St. Peter's Square and Basilica, the principle church of the Roman Catholics.

With everything that people in this country are arguing about, we as a people forget the many things we can agree on. One of those things is the idea that anyone who would do physical harm to a child is not someone who should be allowed to walk free in society. Many people would say there is nothing worse than that crime. But, in my opinion, there is and that would be the people who cover up these crimes or give safe havens to those who have committed these heinous acts. It is because of this that I am issuing a call that Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, be arrested for knowingly harboring those who have or would impose physical harm to children.

While Benedict’s reign began with something that resembled appropriate action towards these monsters, by “disciplining” Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, his actions prior to becoming pope do not speak so well. The most damning of his actions came in the 1980s when he was serving as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. In 1978, the Rev. Stephen Kiesle was arrested for tying up two boys and molesting them. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years probation.

While Kiesle took an extended leave of absence, the bishop of Oakland wrote the Vatican to have the priest defrocked. Instead of this happening immediately, a debate ensued in writing between the bishop and Ratzinger’s office. A letter signed by Ratzinger in 1985 stresses to think of the “good of the universal Church” as opposed to just defrocking the priest, which happened two years later.

The amount of letters that Ratzinger’s office received about this kind of conduct is startling. The only thing more shocking was that these complaints were not given more attention. The Vatican, to this day, harbors Cardinal Bernard Law, who personally wrote memos about transferring priests who had been accused of sexual abuse to different parishes. This is a man who knowingly covered tracks for people who have raped and tortured children, and the Catholic Church lets him walk free within their confines.

This all speaks to a much larger issue, which is the attitude the Catholic Church displays when these allegations come up. It seems the first thought of church officials is not how can they protect the children, but more along the line of how can they protect their institution.

What does this say about that institution? To me, it says that it’s more important, in their eyes, to have people believe in their organization than to make sure that child rapists are locked up. In fact, only recently did the Vatican officially say that bishops should report such accusations to civil authorities. Why should that have to be said by the higher ups? Should that not be common sense? It should, but the church is still debating whether to adhere to civil law or canon law. Once again, the true attitudes of the Vatican show, and they’re disgusting.

It should never be a question of protecting the religion or which laws to adhere to. It should always be about protecting the children.

But this just shows an even bigger problem, the one called religion. Because Catholicism has so many followers, many people feel reluctant to criticize them so harshly. Because it’s a religion that so many take so seriously, it may seem like in going after the leadership we are also going after its followers.

Well the time has come to wake up and see these people at the top of this institution for what they are — criminals. If these people were not covered by religion, they would be in jail. And to those who doubt me on this, I bring up an analogy Bill Maher made. Imagine if instead of a religion, the pope were the CEO of an international chain of daycare centers where employees were caught raping children, the crimes being covered up and the rapists transferred to different branches where they were put in direct contact with other children. I am very sure that that daycare would be bankrupt and out of business. So, why would we give a religious institute that kind of exemption for these crimes?

But in the end, justice is what matters. The main thing is that the people who committed these crimes and those who covered their tracks are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Catholic League President Bill Donahue and the Vatican Secretary of State have called this a homosexual crisis even though there is no link between pedophilia, hebephilia or ephebophilia (sexual attractions based on various stages of adolescence) and homosexuality. Another cardinal said the treatment of Catholic priests was like that toward Jews during the Nazi regime. But wanting justice for the rape and torture of children from those who are actually responsible is hardly persecution. Examples must be made. Though I’m sure Pope Benedict XVI does not condone child rape, for the role he has played in protecting those who have, he must serve his time.

Charles Bright is a student at NOVA and president of the Alexandria campus Gay-Straight Alliance.

By: Charles Bright

From left to right: a Cajón, triangle, Agogo bells, stick, shaker (also called Ganza or Xique-Xique) and Bendir (also called Tar)

When one thinks of Brazilian music the fervent samba drum beats of Carnival or the smooth sounds of bossa nova may come to mind. Whatever the style, one may not think of NOVA music major Mark Sawasky. Don’t let his Dearborn, Mich. roots fool you though. He plays as passionately and soulfully as any world musician. He is a true artist.

Sawasky got his start in a rock band in his hometown. When a two-stringed Albanian Lute musician wanted to record with the band, they took their music to the recording studio. From there, the band formed an ethnic world-music style. It was love at first sound. The group has been together for 15 years now.

A musician his whole life, Sawasky became a professional after he moved to Detroit, Mich. In Detroit the town reverberated with the sounds of eastern European, Middle Eastern and African music. Eventually, Sawasky discovered Brazilian music as well.

The Angolan word “semba” means circle. The Brazilian music known as samba comes from a tradition when African slaves made a circle to train and practice fighting so that they could strengthen themselves against their masters.

The fighting consisted of mainly rapid kicks delivered in a circling motion and with acrobatic maneuvers such as one armed half-cartwheels. There is also back and forth side to side foot movements done in a crouched position. The idea is to get the other fighter into one’s own rhythm in order to deliver a blow with a follow up kick.

The slaves disguised this training as a dance and put music to it. Quickly the slaves realized that this dance, which became capoeira, was a wonderful outlet for their aggressions. The slave masters noticed too, and allowed them to do their capoeira dances. The dances were performed to samba music, and it became an art form.

Samba music was most affiliated with Salvador, Bahia in Brazil. There, samba de roda, the circle of dances, took form. After slavery was abolished, many freed slaves moved to Rio de Janeiro and took their dances with them. To this day Rio de Janeiro is the principal center of samba in Brazil. The African rhythms were mixed with European rhythms, and the samba schools were born.

At one point samba was outlawed until President Getúlio Dornelles Vargas became the president from 1930 to1945 and again from 1951 to 1954.
“Vargas made samba huge and wanted it to be part of the culture,” Sawasky commented.

When Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira became president in 1956, samba became even more widely accepted. Kubischek’s motto was “50 years of progress in five years.” He built Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil, but music was changing also.

Jazz music which originated in New Orleans, La. was hugely popular in the 1950s. It heavily influenced music, and that was when bossa nova came along. Antonio Carlos Jobim, popularly known as Tom Jobim, wrote “The Girl from Ipanema.” The song was written in the 1960’s, the same time bossa nova exploded onto the music scene.

Bossa means flair in Portuguese, and nova means new. Sawasky described the term as encompassing more than music.

“It implies that you have an innate ability to make something yours and that you have natural ability for something,” Sawasky told his intimate audience at a speaking event on the Alexandria campus.

He demonstrated the tools of his trade which included a tar or bandir, one of the oldest hand-held drums of Africa. The Nigerian cow bell adds a muted clicking percussive sound. The birimbau is a stick which resembles a six foot bow. It has a stone which is used against a little basket with seeds attached to the large stick. The birimbau musician uses various rhythms to imply which dance the capoeira performers should do. As musicians watch and chant, then the performers chant back. This interaction builds to an almost spiritual crescendo.

The pandeiro was developed from the bandir, and it looks like a tambourine but sounds deeper, resembling the drum sound of the bandir. A gourd compliments all of the percussion instruments, and it is made of the wood of a Bariba fruit tree. The caxixi is a covered basket with a handle, and it makes a type of rattle sound.

Sawasky commented that there are paintings that are 8000 years old in Turkey that show these same instruments being used in Middle Eastern music performances.

“That’s what is great about music – you can do anything you want with it,” Sawasky said. “There are no boundaries, no race. Anyone can play any culture’s music.”

Members of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Nick Pasko, Stefan Reed, Jason Matthys, Ashley Milligan and Zakk Adams, hand out pamphlets and introduce their club to students at NOVA's Woodbridge campus on March 24.

The American public’s sentiment for creating sensible marijuana laws is ever increasing, and it seems someone finally brought these ideas to Virginia with the introduction of House Bill 1134.

Delegate Harvey Morgan was an unlikely candidate  to sponsor the first marijuana decriminalization bill in Virginia for over 30 years. The second most senior member of the Virginia House of Delegates, a Republican and pharmacist by trade; Delegate Morgan commands respect among his peers in the Virginia Legislature.

“I think the penalty should fit the crime,” says Morgan. “If it’s a crime to use [marijuana], it’s not a serious crime.”

Current maximum penalties for simple marijuana possession go from a $500 fine and 30 days in jail for a first offense, to a $2500 fine and 365 days in jail for subsequent offenses.

His bill would remove all criminal penalties for possession of under one ounce of marijuana, and keep the $500 fine already on the books. This would turn minor marijuana possession into a civil, rather than criminal offense, while leaving harsh penalties for larger amounts and dealing marijuana.

What would make an elected official do such a thing? Being 79 years old, Delegate Morgan is more concerned with doing what is right than with reelection.

“I’ve been here a long time; if my constituents want me to retire, so can it be. I’m not saying I want to – I didn’t say that at all – but I think what I am doing is the right thing.”

Delegate Morgan is not alone in his support for marijuana reform; several other Virginia lawmakers have openly shown their approval. There is mounting evidence that delegates should not be apprehensive about supporting marijuana decriminalization. A 2002 poll by CNN and Time Magazine found that 72% of Americans think marijuana consumers should not be sent to jail.

A study by the California State Office of Narcotics and Drug Abuse found that “The reduction in penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use does not appear to have been a factor in people’s decision to use or not use the drug.” Other studies have also come to the same conclusion.

The most recent state to decriminalize marijuana has been Massachusetts, where a $100 fine has replaced criminal penalties for possessing up to an ounce of marijuana. Voters passed this referendum by a greater margin than they voted for Barack Obama. Massachusetts saves millions of dollars annually in reduced court and law enforcement costs, a significant benefit in these harsh economic times.

The fact that Virginia is considering this type of legislation should come as no surprise. Our laws have been wholly ineffective. Nearly 20,000 marijuana arrests are made in Virginia every year, comprising 65% of all drug arrests. This number is nearly equal to all violent crime arrests combined.

The people charged with these simple marijuana crimes get a mark on their record not for a year or a decade even, but for the rest of their lives. This is amazingly unfair and wasteful. There is no evidence that harsh marijuana laws discourage its use, and creating so many misdemeanor offenders hurts Virginia’s productivity by keeping otherwise qualified individuals out of the workforce. This can have lasting permanent consequences for people who are convicted of marijuana possession in their late teens or early twenties; possibly changing the course of their entire lives.

It is time for these backwards marijuana policies to take a permanent vacation. A new day is dawning where the criminal justice system is no longer unreasonably strained by marijuana laws in Virginia.

Decriminalization is more reasonable, compassionate and understanding of the bottom line, which is this: drug use is not a criminal justice issue, it is a health issue. As a member of a club called Students for Sensible Drug Policy at NVCC, I am ready to be a part of that change.

Our mission is to promote drug policy reform efforts and to educate our peers about the true harms of substance use. Upon hearing about the Virginia Decriminalization bill, we instantly took interest in joining the effort. We began tabling that very week at the Woodbridge campus to spread the word among students.

After students provided us their zip code, we would look up their legislators on the Virginia General Assembly website, and give them the information needed for them to contact their representatives. The effort was hugely successful with over 100 students making calls to representatives in support of marijuana decriminalization.

This all culminated in a trip to Richmond where a few SSDP members from several colleges met with representatives to voice our support for marijuana law reform. This is what democracy in action is all about.

Unfortunately, Morgan’s decriminalization bill was tabled for the year, meaning it is basically dead. Over 200 people attended the hearing on the bill in the Virginia Courts of Justice Subcommittee. Every citizen who testified at the hearing was in favor, including former members of law enforcement. The Virginia Prosecutors Association even stated that it would be in favor of the bill with a few conditions.

This gives us an optimistic view of our chances for enacting this legislation in the future, and Delegate Morgan has expressed that this may be the most popular bill he has introduced in the over 30 years he has served as a State lawmaker. There are plans to reintroduce it next year and there is good chance it may one day pass. SSDP will surely be there working to make it a reality.

Jason Matthys is the president of the college wide Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. He can be reached at nvccssdp@gmail.com.

By Jason Matthys

Ken Cuccinelli’s reasoning for this is that the standards of anti-discrimination policies for state institutions can only be set by the General Assembly and, since the Assembly has repeatedly voted against including such language in state policies, then universities should not be doing so.

This idea is just terrible. The one scary part of Cuccinelli’s letter is the fact that he is right. The General Assembly is responsible for setting these standards, and time and time again they have either voted against or killed efforts to expand the commonwealth’s anti-discrimination laws. Cuccinelli is technically executing the job of the attorney general by suggesting these institutions obey the law of the land.

However, just because something is law, does not make it right. It is because of this that I am urging the leadership of Northern Virginia Community College not to comply with the wishes of Cuccinelli. What Cuccinelli is doing may be horrendous, but it presents a unique opportunity for our commonwealth’s institutions of higher learning to stand up for what is right.

Our public institutions of academics are supposed to be grounded in the ideas of fairness, truth, equality and knowledge. These schools have taken it upon themselves to make sure that those who are different are not denied any opportunities just because of who they are.

Cuccinelli wants to take action on this right now, after less than two months serving in this position. I’m guessing he has wanted to do this for a while, especially since his four Republican predecessors –Jim Gilmore, Mark Earley, Jerry Kilgore and Bob McDonnell – did not actively work to have universities lift these policies.

I’m also guessing that Cuccinelli has not taken into consideration that for most people the idea of attending a public university that actively promotes and safeguards diversity for all is a positive one.

I can be fairly certain that Cuccinelli, based on his voting record in the General Assembly, does not care about a student or an employee at a college being denied an opportunity or even a place at the college. Even if this is simply because the person providing it disapproves of something in the applicant’s private life that does not affect the way they perform.

Unfortunately, that is the truth in Virginia. Sometimes it’s easy to forget in the gay-friendly areas of Alexandria, Arlington and Falls Church, but our commonwealth is not very receptive to people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. Our commonwealth is on the same level as Oklahoma, the most anti-gay state in the nation, when it comes to the anti-gay policies that are the laws of the land. That two people of the same gender who love each other cannot receive any government protections as a couple is unjustified. That several companies are apprehensive to bring jobs to Virginia because of anti-gay policies is a horrid one, especially in this economic climate.

It’s up to every college student in Virginia to stand up for what is right. The House of Delegates has made it abundantly clear where they stand on discrimination (the state Senate has passed a state non-discrimination bill) and, with an all-GOP executive branch, we cannot count on Gov. McDonnell to help us.

We all must stand up to Cuccinelli’s personal crusade against queer people. It shouldn’t matter what your own personal labels are. Whether you are black, white, Latino, Asian, Middle-Eastern, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Mormon, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, young, old, liberal, conservative, gay, bi, trans or straight, we need to show our solidarity and commitment to fairness.

Let’s call Cuccinelli’s bluff. What does he plan to do to institutions that do not comply with these wishes? He could cut the school’s funding, but would the state Republicans really cut funding to organizations that are employing people inside the state? Could you imagine the attacks Cuccinelli and all the General Assembly members against fairness would receive because of this? Let’s take Cuccinelli on. Write and call his office. Make your voices heard on this. And no matter what the outcome may be, never let your voice be silent on injustice again.

Charles Bright is a student at NOVA and president of the Alexandria campus Gay-Straight Alliance.

By Charles Bright

Since the creation of the world, people have been getting married. Nowadays, humankind still follows this tradition, creating hundreds of new families every day. People interpret the meaning of marriage in different ways, but what is the real one?

The Oxford dictionary defines marriage as a “legal union of a man and a woman.”

Marriage must be wise decision since it happens once and is a life time commitment. In the old times, people married because of their parent’s will. Parents would choose who their children should marry. Fortunately, times have changed. Currently, single people can choose who they want to spend their life with. Everybody gets married for various reasons but the main ones have always been and always will stay unchanged: create a family, share life with a loved one, and begin a new generation.

The great thing about marriage is willing to create a family. In the beginning, God created a man and said that it is not good for a man to stay alone. Then he created Eve to be man’s wife. In current times, people still want someone else in their lives and they seek a second half.

When a decision about having a family is made it brings responsibility, but also joy. People get married to create a family that they will protect, care for and belong to. For those that were orphans or had incomplete families, having a family is like receiving a jewel. They have a whole new life filled with people that they love and are loved by.

Creation of a new family is a beginning of a new journey in life that will bring many expected and unexpected moments. One of the benefits that one has from a family is an oldness acquired from being surrounded by family: wife or husband, children, grandchildren, and even grand grandchildren. If someone decides to live a life without getting married, they will spend the rest of their life in loneliness.

The best thing on earth is to love and be loved in marriage. Out of all of the feelings that a human can have, the strongest one is love. Every person wants to have a friend that will always listen to what is going on in their life, who will always support, protect and stay faithful and trustworthy in every situation.

Marriage is the strongest human union that can ever exist. During the ceremony a man and a woman promise each other to be together in sickness and in health, richness and poverty until death sets them apart. Together they build a new home full of joy, hope, faith and love.

When a husband comes back home from work after having a rough day, he knows that his beloved wife is waiting for him. She will listen, understand and comfort.  He knows that he will get a delicious supper prepared by a woman that he loves the most in his life.

The greatest feeling of all is to know that in a world full of problems, anger, jealousy, greed, and worries somebody is always there to help no matter what. Husband and wife face various problems but because of their strong love, they can conquer all their negative feelings, forgive one another for everything and move on. People get married because they want insurance that someone will live with them and take care of them through life.

People want to get married because they want to have children in a safe and secure family that they take care of. People want to experience the feeling that a human gets when they see their children smile and their wife covers up her worries that might have been bothering her before.

The joy that comes to the heart when a child says the first word or makes the first steps can never be compared to any other feeling.  A family becomes much stronger when children are born but it also brings numerous responsibilities. Parents have to be able to pass on to their children all the wisdom that they have, to raise their children as humans, and teach them as much as possible about good. Children should be able to survive in this world based on everything that they have received from their parents. Parenting is the reason for getting married and a challenge which not everyone can take on.

Based on three simple reasons, creating a family, sharing life with a loved one, and raising a new generation, marriage is the greatest decision that can be made. It can give a a life time of love, passion, faith, hope, trust, joy, and worries.

Because marriage is a “legal union of a man and a woman” it should be kept that way. Many do not realize the blessing it is to have a normal, complete family that consists of a man and a woman and how much they miss out by following their poorly thought out desires.

A family should have two different points of view in order to make right decisions since a man alone or in company with another man can never feel and understand what a woman feels and make a decision that a woman would. There are a lot of different points of view on family today, but most of people want to get married to the opposite sex and live a life full of true joy.

Prepackaged food on a refrigerated shelf at the Annandale campus.

Students are frequently in a situation between classes where they are hungry but do not have enough time to go to a restaurant off campus. Although the chips and chocolate in the vending machines look tempting, there has to be a better solution.

On the Annandale campus, food options are limited. The main location to buy food is in the school cafeteria. But is choosing to eat there really the best choice?

Down the stairs of the CF building at Annandale, is the school cafeteria. To some, the cafeteria is rather small and dainty. To others, it is quaint and charming.

“The NOVA cafeteria is a lot like a high school cafeteria,” said Paul Kaye. “It is loud and kind of annoying.”

The room is small and looks as if it can only hold a couple hundred people. Long rectangular tables are joined to each other and travel across the length of the room. The floor and table tops are littered with trash and left-over food. It is hard to find a clean place to sit.

The cafeteria has standard choices like hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, fries, cookies and chips. In the words of Jenni Bartell, “They have mostly stuff you would find at a fast food restaurant.”

There is also a small deli bar and two types of soups.

There is a refrigerated shelf with prepackaged foods such as wraps, sandwiches, fruit cups and pudding that always looks the same. They could have possibly been sitting on that shelf for months without anyone realizing the difference.

The cafeteria has more than enough soda, including a soda fountain, and a total of eight soda machines. At least there is no worry of anyone dying of thirst at NOVA.

In the very back of the kitchen, there is a small bar of food made daily. The food looks less prepackaged and frozen and a bit more nutritional. However the food is charged by the pound, which can get very expensive.

Many students don’t buy a full meal in the cafeteria partly because of the cost and partly because of the nutritional value.

“The food here is expensive,” said Paul Kaye. “I bought my food here a lot my first semester and ended up spending a lot of money. They need cheaper prices or a deal to make it less expensive for students.”

Many people will come and only buy one item.

Vegetarian options are limited, too.

“I usually come here to get fries,” said Sonia Altis. “Other than that there are not many options for people who are vegetarians.”

Other people bring their own lunch or come to the cafeteria just to see and meet with friends. According to Jimmy Chen, “Some of my friends will bring their game stations here, since the game room on campus has many restrictions. We will bring our laptops and play various games.”

Crowding can also be a problem. Chen said, “On a typical day I will go in to the cafeteria, try to beat the line, get food and get out. I think they need a second cafeteria. This one gets really crowded in the mornings, and they get all jammed up which creates a problem.”

Student sentiment seemed to be the same, the cafeteria could be better.

“I would never bring a friend here, I would rather go out to a restaurant if I had the time,” Kaye said.

Altis summed the situation up best declaring, “They need better and cheaper food.”

Now, one might ask how bad my dates could have possibly been to make me feel this way. It seems like I have had especially bad experiences compared to my friends. Some of my first dates could have been right out of a comedy. Though, the more appropriate genre would be horror.

What I am about to tell is the epitome of a bad date. Unfortunately, this story has not been expanded or fabricated in any way.

Once upon a time in the far-away land of Fairfax, Va., this guy – I will call him Tim – asked me out on a date to a romantic dinner and movie. He was cute and quite popular in high school. He liked me, too. So how could I resist?

In retrospect, the first mistake was agreeing to go out on Friday the 13^th.

Tim picked me up. As soon as we started driving there was a horrible scraping noise under the car, like nails down a chalkboard. It sounded like something was being dragged along. Because the scraping was so loud I could only hear half of what my date was saying. Despite that, we had a good interesting conversation.

Merging onto the highway, we got lost. He pulled off the road and started cursing at his GPS system that had apparently misled us. After 30 minutes of calling friends and family, we finally received directions on how to get to the movie theater.

As we pulled up to the theater, those on the streets stared as they maybe wondered what on earth was making that horrible sound under Tim’s car.

As Tim pulled into a parking space, he hit a car. He angrily muttered under his breath and inspected the damage. When he got back in his car, he off-handily said, “It’s fine,” and finished pulling his car into the parking spot.

He sighed and looked at me. All right, now let’s go have fun! “Ha ha, yeah, all right,” I thought to myself. But how much worse could the situation actually get?

Walking into the theater we realized we had missed the showing of Slumdog Millionaire. Just one other movie was playing at this time. So, Confessions of a Shopaholic it was. During the entire movie Tim was quite the sport. I have to admit he did a pretty good job of pretending to look interested in the girlie, pre-teen movie. Of course he had to make it more awkward by trying to put his arm around me. He could pick up on my awkward vibe because within five minutes his arm was back by his side.

When the movie ended, it was only 10 p.m., not late enough to pull the whole “Oops it’s getting past my curfew excuse.” So, instead I used the “I’m not feeling very well, so I should probably get back home,” excuse. That one he bought, thank God.

As we were driving away from the theater, I saw a girl clutching her ears from the screeching sound Tim’s car was making.

Within five minutes of heading back, we heard a huge bang. What was that we wondered? Tim got out of his car to inspect the situation.

From the side view mirrors I saw Tim pick up his bumper from the side of the road, lug it back to his car and stick it in the trunk. The good news? There would be no more screeching for the rest of the drive home.

We were almost home when Tim stopped at a gas station because the tank was nearly empty.

“Shoot,” I heard Tim shout from the side of the car. “Oh, no,” I thought to myself. What could it possibly be this time?

“What’s wrong Tim?” I sweetly asked. He informed me that he did not have his wallet. He must have left it in the theater.  In one fell swoop, I stepped out of the car and went up to the counter to pay for Tim’s gas.

“All right, let’s get you home,” Tim sadly remarked as he finished pumping the gas and sat back down in the car. He said he would go retrieve it the following day. As much as it pained me to say it, and believe me, it did pain me, I convinced him to head back to the theater to retrieve it.

We looked but did not find the wallet. So we finally migrated back to the car and called it a night. We were both rather silent the entire way back.

And we lived happily never after.

I did not talk to Tim for a while after that day. In fact, the next and last text I got from him said he had brought his car in to the shop and was told that after hearing that screeching noise we should not have taken it on the highway. There was a good chance it could have exploded.

Well, there it is folks. Still don’t understand why I don’t like first dates?

The good news is the experience makes an amazing story. Seriously, whenever I encounter an awkward conversation I just ask, “Hey, wanna hear a funny story?” Not to mention, I know in the back of my head that a date cannot possibly get worse than that.

Many questions still remain on the effectiveness of the stimulus act.

As the US inches closer to being in default many are wondering if the multibillion dollar stimulus worked. That answer seems to depend on which side of the political spectrum one is on. Ask Obama and he’ll say yes, ask the congressional Republican leadership and surely you’ll get a no. However, there are clear facts that sort out the political claims.

First, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, colloquially known as the stimulus, must be evaluated for what it was created for. It was designed to save and create jobs. It was also written to create economic growth and increase accountability and transparency in government spending. Lastly, the stimulus was designed to be a multiyear spending package, designed to reduce the likelihood of a double dip recession.

The act has already created two million jobs, while in the year that the law has been in place two million jobs have been lost. The stimulus act did not create new net jobs. However, it kept two million workers off the unemployment rolls, and it helped to remove the economy from the worst of the recession.

Accountability has also been present. The bill required the creation of Recovery.gov, a website that enables citizens to track and for data geeks to more deeply analyze data that can shine new light on spending.

The multiyear stimulus is still in progress. Many of the infrastructure projects will start this summer, providing more construction related jobs. The stimulus money is less than half spent, leaving plenty of opportunity for more help to a hurting economy.

There is also confusion over what the stimulus did. The stimulus money never went to banks. A January CNN poll found there was much confusion about the bank bailout and the stimulus. Over half of Americans believe the stimulus money went to “bankers and investors.” In fact the only institutional bailout in the stimulus was towards cash strapped states.

The so called bank bailout, which is technically known as the Targeted Asset Relief Program was a separate piece of legislation, initiated by the Bush administration, and cost about $700 billion. Most would think spending money on infrastructure projects, which creates many jobs for the working class, is good. Handing billions to irresponsible bankers? Not so popular. No wonder politicians like Sarah Palin have said the stimulus was loaded with “corporate giveaways,” linking it with the highly unpopular bank bailout.

The stimulus has succeeded in creating and saving jobs. Billions have gone to state and local governments, allowing them to preserve jobs, such as teaching, that otherwise would have been axed as local governments deal with income problems of their own.

However, despite the bill’s successes Republican opposition has been strong. Former presidential candidate Ron Paul criticized the bill for “accomplishing exactly what it was intended to accomplish – grow the government.” While there has been growth in the government to properly oversee the disbursement of the funds, most of this money has gone directly to states and private contractors working on a myriad of projects. The goal of the stimulus act was not to create a super government, with the populace dependent on government jobs. Its end result has not been that either.

Even more outlandish is the claim made by groups such as Americans for Tax Reform who say the stimulus has increased unemployment. This is simply untrue. Even without counting the private sector jobs created, thousands at the state level have been saved by increased funding in areas such as education.

The basis for ATR’s belief that the stimulus has only stimulated the government is a Congressional Budget Office report that said 80 percent of ARRA dollars went to programs like student aid, unemployment benefits and social security. This money in no way “stimulated” the government but transferred it to people that were likely to put the money immediately back into the economy. Students, the unemployed seeking work and the social security dependent likely spent the vast majority of their money. It went back to businesses, and that is how an economy grows.

Being just a year into the multi-year stimulus makes it too early to judge its fruits, but the stimulus so far looks successful. Two million jobs have been saved, government spending is more accountable and transparent and last quarter the economy grew nearly six percentage points. That sounds like a law that is meeting its goals.

It was twistedly romantic. It was spontaneous. It was magical. It was our first date, Valentine’s Day. It was a fateful decision.

We met at his condo in downtown Baltimore as to take one car. The limo was a nice touch, I will admit, though a little superfluous for a first date. None the less I felt flattered he would go to such a length. I don’t remember much about the conversation on the way to dinner but I do remember being smitten with his complicated cantations, higher education, and the fact that he was studying medical law. My first eyebrow raise being postponed until he mentioned how loaded his parents were, one of many times. I wrote his sticky conversation skills up to being nervous and brushed away the awkwardness. After all he was tall, handsome, fit and educated. A wonder to be single. Curious.

Dinner started sweetly with him ordering a particular dessert wine with the main course. Curious, I wondered if it was some new foodie fad. No, he said, it was because the name was “Sweet Roseanna’s Red,” and that was his ex-girlfriend’s name. His ex-girlfriend, who he was still very much in love with, or obsessed with, I haven’t been able to decide. How did I know this? He told me. At length. She left him. She was cruel and sweet. She had hair like deep red silk, or so I was informed. When not reciting how perfect she had been, he spent many long, quiet, awkward moments staring deep into his wineglass murmuring “Sweet Roseanna.” Deep.

Once he had his fill of reminiscing he felt the need to ask me about my sexual history, saying he liked a girl who was comfortable in her own skin and experienced (in the way of men) and preferably women. Now, I’m a good actress, but I’m sure some of my discomfort bled through. I was assured I had nothing to be shy about, that I was very much his type, and that he’d love to see me model for him or possibly “act” in one of his upcoming movies. Apparently he was into “local” movie making. Charming. Unfortunately, it was too late to impress me. He’d taken care of most of the vino, although I could have used a Martini or four, myself.

He spilled his whole life story promptly after ordering more wine, noticing my lack of guzzling. This covered the fact that he had three kids by three different women, but had only married one of them. However, they had obviously since divorced, but remained great friends and worked together. That marriage ended because of a drug habit he almost had control of. And his drinking, no license, which I suppose explains the limo. Romantic.

Speaking of limo, we got back into the overpriced taxi. The plan of action is to meet with a couple of his friends at a local watering hole for some good conversation. After more delightful little stories, and my inability to slide three words in, he raves about how much his parents are going to love me and he can’t wait to take me out of town to meet them. Reaching? Slightly.

In the bar, at the table, I’m feeling a little better. His friends seem a little odd, but funny no less. After excusing himself for the third time and stretching his absence to well over 30 minutes he returns as I presumed, drunker then when he left. On his heels? A waitress, though not ours. Leaving them discussing drinks I excuse myself to the restroom, make a phone call and make it back to the table in no more than 15 minutes only to find the waitress still sitting with my date, in my seat. The fact, among others, that I have to ask her to move so I can sit back down should have set off my thus far silenced bells and whistles. She walks over to the bar and gets a stool and plops it down 15 feet from our table.

Next thing, my date drags the stool over saying she is lighting up our conversation. I get through the ordering of the drinks, and she had only leaned over his shoulder and ran her hands through his hair twice. By the time the drinks had arrived, the table had been advertised, at least twice, that if I ever wanted to get rid of him, I just had to call her. Of course this was said with a laugh, which my date thought was so cute. Adorable.

Breaking point? No. I’m very patient. Please don’t misunderstand, had I had my own means of getting home this pleasantly sickening evening, or an address to where my car was, or a cell phone with a live battery I would have fled the scene more than once.

Small details to wrap up the night; he maxed his credit at dinner, so I had to cover for us, as well as his two friends, as well as the drink he insisted on buying for the waitress.

We must escort his friends home because they are clearly too drunk to drive, and how convenient that the waitress had just ended her shift. We all pile into the limo and head to his buddy’s apartment, in the same downtown as my date’s abode.

Relived to be in familiar-ish territory the partiers stumble into a small apartment. I break a heel catching my competition as she catches my sloshed date. In the apartment the men excuse themselves. I hear the shower go on in the bathroom. Eventually emerging wet and clean Captain Socially Inept says he’s sorry he took so long but figured since he was near the shower, he might as well freshen up. He is smart enough to notice the look on my face and proceeds, with a tad bit of attitude, to ask me at what part of the evening did I choose to stop enjoying myself?

I slink past him to the bathroom and emerge a moment later to an empty loft. Patiently I sit, assuming everyone went outside for a cigarette, only to realize when I peak outside the limo had left. Well at least I was rid of him. I was only stranded in downtown Baltimore at 2 a.m. No biggie. So I scoop my shoes up, and borrow some energy bars from the counter and face the night full of proverbial jumpers and shankers to hang my head back to my car. Hopefully.

Sneaking past people sleeping on benches, it’s dark and I’m scared. I hear a shadow, “you shouldn’t be out here all alone like you are.”

An old man with a cart approaches me at the intersection I’m preparing to dash across. “Are those Cliff Bars?” I hand the man my confiscated snacks with shaking hands. “Please don’t worry, it should be a happy day” he says and he pulls his other hand out of crinkly paper in his cart. He hands me a long stem red rose. “I’m always prepared to be kind”. I thank him with a shaky hiccup in my voice and he tells me to walk with my head high. It’s warm for a February night, and even with the buildings the stars are out. I smile, thank him, and scuttle back to my car.

Getting in.I lock the door. A very deep breath lets some adrenaline out of my system. Relief.

I suppose after all, it’s freaking Valentine’s day. Though after all of the drama, I got the warm fuzzies I was hoping for, even be it in a twisted, spontaneous, magical, fateful way.

Emily Pfister demonstrates Reiki on a patient.

I regularly volunteer to lay hands on or over people lying on a massage table to help them relieve stress, deal with cancer treatments or handle other issues in their lives. This NOVA student has made Reiki her favorite hobby. Believe it or not, there is nothing more involved in the treatment beyond focusing your attention on someone. I use symbols and mantras to focus and channel energy to them so they can heal from just about anything. Like Japanese food, learning about Reiki just doesn’t appeal to everyone or and may not be something that just anyone finds easy to swallow.

Reiki, (pronounced ray-key) a system of spiritual and physical healing, was created in Japan in the time between 1910 and 1920 by Mikao Usui. Usui was a Tendai Buddhist. According to Browen and Frans Steine, he came from a Samurai family and was dedicated to religious service at birth. Moribei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido martial arts, was said to be a close acquaintance of Usui.

There is something romantic about these men. They were both noblemen from Samurai families and devoted to improving the bodies and minds of men through developing rituals that elevate their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. In their book, Reiki Fire, Frank Arjava Pettzer and Chettna M. Kohashi translated part of an inscription on the memorial stone at Usui’s Tokyo grave to say: “If Reiki can be spread throughout the world it will touch the human heart and the morals of society. It will be helpful for many people, and will not only heal disease, but the Earth as a whole.”

I guess it would be great if I could say that this rich history of the rituals drew me to Reiki, but I didn’t learn any of that until I had received many, many treatments. I didn’t even know what the word meant. I guess what got me interested in working with cancer patients in the hospital and with a Reiki Center was my own forays experimenting with different therapies to relieve stress and cure a toothache that wouldn’t go away. My narrative isn’t as romantic or impressive as the Tale of the Discovery of Reiki. Usui supposedly fasted on a mountain for 21 days before a great sphere of light appeared to him and gave him the ability to heal with his hands, eyes and mind. I just had a toothache!

Reiki is actually a combination of two Japanese words. Rei means spirit or spiritual and Ki is translated to mean energy of life in Japanese. The true meaning of this ‘spiritual energy’ system was always meant to be revealed over time to the practitioners by seasoned practitioners called Reiki Masters. Today, Reiki students understand that the system is passed down through direct apprenticeship to a Reiki Master and that they become part of a ‘lineage’ or a spiritual line of practitioners that can be directly traced to Usui. Lineage charts can be found in all Reiki training centers, and students understand that they must go to a Reiki Master or trainer to receive a special series of attunements or reiju. The Steine’s explain that Usui based his reiju on a Buddhist ceremony called (in English) Dharma for protecting the body.

To be a Reiki practitioner, you have to go through a series of reiju and learn different techniques to sense the energy field that naturally surrounds people. There are three attunements set up to instruct people in the art of Mastership of Reiki. I had to go through rituals which caused me to see colors, people, places and aspects of my own psyche. The details surrounding the reiju are only made available to students of Reiki. Laying on of hands in stationary positions over my torso was involved. As soon as I underwent my first attunement, I would touch my head and feel what I can only describe as liquid heat come out of my hands to comfort me. One time I treated a drunken friend, who later told me that the treatment was a total buzz kill!

Amy Rowland, an American author who was attuned by professional psychic Reverend Beth Grey, says in her book Intuitive Reiki for our Times that “Reiki enhances intuition just as it enhances the natural ability that we all have to bring healing through touch.” Whether it is sobering up drunk people, experiencing comforting ‘heat’ or just visualizing the answers to tough problems, Reiki enhances our natural ability to be healthy and complete people. A person can get addicted working with Reiki, though. What would be better than volunteering to hold your hands over people and feel comforting sensations that make you feel good about yourself? I have seen people recover from headaches, joint pain and the negative effects of cancer treatment. It’s a rush. As far as hobbies go, this is one of my all-time favorites. And I definitely love working with students, especially when mid-terms and finals come around.

According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, 1.2 million American adults had used Reiki or another alternative energy healing therapy. There is no professional license for Reiki practitioners as of yet, and it is not covered by insurance. The reason I practice Reiki is because it makes me feel that I am really tapping into a spiritual force to help people heal. More and more hospitals are incorporating Reiki therapy into cancer and AIDS treatment programs. And, one day, working as a massage therapist, a nurse or a doctor, I will get to live my dream and incorporate my Reiki skills into my work at a hospital or clinic.