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Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards

February 13, 2012 by · Comments Off on Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards 

Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards, The more than 100 Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip franchises have been ready for Valentine’s Day for at least a month.

“This is a big day for us — huge day,” says Ziad Dalal, president and founder of the premium dessert concept store and cafe.

“We are all about desserts, so it’s a great opportunity for our business to service our customers with gifting and indulging,” Dalal says. “The nice thing is that you can do it for all [budgets]. You can do a small love note with a cookie and customize it with a decoration on it to your loved one for less than $10 or you can [buy] a full-sheet cookie cake or heart-shaped cookie cake. It’s a beautiful time because it’s a very personalized [holiday that can be] for a loved one or the family.”

As consumer confidence picks up, Zalal is expecting this year’s Valentine’s Day in particular to be very profitable for the cafes, which were created back in 2000 through a co-branding agreement with Nestle.

“Our goal is to be north of a 15% increase for the same holiday. We’re already at 17%,” he says, comparing sales with this period last year.

From restaurants to florists to specialty chocolate shops, Valentine’s Day is a bright spot for small-business coffers even in the dark days of winter.

Small-business owners have even more opportunity to benefit from Valentine’s Day this year. The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend a whopping $17.6 billion on Valentine’s gifts and activities for friends, family, loved ones, even their pets. According to a January survey, consumers on average will spend $126.03 for the holiday, up 8.5% over last year and the highest amount in the survey’s 10-year history, the NRF says.

Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday, 14 February 2012

February 13, 2012 by · Comments Off on Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 

Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday, 14 February 2012, Tomorrow, Tuesday February 14 is Valentine’s Day; therefore the offices of NEWS-ONE got a bit alarmed when the paper received a red envelope containing a letter addressed to the editor and dated Friday, February10, 2012.

After opening the envelope, it was revealed the letter was from the Chief Executive of Movie Africa Production, controversial movie producer Socrate Safo.

We reproduce the contents of the letter in full for the benefit of our readers:-

“This may be my final communication to you with regards to the type of stories you publish on my person, my movies and my company.

In the first place, I hope you would be objective enough to publish this letter just the way I am writing it and not to twist it to suit your editorial style or rephrase it in a way to make me look stupid as you have always done.

I want to put on record that I am not happy at the negative image your paper has carved for me and the continuous nature of your attack on my person, my movies and my company.

If I have wronged you in any way to deserve this negative publicity, I deserve to know what my crime or crimes are so I apologise where and if necessary.

I consider it very unfair that I have committed no offence yet your newspaper continues to attack my person, my movies and my company.

I have neither slept with your wife nor broken the virginity of your daughter. I have neither taken a loan from you and refused to pay nor seized your ancestral lands. I therefore find it impossible to understand your motive and mission.

Because of your negative publications, I now walk in town with an evil tag on my neck. People see me as someone with no morals, no proper upbringing and no sense of responsibility all because of your negative stories.

All these years, I have tolerated your nonsense and held back my anger. I have decided not to write any rejoinders because my reputation and integrity is worth more than a rejoinder which I know you would hide somewhere in your middle pages. I have worked hard to earn my reputation and it is an expensive one far more than what you have reduced it to.

Valentines Day

February 13, 2012 by · Comments Off on Valentines Day 

Valentines Day, Iraq’s capital is embracing Valentine’s Day this year with a huge public display of affection in what its residents say is the nation’s most amorous celebration of the holiday ever. Street corners across Baghdad are blanketed with the synthetic red fur of teddy bears, while silken nighties and lip-shaped satin pillows hang in store fronts.

It’s a vivid counterpoint to a place that’s still a far cry from warm and fuzzy — with bombings remaining a fact of life since the withdrawal of U.S. forces two months ago.

“Valentine’s Day is for everybody — not only for lovers,” said Lina, a school administrator who would only identify herself by her first name. She was among the throngs browsing through an array of plush kittens, scented candles, red lamps and heart-shaped purses outside a store this weekend in the Baghdad downtown shopping district of Karradah.

“It’s for you and I, for me and my brother, even for someone on the street. It’s not just about me and my fiance,” Lina said. “Iraqis need happy moments to make them forget what they have been through — we have had enough sadness.”

After decades of war and dictator rule, and with improving security, Iraqis say they are able to relax and enjoy Valentine’s this year. Others believe the recent burst of text messages, mobile phones and use of the Internet among Iraqi youth has helped foster romance like never before.

But Valentine’s Day may come with its own baggage.

Conservative Muslims, from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia, have strongly frowned on the holiday’s growing popularity around the world as an encouragement of perceived Western decadence and premarital sex.

Last year, Iran banned cards, gifts and other tokens of the day, which tradition says is named after one of several early Christian martyrs. Saudi Arabia’s feared religious police launched patrols each year to stamp out any stores displaying too much red or selling heart-shaped products this time of year.

So far, however, Iraq appears to be drifting the way of other Middle East centers such as Dubai or Beirut that stock shelves high with chocolates, flowers and other trappings of the day.

Some Iraqis are using the day to proclaim that love conquers all — including studying.

At the Technology Institute in Baghdad’s southeastern Zafaraniyah area, students will hold a months-delayed meet-and-greet for university freshmen on Tuesday. Usually the gathering is held in December when the semester began, but 21-year-old Muataz Mohammed said scheduling it for Valentine’s Day might more easily stoke friendships.

“It is a very special day,” said Mohammed, who plans to wear a red shirt and carry red roses to the party. Women students are planning to wear red shirts and headscarves.

From his Karradah storefront, Abdul-Wahab Abdul-Rahaman has watched toddler-sized red teddy bears and plush hearts in high demand this year. He speculates it’s because young lovers now meet and talk more frequently with the help of their mobile phones.

Mobile phones, satellite TV and the Internet were virtually banned during Saddam’s regime, and the war and rampant violence after his ouster discouraged tech companies from marketing Iraq until the last few years.

“The new communication means help making relationships between the sexes faster than before,” Abdul-Wahab said. “I think I will sell all my Valentine’s Day products as the occasion is becoming more popular among Iraqis year after year.”

Iraq remains a relatively conservative society, and only recently have many unmarried couples dared to be without a chaperone in public.

Valentine’s Day Gifts

January 31, 2012 by · Comments Off on Valentine’s Day Gifts 

Valentine’s Day Gifts, Along with flowers and chocolate, jewelry is among the most favored choices for Valentine’s Day gift-giving. Handmade jewelry designer Beth Devine offers a few tips for selecting great gifts for her and announces Beth Devine Designs most popular Valentine’s Day gifts.

“A unique pair of earrings, a necklace or a bracelet gift is a perfect way to show your loved one how special they are on Valentine’s Day” said Beth Devine. “Unlike chocolate and flowers, jewelry is something she’ll wear often and cherish forever.”

Finding the perfect jewelry gift requires prior thought and planning. “The key to selecting the right jewelry gift is to first think about the person that you are shopping for and her style” said Beth Devine. Does she often wear pearls, silver or gold jewelry? Does she wear large hoops or small earrings? Chances are she will be comfortable in jewelry that is similar in size and color to what she is used to wearing.

To make selecting a Valentine’s Day gift easier and faster, Beth suggests determining your approximate price range in advance. At BethDevineDesigns.com customers have the option of shopping for jewelry according to price. Categories include jewelry under 100 dollars and jewelry under 50 dollars sections to help customers narrow their choices quickly.

BethDevineDesigns.com offers more than 200 pieces of elegant and wearable jewelry designed to last a lifetime. Some of the most popular items for Valentine’s Day include:

Crystal Hearts Necklace- Jewelry that incorporates hearts symbolizes love and is considered very romantic. BethDevineDesigns.com offers a selection of handmade heart necklaces and bracelets. Our Crystal Hearts Necklace continues to be the leading seller each Valentine’s Day.

Multi-Strand Pearl Bracelet – Pearls are a popular choice for Valentine’s Day gifts each year. Because of their versatility, it is easy to find pearl jewelry to suit almost any style. Our Multi-Strand Pearl Bracelet includes four strands of freshwater pearls and has been one of the most favored gift choices for the last few years.

About Beth Devine Designs
Beth Devine has been designing jewelry for over six years and opened Beth Devine Designs in 2006. Since then, she has expanded her collection to also include a special line of handmade jewelry for brides.

Beth Devine Designs is based in South Florida and offers a selection of handmade designer jewelry. An array of materials are used, including natural gemstones, genuine Swarovski crystal beads, freshwater pearls, sea shells and coral. Metals used include either sterling silver or 14k gold filled.

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