Since this site along with being informational on many topics, to me is about education, I would like you to watch this you tube movie that i made. It's purpose is to think,learn,realize how many people it takes to make up this world we live in.
Please don't judge anyone on their looks,lifestyle,life partners etc..
Learn why people are the way that they are and get to know each one individually.
Discrimination is usually because you are naieve,mis-informed,ill-informed or have been hurt by someone else of that certain type of person.
Educate yourself before you start judging.
Don't miss out on wonderful people because of being afraid of the unknown.
I am a white bisexual woman and have been on quite a life's journey to get where I am now.
I am horrified at the way people that are not societies idea of normal are treated.
Feb 5, 2009
My equality video I put together
What makes you gay or lesbian or even transgender
I finally got the spam block released and thought I would share this one with everyone here.
Since, I have already started this I am just going to keep this one going and add some of the posts from my other blog that I didn't want to lose.
Well, that's it for the begginning of my blog. What I have done so far is just find people from all over the world that are of all ethnicities,men,women etc.. that have one common goal, and that is to be happy to find that one person for them and to be married.. More tomorrow..
o.k. it's tomorrow, what I am thinking is:
what are questions that people are always asking themselves and/or others?
What makes a person gay?-answer from me is that we all choose to come down here into life,we choose our looks,diseases,height,family,friends,animals,exit points (these are times when you may get in an accident or sick,they can be your out so to speak,to pass on from this life to heaven or to keep on plucking away at this one.),we have had many many lives on earth,we choose to come here to learn.How are we gonna learn if we are perfect? we can't, and since we are choosing this from heaven we have a perfect life and think that we can do anything or handle any situation. So, we choose to have these things happen while we are here.
o.k. my point is that if we have been here on earth many many times and most of those times we were here as a man, and this time we choose to come here as a woman, then we carry alot of that with us. So, naturally we have attributes of a woman but we inside are attracted to a woman because of all our lives as a man,having been with a woman.
so, is it genetic (from our family genes?) no i don't think so
is it chosen? no i don't think so
people may choose to try to live a straight life even though they have attractions to the same sex,of course but deep inside they know they don't feel happy and they usually will either wait until the time is right,until they have the courage to change,or many go into a deep depression etc. which can in my opinion lead to alcohol abuse,drug abuse,cutting themselves,or even suicide attempts.I think this happens because you just get so damn tired of trying to fit in with the right people,wear the right clothes,act the right way,(and by right i mean the way you think that society expects you to be)instead of reaching deep inside of you and finding a way to be happy within yourself.To feel good about yourself.
Who cares what other people think? I still do, I wish I didn't but I do.
I am so proud of the people that can just be who they are,without worrying about anyone else.
Because in the end you are always going to find people that will accept you for who exactly you are.
Will you lose family or friends during the process? of course you will.
But really, if they love the real true you then they would always try to understand what you are going through, whether or not they agree with it.Again,if they do not agree is it because they really are scared and know nothing about whatever it is you specifically are going through?We are back to being naieve. Learn,research,talk to people,read,go to meetings, do whatever you have to do to be informed before you make an opinion.
I mean this for so many different things: prejudism to me that is usually because people listen to the stupid people that do the stupid things on t.v., they happen to be black so all black people must be that way.
Or,they read the articles from those well respected magazines,(you all know who they are).no really take the time to learn about anything that you may think that you hate.
Don't go by the looks of someone, please look into that someone.
You miss out on so much in life if you won't talk to that person because he/she is Asian,or too many tattoos,or piercings,their hair is purple with a mo-hawk.
What makes you more superior than any other person on this planet? answer-your not...
At the end of the day you want to love,be loved unconditionally. You take your socks off,pants off,brush your teeth(or not) gross.,possibly fart or burp even though you won't admit it for the world,shower,toilet,bleed the same color as every other living person on this earth.
I don't care what job you have,how much money you make,what designer clothes you wear,how big your house is,which brand of car you drive.That does not make you a better person for one minute.
What makes you a better person is being true to yourself, and being kind to every good decent person out their,regardless of whether they are gay,straight,bisexual,transgender,white,black,asian,Native American,tattooed,purple haired,face pierced,I know I left many out but you get the general idea.
Now notice that I said good person,I don't want you going all crazy and giving every person your undivided loyalty.But get to know someone,slowly.
Their are good and bad in every single one of us, and in order to even begin having unity in the world, we have to get over these prejudices,in all areas.
Only then will you be able to love who you want to love and not worry about whether you are going to get followed,taunted,teased,lied to,stabbed and or worse killed just for following your heart and being who you truly are inside.
What makes a person a bigot? -answer from me is that they are niave and need to learn to understand.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
ACHONDROPLASIA-LITTLE PEOPLE-DWARFISM
Valentines Day sites and information
What not to get for Valentines Day:
Saint Valentine
Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sendingValentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle ofGeoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
An alternative theory from Belarus states that the holiday originates from the story of Saint Valentine, who upon rejection by his mistress was so heartbroken that he took a knife to his chest and sent her his still-beating heart as a token of his undying love for her. Hence, heart-shaped cards are now sent as a tribute to his overwhelming passion and suffering. [1]
The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[2] The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.[3]
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.[4]
-
For more details on this topic, see Saint Valentine.
Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.[5] Until 1969, the Catholic Church formally recognized eleven Valentine's Days. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).[6] Valentine of Rome[7] was a priest in Rome who suffered martyrdom about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. His relics are at the Church of Saint Praxed in Rome.[8] and at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.
Valentine of Terni[9] became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) about AD 197 and is said to have been killed during the persecution of Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).[10]
The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred inAfrica with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him..[11]
No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. By the time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the fourteenth century, distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni were utterly lost.[12]
In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feastday of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14."[13] The feast day is still celebrated inBalzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Vatican IIcalendar.
The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were excerpted by Bede and briefly expounded in Legenda Aurea.[14] According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.
Legenda Aurea still providing no connections whatsoever with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail. In an embellishment to The Golden Legend, on the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he wrote the first "valentine" himself, addressed to a young girl variously identified as his beloved,[15] as the jailer's daughter whom he had befriended and healed,[16] or both. It was a note that read "From your Valentine."[15]
Attested traditions
Lupercalia
Though popular modern sources link unspecified Greco-Roman February holidays alleged to be devoted to fertility and love to St Valentine's Day, Professor Jack Oruch of the University of Kansas argued[17] that prior to Chaucer, no links between the Saints named Valentinus and romantic love existed. Thus, it is immaterial to the history of Valentine's Day whether or not in the ancient Athenian calendar the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 13 through 15, was an archaic rite connected to fertility, without overtones of romance. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno," was celebrated on February 13-14. Pope Gelasius I(492-496) abolished Lupercalia.
While it is a common opinion that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to christianizecelebrations of the pagan Lupercalia, no connection has been demonstrated.
Geoffrey Chaucer by Thomas Occleve (1412)
Chaucer's love birds
While some claim the first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer[18] this may be the result of misinterpretation. Chaucer wrote:
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.[19] A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381.[20] (When they were married eight months later, he was 13 or 14, and she was 14.)
Readers have uncritically assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14 as Valentine's Day; however, mid-February is an unlikely time for birds to be mating in England. Henry Ansgar Kelly has pointed out[21] that in the liturgical calendar, May 2 is the saints' day for Valentine of Genoa. This St. Valentine was an early bishop of Genoa who died around AD 307.[22]
Chaucer's Parliament of Foules is set in a fictional context of an old tradition, but in fact there was no such tradition before Chaucer. The speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among eighteenth-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butler's Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars. Most notably, "the idea that Valentine's Day customs perpetuated those of the Roman Lupercalia has been accepted uncritically and repeated, in various forms, up to the present"[23]
Medieval period and the English Renaissance
Using the language of the law courts for the rituals of courtly love, a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentine's Day in 1400. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading.[24][25]
The earliest surviving valentine is a fifteenth-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his "valentined" wife, which commences.
Je suis desja d'amour tanné
Ma tres doulce Valentinée…
(Charles d'Orléans, Rondeau VI, lines 1–2)
At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.[26]
Valentine's Day is mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600-1601):
To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.
(William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5)
Valentine's Day postcard, circa 1910
Modern times
The reinvention of Saint Valentine's Day in the 1840s has been traced by Leigh Eric Schmidt.[27] As a writer in Graham's American Monthly observed in 1849, "Saint Valentine's Day... is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday."[28] In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) ofWorcester, Massachusetts. Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English valentine she had received, so clearly the practice of sending Valentine's cards had existed in England before it became popular in North America. The English practice of sending Valentine's cards appears in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mr. Harrison's Confessions (published 1851). Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary." The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[29] The mid-nineteenth century Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.[30]
In the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States, usually from a man to a woman.Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. The day has come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of "Happy Valentine's Day." As a joke, Valentine's Day is also referred to as "Singles Awareness Day." In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange cards, and eat sweets. The greeting cards of these students often mention what they appreciate about each other.
The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards.
Antique and vintage Valentines, 1850-1950
Valentines of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries
Esther Howland Valentine, circa 1850: "Weddings now are all the go, Will you marry me or no"
Handwritten poem, "To Susanna" dated Valentine's Day, 1850 (Cork, Ireland)
Comic Valentine, mid-19th century: "R stands for rod, which can give a smart crack, And ought to be used For a day on your back."
Valentine card, 1862: "My dearest Miss, I send thee a kiss"
Folk art Valentine and envelope dated 1875 addressed to Clara Dunn of Newfield, New Jersey
Whitney Valentine, 1887; Howland sold her New England Valentine Company to the George C. Whitney Company in 1881
Seascape Valentine, date unknown
Vinegar Valentine, circa 1900
Postcards, "pop-ups", and mechanical Valentines, circa 1900-1930
Buster Brown Valentine postcard by Richard Felton Outcault, early years of 20th century
Postcard by Nister, circa 1906
Valentine postcard, circa 1900-1910
"Pop-ups" create a three-dimensional effect when opened, circa 1900
A tiny 2-inch pop-up Valentine, circa 1920
Football-playing Disney-like rat and bulldog are set in motion by the pull-tab on the right, circa 1920
A grommet affixed to the center of the card permits the dog's eyes to glance side-to-side when the blue bow is moved
Rocking horse and rider, circa 1920-1930
Black Americana and children's Valentines
Postcard, 1906
Raphael Tuck Valentine by Frances Brundage, circa 1910
Black Americana Valentine, circa 1940
Children's Valentine in somewhat questionable taste, 1940-1950
Anthropomorphic Valentine, circa 1950-1960
Similar days honoring love
In the West
Europe
Part of a series on Love
Basic Aspects
Historically
Types of emotion
See also
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day has regional traditions in the UK. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person. In Wales, many people celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St Dwynwen's Day) on January 25 instead of or as well as St Valentine's Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers. In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin", and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries. In Spain Valentine's Day is known as "San Valentín" and is celebrated the same way as in the U.K, although in Catalonia it is largely superseded by similar festivities of rose and/or book giving on El Dia de San Jordi (Saint George's Day). In Portugal it's more commom refered to it as "Dia dos Namorados" (Boy/Girlfriend's Day).
In Denmark and Norway, Valentine's Day (14 Feb) is known as Valentinsdag. It is not celebrated to a large extent, but a lot people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts' Day") and was launched in the 1960s by the flower industry's commercial interests, and due to influence of American culture. It is not an official holiday, but its celebration is recognized and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only bested by those for Mother's Day.
In Finland Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day". As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your loved ones. In Estonia Valentine's Day is called Sõbrapäev, which has a similar meaning.
In Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine brings the keys of roots," so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow. Valentine's Day has been celebrated as the day when the first works in the vineyards and on the fields commence. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Nevertheless, it has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love is traditionally March 12, the Saint Gregory's day. Another proverb says "Valentin - prvi spomladin" ("Valentine — first saint of spring"), as in some places (especially White Carniola) Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring.
In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24. It is named after a character from Romanian folklore who was supposed to be the son of Baba Dochia. Part of his name is the word drag ("dear"), which can also be found in the word dragoste ("love"). In recent years, Romania has also started celebrating Valentine's Day, despite already having Dragobete as a traditional holiday. This has drawn backlash from many groups, reputable persons and institutions[31] but also nationalist organizations like Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for being superficial, commercialist and imported Western kitsch.
Valentine's Day is called Sevgililer Günü in Turkey, which translates into "Sweethearts' Day".
According to Jewish tradition the 15th day of the month of Av - Tu B'Av (usually late August) is the festival of love. In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them (Mishna Taanith end of Chapter 4). In modern Israeli culture this is a popular day to pronounce love, propose marriage and give gifts like cards or flowers.
Central and South America
In Guatemala, Valentine's Day is known as "Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship). Although it is similar to the United States' version in many ways, it is also common to see people do "acts of appreciation" for their friends. [32]
In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados (lit. "Day of the Enamored", or "Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day") is celebrated on June 12, when couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards and flower bouquets. This day was chosen probably because it is the day before the Festa junina’s Saint Anthony's day, known there as the marriage saint, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend. The February 14's Valentine's Day is not celebrated at all, mainly for cultural and commercial reasons, since it usually falls too little before or after Carnival, a major floating holiday in Brazil — long regarded as a holiday of sex and debauchery by many in the country[33] — that can fall anywhere from early February to early March.
In most of South America the Día del amor y la amistad (lit. "Love and Friendship Day") and the Amigo secreto ("Secret friend") are quite popular and usually celebrated together on the 14 of February (one exception is Colombia, where it is celebrated on September 20). The latter consists of randomly assigning to each participant a recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift (similar to the Christmas tradition of Secret Santa).
Asia
Thanks to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day is celebrated in some Asian countries with Singaporeans, Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine's gifts.[34]
In Japan, it has become an obligation for many women to give chocolates to all male co-workers. This is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from the words giri("obligation") and choko, ("chocolate"). This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ); chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); from tomo meaning "friend". By a further marketing effort, a reciprocal day called White Day has emerged. On March 14, men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day.
In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14. On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on the 14th of Feb or March go to a Chinese restaurant to eat black noodles and "mourn" their single life. Koreans also celebrate Pepero Day on November 11, when young couples give each other Pepero cookies. The date '11/11' is intended to resemble the long shape of the cookie. The 14th of every month marks a love-related day in Korea, although most of them are obscure. From January to December: Candle Day, Valentine's Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day, and Hug Day.
In China, the common situation is the man gives chocolate, flowers or both to the woman that he loves. In Chinese, Valentine's Day is called (simplified Chinese: 情人节;traditional Chinese: 情人節; pinyin: qīng rén jié).
Similar Asian traditions
In Chinese culture, there is an older observance related to lovers. It is called "The Night of Sevens" (Chinese: 七夕; pinyin: Qi Xi). According to the legend, the Cowherd star and the Weaver Maid star are normally separated by the milky way (river) but are allowed to meet by crossing it on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar.
An observance on the same day in Korea is called Chilseok, but its association with romance has long faded.
In Japan, a slightly different version of 七夕 (called Tanabata, which is said to mean 棚機 a weaver for a god) is celebrated, on July 7 on the Gregorian calendar. The legend behind it is similar to the Chinese one. However, it is never regarded that the celebration is even remotely related with the St. Valentine's Day or lovers giving gifts to each other.
The Middle East
In Iranian culture, Sepandarmazgan is a day for love, which is on 29 Bahman in the Jalali solar calendar of Iran. The corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar is February 17. Valentine's day is currently celebrated in Iran despite some restrictions made by government; young Iranian boys and girls are seen on this day going out and buying gifts and celebrating.
In Saudi Arabia in 2008, religious police banned the sale of all Valentine's Day items, telling shop workers to remove any red items, as the day is considered an un-Islamic holiday. This ban created a black market of roses and wrapping paper.[35]
See also
- Sailor's Valentines
- Vinegar valentines
- Antivalentinism
- Hallmark holiday
- Valentine's Day Love Coupons
Valentines poems site free downloads
say I love you in many languages
childrens page with kids poems,printable cards,crafts and more
a page with personalized valentines gifts
My dear Valentine: A site with everything valentines crap lol
an exchange link banner
