#OddlyLovely: Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

 

Supermarket Prices Cards On Gender

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s were embarrassed when they tried to sell gender-based Valentine’s Day cards, according to a report.

It has now vowed to sell cards at the same price after some stores were found to be pricing according to gender, says a report in the Mirror.

In Stoke, customers spotted the same style of card priced at two pounds for men buying for their wives and 2.50 pounds for women buying for their husbands.

Examples of this happening were found by the BBC in Stoke but the pricing structure is believed to have been deployed elsewhere in the Midlands. One card had the words ‘for my wife’ and features two toy dogs and a love heart. The second reads ‘for my husband’ and features just one dog with a love heart.

Sainsbury’s said it would ensure the cards are both priced at two pounds.

 A Haven For Couples

Kafr Aqab is notorious for rutted roads, drugs and violence yet it serves a purpose for married couples, according to a report.

It is no one’s dream destination: the overcrowded neighbourhood separated from adjacent East Jerusalem by Israel’s barrier in the occupied West Bank But for Palestinians in marriages in which one partner comes from the West Bank and the other from territory Israel had declared to be part of the Israeli state, the slum is a haven where they can live legally together according to Reuters.

When 23-year-old Yacout Alqam, a resident of East Jerusalem, first met her fiancé, she loved him but the problem was of identification cards. Her fiance, Adham Abu Lateefa, 23, is a Palestinian from the West Bank.

So along with what residents describe as apartments full of other “mixed” couples, he and Alqam got a solution in a sort of twilight zone, in Kafr Aqab.

Being Stashed Can Hurt

Stashing is the sort of thing we do when want to hide something, says a report.

Being the ‘stasher’ means you’re not the nicest person in the world. Stashing could be dirty laundry, receipts for purchases we can’t afford or other, more illicit items, says the report in the Mirror.

It also extends to human beings we’re romantically involved with too, apparently. When you stash someone, you’re essentially treating someone like a dirty little secret.

You’re reaping many of the benefits of dating, while refusing to acknowledge your relationship to the world.

Tough Time For Singles in New York

Dating is one of the toughest thing singles face in New York City.

Expats and global travellers say it’s typically harder to date in NYC than anywhere else, given the ultracompetitive environment, says a report.

“In NYC there’s a bigger focus on pedigree,” says Aussie Adam Lewkovitz, who moved to New York City from Sydney in 2009, according to the New York Post. “They try to qualify you and what do you do. In Sydney, there’s more focus on lifestyle, and work is a means to support what you want to do.”

Dating A Setup In The Philippines

Dating isn’t the easiest thing to do in the Philippines, says a report.

Forget about one-night stands and say hello to the setup in the Philippines, a New York Post says.  Gecile Fojas, who moved from Rockland County to the city of Cebu, in the Philippines, three years ago, says dating is much harder in her new home, given the stigma of promiscuity.

“More often than not, people are usually set up,” says the 28-year-old medical student. “Filipinos love matchmaking.

“In the Philippines, it’s either you’re someone’s significant other or you’re not. There’s really no in-between. I’ve yet to encounter someone on dates with multiple people,” she adds.

Fat Farms To Prepare Brides

In some regions of West Africa, being fat means a sign of being rich and prosperous and being attractive enough to get a husband, says a report.

In Mauritania some areas still have fat farms where older women in the village fatten up the young girls, ready to find a husband, according to a report in the Mirror.

In West Africa, being fat is seen as being rich and important, so the young girls are force fed mountains of couscous and endless pints of milk.

The Lure Of Bad Odour

Even a bit of body odour can make a woman attractive to her potential husband, according to a report.

An old tradition in Austria has ladies place segments of apple in their armpits and perform a special dance for the lads.

They would then give the sweaty bits of fruit to the guy they fancied and if the feeling was mutual he would eat the apple, says the Metro.