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Falling in love has never had a reputation for making much sense. Dante glimpsed Beatrice a few times and wouldn't shut up about her for decades. Why should not-falling-in-love be any more rational? It comes down to the deterrent power of a Phil Collins CD in a woman's car. Or, a guy who habitually sticks his tongue out while eating, like a lapping dog. His girlfriend returns him to his cage, permanently. Centuries from now, scientists may point to this as the moment in time when the pickiness gene became dominant. In the end, it will come down to one...

Who needs eHarmony.com or a singles bar when you have pizza? A new survey by the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation and Domino's Pizza suggested the pizza toppings people prefer signal the types of people who they are most compatible with romantically. For example, those who prefer more non-traditional topping combinations, such as pineapple and onion, are most romantically compatible with people who prefer similar non-traditional toppings. If you prefer traditional single-meat toppings like pepperoni, your ideal match is a person who likes a pizza loaded with meat toppings -- someone who is extroverted.The survey said those who...

Today it is Valentine's Day Men are in a hurry to say "I love you" to her with Diamonds or Fur ...and hope to get paid back "some way". Note: the thread in the hypertext link is a parody, so your mileage may vary... Off-topic, but couldn't resist: Dick Cheney hunted last weekend and accident'ly shot his friend But what makes it worse (no room in this verse) It means this gambit's at an end!

Pope Benedict XVI may try to "save eros," in the first encyclical of his papacy, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George told the Chicago Sun-Times. George expects the new pope will try to explain that erotic love, eros, and unconditional love, agape, are both inherently good in God's eyes in his encyclical titled "Deus, Caritas Est," Latin for "God is Love." An encyclical is a pope's most authoritative document, a pastoral letter circulated to the universal church. Letter talks about Christ The cardinal has not yet seen Benedict XVI's encyclical, which is expected to be released by the Vatican within days, but...

thedesertsun.com material cannot be posted [on FR] due to copyright complaint However, here's a link to the article.

Despite the influence of the west on Iran's popular culture, Hafez, a poet who died over 600 years ago, still gets the crowds flocking, writes Robert Tait The pilgrims could have been on day out at Graceland. Representing the full range of the age and socio-economic spectrums, they came to pay homage to an icon of modern popular culture. But the hero being saluted was not Elvis Presley or any comparable figure from the age of mass communication, but a poet who died centuries ago, and whose messages remain disputed and obscure among even the most literary of his fellow...

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) -- Five days after Hurricane Katrina dramatically changed many lives in the Gulf Coast region, a couple here began a new chapter in their own lives. Tech. Sgt. Daniel McMullen of the 335th Training Squadron and his girlfriend of three years, LaVerne, exchanged wedding vows Sept. 3 outside one of the base's seven shelters used to house people here since the hurricane struck. Guests of the bride and groom, all who shared a shelter with the couple, dressed for the occasion in the most fashionable way. The groomsmen wore reflective safety belts while the...

LONDON (Reuters) - Forget expensive presents or costly jewelry. Wining and dining is the best way for men to woo women, scientists said Tuesday. Researchers at Imperial College London developed a mathematical formula and modeled courtship as a sequential game to find the best way to impress the ladies. Their results show that offering an expensive present signals the man's serious intentions but he must be wary of being exploited by gold-diggers who will dump him after receiving the gift. "Guys are less likely to offer expensive gifts to females they don't have a long-term interest in. And girls won't...

Sex, Love, and Marriage by Reginald Firehammer These notes are distilled and reworked from a number of posts to a thread dealing with marriage. It occurred to me that the principles described in those posts are largely unknown or misunderstood, and that a single source for them is needed. This is an attempt to provide that source. In short, this is a defense of marriage, not as it is practiced nor as it is usually understood, but as it ought to be practiced and understood. I regard romantic love as the highest good achievable by man, the ultimate value that...

Judaism’s Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism (and then Christianity) Rejected Homosexuality    DENNIS PRAGER When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world. The Torah's prohibition of non-marital sex quite simply made the creation of Western civilization possible. Societies that did not place boundaries around sexuality were stymied in their development. The subsequent dominance of the Western world can largely be attributed to the sexual revolution initiated by Judaism and later carried forward by Christianity.This revolution consisted of forcing the sexual genie into the marital bottle. It ensured that sex no longer dominated society, heightened...

New love can look for all the world like mental illness, a blend of mania, dementia and obsession that cuts people off from friends and family and prompts out-of-character behavior - compulsive phone calling, serenades, yelling from rooftops - that could almost be mistaken for psychosis. Now for the first time, neuroscientists have produced brain scan images of this fevered activity, before it settles into the wine and roses phase of romance or the joint holiday card routines of long-term commitment. In an analysis of the images appearing today in The Journal of Neurophysiology, researchers in New York and New...

Is matrimonial bliss tainted by a sneaking suspicion of raunchy infidelity? Have you been in fits since boys started paying attention to your daughter? If you find that heavy chastity belts are difficult to pick up and more difficult lock to around the women in your life, then Japan-based Panchira Corp., has a product for you-GPS enabled Forget-Me-Not Panties. Never wonder where she is and whom she's with again. The new underwear by Panchira has a small flower on every pair that is really a global positioning tracking device complete with heart rate and temperature monitor. The company says the...

AN 83-year-old Polish widow who knew Pope John Paul II as a teenager before he took holy orders has described him as the “love of my life”.Halina Kwiatkowska’s friendship with the pontiff has been known for several years but she had always denied any degree of intimacy between them. Shortly before John Paul’s death last weekend, however, she fell ill and was taken to hospital, where she revealed that there was more to their relationship in the early days. “He was the love of my life,” Kwiatkowska said in an interview with BZ, a Berlin newspaper, published last week. “You...

Gay & Lesbian Churches Promote Courtship Several leaders of the Metropolitan Community Church, have announced a courtship mentoring program to replace the random, sometimes destructive "dating" which has hitherto been the norm for romance among the gay and lesbian community. Courtship introduces supervision (sometimes, 100% chaperoning), and careful spiritual counselling, into the pair-bonding process, with romantic activities and emotions only allowed full sway after the success of the relationship is reasonably assured. The courtship movement had its genesis among the fundamentalist homeschoolers in the 1970's, but lately it has been spreading through other segments of Christendom. Its adoption by gay...

March 28, 2005 How safe is online romance?Lawmakers want dating sites to disclose background check informationBy DAVID EGGERTAssociated Press Writer State Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, shown during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting March 15 in Lansing, is sponsoring a bill that would require an Internet dating service to disclose prominently on the Web site whether it had conducted criminal background checks on users. AP File Photo Online dating safetySome tips when meeting people through Internet dating: Start slowly. Communicate by e-mail at first, looking for signs of the other user's behavior. Trust your instincts. Guard your anonymity. Sites often allow...

PETALING JAYA: Next year when revellers throw mandarin oranges into the lake at Taman Jaya here to celebrate Chap Goh Meh, bachelor Chin Choon Keat will be among those there, hoping to find a soul mate. He's been doing this for the last four years, hoping that the Chinese version of Valentine's Day would bring him true love. It has been nearly three weeks since the 26-year-old contractor picked up an orange with a phone number on it, but his attempt to build a relationship with the girl has not been fruitful. They had exchanged a few SMS messages and...

Office Affairs Can be Detrimental to Your Career “Proceed with caution if you’re tempted to have an office affair” says infidelity expert Ruth Houston, who was recently quoted in a Christian Science Monitor article on office affairs and workplace romance. (PRWEB) March 8, 2005 -- “Proceed with caution if you’re contemplating having an office affair or workplace romance” says infidelity expert Ruth Houston, who was recently quoted in a Christian Science Monitor article on office romance. Experts say that over 70% of single employees will become romantically involved with someone on the job at some point in their career. Research...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Next month's Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix will be the last time cigarette companies will be able to use the romance of racing to sell their tobacco products in Malaysia. Health activists here can at least in part thank the World Health Organization's treaty on tobacco control, which goes into effect Sunday in 40 countries, for prompting the new limits on advertising. Malaysia is joining a growing list of nations that severely restrict tobacco sponsorship of sporting events - long a favorite publicity playground of cigarette sellers - for public health reasons. The new anti-tobacco rules...

Top 10 Cars to Drive If You Don't Have a Date on Valentine's Day By editors at Edmunds.com Date Posted 02-08-2005 Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and you realize that you don't have a special someone to take out for cocktails and dinner. Wallowing in self-pity, you wonder how you'll ever get through the evening alone. Fortunately, you might not have to. That is, if you like to drive. We asked our staff of driving enthusiasts which cars they'd most want to drive if they were facing a dateless Valentine's Day. We're talking about cars that are so...

Workplace romance 'under threat' Passion in the workplace can take its toll on colleagues Romantic liaisons between employees at work could soon be brought under tight control, according to the TUC. The trades union group has said firms in the UK are planning to introduce "love contracts" to tackle problems when workplace relationships turn sour. Firms want to copy their counterparts in the US, where staff pledge to behave professionally if they become emotionally entangled, it said. But such contracts could be in breach of the Human Rights Act, the TUC said. Heavy handed The contracts are designed to protect...