We're Both Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians—Let's Date!

On a conventional dating site (they've been around long enough to use the word conventional, don't you think?), the title statement could easily be made. However, if one is truly committed to dating someone of a certain type (Jewish, vegetarian, eco-friendly, book-loving, etc.), there are now countless dating sites devoted to matching people who fit specific criteria. I know plenty of people who have used J-Date, a site for matching Jewish singles, but I don't think I know anyone who has tried Alikewise.com (bibliophiles), Cupidtino.com (Mac/Apple-lovers), or 420Dating.com (I thought that was Craigslist…).

Today's New York Times includes a fairly long article about these new dating sites, including the ones mentioned above. Read the full article here.

Iran Says No to V-Day

Despite the holiday being more than a month away, the AP felt it important to report today that the government of Iran is cracking down on the symbols of Valentine's Day. And, because I don't have anything new from my own life to report, I thought I'd go ahead and post this:

The annual homage to romance on Feb. 14 has become popular in recent years in Iran and other places in the Middle East.

But Iran's semiofficial ILNA news agency reports Sunday that a state directive now bans any cards, gifts, teddy bears or other tokens of the day — which tradition says is named after an early Christian martyr.

The backlash in the Islamic Republic is part of a drive against the spread of Western culture.

Other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia also have sought to stamp out Valentine's Day. But it's celebrated widely in nearby places such as Dubai.