Oh No! It's Valentine's Day Again

What are the two most hated days of the year for single women? It’s probably no surprise: New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Well, you have survived one already a few weeks ago. Now, you have to prepare for getting through the next one –- next month.

Why do most single women hate February 14? Because Valentine’s Day is a holiday that shouts, “You must be in love." Commercialism has designed this day for lovers. Hotels and restaurants and jewelers and florists (etc.) all have specials for men and women in love (Or at least, men and women who are partnered or married!). And if you are not with a special man, you feel left out.

This is why so many women hide out on Valentine’s Day. Yet, here’s a curious fact. This day, devoted to lovers, has a nefarious beginning. There are a number of stories about how Valentine’s Day got started. Ironically, two of the more common ones are connected to murder and rape. One version says Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian saint who was murdered for marrying men and women at a time the Emperor needed men to go to war. If married, goes this story, men wouldn’t want to leave their families. The emperor needed single soldiers so he killed the man who was marrying the couples.

Another version says Valentine’s Day actually derived from a pagan holiday where a lottery was held for young men to win a young woman (probably a teenager of younger) for the male’s sexual pleasure.

You can choose any story you prefer as the origin just as you can choose how to relate to Valentine’s Day. It can be a day of shame because you do not love and are not loved by a special man, or you can honor this day by acknowledging those people who make your life better. When you were in elementary school, you knew Valentine’s Day was not about lovers; if was about love and caring and friendship. It can be the same today -– if you choose.

If you choose to see it as about love and caring, then you don’t need to hide out, or claim you hate February 14. You can participate in the holiday -– by your definition. You have no reason to be embarrassed about being single; you don’t need to hide. Find ways to celebrate the day with those you care about. Send or make cards, have a Valentine Day meal with close friends, greet people with a “Happy Valentine’s Day” and mean it. Participating in the holiday tells the world you love yourself and you love others.

You can mope or you can celebrate your life -– the life you have at the moment. There is no telling what your life will be like later today, tomorrow, next week. So celebrate whatever you have. After all, right now is the only life you have. And, any day that reminds you of the people you love and cherish is a day worth celebrating.

Submitted by: Dr. Karen Gail Lewis

About Today's Contributor:

Dr. Karen Gail Lewis is founder of Unique Retreats for Single Women. She’s a marriage/family therapist and author of several books about single and married women. Join her for a free teleseminar on Unspoken Truths About Being Single in a Married World. Register at DrKarenGailLewis.com

Related Articles:

• 20 Valentine's Day Ideas for Classroom Gifts and More
• Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?
• #DIY Valentine's Day for Boys & Girls!

Batman Villains - What Do You Know About Poison Ivy?

It's sad that Pamela Isley, or Poison Ivy, became the way she did because of experiments. While she was taking Biology, her professor seduced her and injected her with poisons and toxins.

This caused Poison Ivy to transform into a plant-like menace to society. One of the Batman villains, Poison Ivy started out as a wealthy girl with parents who could care less. 

After this has happened, Poison Ivy's boyfriend suddenly passes away, and she drops out of school. She is gradually changing from Pamela Isley to Poison Ivy. 

Batman Villains - What Do You Know About The Riddler?

Ever wanted to know about the Riddler? 
Well now is your chance to discover more about how this strange man works.

Tim Burton's Batmobile

Fictionally, one of the most perfect cars is the Batmobile. Admit it, if all of us could have one, we would.

The Batmobile was huge, long, low and sleek. It combined design elements from 1930s coupes like the Bugatti Type 57 and modern racing cars such as the Porsche 962 and was built on a Chevy Impala chassis. 

Famous Cars From Another Time

You have to love movies that are either about the future or the past and have some model of the current car configured in to the script. Whether they use them as time machines or weapons, the cars themselves are often the centerpiece of the scene and end up getting more conversation and the movie itself. Here are several examples that come to mind. 

The Solar Solution

Over thirty-five years ago, then-President Jimmy Carter gave a speech on national television predicting that besides efforts to prevent future wars, the biggest issue our country would face in his lifetime was the energy crisis.

One of his solutions was to use solar energy as an alternative to traditional sources of energy – namely oil.

Carter predicted that if the energy crisis was not solved quickly, it would affect the lives of the listener’s children and grandchildren in great ways.

“We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources,” he said. “By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.” 

Fast and Furious - Cars in Film

When Universal launched the Fast and the Furious series of street racing films, they only expected only a modest return. Although street racing was getting a lot of press attention and the popularity of modified imports were exploding, the movies was never expected to be a blockbuster.

However, the film was an unexpected summer hit. It grossed $40,089,015 on its opening weekend, surpassing the film's $38 million budget. It may have been the media buzz and gear head buzz surrounding the movies that caused an explosion in the box office and gave global insight and curiosity into the supercharged social scene of racing and customizing cars.

Two of the films' stars that caused the movies to thunder in the box office, were the Mazda RX7 and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. One of Japan's largest automotive aftermarket companies, Veilside, built the Mazda RX7 that was later filmed in Fast and Furious to show off its "Fortune" wide-body kit at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Salon. At the time of the show, the car was painted red, and it had everything a show car should — an HKS T04Z single-turbo conversion kit, a massive intercooler shoved under the front bumper, big Rotora brakes, A'PEXi coil-over shocks and vast 19-inch Andrew Evo-V wheels inside P255/30ZR19 front and P305/25ZR19 rear Toyo Proxes radials.

For the Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the same Mazda RX7 was painted Sunset Orange Pearl and Veilside built three more visual clones, including one that was destined for destruction using a previous Mazda RX7 that had appeared in both previous Fast and Furious movies. One of the cars used in the previous Fast and Furious movie was Dominic Toretto's red RX.

In the sequel to the Fast & Furious, 2 Fast, 2 Furious, the character Roman Pierce was given a new partner in his adventure, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder with a Snyper Body Kit. The car was personally picked by John Singleton for Pierce to drive and the car came equipped with a Vortech Supercharger V5 G trim, HKS Blow valve, HKS AFR (fuel management controller), RC engineering 270cc injectors, Boost Variant Fuel Pressure Regulator with Gauge and a Magnecor 8.5mil Competition wires and a license plate that said "H8TER."

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder had the most elaborate paint job of any of the cars built for any of the Fast & Furious movies. The patchwork design on the car were not graphics but painted on with House of Kolors paint. It was one of the few cars in the film that wasn't destroyed although a total of four were made for the filming. It is rumored that the car exhaust was swapped with a Subaru WRX.

Like all cars in the Fast & Furious series, both cars were heavily reinforced with a roll cage for bridge jumping. Also there was so much neon lighting used in the cars that a technical specialist whose expertise was in shooting neon on film was kept on set at all times. This obviously cost a lot more and cut into the budget but it made the film authentic. 

About Today's Contributor:

Brenda wrote this article on behalf of trianglerentacar.com 

The Future Outlook Of Wind Energy Sources

Wind energy can be a very viable resource for cheaper electricity. However, it is not as developed as many would like. There are special considerations of developing it as an important resource. Advancements are being made, and incentives for encouraging development, but there is still a long way to go. 

Famous Mediums - Do They Give the Best Psychic Medium Readings?

Mediums have special skills in psychic readings and ability. They are generally specialized in decoding messages from the spirit world using different methods and techniques. The act of medium or channelled readings did not start today, its origins predate history. A lot of people have learnt their efforts, skills and support to make sure that the profession indeed grows. 

These people who had contributed in very great ways in promoting the activities of this type are today's famous mediums. Clearly a lot of people have made unquantifiable contributions in helping the profession grow, but there may be few whose own contributions may be outstanding. Nobody may be in a hurry to forget the efforts of these two famous mediums John Edward and Jane Roberts. These famous channels have at various times in their lives lent their efforts in promoting medium activities world wide. 

Three Principles For 2015 - Our Most Powerful Petition Target Ever

"The path to changing the world requires us to walk the longest journey - the journey within - to change ourselves. When 500,000 of us pledge to live 3 simple but powerful values in 2015, we'll invite world leaders to join us."

>> Sign the petition here!

Dare To Be Different This Valentine’s Day

There are a whole host of different ways to spend a Valentine’s Day to remember for years to come with exciting specially themed days out designed specifically for couples of all ages. 

Rock and Roll lovers will enjoy visiting the pubs, clubs, studios, record labels and famous locations of the great rock and legends. Walk hand in hand across the famous Abbey Road zebra crossing for a Valentine’s Day which is that little bit different! As a memento of this special Valentines treat the experience includes your photo being taken at Abbey Road. Visit to the Hard Rock Café vault packed full of memorabilia from the rock and roll legends for you to reminisce and re-live your youth!

For Valentines who wish to spend the entire day together in the outdoors, rather than going for a romantic walk the more adventurous will be amazed with a SAS themed Valentine’s day experience. Show your lover just how young at heart you really are and join a team of experienced ex-army/special forces for a day out which is sure to please the most ardent outdoor fans! If your Valentine likes being treated out to eat on this special day of the year, this SAS themed experience day includes a tasty buffet lunch, offering the best of both worlds in a very unique way.

Who says the art of chivalry is dead? Win your maiden’s fair hand and be a real knight in shining armour this Valentine’s Day! Enjoy a whole day out together learning how to joust and fight for your lover’s heart! Experience the thrills and spills of Medieval jousting and hand to hand combat under the expert guidance of fully trained staff. As this is an all day event there is time to have a romantic picnic lunch or pop down to the local pub to tuck into some hearty fare (these are not inclusive) before returning to take part in a tournament complete with Medieval costumes to make you really look the part! Show your Valentine that you are prepared to joust and fight for their hand in a very old fashioned and romantic way.

For those who are prepared to be different but prefer not to venture outdoors on Valentine’s Day, show your Valentine your true intentions of love by sharing a diamond ring making experience. This unusual and unique gift is sure to please those who wish to express their love in an old fashioned way. An entire day will be spent watching master craftsmen work their magic with fine diamonds and precious metals. You too will be involved in making your own special Valentine’s diamond ring. A treasure which will last for ever. Breakfast, lunch and refreshments are all included offering plenty of time to discuss how you wish your finished ring to look. Of course Valentine’s Day is synonymous with proposals of marriage so why not end the day on one knee and make this Valentine’s Day a truly romantic gesture of love and devotion!

Dare to be different and give Valentine’s Day Gifts which will be remembered for a very long time. 

Submitted by: Terry Henman

About  Today's Countributor:

Terry wrote this article on behalf of Red Letter Days, a site that offers ideal Valentine's Day Gifts

A Life Or Death Decision

"The US government is trying to stop India making affordable medicines for the people who need them most - the poor. But when President Obama travels to India in days, we can get him to restore hope to millions of patients whose lives are at risk."

>> Click here to join!