Back in my University years, I had to take a Construction course that was meant to make us master the techniques of building, puppetry and large-scale painting. The man in charge, Professor Barba, was a mixture between George Lucas and Santa Claus, making everything seem magic when done.

The truth is,  anyone who stood on our platforms was risking his safety. Maybe our strong point was not based on hardcore building, but more on fixing those details that give a whole new dimension to old materials: with our original Sherwin Williams and Black & Decker jingles, we managed to create stained and rusty effects on giant canvases.

Building isn’t magic, but you certainly need a magic hand to help you. Don’t panic if you don’t know where to reach Professor Barba, if George Lucas is too busy or if Santa doesn’t reply during December. Just  ask Tim Carter, and start building!

As a child, my favorite flower was the poppy. Red paper poppies. The red poppy on the green pinafore was the only accessory we were allowed to wear, so each November, when they came with the poppy baskets, I always ran to get mine.
It never crossed my mind that wearing or not wearing the poppy was such a sensitive topic: Camilla Parker-Bowles,  Lady Diana’s not so popular successor,  removed her poppy claiming that the pin kept on catching in her scarf, causing a negative response on war veterans who saw this as an “insult”. Others prefer to replace the poppy for a peace symbol in Remembrance Day . And although wearing the poppy is a personal decision and therefore you could do it all year long, doing so before November 1st or after November 13th might be considered pretentious. Also, if you’re a soldier in uniform, don’t even think about showing off your poppy while shopping in Harrods: you might be offending the other customers.

My advice? Wear your poppy with discretion, keeping in mind the real meaning of it.

As these poppies aren’t the opium ones that will make you fall asleep while trying to get to  Oz nor will produce morphine or  heroin, hurry up and get yours, as this is the perfect time to do so. And don’t worry, if you get there late, you can always grow your own:

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this upcoming election:facebook statuses are donated to the elections, videos circulate and urge you to VOTE!, websites are created to see  what would happen if the world could vote?

I’ve never been much of a political person, but I have to admit it, I’m a bit nervous about it this time, and I’d better wait the results holding a cocktail in my hands. What is it gonna be,  the Baracktail or the Maverick?

People don’t go to haunted houses anymore, nor put their clothes on wrong side out walking backwards in order to meet witches. They just hang out dressed up with their pimping outfits and ask for candy.

But there are a few people who still believe and respect the real meaning of Halloween, and I don’t mean only Mike Myers. Think about Rob Zombie , who got married with his long time sweetheart Sheri Moon in this dark night, or Threadbanger, who actually teach you how to wear a really spooky Halloween costume:

Now, go and carve your pumpkin. And before picking up that pink dress and blonde wig, remember that sexy girls are the first ones to go in horrow movies, so consider a mummy, vampire or ghost instead.

Canofest was supposed to be not only a place for dogs to show off and brag about their pedigree, but an instance for owners to learn about the genetic characteristics of their dogs, to check out the fashion trends and hairstyles of other dogs, and an opportunity to exchange numbers that may lead to litters of new puppies. Each ticket was part of a dog-lottery, whose main prize was 100 Homemade Biscuits, the greatest possible treat for your dog.

When I got to that point in my presentation, Mr. Pirozzi couldn’t control his anger anymore, and with a cold and threatening tone, he asked, “Home-made-biscuits? Lottery?”

I just smiled and told him that this was for charity. That all the money collected in the lottery was going to be donated to street dogs and strays,”our not-so-privileged friends“.

“And the home-made biscuits?” he asked again. “What’s so cultural about them?”

“Health is culture,” I replied with a Holly Golightly attitude. “Don’t you think that going greener with your dog is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give to society?”

Mr. Pirozzi didn’t say a word. I guess he was a cat person after all.

And that’s not the only thing: keeping your blood pressure under check is very important, as this helps you in avoiding future complications of the heart and kidneys. Pumping hearts aren’t just a Halloween trick: they’re an indicator of your health.

So remember, keep the pressure low, but not too low. You don’t want to faint when watching a scary movie.

Well, let’s take a look at what E. Jean Carroll from Elle has to say about it:

1)Forget about yourself

2)Don’t eat like a pig

3)Give money to the poor

4)Stand up for the helpless

5)Smile

And…another 5 points that lead to the conclusion that you need to drop your own list.  So, like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, make a list of your favorite things. Because as E. Jean says, “only you know what makes you happy”.

But I ain’t gonna talk about shoes.

So I was dating this hot chick, let’s call her V, and she was bad. Very bad. She used to hang out with a biker gang, had tatts inked all over her body, and every Saturday night they raced in some old factory’s junkyard. I managed to avoid it several times, but one weekend V caught me by the ear and dragged me to the factory. It was all very impressive: Harleys, leather and beer everywhere.

The problem was the beer.

You see, despite my tough look, at that time I was a total teetotaler and till that day I had never touched a drink in my life. But how can you tell to a gang of bikers that you don’t indulge in drinking? I could imagine their amused response, with V mocking me too.

To make a long story short, I got pissed as hell and challenged them to a race. As I was extremely drunk and lacked any knowledge pertaining to operating an actual motorcycle, the race ended fairly quickly at the start line when I dropped the bike over my left leg, breaking it.

I don’t go near motorcycles or alcohol anymore; those are the tools of the devil. I’m all into the healthy lifestyle now. Planning a tofu party? Count me in!

That’s how I fell in love with bicycles .

UGO went to great lengths to introduce us to the green, pastoral way of the cycle, teaching  us creative ways to morph this simple urban transportation device into ways of expressing oneself, much like yoga if you come to think of it.

Namaste!

Because that’s why podcasts exist: to make statements, to spread the voice, to showcase your creativity. In the podcasting industry, you have a sea of possibilities to choose from: you can either enjoy the sheer fun of internet celebrity  Gary Vaynerchuk, with his classy yet un-snobby wine expert show, laugh with  Dr Tiki’s bar adventures, or learn from Threadbanger’s DIY fashion tips, just to mention some of my personal favorites.

Making your own podcast is easy. All you need is a microphone, audio editing software, a host website and an RSS feed. Just check Tinkernut’s video tutorial on How To Make a Podcast and get started. You can even respond to Palin’s video, unless Chris Crocker did it already.

That’s why TravelChannelTv decided to go to the crime scene and show each of the paranormal stories in the brew: shadows of soldiers through the window, voices from another dimension, spirits wandering around between the living, abandoned and confused for all eternity.

Gettysburg is usually referred to as the most haunted town in America (it competes only with New Orleans and its voodoo magic), so I guess we’ll have a lot to see - and sense - with this haunted tour.

In the meantime, take a look at the “Dancer in The Dark” , and I don’t mean Lars von Trier’s tragic musical. If we’re going to see something dark after all, why not bring it from the Other Side?