A Different Examination of Valentines Day

It is well known by now that I despise “Hallmark holidays,” especially Valentines Day. This sentimental holiday traces its roots from religious figures, more specifically Saint Valentine (there are 3 of them) within the Catholic Church. The St. Valentine that historians concentrate on, at least in this regard, lived during the 3rd century in Rome. Legend has it that Emperor Claudius II decided that single men were prime military material, so he decreed that young men were not to be married. St. Valentine fought the decree and was incarcerated for his attempts to thwart the emperor by still performing marriages for young couples. It was during his prison term that he fell in love with a young woman (his jailor’s daughter) and sent her the first ‘valentine’ in the form of letter, as he signed it, “from your valentine.”

The actual commemoration of the day takes place on February 14th because St. Valentine was eventually executed for his deeds on February 14, 270. Americans literally took the holiday to heart 1500 years later, as home made Valentines were exchanged around 1700. Valentine’s Day became an official commercial holiday in the 1840’s with the mass production of greeting cards. Is it not ironic that we celebrate our “love” for a significant other based on a day that saw a man’s slaughter? Needless to say, Hallmark and other corporate entities have firmly embraced the art of selling chocolate to selling “cute” teddy bears (which have their roots with President Teddy Roosevelt) to help satisfy American’s urge to satisfy “that special someone.”

I took the liberty of reviewing some demographic numbers in concern to Valentines Day from the US Census Bureau and I must say I am now fully aware of why people spend the way they do. For instance, those who fall in the age group of 20-29 are more apt to purchase a gift for someone simply because these are the prime years in which we seek a mate. There are 118 single men for every 100 single women, which spells for mass squandering of capital in order to secure mate. Never mind the principle behind it (which I disagree with), it is all about seeing how low we will go to find someone (which probably leads to our colossal divorce rates). On the Brightside, if you are male and have not found love by the time you are 65, there are 33 single men for every 100 single women (Viagra sales).

So what kind of sales do retailers typically do on the days leading up to Valentines Day? Over 60% of American consumers participate in the holiday and on average spend over $100 each. Last year, over $13.7 billion was spent, with these figures bound to exceed that number this year. Oddly enough, you can say that Valentines Day is a “chick holiday” with the average male planning to spend around $135 and the average female planning to spend just $68. Where do the majority of these funds go to? The greeting card industry of course! 68% of consumers usually purchase a greeting card, with candy in second, and an evening out in a close third. What does all of this mean? For one it means go into the greeting card business. Secondly, it shows how materialistic our society is. Praise the lord I am single, as my valentine to myself this year are tires; practical and inexpensive.

A Tainted Idol

For the first time in NASA’s history, an active astronaut has run into legal troubles. Lisa Marie Nowak was caught by Orlando Police in an attempt to “confront” a romantic rival (an air force captain) with a four inch blade, a rubber hose, and a BB gun. Nowak, who is a Captain in the US Navy (thats one rank away from admiral), was arrested after failing to assault her rival in an airport parking lot. She followed her rival’s plane from Houston to Orlando by car, not even stopping for bathroom breaks, as she wore a diaper the entire way. I guess she became accustomed to those diapers in space. Why not give them a try in gravity?

Evidently, Nowak and the other woman are “active participants” in a love triangle with a fellow astronaut. The ramifications are already being felt by Nowak, as NASA has grounded her from flight status and put her on thirty day leave. She was allowed to post bail of around $25K this afternoon under the condition that she wear a GPS tracking device around her ankle. It maybe a bit rash, but one of the charges included attempted murder. There is no word yet on the other participants. NASA has yet to officially comment on the story, but chances are their reputation has taken a big hit.

One would wonder how a “crazed” individual like this even gained entrance into the astronaut program in the first place. Potential astronauts are put through rigorous psychological monitoring and testing in order to get into the program, much less the other rigors it takes to enter space. Nowak has been an astronaut since 1996 and has countless degrees from the US Naval Academy, i.e. she is not stupid. She even took part in STS-121 last summer when the space shuttle Discovery spent a few weeks at the International Space Station. Astronauts are human like the rest of us, but their aura in our society is comparable to a god; they are idolized the world around.

It has been widely known that the very first astronauts were not exactly model citizens. Yet their acts of disorderly conduct were set aside under the guise of “boys will be boys.” Nowak though is at a disadvantage, as the standards for astronauts both on and off the job have increased since the late 1960’s. What does this mess mean for NASA? It is too early to surmise what the resounding effects will be. But it is fair to assume that the agency has been tainted. At the very least I would expect incredibly tougher standards, even tougher than the present time to become an astronaut.

Damn, there goes that career choice...

Super Loss

I have finally been had; my prediction for the Super Bowl was immensely off. The Bears suffered their final demise of the season with a 29-17 loss at the hands of the Colts. Let’s face it, Peyton Manning ruled the day again with solid play that thwarted the Bears defense on every level. The Bears did start out strong in an obvious sense, as Devin Hester ran the opening kickoff back 92 yards for a touchdown. That touchdown was then complimented by a Colt’s turnover which turned into a Rex Grossman touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad. After that it was downhill. The Bear’s offense turned into an impotent pile of sludge and Peyton Manning ruled the day.

With the offense unable to stay on the field for an elongated period of time which meant that Peyton Manning was on the field. The Colts controlled the ball for a little over 38 minutes compared to the Bears’ 21 minutes. Grossman could have performed a lot better, but he never had the opportunity to find a rhythm. Plus, accruing five turnovers did not help matters, especially two interceptions on the part of Grossman who just did not have the touch on this day. The defense played admirably by forcing three turnovers, but when you are on the field for more than half of the game, it is a futile fight. The Colts garnered 430 total yards, compared to the Bears’ 265, which equaled defeat for the Bears.

Most of the blame for the loss will more than likely have to be shouldered by Grossman, which is an unfair assessment. Like Lovie Smith stated countless times over the course of the season when Grossman was struggling, the team made it to the Super Bowl with him as quarterback. But there will be resounding “what if” statements flying around Chicago until next season. What if Brian Griese was at the helm all season? Would he have been more consistent? Defense and Special teams performed marvelously all season, which leaves the offense as the weak link in the chain. Will Grossman return next year as the starting quarterback?

Either way, the Bears had a great season. They made it to the Super Bowl against all odds, which is commendable on any level of professional sports. They probably should not have made it this far, but defense can only do so much in any sport. A good defense has to be complimented by a solid offense. I am not talking Michael Jordan like numbers here, but something respectable. Hopefully team management can keep the core of the team together in the offseason and even bring in further pieces that will allow the team to finish the puzzle and win the Super Bowl. Wishful thinking? You never know, as the Bears showed us all this year.