Those are my Halloween decorations, and it's sad to think of putting them away for another year. I've only got one child young enough to go Trick-or-Treating this year, and he didn't decide to go until yesterday. *sigh* We are dropping him off with a couple of kids in a neighborhood a few miles away. He thinks he's old enough to go alone, but I'm not sure. As I wrote the other day, I have "Empty Halloween Syndrome." But I still love it and always will!

If you don't have anything planned for tomorrow, here are some fun things to watch on TV:

Starting 9 A.M. Saturday ~ NCIS Scare-a-thon on USA network
All Day Tomorrow ~ Boris Karloff and Halloween Marathon on Turner Classic Movies
All Day Tomorrow ~ Monsterquest Marathon on the History Channel



( When Elf and Sprite Flit Through the Night on a Moony Sheen )

One of my Anony-Mice from the previous post directed me to this headline in the Daily Beast: Muggles Ruin Harry Potter Dinner originally from The Guardian UK. It seems a restaurateur in London whose daughter is an "obsessive" fan wanted to host a fun Harry Potter themed dinner on Halloween.

She didn't count on the Zombie Lawyers coming out of the Crypt:

( Everything Under the Cut... )

We just had a good discussion the other day about JKR at Paris Fashion Week watching the extremely thin model go down the runway. Then I saw a picture from Ralph Lauren with a model so incredibly emaciated it was posted on a website called Photoshop Disasters which inspired the perceptive observation from a blogger on BoingBoing who wrote,

"Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis."

Photoshopped Fillipa Hamilton, Olive Oyl, and a more "robust" and real Hamilton.
Actually, poor Olive would need to lose weight for the runway these days.

 

Great Video Coverage of this by Rachel Maddow
"She sort of looks like she was shrinky-dinked, doesn't she?
Look at the ratio of her torso to her head.
That is not a ratio that exists in nature, at least outside the insect world....
It looks like whoever was in charge...was inspired by a combination of Barbie and those
giant-headed Bratz dolls. Actually those dolls
look more normal and more human than the model."



The picture was circulating around the blogosphere when the House of Lauren decided to do a Rowling and send out a bunch of threatening letters, as documented by BoingBoing:

It's obvious by now that Ralph Lauren *hates* being mocked. They hate being mocked so much that they ordered their attack lawyers to send letters trying to fool ISPs into pulling an "infringing" advertisement featuring a ridiculously skinny model (in fact, our posting of the image was fair use, not infringement; Ralph Lauren's takedown notices are bogus and they should know better).

It's also obvious that the photo of Filippa Hamilton used in the Ralph Lauren advertisement was digitally manipulated. But we still have three questions: 1) who, exactly, gave Ms. Hamilton the Olive Oyl physique? 2) If the photo was manipulated after it appeared in the advertisement, why didn't Ralph Lauren's law firm make mention of that in their silly DMCA takedown notice? and 3) Where's the original advertisement?

Note: For all these blog links, read the comments ~ priceless!

( Read more - Threats, Takedown Notices, Excuses,Counterthreats, Mockery, Truth, Etc... )

An article in The Daily Beast about ugly cakes drew my attention to a blog called Cake Wrecks, which is soon to become a book. If you need a laugh (and we all do these days) that is the place to go!






Folks down in Florida better keep an eye on Tropical Storm Erika:
National Hurricane Center
Atlantic Visible Satellite
Tropical Atlantic Water Vapor Loop
NOAA Storm Tracker

And of course all of you out in California have been watching the Station Fire in horror!
See Pictures sent in by readers of Huffington Post 

Time-Lapse Video from Wilson Observatory

And finally, my daughter has discovered that the students at her Law School have more time on their hands than she thought they would. They even have time in between Torts and Contracts to make funny videos about life in the hallowed halls. Check it out (it gets better as it goes along, so stay with it): 
 

I hope all you other Americans are in a pleasant food coma just like me. I cooked steak, bbq pork chops,corn on the cob, squash casserole, baked beans, and cheesecake with strawberries. I hope all of you enjoy your holiday weekend!

It seems that a market in New York City was selling spiral hams with a sign that said "Perfect for Chanukah." *lol*

A Jewish woman took pictures of the signs and posted them here on LJ. Her name is nancykayshapiro  and her posts are here.

The comments are a mixture of amusement and religious huffiness. I'm just linking because I think it's totally hilarious.

She is selling aprons, magnets, coffee mugs and cards in her Cafe Press store here.

The New York Daily News did an article I've put below the cut - Enjoy!