Friday, October 30, 2009

Prayer



Convicted forger A. Schiller was serving his time in Sing Sing prison in the late 1800s when guards found him dead in his cell.

On his body they found seven regular straight pins whose heads measured the typical 47/1000ths of an inch or 1.17 millimeters in diameter.

Under 500 magnification it was found that the tiny etchings seen on the heads of the pins were the words to The Lord's Prayer, which is 65 words and 254 letters long.

Of the seven pins, six were silver and one was gold - the gold pin's prayer was flawless and a true masterpiece.

Schiller had spent the last 25 years of his life creating the pins, using a tool too small to be seen by the naked eye. It is estimated that it took 1,863 sepatate carving strokes to make it. Schiller went blind because of his artwork.

5 Sweets Kids Hate Getting for Halloween


Although you’re not likely to get a trick for giving a bad treat these days, that sad and disappointed look on a child’s face is quite enough to make you regret giving anything but excellent Halloween handouts. They’re all bubbly when they get to your door, and then you had to go and ruin it with some healthy food, right? You’re such awful person! How dare you think of the child’s wellbeing?

Well, Halloween isn’t about being healthy. It’s about candy – and lots of it! It’s like Christmas except earlier in the year, with fewer presents but more costumes. In any case, don’t worry too much. Their parents will moderate their candy intake. Trust me, the last thing any parent truly wants is a bunch of kids hopped up on candy for an entire day. Worst case scenario they’ll dose ‘em up and send them to grandma’s house (but I digress).

Mary JanesHalloween No-No Number One – Mary Janes

Yeah, we bet you didn’t know those weird orange peanut butter and molasses things even had a name, but they do: They’re called Mary Janes, and they’ve been grossing kids out for nearly 100 years. Although 100 years ago most things kind of sucked anyway, so maybe these were considered good back then. That might explain why it’s mainly really old people that give them out.

LolipopHalloween No-No Number Two – Huge Lollipops

Not only do they take up a lot of room in that tiny little bin (which would be much better occupied by Three Musketeers bars, might I add), these surprisingly bland juggernauts of the candy family are something only an army of ants could love. Not to mention they contain enough sugar to put most kids into a coma if eaten in one sitting (or at least give them extremely sore tongue muscles).

LicoriceHalloween No-No Number Three – Black Licorice

Black licorice is definitely an acquired taste – and being acquired implies one has lived long enough to remember at least 2 or 3 presidential elections. Most adults don’t even like black licorice (just like many don’t participate in presidential elections), so it’s best just to avoid black licorice altogether. Trust me, it won’t get many votes.

Candy CornHalloween No-No Number Four – Candy Corn

Candy corn is the fruit cake of Halloween – you either love it or hate it, and there always seems to be a never-ending supply of it. There’s plenty of candy corn to go around as it is, and if their kids love it, trust me there’s already a big bucket of the stuff at home. Giving out candy corn on Halloween is like giving milk to a dairy farmer – either they’ve got plenty of it and have no need for more, or they make cheese and don’t even need it at all.

Health foodHalloween No-No Number Five – Healthy Food

Unless the town you live in is full of hippies, apples and bananas just aren’t going to fly. Not only are they heavy, but parents will usually throw them out – or at least they will if they’re smart. Who knows what you did to that seemingly innocent fruit? When it comes right down to it, it’s a gift from a stranger, and since it isn’t packaged, it isn’t safe – or even wanted. And giving out toothbrushes or dental floss is just asking for a kick in the ass.

The best idea is to have a lot of the “safe stuff” with a few “strange” options and ask if they have any special requests. Who knows – maybe you will make a new black licorice loving health food fanatic friend. Stranger things have happened (although, I should probably be more careful with that saying… it is Halloween, after all).

15 Books to Inspire Awesome Halloween Costume Ideas


Preppy clothes and glitter for your skin? That’s a vampire Halloween costume? It is if you’re getting your ideas from the popular Twilight series of books. Sadly, if you go to a costume party as a vampire from one of the Twilight novels, you will spend the entire evening explaining what you are: “See? My skin glitters in the light! That’s how you can tell I’m a vampire!” No plastic fangs as a clue that you are, in fact, a vampire.

And that is one of the issues with getting ideas out of books in which fantasy creatures live, undetected, among the rest of us. The point is that they are mostly indistinguishable from your everyday, run of the mill, “folks.” These characters can make for a trendy bit of pop literature, but they don’t offer much in the realm of creative and distinct costuming.

If you’re interested in getting good costume ideas out of books, though, there are plenty to be had. Here are 15 books that offer great costume ideas:

1. Dracula: Now here’s a vampire you can identify. The widow’s peak. The long cloak. The fangs. Bram Stoker’s “mystery story” remains one of his most famous works, and a true classic, even today.

2. Frankenstein: This is another classic monster tale that provides ample opportunity for you to create a distinctive and recognizable costume. Dressing up as Mary Shelley’s hideous Frankenstein’s monster, or Dr. Frankenstein himself, are very real options. And everyone knows who these characters are. No need to explain why your skin is green and you have bolts sticking out of your neck…

3. Harry Potter: This series of books for pre-teens and teens is a no-brainer. There are a ton of great costume ideas throughout the series. From individual wizards, like Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lord Voldemort and Professor Dumbledore (all of which are described with specific and distinguishable features), to creatures such as house elves, goblins and giants, there are a number of great costume ideas.

You can wear school robes or don Quidditch gear. For those who enjoy props, wands and broomsticks can be used to enhance the costumes. The ideas are endless when it comes to Harry Potter. Of course, you do have to deal with the fact that there are likely to be plenty of others with Harry Potter costumes running around. You will be far from unique.

4. Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit: These beloved fantasy novels provide the fodder for a host of recognizable creatures. J.R.R. Tolkien offers descriptions of elves and dwarves (he even offers his own spellings), and of hobbits and men. Characters such as Sauron and Gollum, as well as Frodo, Legolas and Gimli are possible to recreate, and do so in a way that is distinguishable. The popularity of the Lord of the Rings movies creates a visual that you can use as a touchstone. And if you’re feeling really spendy, you can get accessories (jewelry, weaponry, armor) that looks like what was used in the movies.

5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Most fantasy sagas are a veritable gold mine of costume ideas, and The Chronicles of Narnia is no exception. You can dress in armor and fancy clothes, and carry identifying accessories as one of the main characters, or you can dress up as one of the fantastical creatures C.S. Lewis uses in the series. And I don’t mean Aslan, the talking lion, either. There are mermaids, fauns, satyrs and centaurs galore in Chronicles. (You can learn how to construct a centaur costume on deviantART.)

6. The Egypt Game: If you are into something a little last fantastical, you can consider The Egypt Game. This Newbery Honor winner provides costume ideas out of ancient Egypt. From Nefertiti to the cat goddess Bastet to bird-headed Thoth, you can get some pretty far-out costume ideas rooted in mythology. Author Zipha Keatley Snyder also wrote The Gypsy Game andThe Headless Cupid, in case you were looking for more costume ideas.

7. The Wizard of Oz: This is another classic full of costume ideas. Many people have enjoyed portraying Glinda (the good witch), the Wicked Witch of the West, the Tin Man and other characters from L. Frank Baum’s well-known classic. The characters are often easy to dress up as, yet still distinctive and recognizable (ruby slippers, anyone?). You can even put on a little hat and find some wings and be one of the flying monkeys.

8. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass: Charles Dodgson wrote his books about Alice and her strange adventures under the pen-name Lewis Carroll. These books offer interesting costume possibilities, from the Queen of Hearts, to the White Rabbit, to the Mad Hatter, to the Cheshire Cat to Alice herself. Twins can be Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Like many other fairy stories, the characters in the Alice adventures have their own distinguishing props.

9. The Indian in the Cupboard: If you’re more into Western themes, this book offers some interesting possibilities. A Native American and a cowboy are each represented, and there is a World War I medic as well. Lynne Reid Banks’ book is a classic tale with sequels that offer other ideas from nurses to soldiers to colonists.

10. Johnny Tremain: Esther Forbes offers an interesting historical novel that follows the life of one boy in the years immediately leading up to the Revolutionary War. Historical figures like Paul Revere populate this tale, walking amongst fictional characters.

11. The Three Musketeers: This swash-buckling classic from Alexandre Dumas provides a number of period costume ideas. Dress as a musketeer with the distinctive costume. You can be Cardinal Richelieu if you like. Or, if you like, dress up as the king and queen of France. Dumas also wrote other related books, Twenty Years Later and The Man in the Iron Mask, which have other interesting opportunities for costumes.

12. Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Clearly, the plays offered by William Shakespeare provide a wealth of costume possibilities. Simple costumes, from Hamlet’s unrelieved black, to the more complex costume ideas available in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, all give one a classicism that is undeniable. There are couple costumes for those who like to match each other (”Romeo and Juliet”, Rosalind and Orlando from “As You Like It” — which offers interesting possibilities since Rosalind cross-dresses as a man).

13. Winnie the Pooh: A.A. Milne’s beloved characters offer great costume ideas. Winnie the Pooh is a fun costume idea for very young children, and adults can enjoy dressing up in these costumers as well. A number of characters are recognizable, although it might be difficult in some cases to create costumes that look like animals.

14. The Cat in the Hat: Dr. Seuss is always an interesting subject for crazy costumes. Another book for children, The Cat in the Hat offers whimsical costumes for all ages. Other Dr. Seuss books provide equally recognized characters.

15. The Bible: This is one of the most recognized pieces of literature. If you are looking for character costume ideas, The Bible is a great place to go — especially if you want to add a little Christian sensibility to Halloween. Clearly, for the devout, dressing up as Jesus may not be the best option. But there are a number of characters — Eve, Moses, Joseph, Jezebel, and more besides — that can be portrayed through costume and with props. If The Bible isn’t your thing, there are plenty of characters in religious texts from other world religions.

32 Bizarre and Fascinating Facts About Halloween


Halloween is one of the most exciting and captivating holidays celebrated by both the young and old. Every year we break out the costumes and the spooky decorations in October. We carve our pumpkins, we buy the candy. But how much about this frighteningly fun holiday do we really know? There are many fun and interesting facts about Halloween that many people are not aware of.

Enjoy these terrifyingly true trivia facts and impress your friends with your extensive Halloween knowledge. We cover everything interesting about Halloween from history facts to Halloween around the world. Keep reading for 32 of the most bizarre Halloween facts we could find!

Halloween History

1. The history of Halloween began in ancient times with the Celts living on the British Isles. The Pagan calendar had October 31st as the last day of the year called Samhain. Celtic priests honored their god of death, known as Samhain, on the night of the 31st. The Celtic people believed that the spirits of the dead rose on that night and so they wore costumes to scare them away.

2. After the rise of Christianity the first day of November was known as All Saints Day which was originally called All Hallows Day. That made October 31st All Hallows Eve. That is how Halloween got its name.

3. It is believed that the Irish began the tradition of Trick or Treating. In preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, Irish townsfolk would visit neighbors and ask for contributions of food for a feast in the town.

4. After the Roman Empire gained control of the British Isles, Samhain also became a harvest festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees. Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from this harvest festival.

5. Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance, and tell fortunes. By the second half of the nineteenth century there was in influx of immigrants (particularly the millions of Irish fleeing the potato famine in Ireland) who helped popularize Halloween and make it the holiday it is today.

6. In the United States the first citywide Halloween celebration was held in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921. It is believed that the reason the townspeople decided to put on this celebration was to divert its youngsters from committing Halloween pranks. Anoka is now known as “The Halloween Capital of the World”.

7. The earliest known use of the words “Trick or Treat” did not occur until 1934, when a Portland, Oregon newspaper ran an article about how Halloween pranks kept local police officers on their toes. There would be sporadic instances of the phrase “Trick or Treat” used in the media during the 1930s. But the practice we see today, children dressed in costume, going house to house saying “Trick or Treat” did not really come about until the mid 1940s.

The Scoop on Pumpkins

8. A pumpkin is a berry in the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes melons, squash, cucumbers, and gourds. All of these plants are native to the Americas.

9. Pumpkins are 90% water and generally weigh between 15 and 30lbs. They are rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene, and potassium and their seeds provide iron and protein. Pumpkins also come in white, blue, grey, and green. Great for carving unique jack o
lanterns!

10. Jack o lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts. When they immigrated here they found that turnips were not as plentiful so they used pumpkins instead. Today, 99% of America’s pumpkins are used for Jack-o-lanterns.

11. Pumpkins originated in Central America. When Europeans arrived in the New World, they found that this plentiful food was often used in cooking by Native Americans. They took pumpkin seeds back to Europe where they quickly became very popular.

12. Growing giant pumpkins is a big time hobby with big time rewards. Top prize money for the biggest giant pumpkin can be as much as $25,000 at fall festivals. A new Guinness world record was set October 1, 2005 for the biggest pumpkin. This giant pumpkin weighed 1,469 lbs. and was grown by Larry Checkon of North Cambria, PA. Checkon’s pumpkin outweighed the 2004 winner by about 23 lbs.

Halloween Around the World

13. In Mexico, Halloween is called “Dia De Los Muertos” which means “Day of the Dead” in English. It is a joyous and happy holiday, a time to remember friends and family who have died. Mexicans have a 3 day celebration beginning on October 31st and ending on All Soul’s Day.

14. In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before going to bed on Halloween night. The reason for this is because it was once believed such items would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night which for the Austrians was considered to be full of strong cosmic energies.

15. In Czechoslovakia, chairs are placed by the fireside on Halloween night. There is one chair for each living family member and one for each family member’s spirit.

16. The Halloween celebration in Hong Kong is known as “Yue Lan” which translates to Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. This is a time when it is believed that spirits roam the world for twenty-four hours. Some people burn pictures of fruit or money at this time, believing these images would reach the spirit world and bring comfort to the ghosts.

17. In Belgium, on Halloween night the custom is to light candles in memory of dead loved ones.

18. In Germany, the people put away their knives on Halloween night. The reason for this is because they do not want to risk harm to the returning spirits.

19. In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed while bonfires and lanterns are lit in order to light the paths of the spirits as they travel the earth on Halloween night.

Modern Day Halloween Facts

20. Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first. Americans spend an estimated 6.9 billion dollars during Halloween on candies, costumes, decorations and parties.

21. Halloween is not just for children, adults love Halloween too! It is estimated that one-third of all adults wear costumes and join in the festivities.

22. Of all the candy sold annually in America, 1/4 of it is sold during Halloween time. The number one candy choice for Halloween is Snickers. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Tootsie Rolls, and Nestle Crunch are the next most popular candies. Chocolate Candy bars are by far the number one choice for most households to give away to their trick or treaters.

23. 65% of people in North America decorate their homes and offices for Halloween, second only to Christmas. Pumpkins are the most common Halloween decorations followed by skeletons, scarecrows, and bats.

24. In modern times, Halloween is most popular in the United States and Canada. Both countries celebrate the same way with costumes, parties, and trick or treating. The popularity of this holiday in both countries has increased year after year.

Miscellaneous Trivia

25. Samhainophobia is an intense, persistent, and abnormal fear of Halloween. This time of year may also stir up other phobias such as the fear of: cats (ailurophobia), witches (wiccaphobia), ghosts (phasmophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), the dark (nyctophobia), and cemetaries (coimetrophobia).

26. The colors black and orange are widely associated with Halloween. Orange represents the Fall harvest and black represents death.

27. Black cats were once believed to work for witches by protecting their powers. It is often thought that it is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.

28. The next full moon on Halloween night will be on October 31st, 2020. The last one was in 2001. Before that, there was a full moon on Halloween night in 1955.

29. The Salem Witch trials of 1692 are known for burning so-called witches at the stake. Actually, not one witch died by burning; most were put to death by hanging and several died in prison of natural causes.

30. Harry Houdini died on Halloween night in 1926 after collapsing onstage at a show in Detroit, Michigan.

31. “Trick or Treat for UNICEF” started in 1950 in Philadelphia, PA. A group of young trick-or-treaters, accompanied by their pastor, collected $17 for children in need. The money was sent to UNICEF and an American tradition was born.

32. Worldwide, bats are vital natural enemies of night-flying insects. Vampire bats really do exist, but they’re not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

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