Valentine's Day Traditions

Throughout history, roses have been a symbol of love and beauty, respect and admiration. The close association between England and the rose stems from the Roman Invasion, when it is believed that the Romans brought with them the white rose - a real comodity in those times. The national flower of England, the rose is also the emblem of two English counties - Lancashire and Yorkshire. The white rose of Yorkshire and the red rose of Lancashire gave name to the "War of the Roses" - a war which lasted some 100 years.

Valentine's Day has many symbols, some dating back as long as Valentine's Day itself. In recent times however, the more obscure symbols have been replaced with those we all know today - such as cupid, hearts and roses.


Cupid
The mischievous son of Venus - the Goddess of Love - Cupid is is supposedly responsible for people falling in love. According to the myths, anyone hit by Cupid's arrow falls in love with the first person he or she sees. His mischievous intentions have led to some entertaining situations in various legends. In Roman mythology, Cupid has Eros - the son of Aphrodite - as his counterpart. The names of both of these Gods are used synonymously with the concept of love today.


Love Spoons
Dating back hundreds of years, the Welsh tradition of carving and giving love spoons (or lovespoons) is still followed today, most notably on Valentine's Day. Originally they were carved by young men and offered to the girls they loved as tokens of affection. Over the years, as the love spoons became more elaborate and decorative, they have become collectables.

Different carvings symbolise different feeling and emotions. A chain for example symbolises a wish to be together forever, a diamond would mean wealth or good fortune, a cross would mean faith, a flower would mean affection, a dragon for protection, and so on.

Today as well as being a gift of affection or a memento of a visit to Wales, love spoons are given for special occasions - primarily Valentine's Day, but also for such occasions as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, births, engagements, christenings and house warmings.


Ribbons, Lace, Frills
Ribbons, laces and frills are another Valentine's symbol - used since the ancient times of knights and nobles who used to wear scarves adorned with ribbons, laces and frills. These would have been prepared by their lover or loved ones. Originally linen, silk, gold, or silver threads were used. Now lace is often made with cotton thread. Manufactured lace may be made of synthetic fiber. A few modern artists makes lace with a fine copper or silver wire instead of thread.

Lace has also 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.
In more recent times, ribbons, laces and frills have been used as a symbol of love in various ways... from ribbons on gifts to lacy underwear!


Hearts
To a beloved, there is no symbol as important as the heart. To give someone one's heart means to give to him or her one's whole being, for the heart is at the center of one's existence. The heart stands for the most profound and noblest of human emotions- that of love. Through ages, it has inspired millions to rise above the mundane cares and to get lost in the thought of their beloved. Thus a heart, pierced by Cupid's arrow, has become the most famous of the Valentine's symbols.

It's not difficult to figure out the connection between the heart and Valentine's Day. The heart, after all, was thought in ancient times to be the source of all emotions. It later came to be associated only with the emotion of love.

It's not clear when the valentine heart shape became the symbol for the heart. Some scholars speculate that the heart symbol as we use it to signify romance or love came from early attempts by people to draw an organ they'd never seen.


Love Knots
Young women in strict Muslim households used to send their pledges of love to young men through messages woven through the knots of a carpet in an Arab tradition. This tradition of sending messages through the knots gave birth to the concept of love knots that continues to this day.

Love knots typically have series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end. A symbol of everlasting love, love knots were also made from ribbon or drawn on paper.


Love Birds and Doves
It was believed that on this romantic day, birds found their mates. This belief is still cherished by love struck people all over the world. The sweet little blue coloured lovebirds have come to signify that belief. It is said that the lovebirds can't live without their mates. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate for life and share the care of their babies. Also, in the Christian belief, they signify purity, meekness and innocence. Hence, these two birds have become the most endearing symbols of the spirit of Valentine’s Day.


Roses
The rose has always been valued for its beauty and perfume. The Ancient Greeks and Romans associated the rose with their Goddesses of Love, Venus and Aphrodite. In Roman times, a wild rose would be placed on the door of a confidential meeting place, hence the phrase "sub rosa" - or "under the rose” - was borne. The literal meaning still stands today; to keep a secret.

While it's a well known fact that roses symbolise not only love, but such emotions as admiration and respect, the rose can also symbolise an array of other sentiments and emotions. Based solely on their colour, these meanings can be broken down as follows.

Red roses
Recognised for their symbolism of love and passion, as well as respect, admiration and beauty.

Black roses
Signifying a deeper feeling of romance, love and passion, and also a sense of mystery.

White roses
The white rose is known for its feelings of not only love, but true love and reverence.

Pink roses
Pink roses are a symbol of admiration, elegance and refinement - popular at birthdays and the birth of a baby boy.

Yellow roses
A popular symbol of friendship and respect - also popular for anniversaries, or the birth of a baby boy.

Lilac roses
One of the lesser seen rose colours, the enchanting lilac rose is a symbol of respect.

Orange roses
Expressing desire and passion, the orange rose can also be used to express admiration and respect.

Coral roses
Another uncommon colour; coral roses are a sign of happiness and can also be used to express desire.

Cream roses
An expression of caring; cream roses are a popular way of letting someone know they're in your thoughts.

Mauve roses
The meaning of the mauve-coloured rose can often be misinterpreted; it should indicate a sense of passion, and even erotica!

Blue roses
Not a naturally occurring colour, dyed blue roses signify a sense of impossibility; fantasy.

This Is Sad

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs
This is sad

Happy New Year

Happy 2008 for most of the world but using the:
Chinese calendar it's 4704
Hebrew calendar it's 5768
Persian calendar it's 1386
Muslim calendar it's 1429
Armenian calendar it's 1457
Indian National calendar it's 1929
Ethiopian calendar it's 2000

Happy New Year 2008

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kick Assssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If You Hate Canada.................Fuck You

1. You can't get rid of us.
2. Nobody has ever had the balls to attack us and neither do you.
3. We will always have a better healthcare system than you.
4. Make all the jokes about our military you want, this won't bother us because:

• You never went to war.
• Our army fights so little yet gets excellent results in combat.
• You'd never have the guts to say shit to a Canadian soldier OFF duty.

Women Marry for Money

By:Dan Schulman

Your earning power may determine whether or not she'll say "yes."

When a survey popped this question: "Will you marry?" to 700 women living with their boyfriends, one out of four responded, "I won't." And it seems a man's earning power may affect a woman's decision to wed.
Sociologists Pamela Smock, of the University of Michigan, and Wendy Manning, of Bowling Green State University, found that socioeconomic status is a key factor in a cohabitating woman's expectation of marriage. An analysis of a survey of family growth reveals that women living with men of lesser economic means and lower levels of education were less likely to anticipate marrying their current partner.
Smock explained that while the expectation of marriage is almost 80 percent for white and Hispanic women with high levels of education and income who live with men of equally high socioeconomic standing, this probability falls to 50 percent when women of this same status are paired with men of low socioeconomic means. Among African-American women in this same stratum, this probability drops from 70 percent to 42 percent.
Their study finds that experience is also linked to a waning expectation of marriage. Smock and Manning note that a woman who has been married prior to a live-in relationship shows 59 percent lower odds of expecting to wed her current partner; a woman who has cohabitated before is 49 percent less likely to anticipate a walk down the aisle.
The findings come as the number of opposite-sex cohabitating couples continues to climb from 1 million in the late '70s to 4.7 million in this decade. Smock attributes this in part to a growing acceptance of premarital sex.

Special Thanks to psychologytoday.com

Quotes part 2

If a lump of soot falls into the soup and you cannot conveniently get it out, stir it well in and it will give the soup a French taste.
Jonathan Swift

The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.
Jonathan Swift

If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim.
Margaret Thatcher

In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.
Margaret Thatcher

Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.
Margaret Thatcher

You don't tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive.
Margaret Thatcher

I don't mind how much my Ministers talk, so long as they do what I say.
Margaret Thatcher

It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs.
Margaret Thatcher

The future ain't what it used to be.
Yogi Berra

I really didn't say everything I said.
Yogi Berra

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Yogi Berra

Never answer an anonymous letter.
Yogi Berra

If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be.
Yogi Berra

Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.
Yogi Berra

I usually take a two hour nap from one to four.
Yogi Berra

We made too many wrong mistakes.
On why NY lost the 1960 series to Pittsburgh
Yogi Berra

You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.
Al Capone