Romance and Love

Skating - Break the ice, by taking your date roller or ice skating at a local rink. Follow this up with hot chocolate and conversation in a cozy cafe.

Zen Date - Relax your date by taking them to a meditation or light-working session at the local Buddhist temple. Relax afterwards by enjoying a good meal in an Indian restaurant.

Do You Have a Future Together? - Visit your local psychic together to have your palms and tarot cards read. Get a past-life reading to see if you have known each other in a past incarnation.

Art Tour - Spend a day together visiting all the art galleries and museums that you can. Make sure you visit the gift shop of the museum to buy your love a token that expresses your appreciation of him or her.

Antique Hunting - Look in the papers and treat your date to a day of scouring antique markets and flea markets for treasures.

Mazes and Labyrinths - If your city has a maze, see if you and your date can get lost together inside it. Walking a labyrinth together is not only said to be good for the soul, but it will help you define your goals together.

What's For Dinner? - Sign the both of you up for a cooking class. You'll be giggling and feeding each other delicious tid-bits in no time.

Feng Shui Date - Visit your local China Town and hunt for lucky charms, windmills and small statues to bring the two of you health, wealth and happiness. Finish your shopping excursion off with a meal for two at a Chinese restaurant.

Dancing Lessons - Enroll the two of you in dancing lessons so that you can learn classic moves such as tango, ballroom dancing or square dancing. This is especially nice for seniors on a first date who wish to break the ice.

Play in the Snow - If its snowy outside take advantage of the weather and build an ice sculpture or snowman together. Get on a toboggan together and slide downhill (holding each other very close of course.) Finish the day off with a hot chocolate or apple cider in front of a crackling fire.

Love Letters - Buy special paper and pens and make a date to sit across from each other at a table and write each other a love letter - in front of each other! You can call this letter "Ten Things I Love About You." Then exchange the letters and read them out loud. Torrid romance almost always ensues right after this one!

King or Queen for A Day - Assign a date where you will treat your lover as if he or she is King or Queen for that day. The idea is that your date does not have to lift a finger while you meet every supply or demand. This package should include a foot rub as well as the proffering of the date's favorite foods.

The Sunrise Date - Surprise your date by calling them early in the morning and asking if they want to meet to watch the sunrise with you. Drive to a beach or some other beautiful location. Afterwards share a brunch at a cozy restaurant.

Is Love Painful?

Who hasn't experienced the pain of love? Or is it the pain of rejection? The pain of self doubt? The pain of fear? It's important to distinguish between love and totally separate feelings.

When it comes to pain surrounding love, we're more likely referring to the “add-ons” of love. The love baggage, we might call it. For some reason, many people assume negative emotions are a part or element of love. But experientially we know this isn't true.

Love is not painful, it feels incredible. The pain and hurt we feel doesn’t come from love, it comes from our doubts, fears, anxiety, perceived rejections, broken trusts, anger, jealousy, envy, etc. So why do we as a culture lump all those other feelings in with love?

Perhaps its because we feel these uncomfortable emotions most often in association with our love relationships. Our primary relationships are important to us, so we assume these doubts and fears are all part of the loving experience. But is this really true?

When we are fearful, angry, anxious, unhappy, or jealous, are we truly experiencing a state of love? They sure feel different, don't they? Love feels warm, open, joyous and filled with a deep sense of appreciation. Pain steps into a love relationship when you switch it from a "wanted relationship," into a "needed relationship." You don't NEED any one relationship. Want? Yes. Need? No.

If you go into a relationship not feeling terribly good about yourself, you're more likely to become dependent on your partner to help you feel good about yourself. If we felt empty before they appeared in our lives, we fear the emptiness returning if they leave, so their staying with us becomes paramount. That dependency can create all kinds of fear and unhappiness when there's a perceived threat to you staying together.

If we aren’t giving ourselves the acceptance we crave, we look to those around us to provide it for us. Again, none of this has a thing to do with the love you feel, but everything to do with the fear you feel.

If you really want to remove the love baggage of fear and unhappiness, the first step is to improve your self awareness and self acceptance

10 Signs of Male Attraction

ust for fun, we're going to rate the level of these signs of attraction between 1 (Lukewarm), and 10 (This Guy Wants to Make Your Baby).

The Stare - (4)

This is one of the first signs of male attraction that's easy to spot. If the cute guy in your Creative Writing class keeps making eyes at you, throw him some love so he'll be more confident to approach you.

Attempts to Look Good - (6)

Most guys don't worry too much about how they dress... However, if a guy is attracted to a lady and he knows he's going to see her, he'll put some extra effort into his looks. So, if every time you cross paths, your man has ditched his frayed jeans or there's a little gel in his hair, he likes ya.

Playful insults - (6)

Men never really grow up. Remember in 2nd grade when little Joey called you a fart face, punched you in the arm and then ran back to the swing set? Joey thought you were hot stuff. A playful insult is a telltale sign of male attraction. Hopefully, grown-up Joey will use a little more tact.

Facebook Spy - (5)

Ahhh, attraction in the digital age is just a little bit creepy. However, if a guy "stumbles across" your Facebook or MySpace profile and befriends you, he's probably got a crush. Also, if, when talking with you, he happens to mention a couple movies you've listed as your favorites, well, at least he's trying.

Attempts at Humor - (7)

Most guys know that a good laugh is the way to a lady's heart. So, keep an eye out for a guy who keeps trying to make you laugh (successfully or otherwise).

Little Touches - (7)

Most small physical gestures are a strong indicator of attraction. These little touches are his way of testing the water to see how you react...

Invents Reasons to Talk to You - (7)

If a guy is truly interested in a girl, he'll go to great lengths to strike up a conversation. "Oh, hey, you like coffee, huh? Me too! That's crazy."

Remembers Things - (6)

Men are a forgetful bunch. In general, they just aren't that attentive. If you notice that he retains small details from earlier conversations with you, somethings up.

Drunk Dial - (4)

Getting a call or text message at 1:00am on a Friday night is a good sign of male attraction. But, beware the guy who only thinks to call after drinking a six-pack with his bros. That guy is probably only interested in bumpin' uglies.

Phone Call Early in the Day - (9)

If a guy calls you early in the day to see if you want to hang out, you're in real good shape. By calling early, he's hoping to get a hold of you before you make other plans for the night. He's thinking clearly, and he's thinking about you, and your purdy, purdy face.

I hope these 10 signs of male attraction have helped you to better understand that most complicated of simple creatures: Man.

Miley Cyrus, Growing Up, Tests Identities

Miley Cyrus will turn 18 in November, though she’s been an adult for some time now. Ever since a suggestive 2008 Vanity Fair photo shoot thrust her out of the Disney cocoon into the mainstream consciousness, she’s been the subject of speculation, concern and fear. Ms. Cyrus, the chatterers argued, was in trouble but could still be saved.

And yet innocence has never been the core of Ms. Cyrus’s appeal. As the star of the Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” series, she plays a knowing character — regular kid by day, pop star by night — who understands the duality of celebrity. Being famous is work, and not always of the glamorous kind.

A similar duality is now beginning to undo Ms. Cyrus in real life, where she’s still tied inextricably to her Disney identity but looking for a safe landing spot. As surely as the teen idol is a part of pop culture, so is the molting of her shiny veneer.

Last week Ms. Cyrus released “Can’t Be Tamed” (Hollywood), the first album that’s shown the frayed seams of her identity. But Ms. Cyrus’s metamorphosis isn’t nearly as radical as “Can’t Be Tamed” — the title track, the video, the title — would suggest. Rather, she’s evolving into something far less controversial: a pop star, confused like all the rest of them.

“Can’t Be Tamed” may be the least consistent of her several albums to date — the ones released under her name and the ones as Hannah Montana — but it’s also the most unexpectedly thrilling. There are phenomenal dance-pop songs but also stilted ballads and high-energy screamers. It continues the anchorlessness that’s been clear in Ms. Cyrus’s music the last year and a half. In that time she’s had two major hits: “The Climb,” a soaring, inspirational pop-country ballad from the soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” and “Party in the U.S.A.,” a saccharine, chirpy confection that’s almost the exact opposite (and, notably, does not appear on this album, or any other).

“Can’t Be Tamed” continues the chaos. The title track is Rebellion 101: “I want to be a part of something I don’t know/and if you try to hold me back, I might explode.” In the video she’s trapped in a cage, wearing wings, and teases her female backup dancers with near-kisses. As ever, on this song Ms. Cyrus displays a husky, distinctive voice that undermines any attempts at naïveté, but still, there’s no frisson to this attempt at rebirth.

Her lashing out is perfunctory too — “Can’t Be Tamed” is merely the song that gets her past the teen-pop ghetto and on to other choices. “Don’t live a lie/This is your one life,” she sings at the beginning of “Liberty Walk,” the album’s first song. But the lie might be that Ms. Cyrus has some core truth that she’s faithful to — on that song alone, she tries out four different vocal strategies, including rapping. Her greatest crime isn’t that she’s maturing too quickly: it’s that it’s unclear where she wants to go.

That’s most likely because Ms. Cyrus was formed in the cauldron of public scrutiny, but not in any particular music scene outside of kid-pop.

“I listen to zero pop music, which is really weird for someone who makes pop music,” Ms. Cyrus improbably told Billboard magazine last month.

If anything, songs like “The Climb” and “Party in the U.S.A.” were scrubbed far cleaner than her Hannah Montana material, which often had a sassy, aggressive edge to it, a mood that’s barely touched on “Can’t Be Tamed.”

Instead, the most exciting songs on this album are club-oriented dance-pop, a genre Ms. Cyrus hasn’t previously shown any affinity for and may never again. Still, it’s a timely and sharp sound. “Who Owns My Heart” — produced, like many of the album’s best tracks, by the pop impresarios Rock Mafia — is full of rubbery synths and swooning choruses in the vein of Cascada.

On “Two More Lonely People,” bright acoustic guitars slash hard against bouncy synthesizers, suggesting, of all things, vintage Debbie Gibson. And at the bridge, there’s a faint echo of Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

On “Permanent December,” written with Claude Kelly — who also helped write “Party in the U.S.A.” — Ms. Cyrus tries out a sneering type of sing-rapping, à la Fergie: “Don’t call me a Lolita/’Cause I don’t let ’em through.”

On a more coherent album, that idea would be explored further. But the fact that Ms. Cyrus feels little need to assert her sexuality, or lack thereof, is consistent with her rejection of a single new identity in favor of a cluster of experiments. Perhaps she hasn’t had time to think it through, or maybe she’s realized that evading the subject for now is a more flexible strategy than tackling it head-on.

Still, she may not have those options much longer. “Hannah Montana” will end this spring after its fourth season, bringing the dual identity portion of Ms. Cyrus’s career to a close. At that point, untethered to any old modes, she may in fact look back with some envy on the time in her life when her choices were as simple as either/or.

Comprehensive Sex Education: Research and Results

Since 1997 the federal government has invested more than $1.5 billion dollars in abstinence-only programs – proven ineffective programs which censor or exclude important information that could help young people protect their health. In fact, until recently, programs which met a strict abstinence-only definition were the only type of sex education eligible for federal funding; no funding existed for comprehensive sex education, which stresses abstinence but also provides information about contraception and condoms.

But the Obama administration’s proposed budget for FY10 removed the streams of funding for abstinence-only programs, and created funding for programs which have been proven effective at reducing teen pregnancy, delaying sexual activity, or increasing contraceptive use. Not surprisingly, it is comprehensive sex education programs which help youth remain healthy and avoid negative sexual health outcomes. This document explores the research around comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only programs.
Comprehensive Sex Education Has Been Proven Effective
Evaluations of comprehensive sex education programs show that these programs can help youth delay onset of sexual activity, reduce the frequency of sexual activity, reduce number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraceptive use. Importantly, the evidence shows youth who receive comprehensive sex education are NOT more likely to become sexually active, increase sexual activity, or experience negative sexual health outcomes. Effective programs exist for youth from a variety of racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.1,2,3,4,5
Researchers studied the National Survey of Family Growth to determine the impact of sexuality education on youth sexual risk-taking for young people ages 15-19, and found that teens who received comprehensive sex education were 50 percent less likely to experience pregnancy than those who received abstinence-only education.6
Researcher Douglas Kirby for the National Campaign to End Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy examined studies of prevention programs which had a strong experimental design and used appropriate analysis. Two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive sex ed programs studied had positive effects.
40 percent delayed sexual initiation, reduced the number of sexual partners, or increased condom or contraceptive use.
30 percent reduced the frequency of sex, including a return to abstinence.
60 percent reduced unprotected sex.7
Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews of existing programs to compile a list of programs that have been proven effective by rigorous evaluation. Twenty-six effective programs were identified, twenty-three of which included comprehensive sex education as at least one component of the program. The other programs were early childhood interventions. Of the 23 effective, comprehensive sex education programs:
Fourteen programs demonstrated a statistically significant delay in the timing of first sex.
13 programs showed statistically significant declines in teen pregnancy, HIV, or other STIs.
14 programs helped sexually active youth to increase their use of condoms.
9 programs demonstrated success at increasing use of contraception other than condoms.
13 programs showed reductions in the number of sex partners and/or increased monogamy among program participants.
10 programs helped sexually active youth to reduce the incidence of unprotected sex.

Dating Advice For Women

So you want to date your ‘someone special’ on this Valentine’s Day? This special day brings a golden opportunity to express your feelings on a romantic date with the one you adore. The guy on your mind may be a little difficult to track down and you are in dire need of some wonderful advice to help you in your romantic endeavors. For those who are looking for everlasting love, below given are top romantic dating tips to make the "happily ever after" come true. So, go through these dating tips for girls and know how to keep your man’s heart safely in your pocket.

Dating Tips For Girls
Do not try to be someone you are not. You might have always fancied that high school cheerleader, but it wouldn't work if you try to be her on your date. Your man doesn't want to see some cheerleader. He wants to see and know you and not some wannabe you are trying to come across as.
Try to be friends with your man. Nothing will work better than being friend with your man and it will also make him feel more comfortable with you. It will allow him to open up to you and he will love you even more for that.
A little flirting goes a long way to make your man feel in the thick of things. It shows that you have a broad mind, exciting, fun-loving and take humor in your stride. Just make sure you don't over do it, as it may send wrong signals.
Talk about his interests and try to be an intelligent conversationalist. You certainly don’t want to bore him to death. He will appreciate that you want to know about what interests him and this will make your company exciting for him.
Work towards building trust, if you have already had many dates with him in the past. Every meeting should facilitate some progress in your relationship and make full use of the beautiful opportunity that Valentine’s Day is presenting you with.
Make an effort to look good. Men love it when their women dress up for the occasion. Who doesn’t appreciate the company of a good-looking woman? It will also make sure his eyes don't pry after other women!
All said and done, remember to give the relation enough time to grow and prosper. Don't jump to conclusions about your man just after the first date, as they take longer than women to bare their heart out. So, just relax and enjoy the time you spend with him. Gradually, you will get to see his kind and affectionate side.

Dating Ideas

Companionship is something that each one of us yearns for and seeks on a constant basis. We all want to fall in love and dating makes it easier to fall for the right person as it gives an opportunity to explore the thoughts and personality of your date. Over the years, the meaning and the way love is pursued has changed considerably and this changed approach to relationships has promulgated the concept of dating. People now intend to know each other well before moving in for total commitment. The status of a relationship is normally determined after a few dates. Dating can also be viewed as a more mature outlook on relationships, where people tend to avoid taking impulsive decisions in matters of heart.

Though most of us can yap about dating all day long, we are rendered clueless when it is to be actually done! It is precisely the reason why matters of heart are known to be complex. While you may be taking dating tips from everyone around you, it is but natural to feel clueless and baffled by the end as you are still undecided how to go about it. Fear not, we bring you excellent romantic ideas for dating. In our related section given below you will find some really practical and easy tips for dating. So read on and get set for that spice in your life! The following topics have been covered due to popular demand.

How to Write a Love Letter

The most ideal gift to give your beloved is a handwritten love letter. This has many people going into a tizzy, as they just don't seem to know as to how to write a love letter. Look no further. We bring the perfect solution for all you people out there who seem to go blank when it comes to writing love letters. Go through our selected romantic love letter ideas and write one for your beloved now! Keep these ideas and tips in mind and you will do just fine.

Writing Romantic Lover Letters
Intimacy is the keyword in writing a love letter. Make sure that it is personal and does not look like a scoop for a news article! It should be handwritten and not printed or typed.
Use decorative sweet letter pads to write your love letter. Take care the papers are not too bright and are not clustered with too many images.
Use a flair pen with black or brown ink to write the letter. Never use the blue, green or red color pen while writing the love letter as they tend to sound more formal and business-type.
The words should come from your heart. The words should sound not only genuine and warm, but also express your true feeling.
Mention the date when you write the love letter. Love letter will be treasured and remembered forever and hence specify the date.
Choose a lovable salutation and use your love’s first name for the salutation.
Do not be either formal or too casual. Maintain balance in your words and tone.
Let your beloved see his/her importance in your life. Make your letter a work of craft and let him/ her see your sincere feelings through the letter. Sound confident when you express your dreams, emotions, love and care for your beloved.
Express your gratitude and thank him/her for being in your life.
Declare that your love for him/her shall never die and you will always be there for him/her no matter what.
Do not exaggerate it unnecessarily as it may look fake and too gaudy. Keep it simple and original.
You can make use of quotes from his/her favorite poets or novelists. Make sure that these quotes blend into the context of your letter.
Do not restrict yourself to formal rules of writing the letter. In other words, love letter is not a high-school essay which has an introductory, expository and conclusion. However, maintain a flow in the writing style.
Always have an optimistic conclusion for your love letter.
Decorate the letter with signs of love like flower petals, sprinkles of stars, small heart-shape stickers etc.
Once you have done with the love letter, fold it neatly and place it inside the envelope. Write beautifully the name of your beloved and also paste a love stamp on it.