HOW TO GO GREEN - HALLOWEEN

Comment by James Everitt on October 19, 2009 at 7:13pm

GREEN HALLOWEEN

Give little ghouls a fun night without food worries

Halloween candy is downright scary for the nearly 25 million Americans avoiding gluten.

Gluten-free expert and author Carol Fenster details practical ways to maintain Halloween’s spooky-fun spirit without fear of hidden gluten.

Ideas include: Learn to read labels (looking for wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and oats); contact manufacturers to verify candy content; ask your natural market to create a dedicated gluten-free Halloween section; organize a home party that shifts the focus away from food and onto games, prizes, and costumes; and serve a gluten-free supper (try Applegate Farms’ new gluten-free chicken nuggets and Amy’s line of gluten- and dairy-free pizzas).

Gluten-free natural candies for Halloween include Candy Tree, Crispy Cat, Ian’s, GoNaturally, Let’s Do…Organic, Newman’s Own Organics, PureFun, St.Claire’s, Stretch Island, Tropical Source, and YummyEarth. Sidebar on GF mixes and products from Bob’s Red Mill, Pamela’s Products, Glutino, and EnjoyLife.

For the full story, click here.

Comment by James Everitt on October 20, 2009 at 5:46am

The History of Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

Video: The haunting History of All Hallow's Eve (Halloween).

Video: Timothy Dickinson tells the intriguing tale of why we celebrate Halloween, and it's evolution from Samhain, an ancient Celtic Harvest Festival.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

Comment by James Everitt on October 29, 2009 at 7:58am

The Raven - A Halloween Poem

The Raven is an excellent Halloween poem to recite on this spookiest of nights. It was written by Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) who was an American poet, short-story writer, editor and literary critic. Poe is best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre.

The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe recited by Vincent Price

Comment by James Everitt on October 29, 2009 at 3:07pm

Halloween at the Obama White House


Halloween at the White House 2009!

Obama is outside in the backyard sneaking a cigarette. He's hoping his healthcare reform ideas get passed before he has a heart attack due to all the smoking. He is worried he may have to deal with sky high medical bills that will not be fully covered by the insurance.

Bo the dog is eagerly awaiting Halloween and all the hoopla with visitors inside and out in front of the White House. This special day will give him lots of reasons to bark like a mad dog!

The Obama girls are out trick or treating with their friends and a few dozen secret service men. It is so tedious to try to have fun with friends with all these geezer old men around!

Michelle Obama will be passing out five-pound weights to any women who comes trick or treating to the White House. Tone those arms ladies! A note will be attached to each weight w/ grosgrain ribbon. It will say: Use daily and by next summer maybe your arms will be as toned and sexy as mine!

Protestors will be marching out front with signs to protest the Afghanistan war. It has been many years since our nation was not at war. The protestors have been marching out there for too many years.

The ghosts of all the soldiers killed in the Iraq war, the Vietnam war and any other war where our nation's presence in the conflict zone was highly contested, are marching out front too. They also want to protest any war. They are holding peace signs that float mysteriously through the air.

The little kids will be coming in hordes to the White House trying to get a piece of candy from the president. Do they dare TP the White House if they don't like the treat they are given?

Some special friends and enemies will be visiting the White House on Halloween too!

Kanye West will be dropping by to bump Obama off the front porch because he wants to be the one handing out the White House treats.

George W. Bush will be dropping by to give Obama a lecture about investigating the antics of the CIA. Bush will be dressed in a devil costume.

Jane Fonda will visit because she wants to compare her arms to Michelle's and see who is the most fit and firm.

Martha Stewart will drop by to bring some homemade treats. She hopes Barack and Michelle will enjoy the sugar cookies with sprinkles that spell out "Beck = Idiot."

Michelle's Mom will be enjoying her status as grand dame of the White House. She will carry a fairy princess wand to grant all visitors one special wish!

Tea party protestors will be out front protesting too. They will be sipping hot tea and prancing about in Sarah Palin costumes, red spike heels and all.

The ghosts of presidents past will be dropping by. Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln will give Obama quite the fright when they show up together and grab him by either arm and drag him into the rose garden to offer some advice about how to handle the stress of the being a president.

Barbara Walters will drop by to interview the family about the fun they have planned for Halloween. CONTINUE: Halloween at the White House 2009!

Comment by James Everitt on October 30, 2009 at 7:53am

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Currently you're able to find the nation's premier haunted houses, costumes, pumpkins, crafts, monsters and more. PLEASE, GO GREEN - HALLOWEEN: HOW TO GO GREEN - HALLOWEEN

(1) Halloween at the White House

(2) Halloween at the White House

(3) Halloween at the White House

Not a moment passes at Organizing For America without volunteers and leaders across the country taking their creativity to the next level. Last week, during our October 20 Day of Action, we had students launching ideas in Ohio and neighbors working together in Michigan to create one of the strongest advocacy pushes in the history of OFA. Once again, this Halloween, we want to call on you to put on your creative hats (it'll look great with that costume) and show us your carving skills!

A pumpkin can be many things; for some, its decoration. For others it's what your grandmother calls you while she's pinching your cheeks. Here at OFA, we think a pumpkin on your front porch can also be a way to show your support for health reform! Last year on October 31, four days before we elected Barack Obama as our 44th President, individuals carved images and messages into their festive orange pumpkins. Our friends at YesWeCarve.com showcased the amazing results:

We want you to send us pictures of your carved pumpkins! You can recreate some of the carvings above. Click Here for some stencils, or come up with your own! Send us pictures to halloween2009@dnc.org. We are so close to the one year election anniversary mark, and we are close to making health insurance reform a reality. Bring your friends, family, and (b)roommates together and make a party out of carving your message to show your community your support for reform NOW. Let's scare the naysayers away!

Instead of another bad Halloween joke, I'll just leave the creativity in your hands....

Be sure to send us pictures!

Comment by James Everitt on November 1, 2009 at 7:16am

Obama's Halloween at the White House

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Saturday doled out presidential M&Ms and dried fruit mixes to more than 2,000 trick-or-treaters, marking their Halloween at a White House event partly aimed at honoring military families.

Dressed as superheroes, pirates, fairies and skeletons, the kids came in with their parents from Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C., lining up at the orange lit White House.

The Obamas smiled, chatted and passed out cellophane goody bags that were also filled with a sweet dough butter cookie made by White House pastry chef Bill Yosses and a National Park Foundation Ranger activity book. Mrs. Obama wore furry cat ears and a leopard-patterned top.

A big, stuffed, black spider dangled in a web of string from the top of the portico, and pumpkins had sprouted up around the columns.

The loot handed out was just part of the treat for the kids, ages 6 to 14.

"He touched my hand," said a beaming Tiera Thomas, 11, of Washington, D.C., after she picked up her candy from President Obama.

The Obamas spent about a half hour passing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Then they headed inside to a reception in the East Room, where the first couple attended a reception for military families and for the moms and dads who work at the White House, along with their kids. The visiting children were chosen with help from the Education Department.

Obama thanked the military members and their families. "We are so grateful to you," he said. "Especially now, a lot of the times, you guys are separated. It's tough. The spouses who are at home are serving just as much as folks who are deployed. So we are just so thrilled that you guys could be here and we could say personally 'thank you' to all of you."

Michelle Obama said the kids were "just so cute."

Obama added: "They're adorable, as is, by the way, my wife, a very nice looking catwoman."

It was also the first White House Halloween for the Obamas' daughters, 8-year-old Sasha and 11-year-old Malia.

But the White House refused to say where Sasha and Malia Obama were celebrating Halloween and what the two girls were wearing, even though hundreds of other children their ages were in costume in full view of the media. The White House referred back to first lady Michelle Obama's comment to Jay Leno, that finding out what Sasha and Malia were wearing would require "security clearance."

Over the years, the winter holidays have been the ones to get the full treatment at the White House, with Christmas trees and tinsel all around.

The Obamas are not the first, though, to show Halloween spirit.

President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush hosted 500 children on Halloween in 1989, loading them up with fun loot but also teaching them about the dangers of drugs. The kids came decked out in costumes; some Secret Service agents came dressed as clowns. CONTINUE ARTICLE: White House Celebrates Halloween with 2,000 Kids

Obama's Halloween at the White House

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