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I never "celebrated" Hallowe'en as a child. We knew the date and that it was something to do with bad spirits but that was it. The only traditions we had were bobbing for apples and marshmallows on a string - all done without hands, of course. You'd end up wet and sticky. I think we'd play conkers as well
Come October our thoughts were on "Guy Fawkes night" also known as bonfire night. Sure kids would go around with homemade effigies of Guy Fawkes and chant "Penny for the Guy?" As an English Catholic I was always dubious about the emphasis on the Catholic plot to destroy Parliament but I would celebrate it because I could see that change needed to be within the law. Always felt sorry for the chap. The bonfire and fireworks were something different, to light up cold November evenings. Writing our names with sparklers and watching fireworks that went off. Even the ones that failed were entertaining. And the guy's were always a source of amusement, being pushed around in prams or dragged on go-karts.
Traditionally we'd eat baked potatoes and black peas, toffee, toffee apples and "Parkin".
"Cop calling" was another tradition where we lived in Manchester. Children would knock on the door - with or without a Guy and start singing Guy Fawkes rhymes usually "We come a cop calling this Bonfire night..." There was more but I can't remember it - possibly because they were never allowed to get past the first line at our house. "You had the feeling they never got past the first line sometimes as the next line, if sung, was frequently mumbled. I've tried looking it up but can only find this rhyme.
Sadly I was reading today, this custom in in decline being replaced by the American custom's of Hallowe'en. I never went to a Hallowe'en party until the early nineties when I was nearly 30! "Trick or treating" being the most dubious in my mind. We, as a family, never encouraged cop calling because it was seen as begging but there was no harm done if you said no. The idea that it's OK to go around begging for treats and, if none are received, it's OK to threaten to play a trick on someone is immoral! It's begging with menaces! The idea that it is OK to scare people. What does that teach young minds? I know many an elderly person who feels threatened in their own homes at this time of year. My main gripe is that it's an American import, it's just not British! If we must import from America I'm sure there are more worthy imports.
I think I'm turning into a grumpy old woman...
So, drawings wise. In spite of what I've said against Hallowe'en it seems churlish not to do something relevant! Especially when Christopher Lee was knighted only yesterday. So, despite his request not to be so addressed....Here's Sir Christopher in what can only be described as a Hammer Horror classic image.
OK, it may not be Hammer but I love the association.
It's another quick sketch, the lines didn't go quite where I wanted them but I think it works.
I've also had a few cracks at Robbie Williams. No cigar yet. I'm getting cramp in my drawing hand so I think I'll call it a day now.
Oops...sound of sirens... GRUMPY OLD WOMAN ALERT!
Richmonder Robert Bess has built a ghost catching machine called the Parabot -- short for paranormal containment chamber. And now the only thing he has to do is test it by catching the ghost. On live national television.
To be precise on,The Travel Channel's live Halloween broadcast.
We got a sneak peek before Bess heads to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia to test the Parabot on national TV. With the help of hosts from "Ghost Adventues LIVE," he'll try to catch a ghost during a seven-hour paranormal investigation on Oct. 30, 2009.
Alexa Ray Joel she's been learning the ropes as a singer-songwriter from past few years, now she is ready to be a superstar.
Her new single, "Invisible," though, seems ready to step her into the spotlight. The piano-driven ballad, which she recently debuted on "The Wendy Williams Show," about a bad breakup, gives her a chance to proove her powerful, distinctive voice as well as her songwriting abilities.
To make the most of it, Joel teamed up with Tommy Byrnes, Billy Joel's longtime guitarist, to produce "Invisible," which will likely be on her upcoming album. The song, which she is giving away on her Web site, alexarayjoel.com, is so strong and moves in such a pop-leaning direction that Joel may find herself in the midst of the major-label frenzy that she has tried to avoid so far.
The Amazing Johnathan is an Famous comic magician whose bizarre humor and unscripted antics have earned him widespread recognition as one of the most original and unique stage performers today. His DVD Wrong On Every Level is the latest example to prove this point.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has given Amazing Johnathan much praise, by including him on the coveted "Best of Las Vegas" list in the "Best Show" category, and he also won "Best Comedian of the Year" for 2002 and got nominated in 2003. Most recently, Amazing Johnathan was recognized as "Best Local Villain" by the Las Vegas Weekly Reader's Choice Awards in 2004 and 2005. He is also a two-time winner of the International Magic Award for "Best Comedy Magician."
SUBURBAN TRANSIT |
TEMPORARY CHANGES |
Route 105 - 69th Street Terminal to Ardmore and Paoli
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A 12:01 a.m. strike deadline has gone.
SEPTA and its largest union, negotiations are continued early this morning.
Gov. Rendell and Mayor Nutter reached at the Holiday Inn in Center City just before 1 a.m. hoping to reach a settlement overnight.
A strike - which Mayor Nutter had said "was pretty unimaginable" and which the union leadership had presented as very possible - can still be called at any time by Local 234 of the Transport Workers Union.
Ghost Adventures Live runs until 3 a.m. Saturday morning. If you would like to see what is going on inside the trans allegheny lunatic asylum hospital click on the link below.
I started the day on a downer wondering what I should do and procrastinating like mad. So I decided.
Time for some positive thinking!
In the next 24 hours I'm would
1. Finalise craft fair table booking details.
2. Submit BAFA form
3. Complete painting on my third entry for BAFA entry!
Check, check and check! Feeling much better now.
OK, so doing another caricature was not on that list, so none today.
I've finally started my last entry for the BAFA competition - just over 2 weeks to go, nothing like leaving things to the last minute, huh! I spent a lovely couple of hours trying to create a face from self levelling gel which was supposed to be blood red. It's more shocking pink than blood red, trouble is, until it dries I won't know if it's right! Hopefully it is.
I did a sketch of the living room, inspired by watching Ewan pelt down the stairs. He sits at the top of the stairs with his legs and body stiff but flexed at the hips, arms held behind him, regulating his speed. Down he goes, again and again and again! Noticed that the view I had was very interesting, there is a hint of Ewan on the stairs in the picture, but not much.
I'm now off to do some more caricaturing, which I'll hopefully be able to post it later.
Here's my 4th attempt at a quick sketch of Ronan Keating. The first one had the best likeness but the body was a mess. The rest had some major flaws, well to my mind anyway.
Wow! I've just realised this is my 300th post. Never thought I'd keep the blogging up quite as well as I have. I'm now on twitter as well, need to work out how to link the 2.
Scary Bosses for Halloween Characters
According to the CareerBuilder’s Halloween survey conducted on more than 4,000 workers, nearly one-in-five (18 percent) workers describe their workplace as scary.
How rehabilitation of prisoners can be done successfully? Can law enforcement agencies better use technology to solve crimes? A new book “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safe," by San Francisco’s District Attorney Kamala Harris — who has been called “the female Barack Obama” — explores new, unconvential ideas on how our society can recorrect our broken criminal justice system. Read an excerpt:
Getting back on track
Responding to violent crimes and supporting victims is the everyday work of a district attorney. Like our colleagues in a wide array of emergency services, we are primed for a twenty-four-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week response to the threats against our community and the questfor justice for victims. But there is another dimension to the way I have come to view my responsibility that is also important. Twice a year there is an event that I and many others in my office attend after the courts close. As the clock ticks on through the day, we all cross our fingers that the fates spare us an emergency call for at least a few hours. Because if the essential and sometimes grim business of prosecuting offenders and defending the rights of crime victims is what occupies the bulk of our days, this event is a unique chance to hope. It’s evidence that we have found a new way to get tough on the underlying dynamics of a huge category of crime that is bursting the seams of our system.
You now can get your October College Board (CollegeBoard) SAT Scores online! Yep, the College Board had released the SAT scores on collegeboard.com this week for October 2009.
Armuchee High School has been declared the 7-AA Region champion in the Governor’s Cup Challenge, which is based on gains in SAT scores. Armuchee also got third position in the state among AA schools for the state championship and had the highest score in AA, according to Floyd County Schools officials.
Armuchee High’s 2009 total score for math and reading was 1588. The school’s average increase for the past three years was 27 points.
“We’re excited to be recognized for something like that,” said Armuchee High Principal J.C. Burris.
He said the school has been putting a lot of attention on preparing students for the Scholastic Aptitude Test with advanced placement classes and online preparation courses. He said many students have been benifitted by the online programs even outside of the classroom.
The Governor’s Cup Challenge calculates average three-year gains made by schools on their most recent SAT in reading and math. Three years’ worth of scores are used to promote ongoing improvement in student performance on the SAT.
Armuchee High will be given a $1,000 grant to continue SAT improvement, a trophy for being named the region champion and a plaque recognizing AHS as the highest scoring school in Class AA.
“We stress to our students the importance of challenging themselves for success in life or a test like the SAT,” told Burris. “Our students have accepted the challenge by taking more demanding courses from advanced placement to our honors prep track.”
The hot Report of the day that a Michael Jackson autopsy death picture has been leaked. The Michael Jackson autopsy death photo was leaked leaked by a “high ranking police friend” to a Los Angeles Famous restaurant owner who has now stored it in his BlackBerry, is the allegation.
Why a restaurant owner has the purported photo, and who he is, is unclear. Moreover how a “police friend” got access to the photo remains , mystery surrounds all over.
The details are mentioned in a report this week that an online writer received a telephone tip about the photo’s owner. What does the photo show?
First, the claim is the photo was taken professionally, Its not a cellphone pic. “[It's] not a cellphone picture …. [they] quality was far too good.”
Second, the allegation is that photo shows Jackson, shaven head, eyes open, eyebrows tattooed, skin ashen in color, lips flat without makeup, showing a scar on left cheek, makeup removed, lying on his back.
Third, the angle the alleged position of the cameraman is 30 degrees to the left. Beyond the telephone tip, a British tabloid editor says the photo estimated to demand at least a $1 million sale price.
The latest honor to make it to Keni Thomas’s career portfolio was getting to sing the American national anthem, God Bless America, for the fifth time in the last five years at the Yankees Stadium during course of the regular season.
In an eleventh hour announcement, Keni Thomas made his way to the stage. According to sources, the initial plan was to have the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys duo to perform the act. However they were rescheduled to present the national anthem at a later night.
A former US Army Ranger, he served in the military through the 90s.
a. | a congenitally grossly deformed and mentally defective person. |
b. | a foolish person. |
c. | a person who spends time idly daydreaming. |
I decided to try again with Lily. The first picture was bugging me. This is better, I think. Another quick sketch.
I'm procrastinating again. I've one last piece to do for the art competition, but just can't bring myself to start. I keep planning and changing my mind. Maybe I'm over thinking again. I found a book in WH Smiths for "People who think too much" it may even had been Women. Anyway, I thought, that's me. I'd get so much more done if I stopped thinking so much and just got down to it. I'll try that now!
Some of the sweet deals at the lionfood grocery store this Halloween week.
Deals will expire Tuesday except those at Aldi, which expire Monday:
A. Buy one package of six cupcakes, get one free at Food Lion and Lowes Foods.
B.Lowes foods is also doubling manufacturers’ coupons up to 99 cents.
C.Brach’s candy is 99 cents at Compare Foods.
D.Party goods including pumpkin lights and Halloween paper are $2 at Harris Teeter, which is also doubling manufacturers’ coupons up to 99 cents.
E.Buy two Hershey’s bags of candy, get one free at Food Lion.
F.12-ounce bags of semi-sweet chocolate baking chips are $1.49 at Aldi.
G.Hershey’s snakc-size candy is $2.99 at Compare Foods.
H.Trick or Treat buckets are 99 cents at Food Lion.
I.A “scary cat” cake is $6.99 at Harris Teeter.