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Teens fight for a chaste Valentine's ABSTINENCE: Some high school students suggest honoring Feb. 14 as a "Day of Purity. BY STEPHANIE SIMON LOS ANGELES TIMES High school sophomore Ally Hall plans to exchange valentine cards with her friends today. But her true tribute to the romance of the season was Monday, in the principal's office at Lebanon High School in the small town of Lebanon, Ohio. Hall wrote a brief script to be read over the public-address system. Her message: The most romantic way to celebrate Feb. 14 is to honor it as a "Day of Purity," by pledging...

SINCE it's Valentine's Day, let's dwell for a moment on the profoundly bizarre activity of kissing. Is there a more expressive gesture in the human repertoire? When parents kiss their children it means one thing, but when they kiss each other it means something entirely different. People will greet a total stranger with a kiss on the cheek, and then use an identical gesture to express their most intimate feelings to a lover. The mob kingpin gives the kiss of death, Catholics give the "kiss of peace," Jews kiss the Torah, nervous flyers kiss the ground, and the enraged sometimes...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2006 – Leading up to Valentine's Day, a group of sixth graders from Chicago crafted valentines for veterans and servicemembers as a part of a longstanding tradition. Sixty-five sixth graders from Chicago International Charter School's Bucktown campus joined Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn Jan. 31 for the kickoff of the 2006 Valentines for Vets and Soldiers" program. Quinn, back center, and the students' teacher, Robert Lane, back right, joined the students for a group photo. Debi Rickert, founder of Operation Support Our Troops Illinois chapter, bottom left, lent her support to the project as well. Courtesy...

Feb. 13, 2006 — The familiar double-lobed heart symbol seen on Valentine's Day cards and candy was inspired by the shape of human female buttocks as seen from the rear, according to a professor of psychology who studied the origin, history and symbolism of the Feb.14 holiday. Galdino Pranzarone of Roanoke College in Salem, Va., told Discovery News that he analyzed "essential literary and speculative evidence from mythology and secondary sources," which led to his theory. He believes one rather obvious bit of evidence is that the heart symbol does not directly duplicate the heart human organ. "The twin lobes...

Violets are blue, Roses are red. I don't read poetry Because it is dead. Is that too harsh? It certainly is, say the poets among us. Poetry continues to thrive and grow, they insist, even if today's poets are as likely to be posting on the Internet as scribbling in a musty garret. That may be. But this much we can say for certain. Valentine's Day, generally regarded as the World Series of bad poetry, has changed dramatically. What was once a holiday drenched in mawkish, over-the-top, sing-song rhymes has become conversational, casual, and, well, hot. Your typical Valentine's Day...

Even the happily-ever-after marriage of Charles and Camilla couldn't mask the truth. Brad and Jennifer, Renee and Kenny, Rod and Rachel, Ron and Ellen, Christian and Ryan, Jessica and Nick, Gavin and Kimberly (can't ID them? You've been wasting time for scholarly pursuits in the checkout line); 2005 was a bum year for romance. Rampaging rivers of hormones overflowed the sandbags of caution, turning self-sufficient singles into cozy twosomes and then into tattered victims of disaster, clinging to battered remains of their self-esteem. Chapter by chapter: I. The Prelude to Love Is Longing ... and Plotting. "What I need is...

Today it is Valentine's Day Men are in a hurry to say "I love you" to her with Diamonds or Fur ...and hope to get paid back "some way". Note: the thread in the hypertext link is a parody, so your mileage may vary... Off-topic, but couldn't resist: Dick Cheney hunted last weekend and accident'ly shot his friend But what makes it worse (no room in this verse) It means this gambit's at an end!

MUMBAI: Shiv Sainiks will vent their anti-Valentine spleen on pubs, hotels and shopping malls in Mumbai on Tuesday. Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has, in a statement, ordered his followers to put a stop to the "uncivilised" festival. Thackeray's statement which appeared on the frontpage of Saamna on Monday is a clear indication that the Sena, torn by in-fighting and rebellions, is using the Valentine Day protest as a rallying point for its beleaguered rank and file. According to political observers, the statement suggests that notwithstanding his claim to have withdrawn from the day-to-day functioning of the party, Bal Thackeray...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2006 – Two organizations have teamed up to send valentines to troops in Baghdad in a union made possible by "America Supports You." From left, Shauna Fleming, Peter Angel, and Paul Holton stand in front of a FedEx truck, loaded with 200,000 valentines, Feb. 7 in California. Fleming, the 16-year-old founder of "A Million Thanks" has partnered on this project with Holton, founder of "Operation Give," to send the shipment to troops in Baghdad just in time for Valentine's Day. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Since November 2004, the Defense Department program to...

A bank manager's 'gesture of affection' towards a colleague cost him his job and a £1,000 fine AN ITALIAN bank manager who tried to kiss a woman cashier on the lips on Valentine’s Day has lost his job, been given a 14-month suspended jail sentence and fined after being convicted of “sexual violence”. The ruling by Italy’s highest court puts another dent in the reputation of the macho Italian male, always on the lookout — according to the national myth — for a chance to pay a woman a compliment and overwhelm her with his charm. It was applauded by...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2006 – After collecting and sending more than 900 pounds of candy for Christmas, Keystone Soldiers missed no time in kicking off their Valentine drive on Jan. 5. Erisa and Joshua Sloan work on their Valentines Day project for the Keystone Soldiers nonprofit organization to send to those deployed. Their father, Army 1st Lt. Eric Sloan, recently returned from Iraq, so they know the importance of keeping in touch. Photo by Lisa Sloan  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The nonprofit organization, based in Fleetwood, Pa., has partnered with Boscov's department stores in a drive to...

Dear friends, Operation Love our Troops (www.operationloveourtroops.org) is a free service allowing military families and the general public to send heartfelt messages of love and support to our heroes this Valentine's Day. **** has invited you to send your own voice or written message and be part of a Guinness Book of Records attempt to be the world's largest digital Valentine's card. To take part, go to www.operationloveourtroops.org. Help us honor our troops and show how proud we are of them! All messages are hosted by the Library of Life, an organization that helps people celebrate life and share memories...

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Feb. 14, 2005) -- The Marines of Civil Affairs Detachment 4-4, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division, visited several facilities during a civil military operation in the city of Fallujah, Iraq, Feb. 14, passing out Valentine's card and candy. The Marines were able to speak to several contractors to assess the damage and the necessary steps to rebuild and reopen several needed structures. The CMO is part of an ongoing operation to evaluate the progress of the city’s schools, medical clinics, fire stations and other major installations. Rahma Katheer, 8, a native of Fallujah, Iraq, gives Cpl....

There were several newswire stories yesterday about the Valentine problem in Saudi Arabia. It seems Valentines are on display in store windows,and the Religious Police are in an uproar:beating up shopkeepers,and tearing up the colorful greetings. Perhaps it's just as well. The Saudi version of a Valentine is apt to be...well...different ! POPULAR SAUDI VALENTINE SENTIMENTS "Roses are red, Violets are blue- I'll beat your fat ass If you spoil my goat stew !" How about this one ? "On this Very Special Day Three little words I'd like to say:I divorce thee !I divorce thee !!I divorce thee !!!"

Activists burn Valentine's cards Monday, February 14, 2005 Posted: 1055 GMT (1855 HKT) NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Nearly 50 Hindu hardliners burned Valentine's Day cards and posters in the Indian capital, protesting the international day of love that they say imposes Western values on India's youth. There was no violence as policemen cordoned off the area and prevented the Shiv Sena activists from marching through the sprawling Delhi University campus Monday. In the past, Hindu nationalists have ransacked shops selling cards and harassed young lovers seen holding hands in public. On Monday, the protesters dispersed after chanting slogans. Jai...

FrontPageMagazine.com | February 14, 2005 "According to the legend, St. Valentine was beheaded on Feb. 14, at Rome, under Claudius. The old notion was that birds began to couple on that day, and hence arose the custom of young persons of both sexes choosing each other as 'Valentines' for the ensuing year by a species of lottery, and of sending love missives to each other." That was the description of Valentine's Day given by Collier's New Encyclopedia in 1928. One legend runs that Claudius II, believing that single men were better soldiers, forbid young men from marriage -- a decree...

Even though religious leaders ban it, many Saudis celebrate Valentine's Day. But fatwas aside, V-day is a time to show your special someone(s) you care and that love trumps all. In that spirit, women may not be able to vote or walk aside their husbands; nevertheless, they still want a card to let them know they are loved. Enter, the Top 10 Saudi Valentines Contest. Come up with a card, poem, haiku, or sonnet that expresses the Saudi love.

Shauna Fleming, 15, a Sophomore at Lutheran High School in Orange, California, and founder of the A Million Thanks organization, said her campaign is about showing appreciation to the troops, and that Valentines are a great way for Americans to tell our troops that their hearts are with them. The teen is now working on her second goal of adding 400,000 more thank you letters and emails to her total, which when reached, will symbolically give one thank you letter to each member of the U.S. Armed Forces. The Valentines she collects however, will not be counted toward her goal.

Students injured in Valentine's Day clash Two students have been injured in a university classroom in Pakistan after a dispute over Valentine's Day. The clash in Karachi involved students celebrating Valentine's Day and others who objected to observance of the day as an unwelcome Western import. One young man said Happy Valentine's Day to a girl, drawing the anger of others who did not think the holiday has a place in Pakistan. It led to a fist fight at Federal Government Urdu Science University, said Khalid Sheikh, a local police official. About 50 Muslim hardliners protested elsewhere in the city...

With your consent, I will put your name on a Valentine being sent to Baghdad. No charge. A bic pen and a lollypop will be attached as gifts to each Valentine. Also no charge to you.:-) Valentines have NASCAR, Finding Nemo, Spiderman, racing cars, and Lord of the Rings as motifs. You can 1. use your FReeper name and FreeRepublic.com will be indicated as your address, or 2. FReepmail me with your real name and address including zip code or your real name and email address. OR You can 3. write a Valentine message to a soldier here on this...