Valentine's Day Survival Guide for Singles

Your guide to surviving the glare and stigma of Single Awareness Day, the one day of the year dedicated to making singles feel worthless; One woman's experience marrying a closeted gay man; Your guide to writing about Salfis; 10 Photos that represent the Arab Spring.

Valentine's Day or Single Awareness Day? Depends on what side of the crumpled wrapping paper you're looking at.

Cinnamon Zone [2]

How to Survive Valentine’s Day for Dummies

Are you still single? Does it fill you with sheer, unrelenting self-loathing? If so, you can put down that bucket of ice cream and read these handy tips on surviving Valentine's Day. Locking yourself in your room for the rest your adult life, making a bonfire out of DVDs of The Notebook or flinging yourself at the next person that looks, are not included. "And this feeling you claim to experience is basically a flow of chemicals to the brain. You call them 'butterflies' I call them 'Nerve Growth Factor'.

The Arab Observer [3]

A letter from a woman who found out her husband is gay

In discussion of his novel "3aroos Amman", this blogger had received a letter from a woman who has experienced the same tragic experience as two of his characters: unbeknownst to her, she married a closeted gay man. Her letter details her experience and its saddening outcome. "But I don’t agree with the ending. I know that layla chose this ending because of the society but how can she be friends with him? How can she accept knowing that he goes to have sex with guys? What husband would ask his wife to sleep with other men if she wants? Is this marriage?"

Kabobfest [4]

How to Write About Salafis

Since we are in the business of guides (not really), we've opted to put down another helpful guide. Writing on a religion or a religious sect that you know nothing about can yield hilarious results- for readers. To avoid embarrassing yourself, here are some helpful tips and points of reference on writing on Salafis. "Muslim Brotherhood is Salafi. Al Qaeda is Salafi. Saudis are Salafi. Muslims who wish to not participate in Christmas are Salafi. Any Muslim offering dissent on the structures that currently govern the contemporary geopolitical status quo by offering a worldview ridden with a different ideology or ethos is a Salafi. There’s your crash course in identifying Salafis – go, have fun."

Who-sane's [5]

Photo of the Year

This Jordanian blogger comments on Wordpress's Picture of the Year (it's pretty arresting). Although he does agree that it is an impressive image, it isn't quite what he had in mind to represent the Arab Spring. So here are 10 pictures that Hussain believes are more apt. “In the Western media, we seldom see veiled women in this way, at such an intimate moment. It is as if all of the events of the Arab Spring resulted in this single moment – in moments like this.”