Halloween: Too Ghoulish For My Tastes

Growing up in the late 1950s-early 1960s, Halloween was a holiday where we dressed up in costumes and walked house to house collecting candy. Our costumes were simple – a sheet for a ghost, a homemade paper crown with a dress for a princess, or even one of those awful preformed plastic masks with eye holes that one could barely see out. Most homes had a pumpkin on their front step, and many families made it an event to carve its face. In our house, we saved the pumpkins seeds and toasted them in the oven and, with a little sprinkle of salt, we had a great snack. We would come home with our bag full of small candies that our parents would check over before we ate.

Those days are long gone, and now Halloween is a multi-billion dollar business – and very dark and ghoulish. In fact, the holiday seems more important to adults than it does to kids.

The National Retail Federation says this about Halloween in 2011: “Ghouls and goblins galore, Halloween celebrations will be BOOming this year as more people than ever are expected to partake in traditional festivities. According to NRF’s 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey conducted by BIGresearch, seven in 10 Americans (68.6%) plan to celebrate Halloween, up from 63.8 percent last year and the most in NRF’s 10-year survey history. Those celebrating are expected to spend slightly more too; the average person will shell out $72.31 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $66.28 last year. Total Halloween spending is expected to reach $6.86 billion.”

I have no problem with Halloween for the most part. I buy several bags of candy for the less than handful of children that come to my house that night. I admit I’m happy when we don’t get a lot of visitors, because then I can snack on that delicious chocolate candy over the following weeks. What I don’t like about Halloween is the increasing trend with the overly ghoulish and gory tone that the holiday has taken over the years. It seems that adults have hijacked a children's holiday and turned it into a day to honor the most gross and disgusting things imaginable. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been a fan of the horror genre, but it doesn’t seem like fun to me to visit one of those Halloween haunted houses and have people dressed in gory costumes try to scare the wits out of me.

It may be my wish for the simpler days of being a child, but I think it’s more that I don’t get the fascination that some people have with things so dark and disturbing. But, to each his/her own, I guess. As long as I have an excuse to buy tons of chocolate candy for the holiday, I’m happy!

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Airline Fees Confound on Purpose; Just Raise Rates Already!

Air travelers are getting hammered by the airlines with every sort of added fee that one can imagine. Extra fees for baggage, extra fees for changing your ticket, fees to use pillows, blankets, food…the list goes on. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to determine the best rate for any trip via airline.

That’s the idea.

Airlines use the excuse that they need to add these fees to be profitable. In my opinion, that has little to do with it. If maintaining profitability was the reason for the added fees,  wouldn't it be easier for the airlines to just raise rates to achieve the desired profit margin and quote an all-encompassing amount including a basic list of services? But no, they don’t want to do that. It would make it too easy for anyone to compare airlines and see who had the best fare for any given trip.

The airlines must think that consumers are stupid and don’t notice their air fare sleight of hand. And maybe some people ARE stupid, because many continue to fly and fall victim to the airlines charging them extra for every little thing.

All the airlines should offer a tiered rate system, so anyone can generate a price for their air travel based on their needs. It would be helpful to have a simple program which builds a rate based on the destination, plus number of carry-ons and/or suitcases, and amenities needed. The airlines can charge whatever they want for any segment, but there should be a bottom line price that a person can compare to other airlines.

I wouldn’t hold my breath for the airlines to come together to make any sense of this. After all, it’s in their advantage to continue to confound travelers.


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The 2012 Presidential Election: Is It Over Yet?

It’s over a year away but I’m already tired of the 2012 Presidential election. The mudslinging was already in progress and now with last night’s Republican debate on MSNBC, the Republican candidates have started sniping at each other.

It’s tiresome…and it’s just started. I hope for the day that politicians can spend more time on actually fixing the problems that face the American people, not on trying to move up in the political world. Who knows, maybe the politician who actually gets things done wouldn’t need to spend so much time – or money – on campaigning if their results stood for themselves?



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Dear Michele Bachmann: God Is Likely Not A Terrorist

Michele Bachmann, who is hoping to be the Republican nominee for President, seems to have the opinion that God sends messages to politicians via natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.

In a campaign stop in Florida this weekend, Bachmann said:

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?' Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in the spending."

While I don’t know “God” personally and consider myself to be agnostic, I would hesitate to think that anyone’s God would use a natural disaster to send a message. Why? Because it doesn’t seem rational that God would be a terrorist. Isn’t this exactly how Bachmann describes God – as someone who has to inflict terror upon people in order to get attention?

Bachmann also contradicts herself in her statement when she comments that God says, "Are you going to start listening to me here?" but then goes on to say “Listen to the American people…” So, are we supposed to listen to God - or to the American people? Either God is confused, or Michelle Bachmann is confused (probably the latter).

If anything, words like Bachmann’s should be the real message to voters: find another candidate besides Bachmann to support. With her irrational viewpoint, she could be another looming natural disaster for the United States.

Update: Now Bachmann now says this was a joke - here is a video from another appearance she made the same weekend, her speech is slightly different but the message is the same. By the way - who jokes about earthquakes and hurricanes, especially when they've caused so much damage or even deaths?



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The Debt Crisis: Pathetic Politics As Usual

As the United States creeps closer to the debt ceiling, one thing is constant – some the country’s politicians continue to act like petulant children. House Speaker John Boehner, who I am ashamed to say is from my home state of Ohio, didn’t get his way and proceeded to walk away from debt talks with the Obama administration yesterday. It’s the equivalent of a child taking his ball and going home. Boehner, who is one to weep a the drop of a hat, apparently doesn’t like it when he can’t get his way.

President Barack Obama had something to say about the matter:



John Boehner and the Republican Party are playing a dangerous game of chicken with the debt crisis, and the American people will suffer because of it. These political shenanigans are likely why many companies aren’t hiring right now – who wants to invest in an economy that seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster? The debt ceiling has been raised many times before, by Republicans and Democrats alike, yet this time, the Republicans are using it as a stick to beat home some sort of political point.

No Congressman or Senator should be paid until this issue is resolved. In fact, they should get the negotiating team in a room together and not let them leave until they have the issued solved. The time to play games is over, it’s time for the politicians to do what they are elected to do – protect the interests of ALL the American people, not just the interests of their political party.


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The Court of Public Opinion Doesn’t Count

With yesterday’s not guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony trial, there was an important lesson to be learned:  the court of public opinion does not count. While many seem shocked over what they perceive as a mother getting away with the murder of her daughter, those same people need to reflect on themselves and be shocked at their own behavior by passing judgment on someone before getting all the facts. The media is most to blame for fanning the flames for a guilty verdict. They should know better that it is the jury – not the media or the viewers – that have the last word.

The Casey Anthony trial was not some sort of reality competition show like “American Idol” where viewers can call in and vote to convict, This was real life where the judicial system makes the decision.  Some think that the not guilty verdict means that the system DIDN’T work – and they are wrong. The jury heard the whole case and did not hear any conclusive proof that Casey Anthony was guilty of murder.

Sure, it is highly suspicious that Casey did not report that her daughter Caylee was missing for over a month after Caylee’s disappearance. It does suggest that either she murdered her daughter, or knows who did. But this is the whole point of the not guilty verdict – the jury apparently did not believe that the prosecution proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Casey herself killed Caylee. Caylee is dead, but the prosecution never definitively answered the question -  who killed her and how?

Casey Anthony may be not guilty of murder, but the case does seem to imply that her parenting skills are questionable, after all, no good parent would allow their child to go missing for a month without reporting it. But a possible uncaring parent is not proof of murder.  The jury did convict Casey on the charges of her lying to law enforcement officers.

While the not guilty verdict may seem to fly in the face of logic, it is an important reminder that facts, not feelings, is what should be the factor in deciding guilt or innocence. Will the media learn this lesson for the next big case? I seriously doubt it.


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Facebook’s Annoying Captcha Code And Their Attempt To Grab Your Cell Phone Number

I cannot stand Facebook. I grudgingly use it as a service to the readers of my blogs, but I find interacting with their site cumbersome,  annoying, and most of all, invasive.

The last few weeks, Facebook has been asking me to type in a Captcha code for all my posts on my own pages. It wasn’t required at first, but as the weeks went by, it kept asking me to input the Captcha code more frequently. Facebook says that if I want to stop the Captcha code, I can verify my account, but I have to do it by giving them my cell phone number.

Why? I don’t use my cell phone to post anything to Facebook.  When I looked to see if there is a work around, I found this explanation in their own help section:

[Q:]Why is Facebook asking me to confirm my identity by providing my phone number?


[A:] This is a security measure to help ensure that Facebook remains a community of people using their real identities to connect and share. If you ever lose your password, you’ll also be able to use your mobile number to access your account.


To access your Facebook account, just follow the on-site instructions to add your mobile phone number. If you are having issues or are unable to complete the confirmation process, you can report the problem here.

I guess Facebook doesn’t consider my identity real if I have an email address, yet they considered me real enough when they allowed me to sign up with Facebook using my email address. I am highly suspicious of Facebook and frankly don’t trust them with my cell phone number. (By the way, my cell phone number is only given to immediate family,  and I hardly consider Facebook a member of my family.)

I suppose that I will have no choice but to enter those annoying Captcha codes when I make a post on my own page. But one thing is for sure – I won’t be supporting any of Facebook's advertisers.


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