Hearts and Roses

I apologize for my rather lengthy hiatus. I have returned to discuss man's most dreaded day of the year--Valentine's Day. Many argue that Valentine's Day is a holiday conjured up by evil corporations to do the most evil thing any company can do--make money. I don't disagree, but I fail to see how this makes Valentine's Day any different from other holidays. Looking beyond the malevolent profit-seeking monoliths known as Hershey's, DeBeers and (worst of all) Hallmark; one can see that there are some interesting economic phenomena associated with the holiday. Unfortunately, as a college student, I have not the time nor the resources to do a thorough study. Fortunately, the fellows at Billshrink have done it for me (with quite a pleasing presentation, might I add)

For those who don't like reading (why are you here?) these are my favorite statistics mentioned:
40% of valentine cards purchased are by parents for children. (2004)
Per capita, Americans ate 24.7 lbs of candy in 2004
There were $13.5bn in chocolate shipments, with only $5.5bn in shipments of non-chocolate candy (2004)
61% of all men would like flowers on Valentine's Day, 40% receive them (2004)

Of course, with such wild claims the first thing to look for is citations, which include the U.S. Census Bureau, Floramax, and :cringe: Wikipedia.

I hope all couples enjoy the holiday in any manner that suits them. For those attention hungry singles out there, enjoy Singles Awareness Day and keep in mind you're not alone.

My Best