Valentine's Day - think Fair Trade!
However, if you do want to buy chocs or flowers for the loved one(s!) in your life, please consider Fair Trade products. As for Jewellery, please buy "old gold". You will bring smiles to the faces to a lot more people than just the lucky recipient!
And if you want to buy something just a little bit different, then go and have a look at some of the music that is recommended on this lens. There's a mix of what you might expect, plus some that you may have never heard of.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage
Lao Tzu
Module photo © Ana-Belle
Music to read a Valentine's Day lens by!
Click play and then read on
Eva Cassidy - Somewhere Over the Rainbow
The origins of Valentine's Day
Or one of them!
There are many legends associated with the origin of Valentine's Day but perhaps the best known originated in Rome. The Emperor Claudius II (also known as Claudius the Cruel) was involved in many bloody and unpopular military campaigns and was having difficulty recruiting soldiers to join his armies. He believed the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their wives or girlfriends. So, he cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome!In the year 269 A.D Valentine and his friend Marius, who were priests, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for people in secret. When his actions were discovered, Valentine was sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.
It is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl, who may have been his jailor's daughter, who visited him. Before his death on the 14th day of February, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed:
" From your Valentine."
In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius decreed that February 14 would become a Saint's Day to honor Valentine.
Module photo © Ana-Belle
More about the origins of Valentine's Day
I am a great fan of Lensmaster The Bard and his writing.-
Valentines Day
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Of the one billion Valentine cards sent annually around the world, eighty five percent are purchased by women, according to the US Greeting Card Association. Whilst that's a bevy of potentially lovelorn females, it is unfortunately unknown how many...
My first Valentine's Day message from LH
14 February 1995
I had to go away on business on the very first Valentine's Day after LH and I got together. Birmingham in the UK is not one of the nicest places to have to stay but it was a lovely hotel and when I checked into my room, I found a dozen red roses waiting for me.
The message said:
"I guess I want to say I love you. Goodness knows what happens next!"
We were married just over a year later. Of course red roses were in my bouquet, I still have some of the dried petals. I also planted some of the ivy and every time I look out of my window I can see it in my garden.
Watch one of these on Valentine's Day
Some of my favourite romantic films
Four Weddings and a Funeral (Deluxe Edition)
Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 07/10/2009) 
![Notting Hill [HD DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qtvdQQgyL._SL75_.jpg)
Notting Hill [HD DVD]
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Love Actually (Full Screen Edition)
Amazon Price: $10.49 (as of 07/10/2009)
Bridget Jones's Diary (Collector's Edition)
Amazon Price: $10.49 (as of 07/10/2009)
Ghost (Special Collector's Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
Hello I Love You
Eating in for Valentine's Day?
Listen to one of these during a romantic meal
Four Weddings And A Funeral: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Notting Hill: Music From The Motion Picture
Amazon Price: $10.97 (as of 07/10/2009)
Love Actually
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
Ghost: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Bridget Jones's Diary
Amazon Price: $10.97 (as of 07/10/2009)
Fair Trade Roses for Valentine's Day
Here's one very good reason to buy Fair Trade Roses
Future plans for the premium include buying iron roofing sheets for a primary school and digging bore holes to supply local communities with clean water.
You Know You're In Love Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
YOU CAN BUY FAIRTRADE VALENTINE'S GIFTS HERE
Ludovico Einaudi makes for a slightly different Valentine's Day gift
I saw him play live in London - fantastic!
But is this spooky or what, I added this module on 02 January 2009. The following day I got a package in the mail from my friend and it was this CD!!!!!
Find out more about this excellent at Composer and pianist on his website
Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire
Ludovico Einaudi's music
An ideal gift for Valentine's Day
Divenire
Amazon Price: $21.98 (as of 07/10/2009)
Echoes: The Einaudi Collection
Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
I Giorni
Amazon Price: $17.98 (as of 07/10/2009)
Le Onde
Amazon Price: $17.98 (as of 07/10/2009)
La Scala: Concert 03 03 03
Amazon Price: $28.98 (as of 07/10/2009)
My name is AJ and I am a chocoholic!
But please buy me Fair Trade!
The farmers depend on selling their beans to pay for the essential things in life including wellington boots to protect their feet from the scorpions that live among the cocoa trees.
However many farmers don't make enough money and can't afford basic necessities such as food, medicine, clean water or education for their children.
In 1993, a small group of cocoa framers in Ghana, West Africa realised that by working together they could earn more money from the people who bought their cocoa. They pooled their resources and set up their own business called Kuapa Kokoo which means "good cocoa farmer" in their local language of Twi. Then in 1998, Kuapa Kokoo joined forces with a group of UK organisations who care about getting cocoa farmers a better deal. They formed The Day Chocolate Company and started making their own bar - Divine. The farmers own a third of the company which means they also have a say in how the chocolate is produced and sold.
Chocolates Photographic Print
Kamp, Eric
Buy at AllPosters.com
More reasons to buy Fair Trade Chocolates on Valentine's Day
Citing research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, he said that although child labour was prohibited in Britain there was a connection with Britain's manufacturers because of the conditions under which cocoa was produced.
According to the Stop the Traffik campaign for an end to modern slavery, more than 12,000 trafficked children are working on Ivory Coast plantations to produce 43 per cent of the world's cocoa beans.
Extract from article published in The Times, on 31 October 2007. You can read the rest of the article here
Buy Fairtrade chocolate at the
The Piano
Music to fall in love to!
The Sacrifice - Michael Nyman
Love
written by my youngest daughter, Lizzie, aged 10
Love is deep dark red
It sounds like romantic music
It tastes like smooth runny chocolate
It smells like perfume just made
It feels like the smooth calm of the sea on a sunny day
Love is the calm wind
© AJ2008
The photo is titled "True love always shine through" © Ana-Belle
Do you have a Valentine's Day or "Love" lens?
Am happy to promote other lenses - but no websites please. They will be deleted!
Green Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
Roses, candy, cards, go out to eat. It gets a litt more...3 points
Love Letters of Great Men
This book was released last Summer but is gearing more...2 points
Chef Keem's Personalized Valentine Gift Ideas
Give the gift of thought and personal touch, espec more...2 points
Love quotes - spiritual, romantic and religious
On LOVE in all its manifestations: romantic love, more...2 points
Unique Romantic Gifts, Ideas, Crafts, and Loving Gestures
Have you searched your heart out for unique romant more...2 points
Valentines Day
Go on...Giz a kiss!2 points
Roses are Red, Valentine!
Roses are red, violets are blue is an old familiar more...1 point
Valentine's Day and Love Banners
Show someone how you really feel with these fun ba more...1 point
Valentine's Day Cocktails
What better way to celebrate Valentines Day then b more...1 point
When Debbie Met Tony
So just how did I come to meet and fall in love wi more...1 point
Stevie Wonder: I Just Called To Say I Love You Song Lyrics
Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in 1950, Stevie Won more...0 points
Altered Art Vintage Valentines
Through the magic of Photoshop I have created this more...0 points
Gifts That Say I Love You
'How do I love thee, let me count the ways' Elizab more...0 points
How to Make Your Sweetheart Happy
Yes, no matter how much a woman says she does not more...0 points
Will this be the best selling book on Valentine's Day?
Yes, it's the book that never was but is now! First used as a prop in the film Sex and the City, UK book publisher Macmillan identified a gap in the market and soon filled it!-
Love Letters of Great Men
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Love Letters of Great Men started out as a film prop! There is a scene in the film Sex and the City, that sent its mostly female fans flocking into bookshops and desperately searching Amazon for a book that did not exist. Carrie Bradshaw is lying in...
Give ethical jewellery for Valentine's Day
Help stop unnecessary mining for new gold and gems
According to Observer Magazine, some 140,000 tonnes of gold are stored in bank vaults worldwide, while just 2,500 tonnes of "new" gold is mined each year.While old gold is hoarded or languishes unused in the bottom of countless jewellery boxes, mining this quantity of "new" gold causes a disproportionate amount of ecological chaos. The "carbon footprint", or should I say "gold footprint", of an average gold ring includes around 18 tonnes of waste and 5 tonnes of water. In drought ridden Honduras, a large gold mine will draw around 220 gallons of water per minute. As for the human cost, between 1990 and 1998 more than 30,000 people were displaced by gold mining.
In the USA Wal-Mart now sells more gold than anyone else. Once again the solution is in the hands of the consumer. As long as YOU keep buying it then Wal-Mart will keep selling it.
Greenkarat, not only sells ethically produced jewellery in the USA, they will make rings for you from gold donated by you, your friends and family - what a great way to recycle all those broken gold chains!
In the UK Fifi Bijoux say "We source the gold for our jewellery exclusively from fair trading, co-operative mines with eco-sustainabilty and environmental stewardship. We only purchase gold from small scale, artisanal mines."
You can find out more at the Responsible Jewellery website and from this article on Imperfectly Natural
© Ana-Belle
Antique gold - the ethical gift for Valentine's Day
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
A Love-ly lens
There are some beautiful love quotes in this lens.-
Quotes About Love
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Valentine's Day is a time for thoughts about love. You want to hear about love, read about love, and find inspiring quotes about love. At all times of the year, you may even want to add beautiful love quotes to your gifts, cards, photo albums, and ot...
More romantic music & films for Valentine's Day
Secret Classics
My Lovely Hubby discovered this in 1995 and it is one of our all time favourites.
Amazon Price: $13.98 (as of 07/10/2009)
The Piano
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
The Piano: Original Music From The Film By Jane Campion
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
The Piano
Amazon Price: $8.49 (as of 07/10/2009)
![Stardust [HD DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51C6garL%2BRL._SL75_.jpg)
Stardust [HD DVD]
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
What AJ has to say elsewhere
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMy other lenses with a natural or green theme
And there is one about me as well!
My Squidoo story has been amazing. You can read about one of the things that has happened since I joined Squidoo on Imperfectly Natural-
Soapnuts - The Environmentally Friendly & Natural Cleaner
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Soapnuts are one of the best "ecosoaps" on the planet! They are an environmentally friendly, natural and cheap alternative to commercial detergents, which are easy to use in the home. We have four children and like many parents, my husband and I are...
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Janey Lee Grace
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Janey Lee Grace is a UK expert in the field of "natural" living. Janey describes herself as an "Imperfectly Natural Woman" and has written a best selling book with the same title. More recently "The Wright Stuff" on UK TV has started referring to her...
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I am aj2008
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The AJ stands for Always Juggling. Married....four children.... two still at school.... one very big dog....trying to balance family life with the need to earn an income....trying to do my bit to save the planet.... former website editor....get invo...
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Twelve Days of a Green & Ethical Christmas
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The Twelve Days of Christmas to my family is simply a time of being together. When I was a child there was no such thing as "global warming" and vegetarians were very unusual. Naturally, as I have got older my awareness of the damage the human popula...
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Imperfectly natural
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Imperfectly Natural.com is the home of natural alternatives. How did I become the Editor of this website that has over 3-400,000 hits a month? It is all thanks to Squidoo! This lens tells you how I first met the Imperfectly Natural Woman, Janey Lee...
My most special Valentine's Day message
14 February 2008
"Together, whatever"
LH has been true to his word, as not only has he stuck with me through thick and thin, he is also supporting me as I try to recover from a debillitating disease called: Otosclerosis
Ana-Belle's Valentine's Day photos
Who is Ana-Belle?
Ana-Belle is my eldest daughter and all photos remain her copyright and are used with her permission. You can see more of her photos on Ana-Belle's photostream on Flickr.No photos may be reproduced from this lens without the written permission of Ana-Belle.
I Squidoo
You can too!
Do you have some stories to share?Do you want to get a message across about something you believe in?
Do you have a website to promote?
Would you like to try your hand at writing on Squidoo?
Then become a Lensmaster! You may even make some extra cash too! AND it is free!
All you have to do is click on this link. Choose a Username and a Password - you dont even have to publish until you are ready - then go visit some lenses and learn everything you could possibly need to know about Squidoo.
Do you have any special Valentine's Day memories?
Go on - share them here!
Please no html - it will be automatically stripped from your comments and you will look very, very silly!
JaguarJulie wrote...
Well, this is totally unrelated, but I wanted to tell you about this! We just went to our new Super Walmart* [yes with a STAR at the end of the name] and bought 2 bags of fair trade whole bean coffee -- something new for us!
Posted May 25, 2009
OhMe wrote...
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear AJ, Happy Birthday to you.
Posted May 21, 2009
lou16 wrote...
A really lovely feel-good lens, you have a great way with words.
Posted February 07, 2009
clouda9 wrote...
Especially loved the pics and fair trade info here. Thank you.
Posted February 04, 2009
Tipi wrote...
This lens almost makes me wish I had a sweetheart for Valentine's Day! - I do enjoy being a happy single! - Very nice lens!
Posted February 04, 2009
About AJ
AJ is very proud and humble to be a Squidoo Angel
I am also very proud to have been awarded lens of the day for
Auditory Processing Disorder TWICE!
And then I got it for Twelve ways to have a green & ethical Christmas!
Lensmaster aj2008, aka AJ , has been a member since July 10 2008, has rated 2,085 lenses, favorited 404, and has created 52 lenses from scratch. AJ donates their royalties to Save the Children. This member's top-ranked page is "Bullying At Primary School". See all my lenses
Check out these great lenses...
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- Bullying At Primary School
Bullying at Primary School summarises everything that I learned when my daughter was being bullied and gives tips and strategies to use when dealing with the school. I hope your children are never bullied, but if they are then perhaps our experience... view lens -
- Squidoo Community
What is Squidoo? What is the Squidoo Community? What can Squidoo do for you? How can you make money with Squidoo? What are the benefits of Squidoo? When I first discovered Squidoo, I had all these questions and a lot more. The biggest one being: How... view lens -
- AJ2008 a Lensography
This Lensography is a different sort of Lensography to the first one I made: AJ is Always Juggling, which is more about me, my likes, my dislikes and my personal ambitions. This lensography is my Squidoo Story. Joining Squidoo has changed my life! N... view lens -
- Auditory Processing Disorder
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a little known condition that may affect 10% of children, the majority of whom are undiagnosed. According to Contact a Family it was first recognised in the USA in the 1960s. APD is a term that is often used to... view lens -
- Squid Etiquette
Squid Etiquette is all about what to do and what NOT to do on Squidoo! In our enthusiasm to not only publish our first few lenses but also get traffic, we may forget some very important things or we may do things that actually, if you really stop and... view lens
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