Welcome, St. Valentine!

 
Remember the teenage kissing game “spin the bottle”?
On Sunday, Feb. 12, members of the library’s Talk Lab English Club turned this game into a new way to learn and practice English idioms as part of a program about Valentine’s Day. The session also featured some good tips about keeping the heart healthy.
Here’s the twist on the game: Each of the 19 Talk Lab participants would read aloud an idiom and definition having to do with the words “heart” or “kiss” and then spin a bottle. Then, wherever the bottle pointed, that person would have to use the idiom in a sentence.
Several Talk Lab expressed some unusual body language as they tried to dodge the pointing bottle, but the bottle eventually caught up with everyone – and, of course, it was lots of fun for all.
Here are some of the idioms:
~ To wear your heart on your sleeve: to let everyone know how you feel about someone
~ To have a big heart: to be giving, caring
~ To have a change of heart: to change one’s mind
~ From the bottom of my heart: to sincerely mean something
~ Kiss it goodbye: when you lose something and have no chance of recovering it
~ Right in the kisser: a punch in the mouth
The Feb. 12 program also featured a Valentine’s Day quiz. Here are a few of the multiple choice questions, with the answers at the end of this report:
What is the legend of Saint Valentine? He was a priest who: A) Was so romantic that he got married 10 times; B) Secretly performed weddings that angered Roman Emperor Claudius II; C) Gave roses to couples he married; D) Preached love on the streets of ancient Rome.
How many Valentine's Day cards are given each year in the U.S.? A) 1 billion; B) 2.6 billion; C) 55 million; D) 23 million
What percentage of Valentine’s Day cards is bought by men? A) 24 percent; B) 85 percent; C) 47 percent; D) 15 percent
Who are Shakespeare's most famous ill-fated lovers? A) King Tut and Cleopatra; B) Macbeth and Lady Macbeth; C) Romeo and Juliet; D) The Two Gentlemen of Verona
How many calories are burned while kissing for 1 hour? A) 16; B) 26; C) 36; D) 68
What do you need to kiss to turn it into a handsome prince? A) A hamster; B) The Blarney Stone; C) A snake; D) A frog.
Valentine’s Day is an $18 billion celebration in the United States. This year, it was projected that the average amount of money spent by males would be $168, but females would spend about half of that, or $84.
While Americans spend so much on flowers, candy, roses, jewelry, and wining and dining, they also use the holiday as a springboard for raising money for charities and other good causes. Many times these fundraisers have funny or strange approaches (see photos).
For example, The Children’s Tumor Foundation organizes the Cupid’s Undie Run in Washington, D.C. and several other cities to raise money for children with cancer. In this activity, participants volunteer to run 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in their underwear, while their friends, relatives and business associates donate money to the foundation.
Portland, Maine, holds an annual Valentine’s Day Canine Cocktail Party and Dog Kissing Contest. Last year’s winner kissed his dog on the lips for 19 seconds.
The world-famous Bronx Zoo in New York City sells naming rights for the huge Madagascar cockroaches. So, for $10 you can have such a roach named after anyone you want and you receive a special certificate, along with chocolate roaches, as a Valentine’s gift.
And in Washington, D.C., you and your sweetheart can be handcuffed together as you tour all 600 exhibits at the National Crime and Punishment Museum.
Health organizations link Valentine’s Day with activities to promote healthy hearts and fight heart disease. Ukraine, by the way, is second to Turkmenistan for having the highest rate of deaths each year from heart disease, according to the World Life Expectancy project at http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/ukraine-coronary-heart-disease.
At the Feb. 12 Talk Lab, club member Olga did her part to help others stay healthy and fit. She led the other participants in several vigorous exercises (see photo). Everyone enjoyed the activity. Photos are below.

Answers to Valentine’s Day quiz:
B) Secretly performed weddings that angered Roman Emperor Claudius II;
A) 1 billion;
D) 15 percent;
C) Romeo and Juliet;
D) 68;
D) A frog