There was a time, long ago, when a lover would buy diamonds, chocolate or roses for his beloved on Valentine’s Day with a clear conscience.

But life has become more complicated.

For some, the romance is being overshadowed by concerns that the diamonds may have financed wars, that the cacao beans were harvested by children and that the roses were kept perfect with mists of pesticides.

Let’s start with roses, especially the red roses traditionally used to show passion.

“Most roses sold in the U.S. are grown in Latin America. And they are grown in a way that uses a lot of chemicals,” said Rene Ebersole, a senior editor of the environmental Audubon Magazine. “DDT is used,” she added, saying that workers who applied the pesticides often complained of irritated eyes and other ailments that they blamed on the chemicals.

And what about soft melty bonbons, dusted with cocoa powder?

Ivory Coast, which grows 40% of the world’s cocoa, has a persistent child labor problem, according to the 2006 State Department Human Rights report, which was released in March 2007.

“The controversy over child labor in the local cocoa sector continued,” the report said, citing an earlier survey by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

That group had found that perhaps 5,000 to 10,000 children were trafficked to or within the country to work in the cocoa sector, the State Department said.

“The (institute’s) research showed that approximately 109,000 child laborers worked in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms in the country in what the study described as the worst forms of child labor,” the State Department said.

Then there’s the problem of blood diamonds, which refers to gems mined under brutal conditions and sold to support a war effort.

The problem is apparently one of the few things that Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush agree on.

Clinton issued an executive order in January 2001 barring Sierra Leone from exporting diamonds to the United States. When Liberia began to be used to get around the ban, Bush acted in 2001 to bar rough diamond imports from Liberia.

A mechanism called the Kimberley Process was supposed to help buyers identify conflict-free diamonds, but there is criticism that it has fallen short.

Sigh. Lingerie anyone?

Saudi Arabia’s religious police have banned red roses ahead of Valentine’s Day, forcing couples in the conservative Muslim nation to think of new ways to show their love.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has ordered florists and gift shop owners in the capital Riyadh to remove any items coloured scarlet, which is widely seen as symbolizing love, newspapers said.

“They visited us last night,” the Saudi Gazette quoted an unidentified florist as saying.

It is not unusual for the Saudi vice squad to clamp down ahead of Valentine’s Day, which it sees as encouraging relations between men and women outside of wedlock, the newspaper said.

Saudi Arabia imposes an austere form of Sunni Islam which prevents unrelated men and women from mixing, bans women from driving and demands that women wear a headscarf and a cloak.

Romantic-sounding places >
Cupid Lake, Minn.
Flowers, Miss.
Heart, Ark.
Heart’s Content, Pa.
Love, Ariz.
Love, Ky.
Lovelady, Texas
Love Lake, Wis.
Loving County, Texas
Loveland, Colo.
Loveland, Wash.
Loveland Park, Ohio
Lovington, N.M.
Lovejoy, Ga.
Loving, N.M.
Loves Park, Ill.
Love County, Okla.
Lovelock, Nev.
Lovington, Ill.
Love Valley, N.C.
Romance, W.Va.
Romeo, Mich.
Romeoville, Ill.
Valentine, Neb.

By the numbers >
• 2.2 million: The number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.

• 120: Number of single men (i.e. never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s, for every 100 single women of the same ages.

• 33: Number of single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages.

• 3,523: Number of candy stores in the United States in 2003.

• 24.7 pounds: Amount of candy eaten by each American in 2004.

• $122.98: What the average American will spend on Valentine’s Day.

• 36 million: Number of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

Symbols and origins >
Although there is no definitive evidence that shows precisely when the valentine heart shape became the symbol for the heart, the connection between the heart and Valentine’s Day is clearer. In ancient times, the heart was considered to be the source of all emotions. It later came to be associated only with the emotion of love. Here are some other Valentine’s Day symbols:

• Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Also, red is a color that signifies strong feelings.

• Lace has long been used to make women’s handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, if a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on the right man, a woman might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him. So, people began to think of romance when they thought of lace.

• Lovebirds, colorful birds found in Africa, are so named because they sit closely together in pairs. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate for life and share the care of their babies.

• “X” for a kiss started with the medieval practice of allowing people who could not write to sign documents with an “X.” This was done before witnesses, and the signer placed a kiss upon the “X” to show sincerity.

Heart’s not into it >
Over the past few years, a growing number of people have been voicing their discontent with Valentine’s Day, and retailers have created a market of products just for them. Anti-Valentine’s Day cards and merchandise have appeared online and in stores, and they have become more mainstream.

Messages on cards and T-shirts are targeted toward singles or to people who prefer to ignore the holiday. Some sentiments poke fun at the occasion or mock Valentine’s Day. Even e-cards have gotten in on the action.

One electronic card on bluemountain.com shows a woman crying and covered with roses. “Valentine’s Day …” it begins. Inside it says, “Hate it with a passion!” Then there are cards for the more bitter and angry consumers.

“What is worse than a cheating husband? Give up?” asks the front of a card on cafepress.com. Inside, the card answers, “A cheating husband that got caught! Goodbye loser!”

Despite the increase in demand for such sentiments, not all stores that carry greeting cards sell the anti-Valentine’s Day line.

Sources > howstuffworks.com, Gannett News Service, www.census.gov, American FactFinder, cafepress.com, www.bluemountain.com, National Retail Federation.

  About 32.9 percent of consumers (mostly men) will purchase floral bouquets and arrangements this Valentine’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation. And over one billion Valentine’s Day cards will be sent in this country, according to the Greeting Card Association. About 85 percent of cards are purchased by women.

Whether you’re a day- before shopper or are well-prepared for Thursday’s festivities, whether you adore Valentine’s Day or plan to ignore the holiday altogether, keep reading to learn about some holiday traditions, fun facts and even a few anti-Valentine’s Day sentiments.

Valentines of yesteryear >
The first written valentine is attributed to the imprisoned Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415. He reportedly passed the time by writing romantic verses for his wife. By the 16th century, written valentines were commonplace. Early valentines were made by hand, using colored paper, watercolors and colored inks. These styles, some still made today, included:

• Pinprick valentines: Made by pricking tiny holes in paper with a pin to resemble the look of lace.

• Cutout valentines: Lace-look cards made by folding paper several times and cutting out a lace design with small, sharp scissors.

• Acrostic valentines: Verses in which the first letters in the lines spelled out the recipient’s name.

• Rebus valentines: Verses in which small pictures took the place of certain words (such as an eye instead of “I”).

Esther Howland, the woman who produced the first commercial American valentines in the 1840s, sold $5,000 in cards during her first year of business, an amount that was unheard of at the time. The valentine industry in the United States has been booming ever since.

Holiday history >
The origins of Valentine’s Day are shrouded in mystery. However, scholars have two main theories to explain how February 14 became synonymous with romance:

Roman Feast of Lupercalia. This ancient pagan fertility celebration, which honored Juno, queen of the Roman gods and goddesses and goddess of women and marriage, was held on February 14, the day before the feast began. During festival time, women would write love letters, also known as billets, and leave them in a large urn. The men of Rome would then draw a note from the urn and ardently pursue the woman who wrote the message they had chosen.

On the wings of love. In the Middle Ages, people began to send love letters on Valentine’s Day. Medieval Europeans believed that birds began to mate on February 14.

There’s also some controversy regarding Saint Valentine, for whom the day is named. Archaeologists, who unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine, are not sure if there was one Valentine or more. Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine, all of whom were martyred on February 14, at least two of those in Italy during the third century. The most popular candidate for St. Valentine was a third-century Roman priest who practiced Christianity and performed secret marriages against direct orders from Emperor Claudius II. Legend has it that Valentine sent the jailer’s daughter a note signed “From Your Valentine” before he was executed on February 14 in 270 A.D.

There’s no shortage of accounts about exactly how Valentine’s Day started. Some think the holiday is named after Saint Valentine who lived long ago. Other legends say that someone named Valentine sent a girl a note to thank her for bringing him food and signed his note, “Your Valentine.”

Some believe Valentine’s Day began as an ancient Roman festival, when women wrote their names on slips of paper and put them into a bowl. The men then picked out a name and the woman whose name he drew would be his partner for the festival.

Some historians trace the custom of sending romantic verses on Valentine’s Day to Frenchman Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was captured by the English during a battle in 1415. Taken to England and put in prison, he sent his wife in France a love poem from his cell in the Tower of London. This card is now preserved in the British Museum. However, it wasn’t until much later that this tradition of sending cards and romantic verses flourished.

Regardless of how it came about, February 14 is celebrated as Valentine’s Day, a day for those in love. The epitome of Valentine’s Day, the heart shape, has symbolized love since ancient times, when the heart was thought to be the source of all emotions. Red roses were the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and the color red is often associated with strong feelings.

Birds, particularly lovebirds and doves, also became popular Valentine’s Day symbols. Many believe birds chose their mate for the year on February 14. English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, “For this was on St. Valentine’s Day/When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.” Shakespeare also made reference to Valentine’s Day.

Lovebirds are frequently depicted on Valentine cards and gifts because they sit together in pairs. Doves and pigeons are also portrayed symbolizing peace, love and fidelity, and because they mate for life and share the care of their offspring.

Whatever the origins, people have connected Valentine’s Day with friendship and love for hundreds of years. The first commercial valentine appeared around 1800, and between 1830 and 1840, they contained clever and imaginative messages. By then they were made with high-quality paper and decorated with satin, ribbon or lace and demanded high prices. Some valentines had pictures of turtle doves, gold or silver lovers’ knots or cupid with a bow and arrow.

In America and England some believe a young girl could tell what kind of man she would marry by the first bird she saw on this day, since each bird had an association with a particular type of character. Seeing a goldfinch or any yellow bird perched or in flight meant you would find a rich man; a blackbird indicated a clergyman. Seeing a robin meant you’d meet a sailor; a sparrow meant a farmer, a bluebird equaled a happy man, the dove, a kindhearted man and the crossbill meant a quarrelsome man. Unfortunately, if the first bird you saw was an owl or a woodpecker, it meant no husband at all.

Supposedly, if you saw a hen and young rooster together on Valentine’s Day, it meant you would marry the following year, and the number of animals you saw at the same time indicated how many months would pass before the event happened.

Today there are interesting statistics about this holiday on the Internet >

• 73 per cent of people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while 27 percent are women

• About 3 percent of pet owners give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets

• About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year, the largest card-sending occasion of the year after Christmas.

This week, as people buy flowers and candy, send cards, write sonnets or plan a romantic get-together, everyone must decide for himself whether the 14th of February is “for the birds” or not. One thing is certain: Valentine’s Day is enjoyed equally by children and adults, and February 14 is always a date to be anticipated during the chilly days of winter.

You can send a Valentine e-card from the eNature website by visiting > http://www.enature.com/ecard/ecard_list.asp?sectionID=26

Tips and Tricks Ladies can use to hook guys for Valentine’s day

Its getting to that time of the year again where red seems to be more and more visible every passing day. Roses are already dominating florists displays and everything from baloons to candy is shaped like a heart implying that Valentines day is around the corner.

As opposed to staying home and moping the house for those singles out there why not make use of these quick suggestions that can land you that guy who will sweep you off your feet.

• Be yourself > Do not laugh louder or smile more than you do because this might blow up everything.
• Appearance matters a lot > If short skirts, make up and so on make you uncomfortable then stay off them.
• Show off what you have > Instead of killing you confidence by following uncomfortable fashion trends use your assets. If its your height or your eyes or better still your complexion then use that by drawing attention to it. 
• Take the initiative > With only five days to go don’t spend the entire period praying that he walks to you, do it first. Smile or Say Hello to him your confidence will disarm him.
• Body Language speaks louder > After you have conquered him it means you are now on top or better still in charge of the situation.Respond to him physically & verbally with frequent glances & smiles commenting on the topics and the statements he makes plus laughing at his jokes.
• Sound Knowledgeable > Find out what he likes and pursue him in that direction.
• Be Strategic > Position yourself cleverly so that he has no chance to talk to others or others to grab his attention.
• Don’t be Clingy > Supposing you are in a group then do not only concentrate on him alone you can also have fun by getting other members in the group talk to you. If he leaves briefly on coming back give him a friendly smile or welcome.
• Let him know you are Single > Indicate to him that you are not seeing anyone at present, particularly when you are about to leave.
• Talk about the Big Day Ahead > The conversation here should be what normally happens on Val like upcoming concerts, good movies, restaurants. So get there girl and go for it Mr. Perfect is out there waiting to sweep you off your feet!
• Happy Valentine’s Day!

While Valentine’s Day prompts many of us to consider issues of the heart, the history of love symbols has a great deal to do with the concept of things intertwined, like a couple’s shared love.

The love knot has a long and interesting history. Some legends indicate that sailors were the first to introduce braided rope and knotted jute in the form of a love knot for their beloved as they sailed the high seas. Crewmen on ships would use their knot-tying skills in order to impress their lovers as they counted the days before returning home from voyages at sea. Love knots were retained among personal effects and often integrated into laced collars, bracelet or wrist bands, and costumes of the late 19th century.

In addition to coveted love knots, other love symbols from a sailor’s life included carved scrimshaw jewelry or sailor’s valentines-wooden love boxes enhanced with seashells. These objects were often exchanged gifts of sailors and their loved ones. Some sailor’s valentines, those extraordinarily decorated boxes or shadowbox style picture frames, range in value into the tens of thousands of dollars on the secondary antiques market.

Like sailors, lovers from all parts of the world who were unfortunately parted by circumstance, distance, or social custom used the concept of intertwined knots to profess their love, too. It is little known in the western world that young Muslim women living in socially strict households historically pledged their love to young gentlemen via messages woven through knots-the knots of carpets, that is. This interesting and longstanding Arabian custom made the knot a well-documented symbol of unity and togetherness.

Historically, love symbols are typically found on the hand or worn close to the heart. Wedding rings, eternity bands, and pendant necklaces all fall into this category, yet, one of the most interesting and symbolic rings is the age-old claddagh.

Unmistakable in its form showing a central heart topped by a crown and held on both sides by two hands, the claddagh ring is associated with eternal symbolism. The hands represent friendship, the crown denotes loyalty, and the heart, of course, symbolizes love. This celtic mainstay has become an evident love symbol on objects as diverse as 14 karat gold royal jewelry to innovative tattoo and body art designs. Some things, like the joining of hearts, never go out of style.