| Businesses love hopeless romantics
The average cost of a romantic meal with a middle-of-the-road wine runs $120, Suddard said. MacKinnon said roses fly out the door - she will sell around 2,000 for Feb. 14 - and the cost is secondary to the fact many husbands and boyfriends know they are expected to get flowers or face the music. "The guys are coming in the front door but I've got three delivery trucks (of flowers) going out the back door," she said. The bottom line is that cards, flowers, chocolates, jewelry, lingerie and dinner reservations are for the most part still available right up to and including the big day - Feb. 14. Get the message, men? bellsworth@intelligencer.ca Here are some facts about Valentine's Day: The United States Greeting Card Association estimated that more than one billion Valentines are sent worldwide, annually.
Rafa Benitez hails Javier Mascherano signing
When Steven Gerrard agreed to turn down Chelsea three years ago, he did so on the understanding that he would be surrounded by quality players at Anfield. McManaman: New owners can cure LiverpoolTelegraph TV: Football and Premier League highlights In pics: Premier League action | Liverpool homepageAfter the Liverpool captain's outburst at their continuing failure to challenge for the championship brought his future once again into question, the news that Javier Mascherano had committed himself to the club might go some way to dampening his anger. .
Financial sector targeted in e-mail trojan attacks
Wood said that his company started seeing attacks aimed at specific individuals back in 2005, but at the time it saw maybe two such attacks a week. By last year, it was seeing one per day; this year, that number has risen to an average of ten per day. One of the big reasons behind the increase is the availability of toolkits that enable criminals to essentially have a template for the attacks, wherein they need to fill in only the targeted information. "A year or two ago you would have to be fairly technically sophisticated in order to create these attacks," Wood said. Wood added that the rise of social networks like Facebook and professional networks such as Plaxo and LinkedIn are making it easier for attackers to do their homework on potential victims.
Busch plans theme parks in Dubai
When I look at Dubai it looks awfully familiar," he said. "It's a momentous occasion for us. It's the most significant news we've ever had." SeaWorld Dubai will include many of the same attractions as in its three U.S. locations -- killer whales, dolphins and sea lions, along with marine-themed rides. The Discovery Cove in Dubai will be similar to the one in Orlando, a reservations-only park that allows visitors to interact closely with wildlife -- for example, swimming with bottlenose dolphins, rays and exotic fish. Busch Gardens is a theme park featuring rides, attractions and entertainment. Aquatica is SeaWorld's waterpark. The first one opened this week in Orlando. Anheuser-Busch is the nation's largest brewer, based in St.
Carmen Kontur-Gronquist loses job as mayor after posing in underwear
ARLINGTON, Ore. - The mayor of an Oregon town who once stripped to her underwear and posed on a fire truck has been stripped of her office.
Voters in this town of about 500 voted narrowly Monday to recall Carmen Kontur-Gronquist. The tally was 142-139. City officials said the recall is effective Tuesday.
Kontur-Gronquist said the pictures of her in black bra and panties were taken for use in a contest about fitness, but a relative posted them on MySpace in hopes it would improve the social life of the single mother.
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Is 'Harry Potter' Romancing His Co-Star?
Please learn the difference between fiction and real life. Just because Ron and Hermione get together in the last book doesn't mean the actors want to romantically date each other in their real life. so what if Emma and Dan date. It has not impact on the movies whatsoever. .
Morrisons steps up its supermarket sweep-out
The assets at Dewsbury have a book value of £5.3 million while the Leeds outlet is valued at just under £1.8m. A spokesman for Morrisons said: "Staff at the Dewsbury and Bond Street stores have been fully briefed and offered a choice of three options: transfer to another Safeway store, move to a Morrisons store or redundancy. "Morrisons is working closely with all members of staff to find the best solution for each individual." The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) required Morrisons to offload 52 stores to satisfy competition laws. So far, the company has arranged to sell 45 of the regulatory disposals together with a handful of unrelated commercial transactions. Among the deals completed to date, the group has sold 14 outlets each to Waitrose and Sainsbury's and another ten to market leader Tesco.
MercyMe ditches covers album for original fare
Most artists generally complete an album, then decide on a title. But MercyMe frontman Bart Millard said the opposite approach was key to "All That Is Within Me," the band's new album. "I always come up with the album title first and then start writing songs around it," Millard said, noting that the new project -- due November 20 via INO Records -- initially was going to be a covers album of well-known worship songs. As the band was about to enter the studio, they didn't have any new material written and were in a bit of a panic, Millard said. Then inspiration struck. .
AC360°: Flirting with disaster
We are in the process of transitioning from one set of blogger software to another... SOOO while the look may change slighty, the content is still the same...NO worries...In Raw Politics today...It is Florida Primary day! It was THE STATE in 2000 that decided the Presidency, but will it give us a clue as to who the GOP front runner is? Florida is also "the basket" that Rudy has put ALL his eggs in!!! Rumors have it that he just may drop out if he doesn't win!! So watch Anderson and the CNN political gang tonight for full coverage...Also, if your Grandpa was a thief and your Daddy was a thief, sorry folks but chances are YOU will be one, TOO! Check out the new study in Crime & Punishment... Plus Mexican officials issued an arrest warrant for Cesar Laurean, he was last seen in that country...
Sun City resident reflects on his grandson's public, personal triumphs
David is a retired teacher and school administrator who is a leader in The Sunscribers writers' group. He initially told us about his grandson in 2003 in an essay titled "Compassion." Since then, he has written his first book, "Through the Dark Valley: A Veteran's Three-Year Battle Against Tuberculosis," available through www.authorhouse.com. David, a hospice volunteer for 10 years, said he hopes his experiences and revelations in the book will help others who may be going through difficult times. .
Mired, but not divided
He named, and first espoused, the doctrine of soft power: the ability of a state, especially the United States, to pursue its interests by convincing others of the value of its ideas and the attractiveness of its culture, rather than by the exercise of force. He notes that, while public approval ratings of the United States have declined precipitously in Europe over the past five years, "if you ask them why America has sunk so low, is it the culture and values or is it the policies, they say policies." And policies can be changed. That is not to say that the next president's task will be easy. A jumble of Pandora's boxes struggle to break open. Let Islamic fundamentalists seize power in Karachi, and the nuclear weapons that come with it; let Iran detonate a device; let Iranian troops enter Iraq to protect the Shiites and Saudi Arabian troops respond to protect the Sunnis; let the aged, ailing, deeply corrupt House of Saud lose its grip on power; let Hugo Chavez consolidate a bloc of Latin American states hostile to American interests; let China's 750 million impoverished peasants rise up against the cities and the regime; let that regime – desperate to provide a distraction – decide to settle the Taiwan question once and for all; let Russia exploit its new oil wealth to launch a cool war to lessen American influence in Europe and Asia.
Simpson denies new engagement rumours
Ashlee Simpson has again denied reports that she is engaged to Fall Out Boy star Pete Wentz.The couple were rumoured to be planning to marry after Simpson wore a diamond 'promise ring' during an appearance on US TV show The Sauce.Talking about the significance of the ring, she said: "It just means that he [Wentz] hasn't asked my Dad [for permission] yet!"However, the singer's spokesperson said: "She is not engaged."Simpson also denied reports that she is expecting a baby after she and Wentz posted a spoof video on the internet in which she wore a fake belly.She told TMZ that the video had been a joke and insisted that there was no truth in the pregnancy rumours.She initially denied claims that she and Wentz were engaged last month. .
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