It's an open thread! Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread... 
 So, my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I had a real hard time with the graphics and links for our top story, so we're giving our Thursday This And That: Open Thread diary for yesterday a real late shove off! So we renamed Early Friday Morning This And That: Open Thread.
So anywho, here's what sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at into this Halloween weekend.
• Kimberly Daniels gives us a take on Halloween  on the Christian Broadcasting Networks's (jpeg/cache) and Charisma Magazine's (here): The Danger of Celebrating Halloween:
 Halloween --October 31 -- is considered a holiday in the United States. In fact, it rivals Christmas with regard to how widely celebrated it is. Stores that sell only Halloween-related paraphernalia open up a few months before the day and close shortly after it ends. But is Halloween a holiday that Christians should be observing?
The word "holiday" means "holy day." But there is nothing holy about Halloween. The root word of Halloween is "hallow," which means "holy, consecrated and set apart for service." If this holiday is hallowed, whose service is it set apart for? The answer to that question is very easy -- Lucifer's!
The article gets better. Here's just one gem that's included in all versions of the article (emphasis added):
 During this period demons are assigned against those who participate in the rituals and festivities. These demons are automatically drawn to the fetishes that open doors for them to come into the lives of human beings. For example, most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches.
 I'd just love to know what the reference is for that assertion! (I smell a factoid!) A follow-on paragraph for that on wasn't in the CBN version of the article, but is in the Charisma version (emphasis added!):
I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.
Egads! Teh Demons are EVERYWHERE! 
Hey, Kimberly Daniels even makes Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber look sane! 
• Baptist Press's Obama signs hate crimes act:
The homosexual movement gained a barrier-breaking victory Oct. 28 when President Obama signed into law a measure extending hate-crimes protections to homosexuals and transgender people.
The president's signature on the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act put into effect not only an annual bill for the U.S. military but enshrined into federal law the most significant legislative advance to date for homosexual activists.
...The hate-crimes language in the new law adds "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," as well as disability, to the current categories -- such as race, religion and gender -- protected from hate crimes. "Sexual orientation" includes homosexuality and bisexuality, while "gender identity," or transgendered status, takes in transsexuals and cross-dressers.
Advocates of freedom of religion and of speech, as well as of the biblical view of sexuality, expressed dismay at the development, even though they oppose violence against homosexuals. They fear the measure, combined with existing law, could expose to prosecution Christians and others who proclaim the Bible's teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful. For example, if a person commits a violent act based on a victim's "sexual orientation" after hearing biblical teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior, the preacher or teacher could be open to a charge of inducing the person to commit the crime, some foes say.
Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, added this quote:
"I am disappointed that President Obama has signed the hate-crimes bill into law, but I am not surprised. The President has been clear, even before he was elected, that he intends to champion the homosexual agenda. This is merely one of a number of steps he will take in fulfilling that commitment."
Mr. Duke apparently has more faith in the President following though with promised LGBT legislative agenda than the grassroots of the LGBT community does! 
• Los Angeles Times' Weird ingredients in hair products; Do beer, hemp and placenta really help hair? We ask two cosmetic chemists:
When it comes to beauty products, sometimes ignorance is bliss. Snake venom, bird droppings, snail serum, cow dung and whale vomit are but a few of the industry's extreme and off-putting ingredients that one might be shocked to know can be slathered about your body.
Hair products are no exception to this somewhat creepy phenomenon. Consumers hoping for a hair miracle are willing to pay extra for deep conditioners and conditioning "treatments" that promise an enviable crowning glory -- even when they contain rather odd-seeming ingredients such as placenta, caviar and hemp. Pushing the limits, Hari's, a well-known "celebrity" salon in London that claims clients including the Rolling Stones and Margaret Trudeau, had the beauty world abuzz earlier this year with owner Hari Salem's Aberdeen Organic bull sperm treatment. The promise was that the protein in the treatment (called "Viagra for Hair" on Hari's website) would repair, restore and brighten hair.
But is there really any reason to go for such exotic treatments?
Go read the rest of the article if you're curious. 
• ICanHasCheezBurger's Celebrate National Cat Day!:
Thursday, October 29 iz National Kitteh Day! We know that everyday is Caturday, but on National Cat Day we git to show our kittehs sum extra speshul lurv and give them the much deserved attention they demand.
 I always treat Kitty Bon-Bon and Maggie like royalty!  
• Our Wiener Story Of The Day: PR Newswire's Hebrew National® Makes a 'Frank' Decision: Free Hot Dogs for Fans The Next Time a Pro Football Player Eats a Sideline Dog:
Inspired by last weekend's famous sideline "hot dog incident," Hebrew National would like to show its appreciation by offering football fans free hot dogs the next time a uniformed professional U.S. football player snacks on a hot dog, anytime during a game this season. The company hopes that a player out there answers its call and boldly takes a bite that could satiate the hunger of thousands of football fans.
 "For us here at Hebrew National, it's always thrilling to see a quarterback sneak executed flawlessly -- especially when a hot dog is involved," said Angela Joyner, Vice President and General Manager, Hebrew National. "The next time a player tries this, we hope they'll go for one of our 100 percent kosher beef franks. At least one thing's for sure...if this happens again, every fan in attendance will certainly 'relish' the moment."
To kick things off, Hebrew National will immediately reward all fans who attended last weekend's Oakland game and bore witness to "hot dog-gate" in person...
So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?
And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo!  |
