What is Singles’ Day?

Chinese Singles' Day or Guanggun Jie (Chinese: 光棍节; pinyin: Guānggùn Jié; Wade–Giles: Kuang-kun chieh; literally: "bare sticks holiday") is an entertaining festival widespread among young Chinese people,^[1] to celebrate the fact that they are proud of being single.

 The date, November 11th (11/11), is chosen because the number "1" resembles an individual that is alone. This festival has become the largest online shopping day in the world,

 with sales in Alibaba's sites Tmalland Taobao at US$5.8 billion in 2013, US$9.3 billion in 2014, US$14.3 billion in 2015 and over US$17.8 billion in 2016.

Chinese Singles' Day or Bachelors' Day, which originated from Nanjing University in 1993, was initially celebrated at various universities in Nanjing during the 1990s.^[6] It got the name "Singles' Day" because the date consists of four "one"s. Upon graduating, these college students carried the university tradition into society. Singles' Day has been largely popularized in the internet era and is now observed by youth in several regions outside China as well.

Singles' Day serves as an occasion for single people to party with single friends. The holiday was initially only celebrated by young men, hence the name, "Bachelors' Day", but is now widely celebrated by both sexes.^[7] 'Blind date' parties are also popular during this day in an attempt to bid goodbye to their single lives. Some schools of a university put forward a special program to gather singles together for celebration. Singles may take on a bemoaning or self-deprecating attitude for remaining single as a university student, but this has helped curb that negativity.^{[citation needed]}

2011 marked the "Singles Day of the Century" (Shiji Guanggun Jie), this date having six "ones" rather than four—an excuse to take celebrations to a higher level.^[8] Shopping promotions were highlighted throughout China and activities were widespread. Although this date is meant to celebrate singlehood, the desire to find a spouse or mate is often expressed by young Chinese on this date, while other love-related issues are discussed by the Chinese media.

Guess #1: Nanjing University's dorm culture. This is the most acceptable guessing for the origin of Single's Day. In 1993 at a dorm called "Mingcaowuzhu (All single men)" at Nanjing University, the four students talked about how to find a girlfriend every night before sleeping for a long time. During their little talks, they came up with the idea of organizing some activities on the upcoming November 11. Since then, those activities organized on November 11 were widely spread to many universities in Nanjing even in many other cities. With these students graduating from universities, this university culture was brought to the whole society, and because of the large amount of single people and social media's strong power, this day has become more and more popular in the Chinese society.

Guess #2: A love story. A young man whose name was Mu Guang Kun, was born on November 11, 1970. Because of his special name in Chinese, he had been called "Guang Gun" since primary school. During his second year at Nanjing University, he began a romantic relationship with a girl. However, the girl was diagnosed with cancer and died later. The young man went to the top floor, fluting with some candles on the night of the girl's death. He seemed to become another person after that night. On his birthday during his senior year, his roommates also went to the top floor with him again to keep him company. Afterwards, this sad story became well known in Nanjing University and his birthday was then set up to be "Guang Gun Festival".

Last year, Alibaba set an all-time record for sales made on one day, Singles’ Day.

On November 11, 2016, Alibaba raked in a whopping $18B in sales.

Let’s repeat that: $18 billion dollars in one day.

Though the meaning behind the holiday itself may seem like a joke, it is obvious that people take shopping on this day very seriously.

And what people buy on Singles’ Day may surprise you.

“We might buy clothes, lingerie, TVs, skincare — things we’ve been coveting and don’t totally need — on Black Friday,” says Cox. “The Chinese buy discounted noodles, dry goods, household items, what I might consider very BORING . . . but all my friends were SO into it.”

As Cox puts it “Singles’ Day, similar to Black Friday, invokes a true scarcity mindset in consumers . . in a country as big as China that’s gone through as many rapid developments as quickly as it has, it’s the perfect storm.”

Just when you thought Americans take shopping seriously, it’s clear that U.S. citizens have nothing on the Chinese. “In China, shopping is a sport. Really, it’s entertainment. It’s fun. It’s something you do with your friends several times a week. Singles’ Day is no exception,” explains Cox.

Immediate delivery

Shopping on Singles’ Day means that you reap the benefits of China’s monstrosity of a shipping industry.

According to Cox, shipping in China is 2-3 times as fast as in the United States. Even though China is just as big as the United States, packages in China are packaged and shipped all hours of the night.

On Singles’ Day, “the delivery of items starts AS SOON AS they are ordered,” exclaims Cox. “It’s possible to get something the same day.”

Speaking of immediate delivery . . .

If you’re single, why not take advantage of this day to spoil yourself?

Whether you are in China or not, it only seems fair that November 11 worldwide should be a guilt-free day for singles to treat themselves, and celebrate navigating the complexities of life without help from a significant other.

With the piles of new goods that you’re bound to have post-Singles’ Day, clearing out some space in your home is a must.

You may not want to permanently go “out with the old, in with the new,” but rather put the old items away for a bit.

Thanks to Closetbox, that’s incredibly easy. And like delivery in China, Closetbox is just as efficient (if not even more), and hassle-free for you.

Closetbox’s valet storage services make it so that you don’t need anyone else around to help you move your boxes into storage.

Simply pack your boxes up, give Closetbox a call, and your items will be swept away into a highly-secure storage unit that is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When you’re ready to bring some of those old items back into your life, Closetbox is there to take them out of storage, and safely deliver them to your doorstep.

You certainly don’t need a significant other in your life to do that!

How to create Facebook Halloween Day Video

If you’re looking for fun and hair-raising ways to get into the Halloween spirit this year, look no further than Facebook Halloween Day Video

Halloween is a top holiday that brings people together, with people celebrating by sharing photos and attending events on Facebook, sending photos to friends on Messenger, and talking about their costumes in Facebook posts. Today, we’re announcing dozens of Halloween-themed experiences on Facebook

create Facebook Halloween Day Video

1- Enter the following link  ➡ https://goo.gl/w7Ejno 

2 -CHOOSE A TEMPLATE : On the homepage there are several popular templates which vary depending on the season. You may pick one of them or start browsing categories.

 There are two types of templates: picture and videos. Choose one that suits your goal. Free templates are marked with the Free band.

Each template has a detailed description and may be previewed. To choose a theme, just click Personalize it Now on the template preview.

Some templates require to specify how many people you want to feature.

3- PREPARE A HEAD

Find a successful photo of you, your friend, or any other person who you would like to feature your funny dance video and upload it. You may also use Facebook photos for this purpose or take an iPhone selfie. The tool automatically recognizes a head and crops the photo. All you need is to zoom and rotate it, fine-tune contours, and position the mouth, so that your video character could speak. All your heads will be saved in your account for further usage

4- PUT FACE ON THE VIDEO : When you saved a face, just drag-‘n-drop it onto the video character. If you chose a template that requires several characters, make sure you uploaded all needed faces. Click Done

Then you’ll be directed to the preview of your clip. Here you’ll be able to add a title for it. On this stage you can easily record the video.

5- ADD A MESSAGE (OPTIONAL) : If you’re going to send the resulted video as an ecard, consider adding a greeting for your friend. Click Skip or Done to finish.

6- SEND THE VIDEO : If you picked a free template, you may send the video for free via email or Facebook.

BEST FREE JIBJAB TEMPLATES

Now let’s view the most popular JibJab templates for various occasions.

FREE BIRTHDAY TEMPLATES

Here are quick filters which will help you find a funny birthday ecard or video depending on the recipient gender or character.

In Bithdays category there are 332 templates and only one called Singing Cake is free. Unfortunately, you can add a custom photo onto it.

Among Premium ones, draw attention to Tequila Birthday (4 people), Roller Disco Female (1 person), and I Feel Good (1 person).

CONGRATULATION TEMPLATES

There is only one free template – Hall of Presidents, where adding your custom heads is not available.

1. CHOOSE A TEMPLATE

Celebrate Halloween with Spook-tacular Features from Facebook and Messenger

If you’re looking for fun and hair-raising ways to get into the Halloween spirit this year, look no further than Facebook and Messenger.

 Halloween is a top holiday that brings people together, with people celebrating by sharing photos and attending events on Facebook, sending photos to friends on Messenger, and talking about their costumes in Facebook posts. Today, we’re announcing dozens of Halloween-themed experiences on Facebook and Messenger:

• New Effects in Camera, Live and Messenger: People can try out dozens of Halloween-themed masks, frames and stickers.
• Try Out a New Interactive Game: In Camera, people can turn themselves into a trick-or-treater who jumps their way out of a spooky haunted house.
• Get Creative with Halloween-Themed Posts: When posting in News Feed, people can try out different backgrounds for their text posts.

On Facebook, get into the Halloween fun

Celebrate in Costume: On Halloween, you might see a message from Facebook in your News Feed wishing you a Happy Halloween and inviting you to get into the holiday spirit. By swiping right into Camera, you will find more than twelve different spooky masks and frames, as well as a handy way to snap a photo of your Halloween look.Broadcast Your Halloween Live: Facebook Live is also introducing Halloween effects that can be used in your Live videos. Try a scary mask, or tell a story using an effect. Go live with a friend and have fun bringing people into your Halloween moments.

Escape From a Virtual Haunted House: For even more fun, try our interactive Halloween-themed game located within Camera. You’ll turn into a trick-or-treater who jumps their way out of a spooky haunted house by hopping up the walls to escape. Turning your head from side to side changes the direction in which you jump to climb higher and avoid traps. Share your highest score with a photo and challenge your friends to beat your record.

Dress Up Your Posts: To give you even more ways to express yourself on this holiday, we’re adding Halloween-themed backgrounds to the colored background options on text posts, which you can find when posting on Facebook.

Trick or Treat at a Neighborhood Event: With more than 500,000 Halloween events around the world planned this year, we’re making it even easier for people to find events near them by sending prompts that feature Halloween events that may interest them.

On Messenger, there are even more ways to connect with your friends

Find Your Disguise in Camera: No need to pick up a last-minute costume when you can try on a number of Halloween masks and frames in the Messenger Camera. The Camera is always one tap or swipe away, whether you’re already in a conversation or you’ve just opened the app.

Give Your Friends a Fright on Video Chat: All of the same masks and effects in the camera are also available in Messenger video chat! Start or open a one-on-one or group conversation and tap the video icon in the top right corner. Then tap the star to chat with your friends as a green goblin or black cat.

We hope everyone enjoys the tricks and the treats this Halloween!

Facebook celebrates On the International Day of the Girl

International Day of the Girl Child 

International Day of the Girl Child (Day of the Girl) is celebrated annually on October 11 to highlight issues concerning the gender inequality facing young girls. This year’s theme is “The Power of the Adolescent Girl

The International Day of the Girl was set up by the United Nations in 2011 and focuses on the girl as a child to celebrate the potential of girls across the world in the face of threats, discrimination, and the issues of their well-being. 

The day of October 11 is used by the United Nations to rally people behind the cause of empowering girls worldwide so that they can have better educations, 

better survival rates, better protection from child marriage and sexual assault and better health services.

To make the framework for the celebration of the World Day of the Girl through the link below

↓↓↓↓

 celebrates International Day 

With 1.1 billion girls in the world, the UN strives to help those girls that face disadvantage and discrimination on a daily basis and wants to highlight the struggle facing those living through crises. 

This year the theme of the International Day of the Girl is ‘EmPOWER girls: Before, during and after conflict’ in humanitarian emergencies gender-based violence increases which means girls are more likely to be subjected to sexual and physical violence, child marriage, exploitation and trafficking.

 Girls in conflict zones are 90% more likely to be out of school, compared to girls in conflict-free countries, which compromises their future and potential.

 The day isn’t just about raising awareness it is also about collecting data about girls who have slipped through the cracks, so we can have a better idea about how they live and what they need.

How to Enter the USA Green Card Lottery 2018 - 2019

The Diversity Visa Program, or “Green Card Lottery,” is an annual lottery run by the U.S. Department of State to allow about 50,000 people a chance to get a permanent resident visa to the USA. The visas provided under this program are reserved for natives of countries that have a traditionally low rate of immigration to the U.S.

The application period for each year’s lottery is only about one month long, and there is very little opportunity to correct mistakes made when submitting documents – in fact, you can be disqualified for not filing the forms correctly.^[1] Therefore, it is very important to fill out your forms correctly and quickly. Here is how to apply for the Green Card Lottery.

Part1

Determine Eligibility

1. 
   1
   Consider if you want temporary or permanent admission into the United States.The Green Card Lottery is only for people who want to become permanent residents of the U.S. If you only want to stay in the U.S. temporarily – for example, for a vacation, to visit relatives, or for business -- the Green Card Lottery isn’t for you. Instead, you may need a temporary visa for nonimmigrant stay^[2] or, if you are from an eligible country, you may qualify for the visa waiver program^[3]. Citizens of Canada and Bermuda, subject to certain restrictions, don’t need a visa for a temporary visit the U.S.^[4]
2. 
   2
   Consider whether you qualify for another form of immigrant visa. If you have a sponsor, such as a family member or employer, or you are eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa, there may be other visa options available to you that aren’t subject to a random drawing. Information about these options are available from the State Department website, https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/all-visa-categories.html. However, you can apply for the lottery even if you are registered for an immigrant visa in another category, as long as you meet the lottery’s eligibility requirements. Therefore, even if you do qualify for another type of visa, you may want to also apply for the lottery.
3. 
   3
   Determine whether you are from an eligible country. Each year the State Department determines which countries are eligible based on which countries have had low immigration rates to the U.S. for the previous five years. People who cannot claim to be from an eligible country cannot participate in the lottery. The lottery instructions provide a complete list of eligible and ineligible countries by region. ^[5] There are three ways to claim that you are from an eligible country:
   

   • If you were born in an eligible country
   • If your spouse was born in an eligible country, as long as both of you are named on the selected entry, are issued diversity visas, and enter the United States at the same time
   • If at least one of your parents was born in an eligible country, as long as neither of your parents were born in your country and neither of your parents were legal residents of that country at the time of your birth (for example, they were there temporarily there on vacation, business, to study, etc.).
4. 
   4
   Determine whether you meet the education/work experience requirement. To be eligible to apply for the lottery, you must meet one of two education/work requirements.^[6] You must either:
   

   • Have a high school education or its equivalent. This means that you must have successfully completed a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education or
   • Have worked for two years within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. This is determined through O*Net, a database found on the U.S. Department of Labor website, http://www.onetonline.org.
5. 
   5
   Determine if any factors make you inadmissible. The lottery is not a way of getting around the general admissibility requirements for permanent residency. If your application is selected during the lottery, factors that would bar your admission to the U.S., such as criminal activity, will still apply.^[7]

Part2

Assemble and Submit the Documentation

1. 
   1
   Beware of scams. Be careful not to fall prey to scams involving the application process.
   

   • Some applicants have received emails or letters requesting money in connection with the application.^[8] The Department of State does not give information to applicants via e-mail or regular mail, and there is no application fee for the lottery. ^[9]
   • The Department recommends that applicants not use a consultant or agent to help them file their application. If an applicant does have someone else prepare and submit the application, the applicant should be present for the preparation and submission and retain the confirmation notice with the unique confirmation number.^[10]
2. 
   2
   Don't be confused by the dates. The years referred to for the lottery can be confusing, so take a few minutes to understand what they mean. For example, the 2013 application period was from October 1, 2013 through November 2, 2013. The 2013 application period marked the beginning of what is referred to as the 2015 Diversity Immigration Visa Program (DV-2015). It is called the 2015 program because successful applicants will receive their visas during the 2015 fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015.
3. 
   3
   Gather everything you need. Make sure you gather all the information you will need to fill out the application, and a digital photo for each person who will be included in your application (yourself, spouse, children), before you begin filling out the application. Once you open the application form, you will only have 60 minutes to complete and submit it. You cannot save or download the form for later submission. If you don’t complete the form in 60 minutes, you will have to start over. You will need to know the following information^[11]:
   

   • Your name, exactly as on your passport
   • Your birth date
   • Your gender
   • The city where you were born
   • The country where you were born (as the country where your birth city is located is called today)
   • The country you can claim for eligibility for the program
   • Your mailing address
   • The country where you live today
   • Your phone number (optional)
   • Your e-mail address – make sure this is an e-mail address you have direct access to
   • The highest level of education you have achieved, as of the day you are filling out the application
   • Your current marital status -- provide the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth of your spouse. Visa applications based on a same-sex marriage are now treated the same way as opposite-gender spouses, if the marriage took place in a jurisdiction where such marriages are legal.
   • Information regarding your children – name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth for all living unmarried children under 21 years old, regardless of whether they are living with you or intend to accompany or follow to join you should you immigrate to the United States. Your children include all living natural children, children legally adopted by you, and step-children who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry, even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you.
4. 
   4
   Collect photos. You must provide a recent photograph of yourself, your spouse, and all children listed on your entry. You do not need to include a photograph for a spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident, but you will not be penalized if you do. You must submit a photograph for each individual – group photos are not permitted. If the photos were not taken with a digital camera, you can scan the non-digital photos into your computer or have someone else scan them and email the image to you.
5. 
   5
   Validate photos. Go to the lottery website, https://www.dvlottery.state.gov, and click on the “Photo Validator” link to make sure the photos you are submitting meet the program’s requirements.
6. 
   6
   Fill out the application. The application must be submitted online through the lottery website. It can’t be sent by mail. Go to https://www.dvlottery.state.gov and click “Begin Entry.” You must fill out the application form completely and accurately. Include the photos that you have validated. There is an online help link on the lottery website that provides more information about completing the application.
7. 
   7
   Make sure you receive a confirmation number. After completing your application, click on “submit,” but don’t close out of the page until you receive a message confirming that your application has been submitted. This message will include a confirmation number. Print the confirmation page, if possible. Don’t lose the confirmation number because you will need it in several months to check on the lottery results.

Part3

Notification of Lottery Results

1. 
   1
   Know that you will not be sent a selection notice. The State Department will not contact you to let you know if you have been selected. Also, the Department will not ask you to send money through regular mail or a wire service as part of this process. The Department might, however, e-mail you to direct you to review the Entrant Status Check for new information about your application.
2. 
   2
   Be patient. The results will not be available for several months after the application period ends. Check the lottery website for the date you can begin finding out whether you were selected. For example, for the 2013 application period (DV-2015), the results will be available beginning noon EDT May 1, 2014.^[12]
3. 
   3
   Check the results. You can access the results by clicking on the Entrant Status Check link on the lottery website, www.dvlottery.state.gov/ESC/. You will need your confirmation number, last/family name, and year of birth to check your status. Keep in mind that if you have not been selected, you should check again at a later date as there may be another drawing.

Part4

Obtaining a Visa^[13]

1. 
   1
   Be aware of time limits. If you are selected through the lottery, you have only until the end of the applicable U.S. fiscal year to apply for, and obtain, your visa. For example, if you applied during the 2013 application period, referred to as DV-2015, you will be able to find out about your selection beginning May 1, 2014, and you must apply for and obtain your visa during the 2015 fiscal year, which is October 1, 2014 - September 30, 2015.
2. 
   2
   Follow the Entrant Status Check instructions. When you check on your status through the Entrant Status Check link, if you are selected, you will receive online instructions on what to do next. Next steps will include being interviewed at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
3. 3
   Apply as quickly as you can. The DV program advertises that 50,000 green cards will be issued. In order to take into account the fact that many of the candidates in the lottery who were selected will probably NOT meet the requirements to obtain a green card, the DV program actually selects 125,000 people. This means that as soon as you submit your application, you will receive a Diversity Visa Rank Order number. The number is located in the Diversity Immigrant Category of the Visa Bulletin, http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/law-and-policy/bulletin.html. Look for the region that you belong to. If your Rank Order number is really high, chances are the 50,000 visas will be issued before your application is processed and so you cannot immigrate. ^[14]
4. 
   4
   Consider adjusting your status, if you are already in the United States. If you are already in the U.S., you may be able to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to adjust your status to permanent resident. To do this, you need to be otherwise eligible to adjust your status, and you must make sure that the USCIS can complete action on your Diversity Visa case, including processing your spouse and children during the program’s time limits