Archive for October, 2008

New Designs Uploaded

Posted by: Briana Blair   
October 30th,
2008

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I’ve uploaded 90 new designs tonight that will be added throughout November. Keep your eyes on the shop for all the new designs!

What Halloween Means and What’s Happening to it

Posted by: DracoSelene   
October 25th,
2008

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. It’s a chance to dress up as someone or something else and have fun. Trick-or-Treating, parties, games, costumes and lots of candy what could be better?
Halloween is NOT just for kids either. There are just as many adult costumes on the market as there are children’s. More adults need to remember the joy of being a child and Halloween is an excellent excuse. Sadly though, there are a growing number of people out there trying to make my favorite holiday go away. Costumes are on clearance racks in department stores sooner every year, and I even saw X-mas decorations being sold a couple aisles away a few weeks ago. The largest section dedicated to Halloween in almost every store is the candy aisle. Is that all it means anymore?
There are those out there who are calling Halloween an “evil, pagan holiday”. How ridiculous can you get? The same churches who bash Halloween have a fall carnival or festival. While I think these festivals and carnivals are a great idea, the thought that they are an alternative to Halloween is ludicrous. Halloween is a re-spelling / translation of ‘All Hallows Eve’ also called ‘The Day (or Feast) of the Dead’ and ‘All Saints Day’. Those holidays are actually Catholic holidays, created and sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. They were implemented to draw more people into the Christian faith. Long ago, Pagans in many many nations had fall festivals to celebrate the harvest, one of the more well known ones was ‘Samhain’ (pronounced Sow-en). Samhain is a celebration of the fall harvest and the end of the year. On this day feasts are prepared in remembrance of the dead. Other traditions in many other cultures included dressing in disguises so that goblins and evil spirits couldn’t find you, and lighting a Jack-of-the-Lantern to guide spirits home. The American idea of Halloween is a combination of so many cultural influences and belief systems that calling it an exclusively pagan holiday is ridiculous. Having an “alternative” fall festival or carnival (a celebration of the flesh, same Latin root as carnal) is actually a hilarious concept to me. They’re actually closer to the older pagan celebrations with their fall festivals than modern American Halloween.
In case you haven’t noticed (like you could miss it), I’m not a Christian. Not that I have anything against the Christian faith, just some of the silly things that people let their church teach them. I celebrate Samhain AND Halloween if you’re curious. I always dress up in some sort of costume and I always try to find something fun to do. I set out a plate for anyone who has died in the previous year in remembrance and toast their memory with cider ( a traditional fall harvest beverage). Happily, my favorite holiday is also now my marriage anniversary and my spouse’s birthday so around out house it’s a triple threat for having a little fun.
In Summary, don’t let Halloween become a commercialized forgotten holiday. Go out there, dress in a costume or something else suitable and have some fun! It’s not all about candy or buying a cheesy Power-Rangers costume for your kids. It’s about celebrating the end of the harvest and bringing winter in. Indulge your inner child for once, feel some Joy!

Legalize Prostitution and Leave Pornography alone!

Posted by: DracoSelene   
October 22nd,
2008
Why do pornography and prostitution get such a bad rap? They get treated like murder and rape by a lot of people when they aren’t actually hurting anyone. If anything they provide a much needed service. It’s just sex y’all. Pornography in it’s many forms, whether on dvd, tape, or the internet is just a form of entertainment. You have the choice of whether you want to buy it or not. The few problems that people claim are caused by pornography are actually caused by the attitude of criminality that is shown towards the adult entertainment business. whether it’s hardcore porn on a dvd or website or just an exotic dancer, the attitude that most Americans have is about the same as they have towards violent drug dealers. All I can say about that is “Holy Shit!”. You mean that someone who sells nude photos or dances nude is just as destructive as a gun-toting crack dealer?! Prostitution is treated even worse, it actually IS criminal in most places in the US. What a crock. HBO wouldn’t keep making their bunny ranch series if it was that unpopular. Prostitution needs to be a legal, licensed profession in this country. Let the states make a little money off licensing fees. I mean hell, all it’d probably take to get a license for prostitution would be a medical exam and a quarterly fee. Kinda like getting a cosmetology license or a DOT physical. It’d certainly get rid of the criminal element that IS associated with prostitution currently. If it were legal police departments could put more resources into preventing and investigating crimes that actually are destructive and violent. It’s just sex after all, it’s free if you can actually find a willing partner. What’s wrong with trying to make a little money doing something you enjoy? Stop being prudish America, pornography and prostitution are only a big deal because you’ve been taught they are by the descendants of the Puritans.

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