International outbreak of Bah-Humbug spirit hits Valentine's Day

[Ellen Forradalom]

Every sorehead with an axe to grind is jumping on the Valentine's Day bashing bandwagon. You'd think it were a subversive act to love someone!

Saudi Arabia Says Valentine's Day Incurs God's Ire
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040213/wl_nm/saudi_valentine_dc_1

Valentine's Day should not be sex day: Laos government
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040213/ts_afp/valentine_laos_sex_040213154458

Tough love for Indian Valentines targeted by hardline Hindus
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040213/ts_afp/india_valentine_hindu_040213154227

Activists Target Chocolate, Gold on Valentine's Day
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/oneworld/20040213/wl_oneworld/4536791741076691651

Pope calls for courtship and chastity on Valentine's eve
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040213/en_afp/valentine_vatican_pope_040213193118

Many Schools Ban Valentine Deliveries
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040213/ap_on_fe_st/no_deliveries_3

Teens to Promote Chastity Today
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040213/NEWS/402130372/1003/news01

[Sandpiper]

1. The sight of two people in love

Has always had a tendency to evoke bitterness from the unloved.

[tigereye]

3. yikes!

I missed the fair trade chocolate issue entirely. As a chocoholic of sorts, I guess I'd better pay better attention. Never liked gold that much, anyway.

As to the Day of Purity, there must be some ground between total promiscuity and abstinence, and I am sure there are plenty of adolescents out there who know the difference. I did get roses one year, but not at high school!

I think Valentines Day can be okay; my son just taped one to his dad's computer, and the school had nice, not "over the top," activities.

[demnan]

2. How about a Valentine's Voodoo party?

I have a few boyfriends I could stick pin for sure:

<snip>

While many lovers are doling out flowers and jewelry Saturday night, James Wynen plans to be dispensing voodoo dolls and stickpins. The idea is to take aim at both ex-lovers and traditional Valentine's Day sentiments.

"People love it," Wynen says. "They stick the pin in and say, 'This is Johnny. I'm going to get him a tax audit.' " Not that Wynen, who heads the Washington promotional group PartySlave, is advocating bad voodoo -- or failing to play both angles of the day that some love and others hate. Roses also will be available at PartySlave's Voodoo Valentine's Party at Anzu Prive Lounge (2436 18th St. NW; 8 p.m.-3 a.m.; free until midnight with RSVP at www.partyslave.com).

"It's just a fun thing," Wynen says, "and a lot of people want a fun alternative to the usual black-tie, hundred-dollars-a-pop Valentine's dinner. We did a voodoo party last Valentine's and had a line of people up the block."

</snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36281-2004Feb12.html