In Presidential elections past I have always voted with my heart. Mostly Democratic – I even voted for Jesse Jackson once, and in a moment when my heart went cold I voted Republican. Those exercises in civic duty were momentarily satisfying but sadly lacked any lasting joy since my candidates generally lost.

This time around I am changing my tack – I’m voting rational. I figure if I can come up with ten rational reasons to vote for a candidate, I would be doing myself an injustice if I did not. I found only one candidate met my criteria. Here are my ten rational reasons to vote for Hilary Clinton.

1. She’s a Woman: For God’s sake, every democracy in the modern history of mankind has had a female leader except the U.S. What is wrong with us?
2. She’s Strong: That is not the opposite of wishy-washy. That means watch out or she will kick your ass.
3. She’s showed us her pain: No matter what you think of her decision to stay with Bill you’ve got to give her credit for hanging in when lesser spouses would have fled. She gets extra credit for her recent comments regarding her thoughts on having the freedom to choose what is best for your individual situation.
4. She is Chaste: Believe me if “they” haven’t found any dirt yet, they won’t. Maybe this should be listed under “She’s Smart” for knowing decades ago to keep her nose clean and having the fortitude to do it. That is the number one reason I choose not to run for any office – youthful indiscretions!
5. NY Loves Her: As Blue states go NY is the barometer of rational liberalism – there isn’t enough estrogen in San Francisco and holy cow, Massachusetts elected Mitt!
6. She’s Got Experience: No other candidate running can say they know the ins and outs of the White House like Hilary.
7. She Perseveres: I root for the one who perseveres because it is a quality I lack. After that whole National Health Care thing I would have thrown in the towel, but not Hilary. She is ready for round two.
8. She has a sense of Humor: Well – put another way – she knows one needs a sense of humor to succeed in the job of President of the United States. Unfortunately, she is no Al Gore in this department.
9. She is All Business: Take it from a perimenopausal woman – the woman means what she says even if she doesn’t say what she means.
10. She’s Got Bill: regardless of what you may think of him, liberal Democrats love him. The bonus: he can play the target of the inevitable ruthless nitpicking from the right for the duration of her term in office.
11. Why should I stop at ten? She’ll Go All the Way. She has the money and the power for the long haul. Realistically, only one other Democrat has the money to make it to the end and in my mind’s eye, I see him being eaten alive.

I’m not a very religious person, but I do believe in God. And I believe God isn’t a vague, unreachable being residing somewhere in the sky. I believe He exists here on Earth, in everyone and everything He created.

I look outside my window and I see God in the lake nearby, and in the vibrant autumnal trees around me. I walk down the street and see God in the children coming home from school, trundling off the bus laden with books that remind me of their fresh minds and their potential to someday accomplish great things. I see God in the firehouse up the hill, where volunteers vigilantly wait for the call that could put their lives in peril just to save mine.

But I don’t see God in the encroachment of human development on the land around the lake, and I don’t see God in the rising water levels. I don’t see God in the razing of local forests to make way for more parking. God is missing from the asthmatic wheezing of children who may have breathed easier if they were born in a time and place with less pollution and greater access to local healthcare. I don’t see God in their shivers as they walk to school without jackets to shelter them from the cold. Where is God in the wasted lives of soldiers who face war with the same generous bravery and dedication that our firemen fight our fires?

Photo by Alex De Carvahlo. Some rights reserved.

We need a steward: someone who will fulfill promises to protect our environment, improve our healthcare, combat poverty, mind our public resources, and save our troops from needless death and misery. I believe that John Edwards can be that steward. I’m not suggesting he’s God, or even god-like. Far from it! He’s a man, but a man in a position to enact change. John Edwards plans to cut back on carbon dioxide pollution, reduce poverty levels, increase healthcare coverage, save our troops, and defend our civil rights. He will fight for what’s good and right, and help to bring all that is Godly—joy, peace, love, security, and abundance—back into our lives.

I want to see God unhindered in all of us—every plant, every child, every breath of air—and we need someone who will do his best to better our world. I want a president who’ll remind me that even when God seems to have gone missing he’s still here, waiting for us to return him to our awareness. John Edwards said, “When things seem at their worst and their lowest, [God] will always be there for you.” I want my president to be there for me too, fervent in his belief that we can continue to make a place for God and all the blessings He brings.

In 2008 I will vote for John Edwards because I want to see God outside my window, and I know John Edwards will do everything he can to keep Him there.

A Salute to Bobby Pickett

It’s time for the Monster Mash again. Of course YouTube has hundreds of Monster Mash interpretations; one of my votes is for a 2005 performance of the 1962 hit by the song’s creator, Bobby Pickett, and his seasoned band The Cryptkickers.

Pickett, who died in April 2007, won three gold records for Monster Mash. The song hit the Billboard Top 100 in 1962, 1970 and 1973, selling more than one million copies. Among his movie credits are: Monster Mash, Lobster Man from Mars, It’s a Bikini World, and Boogie with the Undead.

He toured and played the song for decades. His tour bus broke once down outside Frankenstein, Missouri at a 1973 Halloween show.

Elvis Presley reputedly called The Monster Mash the “dumbest thing” he ever heard. Pickett was likely not concerned. He said when he heard the song he just heard the “ka-ching!” of the cash register!

« Betty Story is a writer, researcher and recovering librarian. She can be contacted at betstory@storyinfo.net » 

I’m constantly looking for new and adventurous ways to tickle the “gross me out” bones of the two young boys in my family, especially on Halloween. A few years ago I needed a unique dessert they’d love for a Halloween party. I sat down and thought about scary stories that disgusted me as a child, and one stanza of a children’s song popped into my head:

“The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,
The worms play pinochle on your snout.
They eat your eyes, they eat your nose,
They eat the jelly between your toes.”
(See the full lyrics to the song, “The Hearse Song”, here.)

Suddenly it struck me: a skull-shaped cake with gummy worms crawling out of every orifice. I had my gross Halloween recipe and I knew it would thrill them!

The concept was simple enough, but the execution was slightly more complicated. I found a suitable skull cake pan at Fright Catalog. A standard boxed cake mix was easy to come by. Working with the mold was a little unusual—I was a first-timer to molded cakes and it takes a little finesse. The trickiest part is greasing the mold properly. For help, check out Baking911.com.

Once baked and cooled, another challenge arose. It’s tough to ice a delicately-molded cake with thick canned icing. I experimented with implements and found a smaller knife with smaller strokes around the mouth and eyes was most successful. When iced, the details of the skull lose definition somewhat so it’s a good idea—and adds to the fun—to use chocolate icing or dark frosting to trace the mouth and color in the nostrils and eye sockets.

Photo by Jason Meredith. Some rights reserved.

Then it was down to the pièce de résistance, the gummy worms. There are several types on the market, from the standard translucent brightly-colored to frosted opaque neon. I learned not to add the worms too soon before serving, because the gelatin can melt against the icing’s moisture. I simply punctured the cake where I wanted the worms to lie, anchored one end of the worm in the cake, and let the other end drape like it was dragging its body along the surface. For the best effect, I cut a few worms shorter so that they appeared to burrow deeper and had their “tails” higher in the air.

The end result made the kids squeal with laughter. And the pan has remained handy—I used it not long after as an equally creepy jell-o mold! This is a cake I’ll make again and again. It’s an easy way to add something gruesome to your Halloween party plans this year. For gross variations, try plastic toy spiders and bugs atop the skull as well.

For Immediate Release
Jacksonville Beach, FL
October 25, 2007

Stephen Colbert for President campaign is leading online polls

What started as a joke, does not appear to be a joke. Creating the fastest-growing Facebook group in the history of the social networking site, Colbert ‘08 fans came together 861,595 strong last night to completely silent Ron Paul supporters, who had previously dominated the online campaign space.

“The group was growing at over 120 people per second at it’s peak” according to Jalali Hartman, CEO of Yovia.com, a social media research firm, “It really demonstrated the power that a group of people online can have.”

Hartman, social media optimization firm saw over 6,000 votes in 1 hour for Colbert, putting him at the lead of the 2008PresidentialPoll.com, an open-forum internet straw poll, which has been running since May.

“We thought the Ron Paul supporters where a force online”, said Hartman, “But Stephen Colbert fans completely eclipsed Ron Paul Fans and demonstrated that they are a strong voice on the internet”.

People can learn more or join the Facebook Group here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7406420086

People can also vote here:

http://www.2008presidentialpoll.com/

**************************************************************************
About Yovia, LLC

Yovia helps traditional marketers ‘spread the word’ about a message. Bringing together hundreds of bloggers, writers, videographers and artists, and utilizing a network of over 240 websites, Yovia helps advertisers and organizations get truly engaged in online discussions. For more information, visit:

http://www.yovia.com
jhartman@yovia.com

Goths, geeks, and weirdos of the world rejoice: the theatrical re-release with a twist of Disney’s classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is nigh. The twist? You can now enjoy what was already a creepily realistic bit of masterful claymation in proper 3D. A new way to be drawn into the freakish world of Halloweentown or the saccharine splendor of Chistmastown.

On October 19th Jack the Pumpkin King, Sally, Santa Claus & the rest of the diverse, engaging characters will come to life in a whole new way for a mere three-week engagement, ending November 3rd .

I’ll admit it: I’m a huge fan of the film, though I don’t fall into any of the stereotypical “Nightmare” fan categories. But with undeniably catchy and infectious music and beautiful artistry to the strangely mesmerizing claymation creatures, “Nightmare” quickly became a staple in my movie collection. In fact, I watch it every Christmas. The idea that it doubles as a Halloween film? Even better.

And it’s that Halloween appeal that Disney’s capitalizing on with the timing of the 3D release. The tag line “so real, it’s scary” prepares us for what I fully suspect will be a borderline disturbing cinema experience. As much as the scenery and monstrous cast of characters are engaging, they’re also slightly unnerving. There really is an element of every child’s nightmares in Halloweentown, and when that crosses over to the purity of Christmas, it can catch you off-guard.

No doubt that’s the effect Disney is hoping will draw crowds to participating cinemas while the film goes head-to-head with other Halloween standards such as the inevitable fourth installment in the now-classic “Saw” series. For my part I’ll be there alongside teens in trench coats and Robert Smith hairdos, baffled kids whose parents are reveling in nostalgia, and maybe…just maybe…a whole new generation of “Nightmare” fans who will, a decade and a half since the film’s initial release, keep the movie relevant and exciting for decades to come.

The first “Elizabeth” film with Cate Blanchett in the title role is one of my favorite films for its flamboyant recreation of a fascinating period in Western history, and innovative retelling of the amazing Elizabeth I tale.

But that’s just it: it’s innovative, not authentic. History buffs have criticized “Elizabeth” for the many, many liberties it takes with the story of the fierce monarch. If you approach “Elizabeth” with the understanding that it’s a good story but not a good history, you can enjoy the film for the dramatic spectacle it is. With the sequel, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” already in cinemas, it’s well worth brushing up on the first film before diving your popcorn with the second.

If you’re not familiar with the real Elizabeth story, the first half can be condensed into the following:

• Elizabeth’s Catholic sister Queen Mary struggles with Protestants who arise in the wake of their father’s religious reforms.
• Mary hates Protestant Elizabeth. Elizabeth goes to prison.
• Mary dies. Elizabeth becomes queen.
• As queen, Elizabeth is expected to marry for political gain yet remains single and a virgin, hence “The Virgin Queen”.
• One of her closest friends is Robert Dudley. They stay such with a few hiccups, but are never really romantically linked: he’s married several times, all with Elizabeth’s knowledge.
• Another suitor is the Duke of Anjou of France. She’s briefly engaged to him and likes him enough to write love poetry.
• Elizabeth faces attempts to overthrow her and puts to death members of her government.
• Where the film ends, in real life Elizabeth fights to pull together and protect a torn England from her many enemies within and without.

Now, compare those bullet points with the plot of “Elizabeth”:

• The relationship between Mary and Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s imprisonment and politics are shown well.
• There is obvious romance between Dudley and Elizabeth—seen in physical intimacy in the opening scenes. Predictably a sex scene is included later on.
• The Duke of Anjou appears, portrayed as utterly offensive, bumbling, cross-dressing, and incestuous. Needless to say marriage negotiations with him go nowhere.
• As in real life, she puts to death her worst enemies, but somehow Dudley gets embroiled in the plot. This follows a spat when Elizabeth discovers he’s been married behind her back. He’s cast out of court forever.
• To address some of England’s strife Elizabeth reinvents herself as a virgin to emulate the Virgin Mary, a source of religious unrest.

It’s a fantastic tale whether you look at it from a historical point of view or a cinema point of view, but clearly it needs to be taken with a heaping dose of salt. The largest historical inaccuracies stem from the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley; that’s the Hollywood influence. Audiences love a steamy romance, particularly with an actor like Joseph Fiennes stripping off to do his romantic hero duties. “Elizabeth” was released the same year when “Shakespeare in Love” hit a similar winning formula.

From there, where can the story go? “The Golden Age” shuffles history a bit and brings yet more romance, this time with Walter Raleigh. But it carries the same promise of great storytelling, wonderful acting, and amazing visuals. Just be prepared to do your homework if you want a true account of Elizabeth’s history.

The things “The Sopranos” can do for a classic 80s tune. There was a time—not so long ago—when I could only admit to loving Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” as a guilty pleasure. In fact, it might have even been a dirty little secret. Journey’s a massively popular band in music history, but let’s face it: it’s not exactly “hip” to rock along with Steve Perry in the 2000s.

But all that’s changed since the finale of the beloved HBO series. With the very last moments we’ll ever see of the Soprano story set to “Don’t Stop Believing”, the song has hit a chord with a whole new audience. I know younger people who saw the show and couldn’t place the song. I know older viewers who hadn’t heard of Journey, either. But everybody came away from that episode humming the melody and singing those three words: “don’t stop believing”.

For Journey fans, keeping the faith has paid off. Suddenly the song’s skyrocketed up search engine ranks as people clamor for the lyrics and a download. Could it be the start of a Journey renaissance? Considering much of Journey’s music is in the same dramatic style, it’s possible people who’ve come to them by way of the song will be converted to the Journey faithful.

And those of us who’ve carried our “Don’t Stop Believing” adoration all this time can finally sing along without shame. Unless we’re horrible singers, in which case we should rock out in air guitar alone.

I’m sorry, I’m going to have to go against the grain on the highly-anticipated TV comedy “Chuck” and admit: I just don’t get it. I don’t understand the plot and I don’t understand why anyone would want to watch it. What’s the deal?

Sure, it’s quirky. I give the writers credit for creating a premise that’s not exactly run-of-the-mill (despite on-the-surface similarities to “Jake 2.0”). And the acting is good enough, certainly by current NBC standards. But how long can we be expected to suspend our disbelief? Will the plot hold its ground for the months—and years, if it remains popular—to come?

A computer geek downloads the entire bulk of the nation’s top secrets into his brain via e-mail. How exactly he accomplishes this I’m never quite sure. A confusing cast of physically-fit characters is therefore forced to involve themselves with a guy they’d otherwise not give a second glance, except perhaps for the standard bumbling sidekick.

I feel as though my own head is swimming with a confused jumble of unimaginable and unintelligible concepts, a la geek-with-government-secrets-in-brain. I don’t know who’s really the bad guy and who’s a genuine pal. I have no idea what’s the deal with the implausibly hot girlfriend. I think of “The 40 Year Old Virgin” whenever they’re inside the electronics store—and that’s the only laugh the show ever spares me.

“Chuck” has only been on the airwaves a month and already I have to rely on Wikipedia to tell me what this show’s actually about. You may think that makes me an idiot, but I say to each his own. If you’re a “Chuck” savant, good on ya. Maybe you can upload your understanding directly to my brain, too.

Here is an example of social media at it’s finest.

An African American woman in West Virgina gets brutally tortured and raped, forced to drink bodily waste and barely escapes with her life.

Where did the story go? This happened Sept 12 and I can’t remember hearing anything about it. Yet, the Jenna 6 story about 6 black guys beating up a white classmate is all over the news.

Help to join 36,000 Facebook members who are trying to get the story out: