Valentine's Day Around the World (Updated for 2014)

Valentine's Day Around the World
A great series of pictures of people celebrating Valentine's Day everywhere in many different ways.  Published in Christian Science Monitor in 2012...
In Slovenia:

In Thailand:

Valentine's Day in Thailand.  Click HERE for the whole gallery.

Click on the link for the whole gallery from CSM:  Pictures from Pakistan, Egypt, Slovenia, the UK, the US, and many other countries.  

Starting a Romance: One Rose or a Dozen?

From Smell-the-flowers blog

From Yahoo Answers:  

Should I get a girl who I'm not even dating a present for Valentine's Day?

Ok, so I've liked this girl for ages now... She doesn't know.. I don't think.. We're not really even friends either more like acquaintances.. I'm friend with one of her best mates but I've not plucked up the courage to actual speak to this girl... Ive liked her for about 6 months now and cant seem to get her off my mind... She is 18 and I'm 25 also I don't think that's an issue but others think it might be?

I was thinking about getting some white roses and a nice bit of jewelry sent to her house on Valentine's Day... (Anonymously also) 

Any advice would be appreciated...

To clarify, I really want to... But I guess I'm being a wimp.. Girls hey! The handful of friends I've spoke to about the are torn between some saying a little over the top and some saying go for it... That's why I'm here...

My answer: 

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to kindle romance.  But be very, very subtle.  I actually think that ONE perfect rose might be a better gift than a dozen roses or jewelry..

I wouldn't send her jewelry unless you were really dating her.. Right now you just WANT to date her.  So be subtle.. ONE rose.. White, red, perhaps an unusual color.

Here's more about a gift of a single rose:  A single rose

And, just for your reading pleasure, here's a great blog about roses...and all flowers:  Smell The Flowers (Roses)

Celebrating Anti-Valentine's Day... Not (Updated for 2014)

Broken heart image found HERE

Apparently many people really do hate Valentine's Day and there is a large (and growing) subculture of anti-Valentine's people.    

The Christian Science Monitor captured the feel of the anti-Holiday in 2012:  

Fed up with the romantic industrial complex, oops, Valentine’s Day? Don’t want to be among the Americans who fork over $17.6 billion for everything from flowers to chocolates to, well, whatever else retailers can emblazon with hearts and seductive sayings?

Join the growing crowds of Valentine’s Day protesters. This contingent has its own guide, “The Anti-Valentine’s Handbook” by J. More, not to mention numerous websites, such as meish.org, that suggest how to spend the day. Tips include the ebulliently juvenile – think taking old photos of an ex and decking the person out with fake mustaches and the like. 

Or, compete online for the worst-nightmare date scenario. An early entry on Squidoo.com recounted a foray to a local petting zoo where not only was the writer jumped by a filthy-footed goat, but her date was spit on by an angry llama.

Anti-Love Songs 

Anti-Valentine's Day should be celebrated with such songs as "Love Stinks" or "You're No Good", according to the anti-Valentine's contingent.

I was really surprised when I found dozens of anti-Valentine's Day song lists after a quick Google! 

"Tainted Love" is mentioned, and another I didn't think of:  "Every Step You Take" by The Police.. It's a stalker song, as pointed out by Jeannie at hubpages.  Hmm... I missed that in the many thousands of times I heard that song, but, yep, it sure is:  "Every step you take I'll be watching you", and "You belong to me."

Now, to my mind, "anti-Valentine's Day songs" aren't about broken love but about cynicism about love.  The following lists, however, contain odes to broken love, crazy love, love gone bad, and other kinds of not-love. 

If you are looking for a few great anti-Valentine's Day songs, here are a few lists to start with, then add your own:

• Jeannie in a Bottle's hubpages Best Anti-Love Songs for Valentines Day 
• Ten Intense Songs; None of Which I have Heard of at Loudwire (includes "Die, Die My Darling" and "I know You are F#cking Someone Else")
• Readers choose their favorite un-love songs here at Line Out the Stranger.com.
• If you are a country fan, here's a list just for you at About.com Country music.

Some final thoughts..  

In a sense, Valentine’s Day is now governed by Henry Ford’s principle of mass production, as standardized cards, chocolates, and roses spew forth. However, here’s the rub: Even the anti-Valentine’s Day mood has been captured by the maw of commerce. Websites hawking merchandise with cynical slogans such as “love bites” “Happy Singles Awareness Day!” abound.

But before you get too cynical, stop here and ponder the "I Hate Valentine's Day" sentiment.  Maybe Valentine's Day isn't that bad after all.
 
Oh, and there are plenty of retailers (most online) who aren't part of the Mass Production of Love brigade.  You may have to dig around to find them. 

Thirty Days of Love for the World

My "fifteen days of love" was going to be "thirty days of love".  But I couldn't quite get it together by mid-January.

 

From www.standingonthesideoflove.org

So I was very excited to see a Thirty Days of Love campaign as I traversed the Internet.  Not at all the same thing as my Fifteen Days of Love, but it is a great idea for people who want more from the holiday than the usual gifts, flowers, and overpriced meals.   

Many kinds of love; many ways to celebrate Valentine's Day 

"Standing on the Side of Love"s Thirty Days of Love project promotes a different kind of love, a love for all mankind through social justice, as described below:  

Standing on the Side of Love is a community of people compelled to speak out against oppression, united in the common belief that love is the ultimate guiding force of our world. Join us for the Thirty Days of Love, a period for intentional action, service, education, and reflection running from January 19 to February 17, 2013. 

Thirty Days of Love is a project that was born of their re-imagining of Valentine’s Day as a social justice holiday. It has now become “a month-long spiritual journey and commitment to sustained action and service.” 

The goal of Thirty Days is to influence attitudes and public policy by elevating compassionate religious voices. From January 19^th to February 17^th, each week has a theme and each day has a Daily Action for participants to complete. 

From www.standingonthesideoflove.org

You can participate! 

Among the various projects at the website is this nonpartisan non-religious pledge for people to contact their CongressCritters and sign:

Our nation needs our message. 

Tell your members of Congress to stand on the side of love by denouncing vitriolic language in the public discourse. 

After a contentious election year culminating in nail-biting fiscal cliff negotiations and in the face of upcoming debates on several big issues like preventing gun violence, comprehensive immigration reform, and the debt ceiling, we find ourselves in search of a more compassionate national dialogue. 

None of us has all of the answers. What we do have is our hearts. When we stand on the side of love, we allow our hearts to be our guide, and we ask others to do the same. 

At this crucial moment in time, use your voice to ask your members of Congress to stand on the side of love by denouncing vitriolic language in the public discourse and committing to a more respectful, bipartisan climate. 

Take this opportunity to ask our leaders to work with us for something better.

(Click on THIS LINK to learn more or sign the pledge.) 

And remember... Love is expansive.  The more you have; the more you can give away.. to other friends, family members, to your community, to the world.  

There are many kinds of love and many ways to celebrate Valentine's Day.   

Casablanca: Can You Love Two People? (Updated for Valentine's Day 2014)

Can you love two people at the same time?

One of our favorite movies is Casablanca. (No surprise there.)  My husband and I often watch the movie, and we frequently debate the question:  Did Ilsa (the Ingrid Bergman character) love her husband (The Czech resistance fighter Victor Laszlo, played by Paul Henreid )?  She was willing to leave him for Rick (the Humphrey Bogart character), but throughout the movie she expresses nothing but love and caring for Victor.  In the end, of course, she leaves with Victor as Rick (the Bogart character) stays behind.

Photo of Lazslo, Ilsa, and Rick found at The Atlantic

Passion, Respect, Admiration:  Love?

My husband contends that, while Ilsa respected and admired Victor very much (she was a young woman when she met him), she did not feel love for him in the same way she felt love for Rick.  Perhaps it is true that she felt more passion for Rick.  But the development of their relationship ended abruptly; they were still in the throes of the initial pangs of passion when the Germans entered Paris and Ilsa learned that Victor was still alive.  Ilsa and Rick never had time to live together or develop a life together.  Had they had that time, those initial flames might have burned down .....  And either burned out.. or cooled to a strong simmer that can last decades or even a lifetime.  We'll never know and it was just a movie anyway. But I don't doubt for a minute that Ilsa did love Victor and might have been able to be very happy with him.. She may have loved him more and more deeply as the years went on and she matured....  But Rick, far, far away, may have never have left her heart.  

Happy Birthday, Casablanca!

Casablanca recently celebrated its 71st birthday, and, to celebrate the movie, The Atlantic published THIS article last year.  Ronald Reagan and Michele Morgan instead of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman?  Impossible to even consider.  Snopes says that this rumor is untrue anyway.   HERE's another recent article about Jewish influences on Casablanca that you may wish to read.

The Atlantic contemplates the Ilsa character:

The motives of Ilsa, Rick's old flame, are no less nebulous. Is she merely manipulating Rick, rekindling their love as an expedience to retrieving a pair of visas? Or does she truly love him, and is she really preparing to leave her husband at the expense of the French Resistance? 

My thoughts are above:  She really does love Rick, and though she might just have left Victor for Rick, she really did not want to leave Victor.  Ultimately, going with Victor was right and deep in her heart she knew it.  Victor might really have needed her more than Rick ever did.

Now a better question:  Can you love two people if they are close and you see them both?  

Now that just seems like a recipe for disaster.

Casablanca for Valentine's Day

If you are in the Chicago area, the Music Box Theatre features Casablanca as an annual Valentine's Day tradition--  including a love song sing along.  Details HERE.

In the Falls Church area of Virginia:  Details here.

In the Austin, Texas neighborhood?   Check out the Alamo Drafthouse HERE. Downstate Illinois, in Champaign: The Art Theatre.

Casablanca is also featured in dozens of "Valentine's Day movies" lists, including this one at Tinyprints, this one at the New York Daily News,and in the Christian Science Monitor.

More About Casablanca and Valentine's Day

On the Brattle Film Brattle Blog:  Casablanca- Valentine's Day in Morocco examines the question:

So why celebrate it (Valentine's Day) by watching Casablanca – a film, by most definitions, about love lost? 

They have some answers to that question.  Click the link above.

How Much Would You Pay For Love?

Matchmaker, matchmaker!   

I caught an article on MSNBC a few weeks ago about a modern day matchmaker who will find a great catch for you...... for the bargain basement price of $250,000!

$250,000?  Um....  I think I'd rather be alone.  But the 250 grand is the top price that men will pay if they use the services of the named matchmaker, Janis Spindel.  Her charge ranges from $100,000 to $250,000:  The article states that the more you pay, the more time Ms. Spindel will spend with you, and she will hook you up arrange for you to meet more desirable females.  It's not clear, however, what kind of "less desirable" woman you might get for the cut rate price of a measly $100K.  Perhaps women who didn't go to Ivy League schools and aren't heiresses or business owners?  Perhaps women who are not models?  (The article doesn't specify.)

Really Special...  Really..

Of course, you men out there have to be really, really special to use the services of Ms. Spindel:  You've got to be well educated, well-groomed; you need to be some kind of "upscale professional" and  you need to be targeting "commitment", as Ms. Spindel is NOT interested in hooking up people for one night stands or fun "on the side".  (I wonder how she checks.)

The article quotes a 48 year-old man named Jeff  who claimed that he was "ready for marriage and was tired of the dating game."   He explains, “I could forgive myself for spending the money and not finding someone, but I’d be less forgiving if I didn’t take a chance on what’s really important — a great relationship and family,” he told TODAY.com.   He says that it worked; he is now married and he and his wife are expecting their first child. The article doesn't really go into Spindel's techniques for matching people...  I remember computer dating, in fact, we just watched an old Perry Mason in which dozens of punched cards were being run through a machine by some kind of computer dating scheme.  I would hope that Ms. Spindel's techniques are a bit more...  sophisticated.

Women!  Jump into the Pool!  

The dating pool, that is.

Ms. Spindel does work with women, and, even though they don't need to cough up as much change as the men, they still need to present themselves well... very well.  If you are interested in one of these top notch, well-groomed men, you've got to write a long bio, you need to read her books, you need to fill out a questionnaire and attend a $250 "meet-and-greet".  If you aren't sure if you are coming off well, you can get coaching from Ms. Spindel for $1000 for a 30 minute session.   (I would hope that you would get more information than that you need to lose ten pounds.  But maybe she doesn't take women who need to lose ten pounds.)  

Spindel, according to the article, is "internationally known" and claims that she has 994 marriages to her credit.  She does not guarantee a visit from the Love Bunny, only 12 introductions over 12 months.   Even without a guarantee to find love, Jeff was willing to shell out six figures.

So.. If you have a spare $250,000 hanging around, gents, you may yet find a special lady for Valentine's Day!

Gifts and Shoes..

In the meantime, if you have a special someone, here are a few ideas for gifts:   



Or the brightly colored crystal necklaces at Dorota's Jewelry:

Dorota's Jewelry: My Valentine's Day Wish List

And, ladies, if you have a special someone and are going to someplace special for Valentine's Day, you may need a special, Valentine's colored pair of shoes.  Here are a few ideas: 

My Valentine's Day Wish List (Updated for 2014)

Counting down to Valentine's Day:  15 Days of Love.

(Note for 2014: Dorota has 322 items at her etsy shop right nowis 

Swarovski Crystal hearts and Icicles for Valentine's Day.. and all year round!
(Note for 2014: Though I wrote this last year, Dorota has 322 items at her etsy shop right now, most with the Swarovski crystals and Czech glass of the items featured here.) 

Dorota's Blue Purple Heart Necklace

I first found Dorota's Jewelry, at etsy.com over a year ago, and the items always take my breath away.  I hope that you will have the same reaction.  Prices, buying, and shipping information at the links.  (And most of these items are remarkably reasonably priced.)  

Dorota, the shop owner, writes:

I.. was born and raised in Krakow, Poland. From a young age, my appreciation for arts and craftsmanship was influenced by my mother, an antique restorer and a painter, and by the enchantments of my hometown....  Filled with breathtaking medieval architecture, Krakow is a city so bewitching and so rich in art and history, that large portions have been named World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultured Organization (UNESCO).

I spent many years studying about gems and learning the delicate trade of bringing them together to create balanced and beautiful jewelry. Since the mid 1990s, I have sold many of my creations in boutiques across Europe as well as the United States, and now they are available to you from this online gallery.

So, from Dorota's Jewelry, here are SOME of my Valentine's Day favorites for Day 15 of 15 Days of Love: 

Ruby Crystal Earrings with Raspberry Swarovski Crystal Cranberry and Antique Gold Icicle: (Necklace on this picture is sold separately.)

"Eye-pleasing, refreshing blend of eco-chic and sparkling elegance with a touch of vintage flair!

- 14K Gold Filled (not plated!), handcrafted ear-wires

- Top Quality Antique Gold Brass Victorian Style bead caps, all nickel and lead safe - hypoallergenic!

- Large Swarovski faceted crystal teardrops in in Ruby Red/Pink, 40mm x 11mm

- Czech Crystals in Cranberry, 3mm"

Red Purple Heart Necklace of RARE Swarovski Plum Ruby Crystal Heart & Sterling Silver:

"Make an entrance with this amazing and dynamic and RARE Swarovski Crystal Heart Necklace. Precision facets and brilliantly flashing purple, amber, copper and pink sparkles create stunning elegance that is truly unforgettable.. The picture truly does not do it justice :)

- ALL Sterling Silver (1.4mm Double Rope Chain, lobster claw clasp and fancy jump-ring bail) 

- Brilliant, Faceted Swarovski Heart in Brandy Purple (RARE!), 18x17.5mm. The crystals change colors at each angle -- from brilliant amber browns & fiery oranges to alluring rose pinks & eggplant purples. A special coating is applied over half the bead which creates a metallic play of color on the outside, and amazing depth and flash inside the crystal. When looking down into the stone, you will see a kaleidoscope effect. It makes these crystals so unusual and multi-dimensional. Because of its unique features, this crystal is impossible to capture in a photograph. It can only truly be appreciated in person."

Pink Heart Drop Earrings with Swarovski Pink Crystal & Sterling Silver for Valentines Day:

"So Feminine and Elegant!

- ALL Sterling Silver including gorgeous detailed roses and fleur de lis lever back ear-wires

- Faceted Swarovski Wild Hearts in Indian Pink, 12mm. These brilliant crystals features an elongated shape and asymmetric faceting for an innovative interpretation of the classic heart.

- The earrings are approx. 1 1/2" (40mm) long"

Ruby Red Heart Pendant Necklace of Sterling Silver and Swarovski Garnet Crystal:

"Make an entrance with this amazing and dynamic Swarovski Crystal Necklace. Precision facets create stunning elegance that is truly unforgettable. The picture truly does not do it justice :)

- ALL Sterling Silver (diamond cut double-sided heart, elegant 1.6mm Ripple Shape Chain, ring bail, wire and lobster claw clasp)

- Faceted Crystal Passions, Swarovski Crystal in Deep Ruby/Siam Red Aurora Borealis, 18mm

- Czech Crystals in Antique Clear/Red, 3mm

- The necklace is approx. 17" PLUS 1" extension"

I could post Dorota's beautiful crystal jewelry all night here, but she has over 400 items listed at her shop.  Hurry over there and find YOUR favorites! 

Fifteen Days of Love: Valentine's Day Is Coming!

Fifteen days from now we'll all be celebrating (or ignoring) the great yearly festival of flowers, flutters, pink, purple, hearts, and heartaches known as Valentine's Day.

Join us every day from now until then as we explore the myths, the misery, the facts, the fantasy, and the weirdness of  Love.  Gifts, decorations, clothing, food are all a part of the fun, so don't miss any of it.

Dorota's Amber Purple Heart Earrings

Counting down the days... Watch for new links every day!

• Day 15 (January 31st):  Love for $250,000... But it's not guaranteed?
  
  My Valentine's Day Favorites: Dorota's Jewelry
• Day 14 (February 1st):  Thoughts after watching Casablanca:  Can you love two people?
• Day 13 (February 2nd):  Celebrate Valentine's Day by Cooking.. Together.
• Day 12 (February 3rd):  Spanking:  Can you live with it?  Can you live without it?
• Day 11 (February 4th):  Thirty Days of Love:  A Worldly Way of Celebrating Love and Valentine's Day.
• Day 10 (February 5th):  Celebrating anti-Valentine's Day.. or Not!
• Day 9 (February 6th):  I Hate Valentine's Day!
• Day 8 (February 7th):  Starting a Romance: One Rose or a Dozen?
• Day 7 (February 8th):
• Day 6 (February 9th):
• Day 5 (February 10th):
• Day 4 (February 11th):
• Day 3 (February 12th):  Valentine's Day Around the World
• Day 2 (February 13th):
• Day 1 Valentine's Day is Here! (February 14th):