Ahhh Valentine’s Day, the day for you to show the one you love how much you care about them …  and about the environment.

Buy Fair Trade Chocolate
According to the International Labour Rights Fund, most of the world’s cocoa production includes child labour and starvation-level wages for farmers. Fair trade chocolate organizations work to ensure the certified chocolate you buy does not involve slave labour, is pesticide-free, grown and manufactured without genetically modified ingredients, and farmers and cocoa workers receive fair wages.
Global Exchange reports currently less than 1% of the $13 billion dollar chocolate market is fair trade certified. However these figures are only expected to increase as we consumers become better educated about the ethics of chocolate.

Flowers
Flowers, long considered an expression of love, have an ugly side most consumers don’t know about. Disreputable labour practices in countries that supply some of our flowers and a disproportionately high use of pesticides means that flowers, like many things these days, need to be chosen carefully. Look for locally-grown flowers or ones from a reputable source. Your Valentine will appreciate the thought, too.

Valentine’s Day Cards
Finding alternative sources for paper production is becoming increasingly urgent as current global paper consumption cannot be sustained indefinitely —93% of paper still comes directly from trees. Each time you purchase a card made from non-recyclable paper you are contributing to the erosion of forests. Cards made from sustainable materials like hemp, animal dung, cotton rags, hosiery cuttings, bananas, flowers and straw, are just a few of the materials papermakers around the world recycle into tree-free cards and paper.

Diamonds & Gold
No More Dirty Gold, an education and advocacy group, reports that a single gold ring leaves behind more than 20 tons of mine waste while simultaneously destroying the landscape and ecological systems. More than 4 million people have been killed in diamond-fuelled conflict and wars reports Amnesty International.
Look for other gift options for your valentine this year, or consider used jewellery – where you can find some amazing pieces that will impress your lover on 2 fronts.

1. Once the Vancouver 2010 Olympics are complete, how many times will Canada have hosted the games?
A)2
B)3
C)4
D)5

2. In what year were the first Winter Olympic Games conducted?
A) 296 BC
B) 1824
C) 1896
D) 1924

3. In the Winter Olympics, who or what is the “Skeleton”?
A) A high-speed, face-down, head-first sledding event
B) Any member of the on-site physiotherapy staff
C) The thing you don’t want to break during a race
D) The slowest skier in the giant slalom

4. The official Olympic flag contains five interconnected rings on a white background. What do the rings stand for?
A) The five original sports divisions
B) The five founding members of the International Olympic Committee
C) The five continents that take part in the Games
D) The original five countries that took part in the Games

5. What year was the Olympic flag first flown?
A) 1914
B) 1960
C) 1920
D) 1968

6. The USSR first entered the Winter Olympics in 1956. They topped the standings that year, then again in 1960 and 1964. In 1968, which nation broke their run?
A) Canada
B) France
C) Norway
D) United States

7. What female figure skater won the gold medal at three consecutive Winter Olympics, won the world championship ten straight times, then went on to a long, successful show business career?
A) Madge Syers-Cave
B) Katarina Witt
C) Peggy Fleming
D) Sonja Henie

See end of articles for answers.

The recent earthquake in Haiti is a horrifying reminder of the force of nature. Earthquakes can cause total devastation when the factors are right; heavily populated area, victims indoors when it hits, poorly built homes. The Haitian quake measured 7+ on the Richter scale!

The Richter scale is the best known scale for measuring the magnitude of earthquakes. The numbers represent factors of 10, that is, a quake measured at 7 on the scale is 10 times more powerful than one with a recording of 6.

The vast majority of earthquakes are never felt, however. They need to register around 4+ to be noticeable. When quakes reach the 5 and up level, people start to take notice.

Thankfully, many powerful earthquakes do not cause damage or widespread destruction because they occur in oceans or unpopulated areas. But quakes of 5+ are not nearly as infrequent as you might imagine. Globally, each year there are about 20 quakes that fall into the 7 to 8 range on the scale, with another 100 or so between 6 and 7 and almost 2000 in 5 to 6 range. Thankfully, quakes of 8+ are rare, occurring only every 5 to 10 years on average.

"Nothing is possible without individuals,
nothing is lasting without institutions."
~ Jean Monnet

Some lesser known facts about this much-anticipated time of year;

• Men spend almost twice as much on Valentine’s Day as women do.
• More than one-third of men would prefer not receiving a gift. Less than 20 percent of women feel the same way.
• Approximately 1 million Canadian pet owners buy gifts for their pets on Valentine's Day.
• It is estimated that 15 percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.
• Teachers receive the most valentines, followed by kids, mothers, wives and sweethearts.
• For every 100 single men who are in their 20s, there are 85 single women in the same age range.
• For every 100 men over 65, there are 300 single women in the same age range.
• The Catholic Church struck St. Valentine’s Day from its official calendar in 1969.
• The phrase "Sweets for the sweet" is a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1.

One of the most exciting events at the Olympic and Paralympic Games- the crowning glory if you will - is the medal ceremonies. It serves as a fitting culmination of a great deal of hard work and sacrifice for the winning athletes – their chance to own a piece of history in the form of a medal.

The Olympic Medals themselves are also very impressive. Did J’a Know these medals facts?

• No medals were awarded in the ancient Olympics. The first-place winner was given an olive wreath to wear on his head; second- and third-place winners received nothing.

• When the Modern Olympics were revived in 1896, first-place winners received silver medals rather than gold, as gold was considered inferior to silver at the time.

• Gold replaced silver for first place at the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

• The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912.

• Current gold medals are not made of solid gold, but of solid silver covered with a coating of gold weighing not less than six grams per medal.

• 2nd and 3rd place medals are made of solid silver and bronze respectively.

• B.C. aboriginal artist Corrine Hunt and Vancouver-based designer Omer Arbel designed the medals for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

• The 2010 medals are wavy and each one has a unique design etched onto it – both first for Olympic medals.

• Each medal has a different section of 1 of the 2 master artworks — depicting an orca whale and a raven.

• The 2010 Olympic medals are also among the heaviest in Olympic and Paralympic history.

• 2.05 kilograms of gold, 1,950 k of silver and 903 k of copper was used to produce 615 Olympic and 399 Paralympic medals for the 2010 Games, collectively worth about $1.8 million based on current metal prices.

Check out this video for more information.

Olympics with the Kids – There are a number of events that we are planning to watch as a family. I like the idea of routing for a national team and feeling the Olympic spirit. This site has the full schedule of events so you can plan your days.

Memorable Valentine’s Day Alone – No one wants to be alone on Valentine’s Day, but there is certainly no shame in it. The trick is to enjoy a day generally thought of as being for couples. This site has some very good ideas to make a Valentine’s Day alone a very memorable one.

SAD Relief – There are many people who suffer from the winter blues or full-blown SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. Its affects can be crippling. This site has some useful information.

Homemade Flu Remedies – There are lots of homemade remedies for just about any ailment. They can range from the common sense ideas to ones that are passed down from generation to generation without any discernible reason for being effective – they just work. Check out these ideas if you or a loved one are down with the flu or a cold.

Energy Hog Buster – Erin, age 8, says, “This game is fun to play and easy. It shows you different places in the house that the Energy Hog is hiding. Those are the things that waste energy.”

Valentine’s Day Crafts – Mitch, age 9, says, “Aunt Cathy and I made some crafts for Valentine’s Day. We found them on this site. There are whole bunch of them! I really like the tissue paper flowers – and they look really nice.”

All About Darwin – Alyssa, age 13, says, “I had to do a project for school and chose to write about Charles Darwin. I’m glad I did because he was amazing- he changed the way we think about evolution. Check out this site to learn about him.”

Olympic Crafts – Brody, age 11, says, “We’re making some Olympic crafts to celebrate the upcoming Winter Games. This site has lots of ideas. I especially liked the Ceremonial Olympic Torch one. It looks really awesome.”

This tip is particularly handy when computing or surfing while in public or in transit, or when nosey co-workers drop in unannounced. When the need arises, instantly minimize all open programs by hitting the Windows Key + M.

To undo, simply hit Windows Key + Shift + M.

Furnace filter replacement is a very simple way to save money and wasted energy. A clogged filter means your furnace has to work harder to heat your home – and cost more to do it. If you haven’t replaced the filter lately, do so now - in the depth of winter, when your furnace has to work its hardest.

Removing the old filter and replacing it with a new one is usually simple. However, making sure you buy the right one can be more challenging. The best place to look for information is the source – the old filter. Check it out for size and any other info you may need. And when you get to the store, be sure to check various brands that offer improvements in design and functionality to see if a more suitable one is available to maximize the benefits.

“Many of us spend half our time wishing for things we could have if we didn't spend half our time wishing.” ~ Alexander Woollcott

“Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” ~ Lewis Grizzard

“I am not overweight, I am underheight - my weight is perfect for a man of 7'9".” ~ Victor Buono

“H lp! S m b d st l ll th v w ls fr m m k yb rd!” ~ Unknown