Speedy Halloween costumes, crafts and decorations

Has Halloween crept up on you?

Maybe you've already bought the candy and figured out the kids' costumes, but have you put an iota of thought into your own costume, or how to decorate -- at least a little?

Fortunately, some magazine editors work throughout the year to add fright and fantasy to our spookiest holiday, including ideas that can be done on the fly.

What's most important? The costume. For adults, that means coming up with something witty and easy to pull together. Thank you, Real Simple magazine. The October issue includes 13 costumes that play on puns.

"These are for the ... adults who want to join in on the fun," says Mary Kate McGrath, a Real Simple senior editor.

A few of the ideas: Wear a white chef's hat and apron, and carry an iron (real or toy). What are you? An iron chef.

Tape a $1 bill to each ear to be a buccaneer.

On a black T-shirt and pants, make a line of dashes with white duct tape, starting at a bottom pant leg and ending at the shirt neckline, to simulate highway-lane dividing lines. Fasten a plastic fork across the dashes on the shirt to be a "fork in the road."

For more elaborate but still quick-to-make costuming, turn to the pages of Martha Stewart Halloween, which this year features Stewart decked out as a giant moth. Hers and other costumes, such as Vanishing Man and a Teen Werewolf, pay tribute to classic B movies.

While each costume comes with instructions, Marci McGoldrick, editorial director of Holiday & Crafts for Martha Stewart Living, says details can be used separately or for inspiration. For example, the werewolf's claws are press-on nails that have been trimmed pointy and painted black; you also could use them for a vampire's or witch's costume.

These costumes use clip art and templates downloaded from the Martha Stewart Living Web site.

"I think a lot of adults don't like to do the full costume," McGoldrick acknowledges.

The Web site also has ideas for Halloween decorations, games, treats and candy bags, including a brown-bag broom for favors.

For trick-or-treat bag ideas, the October issue of Better Homes & Gardens includes a decorated paint can and plastic beach pail. Its most functional idea: Glue a ghost cut from a sheet of white foam to a reusable grocery bag, preferably black.

"It's all about inspiration," says Bridget Sandquist, Better Homes & Gardens editorial director for Holiday & Celebrations. "Hopefully, our ideas will trigger something (for our readers), and they can make it their own."

If decorating for Halloween seems overwhelming, focus on the front door and the fireplace mantel, says Sandquist. She recommends decorating with what's already at hand to create focal points on the mantel and throughout the home -- candlesticks with white or black tapers, vases filled with autumn color, and glass jars teeming with Halloween candy. Throw in a few paper bats hung by lightweight fishing line.

For a quick holiday lift to the front door, hang butcher paper and let kids decorate it with colored markers, says McGrath. That also works as a table runner, and keeps children busy. A step further: Fill white balloons with helium and draw ghostly faces on them. Attach the balloons to the butcher paper, or add string and hang them from outdoor lights and the door handle.

For some, it's not Halloween without a carved pumpkin, but McGrath suggests sticking silver bulletin-board tacks into a pumpkin to design a face, house numbers or any abstract shape.

"It's very glisten-y and fancy," say McGrath. "And it takes about three minutes."

Her other pumpkin-decorating ideas: Cover real or craft-store pumpkins with chalkboard or metallic paint, which come in spray cans.

Dina Manzo, a former cast member of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" and host of HGTV's new "Dina's Party," likes pumpkins to sparkle. She combines real and faux pumpkins, decorating them with crafting rhinestones, studs and spikes. Crafting stores sell these supplies; consider rhinestone spider stickers.

"You don't have to carve anymore," says Manzo. Plus, if using hard-foam craft pumpkins, "you can add to your collection every year."

'Once Upon a Time' stars give scoop on season ahead

Now that you’ve checked out the season premiere of ABC’s time-jumping fantasy effort, Once Upon A Time (from two of the masterminds behind Lost, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz), you’ve gotten a taste of what you’re in for. But you’ve far from learned all the secrets the show plans to unleash.

When EW went to the Vancouver set earlier this month, we got to chat with the cast and executive producer Steve Pearlman about what viewers can expect from the coming pages of this tale. Here’s what we learned:

* There will be equal time spent in both worlds. The cast and crew were hard at work on episode 8 during EW’s visit, but Pearlman had read up to episode 10, and said from what he’d seen, the balance between Fairy Tale World and the real world would remain similar to the pilot in the next batch of episode. “Typically, we go into the Fairy Tale World in the first act. Sometimes it’s for a small chunk. We don’t have a rule that says we have to go into the Fairy Tale World once per act, but it kind of lays out that way for the most part,” he said.

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* The first few episodes will center on Snow and Charming Show, but it won’t always be that way. One of the concerns about making the series purely centered on the romantic tale between Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas), said Pearlman, was that they wouldn’t be able to tell stories about other classic characters. “We’re really trying to go to a lot of different places and tie the stories back to our main characters,” he said. “If you look at the pilot, it suggests the story is about Snow and Charming and their life and Emma’s life on the Storybrook side, and we’re absolutely following and tracking those stories throughout the series. But I think [we wanted] to be able to branch out.” Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel are among the characters viewers will be seeing in the first batch of episodes. “We didn’t want to fall into the trap of some shows that have gone before us, that shall remain nameless — [coughs] FlashForward. They were so heavily into mythology that you can’t get out of it,” he said.

* Episode three will be a prequel to the pilot. “I can tell you it’s my favorite episode thus far,” Goodwin said of the episode that explains Snow and Charming’s backstory. “We go on quite an adventure and I came away with an actual, physical scar from it.”

* You won’t see comatose Charming in that state for too long. While Dallas was mum on when we’d see Charming’s real-world counterpart, Jonh Doe, come out of his deep sleep, he assured that he wouldn’t be that way forever. “No one’s come to claim him, [but] maybe when he wakes up, someone comes and claims him,” he teased. “Maybe it’s true. Maybe it’s not true.”

* The war between Henry’s biological and adopted mom will get fierce. Emma Swan’s (Jennifer Morrison) arrival to Storybrook will continue to ruffle Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) feathers. And, as Morrison teases, it will get “pretty intense.” “It’s just such a complicated conflict,” she said. “It’s two women who really, I do believe, both want the best for [Henry (Jared Gilmore)], but they have two versions of the what the best for him looks like and that’s going to be a big dispute for them.”

* Even though Emma doesn’t have a fairy tale counterpart, we will learn more about her character through the others. While Morrison admitted she’s bummed that she doesn’t get a chance to have an ornate fairy-tale costume, she said she’s been pleased with the character development that has taken place. “Her backstory is revealed through her relationships with other people,” she said. “So as other people in this town need help or have problems or come to her for things, she ends up revealing parts of herself through their stories. She kind of has a slower, steadier revelation of who she is, whereas some of the other characters will have a whole episode that’s their flashback.”

* You will learn very quickly why the Evil Queen hates Snow. As teased in the preview after tonight’s episode, episode two will delve into the rivalry between the two characters. “It all definitely derives from something that happened between those two, but you’ll learn a lot about the Evil Queen and her history and why she’s so evil – why she has so much anger and hatred,” said Parrilla. “The Evil Queen is a very iconic character, and we want to know who she is.”

So, readers, what other burning questions do you have about Once Upon a Time? And what did you think of episode 1?

Transitional Leader Calls for Sharia Law as Country Celebrates Liberation Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/23/calls-for-investigation-as-autopsy-reveals-qaddafi-died-from-gunshot-to-head

TRIPOLI, Libya – The transitional government leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil called on Libyans to show "patience, honesty and tolerance" and eschew hatred as they embark on rebuilding the country at the end of an 8-month civil war.

Abdul-Jalil set out a vision for the post-Qaddafi future with an Islamist tint, saying that Islamic Sharia law would be the "basic source" of legislation in the country and that existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified.
Related Slideshow

Sept. 23, 2009: Muammar Qaddafi shows a torn copy of the UN Charter during his address to the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

End of an Era in Libya: Qaddafi Dead

Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi was confirmed dead on Thursday, captured near his hometown of Sirte. Here is a look back at how the "king of kings of Africa" came to an end.

WARNING: Some images are graphic.

In a gesture that showed his own piety, he urged Libyans not to express their joy by firing in the air, but rather to chant "Allahu Akbar," or God is Great. He then stepped aside and knelt to offer a brief prayer of thanks.

"This revolution was looked after by God to achieve victory," he told the crowd at the declaration ceremony in the eastern city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising against Qaddafi began. He thanked those who fell in the fight against Qaddafi's forces. "This revolution began peacefully to demand the minimum of legitimate rights, but it was met by excessive violence."

Tens of thousands gathered in the eastern city of Benghazi Sunday as Libya's transitional leader declared his country's liberation, three days after ousted dictator Muammar Qaddafi was captured and killed.

President Obama congratulated Libya on their declaration of liberation.

"After four decades of brutal dictatorship and eight months of deadly conflict, the Libyan people can now celebrate their freedom and the beginning of a new era of promise," Obama said in a statement.

"We look forward to working with the NTC and an empowered transitional government as they prepare for the country's first free and fair elections," Obama said.

The liberation celebration was clouded, however, by mounting calls for an investigation into whether Qaddafi was executed while in custody.

An autopsy confirmed that Qaddafi died from a gunshot to the head, Libya's chief pathologist, Dr. Othman al-Zintani, said hours before the liberation declaration was to start the clock on a transition to democracy.

However, the pathologist said he would not disclose further details or elaborate on Qaddafi's final moments, saying he would first deliver a full report to the attorney general. Libya's acting prime minister said he would not oppose an investigation, but cited an official reporting saying a wounded Qaddafi was killed in cross-fire following his capture.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Britain's new defense secretary, Philip Hammond, said a full investigation is necessary.

The Libyan revolutionaries' image had been "a little bit stained" by Qaddafi's death, Hammond said Sunday, adding that the new government "will want to get to the bottom of it in a way that rebuilds and cleanses that reputation."

"It's certainly not the way we do things," Hammond told BBC television. "We would have liked to see Col. Qaddafi going on trial to answer for his misdeeds."

Clinton told NBC's "Meet the Press" that she backs a proposal that the United Nations investigate Qaddafi's death and that Libya's National Transitional Council look into the circumstances, too.

The 69-year-old Qaddafi was captured wounded, but alive Thursday in his hometown of Sirte, the last city to fall to revolutionary forces. Bloody images of Qaddafi being taunted and beaten by his captors have raised questions about whether he was killed in crossfire as suggested by government officials or deliberately executed.

Qaddafi's body has been on public display in a commercial freezer in a shopping center in the port city of Misrata, which suffered from a bloody siege by regime forces that instilled a virulent hatred for the dictator in Misrata's residents. People have lined up for days to view the body, which was laid out on a mattress on the freezer floor. The bodies of Qaddafi's son Muatassim and his ex-defense minister Abu Bakr Younis also were put on display, and people wearing surgical masks have filed past, snapping photos of the bodies.

The New York-based group Human Rights Watch, which viewed the bodies, said video footage, photos and other information it obtained "indicate that they might have been executed after being detained."

"Finding out how they died matters," said Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch. "It will set the tone for whether the new Libya will be ruled by law or by summary violence."

The Syrian-based Al-Rai TV station, which has served as a mouthpiece for the Qaddafi clan, said the dictator's wife, Safiya, also demanded an investigation.

"I am proud of the bravery of my husband, Muammar Qaddafi, the holy warrior, and my sons who confronted the aggression of 40 countries over the past six months," the station quoted the widow as saying in a statement.

Jibril, the acting Libyan prime minister, said he would not oppose an inquiry into Qaddafi's death, but that there is "no reason" to doubt the credibility of an official report that the ousted leader died in cross-fire.

"Have you seen a video of somebody killing him? I haven't seen any video tape or mobile film that shows somebody is killing Qaddafi," Jibril told reporters in Jordan where he was attending an international economic conference.

"What I told the press several times ... (is) that coroner says in the medical report that he (Qaddafi) was already wounded, taken out, put in that truck and on the way to the field hospital there was cross-fire from both sides," Jibril said. Jibril said it's unclear whether the fatal bullet was fired by loyalists or revolutionary forces.

The vast majority of Libyans seemed unconcerned about the circumstances of the hated leader's death, but rather was relieved the country's ruler of 42 years was gone, clearing the way for a new beginning.

"If he (Qaddafi) was taken to court, this would create more chaos, and would encourage his supporters," said Salah Zlitni, 31, who owns a pizza parlor in downtown Tripoli. "Now it's over."

The long-awaited declaration of liberation starts the clock on Libya's transition to democracy. The transitional leadership has said it would declare a new interim government within a month of liberation and elections for a constitutional assembly within eight months, to be followed by votes for a parliament and president within a year.

At the ceremony in Benghazi, Abdul-Jalil outlined several changes to align with Islamic law.

"This revolution was looked after by God to achieve victory," he said.

Abdul-Jalil said new banks would be set up to follow the Islamic banking system, which bans charging interest as a practice deemed usury. For the time being, he said interest would be canceled from any personal loans already taken out and less than $7,500.

He also announced the annulment of an existing family law that limits the number of wives Libyan can take, contradicting the provision in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, that allows men up to four wives.

And he urged Libyans to hand back money or property taken during the civil war.

Abdul-Jalil thanked those who fought and fell in the fight against Qaddafi's forces.

"They are somewhere better than here, with God," he said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/23/calls-for-investigation-as-autopsy-reveals-qaddafi-died-from-gunshot-to-head/#ixzz1bgwuByqK

Does Tim Tebow Look Like an N.F.L. Starter to You?

Just to be clear: Matt Prater won Sunday’s Broncos game with a 52-yard field goal in overtime. Tim Tebow did not snap for it, hold for it or kick it.

But he will get most of the credit for the win anyway.

The unstoppable force that is the Tebow Legend got a new chapter on Sunday, when he shrugged off a day full of wayward passes and crunching sacks in his first start this season to direct a comeback that gave the Broncos an 18-15 victory over the Dolphins. Denver emerged from the game with a victory, but does Coach John Fox still need a quarterback?

Judy Battista covered the game for The Times, and she summed up the good and the bad of Tebow’s day in a few quick paragraphs:

For 55 minutes, Tim Tebow had barely looked like a functioning N.F.L quarterback. He took sacks and threw poorly. He was hesitant and overwhelmed.

The Broncos’ coaching staff, which had made him the starter just two weeks ago, had so little confidence in him that through three quarters, he attempted just eight passes.

But with five minutes left and the Miami Dolphins playing prevent defense, Tebow turned into the player who inspires fans to erect billboards and opposing teams to honor him when he visits, rallying the Broncos to two touchdowns.

And when Denver lined up for the 2-point attempt that would send the game to overtime, it seemed that only the Dolphins had never seen highlights from Tebow’s Heisman Trophy-winning career. They had their defense spread across the field, leaving gaping holes between each player. Tebow took the snap and ran off right tackle, untouched, for the conversion.

From there, the result seemed a fait accompli.

Of course the Broncos won. Because nothing ever seems to go wrong for Tebow, especially in Florida, where he could probably run for governor — and win. Tebow won a state title in high school, two B.C.S. crowns and a Heisman Trophy with the Gators, then scrubbed the state’s beaches clean using only a washcloth and warded off hurricanes by standing on the sand and staring them down as they pondered coming ashore. (O.K., only parts of that sentence are true, although maybe some in Florida would argue that all of it is.)

But Tebow doesn’t play in Florida anymore. He plays in Denver, and Sunday’s victory made the Broncos’ Tebow conundrum only more maddening. Is he the miscast fullback/quarterback who threw for only 24 yards in the first three quarters on Sunday, when he had more sacks (4) than completions (3)? Or is he the proven winner who directed drives of 80 and 56 yards to force overtime.

Sure, Sunday’s comeback was stirring — “Denver and Tebow have won!” the CBS announcer Kevin Harlan said as Prater’s field goal sailed through — but Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk laid most of the credit for Tebow’s success at the feet of a horrible performance by the Dolphins.

When Tebow missed throws, he often missed them by 10-15 yards. The Broncos wouldn’t let him throw on third down. It was one of the worst 55 minutes of quarterback play I’ve ever seen. At one point, the crowd chanted “Tebow sucks.” He didn’t remotely look like an NFL quarterback.

Gold Rush in Alaska May Go in Vain

October 21, 2011 /

An impending decision by the Alaska State Supreme Court will definitely dictate whether the gold rush in Alaska will be of use or not as voters have passed measures aimed at stopping mines in the state.

One of the proposed mining site is the Pebble Mine, which is almost the biggest sockeye salmon spawning location.

Voters passed last week the Save Our Salmon initiative, a reason to celebrate for environmentalists and conservation groups.

Anders Gustafson, the executive director of the Renewable Resources Coalition that brought together commercial, sport and subsistence fishers to oppose the development of the giant gold and copper mining, considered the vote to be a wake-up call for the mining industry albeit the close margin with the mining proponents.

What’s more, the move is supported by almost all of the residents in the state, nearly entirely dampening the hopes of Anglo-American and Northern Dynasty officials for a business project in the areas.

More than 50 percent of Alaska folks turned down mining prospects, with the ballot measure passing by just 34 votes.

Mike Heatwole, a spokesman for the Pebble partnership, considered the narrow margin as a good sign. Heatwole also represents the mining companies.

One of the barricades hampering the mining development in Alaska is the all too high environmental standards that the state and federal government are requiring mining companies to meet.

Although the prospect of allowing mines in the state is an invitation to economic boom, residents are thinking twice over environmental factors that hold sway on their decision.

Heatwole, on the other hand, is hoping that the courts will trash the initiative.

Trefon Angasan, who represents Alaska natives living near the proposed mine, vehemently opposes the initiative as it will drive away job opportunities for local residents there especially in times when fishing jobs, which used to be their living, are declining.

The same environmentalists and conservative groups have previously dispelled oil and gas prospects in Alaska, and now they are being criticized for doing the same to mining, seemingly pushing away the chances at survival.

Mining companies are challenging the legality of the initiative. According to Alaska’s attorney general, the initiative would be unenforceable. Accordingly, the Constitution gives the legislature, not boroughs, authority to develop state resources.

Saints set points record against Colts

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Fans sitting in the upper deck turned their backs to the field, where the New Orleans Saints were setting franchise records, and saluted head coach Sean Payton, who was sitting high above in a booth with his broken leg propped up.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw five touchdowns in a 62-7 thrashing of the Indianapolis Colts.

By Derick E. Hingle, US Presswire

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw five touchdowns in a 62-7 thrashing of the Indianapolis Colts.

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By Derick E. Hingle, US Presswire

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw five touchdowns in a 62-7 thrashing of the Indianapolis Colts.
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He might as well have had both feet up by the middle of the third quarter.

Drew Brees completed 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints set a franchise record for points and victory margin in a 62-7 demolition of the hapless Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night.

BOX SCORE: Saints 62, Colts 7
VIDEO: Saints-Colts Highlights

"I was real proud of how we played tonight, how we handled the week of practice," said Payton, standing on crutches after the game. "We spent a lot of time during the week just talking about us beginning to play our best football, because we really felt while we were 4-2, we hadn't done that."

Payton had called offensive plays from the sidelines since he took his first head coaching job with New Orleans in 2006, but that changed after he was caught up in a tackle along the sideline at Tampa Bay last week and was injured. Sitting high up in the Superdome for the game against the Colts, he had to like what he saw down below, where offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. called plays for the first time.

Brees had two touchdown passes to Marques Colston and one to Darren Sproles in the first quarter. His fourth and fifth touchdown tosses went to second-year tight end Jimmy Graham in the third quarter.

It seemed the Saints could do whatever they wanted, also rushing for 236 yards.

"We had a great game plan. We played with a lot of confidence. Pete did a phenomenal job," Brees said. "It was just our night, one of those games that doesn't come along too often. … We needed a win like this, especially after the past week and everything we've gone through."

The Saints scored, by far, the most points of any team this season, easily eclipsing Green Bay's 49-23 victory over Denver on Oct. 2.

When the large video board in the Superdome showed Payton peering out from the booth, the crowd erupted. By the time the third quarter ended, there wasn't much of a crowd left.

Colston had seven catches for 98 yards.

Brees wasn't intercepted before he was replaced by Chase Daniel late in the third quarter, a move that prevented New Orleans' starting quarterback from extending his NFL record of four straight games with at least 350 yards passing.

Mark Ingram rushed for 91 yards on 18 carries but limped to the locker room early in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury. Sproles carried 12 times for 88 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown.

The Saints had 557 yards and a team-record 36 first downs.

Colts quarterback Curtis Painter was only 9 of 17 for 67 yards and had an interception returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Leigh Torrence.

For the seventh game this season, Colts star quarterback Peyton Manning was forced to watch because of a neck injury that has sidelined him all season.

As hard as it had to be for Manning to be a spectator in his return to his native New Orleans, it had to be even harder to see his team's mistake-prone performance. These Colts looked more like the bumbling Saints of old that his father, Archie, starred for three decades ago.

Indianapolis fumbled twice in the opening quarter, giving the Saints a relatively short field both times.

The first came on the opening drive on a botched snap that linebacker Jonathan Vilma recovered on the Colts 41-yard line.

Brees then completed his first three passes, the last a 14-yard scoring strike to Colston, who made a leaping catch in front of defensive back Jerraud Powers to make it 7-0.

The Saints then went 81 yards in six plays, including Pierre Thomas's 57-yard gain on a screen pass, and took a 14-0 lead when Brees hit Colston again with a quick 4-yard throw over the middle.

The Saints then took over on their 48 when defensive tackle Tom Johnson stripped rookie running back Delone Carter, and Cam Jordan recovered.

Sproles started the drive with a 16-yard run and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown catch.

Brees' 26-yard completion to Lance Moore ignited yet another touchdown drive, this one covering 69 yards in seven plays and ending with fullback Jed Collins' 1-yard score on a second-effort plunge through a pile of players.

John Kasay added field goals of 23 and 47 yards. The second came as time expired in the half and was set up by Colston's 39-yard reception.

Indianapolis trailed 31-0 before scoring on Carter's 2-yard run, capping a seven-play, 80-yard drive that was highlighted by Carter's 42-yard scamper on the opening play.
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Falcons claim Lions' Ndamukong Suh, Cliff Avril taunted Matt Ryan

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cliff avril
The Lions' Cliff Avril cuts loose after sacking Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. / KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/DFP
BY STEVE SCHRADER

DETROIT FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Filed Under

Sports
Detroit Lions

Ndamukong Suh
Cliff Avril
Matthew Stafford
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Last week it was The Handshake.

This week some Atlanta Falcons were claiming after Sunday's game that the Lions' Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril taunted quarterback Matt Ryan when he was on the turf with an ankle injury.

"I lost a whole lot of respect for 90 (Suh) today, and also 92 (Avril), the (bleep) they were doing when Matt got hurt," Falcons receiver Roddy White told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

"That was unacceptable. ... Like 92 was kicking his feet, saying, 'Get him off the field.' We don't do stuff like that. We don't rally over guys when they get hurt. It was just inappropriate behavior."

Ryan went down on a third-quarter play when his ankle was folded in two by his own lineman's foot. But he returned to finish the game.

"I had respect for Suh before the game," Falcons center Todd McClure told the Journal Constitution. "But when Matt was on the ground, the things he was saying and the trash he was talking was definitely uncalled for. ... (He said), 'Get the cart' and several other things that I can't repeat."

But when he was asked about it, Ryan said, "I didn't hear any of that." Maybe he was too busy groaning.

As for the accused, Avril tweeted later: "Come on, I'm not in the business of hurting not one guy on the field ... I would never taunt anyone on an injury...

"But if we want to talk about dirty players look at the film and see who prides themselves on being durty..."

Still, it's true the Lions still had the Chip on the Shoulder attitude Sunday, starting with some pregame jawing with the Falcons. And that stuff plays a lot better when they're winning.
Lions take crowd out of game

The Falcons had sounds of jet engines piped in to practice last week to prepare for the Ford Field crowd noise.

The flight must have been stuck on the tarmac, because the din the Lions have been bragging about didn't happen. At times it seemed like you could have heard a pin drop. Or a Matthew Stafford pass.

"Right now this building is a nonfactor," Fox analyst Brian Billick said.

But don't blame the fans for not bringing their "A" game, because neither did the Lions, with ineffective offense, special teams that were worse, field goals instead of touchdowns, penalties and other stuff that seemed vaguely familiar.

In other words, c'mon, guys, you gotta give us something to work with here. That's how the place got loud in the first place (and why things perked up for a while in the second half).
Outtakes

• Billick, critiquing the Lions QB: "Stafford is rushing himself, and I don't know that he needs to. ... I don't know if it's perceived pressure or actual pressure, but he's not settling in and throwing the way we've seen him throw before."

• Is that why the Lions converted just one of 12 third downs? Including last week's 49ers loss, they're on a 3-for-27 streak.

• Oops, Suh got flagged for snagging Ryan's face mask, providing him with a different point of view. It's called the William Gholston Rule.

• Billick, on the Lions' record: "As I've always said in the National Football League, 5-2 -- when did you win the five and when did you lose the two?"
Back in the studio

• Yeah, they were still talking about The Handshake. It made segments throughout the "Fox NFL Sunday." Think that was Schwartz's strategy all along, distract everybody because better they talk about that instead of a Lions' loss?

• Michael Strahan, analyzing tape of the incident: "We need to get Jim Schwartz another bout as soon as possible. My man needs to redeem himself. This is what's known as 'Somebody hurry up and get between us so I can act like I really want to fight you.' "

• For the record, Schwartz and Atlanta's Mike Smith shook hands and parted like gentlemen after the game.

A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

LOS ALTOS, Calif. — The chief technology officer of eBay sends his children to a nine-classroom school here. So do employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.
Grading the Digital School

Blackboards, Not Laptops

Articles in this series are looking at the intersection of education, technology and business as schools embrace digital learning.

Previous Articles in the Series »
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Old-School in Silicon Valley
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Bits Blog: Technology, Schools and a Big Black Bug (October 22, 2011)
Times Topics: Education and Schools | Computers and the Internet

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Cathy Waheed helps Shira Zeev, a fifth grader. Waldorf parents are happy to delay their children's engagement with technology. More Photos »
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But the school’s chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home.

Schools nationwide have rushed to supply their classrooms with computers, and many policy makers say it is foolish to do otherwise. But the contrarian point of view can be found at the epicenter of the tech economy, where some parents and educators have a message: computers and schools don’t mix.

This is the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, one of around 160 Waldorf schools in the country that subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.

The Waldorf method is nearly a century old, but its foothold here among the digerati puts into sharp relief an intensifying debate about the role of computers in education.

“I fundamentally reject the notion you need technology aids in grammar school,” said Alan Eagle, 50, whose daughter, Andie, is one of the 196 children at the Waldorf elementary school; his son William, 13, is at the nearby middle school. “The idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous.”

Mr. Eagle knows a bit about technology. He holds a computer science degree from Dartmouth and works in executive communications at Google, where he has written speeches for the chairman, Eric E. Schmidt. He uses an iPad and a smartphone. But he says his daughter, a fifth grader, “doesn’t know how to use Google,” and his son is just learning. (Starting in eighth grade, the school endorses the limited use of gadgets.)

Three-quarters of the students here have parents with a strong high-tech connection. Mr. Eagle, like other parents, sees no contradiction. Technology, he says, has its time and place: “If I worked at Miramax and made good, artsy, rated R movies, I wouldn’t want my kids to see them until they were 17.”

While other schools in the region brag about their wired classrooms, the Waldorf school embraces a simple, retro look — blackboards with colorful chalk, bookshelves with encyclopedias, wooden desks filled with workbooks and No. 2 pencils.

On a recent Tuesday, Andie Eagle and her fifth-grade classmates refreshed their knitting skills, crisscrossing wooden needles around balls of yarn, making fabric swatches. It’s an activity the school says helps develop problem-solving, patterning, math skills and coordination. The long-term goal: make socks.

Down the hall, a teacher drilled third-graders on multiplication by asking them to pretend to turn their bodies into lightning bolts. She asked them a math problem — four times five — and, in unison, they shouted “20” and zapped their fingers at the number on the blackboard. A roomful of human calculators.

In second grade, students standing in a circle learned language skills by repeating verses after the teacher, while simultaneously playing catch with bean bags. It’s an exercise aimed at synchronizing body and brain. Here, as in other classes, the day can start with a recitation or verse about God that reflects a nondenominational emphasis on the divine.

Andie’s teacher, Cathy Waheed, who is a former computer engineer, tries to make learning both irresistible and highly tactile. Last year she taught fractions by having the children cut up food — apples, quesadillas, cake — into quarters, halves and sixteenths.

“For three weeks, we ate our way through fractions,” she said. “When I made enough fractional pieces of cake to feed everyone, do you think I had their attention?”

Some education experts say that the push to equip classrooms with computers is unwarranted because studies do not clearly show that this leads to better test scores or other measurable gains.

Is learning through cake fractions and knitting any better? The Waldorf advocates make it tough to compare, partly because as private schools they administer no standardized tests in elementary grades. And they would be the first to admit that their early-grade students may not score well on such tests because, they say, they don’t drill them on a standardized math and reading curriculum.

Marion students celebrate Red Ribbon Week with anti-drug campaign

Red Ribbon Week kicks off today for about 41,000 Marion County school children, who will honor the week in spirit since there are no red ribbons to hand out for the second straight year.

"Unfortunately, we no longer provide the icon for the event — the red ribbon," district spokesman Kevin Christian said. "However, kids do understand the spirit of the program and continue to participate."

The anti-drug campaign will go on as scheduled, with a week's worth of family events and school activities.

The district used to get a $6,000 grant that was used to purchase 45,000 ribbons for students and teachers, as well as dozens of banners.

Red Ribbon Week, which runs Oct. 24-28, is designed to instill the anti-drug message into students' minds and hearts.

This year's theme is "It's Up to Me to Be Drug Free."

Events include:

Today, 6 p.m.: Kickoff carnival at Ocala Police Department headquarters; free music, food and entertainment.

Tuesday and Wednesday: "Line Up to Sign Up" invites students to sign pledge banners at their school.

Thursday: "We Rule! We're a Drug-Free School" day gives schools a chance to develop a red-ribbon slogan and display it via posters, door decorations, videos and other creative ways. It also is "Wear Red" day.

'American Horror Story' recap: Stranger Danger

In 'Home Invasion,' the haunted Harmons find themselves under siege by horror fetishists, their own demons, and -- eek! -- Jessica Lange's poisoned cupcakes!
By Jeff Jensen | Published Oct 13, 2011

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1968. The Broadway musical Hair is blowing sunshine on Broadway, Jim Morrison is making a spectacle of himself everywhere, and a house in Los Angeles once owned by a doctor to the stars is serving as student housing for women enrolled in nursing school. But not for long. Two cars -- omens of impending doom, as they wear the show’s colors of taint and filth: Black and green. The camera dotes on the rear of the pea-toned Shelby Cobra, the distinctive logo – poisonous serpent upright and proud inside an egg-white oval – riding shotgun on the trunk. More conspicuous: The “Pat for First Lady” bumper sticker telling us that Richard Nixon is in the field, working the campaign trail, his loyal wife Pat by his side. Within months, “the great silent majority” will move the couple into the White House, setting in motion an American horror story that will coincidentally coincide with another: the emergence of the modern day, home-invading mass murderer. “Home Invasion” – a scary homily about sex, lies and cover-ups, stranger-danger fear and the toxic influence of culture -- implicated a wide variety of fork-tongued snakes... as well as the women who love them.

In last week’s peek into the house’s past, the Infant Terrible in the basement ravaged wretched, red headed twins. This week’s stinger-sequence history lesson reminded us that most horror stories get their jollies from snuffing young ladies. Maria: Studious but not too square, full of Christian grace yet convinced of Universal Salvation. Gladys: Frumpy and feisty, impervious to the bigotry of her Barbie doll peers. They both liked television: Peyton Place and Laugh-In ("Sock it to me!") On the evening of July 5th, 1968, with their haughty housemates at the Hollywood Bowl giving it up for The Doors, Maria and Gladys made the mistake of being faithful to their calling as nurses and Good Samaritan principles. When a shifty-looking stranger with a (faked) bloody scalp knocked on their door asking for help, they opened their door and let him in.

His name was Franklin. He wore black and carried no truck with Jesus. And because a nurse once poisoned him with mercury from a broken thermometer, Franklin hated all nurses and wanted them all dead. The stranger knocked Maria and Gladys to the floor and then sang a snippet of a 1958 novelty song about an overweight girl named "Fatty Patty." At this exact moment, on the television, we heard a character from Peyton Place -- the shady villain Les Harrington, no less -- say the following: "As usual, you're out of line. And in very bad taste." Franklin smirked sinister. He drowned Gladys in the claw foot bathtub -- a life-taking baptism. Then he made Maria strip and dress in a virgin white nursing gown, then hogtied and posed her on the girls’ ivory sofa -- a sacrificial lamb on a living room altar, ready for slaughter... and ready to pay for the sin of our TV viewing pleasure. As Maria prepared her soul for heaven with prayer, the black clad snake scoffed and made it clear: This is The End. “I told you, Jesus isn’t going to save you.” He confused Maria’s profession of spiritual salvation with a plea for deliverance from worldly evil. She was really giving Franklin the finger of faith: You can take my body; you can’t touch my soul. All hail Maria, full of steel. (Or delusion, if you don’t go that way.) But whatever: Franklin stabbed her repeatedly in the small of her back, and all Maria could do was take it and take it and take it, and scream and scream and scream. Sock it to me, indeed.

“Home Invasion” continued American Horror Story’s storytelling m.o. of building stories out of pieces and planks of other horror stories. The fusion can be very clever. In an episode reminiscent to the 2008 home invasion/serial killer flick The Strangers, I loved how Violet was reading Albert Camus’ chilling philosophical novel The Stranger. I'm torn about drawing inspiration so directly from real-life tragedy to create fiction. See: Modeling Franklin so specifically on Richard Franklin Speck, who murdered 8 student nurses in their Chicago townhouse dormitory in 1966. (As the show conceded: "As usual, you're out of line. And in very bad taste.") Still, the blurring of fact and fantasy feels ironically appropriate for a story about a family whose understanding of reality is being challenged and subverted -- for better or worse -- by the unreal elements of their house. It also illustrates the feedback-loop nature of culture creation. Maria's assault and stabbing was set to shrieking violins -- a copycat version of the soundtrack stinger in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. It was also staged in a way similar to a real-life murder committed by The Zodiac Killer, who began slaying in late 1968. (Of course, I only recognized the Zodiac m.o. because I had seen David Fincher's 2007 movie about the still-unsolved case.) "Home Invasion" reminded me that the late sixties outbreak of serial killers and mass murderers really did taint the culture. They made us feel unsafe. These monsters also captured the imagination, too. See: the post-Psycho/Manson boom in slasher movies and true crime flicks. Which, in turn, can make us feel even more unsafe.

The episode dramatized the concept of “home invasion” in literal and symbolic ways. Adelaide infiltrated the Harmon home yet again -- this time to play ball with the Infant Terrible in the basement. (A nice visual metaphor for the facing your fears/taming your fears advice that Ben tells his patients. Also a metaphor for becoming too comfy-friendly with our demons, too.) Tate got back into the house at night after being kicked out of it by Ben to watch Violet as she slept… although we later received confirmation that Tate is a spirit. Maybe the Harmons have invaded his home? Guilt-wracked Ben tried to prevent the legacy of his sinful past from entering his home and subverting his second chance life. And then there was Constance’s bid to push a trojan horse of Ipecac-spiked cupcakes into the Harmon house ... and into Violet's mouth. But why? What's her beef with the Harmons' daughter? We'll explore many of these insidious incursions in greater depth as move along, but first, let’s talk about one of the episode’s more peculiar invasion stories: Leah’s hair.

Things that slow your PC down

Things that slow your PC down
2 days ago by Maryanne Lee

It’s one thing to boot up a computer brand new from the store, and to revel in the galactic superspeed in which it loads. It’s another to keep it running at that same speed, especially after some months have passed.

There are many reasons why your computer isn’t running at its optimum. Fortunately, they’re all very easy to solve. Read on to find out what slows your PC down, and what you can do about it.

An overloaded startup

Most applications you install usually add themselves automatically to your Start Up folder. This results in a slower startup because of the time needed to load them all. If your computer used to boot at the speed of light, but now moves slower than an old lady at the zebra crossing, this might be your problem.

SOLVE THIS: by accessing the MSCONFIG command through your search bar or run application, heading to the Startup tab at the top, and unchecking all unnecessary programmes. Seriously, do you really need iTunes to boot whenever you start your computer?

Too many temporary files

Whenever you look at webpages, watch videos, look at photos or even type on Microsoft Word, your computer stores temporary files so that it can load up faster the next time round. These files build up over time and may slow your computer down, especially since they’re usually located in your OS drive.

SOLVE THIS: By running Windows Disk Cleanup, found in Accessories, regularly.

A fragmented disk

A very old school problem, but still a very real one. Disk fragmentation occurs when the file system can’t or won’t allocate enough continuous space to store a complete file. This results in gaps within that file, and can make that file run slower than it usually would. Sometimes, those gaps occur when the OS deletes a file it doesn’t need any more. (This is safe though, your OS is smarter than you think).

SOLVE THIS: By running the Disk Defragmenter, also found in Accessories, regularly. We suggest not using the computer whilst the Defragmenter runs so as to minimise more fragmentation 

Programs uninstalled improperly

What a mouthful this header is. A PC does not work like a MAC – simply deleting the application you don’t want won’t cut it, and leaves behind remaining files that may cause your computer to slow down.

SOLVE THIS: By always uninstalling programs with the proper uninstall.exe, or remove them via the Control Panel. Go one step further to delete leftover files from the folder manually after uninstallation. This could include save games, 3rd party add ons, screenshots and etc.

A full OS disk

Many people make the mistake of saving everything possible into their C:/ drive, and that usually hosts their OS, or operating system. Once that drive gets too full, it slows down, thereby slowing down your entire computer’s processing speed.

SOLVE THIS: by partitioning your drive into C:/ and D:/ and saving your data in D:/. The lack of strain on your OS drive will let it run faster. You might be pleasantly amazed at the difference this can make.

Background anti-viruses

Anti-viruses are always helpful, but can sometimes do more harm than good. Since they’re always running and usually boot together with your computer, they can slow down processes considerably. Strangely enough, it’s always the ones you’ve got to pay for that wreak the most havoc.

SOLVE THIS: By disabling auto scans and updates, or by switching to a more lightweight, freeware anti-virus. Some have suggested Avira and AVG Antivirus, but it’s your job to ask your trusted geek friend what he’s using.

Spyware and viruses

Malicious software often heads straight for your Windows Registry or core file system, slowing down your computer. They can sneak in with applications you download online and install, and can also hop in from less-than-savoury websites you visit. SOLVE THIS: While spyware and viruses can be removed manually by deleting them from your registry, some can be more persistent. In this case, use an automatic spyware remover – tons are available if you do a Google search. One of the more popular one is Ad-Aware Spyware Remover.