised is exaggerated. Asheville has a rich culture that has lasted many years that the local population has, to a point, kept as their own. Even I enjoy listening to bluegrass music and visiting a local square dance once in a while just to soak in part of the culture around which I have grown up.

I even enjoy visiting such sites as the Biltmore House, The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa, and Chimney Rock. There are over 100 more thoroughly interesting sites to visit in the area that are aimed at the tourists but appeal to the locals.

Boone, like Asheville, attracts many out-of-town visitors for the same various reasons. The rich culture and laid-back atmosphere of the town allows tourists to feel at home as one of the locals. Boone has many tourist attractions including Tweetsie Railroad, Grandfather Mountain, Horn in the West and Linville Caverns, just to name a few. Franklin Graham and Doc Watson live in the Boone area.

Many other household names have homes in the area. People are drawn to mountain cities like Asheville and Boone because the people are nice and receptive, not to mention the mild outside temperatures during the spring, summer and fall.

Tourists are great. They bring in revenue that allows are mountain cities to grow. Without the presence of out-of-towners, the culture in its entirety would not be so widely expressed as form as entertainment and may die.

People would lose interest in their roots and advance without thinking of the traditions held by their forefathers. Some may think the South has sold out to tourists, but IÕm proud of our culture and the visitors that want to share it.