White House celebrates Halloween

First Lady Michelle Obama is handing out more than fruit this Halloween.

The White House will give out White House M&Ms, jelly beans, a serving of dried fruit and a White House sweet dough butter cookie made by White House Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses.

The White House and grounds will be decorated with 185 pumpkins carved by volunteers, topiaries of the dogs dressed up in costume for the holiday – “Bo” as a pirate and “Sunny” as a sunflower.

More than 5,000 people, including local schoolchildren and children of military families, are expected to visit the White House Thursday night. Last year's event was canceled after Hurricane Sandy hit.

As the trick-or-treaters make their way across the South Lawn to the South Portico they will be entertained by the Black Bear Combo brass band from Chicago playing Halloween music and spooked by in-costume actors and volunteers.

Via: McClatchy

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Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/10/31/207118/white-house-celebrates-halloween.html#storylink=cpy

Cancellation of Afrobeat band Shokazoba at Hampshire College's Hampshire Halloween creates controversy

AMHERST - Shokazoba's cancellation from the Hampshire Halloween event Friday night at Hampshire College, after one band member said they were criticized of being "too white" to play Afrobeat music, is reverberating on social media.

Shokazoba keyboard player Jason Moses said on Saturday that the entire incident has upset the band, which he said was the target of an online campaign by approximately 30 people - a campaign that led to the band's ultimate cancellation from the annual event.

Moses said the firestorm started when someone posted an inflammatory comment online about Hampshire College hiring an all-white band to play Afrobeat music for the event. He said the band is not all white, and race should not be an issue anyway.

"It's not important to us. Music and art has the opportunity to transcend all that," Moses.

The decision to cancel the band was made by the Hype Committee, which puts on Hampshire Halloween.

The Hype Committee wrote on its Facebook page on Oct. 24: "Due to concerned students voicing their opinions about the band Shokazoba, we held community dialogue to hear what individuals had to say. As a result of the dialogue, and discomfort expressed by members of the community in person as well as by email, Facebook, and other means, we have removed Shokazoba from the lineup for Hampshire Halloween."

Elaine Thomas, Hampshire College spokeswoman, said in a statement that the student organizers of Hampshire Halloween contracted with a number of bands, and that some students "questioned the selection of one band, asking whether it was a predominantly white Afrobeat band, and expressing their concerns about cultural appropriation and the need to respect marginalized cultures."

Via: Mass Live

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'Offensive' Halloween costumes banned by US university

University students in America have been told not to wear "offensive" halloween costumes including cowboys, indians and anything involving a sombrero.

 In pictures: Halloween costumes to avoid wearing this year

Students at the University of Colorado Boulder have also been told to avoid "white trash" costumes and anything that portrays a particular culture as "over-sexualised" - which the university says includes dressing up as a geisha or a "squaw" (indigenous woman).

They are also asked not to host parties with offensive themes including those with “ghetto” or "hillbilly" themes or those associated with "crime or sex work."

 In pictures: Halloween costumes for dogs

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In the letter sent by a university official students are asked to consider the impact that their costumes could have.

Christina Gonzales, the dean of students, wrote: "Making the choice to dress up as someone from another culture, either with the intention of being humorous or without the intention of being disrespectful, can lead to inaccurate and hurtful portrayals of other people's cultures.

People have also chosen costumes that portray particular cultural identities as overly sexualised, such as geishas, "squaws," or stereotypical, such as cowboys and Indians.

Additionally some students have hosted offensively-themed parties that reinforce negative representations of cultures as being associated with poverty ("ghetto" or "white trash/hillbilly"), crime or sex work.

Via: The Telegraph

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Socialist Liberal Democrats Will Destroy America and Sadly the Left Wing Media Will Gladly Help

Today is Halloween, a day of spooks, goblins and weirdos.  No it is not election day, that’s not for six more days on November 06, 2012; but it will have more than its fair share of Halloween type characters.  Both major political parties will present their versions of the trickery ogres among whom are downright dastardly persons who seek to destroy the United States and all the good things it has brought to the world in the 236 years of its existence.

But this year of 2012 has seen a period of divisiveness in our grand republic that borders on the great separation that occurred in 1861 when eleven southern states seceded from the Union.  This year the issue that is the divider is Socialism, and instead of a geographical set of states for and against the issue, two political parties encompassing citizens from all fifty states are the opponents.

The current President of the United States is engaged in a plan to abolish our tried and true Constitution and install a communist-like program of redistribution of the wealth.  In other words take from the “haves” and give it to the “have-nots” which files In the face of the standards of governance that has allowed America to climb to the highest level of civilized nations in just over 200 years of existence.

Obama is a student and follower of the Socialist - Communist theory and practices of punishing the productive while rewarding the unproductive and incapable.  What was once a dream of success and riches after applying oneself to an ethic of hard work and study is long gone and any just rewards for that hard work will be taken from them and given to those who show no attitudes to succeed.

Via: Canada Free Press

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AFL-CIO offers list of union-approved Halloween candy

Halloween is less than a week away and, just in time for Americans stocking up on candy, the AFL-CIO has identified the most union-friendly candy available.

Yes, there is such a thing as union-approved candy.

“If you want your Halloween to be all treats and no tricks, make sure all your candy is union-made, made in America,” Jackie Tortora writes at the AFL-CIO’s blog, linking to Local 144’s “Buy Union Directory.”

Tortora provides a list of union-approved candy highlights from the directory including Baby Ruths, Butterfingers, Caramellos, Hershey’s Candy Corn Kisses, Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate bars, Hershey’s Hugs, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Nuggets, Jelly Belly candies, Kit Kats, Laffy Taffy, Mike and Ikes, Rolos, Super Ropes, Tootsie Rolls and Trolli candies.

Via: Daily Caller

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