Quiting Time

Quitting Time
Closing down a business is never easy. Perhaps you started a business years ago and have been just barely eeking out a living. When is it time to give up, admit defeat and move on?
You finally realized your dream of owning your own business. But now several years have passed, and your dream is starting to feel more like a nightmare.

The company's inability to turn a profit is taking its toll, leaving you with the nagging question, "When is enough, enough?"
The simple fact is that many small business owners allow their companies to limp along for years before they finally pull the plug. Calling it quits can be an emotional decision for an entrepreneur and common sense often takes a back seat to a business owner's desire to see his business succeed. Even so, there are certain questions you just can't ignore when determining whether or not to press forward in the hope of a miraculous turnaround.

Why isn't my business successful?
When you started your business, you were convinced it was the best idea since sliced bread. If that's true, you need to ask yourself why your business still isn't a success. The problem could be as simple as overstaffing or poor cost management. On the other hand, the problem could also be that the marketplace isn't as enamored with your idea as you are. Either way, you need to identify the source of the problem. If it's correctable - great. Make the necessary adjustments and move ahead. But if the problem isn't correctable, maybe it's time to pack it in.

What is the cost of staying in business?
Another question you need to ask yourself is what it will cost you to continue to do business. Tabulating the financial cost of staying in business is the easy part. The hard part is calculating the intangible costs of doing business on a go-forward basis. Personal stress, strained family relationships, and loss of personal morale are factors that need to be carefully weighed against the possibility that your company may eventually experience a turnaround.
Something else to consider is how many other opportunities you will be forced to pass up if you decide to wait out another year of negative profits. It's not unusual for small business owners to use their entrepreneurial experience as a tool to re-enter the workforce or to attract investors for a new business startup in an industry with a higher probability of success.

Do I still like what I do?
The most accurate indicator that it's time to close the doors is when you no longer enjoy operating the business you once loved. And if you're not enjoying yourself anymore, there's a good chance your employees and investors aren't enjoying themselves, either. Although you don't want to disappoint the people who are counting on you, most of them will appreciate your willingness to call it quits now rather than dragging them through five more years of losses. So, if a trip the dentist sounds more appealing than a trip to the office, do everyone a favor and begin the process of closing up shop.

Tips for Maximizing your Business Sale price

Five Tips for Maximizing Your Business Sale Price
Just as you market your products and services to attract customers, it's important to market you business in a way that maximizes its value in the eyes of prospective buyers. Here are a few tips for getting a great price when you sell a business.
Think you know what your business is worth?

There's no guarantee that you'll get what your business is worth when it comes time to sell it in the open market.
But with the right strategy, you can sell your business for what it's worth - and then some. To help you get started, here are five tips for maximizing the sale price of your company.

Have a Plan for Selling Your Business
Theoretically, selling a business would seem to be a lot like selling a home. You decide to sell, find an agent, put it on the market, and voila! - a buyer magically appears. In reality, selling a business and selling a home are two completely different things. To avoid being shortchanged, you need to start your preparations twelve to eighteen months in advance with a comprehensive timeline for due diligence preparations, the valuation process, and a marketing plan.

Create a Broad Customer Base
What's more attractive to potential buyers: A business with 100 customers, each representing 1% of the company's sales or a business with 1 customer representing 100% of the company's revenue? If your company relies heavily on a few key clients to make ends meet, you should consider making a concerted effort to attract new customers prior to the sale. A broad customer base means greater security for buyers, and in most cases buyers are willing to pay a little extra for the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the business won't fold if they lose one or two existing clients.

Book Contract Income
Guaranteed income streams are always more attractive to potential buyers than sales forecasts. If your business lends itself to the possibility of contracted income streams such as licensing fees, retainers, or other contractual arrangements, you should make a concerted push to lock-in clients before putting your business on the market. The result is increased leverage during the negotiation phase because instead of dealing with possible income figures, you're dealing with hard numbers.

Seek Professional Assistance
Although it's possible to sell your business without any professional assistance, a do-it-yourself approach is one of the surest ways to leave money on the table. For good reason, buyers have more confidence in financials prepared by a professional accountant, appraisals performed by a professional appraiser, and legal documents prepared by a professional attorney. You may also want to consider enlisting the help of professionals in preparing your business for sale and marketing it potential buyers.

Be Patient When Selling a Business
If you need a quick sale, there's a good chance you won't get top dollar for your business. It's not unusual for businesses to be on the market for months or even years before the right buyer comes along. However, if the process drags on too long, you may eventually need to weigh the decision to hold out for top dollar against the cost of holding on to the business for another six months or more.

Choosing an Investment Banker

Choosing an Investment Banker
Investment bankers can help you to sell your business, but not all investment bankers are created equal. Here are attributes to look for when you are choosing an investment banking firm.
Most business owners approach the task of selling their company in traditional terms, crossing their fingers and hoping for the best in the commercial marketplace.

If that approach doesn't sound appealing, you may have another alternative. But to get there, you're going to need the help of an investment banker.
An investment banker is an agent for an organization that helps private companies convert ownership equity into securities in the primary market. By issuing an IPO (Initial Public Offering), a good investment banker can be a godsend, raising significant capital for business owners and propelling the company into its next stage of life.
The process typically goes something like this: A company selects an investment banker, who in turn guarantees the company a specific amount of capital minus a fee. The investment banker then proceeds to raise the guaranteed capital through the IPO, but assumes all of the risk should the IPO fail to attract the necessary investors. Not a bad deal, right?
In reality, the success of your relationship with an investment banker will depend largely on two factors: Your company's stage of life and the quality of the investment bank itself. Investment banks are most interested in established, mature companies. Although younger start-ups can conceivably attract an investment banker, the pool of potential candidates will likely be substantially smaller and the deal will be less beneficial for the business owner.
If your company is well-established and mature, the only thing standing between you and investment banking success is the selection of a top-rate investment banker. Here are some of the most important characteristics to look for when choosing investment bankers:

Relationship - Relationships are built on trust, and a relationship with an investment banker is no exception. You've got a lot riding on the outcome of this relationship, so when screening potential investment bankers you need to take into account the candidate's likeability, communication style, and trustworthiness. If you don't mesh with an investment banker during the initial interview, keep looking.

Expertise - Investment bankers often specialize in certain industries and market sectors. It's important to find an investment banker who knows the ins and outs of businesses similar to yours, and is able to value your company for what is truly worth. Remember: The investment banker's job is to sell your business to potential investors. The more he knows about your business the easier it will be for him to attract investors, which translates into a higher amount of guaranteed capital in your pocket.

Experience - There is no substitute for experience in investment banking. Since the nature of investment banking is somewhat speculative, the person you choose to represent your company's interests needs to be confident in his ability to bring in the highest possible price in the IPO. Inexperienced investment bankers often lack the confidence required to fight for your last dollar.

Is your Business selling?(How to sell your business)

I read a mail from a reader here who was asking question about possible ways of selling your business and that came after she read the article titled ''IS YOUR BUSINESS SELLIN''.
Since she needed mpre insight as to how to sell one's business, I am attching this very brief write-up to that effect.

Selling Your Business
How to Sell a Business

Wondering how to sell your business? This article explains how to sell a business. It introduces you to the basic processes involved in selling a business and introduces you to key players (e.g. business brokers) that you may want to get involved.
For many small business owners, selling a business represents the culmination of their entrepreneurial career. You’ve worked very hard to build your business and make it what it is today. Now it’s time to slow down and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Ironically, your final task – selling the business – can also be the most stressful. One way to minimize that stress is to take a deep breath and begin to deliberately work through a step by step process.

Step #1: Self-assessment
The first thing you need to do is to assess your reasons for wanting to sell the business. You have to be 100% sure about your decision because once it’s done there is no turning back. This is also the time to ask yourself what you hope to achieve in the selling process, i.e. what is the minimum amount you can afford to receive for your company.
Step #2: Valuation
Business valuation can be tricky. Discerning a fair and objective price for your company will require you to calculate its worth based on one or more generally accepted methods of business valuation. Do your best to set aside your emotional connection to your company. Otherwise you are likely to end up an inflated value for your company that is out of line with the market.
Step #3: Get your business ready for sale
When you sell a house, there are usually things that need to be done to prepare it for sale and make it presentable to potential buyers. The same is true when you sell your business. Potential buyers will want to examine assets such as buildings and equipment firsthand. But they’ll be even more interested in your business’ financial statements.
With the help of your accountant, prepare a packet of financial information that accurately reflects the financial condition of your business. Make copies of it to be used later when you begin to meet with potential buyers.
Step #4: Consult with a team of professionals
Once you have done what you can to prepare your business for sale, it’s time to bring in the pros – an accountant and lawyer for sure, and possibly even an appraiser and business broker. The pros may suggest may make additional suggestions regarding valuation and preparation. However, don’t feel the work you have done beforehand is wasted. By doing some of the work in advance, you gain perspective about the selling process. You might also save a little money.
Step #5: Screen potential buyers
Not everyone who expresses interest in your business will be a serious buyer. Some people shop for businesses like other people window shop for shoes. The problem is that showing your business to potential buyers takes time. Rather than waste your time with insincere customers, it is much better to screen buyers in advance and only meet with those who are truly serious.
Note: Do not give out any information about your business until you have pre-qualified potential buyers! It is not unheard of for competitors to disguise themselves as buyers in order to gain information about the competition.
Step #6: Finalize the sale
Once a deal has been negotiated it is up to the attorneys and lenders to finalize the sale. All you have left to do is sign a few papers and ride off into the sunset.

What is 3G

3G refers to the third generation of developments in wireless technology, especially mobile communications. The third generation, as its name suggests, follows the first generation (1G) and second generation (2G) in wireless communications.

The 1G period began in the late 1970s and lasted through the 1980s. These systems featured the first true mobile phone systems, known at first as "cellular mobile radio telephone." These networks used analog voice signaling, and were little more sophisticated than the repeater networks used by amateur radio operators.

The 2G phase began in the 1990s and much of this technology is still in use. The 2G cell phone features digital voice encoding. Examples include CDMA and GSM. Since its inception, 2G technology has steadily improved, with increased bandwidth, packet routing, and the introduction of multimedia.

3G includes capabilities and features such as:

* Enhanced multimedia (voice, data, video, and remote control).
* Usability on all popular modes (cellular telephone, e-mail, paging, fax, videoconferencing, and Web browsing).
* Broad bandwidth and high speed (upwards of 2 Mbps).
*Roaming capability throughout Europe, Japan, and North America.

While 3G is generally considered applicable mainly to mobile wireless, it is also relevant to fixed wireless and portable wireless. A 3G system should be operational from any location on, or over, the earth's surface, including use in homes, businesses, government offices, medical establishments, the military, personal and commercial land vehicles, private and commercial watercraft and marine craft, private and commercial aircraft (except where passenger use restrictions apply), portable (pedestrians, hikers, cyclists, campers), and space stations and spacecraft.

3G offers the potential to keep people connected at all times and in all places. Researchers, engineers, and marketers are faced with the challenge of accurately predicting how much technology consumers will actually be willing to pay for. Another challenge faced by 3G services is competition from other high-speed wireless technologies, especially mobile WiMAX, and ability to roam between different kinds of wireless networks.

The current status of mobile wireless communications, as of July 2007, is a mix of 2nd and 3rd generation technologies.

3G

Nigeria's communication Industry recently launched their 3G devices. we have heard about the 3G plus and the 3.5G systems.

what's does this mean?

walk with me this few days to the end of this week as we discuss together about this Technology and as we get enlightened on the good news in it and the bad news from it.

Right here from 28th of this month.

Is your Business worth Buying?

YOU'VE built up a great business, but for whatever reason you want to move on. How do you make your enterprise attractive for potential buyers?

You have stellar client relationships, satisfied employees and superior stock management systems. You know your industry sector inside-out and you’re proud of your lead on the competition. In fact, the myriad merits of your business seem blatantly obvious – to you at least.

But you feel it’s time to move on or retire and you’re looking to sell. Now what? When you make that big decision, you still have your work cut out for you - you have to exhaustively prove just how fantastic your business really is. Lindley Edwards is CEO of independent investment banking and advisory firm Venture Group and has helped many small-to-medium enterprise (SME) owners sell out.

According to Ms Edwards, effective preparation impacts significantly on the ultimate sale price. "It’s not unlike sprucing-up a house for sale,” she says. "You would clean the house, paint it and make it look the best it can. Selling a business is similarly hard work, and you need to invest the time.” While the recent downturn in global share markets affects the willingness of larger listed companies to acquire smaller fry, Ms Edwards believes there is always a market for strong

SMEs with growth potential. “It is true there are fewer companies in the short term looking to buy, but SMEs have other 'purchasers’ that are still keen,” she says. "These may be individuals such as business migrants, or people who have exited one business and are looking to buy another.” John Casey, chief marketing officer at Vodafone Australia, agrees Australian SMEs which can demonstrate longevity and unique selling points will still appeal to buyers. "All other ducks being in a row, such as proven earnings history and experienced management, a strong brand and excellent marketing collateral can make all the difference,” says Mr Casey. "It is worthwhile examining exactly why your customers buy from you and not your competitors.

Make these unique selling points clear on your website and marketing materials. "You could even consider hiring a designer or copywriter to revise and refresh the look and tone of your business. “ Look from the outside in There are many aspects business owners need to consider when proving how tasty their SME is, but perhaps the most important is to always view your business from the perspective of the buyer, not from your own (potentially rose-coloured!) glasses.

Ms Edwards advises her clients to zero-in on the specific information buyers are seeking. "Identify who might buy your business and what boxes they are looking to tick,” she says. "What information would you be looking for if you were in their shoes?” If an SME’s prospective buyer is a listed company, Ms Edwards suggests examining its previous acquisitions for clues. "ASX announcements are a good indication of what they are looking for. Look for the reasons given for the purchase and the terms of sale.” Although your business may be your pride and joy, you need to demonstrate it can operate effectively without you at the helm. “Businesses need to display robust systems and processes to prospective buyers so they feel comfortable taking the reins,” says Ms Edwards. Re-occurring revenue, such as ongoing contracts, is another important area to highlight. "This means a buyer can be more certain about revenue and know they won’t have to wake up every day and continue to sell the business - they can focus on growth instead.” Prior to sale, SMEs should also review their intellectual property and trademark any necessary aspects. Product-based businesses should define their inventory management systems and dispose of any obsolete stock. Commonsense measures, such as cleaning up the business, are often overlooked by SMEs, says Ms Edwards. This may include agreements with staff, landlords or clients and also basic financial management. "Once again, put yourself in the buyer’s shoes.

You would expect tax returns to be done and for everything to be filed and up-to-date. "Buyers can get easily scared off. They will look at all aspects of your business, depending on how bearable the negatives are, they will either walk away, or reduce the price. "It’s up to business owners to minimise these negatives.” Ready to sell out? • Seek help! Refer to an online guide, or see your accountant, lawyer or patent attorney if necessary • Don’t "gild the lily” when it comes to the value of your business. The due diligence process will examine all aspects of your business regardless • Clearly express your reason for sale • Develop future plans, or areas of potential profit, which a purchaser will be able to exploit.

Office and romance

What's Love Got to Do With Office Romance?

What's love got to do with it? Quite a lot, actually. To answer Tina Turner's proverbial question, I checked out current research on workplace romance. If it's just about sex, a dalliance, an extramarital affair, or a relationship to move an individual up the career ladder, coworkers and companies tend to frown on love relationships in the office. If a couple is genuinely serious about dating and building a relationship, popular opinion is more favorable.

After all, where can you meet that special someone anymore? With the amount of time people spend working, and the increasing percentage of women in the workforce, where else is a couple to meet?

Traditional meeting places such as church, the neighborhood, family events, and leisure time activities do not present the same pool of candidates as they did in earlier times.

In contrast, the office provides a pre-selected pool of people who share at least one important interest.

People who work together also live within a reasonable dating distance, and share a location, so they see each other on a daily basis. Coworkers in similar jobs may also be approximately the same age, and share similar interests both inside and outside of work.

Workplace Romance Policy
Workplace romance is a worry to employers, but it is not the major faux pas, it may have been in earlier years. In fact, a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Workplace Romance Survey found that most companies surveyed do not even have a formal, written, romance policy.
Of the 617 members who responded to the SHRM survey, 72 percent do not have a written policy; 14 percent say they have an unwritten, but well understood, norm in their workplace. Thirteen percent do have a policy.

In the SHRM survey, 55 percent of the HR professionals responding said that marriage is the most likely outcome of the office romances they have experienced. Other studies have reported a higher level of productivity in dating couples at work.

Respondents who discourage, or the seven percent who forbid, dating in their workplace, cite concerns with potential sexual harassment claims, retaliation and workplace disharmony if the relationship should end. They are concerned about potentially lowered morale and the productivity of both the dating couple and their coworkers.

Research on Dating, Sex, and Romance at Work
In the Journal of Management, May-June, 1998 issue, Gary N. Powell summarized the research that has been conducted over the past few decades about office romance. (He finds that this research has not been pursued with enough vigor by organizational behavior scholars, by the way. He says he reviewed the "meager scholarly literature on the subject to date.")
He found that "at some times, workplace romances present a threat to organizational effectiveness through their negative effects on participants and coworkers. At other times, workplace romances enhance workplace effectiveness through their positive effects on participants.

"Two kinds of romances have the most damaging effect on group morale and organizational effectiveness, (a) hierarchical romances in which one participant directly reports to the other, and (b) utilitarian romances in which one participant "satisfies personal/sexual needs in exchange for satisfying the other participant's task related and/or career-related needs."
Additionally, "Forty-one percent of employed Americans ages 25-40 have admitted to having engaged in an office romance, according to a joint survey sponsored by Glamour magazine and Lawyers.com." The study states further that respondents had the most problems with romance when a manager dated a reporting staff person.

In an SHRM white paper, Andrea C. Poe, an HR freelance writer, found that adulterous affairs were a problem in some workplaces. From a recent Vault.com survey of several thousand employers and employees, she states that inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace is also common on company time and at company locations.

Coming up: Find out what the Human Resources professional needs to do about an office romance.

New Study Shows What Men and Women Look for in a Date

New Study Shows What Men and Women Look for in a Date
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology entitled "Sex Differences in Mate Preferences Revisited: Do People Know What They Initially Desire in a Romantic Partner?" has discovered what men and women look for in a date. Not surprisingly, the most important qualities a potential mate could have were attractiveness and earning power.

The study also found that what people said they wanted in a partner and what their actual romantic choices were not the same at all.

To perform the study, researchers followed a group of singles along a speed dating event by questioning the participants ten days prior to the evening, watching them during the speed dates, and then questioning them again thirty days after. The evidence corroborated similar studies that have shown people in general aren`t able to accurately communicate why they choose to do the things they do. Graduate psychology student and study lead Paul Eastwick commented:

"If you were to tell me that you prefer physically attractive romantic partners, I would expect to see that you indeed are more attracted to physically attractive partners. But our participants didn't pursue their ideal in this way. This leads us to question whether people know what they initially value in a romantic partner."

Reference: Northwestern University (2008, February 14).

Going on a first Date with him or her? You need this

If you get yourself a first date—especially from someone you knew before—the first thing that you should consider is how to make it so good that your date would want to see you on a second date. However, it doesn't take too much stress to prepare about it. Remember that a date is all about knowing the other person better and treating him or her with respect. Check out our list to see what you should consider.

Choose the right outfit – Wearing provocative or inappropriate clothing risk making the wrong impression. Although your date may be familiar to you, your revealing or flashy dress could mean that you are trying too hard to impress him or her. Wear clothes that are appropriate to the venue, and at the same time your date would be familiar with.

Do not wear too much perfume – Just because you still couldn't smell the perfume from your body doesn't mean that you don't have enough of it. Apply the perfume on your pulse points such as behind the ears and on the wrists, and you're ready to go.
Consider to meet at a public place – Even if you are dating someone you know, it is best to meet him or her at a public place such as a park or a restaurant. A public place provides safety and security.

Prepare a plan – If you are familiar with your date, you should have an idea of his or hers likes and dislikes. Create a list of activities that you and your date would both love to do. Why reserve a table at an expensive restaurant if you date prefers to have a picnic by the park? Also, don't forget about your date's eating habits and allergies, or previous injuries when considering a physical activity such as football passing.

Men should still practice chivalry – We may be living in a new century, but men should still take care of women. He should open doors for women, pull the chairs for her, and letting her order first. When playing sports with your woman, make sure to be gentle—and also let her win.

Listen – Ask question and show (not pretend) that you are interested to what your date is saying. The reason why you should not pretend to be listening because your date might end up talking more about him or her rather than making it a stimulating conversation. Among those topics that are great in date conversations are work, hobbies, books, music, movies, and sports. Do not talk or ask about politics, religion, and especially former relationships.

Look at them in the eyes – Eye contact spells out your interest and attention towards your date.

Have fun – Remember that the date should be fun. Bring laughter into the conversation by bringing out your sense of humor through jokes. Make every activity light and happy. However, if you see that your date isn't laughing at your jokes, don't tell another one.

Overcoming Shyness

It is often very stressful to date or even try to date when you are shy. However, being shy is basically being afraid of rejection. You can transform yourself from the shy type to the confident person that you should be. The more confident you look, the better response you would get from people.

Stand straight – When standing, pull your stomach muscles in. Your spine would naturally align and your back is straightened. An erect stand is a sigh a confidence. Practice doing this in front of a mirror until it starts to look natural.

Do not cross your arms – The way your body poses tells something about yourself. Crossing your arms while sitting or listening to another person is a sign that you are defensive and shy. This can be stand-offish at times. Learn to avoid this mannerism to give your confidence a boost.

Make eye contact – When meeting people, it is best to look straight at them, focusing on the eyes and face. This does not mean that you are supposed to stare at their eyes, which can look frightening. Keep in mind to make your eyes “smile” by keeping a positive attitude when talking to other people.

Make the first move – Stand close enough to the other person to strike up a conversation. Catch their eye and smile briefly. If they smile back and make a direct eye contact, they are open to talking. Striking up a conversation first may be difficult at first, but would get used to it once more people talk to you and slowly building up your confidence.

Make yourself safe to talk to – When you meet someone you are interested in, be curious about this person. Ask open-ended questions (those that does not end on a yes-or-no answers) and create conversations out of mutual interests to keep the talk going.

Give a compliment – If you do not know how to start a conversation, a compliment is always acceptable. Make a truthful and personal compliment at the other person. However, steer clear from the obvious body parts and instead hone in on detail. Say something that make the other person proud, such as his or her laugh, positive attitude, or confidence among others.

Watch other people's reactions – You can tell if the other person is interested to you by the way he or she reacts towards you. If the person is happy to continue chatting with you, their smile would get wider, they would move closer and lean towards you. If they don't instantly drip with enthusiasm, don't worry because other people get nervous too.

Ask people out one after the other – A brief coffee or lunch usually works best for a first date. Start by chatting the the new person about the activity you are both participating in and then casually ask if the person would like to get together some other time.

Need to write a letter? Try this tips

Care about someone Passionately?

Want to put those thoughts into words?, this tips could help!

Note: You need a Pen and a Paper to get this done!

Some people insist that the best gifts are gifts from the heart. No gift could be more personal than a love letter, and the best part is that it is a gift that can be opened and enjoyed again and again. Perhaps the ultimate total gift would be something special purchased to accompany such a love letter.

Make your letter special by starting with beautiful stationery. Write a rough draft so that you can copy it without errors.

Roll it up and tie it in a ribbon in your Valentine's favorite color, which is very possibly NOT red! Present it with one perfect flower or a delicious piece of chocolate. Present it in such a way as to make it the most special gift ever received by him or her.

If you draw a blank when you take your pen to paper, go to the library or the internet for some inspiration. Love letters have been written throughout history and treasured throughout time. Celebrated lovers would not mind helping the less famous with an inspired missive in the name of love!

Two of the most famous lovers wrote letters to stay close when they were separated by distance and world events. Napoleon wrote to Josephine, "To citizen Bonaparte, I have not spent a day without loving you; I have not spent a night without embracing you; I have not so much as drunk a single cup of tea without cursing the pride and ambition which force me to remain separated from the moving spirit of my life."

Letters were also used by secret lovers to nurture their passion. The love between the great eastern mystic and poet Kahlil Gibran and an American schoolmistress was unveiled with the discovery of hundreds of letters they wrote to each other over their twenty-seven year relationship. "Beloved Mary, I kiss your hand, dear Mary, and in kissing your hand I bless myself."

Words on paper can tell a new love what you cannot say in person. Mark Twain put aside his wit and sarcasm to court his future wife. "My dearest Livy, You are so good and beautiful… Give me a little room in that great heart of yours… and if I fail to deserve it may I remain forever the homeless vagabond I am!" His words won him a bride and a love that lasted a lifetime.

Your letter can express passion, frustration, insecurities and struggles. Even humor is allowed in love letters. After all, humor can lessen any heavy load. In seducing his third wife, John Steinbeck wrote, "I will be glad to have you give up that tinsel life of debauchery and sin and come out to G-d's country where we got purple sage. P.S. Can you bring a little sin and debauchery along? You can get too much purple sage but you can only get just enough sin."

Love doesn't need to be fresh or new to deserve a letter. The love of President Harry Truman for his "Dear Bess" is documented in their rich and abundant correspondence over fifty years. Even in the era of the telephone and the telegraph the two preferred their sentiment on paper.

Put down the telephone. Turn off the television and the computer. Grab a pen and a fresh, clean sheet of paper. Think hard and tell your true love how much you care. Your letter may someday be a part of history!

Love!....Other Languages Exists for this word.

English has helped so much in communication and we all seem to forget attimes that we could easily descibe words in our languages.

In a couple of days, we shall be celebrating the day of love and that is Valentine.

it's no news what Valentine is supposed to celebrate but let's see what is news!

Love in other Languages.

Afghani: Dus tat darem, Afrikaans: Ek is lief vir jou, Albanian: Une te dua, Amharic: Afekreshalew, Arabic: Ana ba hibeck, Assyrian: Be ayen gadi youkh, Armenian: Yes kez serum em/Yes kezee ga seerem, Bengali: Ami tomake bhalobashi, Bulgarian: Obicham te, Cantonese: Ngo oi lei, Catalan: Testimo molt, Cebuano: Gihigugma ko ikaw, Chamorro: Hu guaya hao, Chinese: Wo ai ni, Cree: Ke say ke tin, Creole: Mwen renmen'w, Croatian: Volim te, Cuban: Tevwnol, Czech: Miluji tì, Danish: Jeg elsker dig, Dholuo: Aheri, Dinka: Yin aaniar, Dutch: Ik hou van jou, Eskimo (Inuktitut): Nagligivagit, Estonian: Ma armastan sind, Farsi: Asheghetam, Fijian (Lingo): Au domoni iko, Filipino: Mahal kita, Finnish: Mina rakastan sinua, French: Je t'aime/je t'adore, Gaelic: Gra go deo, Gallego: Queroche moito, German: Ich liebe dich, Greek: S'agapo, Gujarati: Hu tane prem karu chu, Hausa: Enaso kaa, Hawaiian: Aloha wau ia oe, Hebrew: Ani ohev otakh, Hindi: Main tumse pyaar karta hoon, Hmong: Kuv hlub koj, Hungarian: Szeretlek, Icelandic: Eg elska pig, Ilocano: Ay ayaten ka, Ilongo: Ginahugugma Ko Ikaw, Indonesian: Aku cinta padamu, Irish: Thaim in grabh leat, Italian: Ti amo, Japanese: Ai shite imasu, Kannada: Naanu nimanu preetisuthene, Kapampangan: Kalaguran da ka, Kiswahili: Nakupenda, Konkani: Hawn thuzo mog kartha, Korean: Sarang hae, Kurdish: Ez te hes dikim, Laotian: Koy huck jow, Latin: Ego te amo, Latvian: Es tevi milu, Lebanese: Ana bahibik, Lithuanian: As tave myliu, Macedonian: Te sakam, Malay: Saya cintakan kamu, Malayalam: Njaan ninne snehikinnu, Maltese: Jien inhobbok, Maori: Ka nui taku aroha mauu, Marathi: Mala tu avadto/changla wathte, Nepali: Ma timilai maya garchu, Nigerian: Inan sunki, Norwegian: Jeg elsker deg, Oriya (Indian): Mu tumaku bhala paaye, Papiamentu: Mi stima bu, Persian: Du stet daram, Polish: Kocham cie, Portugese: Eu te amo, Punjabi: Main tuhanoo pyar kar da haan, Romanian: Te iubesc, Russian: Ya tebia lybly, Samoan: Ou te alofa ia te oe, Sango: M'bi ye mo, Serbian: Volim te, Sindhi: Mukhe tosa pyar aahe, Sinhalese: Mama oyata adhere, Siraiki: Maan tenal daadha pyaar karain daahim, Slovakian: Milujem ta, Slovenian: Ljubim te, Spanish: Te amo, Sranang tongo (Surinam): Mi lobi you , Swedish: Jag alskar dig, Swiss German: I lieb di, Tagalog: Mahal kita, Tamil: Naan unnai kathelikkiren, Telugu: Naku kneemeeda prama undi, Thai: Chun ruk ter, Tigrigna: Yefkreki, Tongan: Ofa atu, Tumbuka: Nkhukutemwa, Turkish: Seni seviyorum, Ukrainian: Ya tebe kohayu, Urdu: Mai tumse piyar karta hoon, Vietnamese: Anh yeu em/Em yeu anh, Welsh: Dwi'n caru ti, Zulu: Ngiyakuthanda.

so which group do you belong?

Did you know

Saudis ban red roses for Valentine's Day!

Crimson items - from roses to wrapping paper - have been banned from the shelves of florists and gift shops in Riyadh until Friday by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Every year officials visit florists a few days before Feb 14 to issue warnings on red items, which are widely seen as symbols of love, according to local newspapers.

The Commission raids shops on the eve of Valentine's Day, which it sees as an encouragement of relations outside of wedlock, to ensure that the ban is being carried out.

According to the Saudi Gazette, the ban has resulted in a blossoming black market for red roses. One man, who claimed to run an underground flower shop out of his flat, said he could make as much as SAR20-30 (£2.70- £4) per rose, when the normal price is SAR5-7 (68p - £1).

He told the paper that he sometimes delivers bouquets in the middle of the night to avoid prying eyes, and that his loyal customers place orders weeks before the Feb 14 holiday.

Relationships outside marriage are strictly prohibited in the conservative Muslim state and are punishable by law.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women," Sheikh Khaled al-Dossari , a scholar in Islamic Studies and sharia law, told the paper.

However, there is some hope for hopeless romantics. This year Valentine's Day coincides with mid-term break, so many Saudis have already left the kingdom on holiday.

The ban came into force in Riyadh on Sunday and red items remain forbidden until after February 14.

Senator Barack Obama! An Icon

The Democratic Party in United States of America has given the America public in the time past the best, it has presented America with Men and women of valor both on the local scene and international scene.

I am about to write what I have been able to gather from different sources about the new era in American Politics. I am about to write about a man who is ready and steady in changing the course of destiny. Here is the truth and lies about Senator Barack Obama.

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, where he grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.

Married to Michelle, who bore him their two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.

Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army. Her mother went to work on a bomber assembly line, and after the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved west to Hawaii.

Barack’s parent met in University of Hawaii, were the mother was a student and the father just won a scholarship which gave him the opportunity to leave Kenya and move to America.

Barack's father eventually returned to Kenya, and Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.

The values which his mother taught him while much younger made barrack leave Law school and the ability to lead a good life in the corporate world behind after college and instead moved to Chicago in 1985, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment.

This group mad huge success but he realized that in order to truly improve the lives of people in that community and other communities, it would take not just a change at the local level, but a change in our laws and in our politics.

He earned his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. Finally, his advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

In the midst of the political debates and its partisanship, senator Obama still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

Obama’s Political Profile:

First Elected To Office: November 2, 2004
Year of Next Election: November 2, 2010
Previous Political Work: Illinois Senate
Committee Membership:
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations - 7
Subcommittee on African Affairs - 3
Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs - 4
Subcommittee on European Affairs - Chair
Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection - 4
Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs - 7
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management Government Information Federal Services and International Security - 4
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations - 4
Subcommittee on State Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration - 4
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions - 9
Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety - 6
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs – 4

Personal Bio

Gender: Male
Hometown: Chicago
Birth: August 4, 1961
in Waikiki, HI
Professional Experience (including Military):College instructor, Attorney
Education: JD, Harvard University, BA, Columbia University
Family: Wife, Michelle, 2 children
Faith: United Church of Christ

Coming Soon

Truth and Lies about Obama

Ladies! Tips for Makeup's

Use face makeup to look your best for any occasion. Learn about your options here.

More than likely there are going to be times when you just don’t have a lot of time to spend on doing your face makeup. However, you still want to make sure that you look your best.

So, when you find yourself racing to get your makeup done for a great look that will last all day, there are a few simple things that you need to keep in mind.

The following are some great tips that will help you apply your makeup quickly for a look that is beautiful and sexy. Also, for an easy way to remove your face makeup you can use makeup remover for the face.

Tip #1 – All in One Foundation – If you are in a hurry, one of the first things you can do to save on time is to use an all in one foundation that is a power and easy to apply. This is very quick to swipe on all over your face for a nice base. Also make sure you hit your eyelids as well as your lips with it too.

Tip #2 – Go for Eye Shadow on a Stick – Now that you are ready for your eye shadow, if you need to make it fast, use eye shadow that comes on a stick. This makes it very quick for you to apply this step of your makeup so that you can save time. Usually a nice shade of brown will be great for a look that is subtle yet sexy. Be sure to hit the whole eyelid with the shadow.

Tip #3 – Blend the Eye Shadow – The last thing you want is for the eye shadow to look to bold. So, you need to make sure to blend. Usually just a quick brush over with a loose translucent power will do the job of keeping the color understated and making sure you have no edges that look harsh.

Tip #4 – Don’t Forget Mascara – Even when you are in a hurry, you should never forget the mascara, since this can help bring together your look and compliment the rest of your makeup for your face. Just a few quick swipes of mascara on your top and bottom lashes will make your eyes look great.

Tip #5 – Use a Blush Brush – Now it is time for your blush. To apply quickly, use a nice large blush brush that will sweep the blush on your cheeks. Usually a nice berry color will look great on almost any complexion.

Tip #6 – Lipstick with a Touch of Gloss – Now days they have lipstick that has a touch of gloss in it, so you won’t have to worry about applying both. Be sure to have a color on hand that will look great. Quickly apply the lipstick on your lower lip and then gently press both lips together so that you get color on both of your lips.

So, as you can see, applying face makeup, even when you don’t have a lot of time can definitely be easy. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll always have time to make your makeup for your face look great.

Piece by: Ronke Akala

News! Technology (Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo)

Microsoft has offered to buy the search engine company Yahoo for $44.6bn (£22.4bn) in cash and shares.

The offer, contained in a letter to Yahoo's board, is 62% above Yahoo's closing share price on Thursday.
Yahoo cut its revenue forecasts earlier this week and said it would have to spend an additional $300m this year trying to revive the company.
It has been struggling in recent years to compete with Google, which has also been a competitor to Microsoft.

Joke!

The Fatted Calf

Over at Fortitude Holiness Tabernacle, Dexter Rice, the Sunday School teacher, was telling his class the story of the Prodigal Son. Wishing to emphasize the resentful attitude of the elder brother, he laid stress on this part of the parable.
After describing the rejoicing of the household over the return of the wayward son, Dexter spoke of one who, in the midst of the festivities, failed to share in the jubilant spirit of the occasion. "Can anybody in the class," he asked, "tell me who this was?"
Nine year old Olivia Crombie had been listening sympathetically to the story. She waved her hand in the air. "I know!" she said beamingly. "It was the fatted calf."

Number 8

Birth name George Timothy Clooney
Born May 6, 1961 (1961-05-06) (age 46)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Spouse(s): Talia Balsam

He is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, who gained fame as one of the lead doctors in the long-running television drama, ER (1994–99), as Anthony Edwards's best friend and partner, Dr. Douglas "Doug" Ross, but is best known for his subsequent rise as an "A-List" movie star in contemporary American cinema.

Winner of an Academy Award and two Golden Globes, Clooney has balanced his glamorous performances in big-budget blockbusters with work as a producer and director behind commercially riskier projects, as well as social and political activism.

His first major role came in 1984 in the television medical comedy-drama E/R. Though it too takes place in a hospital, it should not be confused with ER, which Clooney more famously starred in several years later. Additionally, he played a handyman on the series The Facts of Life. He played Bobby the detective on one episode of The Golden Girls. His first significant break was a semi-regular supporting role in the sitcom Roseanne, playing Roseanne Barr's overbearing boss Booker Brooks, followed by the role of a construction worker on Baby Talk and then as a sexy detective on Sisters. Clooney achieved stardom when he was selected to play Dr. Doug Ross on the hit NBC drama ER from 1994 to 1999. Clooney was also partnered with Deborah Leoni in their production company Mirador Entertainment.

Prior to his success on ER, he met Grant Heslov, a later close friend with whom he co-wrote Good Night, and Good Luck. Heslov was also the president of Section Eight Productions, Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh's production company. In August 2006, Clooney and Heslov started a new company: Smoke House. Clooney said in an interview that he was driving an RV through the country with Heslov, who, at the time, was getting over a broken engagement, when he got a phone call from his agent telling him that NBC just picked up ER for a full season. Clooney said, "I think I just got my career.

It has been rumored that Clooney was the one to have circulated the videotape of Jesus vs. Santa (the video greeting card that gave birth to South Park) around the Los Angeles area in 1995. The show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, invited him to play a role in the show as the voice of Stan Marsh's gay dog Sparky in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride", a role with no dialogue except normal dog noises. He later appeared in the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Despite their history, the show's creators, Parker and Stone, lampooned Clooney for his outspoken political views in their feature film Team America: World Police.

However, Clooney later said that he would have been offended if he hadn't been made fun of in the film. He was also mentioned in the episode "Smug Alert!", which mocks his acceptance speech at the 78th Academy Awards.


Initial success
Clooney continued to star in movies while appearing in ER, his first major Hollywood role being From Dusk Till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez. He followed its success with One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and The Peacemaker with Nicole Kidman, the latter being the initial feature length release from Dreamworks SKG studio. Clooney was then cast as the new Batman in Batman & Robin. In 1998, he starred in Out of Sight, opposite Jennifer Lopez. This was the first of much collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh. He also starred in Three Kings during the last weeks of his contract with ER.

In 1999, Clooney left the cast of ER to pursue his film career full-time. He mentioned a few times that he would like to do a few cameos; to date, he has only done one.
• Produced and starred in the comedic heist thriller Ocean’s Thirteen.
• Produced and starred in the thriller Michael Clayton.
• Produced and narrated the documentary Sand and Sorrow about the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
• Produced the horror film Wind Chill.
• Wrote, directed and starred in the romantic comedy Leatherheads.
• Launched Smoke House Productions with Grant Heslov.
• Launched Not On Our Watch, a charity to aid relief efforts in Darfur.
• Named one of the 50 Most Stylish Men in the Past 50 Years by GQ.
• Was named No. 40 on Forbes magazine's 100 Most Influential Celebrities of 2007.

2007 Manly Moment
After being accused of leaking outtakes from I Heart Huckabees on the internet, Clooney put his money where his mouth is, offering $1million to anyone who could prove it.

Quote
“Run for office? No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs and I've been to too many parties.”

Passive & Active Daters

Passive vs. Active Dating

Get Off Your Butt and Get in the Game!Online dating is definitely one of the most convenient ways to meet singles and even find a great relationship, but just because itsconvenient, doesn’t mean you are going to get what you want withoutany effort. The sad truth is that around 90% of online daters make aprofile and just wait for Mr./ Ms. Right to find them. Some of those peoplemight get lucky and their perfect person will find them, but a lot morewould find success if they would just get off their butts andget into the game.Are you an Active Dater or a Passive Dater?

*The Passive Dater*

Passive daters are generally people who aren’t completely sure that this whole “internet dating thing” is for them. They only have a toe in the water and are probably using a free membership. They know in their heart that there is someone out there who is perfect for them, and despite a little healthy skepticism, they don’t see what harm putting up a dating profile would do. After all, someone great might send them an email. For many of them, that’s the whole deal. They don’t do much searching to see if there are people they are interested in, and if they do find someone they like, they will almost always send them a wink instead of an email.Why don’t they try just a little bit harder? Sometimes it is as simple as the fear of rejection. Not getting a response to an email from someone you like can be just as painful as the first time you got rejected by a member of the opposite sex in high school. Unfortunately,the passive daters are so focused on the fear of rejection that they forget how great it feels to make that connection. On the other hand,sometimes, it’s just an issue of laziness. We all get a little lazy once in a while and honestly, it can be easier not to try than it is to put in some effort. No matter what the reason, except for the ones who are lucky to be found by active daters, passive daters almost always fail atonline dating. They end up quitting, and all they have to show for the experience is a bruised ego and a little more skepticism. Passive Daters leave, powerless, just as they came in.

The Active Dater*

If you care enough to actually read one of these advice articles, thereis a 50% percent chance that you are already an Active Dater. Thatdoesn’t mean that you are meeting all the people you want to, but thatyou have a much better chance then the Passive Daters. That’s becauseyou are willing to give it a try. Just by putting the extra effort intoyour profile and photos, and taking the time to find people you like and email them, you are 100 times more likely to meet some greatpeople, go on some great dates, and maybe even find the special personyou’ve been looking for.Active Daters know that sure, they might not get a response to all ofthe emails they send out, but they aren’t going to let that stop themfrom trying. They usually have a friend or family member that hasmet someone online and they know that “If they can do it, I can too. “The doors of online dating are open for these active daters becauseunlike the 90% of people who are waiting to be found by the 10% of theremaining daters, they can search through all 100% to find the peoplethey want to meet. Active Daters have all the power on the dating site.If anyone will find a great match it’s them.

*A Word To The Wise*

If you are a Passive Dater it’s not too late to get off your butt andstart meeting people. If you are an Active Dater you have toremember that effort is important, and so is making a great firstimpression with an interesting profile and recent, good quality photos.If you can keep up the right attitude and get the profile and photo upto snuff, nothing is going to be able to stop you.

Did you know?

There are many opinions as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that it was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In any event, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became a patron saint of lovers. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first Valentine cards. The spirit of love continues as valentines are sent with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

Looking for Love
- 188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
- Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
- Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)
- There are 119 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:
Hispanics: 153 men per 100 women
Asians (single race): 132 men per 100 women (This ratio is not significantly different from that for Hispanics or non-Hispanic whites.)
Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 120 men per 100 women
Blacks (single race): 92 men per 100 women (The numbers of black men and women in this age group are not significantly different from one another.)
- There are 34 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:
Hispanics: 38 men per 100 women
Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 33 men per 100 women
Blacks (single race): 33 men per 100 women
Asians (single race): 28 men per 100 women
(Note: None of the ratios for the individual groups differ significantly from one another nor from the ratio for all people age 65 or older.)
- 904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.

Be Mine
- 2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.
- 147,300 marriages are performed in Nevada during 2005. So many couples "tie the knot" in the Silver State that it ranked fourth nationally in marriages, even though it's total population that year among states was 35th.
- The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men are 25.3 and 27.1 respectively, in 2005. The age for women rose 4.2 years in the last three decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 3.6 years.
- Men and women in northeastern states generally have a higher median age at first marriage than the national average. In Massachusetts, for example, women were a median of 27.4 years old and men 29.1 years of age at first marriage. States where people typically marry young include Utah, where women were a median of 21.9 years and men, 23.9 years.
- 57% and 60% of American women and men, respectively, are 15 or older and currently married (includes those who are separated).
- 72%: The percentage of men and women ages 30 to 34 in 2005 who had been married at some point in their lives - either currently or formerly.
- 4.9 million opposite-sex cohabitating couples maintained households in 2005. These couples comprised 4.3 percent of all households.

Candy is Dandy!
- 1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2004. These establishments employed 43,322 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 136, followed by Pennsylvania with 122. (Source: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html)
- 515 locations produced non chocolate confectionary products in 2004. These establishments employed 22,234 people.
- The total value of shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products was $13.9 billion. Non chocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.7 billion industry.
- 3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine's Day.
- The per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.
Flowers
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2005 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $397 million. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly three-quarters of this amount ($289 million).
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2005 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $39 million. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were third in receipts ($39 million)to lilies ($76.9 million) and tulips ($39.1 million).
- There were 21,667 florists nationwide in 2004. These businesses employed 109,915 people.

Jewelry
- There were 28,772 jewelry stores in the United States in 2004. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2006, these stores sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise. (This figure has not been adjusted for seasonal variation, holiday or trading day differences or price changes).
The merchandise at these locations could well have been produced at one of the nation's 1,864 jewelry manufacturing establishments. The manufacture of jewelry was a $9 billion industry in 2004.

Jokes!

Life Sentence
A criminal with a long record of transgressions was on trial for his latest crime. The jury found him guilty on 33 counts and the judge sentenced him to 189 years. Realizing that even with time off for good behavior he would be over one hundred when he was released, the prisoner burst into tears.
Noting this display of remorse, the judge reconsidered. He said, "I didn't mean to be so severe. Thinking it over, I can see that I've imposed an extremely harsh sentence. So you don't have to serve the whole time." The prisoner beamed with new found hope until the judge leaned toward him and said, "Just do a much as you can."

A Woman, a Beach, a Bottle and a Genie
A despondent woman was walking along the beach when she saw a bottle on the sand. She picked it up and pulled out the cork. Whoosh! A big puff of smoke appeared.
"You have released me from my prison," the genie told her. "To show my thanks, I grant you three wishes. But take care, for with each wish, your mate will receive double of whatever you request."
"Why?" the woman asked. "That bum left me for another woman."
"That is how it is written," replied the genie.
The woman shrugged and then asked for a million dollars. There was a flash of light, and a million dollars appeared at her feet. At the same instant, in a far-off place, her wayward husband looked down to see twice that amount at his feet.
"And your second wish?"
"Genie, I want the world's most expensive diamond necklace." Another flash of light, and the woman was holding the precious treasure. And, in that distant place, her husband was looking for a gem broker to buy his latest bonanza.
"Genie, is it really true that my husband has two million dollars and more jewels that I do, and that he gets double of whatever I wish for?"
The genie said it was indeed true.
"Okay, genie, I'm ready for my last wish," the woman said. "Scare me half to death."

Valentine's Day!

Every 14th of February, the world over sends love messages, Candy, flowers and gifts move between families and loved ones.

What’s the brain behind this?

Valentine’s History!

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap"

Next: Valentine Quotes!

Number 9

Name: Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton

Profession: British Formula One racing driver

Born: January 7, 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire

His Person!

He finished second in the 2007 Formula One Championship, behind Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton has set numerous F1 rookie records and is the first black mixed race driver to compete in Formula One. After winning the British Formula Renault, European Formula Three and GP2 championship he became a McLaren F1 driver for 2007. When he was ten, he approached McLaren team principal, Ron Dennis at an awards ceremony and told him he would drive for McLaren one day; three years later, Hamilton was signed by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz to their Young Driver Support Programme, and ultimately, 12 years after this initial encounter, made his Formula One debut with the McLaren team. He has stated that he wants to stay in the McLaren team for the rest of his F1 career.

During the European Grand Prix, Hamilton actually had his car recovered by a crane and placed back onto the track after a gruesome crash -- yet he still finished ninth overall.

Quote!

"This is the best feeling I have ever had... I would say it is better than sex. It is!"

Fashion: Top Men

Let's explore the world of bravery in Men togetheras I bring to you the men I feel are the top ten guys i the world and this is in terms of their bravery, acts, fashion and Money together.

Number 10:

Name: Christian Charles Philip Bale

Profession: Acting

Age: 34

Spouse: Sibi Blazic (2000

Born: 30 January 1974

Haverfordwest,

Pembrokeshire, Wales

His person!

His talent and ability to get into role and get the best out of his roles has brought him in line with Hollywood great young actors.

Nominated by the London Critics Circle and Empire Awards for his work in The Prestige. Played one of six variations of Bob Dylan I’m Not There, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Spent the summer shooting the Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, opposite high-profile costars Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart.
Generated Oscar buzz for his electrifying work in Rescue Dawn.

Outside Acting:

This young Talent's private life is unknown to anyone has he has kept that to himself and Christian, a staunch supporter of groups like Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund, has deftly managed to voice his concern without coming off as just another celebrity with a pet project. It’s difficult not to admire the actor for the low-key, yet passionate, manner in which he conducts himself.

His favourite quote: ''An actor should never be larger than the film he's in"

This earned him my number 10 position

Who makes Number 9? watch out!

Did You know?

Facts

U.S. residents spent $469.5 million on online dating and personals in 2004, and over $500 million in 2005, the second largest segment of “paid content” on the web, according to a study conducted by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) and comScore Networks.

At the end of November 2004, there were 844 lifestyle and dating sites, a 38 percent increase since the start of the year, according to Hitwise Inc. However, market share was increasingly being dominated by several large commercial services, including Yahoo! Personals, Match.com, and eHarmony. eHarmony CEO Greg Forgatch noted that despite the growing number of sites catering to specific niches, "to become a major player, it still takes a large number of people.". By 2007, many prominent studies show that Baby Boomer interest in online dating had soared.

In 2002, a Wired magazine article forecast that, "Twenty years from now, the idea that someone looking for love without looking for it online will be silly, akin to skipping the card catalog to instead wander the stacks because 'the right books are found only by accident.' Serendipity is the hallmark of inefficient markets, and the marketplace of love, like it or not, is becoming more efficient"
Of late, it is common to see online dating websites providing webcam chats between members to make dating even more convenient than ever. In addition, as the online dating population becomes larger, sites with specific demographics are becoming more popular as a way to narrow the pool of potential matches.

Jokes! Jokes! Jokes!

A Movie Bet

Two fellas were watching an old cowboy movie and it came to the part when the cowboy, on his horse, at full gallop, was headed right towards a cliff। One of the guys said to the other, "Hey, I’ll bet you 10 bucks that he rides over the cliff।" The other said, "Your on!"
Well the cowboy and the horse went right over the cliff. The fella that lost the bet paid up. A while later, the guy who won said, "Hey, I’m feeling a little guilty about our bet and need to make a confession ... I already have seen the movie." The other fella replied, "Well, I have also seen the movie before ... but I didn’t think he’d do it again!"

The Plop
There was once a Canadian bird who decided he didn’t want to fly south for the winter। He decided it was nonsense to go all the way down south when he could just stay right where he was at। So he stayed behind। Well after awhile, it got kind of cold. Finally, he could take it no more and decided to fly south after all. As he was flying through the air, ice began to form on his wings to the point where he could no longer fly so he glided down and landed in a barnyard.
So here is the bird, he’s half frozen in a barnyard and at the point of death. About that time along comes a cow who walks right over the bird and drops a "plop" on him. Now the bird is really disgusted. He’s half frozen, dying, and now he has this "plop" on him. After a short time though, the ice begins to melt off of the bird. He starts to get warm under that "plop." He begins to think to himself, "It’s getting warm. I’m going to live! I’m going to live!" Then right there underneath that "plop" he starts to sing little bird songs> He’s now happy once again.
About that time a cat comes along and hears this noise coming from underneath this "plop." He moves the stuff off the bird and eats the bird.
There are three morals to the story:
1. Not everyone who drops a "plop" on you is necessarily your enemy2. Not everyone who moves it off of you is necessarily your friend3. And if someone does drop a "plop" on you, keep your mouth shut.

The Pirate and Bird Droppings
A pirate had a wooden leg, a hook on one arm, and a patch over one eye. Someone asked him how these things happened. He said that a whale bit off his leg, a crocodile had chewed off his hand, and a bird dropping hit him in the eye. The other guy replied that he understood about the wooden leg having had his original bite off by a whale, and the hook was there to replace the hand the crocodile had chewed off, but a patch over the eye because of a bird dropping ... that he didn’t understand. The pirate said that when the bird dropping hit him in the eye, that was the first day he had had his hook.

Dumb Questions from Lawyers
The following questions by lawyers were taken from actual court documents in America:
"Was that the same nose you broke as a child?"
"Now doctor, is it not true that when a person dies in his sleep, in most cases he just passes quietly away and doesn’t know anything about it until the next morning?"
Q: "What happened then?"A: "He told me, ‘I have to kill you because you can identify me.'"Q: "And did he kill you?"
"Was it you or your brother that was killed in the war?
"The youngest son, the twenty year old, how old is he?"
"Were you alone or by yourself?"
"Do you have any children or anything of that kind?"
Q: "I show you exhibit 3 and ask you if you recognize that picture?" A: "That’s me."Q: "Were you present when he picture was taken?"
"Were you present in court this morning when you were sworn in?"
Q: "Mrs. Johnson, how was your first marriage terminated ?"A: "By death."Q: "And by whose death was it terminated?"
Q: "Do you know how far pregnant you are now?"A: "I’ll be three months on November 8th."Q: "Apparently then, the date of conception was August 8th?A: "Yes."Q: "What were you doing at that time?
"So you were gone until you returned?"
Q: "She had three children right?"A: "Yes."Q: "How many were boys?"A: "None."Q: "Were there any girls?"
"Mrs. Jones, how many times have you committed suicide?"
"You don’t know what it was, and you didn’t know what it looked like, but can you describe it?"
Q: "You say the stairs went down to the basement?"A: "Yes."Q: "And these stairs, did they go up also?"
Q: "Do you recall approximately the time that you examined the body of Mr. Edington at the Rose Chapel?"A: "The autopsy started about 8:30 p.m."Q: "And Mr. Edington was dead at that time?"

What is Online Dating?

What is Online Dating?

Online Dating in Three Easy Pieces
Online dating can be a little scary at first. You are jumping onto a website and sharing yourself with thousands and sometimes millions of other people. You are putting yourself out there with the risk of rejection in hopes of finding anything from a date to a spouse. It can be a lot of pressure to put yourself under.
That’s why you need to break online dating down to it’s three basic parts: The profile, the photo, and your strategy. Most people fail because they don’t take the little bit of extra effort that they need to make sure they have these three things. If you have a great strategy, but your profile or photos are not so good, you are probably just wasting your time because you are not going to make a good first impression. But, even if you have a great profile and photo, but have no real strategy, it’s kind of like having bullets without a gun. Throwing bullets will only get you so far. Here are some simple tips to help you out in all three areas:

The Profile:
Focus on the positives!Always try to talk about the things you want in the person you are looking for. Don’t focus on the things that you don’t want, talking about them just makes it sound like you have more baggage than any normal person is going to want to deal with.

The Photo:
Keep the focus on you!A lot of people like to put photos that show them with friends or at fancy functions like weddings. Don’t do it! You want to be the only person in your photo. If you have friends or family in the photo with you, you run the risk of people spending their time trying to figure out if they are just a friend or your ex. Even worse, they might be more attracted to your friend than they are to you. Instead, keep the focus on you and let visual props like a pet or a setting the shows off some of your character. That way people can see you in a setting that makes you look your best.

The Strategy:
Make the first move!Don’t wait for Mr. or Ms. Right to find you. Only you really know what you want anyways, so get out there and start looking for it. Take advantage of the search options on your for your dating site so you can eliminate a lot of the people you aren’t interested in. When you find someone you like, SEND THEM AN EMAIL! Do not wink at them. Winking is for wusses!

Advantages of Online Personals
Online personals are the internet's equivalent of a singles bar with personality. At there most basic level online personals are giant databases of people's pictures and backgrounds that you can scan through like you would scan the faces at a bar. There are a lot of advantages to trying online personals compared to a singles bar. First of all it is convenient. The places you will normally go to meet people are only available to you at certain times and every place you go may only have one or two hundred people of the opposite sex for you to pick through. With online personals all you need is an internet connection and the ability to read. The sites are open 24-7 and are filled with thousands if not millions more people than you would have met if you went out for the evening. Secondly is attire. When you go to a bar you've got to look sharp as Joe Jackson used to say. If you don't look just right when your eyes meet up with those of the babe or beau at a bar, you can forget about the wedding, hell, you won't even make it to the first date. For online personals you don't need make up or cologne and best of all, you can wear whatever you like. You can even be naked if you want, but if it's hot out and your computer chair is leather, you may want to at least throw on some underwear. One of the biggest advantages that people think of when they go into online personals is that you no longer have that moment of terror where you slowly approach that person who has caught your eye in hopes that they might see in you what you saw in them and not shoot you down like a wounded duck. This is true, to a point. You don't have to walk up to someone and ask them out through online personals. You have the personal barrier of email in-between you. This is great if you are a little low in confidence, but it can backfire on you. Many people put up a personals profile and wait for people to contact them. It can be a much greater rejection when millions of people decide not to email you compared to striking out once or twice in person. Also if you are sending emails to people on your favorite online personals site, you have to remember that the need for tact is not a necessity on the net. While in the real world a person may shoot you down and say thanks but no thanks, or possibly something less tactful, their attitude on an online personals site may be to just delete your message without replying, leaving you hanging and with no feedback from them at all.

next on dating:

My Online dating Service didn't work!
The Passive Dater vs The Active Dater

article courtesy:profilehelper.com