If you like carved pumpkins but don't want to deal with the hassle of cleaning out the insides and making a mess, click here to start carving your very own pumpkin.

Check out our work below. Okay, okay, we admit it's the prettiest pumpkin of all, but give us a break!

Labels: Real Events

Here are some tips to having a Green Halloween:

1. Wear homemade costumes and skip the plastic store bought costumes. Not only do you save money, but you also save filling up our landfills with tossed-out costumes which are mainly made of plastic.
2. Use eco-friendly, organic makeup. Avoid the mercury, phthalates, parabens and fragrances that come standard in most brand name cosmetics.
3. Stock your bowl with organic, natural treats that are free from chemicals and preservatives.
4. Choose a reusable canvas bag or a pillowcase for the kids to haul all of their candy home. Avoid the plastic bags or plastic pumpkins which all end up in our landfills.
5. Instead of using a wax candle to light up your jack-o-lantern, try using a soy candle. They last longer and come from renewable soy bean crops. Wax candles release toxic chemicals like toluene and benzene through smoke and soot.
6. When buying your Halloween decorations, be sure to buy items that you can use every year. If you’re buying items you know you can’t keep for use next year, be sure to buy brands that are both recycled and recyclable.

Hopefully these tips will help make your Halloween a little more Green!

Labels: Mark's Corner

Last week we blogged about the sales of political Halloween masks and how their sales can often predict the winner of the presidential election. Now comes another, so-called "predictor" from 7-11 convenience stores. Let us introduce you to the 2008 7-Election, where 7-11 coffee drinkers show their support for one candidate over another by drinking from their respective choice's coffee cup.

Now you may be like us and wonder if any of these "predictors" are really accurate. Well, according to 7-11, during the 2000 7-Election, the George W. Bush cups outsold the Al Gore cups by just 1%...and we all remember how that election turned out. 7-11 also states that during the 2004 7-Election, the results tracked identically with published national election results: 51% George W. Bush and 49% for John Kerry (within a few percentage points of actual poll results in many states!).

So where does the 7-Election stand today? According to the national results tallied thus far, Barack Obama leads John McCain 60% to 40%. In Washington State, Obama also leads McCain 68% to 38%.

Can this all be true? Time will tell. Click here to track the results yourself.

Labels: Activities, Local Events, Real Events