Austin, Texas (PRWEB) October 25, 2007 -- In Texas, near the border, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are similar in someways, incredibly different in others. Author Christine Granados examines the difference in this narrative piece from the most recent issue of The Texas Observer. www.texasobserver.org
Sample of story:
Dia de los Muertos Lite
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent from the living and the dead.
The day after Halloween, as my friends were being dragged to the grave sites of their dead relatives, I would spend my post-trick or treating time nursing a sugar hangover. I began my All Saint's Day mornings by slipping back into a white fleece bunny costume, tinged beige by the sand that blankets every surface in El Paso. The other 8-year-olds got up early to make the trek out to the Mount Carmel or Concordia cemeteries, where they cleaned and weeded their relatives' tombstones. As I ate the rest of my treats well into the evening, my friends, with the same orange Chihuahuan Desert sky above them, would fall asleep nuzzled against a tombstone or on top of a bed of plastic marigolds as their elders drank, sang, and reminisced into the night.
Read the full story at www.texasobserver.org/article.php.aid?=2613
Other articles in the new issue of The Texas Observer include:
Feature -- Superfun with Superfund http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2608
Houston is known for many things: opera, oil, obesity. But one of its outstanding attributes has gone almost unnoticed: Harris County's Superfund sites -- toxic waste dumps so malignant that the Environmental Protection Agency has made their cleanup a national priority. The most any other county in Texas has is three. Harris County boasts eleven. The sites are little known except to Houston's poorest residents, who often live nearby. The Observer reveals their secrets with this handy guide.
Editorial -- Willful Injustice http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2612
The cell doors sprang open for Ronald Taylor on October 9, after he had served 14 years for a crime he didn't commit. Ironically, a state agency already exists that-had it been funded and staffed-could have aided Taylor. The Legislature established the Texas Forensic Science Commission in 2005 to oversee the state's crime labs, and investigate claims of innocence and forensic misconduct. Two-and-a-half years later, the commission remains an empty shell.
Political intelligence -- SELL OUTS
http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2609
War On Christmas
The state-owned Christmas Mountains in Big Bend country are for sale. General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson believes the territory would be better off in private hands-as long as those hands can clutch a gun. If Texas is looking to the land office to solve its dire shortage of public parklands, it's gazing in the wrong direction.
Kinky On Special
Every few months, Kinky Freidman blows through Austin hawking a fresh batch of wares, but the same tattered charm is starting to feel a bit desperate. Kinky was back at BookPeople on October 9 to sign copies of his latest book, a reflection on his run for governor in 2006.
Border Fencing
On September 24, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers published the first map detailing the course of a proposed fence along the Texas-Mexico border. Given only 21 days to submit public comments, locals scrambled to detail potential damage to communities, tourism, wildlife, the local economy, and border culture. The Odd Couple State Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin and Rep. Warren Chisum of Pampa had ample material for teasing each other as they addressed a group of Meals on Wheels supporters. The fundraiser celebrated House Bill 407, sponsored by Watson and Chisum, which gives $20 million in state funding to organizations that provide meals to elderly or disabled people. Battle Of Goliad The new fiscal year finds the folks in Goliad County waiting for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to decide whether Uranium Energy Corp. will be permitted to mine in the area. But thanks to the county's new budget, their legal guns are loaded.
Books & the culture -- The Conundrum in Caracas http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2611 On Hugo Chavez
In Hugo Chávez: The Definitive Biography of Venezuela's Controversial President, Cristina Marcano and Alberto Barrera Tyszka take on the complex personality of a man who emerged from relative obscurity to become one of Latin America's most influential and controversial leaders. Review by Susana Hayward.
Books & the culture -- Elements of Style http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2612
Josh Rosenblatt looks at The Braindead Megaphone, George Saunders' first foray into nonfiction after a decade of best-selling short-story collections and novellas. Once again, Saunders focuses on the issues of consumerism, societal alienation, and failures to communicate. This time, however, his approach is full of optimism and prescriptions for better living.
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Halloween Decoration
How one family loves halloween decorating. The different kinds of halloween decorating they see in their neighborhood. The amazing hoices of halloweenthings available.
Mom Entrepreneurs Create Popular Discovery Kids' TV Show -- New Fright-Free Episode of 'Wilbur' Airs for Halloween
Ten years ago, three moms from San Diego were inspired to create a TV show about an adorable calf named Wilbur. Now "Wilbur" airs on Discovery Kids and TLC during the award-winning, commercial free Ready, Set, Learn! block of preschool programming. Wilbur gets kids excited about reading and books, and uses books to solve problems. A special all-new, fright-free Halloween episode airs Oct. 29 on Discovery Kids and Oct. 31 on TLC.
The Duke Of Halloween ? A Look At Renaissance Costumes
While Halloween costumes are often associated with blood and gore, other people prefer to choose a costume with a happier tone And if you love the romanticism of princes and princesses, a renaissance costume can be a great way to indulge this in an adult way
Halloween Rites
For some of us, EVERY DAY IS HALLOWEEN!!! If you want to be unusual dress up as a nurse, secretary, grocery clerk or bank teller this year. Gypsy, vampires and shaman wanna-bes are everywhere already!Or you could get all Martha Stewart about it and practice the following festive rites, which find their origins in the British Isles and Europe for that "authentic" Halloween experience.
Another Excuse for Sugar: Halloween Costume Party Desserts!
A favorite, all-American dessert is the Rice Crispy Treat, a lip smacking pairing of marshmallow and crispy rice cereal into a crunchy, sweet dessert bar. To make a fabulous dessert to bring to the neighborhood Halloween costume party, prepare the Rice Crispy Treats according to your favorite recipe.
Halloween Party Ideas For Children
For many years now, children have followed the tradition of trick or treating whenever Halloween night comes up. That is, they go from house to house in the scariest or cutest costumes they can think of and ask for candy from their neighbors to put into their jack o lantern of goodies. Every year, children look forward to this event.
Halloween Costume Ideas For Toddlers
Dressing up your toddler for Halloween is a lot of fun. Enjoy it while you can. Before you know it your sweet little toddler will be in kindergarten or first grade and will have developed a much stronger opinion on his or her costume choices and you'll no longer be able to dress him in the costume of your choice. Here are a few ideas for toddler Halloween costumes to get you started. Of course there are plenty of other options out there as well. With a little creativity, the possibilities are endless.
Great Games for Your Halloween Party
If you're having a Halloween party you need to play some games! Whether it's to fill the time before the food is ready or to keep the kids occupied before their parents collect them, here are some ghoulish games to play.1) Pin the Wart on the Witch's Nose: Draw or photocopy up a big picture of a witch; get lumps of green play-dough, blindfold each child and let them put a green wart on the witch's face.
New Halloween CD Gives Straightforward Answers to All those "Scary" Questions You've Always Wondered About
Just in time for Halloween! Do ghosts exist? Did the devil make you do it? Is a black cat really bad luck? "Ghosts, Goblins & Santa Claus," a fun and informative CD available exclusively at www.TheRishis.com, offers straightforward answers to some of life's most intriguing questions.
Celebrating Halloween With Halloween Wigs And Costume Accessories
Halloween is loved by children of all ages, both young and old. One of the most exciting decisions about Halloween is choosing just the right costume to express your holiday glee. Whether you choose to go as something that may slink out of a horror story or something as ethereal as skipping out of a fairytale, you are sure to find just what you need, as long as you give yourself enough time to choose what you want and make sure everything fits right before All Hallows Eve. Once you have your costume picked out, you should then go about choosing just the right Halloween accessories to emphasis your costume.
Halloween & Hounds
Halloween is "fright night" for humans not dogs. Screaming, running, spooky children in masks make many dogs uncomfortable, nervous and frightened.
Top Ten Halloween Costumes for 2007
Extreme Halloween sponsors Halloween costume quiz with weekly prize drawings to find out the top Halloween costume ideas for adults, teens, kids and babies.
“Eye See” Means a Safer Halloween
Bellingham based Vision Plus Distributes Reflective Eye See Stickers to Patients and Kids in Whatcom ,Skagit and Snohomish Counties
Fun Halloween Games
Looking for Halloween games for your next haunted party? Well then, you've come to the right place. Here you will find fun Halloween games for ghouls, both young and old.
Gypsy Fortune Teller Halloween Costumes – Easy to Make
As a little girl I often loved to dress up as a gypsy, whether it was for Halloween or just for play. Maybe it's because I long to be free to do as I want and go where I wish, without the societal constraints we have to live by (that's why pirates are so fascinating to people too).