Halloween Traditions From Around The World

As one of the world's oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in multiple countries around the globe, but it is in North America and Canada that it maintains its highest level of popularity. Every year, 65% of Americans decorate their homes and offices for Halloween...a percentage exceeded only by Christmas. Halloween is the holiday when the most candy is sold and is second only to Christmas in terms of total sales. Take a look at some of these Halloween customs from around the globe:

Austria
In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night because it was once believed such items would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night which for the Austrians was considered to be brimming with strong cosmic energies.

China
In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed while bonfires and lanterns are lit in order to light the paths of the spirits as they travel the earth on Halloween night. Worshipers in Buddhist temples fashion "boats of the law" from paper, some of which are very large, which are then burned in the evening hours. The purpose of this custom is twofold: as a remembrance of the dead and in order to free the spirits of the "pretas" in order that they might ascend to heaven. "Pretas" are the spirits of those who died as a result of an accident or drowning and whose bodies were consequently never buried. The presence of "pretas" among the living is thought by the Chinese to be dangerous. Under the guidance of Buddhist temples, societies are formed to carry out ceremonies for the "pretas," which includes the lighting of lanterns. Monks are invited to recite sacred verses and offerings of fruit are presented.

Czechoslovakia
In Czechoslovakia, chairs are placed by the fireside on Halloween night. There is one chair for each living family member and one for each family member's spirit.

England
At one time, English children made "punkies" out of large beetroots, upon which they carved a design of their choice. Then, they would carry their "punkies" through the streets while singing the "Punkie Night Song" as they knocked on doors and asked for money. In some rural areas, turnip lanterns were placed on gateposts to protect homes from the spirits who roamed on Halloween night. Another custom was to toss objects such as stones, vegetables and nuts into a bonfire to frighten away the spirits. These symbolic sacrifices were also employed as fortune-telling tools. If a pebble thrown into the flames at night was no longer visible in the morning, then it was believed that the person who tossed the pebble would not survive another year. If nuts tossed into the blaze by young lovers then exploded, it signified a quarrelsome marriage. For the most part however, the English ceased celebrating Halloween with the spread of Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation. Since followers of the new religion did not believe in Saints, they saw no reason to celebrate the Eve of All Saints' Day. However, in recent years, the American "trick or treating" custom, together with the donning of costumes for going door-to-door, has become a relatively popular pastime among English children at Halloween, although many of the adults (particularly the older generations) have little idea as to why they are being asked for sweets and are usually ill-prepared to accommodate their small and hopeful callers.

Germany
In Germany, the people put away their knives on Halloween night because they do not want to risk harm befalling the returning spirits.

Ireland
In Ireland, believed to be the birthplace of Halloween, the tradition is still celebrated as much as it is in the United States. In rural areas, bonfires are lit as they were in the days of the Celts and children dress up in costumes to spend the evening "trick-or-treating" in their neighborhoods. After the visiting, most people attend parties with neighbors and friends. At these parties, many games are played, including "snap-apple," in which an apple on a string is tied to a door frame or tree, and players attempt to take a bite out of the suspended apple. In addition to bobbing for apples, parents often arrange treasure hunts with sweets or pastries as the "treasure." The Irish also play a card game where cards are laid face-down on a table with sweets or coins beneath them. When a child selects a card, he or she receives whatever prize might be found there. A traditional food is eaten on Halloween called "barnbrack." This is a type of fruitcake which can be baked at home or store-bought. A muslin-wrapped treat is baked inside the cake which, so it is said, can foretell the future of the one who finds it. If the prize is a ring, then that person will soon be wed and a piece of straw means a prosperous year is forthcoming. Children are also known to play tricks upon their neighbors on Halloween night. One of which is known as "knock-a-dolly," where children knock on the doors of their neighbors but then run away before the door is opened.

Mexico & Latin America
Among Spanish-speaking nations, Halloween is known as "El Dia de los Muertos." It is a joyous and happy holiday...a time to remember friends and family who have died. Officially commemorated on November 2 (All Souls' Day), the three-day celebration actually begins on the evening of October 31. Designed to honor the dead who are believed to return to their homes on Halloween, many families construct an altar in their home and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, fresh water and samples of the deceased's favorite foods and drinks. Frequently, a basin and towel are left out in order that the spirit can wash prior to indulging in the feast. Candles and incense are burned to help the departed find his or her way home. Relatives also tidy the grave sites of deceased family members, including snipping weeds, making repairs and painting. The grave is then adorned with flowers, wreaths or paper streamers. Often, a live person is placed inside a coffin, which is then paraded through the streets while vendors toss fruit, flowers and candies into the casket. On November 2, relatives gather at the grave site to picnic and reminisce. Some of these gatherings may even include tequila and a mariachi band although American Halloween customs are gradually taking over this celebration. In Mexico during the Autumn, countless numbers of Monarch butterflies return to the shelter of Mexico's Oyamel Fir trees. It was the belief of the Aztecs that these butterflies bore the spirits of dead ancestors.

Have a larger thirst for Halloween knowledge? Click here!


Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collections for those who need it most. Organize collections by adding in your item's important information and pictures on iTaggit. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collections with our Google search tool to learn more about your things. Whatever it is that you seek for your collections, iTaggit will help you!

Eat More Chicken

In this day and age, global warming is steadily becoming a huge issue. The widely accepted No. 1 cause of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels for electric power. Hybrid cars are beginning to pop up everywhere on the streets and in ad campaigns in an attempt to switch fuel sources. Former Vice President Al Gore recently won a Nobel peace prize for his research and documentary on global warming awareness. Images of the polar ice cap melting and the polar bear species dwindling haunt my thoughts. For these reasons, I have begun looking for new ways to save energy and do my part to help, which is why I was so excited to find this little tidbit of knowledge:

According to a recent story on Salon.com, the amount of energy and resources we invest in breeding animals for food, alongside naturally toxic excretions of those animals, is significantly responsible for global-warming. However, poultry are the least polluting.

The story continues with some shocking statistics:

• A November 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report found that livestock accounts for 18 percent of global warming emissions worldwide, more than the entire transportation sector. In the U.S. alone, our livestock account for six percent of our greenhouse gases; comparable to the 19 percent from our cars, light trucks, and airplanes.

• Also according to the FAO, livestock production is a top cause of the world's many environmental problems: deforestation, acid rain, dead zones in the ocean, land degradation, water pollution, species extinction and, most threatening of all, global warming.

• Livestock emit about a third of human-caused methane production and two-thirds of human-caused nitrous oxide. Because of the specific features of their digestion, cattle, bison, sheep and goats burp out a lot of methane that traps 23 times more heat per ton than carbon dioxide. Chickens don't “burp” methane and they produce only one-tenth of the amount of methane cattle waste produces.

• Lastly, the difference between a vegan diet and one that includes cheeseburgers is less than 2 tons of greenhouse gases a year, which is about the equivalent of switching from a Camry to a Prius.

With those statistics in mind, consuming mass quantities of beef is the most harmful, followed by sheep, goats, and pork. My point, ladies and gentlemen, is not to scare you into giving up all forms of meat. As a born and raised Texan, I understand the difficulty in cutting cows out of my diet completely, but doesn't every little bit help? Perhaps, try saving that juicy steak for a special meal, and eat chicken and vegetables more often. It will slow down the process a little more, and we would all be a bit more healthy.


Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collectibles for those who need it most. Organize collectibles by creating new collections on iTaggit to group them in. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collectibles with our Google search tool to learn more about your things. Whatever it is that you seek for your collectibles, iTaggit will help you!

The Joy Of Sox

Well the 2007 World Series was a quick and painless one... if you are a Red Sox fan. To the rest of the country looking for a sweet Cinderella story to top off a season of hard knocks in sports; guess we're just going to have to twiddle our thumbs 'til next year.

The Red Sox swept the Rockies with dominating form. “They beat us with the small ball. They beat us with the long ball,” Colorado's LaTroy Hawkins said. He continued, “They beat us every which way you could imagine, brother. I'm not going to sit here and say what Eric Byrnes said about us, that we outplayed 'em, because it ain't true. They got us. They got us good.”

Until Sunday, the only franchise in baseball's history to sweep two World Series in four seasons was none other than Red Sox arch rival, the New York Yankees. Of course, the Yankees have accomplished this feat a staggering four times, but now Boston has put one hash mark on that chart as well. And they did it in style. The Sox outscored the Angels and the Indians in the first two rounds of the postseason by a combined 99-46 total -- the greatest October run differential in postseason history. They continued with hot bats into the World Series and outhit Colorado .333 to .218, earning them the second highest World Series batting average to date. Not only did they get a hit a third of the times they were at bat, they batted .419 with runners in scoring position, and held the Rockies to only a .167 BA when in the same position.

Boston put up a few more worthy stats of note:

Terry Francona, manager of the Boston Red Sox, is the first manager to start 8-0 in the World Series.

In the last seven games the Red Sox played, they outscored their opponent 59-15. When ESPN writer Jayson Stark compared those stats with the other six teams in history to go on a postseason winning streak of seven games or longer, the closest anyone came to that plus-44 run differential was a plus-30 by the 2006 Tigers, who outscored the Yankees and A's 40-10. With as much hype as the 2004 Boston team created, they were only plus-24 in their 49-25 finish. What about the 1998 Yankees, who were viewed by many as the most dominant team of modern times? They managed a plus-23 while winning their final seven, and this Boston team nearly doubled that.

At this time last year, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, now age 23, was undergoing chemotherapy for anaplastic large cell lymphoma. On Sunday, Lester became just the third pitcher in history to win the deciding game of a World Series in his first career postseason start. The other two? Tiny Bonham in 1941 and Whitey Ford in 1950, both Yankees. Boston pitching coach John Farrell put it quite eloquently, “This is something you could make a movie about, when you think about all the challenges he's faced on a personal level and how much he's persevered... Not only is it a punctuation mark on how this year has gone, but it is on so many levels a personal triumph for him.”

Well, that'll wrap up this week's sports report. Now that the 2007 baseball season has closed, its time to turn focus on the downhill stretch of football, as well as turn up the excitement on the beginning of basketball season! But for today, I will leave you with a not so eloquent, but still effective, quote from Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling: “Jon Lester just pitched the clutchiest game I've ever seen pitched in my life.”

You may not have a collection of comic books, baseball cards, or antiques, but you have a home full of valuables that you have spent your life collecting. iTaggit will change the way you collect, organize, and enjoy your things.

New Features On iTaggit

A new release was posted yesterday which has an enhanced category chooser, new thumbnail tool, and collections sorting. Check it out!

A Little Web 2.0 Geek Humor

Colin McDonald has a great post that I felt compelled to pass on to our community. He named the Top 11 Geek T-Shirts of the Web 2.0 age. Check them out for a chuckle and see how Internet savvy you really are:

According to none other than Wired magazine, T-shirts have come into their own as a form of media, one that uniquely documents messages and stories, not to mention emergent technologies and companies changing the way we use the Internet. Here at Switched, we write a lot about these next-gen, "Web 2.0" companies and technologies which include everyone from MySpace and Facebook to Twitter and even Google.

Specifically related to Given that we're partial to t-shirts with nerdy, tech-infused jokes and terminology, we figured it was high time to find the best geek t-shirts Web 2.0 speak (like the "Your Podcast is Lame" t-shirt, flickr user ericskiff, pictured above). So here, dear readers is our humble survey of the wild, cotton-meets-code world of Web 2.0 t-shirts. If anything, it'll give you something cool to talk about during your podcast.

From Facebook and MySpace on down to countless start-ups, social networking sites are Web 2.0 bread and butter. Unfortunately, the facts and pictures on someone's profile don't always match the real, offline version. If you enjoy racking up virtual friends, but worry about the real world rendezvous, you'll be prepared for the worst with this straight-shooting t-shirt.





For all of its entrepreneurial, spare-garage innovation, Web 2.0 has bred some sprawling companies. Google's certainly risen to the top, but a $600 share price has incited a fair amount of jealousy and worry from outsiders as the company continues to buy startups and expand its information empire. Only time will tell what the men of the "Don't Be Evil" mantra hath wrought, but for now you can preserve the
madness across your pecs.





Success has a strange currency on the social news site Digg, where links rated positively by users (given a 'digg,' in other words) can drive Web sites, blog posts, and all kinds of stories to new heights of popularity. Isn't this the kind of validation we yearn for offline? And what will this shirt do to the 'Kiss me I'm Irish' industry?










Michael Scott's classic catch phrase might be a tad different if he had been written as a Web entrepreneur instead of a regional manager at Dunder Mifflin (from 'The Office,' for those of you who don't watch TV). Twitter traffics in brief update messages that its users can send from any Internet-connected device, making it ripe for compulsive friend-monitoring as well as double-entendre hunters. "Come Twitter on my sensitive iPhone touchscreen?" The possibilities are endless.





While the lolcat phenomenon started on Internet message boards, sites such as I Can Has Cheezburger? brought goofy cat pictures and idiosyncratic captions to the Web masses. It might not fit the strictest definition of Web 2.0, but ICHS is a vast social network with some very cool features (it also mints ad money, which always helps in Web 2.0 circles). This shirt allows for easy, dry-erase marker customization
of a classic lolcat caption meme. Prepare to be the life of the
party. Im in ur Switched blogging ur tshirts.








This might be what she Twittered if she thought your bookmarks were del.icio.us. Or if she really wanted to StumbleUpon your toolbar discoveries. Or... never mind. Fact is, tagging links, images, and other pieces of information online are the hot way to organize things in Web 2.0, and this shirt means its wearer is in the know. Just remember to stop staring and make eye contact occasionally.






'Don't drink the Kool-Aid' is a warning adopted by those skeptical of Web 2.0 optimism and wary of a second dotcom bubble. Mule Design's Feed Store describes this shirt as an "image of Tim O'Reilly (acknowledged as the coiner of 'Web 2.0') busting out of his lawyers office." Indeed.










Events like the 'Snakes on a Plane' phenomenon suggest that Samuel L. Jackson is down with Web 2.0, but as 'Pulp Fiction' fans know, there are some words that he'd rather not hear repeated. Despite your awesome Technorati ranking, friends and relatives might feel the same way. Tread carefully.







The nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation has been fighting for digital rights since its founding in 1990. The importance of its work grows with the ever-expanding reach of the Internet, a place where things like free speech, intellectual property, and privacy are still being defined and contested. Wear your support for digital freedom and the EFF on your sleeve with this shirt. We hear that the Internet finds it irresistible.

We couldn't end this roundup without a second shout-out to this gem of ridiculous T-shirt technology that we've already written about in a previous story. No Web.2.0 wardrobe would be complete without a shirt that actually lights up when you're in range of a wireless network. How else is a geek to know whether they're in a good place to live up to the claims of their other emblazoned cotton treasures? This number may be perfect for a layered ensemble – just in time for winter, of course. Bring along a hot thermos of Kool-Aid, and nothing can stand in your way.

For more of Colin's blog and links to the sites where you can purchase these shirts and more, click here.


Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collectibles for those who need it most.Organize collectibles by creating new collections on iTaggit to group them in. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collectibles with our Google search tool to learn more about your things. Whatever it is that you seek for your collectibles, iTaggit will help you!

Painting Found in Trash Worth $1 Million

This is a great little story about sheer luck and circumstance. I found it originally on AOL.com and you can click here to read the full version, but a recap goes something like this:

One March morning four years ago, Elizabeth Gibson was on her way to get coffee, when she spotted a large and colorful abstract canvas nestled between two big garbage bags in front of the Alexandria, an apartment building on the northwest corner of Broadway and 72nd Street in Manhattan.

“I had a real debate with myself,” said Ms. Gibson, a writer and self-professed Dumpster diver. “I almost left it there because it was so big, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘Why are you taking this back to your crammed apartment?’” But, she said, she felt she simply had to have the 38-by-51-inch painting, because “it had a strange power.”

Art experts would agree with her. As it turns out, the painting was “Three People,” a 1970 canvas by the celebrated 20th-century Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo that was stolen 20 years ago and is the subject of an F.B.I. Investigation.

Experts say the painting — a largely abstract depiction of a man, a woman and an androgynous figure in vibrant purples, oranges and yellows — is in miraculously good condition and worth about $1 million. Ms. Gibson returned the painting to it's original owner and will receive the promised $15,000 reward from the seller, as well as a smaller finder’s fee from Sotheby’s, which the auction house declined to disclose. On Nov. 20 it is to go on the block at Sotheby’s as one of the highlights of a Latin American art auction.

Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collections for those who need it most. Organize collections by adding in your item's important information and pictures on iTaggit. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collections with our Google search tool to learn more about your things. Whatever it is that you seek for your collections, iTaggit will help you!

TIAS Is A Great Site To Find Collectibles

TIAS is a great website for finding collectibles like antiques, comics and baseball cards! Check out some of the great stuff I found there:

This is a beautiful 1908-1912 Dr. Pepper “King of Beverages” Vienna Art Serving Tray. It is 10 1/8” in diameter. Overall, the seller quotes the tray at a C-9. The color is bright and it is difficult to find a Dr. Pepper tray in this good of condition.

This fine vintage advertisement for a 1953 beer is in excellent condition but is slightly yellowed. It measures approximately 10” x 13 ½” and is suitable for framing. The ad itself depicts various scenes of people talking by “Douglas Crockwell” entitled “First Catch Of The Season”.

This is a Mickey Mouse book published in 1939 and is 429 pages long. It is illustrated completely in black and white. It is 3 5/8 inches across by 4 ½ inches tall, the front and back covers show slight wear, and the pages are not flat against the spine, but all in all it is in good condition for being a children's book from 1939!

This 1957 Vintage Ice Capades Program (18^th Edition) is complete and in excellent condition with slight wear and slightly yellowing pages. It measures approximately 9” x 12” and features “Madame Butterfly, Walt Disney's Fantasia, Carmen, Schuhplatters, A Salute To George Gershwin”.

This 1940's Hula Girl, Bathing Beauty Clock is a rare item. It is made of metal and measures 12 ½” at the top of the palm tree and 10” wide at the base. It is in excellent working condition with its original cord still in tact, and has overall retained its original painted colors well. The Carriers US Patent Number is 221402355, which is a 1939 patent date.

TIAS serves approximately 190,000 unique customers a day and about 600 merchants use the TIAS system, listing well over half a million antiques & collectibles for sale online. It has been building e-commerce systems for merchants who sell antiques and collectibles since April of 1995 and is considered to be the Web's oldest and largest online antique mall. Start your search today!

Another Great Weekend In October Sports

This weekend did not pass without its share of chills and thrills as we draw closer to Halloween. The Patriots are seemingly unstoppable. The usual Notre Dame vs. USC bonanza was overshadowed by two big SEC matchups, LSU vs. Auburn and Florida vs. Kentucky. And the Red Sox staged a surprising comeback to clinch the ALCS in Game 7. Let's start from the top:

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick seemed incensed at being accused of running up the score in the 49-28 smack-down of their long time division rival the Miami Dolphins, who are still without a win this season. Belichick had apparently reached his mercy point four minutes into the fourth quarter when he pulled his starting QB, and current team hero, Tom Brady from the line, and replaced him with second stringer Matt Cassel. However, when Cassel was picked off on his third snap by Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who returned the interception for a 36-yard run and touchdown, Belichick hustled Brady right back in, taking no chances on an upset. Perhaps it was smart. Perhaps a bit overkill, as Brady promptly returned the lead to 28 points in a four-play drive.

Brady leads the way for the Patriots with a whopping 27 TD passes in seven games, eleven of which happened in the last eight quarters. He is right on target to break Peyton Manning's single-season mark by 13 TDs, or one more touchdown pass per game. Backing him up are arguably the best offensive and defensive lines in the NFL, who are one point short of averaging 40 points per game. The Patriots are on pace to score 638 points this season, shattering the old league record of 556, which is held by the 1998 Minnesota Vikings. Also, the league record for touchdowns in a season is held at 70 by the 1984 Dolphins, but the Patriots are charging ahead to put up 82.

But enough about pro-football, lets take it down to the NCAA, where upsets have become the norm. I like the way Pat Forde puts it:

“Stranger things have not happened, at least not since 1960. That's the last time a two-loss team claimed any share of a National Title, when Minnesota was crowned No. 1 by the AP..... That also was the only other time when Notre Dame started a season 1-7. So we could officially be in the midst of the weirdest season in 47 years. And in no place is it weirder than the Bloody South.”

The Florida Gators were off last week, giving them a chance to watch then No.1 LSU fall to the dominating powerhouse that is Kentucky. “The Gators are part of a preposterous pileup atop the SEC East – and if the nationwide epidemic of upset losses continues, two-loss Florida would love a shot at a title defense,” said Forde. Florida's preparation paid off as they outscored Kentucky 45-37 this past GameDay Saturday in a true QB heisman-candidate battle for the ages. Florida's sophomore Tim Tebow and Kentucky's senior Andre Woodson dueled it out in front of a rowdy Lexington audience. Woodson had 415 passing yards and five touchdowns against the defending national champs, which is not to go unnoticed, but was overshadowed by Tebow's prowess of the football field. Tebow worked out 334 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns, four throwing and one running. All in all, Tebow has accounted for 27 TDs in seven games, more than the past six quarterbacks to win the Heisman through the same point in the season, which includes Carson Palmer, Jason White, Matt Leinart, and Troy Smith to name a few.

You are reading correctly: Tim Tebow has the same number of TDs in the same number of games currently in the NCAA as Tom Brady does currently in the NFL. I am looking forward to great things from this young QB.

And now to turn to the MLB. The Red Sox clinched the ALCS in Game 7 last night at Fenway Park after being down 1-3 at Jacob's Field, and are set to face the Cinderella story of the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. The Rockies have had an unprecedented eight days off after bolting by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 4-0 NLCS win, but their defense, which in this season earned the highest fielding percentage of any baseball team in history, needs to remain strong. Some believe that this extended rest will hurt the Rockies in the long-run by taking all the momentum out from under them. The Rockies have won 21 of their last 22 games but their next opponent is not one to be underestimated. Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett is one of the hottest pitchers in the league, who has the lowest postseason ERA in the last 70 years. Out of the 297 postseason pitches he has thrown, 210 have been strikes. It should be a good match-up between Beckett and the Rockies batting line-up, which has the highest ERA in the league during the second half of the season. They also led the NL in runs scored. When Beckett and the Red Sox last met the Rockies in Fenway, Colorado took two out of three in the series and outscored Boston 20-5. In my opinion, this series will be a rocky road for both teams, most likely resulting in six or seven games, and I honestly cannot choose an easy winner from all of the stats. It may be left up to who simply wants it more.

You may not have a collection of comic books, baseball cards, or antiques, but you have a home full of valuables that you have spent your life collecting. iTaggit will change the way you collect, organize, and enjoy your things.

30 Days Of Night Is Not For The Nyctophobic

In the sleepy and secluded town of Barrow, Alaska-the northernmost settlement in North America-its citizens are preparing for the annual coming of the Dark. It's a bitter time when the sun sets for more than thirty consecutive days and nights, and most of its inhabitants head south. But this winter, the Dark will bring a mysterious group of strangers with it. From across the frozen wasteland, a horrifying evil descends upon Barrow, mercilessly besieging its residents with unrelenting terror and swift death. And as the darkness continues and the thirty days of night seemingly have no end in sight, Barrow's only remaining hope lies with Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and Deputy Stella Oleson (Melissa George), an estranged husband and wife who are torn between saving the town they love and their own survival.

30 Days of Night author Steve Niles originally conceived of the story in the form of a film, but after meeting a lack of interest in initial pitches to studios, Niles was able to produce it as a three-part comic book mini-series with Ben Templesmith, deciding to collaborate on the project and provide artwork. The film adaptation, released in theaters today, is produced by Columbia Pictures and Ghost House Productions. The screenplay has gone through several versions and writers, including Steve Niles and Stuart Beattie (co-writer for Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl). David Slade is the director, and he casted Josh Hartnett and Melissa George as his leading roles.

(this and more information can be found on the 30 Days of Night Official Site)

You may not have a collection of comic books, baseball cards, or antiques, but you have a home full of valuables that you have spent your life collecting. iTaggit will change the way you collect, organize, and enjoy your things.

Get Your Closet Back In Shape

As the weather changes and the super sales continue through the holiday season, it is quite possible to max out your credit card and your closet space. iTaggit will always be here to help you inventory and organize your collection of clothes, but for the everyday real world, I found these little tips that might help you manage through the muddle.

(as originally written by Nancy Redd at AOL)

Closet Crisis: Not having enough hangers has created piles of clothing on the floor.

Storage Solution: Stock up on good, solid hangers that will keep your clothing in line. Hate hanging clothes? Perhaps you can make it fun with wooden hangers with your favorite sport's team logo or scented hangers for your nicer outfits.

Closet Crisis: Shoes sprawled all around the closet are making it hard to match pairs and are unnecessarily taking up a lot of space.

Storage Solution: Take advantage of an underused space for your shoe storage with a shoe rack over your closet door. You won't believe how much extra room you'll create!

Closet Crisis: Hanging up sweaters stretches them out, but piling them on the floor looks sloppy and is taking up too much space.

Storage Solution: Keep your sweaters organized and in shape with a sweater shelf hanging organizer.

Closet Crisis: Your belts are all over the place and your ties are wrinkled and creased.

Storage Solution: Keep them neat and organized with a motorized tie rack.

Closet Crisis: Bulky coats are taking up too much closet space, and your closet isn't a good place to store your wet umbrellas.

Storage Solution: Bring these items out of your closet, but keep them close by in an attractive wood coat rack and umbrella stand.

Closet Crisis: You've got a really tall closet, and a lot of airspace is being wasted.

Storage Solution: Make the most of your closet height with an add-a-rod, which will give you extra rows to hang up your items.

Closet Crisis: Your extensive hat collection is extending out of your closet and into other spaces.

Storage Solution: A cap rack will keep your hats in pristine condition and out of the way.

Closet Crisis: There just isn't enough room for your out-of-season clothing to stay closeted.

Storage Solution: Keep your unneeded clothing safely stored under your bed or in other locations besides your closet with air-tight space bags.

Closet Crisis: You've got your clothing under control, but you're still misplacing your jewelry.

Storage Solution: A jewelry organizer acts as a mini-closet for all of your jewelry when you're at home or traveling.

Closet Crisis: Your closet just isn't big enough, no matter how much organizing you do.

Storage Solution: Never fear, an extendable-portable garment rack is here to create more space for your storage needs.

Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collectibles for those who need it most. Organize collectibles by creating new collections on iTaggit to group them in. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collectibles like your own through our search option and add to your collection or wish list. Whatever it is that you seek for your collectibles, iTaggit will help you out.

George Lucas Plans 'Star Wars' TV Series

(as originally posted by the Associated Press)

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 17) - The Force may soon be coming to a television near you.

George Lucas said Tuesday he is planning a live-action television series spin-off of the "Star Wars" film franchise. Lucas told The Los Angeles Times he has "just begun work" on the series, which will not include the films' major characters Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader.

"The Skywalkers aren't in it, and it's about minor characters," Lucas told the Times.

Lucas wouldn't reveal details, but joked that the series would be about "the life of robots."

Lucas already has another television series in the works. Lucas Animation has been working for months on the computer-animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collections for those who need it most. Organize collections by adding in your item's important information and pictures on iTaggit. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collections like your own through our search option and add new items you want to your wish list. Whatever it is that you seek for your collections, iTaggit will help you out.

The Underdog In The Rockies

They say that this is the year of upsets in NCAA football. More often than not it seems the underdog becomes the victor. Well, that might be true across the board this year. The Colorado Rockies have a seemingly charmed life, pulling a stunning 21 victories out of their last 22 games, and they show no signs of slowing down. Mind you, this is the same Rockies team that have never won more than 83 games in one season. The same ball club that was a mere four games over .500 on September 15 and nine games under .500 in May. This Rockies team was six games back in the wild-card race in September, which narrowed to four and a half games back with only nine left to play in the season, which narrowed even further to two games back with two games left to play, while simultaneously watching the Padres, the team they were chasing for the wild-card spot, get within one strike of clinching it! Yes, this Rockies team came from two runs behind in the 13^th inning of the 163^rd game of the year to beat out the Padres for their chance to play in the postseason. A chance they have proven they were worthy of receiving.

The Rockies' story is full of great facts and trivia, so hold on to your baseball cards and check this out:

• The Rockies are the first team since the 1935 Chicago Cubs to win at least 21 of 22 after September 1^st, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and are the fifth team in the last 70 years to go 21 of 22 at any point in the season.

• Before this season, the Rockies only had one postseason victory to their name, back in 1995, when they eventually lost to Atlanta in the first round. Now, they have become the second team in history, along with the 1976 Big Red Machine, to sweep their first two postseason series in any given October.

• The Rockies have become the first team ever to find itself two games out of a playoff spot with two games to play and somehow survive to scramble into the World Series.

• They have become the fifth team of all time to make it from last place one year to the World Series the next.

• The Rockies have become the sixth team in history to fall nine games under .500 and still climb out of their hole to make it to the World Series.

• The Rockies trailed in just two of their 38 innings against the Diamondbacks.

• The Rockies' Game 2 was saved by Ryan Speier, who had no prior big-league saves.

• Seth Smith, who hit the game-turning two-run double in Game 4, was previously better known for being Eli Manning's backup quarterback at Ole Miss. It was also his first major league RBI, since he had just been called up from the minors on September 16^th.

• And lastly, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter presided over a temporary renaming of 21^st St. in front of Coors Field to “Rockies Road” before watching the game together.

The Rockies have earned themselves a record eight days off before the beginning of the World Series, which will open in either Boston or Cleveland on October 24^th. So far the Indians lead the ALCS 2-1.

Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collections for those who need it most. Organize collections by adding in your item's important information and pictures on iTaggit. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collections like your own through our search option and add new items you want to your wish list. Whatever it is that you seek for your collections, iTaggit will help you out.

One Of The Greatest Collecting Families Set To Sell A Gauguin

(as originally posted by news-antique.com)

On the evening of November 7, 2007, Sotheby’s in New York will offer for sale Paul Gauguin’s Te Poipoi (The Morning), one of the greatest Tahitian scenes by the artist remaining in private hands. For the past 62 years, this painting was part of one of the most illustrious collections ever formed in America, that of Joan Whitney Payson. Acquired by Mrs. Payson and her husband, Charles, in 1945, this stunning scene of an exotic paradise hung alongside masterpieces by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and others, and has been consigned for sale by her family. Executed in Tahiti in September or October 1892, the painting is estimated to sell for $40/60 million (£20/30 million)*. Prior to auction, the painting will be on view at Sotheby’s London from October 7-12 and in New York from November 2-7, 2007.

David Norman, Executive Vice President, a Chairman of Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Department Worldwide, said, “Sotheby’s is thrilled to have yet another occasion to represent one of the greatest collecting families in America. Joan Whitney Payson and her brother John Hay Whitney were each the very definition of the enlightened, passionate and daring American collector in the 20th century, and their previous sales, whether directly or indirectly, through Sotheby’s – Vincent van Gogh’s Irises, Pierre-August Renoir’s Au Moulin de la Galette, Pablo Picasso’s Au Lapin Agile and Boy with a Pipe, among others -- represent not only many of the world’s greatest works of art, but also landmarks of the modern art market.

“For Paul Gauguin, the towering figure who provided the bridge from Impressionism to 20th century Modernism, the search to represent the ideal in art took him outside the comforts of western tradition toward the great exoticism of remote Tahiti. In the present work, the artist represents a quintessential Tahitian scene – an unspoiled landscape populated by native women going about their daily routines in the midst of a sun drenched, color-rich paradise.” In Te Poipoi, Gauguin presents a highly idealized version of paradise, untouched by western influence. This stunning canvas was painted on the island’s southern coastal region of Mataiea in September or October 1892, about a year into the artist’s first extended stay in French Polynesia. The title of the painting refers to the still and quiet morning hours when the local people began their day. We can imagine Gauguin’s voyeuristic pleasure in watching this intimate scene of women bathing beneath a canopy of banyan and mango trees. Te Poipoi is a refreshingly modern and daring interpretation of the ritual of the bath, one of the most symbolically loaded themes in the history of western art.

Edgar Degas presented one of the best well-known modern interpretations of this theme by focusing exclusively on the bodies of his young models standing over their metal tubs. Gauguin would have been well-acquainted with these images because he had exhibited with Degas in 1887 at the final Impressionist group exhibition in Paris. When Gauguin returned to France in August 1893, he brought back with him over sixty canvases and selected the best among them, including the present work, for a one-man exhibition at Durand-Ruel. After suffering a number of visits with his estranged family in Copenhagen and a broken leg in a street brawl in Pont Aven, Gauguin longed to return to the South Pacific. In order to raise money for the trip back, he sold several canvases at auction at Hôtel Drouot, including the present work, and in June 1895 set sail for Tahiti, where he would remain for the rest of his life.

Ever wonder "How do I value antiques I have?" Gathered several antique collectibles over the years? Upload them onto iTaggit and let us use our antiques value guide to help give you an estimate on your beloved belongings. It's as easy as posting them in our "What's My Item Worth" collection.

Second-Most Valuable Comic Available Found In Man's Attic

(as originally posted by AP)

Holy collectibles, Batman! A near-mint copy of Detective Comics 27, a pre-World War II comic featuring Batman's debut, was recently found in an attic and sold to a local comic book collector.

The comic is considered to be the second-most valuable available and can fetch up to $500,000. The only comic considered more valuable is Action Comics 1, where Superman makes his first appearance. Collector Todd McDevitt, seen in picture below with comic, said the Batman issue he bought is worth about $250,000, but he won't say how much he paid for it or who sold the book to him.

"It was a typical story of someone cleaning up junk in their attic and finding an old comic book and wondering if this was one of those ones that was worth a lot of money," McDevitt told the Beaver County Times.

McDevitt , owner of the Pittsburgh region's five New Dimension Comics stores, said he has been saving money since 1986 so that he could buy a valuable comic when it appeared.

When the seller walked in with the Batman issue, "my eyes almost popped out of my head," McDevitt said. "I guess I should have been more reserved, but I'm not a very good poker player."

Experts estimate there are between 20 to a few hundred copies of the Batman debut.

McDevitt 's comic now sits safely in an airtight bag in a bank vault. On occasion, he takes it out to show friends and customers.

"I've been toying with the idea of reading it, but I haven't yet," he said. "I'm going to savor it."

Think you have a valuable comic? Get your comics appraisals here on iTaggit!

Living with the Dead - new zombie comic

Yes, the comic shelves are flooding with undead / zombie titles thanks to the success of "the walking Dead" and "Marvel Zombies" but here's a new one i found that has a fun twist. Living With the Dead

is funny well drawn with a good plot line - this is from the dark horse desription:

" Two survivors of a global catastrophe disguise themselves as corpses to survive in a land of the walking dead.

From the mind of Mike Richardson ( The Mask; The Secret) comes this hilariously frightening tale of Straw and Whip, two slackers who have lived through a plague that's left the world with seven billion brain-hungry zombies. Life is tough as they try to keep up the appearance of being like the rest of the decomposing masses, and things heat up when a damsel in distress needs their help. Will they blow their cover for a beautiful young girl, or sacrifice her in the name of rock and roll?

* Be sure to catch this three-issue series with art by Ben Stenbeck, and covers by legendary Richard Corben, making zombies fun again.

Two boys, a girl, and seven billion living dead. "

Transformers DVD

The Transformers DVD is set for release next Tuesday, October 16th. Although it received some shaky reviews from critics, Transformers raked in over $315 million in the U.S. Box Office. Michael Bay will contribute audio commentary to the Standard DVD, which will have both single disc and two disc editions. The Wal-Mart edition will be in a tin case with the same cover as the two disc set and will include an animated version of the prequel comic book, and an HD DVD format will also be available October 16th.

Looking towards collecting more, but just can't find new pieces? iTaggit has recently added an eBay sales tool option to simplify the process of selling your eBay collectibles or trading for new ones. Load your items into collections and add as much information as possible. Be sure to include pictures of your item as well. Then click the “Sell Item On eBay” button in your item view screen. Good luck finding your new additions!

Most Popular Museums Across U.S.

When it gets cool in the fall, or in our case it looks like January this year, and you are looking for something to do, head out to your local museum. AOL has a great piece done by Forbes Traveler, which I have reposted for your enjoyment, on some of the nation's most visited museums. Most everyone has had a school or family trip to Washington D.C. and has seen the National Museum of Natural History, but check out some of these others. It's a great way to pass an afternoon and feel enriched when you're finished.

National Museum of Natural History

Location: Washington, D.C.
Annual Visitors: 5.8 million
Scoop: The National Mall's Museum of Natural History is "dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it." In 2006, hordes of others shared that dedication -- free of charge. 5.8 million visitors, the most of any U.S. museum, came to gaze at the museum's more than 125 million natural science specimens and cultural artifacts.

Museum of Modern Art

Location: New York
Annual Visitors: 2.22 Million
Scoop: Started in the late 1920s by a trio of philanthropists including Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the midtown museum now houses more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects. A recent renovation nearly doubled the capacity of the former facility.

The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center

Location: Los Angeles
Annual Visitors: 1.3 million
Scoop: The newest Getty Museum, which opened in 1997 on a hilltop in the Santa Monica mountains, draws as much attention for its architecture as the art within. Its sleek off-white buildings, designed by Richard Meier, house European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs.

Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Location: Chantilly, Va.
Annual Visitors: 1 million
Scoop: Located near Washington Dulles International Airport, this companion museum to the National Mall's Air and Space center is actually larger than the main space in D.C., and displays aircraft on three levels. Highlights include the space shuttle Enterprise and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay.

Indianapolis Children's Museum

Location: Indianapolis
Annual Vistors: 1.2 million
Scoop: This 400,000-square-foot facility proclaims itself the "largest children's museum in the world." It's interactive exhibits include "Dinosphere: Now You're In Their World," a "one-of-a-kind immersive dinosaur experience."

Having trouble finding how much your items are worth? Our team will do research to value collectibles individually or value collections as a whole for you. All you have to do is include your items in the “What's My Item Worth” section of our Gallery. Our research might take a few days, but thanks to our plethora of value guides and resources, our estimate should be pretty accurate. Good luck finding your buried treasure in your closet!

Vandals Damage A Monet

iTaggit always stresses the importance of keeping the safety of your valuables a top priority. This includes storing your item's information, such as certificates of authenticity, in a safe place. But sometimes even the safest places can be compromised.

Early Sunday morning, five people forced their way into the Musee d'Orsay and vandalized “Le Pont d'Argenteuil” by Impressionist painter Claude Monet, gouging a four-inch hole in the canvas. Culture Minister Christine Albanel believes France should impose tougher penalties on art vandals. “It would be a good thing to increase the sanctions for (people who vandalize) a church, a museum, a monument, because they are attacking our history.” Albanel also added that the painting will be successfully restored. For more on the story, click here.

Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collectibles for those who need it most. Organize collectibles by creating new collections on iTaggit to group them in. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collectibles like your own through our search option and add to your collection or wish list. Whatever it is that you seek for your collectibles, iTaggit will help you out.

my new favorite designer toys

i Love these figures by trexi they are blind box collectibles in 8 sculpts with art by multiple designers. the heads have a sort of puzzle face which can make several different faces. they are going to start sellig blanks so you can make up your own designs. they cost around $6-8. i buy them at my favorite local toy store - Wonko's

check out the variety - they're up to series 3.

Selling on Ebay with iTaggit

Did you know that iTaggit has a fabulous feature that allows you to sell an item on ebay with just a few clicks? I have been using the feature for a few weeks - and am proud to say I've sold my first few items on ebay!

I decided to clean out my massive fabric stash (I sew a lot!) and kept a few really great pieces to try and sell online. After creating a collection on iTaggit, I added my items using our spreadsheet importer. I thought since they were all similar items, it would be fastest to do it this way.

Once my items were created, I chose two to sell first. In your item view, you just click on the Sell this item on Ebay button. The process is pretty simple, and I think iTaggit makes it even easier to use.

iTaggit's specific category fields make posting items with detailed information a snap. My fabric for sale is listed very clearly, and I think it helps people when shopping to see such a clear layout. If you want, you can embed a FREE picture in your item! When you are modifying it for ebay, click on the little TREE icon, and insert the picture's hyperlink. This really adds to the selling appeal.

Try selling on ebay today - it's fun and easy! Oh, and don't forget to see what other's are selling or trading!

The AP Poll Rankings Mean Diddly Squat So Far

This past weekend in college football had its share of triumphs and upsets, and this is my take on it:

As we reach the midpoint of the season, college football might as well put the AP poll in a blender because it seems everyone can beat everyone else at any given point, and that is what makes this season one of the most exciting in recent history. It is also why quite a few people believe the BCS is not fair across the board, as opposed to a playoff system of some sort, and that the rankings shouldn't even be posted until half way through the season.

Though there were some tough wins, and some even tougher losses, the highlight of this weekend was the Stanford victory. A 41-point underdog in the betting pools, Stanford beat No. 2 ranked Southern Cal in a stunning 24-23 victory, proving you can have brains and brawn in the total package. It is the Trojans' first loss in 36 games at the Coliseum, however, USC still holds a place in the Top 10. A lucky break seeing as Michigan tumbled all the way out of the top 25 after losing to their unranked opponent in their opening game. “I don't know if there's ever been a game where a team was a 40-point underdog and playing with a quarterback making their first start [and won],” said Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. The Cardinal had lost its previous three Pac-10 conference games by a combined score of 141-51.

ESPN.com writer Mark Schlabach writes it best: “There's never been a college football season quite like this one. Half of the AP poll's top 10 and nine ranked teams lost in Week 5. Four more top-10 teams and eleven ranked squads fell in Week 6. During the first six weeks, Notre Dame couldn't win (until beating UCLA 20-6 on Saturday night); Cincinnati and Connecticut, of all teams, wouldn't lose. Ron Zook looks like a genius, Urban Meyer looks human. No one can slow down Kansas; Louisville hasn't stopped anyone.”

Stats to consider:

Of the 25 teams ranked in the preseason AP poll, 10 teams are now unranked. Seven of the now top 15 ranked teams, were unranked in the preseason. (Who lit the fire under Southern Florida?!)

Second ranked Cal, Boston College, South Florida and Cincinnati are ranked the highest they have ever been in school history. Missouri has its highest ranking since 1981, and Kansas is ranked for the first time since 1995.

Seven of the ten remaining unbeaten teams in major college football were unranked in the preseason. LSU, Ohio State and Hawaii are the only undefeated teams left from the preseason top 25. Southern Florida is ranked fifth, is undefeated, and has only had a football program for 12 years.

Yes, this season has been one great roller coaster ride for those with iron stomachs, and it still holds a lot of promise. Let iTaggit help manage collections of your sports memorabilia, such as the rookie football cards of these rising collegiate stars. Then let Expert Eric help value your collections through our What's My Item Worth feature. Lastly, write me your thoughts and opinions on college football; they may even be featured in next week's sports blog!

Roundtop Texas - Fabulous Antique Shopping!

A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about this bi-annual antique and collectibles show that takes over part of the Texas Countryside. Her name is Jen Perkins, and she and her family have been shopping this show for years...

Commonly referred to as "Roundtop" - the show takes over fields and fields of farmland in Roundtop and Warrenton, Texas every October and April. Dealers come from all over the country - and shoppers descend with trailers to take home their goodies.

My friends and I have been going for a couple of years - and the shopping just keeps getting better. The show continues through October 6th - so if you're in Central Texas - get on down there.

Look for lots of blogs about the treasures we saw and purchased at this year's show.... See more of my iTaggit Blogs here!