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Hallowe'en / Halloween (General / Compendium Thread)

Man suing over display some found too spooky

November 2, 2004

BY NATASHA KORECKI Staff Reporter



A former Addison firefighter said he put up plywood "tombstones" in his Bloomingdale front yard as Halloween decor. But the names he wrote next to "R.I.P." were carefully chosen in mocking protest of neighbors who pressured him to get rid of the RV parked at his house.

A police officer allegedly handcuffed and arrested the man, Jeffrey Purtell, when he refused to cover the names with duct tape, violating his First Amendment rights, Purtell claims.

Suit filed day after Halloween

The exchange happened two years ago, but Purtell filed the federal lawsuit Monday -- the day after Halloween.

Purtell, who owned the RV, said at the time of the incident that his neighbors were petitioning the village to prohibit RVs from private driveways. Purtell put the fake tombstones in front of the RV and wrote on them names similar to first names of neighbors who were heading the drive for the new ordinance.

On one he wrote: "Here Lies Jimmy, the Olde Towne Idiot. Mean as sin even without his gin. No longer does he wear that stupid old grin. ... Oh no, not where they've sent him!"

People complained, so he covered up the names with duct tape.

But the tape fell off one of the names. That's when a police officer stopped by his house and allegedly ordered him to reapply the tape.

Purtell said when he refused, he was put in handcuffs and arrested. Purtell quickly changed his mind, agreed to take down the tombstones and was let go. But not before the officer caused him to suffer mental anguish, stress and feelings of helplessness, all alleged violations for which he's suing on top of the First Amendment violations.

A Bloomingdale police spokesperson was not familiar with the lawsuit and other police officials could not be reached for comment.
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http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hallo02.html
 
All witches, ghouls and goblins have been expelled from the

Hi

source:
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http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/education/s_272947.html

quote:
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Halloween parades to end at Derry schools

By Jason Lesher
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, November 15, 2004

All witches, ghouls and goblins have been expelled from the Derry Area School District.

District administrators and elementary school principals have decided that this year's school-based Halloween parades were the last.

Superintendent Joseph Bellissimo said children in kindergarten through fifth grade have dressed in costume and marched on school grounds for as long as he can remember, but it's time for the annual tradition to end.

"The whole Halloween issue is being questioned nationwide," he said.


"Our purpose is to downplay the negative influences associated with Halloween," Bellissimo said. "We prefer to celebrate the season in a more meaningful way."

Teachers still may arrange homeroom activities that are more "positive and meaningful" for students, Bellissimo said, adding that teachers could celebrate autumn, instead.

The district has received a few complaints from parents who didn't want their children dressing up for the holiday, but Bellissimo said that was not what influenced the decision.

Some people associate certain costumes, such as witch outfits, with Satanism, he said. He added that other costumes could be viewed as offensive.

"If you dress up as an Indian, you're making fun of Native Americans," Bellissimo said. "If you dress up as a hobo, you're making fun of the homeless."

In addition, the parade distracted students from learning for much of the day.

"With all the accountability students have, they don't need the extra stress," he said. "Our main focus should be instruction."

And Bellissimo pointed out that kids still can celebrate after school: no one is stopping them from trick-or-treating or decorating their homes.

Derry Area isn't the only school district that has examined its Halloween-related activities in recent years.

Connellsville Area School District eliminated costume parties and parades in 1999, largely because of security concerns. The district's elementary schools now hold fall festivals.

Norwin School District administrators have brought up the possibility of suspending Halloween activities, including parades, but Jack Boylan, the director of elementary education, said the idea never garnered much support.

"It seems like the great majority of our school community sees it as a fun break for the kids from their daily routine," he said.

Ligonier Valley Superintendent Stephen Whisdosh is a staunch supporter of Halloween celebrations.

Both Laurel Valley and R.K. Mellon elementary schools hold parades, and they're not going away anytime soon.

"We have not even discussed anything like that," Whisdosh said. "It's a holiday that's enjoyed by both schools."

He hasn't heard of any complaints from parents about celebrating the holiday.

In fact, many parents come to the parades.

"Whenever schools start tampering, they start tampering with home values, too," Whisdosh said.

Jason Lesher

-------------------------

endquote

Mal F
 
"If you dress up as an Indian, you're making fun of Native Americans," Bellissimo said. "If you dress up as a hobo, you're making fun of the homeless."
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And if you dress up as a ghost, you're making fun of the dead. :rolleyes:
 
Suicide Mistaken for Halloween Decoration

Thu Oct 27, 7:10 PM ET

FREDERICA, Del. - The apparent suicide of a woman found hanging from a tree went unreported for hours because passers-by thought the body was a Halloween decoration, authorities said.

The 42-year-old woman used rope to hang herself across the street from some homes on a moderately busy road late Tuesday or early Wednesday, state police said.

The body, suspended about 15 feet above the ground, could be easily seen from passing vehicles.

State police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham and neighbors said people noticed the body at breakfast time Wednesday but dismissed it as a holiday prank. Authorities were called to the scene more than three hours later.

"They thought it was a Halloween decoration," Fay Glanden, wife of Mayor William Glanden, told The (Wilmington) News Journal.

"It looked like something somebody would have rigged up," she said.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027/ap_ ... man_hanged
 
:?

Something a bit weird, all of the old Hallowe'en songs seem to have been purged from history, if you search for Hallowe'en songs all you find is modern cutesy crap like "Humphrey the Blue-Nosed Pumpkin".

(If anyone knows where to find old Hallowe'en songs, that would be neat.)
 
From World Wide Words newsletter:
Weird Words: Nut-crack night
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Halloween.

This is an old Scots and Northern English name for the night of 31
October, otherwise called The Oracle of the Nuts. As the chill of
autumn pervaded their homes, people would sit around their fires,
eating newly harvested hazelnuts or chestnuts. Several fortune-
telling customs grew up that involved throwing nuts into the fire,
hence these names for the night.

A young man might give each nut the name of a possible sweetheart
and watch to see which burned the brightest in the flames. This is
evoked in John Gay's poem, The Spell:

Two hazel-nuts I threw into the flame,
And to each nut I gave a sweetheart's name:
This with the loudest bounce me sore amazed,
That in a flame of brightest colour blazed;
As blazed the nut, so may thy passion grow,
For 'twas thy nut that did so brightly glow!

Robert Burns recorded several related customs about this day, one
of which was a fortune-telling game for a young couple in which two
nuts were put in the fire. Their future was predicted depending on
whether the nuts burned quietly together or jumped apart. An
elaborated description appeared in an American publication of 1912,
Games for Hallow-e'en, by Mary E. Blain: "A maid and youth each
places a chestnut to roast on the fire, side by side. If one hisses
and steams, it indicates a fretful temper in the owner of the
chestnut; if both chestnuts equally misbehave it augurs strife. If
one or both pop away, it means separation; but if both burn to
ashes tranquilly side by side, a long life of undisturbed happiness
will be their lot."
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And a very Hallowe'en holdup:

Witch sought in Halloween holdups


OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A woman dressed as a witch robbed a bank and vanished in the smoke of an exploding security dye pack, then apparently reappeared in street clothes and held up another bank, police said.

The Halloween holdups were less than an hour apart at bank branches in Olympia and neighboring Lacey, authorities said.

The first robbery was reported when a woman wearing a shiny purple witch hat, cloak and long blond wig handed the teller a note indicating she had a weapon and demanding cash, Lacey police Lt. Phil Comstock said.

As the woman ran from the bank, the dye pack exploded and she dropped the money and her hat, authorities said.

Olympia police later received a silent alarm from a bank branch where witnesses said a woman handed the teller a note and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.

Investigators were comparing images from surveillance cameras, but from witness descriptions “it looks like the same lady,” Detective Samuel Costello said.
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http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Features/20 ... 31-ap.html

Bank Robbery Sparks Witch Hunt

November 1, 2005

By Keith Eldridge



THURSTON COUNTY - There is a 'witch hunt' on right now. It's a hunt for a bank robber witch who has hit up to four banks.

Halloween provided the perfect cover for this witch to rob a bank. She blended in with ghosts and goblins.

That is until she produced a letter saying she was armed and wanted cash. The teller at a Washington Mutual in Lacey handed over the money with a 'trick or treat' surprise inside.

When the witch ran from the bank she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Actually, it was the red dye pack exploding, forcing the robber to drop much of the cash.

She even lost her hat. Detectives now have it to check for fingerprints and they're still looking for the blond wig.

Police believe she chucked that costume and put on a hooded sweatshirt to rob another Washington Mutual branch seven miles away in Olympia just a half hour later.

They believe she's the same woman who robbed the Bank of America in West Olympia on October 21. That time the woman who appears to be in her 20s wore a hat as part of her disguise.

On October 11, police believe the same woman hit the West Coast Bank in Olympia. In that robbery she wore a white hooded sweatshirt.

"The fact that it's female just makes it a little more rare based on the history of who our bank robbers tend to be, but just as dangerous as anybody else," said Lacey Police Lt. Phil Comstock.

Now that police have seen her four times they have noticed a small tattoo on the middle finger of her right hand just above the knuckle.

Another identifying trait is that she appears to bite her lip as she robs each of the banks.

The fact she appeared as a witch is not amusing to police Olympia Police. "She's implied that she has had a weapon every time, although none has been seen," said Commander Tor Bjornstad. "There's nothing comical about bank robbery in our mind."

Police say there is one good thing: the bank-robbing witch can no longer hide under the cover of Halloween.

Investigators believe the woman is in desperate need of money, perhaps to buy drugs. They believe she'll hit again.
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Piccies:
www.komotv.com/stories/40038.htm
 
Seems the witch hunt is over:

Woman who robbed bank in witch costume on Halloween gets 13 years

By The Associated Press
[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/regional:Middle1]

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- A woman who wore a witch costume while robbing a bank on Halloween, then vanished in a puff of smoke from an exploding dye pack, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.

The well-publicized heist at a Washington Mutual branch in Lacey last fall was one of four in and around Olympia to which Vanessa D. Molina, 23, pleaded guilty. She also pleaded guilty to first-degree identity theft, first- and second-degree theft, criminal impersonation and drug possession

She abandoned a witch hat and about $2,000 cash when the dye pack exploded after that heist but got away with about $11,500 in three other holdups in October, including one in which she wore another disguise half an hour later in Olympia, according to documents filed in Thurston County Superior Court.

Molina was sentenced Monday, a day before the start of the trial of Donald E. Jefferson, 37, identified by investigators as her accomplice and boyfriend.

They have told authorities they moved to the area from California last summer and have children in California.

Molina and Jefferson were arrested in November after police determined that she was the same woman who had used a California woman's identification to buy furniture on credit. The furniture was traced the couple's apartment, which had been raided by Tacoma police weeks earlier in a separate investigation.

Jefferson's criminal history includes convictions for sex with a minor, car theft, drug possession, unlawful possession of a firearm and making threats with the intent to terrorize, for life under the state's "three strikes, you're out" law.

During a court appearance in November, Jefferson extended his middle finger toward news cameras.

Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com
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Source
 
OAP died after trick or treat row

An investigation followed Mr Kent's death
A 67-year-old grandfather's death may be related to a row with five teenagers at Halloween, an inquest has heard.

Father-of-five Dennis Kent died in front of his wife from a heart attack at his home in North Cornelly, Bridgend county, on 30 October, 2006.

Police said after the inquest the youths had been "trick or treating".

The coroner recorded an open verdict. He said he was not sure the argument played a part in the death but the "balance of probability" was it had.

Earlier, Mr Kent had "a verbal altercation" with the group, the inquest was told.

South Wales Police said after the hearing that the teenagers had thrown an egg at him.

Three girls and two boys aged from 13 to 18 were arrested in connection with the investigation but no charges were brought.

It was decided that a prosecution would not be successful.

Pathologist Andrew Davidson told the inquest Mr Kent had such serious heart disease he could have died at any time.

Scratched car

He said the altercation was probably related to the death, but it needed to be beyond reasonable doubt and that was a matter for a court.

Bridgend coroner Philip Walters concluded that he was recording the cause of death as heart disease.

But he said he would record an open verdict rather than one of death by natural causes.

At the time of Mr Kent's death, he was reported to have died at about 2030 GMT on 30 October after the exchange with the teenagers while out walking.

A neighbour was reported to have said at the time that there had been "trouble with youngsters on the street over the years".

The neighbour said he had "beer cans chucked into the back garden and a few weeks ago my car was scratched, along with a few others parked on the street."

Mr Kent was described by the neighbour as "a nice chap who got on well with everybody".


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7625084.stm
 
I feel sorry for the kids as well. They must feel so guilty right now.

We egged houses at Halloween - only the mean people's houses mind you, the ones who were just plain rude about "not being Americans." If I'd ever thought I could kill someone doing it I never would have.
What are the odds, really? :(
 
A slight tangent here, but here in the North East of Scotland we nver bothered much with Halloween when I was a child. Instead, we used to go out on Hogmany (New Years eve) and go round the doors of our local village 'guising' (singing songs, telling jokes etc). We were dressed up in 'fassfaces' (masks) or with a very basic costume such as a sheet over the head or dressed as a woman. Strangely enough I always favoured taking a ladies handbag with me, but that too is another story.

We never did anything nasty, but for those who didn't come to the door and hand over a few pennies or a sweet we used to sing at the top of our voices

'Rise up guid wifie an shak yer feathers
dinna think that we are beggars
we're only bairnies oot tae play
rise up and gies wir Hogmany'

and translated

(Rise up good woman and shake your feathers
Don't think that we are beggars
we're only children out to play
rise up and give us our Hogmany)

The shame of being labelled as stingy or mean was often enough to get people to the door and hand over some coppers.

If that didn't work then we broke all their windows.......nah only joking. I think the worst we did was to 'rumble spoots'. Rumbling spoots meant placing rolls of newspaper inside the roan or drain pipe from the gutters, and setting light to it. The updraft created through the roan pipe made them emit a loud but low pitched howling sound. I admit it did make the paint blister, but most people in those days painted them on an annual basis. Naturally I wouldn't recommend this with plastic drain pipes.

However, it seems the pressure of the media to promote Halloween and the Americanisation of Britain means that guising seems to have died out in the villages in our area at least.
 
In the midlands and north of England Halloween only became popular thirty years or so ago. Before that Bonfire night 5th November was the big autumnal event - much more popular and home-grown than current formal firework settings and less dissipated, there were even bylaws preventing fireworks being let off early (though a few inevitably were).
The time of year was marked with mischief as the nights drew in and more opportunity for mutual scaring arose, 'spirit knocking' and the like.
 
And of course in many areas there was 'mischief night' where the anarchic spirit of youngsters resulted in the sorts of phenomena polts are usually blamed for. It seems to have been merged with Halloween recently - hence newspaper reports of luridly bad behaviour..
 
As a child, in the Isle of Man, it was traditional to go out with a carved turnip and sing to householders, the following;


Hop Tu Naa, My mothers gone away,
and she wont be back until the morning,
Jinnie the Witch went over the house,
to fetch a stick to ladder the mouse
Hop Tu Naa, Hop Tu Naa,
My mothers gone away,
and she won't be back until the morning.


It was great fun, and popular, we never used to 'trick or treat'. We were usually given money instead of sweets, though that seems to have reversed recently and trick or treat has made an appearance. The majority of kids now still sing, but chicken out by using pumpkins instead of turnips, I always used to have blisters on the 1st Nov and bent spoons for my effort! Character building stuff :)
 
Growing up in Scotland, we had a simple rhyme instead of saying "trick or treat!" we would say:

The sky is blue
The grass is green
What can we have
for Halloween?

Which I now, as an adult, find bizarre, in my experience the sky at the end of October is grey and the grass is generally bown and covered with leaves....
 
Aound here the kids seem to have given up on the idea of trick OR treat and just run about egging everything they can, usually cars. The girls dress up in scanty costumes and scream a lot and the boys go about causing minor vandalism.

It appears that egging has expanded out from the weeks before halloween and is now being used as a sort of back to school ritual.
 
We have the same problem were we live, we do get people come round trick and treating, but mostly it will be kids who knock oon your door then run, post something horrible through your letterbox, and just good all round fun :lol:

Halloween is a day for the dead to arise and spend till midnight having fun :twisted:

Hey everyone is entitled to fun right! :D
 
We always get a load of treats and never any tick or treaters. Which is good because we spend the next weekend eating sweets and watching horror films while the pumpkin gradually dies, sinks in on itse;f and catches fire :lol:
 
river_styx said:
We always get a load of treats and never any tick or treaters. Which is good because we spend the next weekend eating sweets and watching horror films while the pumpkin gradually dies, sinks in on itse;f and catches fire :lol:
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Pretty much same here :D

nothing like loads of sweets and a few good horror movies on halloween let the dead have their time right :twisted

Imean its supposed to be a fun time :lol:
 
We have GREAT fun. It's all on another thread, I think. :D
 
escargot1 said:
We have GREAT fun. It's all on another thread, I think. :D
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Is it just me or do alot of people not celebrate halloween?

Not alot of people do around my area this one woman thinks its the work of the devil :lol:
 
Avoid Halloween Horrors With Food Allergy Safety Tips From The AAAAI
08 Oct 2008

For the 3 million children with food allergies, Halloween spooks and scares are not limited to vampires and witches. Candies containing peanuts or chocolate can be just as frightening. To replace the fear with fun, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) has developed a checklist of safety tips for food-allergic children.

At Halloween, these children and their parents must be extra vigilant, according to Jacqueline A. Pongracic, MD, FAAAAI, vice chair of the AAAAI Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee.

"Candy products frequently include ingredients like peanuts, tree nuts, milk and egg - some of the most common food allergens in children," Pongracic said. "Peanuts and tree nuts are common causes of severe, life-threatening reactions, and children and their parents need to be aware of this and check ingredients for all treats. This can be especially tricky with Halloween candies, which often do not have ingredients listed on their labels."

According to the AAAAI, thousands of hospitalizations and up to 200 deaths are reported each year due to anaphylaxis from food allergies.

The complete checklist is available for download at www.aaaai.org. Among the tips:

- Before Halloween, distribute safe snacks to neighbors and request that they be handed out to your child.
- Instead of trick-or-treating, host a party that focuses on costumes, pumpkin carving, games and other Halloween-themed fun.
- Remember that small candy bars passed out to trick-or-treaters may have different ingredients than their regular-size counterparts. Even if a certain candy is safe for your child, the 'fun size' version might not be.
- Teach your child to politely refuse offers of home-baked goodies like cookies or cupcakes.
- Consider participating in a charity trick-or-treat event to raise money for a good cause, rather than collect candy.



Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124766.php
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It seems they are taking this a little too far to say this is supposed to be a night of fun and games you know to havbe a laugh with family and friends.

They shuold not be allowed to spoil our holidays :twisted: :D
 
Give them chocolate coated peanuts and teach them that even a treat can sometimes be a trick! :twisted: :headbutt: :splat:
 
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