FEBRUARY 14, 2007

OPINION

Chocolate and flow

Stacey Murray Advertising Manager

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, sometimes the traditional path is the way to go.

A romantic dinner, cards or anything leading to a romantic evening out with your sweetheart is a sure-fire way to please.

Other gifts to please your sweetie for the holiday are chocolates and flowers, but there are some guidelines to follow when purchasing them.

Vikki Sweeney has worked as a florist at Hearts and Flowers for 30 years. She said the Valentine’s rush amounts to a month’s worth of sales in three days and stock can dwindle fast.

“Order a few days in advance to avoid disappointment.”

Sweeney said while people think flow- ers need to bein bouquets or not at all, one flower means the same as a dozen when they’re given to someone special.

“They're not really buying flowers, they're buying feelings,” she said.

Rose sales account for roughly 75 per cent of total sales during Valentine’s Day. Even so, there are many unique flow- ers to choose from, she said. Cala Lilies, Orchids, Deli Stars and Birds of Paradise offer an exotic touch to a traditional gift.

When looking for colours there are a range of sources to follow, and each one will offer varying meanings, Sweeney said. For this reason, she explained the meaning of flowers in a broader sense.

Letter To The Editor:

Cadre staff, °

I’m writing this as a frequent reader of an infrequent newspaper. While

evety year I’ve gone to UPEI people have lamented the supposed continual decrease in quality of the Cadre, I think it is almost unanimous throughout campus that the newspaper and “voice for the students” has hit rock bottom. The Cadre has forgotten that it is. re- sponsible to the students to maintain high quality content and regular publica- tion. The Cadre as it stands today

lacks both.

When I left the Cadre after a little more than two yeats as sports editor,

it was amidst an editorial change that promised a more “journalistic” approach to the magazine. Rob - and note, this is not a personal qualm - I understand that you have taken journal- ism classes and that this is your passion, and I have a great respect for that. At the end of my tenure with

the Cadre, a few issues prior to my de- parture, it was requested that every

Pastels, for example, mean sociability and friendship in her books, while reds mean passion and love.

Sweeney said flowers are a great gift for everyone, including herself.

“T work with flowers all day and I still love getting them.”

Chocolates, similarily, are a sure hit for Valentine’s Day.

Candace Merkins, the executive pastry chef at Obsessions, said when buying chocolate, it’s important to know what the person will like, as some prefer bitter chocolate to white, or something else entirely.

Even so, Charlottetown doesn’t offer a lot of selection, which makes it easier to narrow down brand names, she said.

“Most people don’t taste the difference unless they’re really into chocolate.”

Merkins had one simple guideline to follow when buying chocolate.

“Chocolate is chocolate is chocolate.”

Rose Colour Meanings

Red: love, romance, beauty and affection White: innocence, purity, respect and new relationships

Pink: grace, elegance, admiration and appreciation t

Yellow: warmth, happiness and true friendship

Orange: desire, passion and enthusiasm Lavender: enchantment and love at first sight

(source: http://www.proflowers.com)

article written have an interview. While ‘this may be fair and balanced journalism, it is frankly a ridiculous request for a one person or two people to cover all sports and get an interview with every team when the seasons coincide as they do. Sports is just one example - when you have a limited number of reporters covering multiple issues each issue, quality is going to suffer, and adding interviews into the mix is only going to exacerbate the situation.

Additionally, fair and balanced journal- ism is pretty boring. Mind you, I definitely understand it having its place in the Cadre, but I personally

believe it should play a more limited role. Have some fun with the Cadre,

but only for the people who actually CAN write funny. For God’s sakes, stop running articles about how bad the bath- rooms ate.

Start entertaining people - write the articles that people look for first in

the Cadre. It’s not a report on how many hoses the fire fighters used when

ers and e

veryt

THE CADRE ¢ 12

hing nice |

Vikki Sweeney works at Hearts and Flowers floral shop on University Avenue. She said flower possibilities are endless, but order early.

they tried to stop the maintenance build- ing from burning to the ground, and

it isn’t the half-assed crossword puzzles. It’s the photo surveys, the fact

and opinions, the rants and the editorials.

People have a right to be

informed, but a desire to be entertained, and the fact is that right now

they are only one of those things and they are lucky to get it once a month. Readers deserve both. You-can only blame a lack of contribution so much.

For that matter, one look at the paper is - reason enough for someone not to want

to contribute - it is frankly a shadow of what it used to be. °

Murray photo

I quit the Cadre when it stopped being fun for me, and it ceased to be a

good time because it wasn’t fun for me to submit an inferior product for

public consumption. If you can be satis- fied with that, then keep doing what you're doing, I offer my services if you feel you can’t continue to

publish. Cadre staff, you are all very capable people, it’s about time you showed your dedication and proved it. You know how to teach me if you need to.

Liam McKenna

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You just might if you send us pictures via:

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NOTE: candids and pictures from