Friday, February 12, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 9
Holiday holds special significance for five KU student 'Valentines'
By Mindie Miller Special to the Kansan
As Feb. 14 approaches, a small group of University of Kansas students will be reminded of the significance of their names.
Five students listed in the student directory share their last names with the namesake of the Valentine's Day holiday.
Joanna Valentine, Louisville, Colo.
senior, and Sara Valentine, Ottawa
freshman, get a lot of attention for
their names year round. But both said
the comments increased around
Valentine's Day.
"I get a lot of comments, but never anything negative," Joanna said. "People who show interest are always very nice."
She said most people told her she had a "meat name."
"Ive also had several people ask me if I plan on keeping my name when I get married," Joanna said.
Regardless of any positive or nega
tive attention she receives because of her name, Joanna said she had always liked Valentine's Day.
Sara had a slightly different view of the lovers' holiday.
"I don't really like Valentine's Day because it's overcommercialized," she said. "It's supposed to be a day to be with loved ones. Instead, it's become a day for candy and card companies, just like Halloween, Christmas and all the other holidays.
"I don't hate Valentine's Day. It's just kind of amoving." Sara said.
Sara said people commonly asked her if she was born on Valentine's Day. Although none of the student Valentines share a birthday with the holiday, Lezli Valentine, Wichita senior, said she had always seen
Lezli Valentine
Wichita senior
"My mom always used to tell me that it was my special day, so it was almost like my birthday.
She said that sharing a name with the holiday had contributed to her negative feelings about it and added that she has never met anyone outside her own family who shared her last name.
Valentine's Day as a second birthday of sorts.
People have been commenting on Lezli's name since she was a child, and they still say things now, she said.
"My mom always used to tell me that it was my special day, so it was almost like my birthday. I always wore red on Valentine's Day," Leli said.
A ntte girl told me my name was really cool," Lezli said. "Others have sarcastically asked me if I'd be their Valentine."
But she said that she didn't mind the extra attention and that she was a Valentine's Day fanatic.
"I love it," she said, "It's almost my
favorite holiday because it centers around love. My friends and I exchange Valentines with one another, and it has always been a very big deal in my family."
Lezli's brother, Scott Valentine, Wichita freshman, shared similar sentiments about the holiday.
"Valentine's Day is a great day," Scott said, although he added that it was more for people who weren't single.
Scott jokingly suggested that he might be able to use his name as aick-unline.
"I could tell girls that I'm the 'Love Doctor.' Scott said.
Many U.S. beds not seeing any action
Survey shows millions suffer sex dysfunction
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — For millions of Americans, sex ain't so hot.
A survey published in yesterday's Journal of the American Medical Association found that sexual dysfunction afflicts 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men. Problems included a lack of interest in sex and the inability to have an orgasm.
"I think it gives us a base for explaining why we had this enormous response to Viagra," said Edward Laumann, a University of Chicago sociologist and lead author of the study.
As grim as the survey's findings are, the results could offer hope to millions who think they're the only ones having trouble in bed, said Laumann. "Often they don't even admit it to their partners. It's the old I've got a headache" instead of "I don't feel like having sex." he said.
Laumann and his co-author, Ray
mond Rosen, had been paid by Pfizer Inc. to review clinical trial data on Viagra before the impotency drug was submitted for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
That association was not mentioned by the Journal, but Phil Fontanarosa, a physician and Journal editor, said yesterday that the omission was an oversight and would be noted in a subsequent issue. Laumann said he had told JAMA editors about the relationship before the study was published.
The researchers said problems with sex are often coupled with everything from emotional and health problems to lack of time, job pressures and money trouble. But they said they aren't sure which comes first — stress or problems with sex.
The researchers based their findings on the 1992 National Health and Social Life Survey, a compilation of interviews with 1,749 women and 1,410 men.
The participants, ages 18 to 59, were asked if they had experienced sexual dysfunction in several months of the previous year.
Sexual dysfunction was defined as a regular lack of interest in or pain during sex or persistent problems achieving lubrication, an erection or orgasm.
Lack of interest was the most common problem for women, with about a third saying they regularly didn't want sex. Twenty-six percent said they regularly didn't have orgasms, and 23 percent said sex wasn't pleasurable.
About a third of men said they had persistent problems with climaxing too early, while 14 percent said they had no interest in sex and 8 percent said they consistently derived no pleasure from sex.
Overall, 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men said they had one or more persistent problems with sex. Researchers had expected the overall numbers to be closer to 20 percent for each sex.
Researchers said those in the survey who experienced sexual dysfunction were more likely to be unhappy and to describe their satisfaction with their partnerships as unsatisfactory. Laumann said.
Domenea Renshaw, a Chicago area sex therapist, said the results
were not surprising, considering the long list of couples waiting to get into the sexual dysfunction clinic she has run at the Loyola University Medical Center since 1972.
In that time, she treated nearly 140 couples who had never consumed their marriages, including a couple who had been wed for 23 years.
Rosen, co-director of the Center for Sexual and Marital Health at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., said the survey provided much-needed information about women, who have often been excluded from studies about sexual performance.
He said the findings are the most comprehensive on sex since Dr. Alfred Kinsey did his landmark studies in 1948. Kinsey got similar results regarding impotence and failure to achieve orgasm but didn't ask about lack of sexual desire.
Too often, Rosen said, Americans have gotten their information about sex from magazines bought at the grocery-store checkout.
"As a scientist, it makes my hair stand on end," Rosen said. "It's terrible."
Rose prices can be thorn in students' wallets
By Michael Terry Special to the Kansan
A rose is a rose is a rose — but this Valentine's Day some roses cost more than others.
or compulsively inclined as a flower industry as well.
Valentine's Day is not just a special day for couples anymore. It's a day for
the flower industry as well.
Valentine's Day has become
flower-buying occasions of the year.
Depending where someone looks in Lawrence, a dozen long-stemmed red roses arranged in a vase
Florists admit that the price of roses goes up for this holiday and that KU students are some of
their biggest Valentine's Day customers.
can cost anywhere from $45
to as much as $90 this Valentine's Day.
Susan Engl is manager of Englewood Florist, 1101 Massachusetts St., where a dozen long-stemmed red roses arranged in a vase range from $70 to $90.
"The prices of roses do go up during Valentine's Day, but it's for a reason. Valentine's Day falls at a time when roses are out of season, and — along with the increase in demand — this causes the price of roses to rise for us as well as the consumer," she said. "Still some local shops charge significantly more for a dozen long-stemmed red roses then others."
"Our price for red roses hardly increases even though they're out of season," said Cyndi Browning, manager of the 23rd Street Dillons floral shop. "We sell only the highest grade of flowers just like the other flower shops in town. At $45.99 for a dozen long-stemmed red roses arranged in a vase. I feel we have a very competitive price."
Browning said that the grade of the flowers was not what drove up the prices because most florists in town carried the highest quality of flowers year round.
rose grower Jim Krone, executive vice president of the Roses Inc., said the reason some floral shops charge more than others is because they know they can charge more.
experience is not a price factor, either, because most of the flower arrangers working here have over 20 years of experience, and we have some of the lowest prices in town." Browning said.
"The demand for red roses is high right now, and everybody is in business to make a profit, and some just make more then others." Krone said.
Krone said that roses were grown 365 days a year, and while it took a little longer to grow them out of season, this did not affect the price very much.
Gabe Zeckser, Topea senior, said, "I always try to get roses for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. It gets expensive, but what are you going to do about it?"
Krone said by doing a little shopping around students could find the best price for their money. He said good deals were still available if students looked for them, but those who waited until the last minute would probably pay more.
Sometimes
catches
nothing
Use white space to your
their
advantage when designing your
attention
ad,it's an attention getter.
Fine Line Tattoo Inc.
Body Piercing
"we get under your skin"
This Valentines day let Cupid leave his mark
Family owned and operated
Greek Letters
1,000s of designs
30 years experience
State licensed
1892 Mass. - Lawrence. 749-3502
29th & Mass. - Topeka. 823-8888
Wed - Sat 12:30 - 8 p.m.
Open and delivering on Valentine's Day
514 E. 9th 843-5954
(offer expires 2/15/99)
Columbia M0.18 so. 9th St., 573-480-0420
Lawrence KS. 734 Massachusetts, 785-748-2377
Kansas City MO. 209 Westport Rd., 816-800-0200
60% in store credit our inventory so stop by one of our three stores and see what we have for you.
At Arizona Trading Co. we buy, sell, and trade quality men's and women's clothing every day. We give you 40% of our selling price in cash or Our inventory is constantly changing
---