One legend has it that Valentine’s Day originated to commemorate the anniversary of the death of St. Valentine, a Roman clergyman who was executed on Feb. 14, about 270 A.D., for secretly marrying couples in defiance of the emperor. According to another, the holiday began as a Roman fertility festival. Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, began to sell the nation’s first mass-produced valentine cards.
Top Ways to Celebrate
Valentine’s Day
Household participation rates
Greeting Cards
65%
Plush
21%
Date Night
44%
Other Gifts
17%
Candy
38%
Perfume/Cologne
12%
Flowers
32%
Jewelry
11%
Gift Cards
29%
Sources: Hallmark/Retail Industry Leaders Association/NRF
Valentine’s Cards 180 million Number of Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
Nearly 50 percent Typically, the proportion of all Valentine’s Day cards purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine’s Day a procrastinator’s delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
About 40%
Proportion of all Valentine card purchases which parents account for. (Source: Hallmark research.)
Young and Looking for Love
120
Number of single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are: Hispanics: 153 men per 100 women Asians (single race): 132 men per 100 women (This ratio is not significantly different from that for Hispanics or non-Hispanic whites.) Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 120 men per 100 women Blacks (single race): 92 men per 100 women (The numbers of black men and women in this age group are not significantly different from one another.)
Young at Heart and Looking for Love Following the mid-air collision of a UFO and a small plane, both the U.S. and Mexico send teams to recover the crashed UFO. Author Noe Torres summarizes what happened next in this excerpt from "Eyes to the Sky" with Dee Andrew (July 26, 2008)
33
Number of single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:
Hispanics: 38 men per 100 women Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 33 men per 100 women Blacks (single race): 33 men per 100 women Asians (single race): 28 men per 100 women
(Note: None of the ratios for the individual groups differ significantly from one another nor from the ratio for all people age 65 or older.)
Try Looking Here . . . Below are names of some romantic-sounding places:
Yes. Connie, Nanny, Bea, Kathy and Richard - I love you all and I thank you all very much for supporting me with your love. In the name of Jesus, I am sorry for the pain I caused you all. I am sorry. Gilbert didn't deserve to die and I want you all to know I am sorry. I pray that the good Lord will give you all peace. Okay.
Yeah. The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man - convicted of a crime I did not commit. I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. From God's dust I came and to dust I will return - so the earth shall become my throne. I gotta go, road dog. I love you Gabby. [Remaining portion of statement omitted due to profanity.]
Be Mine
2.2 million The number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/>
25.8 and 27.4 The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men, respectively, in 2004. The age for women rose 4.7 years in the last three decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 4.3 years. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/ms2.pdf>
Men and women in northeastern states generally have a higher median age at first marriage than the national average. In Massachusetts, for example, women were a median of 27.4 years old and men 29.1 years of age at first marriage. States where people typically marry young include Utah, where women were a median of 21.9 years and men, 23.9 years. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/fertility/005807.html>
Candy is Dandy 1,271 Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2003. These establishments employed 43,379 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments (with 146) followed by Pennsylvania (with 120). <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html>
$13.5 billion Total value of shipments in 2003 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.5 billion industry. <http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/am0331gs1.pdf>
3,523 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2003. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine’s Day. <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html>
24.7 pounds Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2004. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year. <http://www.census.gov/industry/1/ma311d04.pdf>
Flowers $422 million The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2004 for all flower-producing businesses in 36 states with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly three-quarters of this amount ($304 million). <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
$43 million The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2004 for all businesses in 36 states with $100,000 or more in sales. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were second in receipts to lilies ($78 million). <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
Jewelry 28,527 Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2003. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2005, these stores sold $2.4 billion worth of merchandise. (This figure has not been adjusted for seasonal variation, holiday or trading day differences or price changes.) <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html> <http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html>
GETAWAY CAR DRIVER IN VALENTINE'S DAY BANK ROBBERY SENTENCED
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Margret Jean Warren, 26, formerly of Colchester, Vermont was recently sentenced to 37 months in prison for her involvement in the robbery of the Merchants Bank in Colchester on Valentine's Day 2007. Chief United States District Judge William K. Sessions III, sitting in Burlington, also sentenced Warren to two years of supervised release following her prison sentence, and ordered her to pay restitution.
According to court documents in the case, on February 14, 2007, Austin Levielle walked into the Merchants Bank in Colchester, pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun, pointed it at the head of one of the tellers, and demanded money. The teller quickly gave Levielle over $10,000.00 in cash and Levielle fled the scene in a vehicle driven by his then girlfriend, Margret Warren. Warren and Levielle then proceeded to spend the money on drugs, food, a television and other personal items. Levielle was arrested a month later in Shelburne. Warren was arrested shortly thereafter. Warren had been free on conditions of release pending resolution of her case.
The United States Attorney commended the Colchester Police and the FBI for their work on this matter. The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Wendy L. Fuller. The defendant was represented by Lisa Shelkrot, Esq.
STORM WORM VIRUS
02/11/08—With the Valentine's Day holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve the electronic greeting card (e-card). Once the user clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to the Internet-connected device and causes it to become infected and part of the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a network of compromised machines under the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.
The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target.
Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.
If you have received this, or a similar e-mail, please file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
