Saudi Morality Police See Red Over Valentine Roses
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-02-13T112233Z_01_N13594927_RTRIDST_0_ODD-SAUDI-VALENTINES-DC.XML
"The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Saudi Arabia's powerful religious vigilantes, have banned shops from selling any red flowers in the run-up to February 14."
" "For the last week, we've had no red in the shop," said Ahmed, a flower shop manager. "You can't even have red cards."
Despite the prohibition, demand for the banned roses has been strong and unofficial business was booming, Ahmed said.
"Wait 10 minutes," he told one customer as an assistant slipped into the shadows to collect a bouquet of crimson flowers. At 10 riyals ($2.70) each they were double the usual price. "They would put us in prison for this," he smiled."

Singaporeans Seek Chaste Valentine's Day
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-02-14T141929Z_01_SIN243372_RTRIDST_0_ODD-ODD-SINGAPORE-VALENTINE-DC.XML
"A Christian group launched Monday a week-long Abstinence Awareness Campaign on the island, which has one of Asia's lowest birth rates and has ranked for three straight years near the bottom of condom-maker Durex's survey of sexually active nations."
"I really doubt the effectiveness of this campaign," said 25-year-old Phillip Ng. "To have premarital sex or not is a lifestyle decision and wearing a band on your wrist for a day is not going to lead to a change in your mindset."