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Some one Help me on TAX……… .

1) Qus. : What are you doing?
Ans. : Business.
Tax : PAY PROFESSIONAL TAX!
2) Qus. : What are you doing in Business?
Ans. : Selling the Goods.
Tax : PAY SALES TAX!!
3) Qus. : >From where are you getting Goods?
Ans. : From other State/Abroad
Tax : PAY CENTRAL SALES TAX, CUSTOM DUTY & OCTROI!
4) Qus. : What are you getting in Selling Goods?
Ans. : Profit.
Tax : PAY INCOME TAX!
5) Qus. : How do you distribute profit ?
Ans : By way of dividend
Tax : Pay dividend distribution Tax
6) Qus. : Where you Manufacturing the Goods?
Ans. : Factory.
Tax : PAY EXCISE DUTY!
7) Qus. : Do you have Office / Warehouse/ Factory?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY MUNICIPAL & FIRE TAX! Qus. : Do you have Staff?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY STAFF PROFESSIONAL TAX!
9) Qus. : Doing business in Millions?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY TURNOVER TAX!
Ans : No
Tax : Then pay Minimum Alternate Tax
10) Qus. : Are you taking out over 25,000 Cash from Bank?
Ans. : Yes, for Salary.
Tax : PAY CASH HANDLING TAX!
11) Qus.: Where are you taking your client for Lunch & Dinner?
Ans. : Hotel
Tax : PAY FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT TAX!
12) Qus.: Are you going Out of Station for Business?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY FRINGE BENEFIT TAX!
13) Qus.: Have you taken or given any Service/s?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY SERVICE TAX!
14) Qus.: How come you got such a Big Amount?
Ans. : Gift on birthday.
Tax : PAY GIFT TAX!
15) Qus.: Do you have any Wealth?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY WEALTH TAX!
16) Qus.: To reduce Tension, for entertainment, where are you going?
Ans. : Cinema or Resort.
Tax : PAY ENTERTAINMENT TAX!
17) Qus.: Have you purchased House?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY STAMP DUTY & REGISTRATION FEE !
1 Qus.: How you Travel?
Ans. : Bus
Tax : PAY SURCHARGE!
19) Qus.: Any Additional Tax?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY EDUCATIONAL, ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL & SURCHARGE ON ALL THE CENTRAL GOVT.’s TAX !!!
20) Qus.: Delayed any time Paying Any Tax?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY INTEREST & PENALTY!
21) INDIAN :: can i die now??
Ans :: wait we are about to launch the funeral tax!!!

TAX STRUCTURE IN INDIA

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented his fifth Budget in
Parliament on Friday.
Following are the highlights:

a.. Changes in IT slab. Threshold of exemption for all Income Tax
assesses raised from from 1,10,000 to 1,50,000.
b.. Every income tax assessees to get relief of minimum of Rs 4,000.
c.. No change in rate of surcharge.
d.. New tax slabs will be: 10 per cent for 150,000 to 300,000, 20
per cent for 300,000 to 500,000 and 30 per cent above 500,000.
e.. For women, the income tax limit goes up from Rs 1.45 lakh to Rs
1.80 lakh. In case of senior women citizens, it increases from Rs 1.95
lakh to Rs 2.25 lakh.
f.. Fresh facilities, encouragement to sports and guest houses
exempted from Fringe Benefit Tax.
g.. Five year tax holiday for setting up hospitals in tier II and
tier III regions for providing healthcare in rural areas from April 1,
2008.
h.. Five year tax holiday for promoting cultural tourism.
i.. Short-term capital gains increases to 15 per cent.
j.. Commodities Transaction Tax to be introduced on the lines of
Securities Transaction Tax.
k.. Banking cash transaction tax withdrawn from April one, 2009.
l.. Direct tax proposals to be revenue neutral. Indirect tax
proposals to result in loss of Rs 5,000 crore.
m.. Rs 500 crore for corpus fund to subsidise all women Self Help
Groups for LIC [Get Quote] cover for permanent disability.
n.. Agricultural loans given by scheduled commercial banks, regional
rural banks and cooperative credit institutions up to March 31, 2007
and due for December 31 that year will be covered under the waiver
scheme to address the problem of indebtedness.
o.. No change in corporate income tax.
p.. To protect tigers, Rs 50 crore for National Tiger Conservation
Programme. Bulk of it to be used to raise Tiger Protection Force.
q.. Plan expenditure fixed at Rs 2,43,000 crore and non plan
expenditure at 5,74,000 crore.
r.. Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.1 per cent and revenue deficit at 1.4
per cent.
s.. Tax to GDP ratio increased from 9.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 12.5
per cent 2007-08.
t.. No change in peak rate of customs duty for non
u.. Customs duty on specified life saving drugs reduced from ten per
cent to five per cent.
v.. Special Countervailing Duty on power imports.
w.. Customs duty on specified sports goods machinery down from 7.5
per cent to five per cent.
x.. Duty withdrawn on naptha for production of polymers.
y.. Duty on crude and unrefined sulphur reduced from five to 2 per
cent to help raise domestic fertiliser production.
z.. General Centvat on all goods to be reduced from 16 per cent to
14 per cent. Excise duty reduced from 16 per cent to eight per cent on
all pharmaceutical goods manufacture.
aa.. Excise duty on small cars reduced to 12 per cent from 16 per
cent and hybrid cars to 14 per cent.
ab.. Excise duty reduced from 16 to 8 per cent on water purification items.
ac.. Duty on non filter cigarettes to be raised.
ad.. Asset management service under mutual funds, services by stock
exchanges to be brought under Services Tax net.
ae.. Threshold for small service providers raised from Rs eight lakh
to Rs 10 lakh.
af.. Allocation for defence to be increased by 10 per cent from Rs
96,000 crore to Rs 1,05,600 crore.
ag.. 75 lakh people to be covered by health insurance scheme.
ah.. Allocation for Textile Upgradation Fund to be more than doubled.
ai.. Micro, small and medium enterprises to continue to get special
attention.
aj.. Risk Capital Fund to be set up in SIDBI.
ak.. PAN requirement to be extended to all transactions in capital
market subject to a threshold.
al.. Rs 750 crore for upgradation of 300 ITIs in 25 districts.
am.. Rs 32,676 crore as subsidy to Public Distribution System.
an.. PDS through smart cards in Haryana and Chandigarh on pilot basis.
ao.. Three schemes to be introduced for providing social security to
unorganised sector workers.
ap.. Sixth central pay commission to submit report by March 31, 2008.
aq.. Rs 624 crore allocated for Commonwealth Games
ar.. Farmers’ debt to be waived
as.. Complete waiver of loans for marginal farmers owning land up to
one hectare and small farmers owning land up to 1 and 2 hectares.
at.. Agricultural loans given by scheduled commericial banks,
regional rural banks and cooperative credit institutions up to March
31, 2007 and due for December 31 that year will be covered under the
waiver scheme to address the problem of indebtedness.
au.. One time settlement of loans for other farmers.
av.. Agriculture loans restructured and rescheduled by banks from
2004-06 and other loans normally rescheduled under RBI guidelines will
also be eligible under the waiver scheme.
aw.. Implementation of debt waiver and debt relief will be completed
by June 30 this year.
ax.. Loan waiver scheme to involve loans liability of Rs 60,000
crore and to benefit four crore farmers.
ay.. By loan waiver scheme, the country is discharging a deep debt
and sense of gratitude to farmers, says Chidambaram.
az.. The corpus of rural infrastructure development fund to be
raised to Rs 14,000 crore.
ba.. More reforms needed in coal and electricity sectors to ensure
double digit growth in manufacturing sector.
bb.. Rs 800 crore for accelerated power reforms programme.
bc.. National Fund for Transmission and Distribution Reforms to be launched.
bd.. The loan waiver scheme will benefit three crore small and
medium farmers and cover loans totalling Rs 50,000 crore.
be.. One crore other farmers will benefit to the tune of Rs 10,000
crore in the waiver.
bf.. Foreign investment of 3.5 to 8 billion dollars expected for
exploration and development of new oil blocks.
bg.. Rs 7,200 crore to be allocated to the Ministry of Women and
Child Development, marking an increase of 24 per cent.
bh.. Rs 500 crore for corpus fund to subsidise all women Self Helf
Groups for LIC cover for permanent disability.
bi.. A target of Rs 2.80 lakh crore for agriculture credit set for
the coming year.
bj.. Rs 20,000 crore for irrigation projects under AIPB, showing an
increase of Rs 9,000 crore over last year.
bk.. National Horticulture Mission to be given Rs 1,100 crore in
2008-09 with special focus on coconut cultivation.
bl.. Rs 75 crore to be given to Agriculture Ministry for providing
mobile soil testing laboratories in 250 districts.
bm.. Rs 644 crore for National Agriculture Insurance Scheme, which
will be continued pending evolving an alternative crop insurance
scheme.
bn.. National Plant Protection Training Institute at Hyderabad to be
made autonomous body and Rs.29 crore will be allocated to it.
bo.. A scheme of debt waiver and relief for small and marginal
farmers announced.
bp.. NREGA scheme to be rolled out in all the 596 rural districts in
the country in 2008-09.
bq.. Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission to get Rs 6,865 crore
this year against Rs 5,482 crore past year.
br.. Allocation for Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission to be
increased to Rs 7,300 crore. Rs 200 crore for potable water in
schools.
bs.. Rs 300 crore to be set aside for desalination plant in Chennai
for drinking water.
bt.. Rs 500 crore for identifying urgent needs of development
programmes of border areas like Arunachal Pradesh.
bu.. SC, ST and minority students to continue to get special attention.
bv.. Allocation for several schemes in North East raised from Rs
14,365 crore to Rs 16,400 crore.
bw.. Rs 75 crore sanctioned for Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship
Programme for SC/ST students pursuing M.Phil.
bx.. Rs 230 crore will be extended as additional equity to
developmental organisations looking after the welfare of SC,
by.. ST, socially and economically backward classes and minorities.
bz.. Allocation for Minority Affairs Ministry to be doubled from Rs
500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
ca.. Rs 540 crore for multi-sectoral development plan for minority
concentration districts.
cb.. 288 public sector bank branches to be opened in districts
having minority community concentration.
cc.. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan will be provided Rs 13,100 crore, Mid Day
Meal scheme Rs 8,000 crore, Secondary education Scheme Rs 4,554 crore.
cd.. 410 additional Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya to be set up in
backward blocks.
ce.. Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened in 20 districts with special
focus on regions having SC/ST concentration.
cf.. Allocation of Rs 130 crore for this purpose. Rs.750 crore more
to be given for merit scholarship to students up to 10th and 12th
class.
cg.. Mid day Meal scheme extended to upper primary level in 3479
schools. 16 central universities to be opened in 2008-09.
ch.. Three IITs to be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.
ci.. Schools of architecture and planning in Bhopal and Vijaywada.
More institutes of higher education to be opened.
cj.. Rs 100 crore to be given to Information Technology Ministry to
set up national knowledge centres.
ck.. Allocation for NRHM increased to Rs 12,050 crore
cl.. Rs 992 crore for national AIDS programme.
cm.. A national programme for the elderly to be started at a cost of
Rs. 400 crore.
cn.. Rashtra Swasthya Beema Yojana to start from April one in Delhi
and Haryana. Rs 30,000 for each family belonging to unorganised
sector.
co.. Allocation for ICDS increased to Rs 6300 crore.
cp.. Rs 85 crore sanctioned for scholarships to students pursuing
science education.
cq.. Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research to be set
up at Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram.
cr.. Agriculture credit doubled in the first two years of the
government to reach Rs.2.40 lakh crore by March 2008.
cs.. Eleventh Plan started on a robust growth.
ct.. Gross budgetary support to be raised to Rs 2,43,386 crore, an
increase of more than Rs 38,000 crore from the current level.
cu.. Allocation for Bharat Nirman to be raised to Rs 31,280 crore.
cv.. Twenty per cent hike in education budget this year from Rs
28,674 crore to Rs 34,400 crore.
cw.. GDP growth slows down to 8.4 per cent during quarter ended
December 31, 2007 as compared to 9.1 per cent a year ago.
cx.. Economy grew over eight per cent over 12 successive quarters
since 2005, says Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
cy.. Growth rate of agricultre extimated at 2.6 per cent during the
current year.
cz.. Services and manufacturing sectors expected to grow by 10.7 per
cent and 9.4 per cent, says Chidambaram.
da.. Keeping inflation under check is one of the cornerstones of the
Government’s policy.
db.. Rice production estimiated at 94.08 million tonnes, maize 16.78
mt, soyabean 9.45 mt and cotton 23.38 million bales.

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1.

After the telemarketer finishes speaking, ask him/her to
marry you.
2. Tell the
telemarketer you are busy at the moment, and ask him/her if he/she will
give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her back.

3. Ask them
to repeat everything they say, several times.

4. Tell
them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on
your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your
food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

5. Tell
them that all business goes through your agent, and hand the phone to your
five year old child.
6. Tell them
you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak
up…louder. ..louder. ..louder!

7. Tell them to
speak very slowly because you want to write every word down.

8. If they
start out with, “How are you today?”, say “I’m so glad you asked, because
no one these days seems to care, and I have all these
problems…. ……..”

9. Cry out in
surprise, “Helen, is that you? I’ve been hoping you’d call! How is the
family?” When they insist they are not Helen, tell them to stop joking.
This works especially well if the telemarketer is really MALE.

10. Tell
the HSBC call center guy to call on your office number. - and
give him the ICICI call center number.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds an envelope containing the new MacBook Air during his keynote at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco . The super-slim new laptop is less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it’s opened. MacBook Air measures 0.16 inches (0.4cm) at its thinnest point while its maximum height of 0.76 inches (1.93cm) is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the new MacBook Air during his keynote at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco . The super-slim new laptop is less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it’s opened. MacBook Air measures 0.16 inches (0.4cm) at its thinnest point while its maximum height of 0.76 inches (1.93cm) is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks

Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs holds the new MacBook Air laptop computer as he delivers the keynote speech to kick off the 2008 Macworld fair in San Francisco. Jobs introduced the wireless Time Capsule backup appliance, iTV 2 and the new ultra thin laptop MacBook Air.

Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs holds up the new Mac Book Air after he delivered the keynote speech to kick off the 2008 Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco. Jobs introduced the wireless Time Capsule backup appliance, iTV 2 and the new ultra thin laptop MacBook Air.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds up the MacBook Air after his keynote at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco . The super-slim new laptop is less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it’s opened.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds up the new MacBook Air after giving the keynote address at the Apple MacWorld Conference in San Francisco . The super-slim new laptop is less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it’s opened.

A MacWorld attendee stands next to a giant poster of the new MacBook Air ultra thin laptop at the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco .. MacBook Air measures 0.16 inches (0.4cm) at its thinnest point while its maximum height of 0.76 inches (1.93cm) is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks.

A new MacBook Air ultra thin laptop sits on display at the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco . MacBook Air measures 0.16 inches (0.4cm) at its thinnest point while its maximum height of 0.76 (1.93cm) inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks.

Apple MacBook Air is shown at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco ..

Attendees look at the new MacBook Air at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco .. The super-slim new laptop is less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it’s opened.

APPLE MacBook Air

The Tomahawk

This is 8200cc Monster of a Bike. It’s like riding a 2-wheeled Train
Engine.

ENGINE
1. 500
bhp (372 kW) @ 5600 rpm ( 60.4
bhp/liter); 525 lb.-ft. (712 Nm) @ 4200 rpm 2. 10-cylinder 90-degree V-type, liquid-cooled, 505 cubic
inches (8277 cc) 3. 356-T6
aluminum alloy block with cast-iron liners, aluminum alloy cylinder heads
4. Bore x Stroke: 4.03
inches x 3.96 inches (102.4 x 100.6) 5. Two pushrod-actuated overhead valves per cylinder with
roller-type hydraulic lifters 6. Sequential, multi-port electronic fuel injection with
individual runners 7. Compression Ratio: 9.6:1 8. Max Engine Speed: 6000 rpm 9.
Fuel Requirement: Unleaded premium, 93
octane (R+M/2) 10. Oil
System: Dry Sump; takes 8 quarts Mobil1 10W30 Synthetic 11.
Cooling System: Twin aluminum radiators
mounted atop engine intake manifolds, force-fed from front-mounted, belt-driven
turbine fan. 12. Takes 11
quarts of antifreeze. 13. Exhaust System: Equal-length tubular stainless steel
headers with dual collectors and central rear outlets

SUSPENSION:
Front: Outboard, single-sided parallel upper and
lower control arms made from polished billet aluminum. Mounted via ball joint to
aluminum steering uprights and hubs. Five degrees caster. Single, fully
adjustable centrally located coil-over damper ( 2.25-inch coil with adjustable
spring perch); pullrod and rocker-actuated mono linkage. Center-lock
racing-style hubs.
Rear: Hand-fabricated box-section steel inboard swing
arms, incorporating “hydral-link” lockable recirculating hydraulic circuit
parking stand. Single fully adjustable centrally located Koni coil-over damper (
2.25-inch coil with adjustable spring perch); pushrod and rocker-actuated mono
linkage. Center-lock racing-style hubs

BRAKES:
Front : 20-inch perimeter-mounted drilled machined
stainless steel rotors, one per wheel. Two four-piston fixed aluminum calipers
per wheel (16 pistons total), custom designed. Blue anodized caliper finish.
Hand-activated.
Rear : 20-inch perimeter-mounted drilled cast-iron
rotors, one per wheel. One four-piston fixed aluminum caliper per wheel (8
pistons total), custom designed. Blue anodized caliper finish. Foot-activated.
The Tomahawk is a Viper V-10 based motorcycle, a 500 horsepower engine with
four wheels beneath it. Chrysler will be selling the original Tomahawk
concept and nine replicas through Neiman Marcus, for up to $555,000 each. The
motorcycles cannot be licensed, so they cannot be legally driven on public
roads. A Chrysler spokesman told Reuters they were meant as rolling sculptures.
Rumors had the Tomahawk selling for under $200,000, most likely at a loss or
breakeven price, for publicity purposes - but still fully drivable. Wolfgang
Bernhard, Chrysler’s not particularly respected first mate, was said to be
enthusiastic about that project, so much so that hundreds were projected to be
built at under $200,000 each. They reportedly cost Chrysler over $100,000 to
build (admittedly the work is outsourced). The Dodge Tomahawk can reach 60
miles an hour in about 2.5 seconds, and has a theoretical top speed of nearly
400 mph. Each pair of wheels is separated by a few inches and each wheel has an
independent suspension. Bernhard said four wheels were necessary to handle the
power from the engine. The Tomahawk remains on display at auto shows -
though well out of reach of the general public, elevated on a special display.

PERFORMANCE:
0-60 mph: 2.5 seconds (est.) Top Speed: 300+ mph (est.)

DIMENSIONS:
Length: 102 inches Width: 27.7 inches Height: 36.9
inches Wheelbase: 76 inches Seat Height: 29 inches Weight: 1,500 lbs.
Track, Front: 8.75 in Track, Rear: 10 in Weight Dist: 49F/51R
Ground Clearance: 3 in Fuel: 3.25 gallons

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:

Alternator: 136-amp high-speed Battery : Leak-resistant,
maintenance- free 600 CCA Lighting: Headlights consist of 12 five-watt LEDs,
front, with beam-modifying optics and masked lenses. Eight LEDs, rear. Headlamps
articulate with wheels.

TRANSMISSION: Manual, foot-shifted two-speed
Aluminum-cased two-speed, sequential racing-style with dog
ring, straight-cut gears Gear Ratios: 1st 18:38; 2nd 23:25 Clutch:
Double-disc, dry-plate with organic friction materials, hand lever actuated with
assist Final drive: Dual 110-link motorcycle-style chains Front
Sprockets: 14 teeth Rear Sprockets: 35 teeth Longitudinal, centrally
mounted engine, rear-wheel drive layout; monocoque construction, engine is
central, stressed member. Body of b i llet
aluminum.

This
Car is launching in India only for Rs
1, 30,000 ( usd 2300 / Dhs 12,000
) Car name is:

I believe RENAULT YENI

Will be launching in India in collaboration with
Mahindra. For Rs 1,
30,000 Which is the another budget car to compete TATA and
FIAT500!!
After launching
this car I think we will see only all these cars instead of bikes on the
roads.

And Finally this is a FAKE news
:))

The History of Valentine’s Day

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”.

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Awesome…………Snap of the Month

Friendship and love defined in a single photo…… .

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Why women are so special?

Mum and Dad were watching TV when Mum said, “I’m

tired,

and it’s getting

late. I think I’ll go to bed.”

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the

next

day’s lunches.

Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the

freezer for supper the

following evening, checked the cereal box levels,

filled the sugar

container, put spoons and bowls on the table and

started the coffee pot for

rewing the next morning. She then put some wet

clothes

in the dryer, put a

load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and

secured a loose button.

She picked up the game pieces left on the table,

put

the phone back on the

charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She

watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung

up a

towel to dry. She

yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.

She

stopped by the desk

and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some

cash

for the excursion

and pulled a text book out from hiding under the

chair.

She signed a

birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped

the

envelope and wrote a

quick note for the grocery store. She put both near

her

Bag Mum then washed

her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night

Solution & age fighting

moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and

filed

her nails.

Dad called out, “I thought you were going to bed.”

“I’m

on my way,” she

said. She put some water into the dog’s dish and

put

the cat outside, then

made sure the doors were locked and the patio light

was

on. She looked in

on each of the kids and turned out their bedside

lamps

and radios, hung up

a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper,

and

had a brief

conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In

her own room, she set

The alarm; laid out clothing for the next day,

straightened up the shoe

rack. She added three things to her 6 most

important

things to do list. She

said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment

of

her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and

announced to

no one in

particular. “I’m going to bed.” And he

did…without

another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer…?
‘CAUSE THEY ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL……
(and they can’t die sooner, they still have things to do!!!!)