* Nearly two-thirds (63.8 percent) of consumers will celebrate Halloween this year, a noticeable rise over the 52.5 percent who celebrated in 2005.

* Halloween activities will range from handing out candy (73.4 percent) to dressing in costume (34 percent) and visiting a haunted house (17.2 percent).

* In addition to a rise in celebrations, per-person spending is also increasing: The average consumer plans to spend $59.06 on Halloween, compared to $48.48 last year.

* Maintaining its spot as the second-biggest decorating holiday of the year after Christmas, Halloween continues to have decorations as a strong category, with 67 percent of consumers planning to purchase Halloween décor and almost half (48.6%) planning to decorate their home or yard.

* Additionally, most people (95.7 percent) will be scooping up plenty of candy, with the average consumer spending $18.72 in that category.

* Costumes are also expected to increase in popularity this year with consumers spending $21.57 to dress up as their favorite alter-ego.

* The popularity of Halloween among young adults continues to surge for the second year in a row. This year, 85.3 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds plan to celebrate the holiday, up from 66.8 percent last year. But they aren't the only ones taking advantage of the ghoulish fun -- 76.5 percent of consumers aged 25 to 34 and 71.3 percent of 35- to 44-year-olds will be joining in the fun. The National Retail Federation.


How will you be celebrating Halloween this year?

As I was cruisng along the stream I found a high school class that keeps blogs on here. They get daily wrting prompts and here are some of their answers when asked what they would wish for if they were given 3 wishes. (My notes are in italic).

My three would be:
-Healthy, rewarding lives for my future children
-Enough money for all my family to live comfortably
-For the violent natures of people to be abolished
This is obviously a tough thing to narrow down to three choices, but these would certainly be some that would make me happy. (smart kid)

Well I really feel that I am my own genie because the things I do wish I get. Real Life. So I dont need a genie. I guess im very blessed (lucky kid)

If I had three wishes first I would wish for 10 more wishes or something that can grant any wish. Second I would wish for 90 billion dollars.Third I would wish for School to be out right now and so it would be the summer. (street kid)

I would probably wish for season tickets for life to my favorite teams games home and away. My second wish would probably be for my dream house and the third would be for my family to have a long lasting life and live in peace. (regular kid)

I'd wish for some kind of superpower, an ocean-side villa somewhere in Spain, and world peace due to a sense of concience. (cool kid)

If I had three wishes, the first wish will be: More wishes; the second: To marry Omarion; the third will be: To live life to the fullest. (airhead kid)

Yea, I have been asked this question 1 BILLION times!! But I guess I could answer this question one last time. If I could get three wishes granted. . .and I know this may seem like a pageant answer to the question, but I would wish for cures for ALL sicknesses, non existance of poverty or unhappiness, and world peace!!! Ha ha ha My answers seem kind of corney but that IS wat I would wish for. (popular kid)

1. I would wish to be able to fly by myself.
2. I would wish I could eat everything and not gain anything.
3. I would wish my next door neighbors dog would die. (anxiety ridden kid)

If i had three wishes, they would be:
- i wish for a money tree that never dies.
- i wish for free mcdonalds for life.
- i wish to find the cure for cancer/AIDS.
Those are good wishes... (needs help kid)

If a genie came to me and told me that i had three wishes i would be happy and sad because there seems to always be a catch. But without think i would ask for happiness for my family, lots money and to be known, and for world piece. that is the honest truth because i am tried of hearing about the war and bush. (reality kid)

This is my son when he was little.

Yesterday I read a post by Mandala of A Dialysis Journey. She said that some of us are ill to teach others lessons. Last night I couldn’t fall asleep and so as I lay there I began wondering what lessons I may be teaching and what my purpose in life might be. Why had my life been spared?

I had been a teacher before I became ill, so there must be some other purpose for me. I began thinking about all the people whose lives I have touched. The obvious reason for my being spared is so I could finish raising my daughter, and I work at that every day.

My doctors and nurses are always very happy to see me doing so well, they remember how weak and sick I was. Maybe my purpose is to show them that they truly are helping someone and have made a huge difference in someone’s life.

And my husband, he is such a good man and had been through a very nasty divorce before we met so maybe my purpose is to be a good wife to him.

Well that thought triggered a crying spell. When we met 4 years ago this month I was healthy and vibrant, but after a few weeks my health had began to decline. We were married in the hospital and I wasn’t well enough to have sex for almost 4 months after we were married. I was feeling that he deserves much better than me. By the time he gets home from work I am tired and have no energy, in the mornings when he gets up I am hooked up to a machine, so the only time we spend some quality time together is on the weekends in the afternoon. Well for some reason it just didn’t happen this weekend, so I was feeling sorry for myself.

I finally took a sleeping pill and went to sleep.

This morning just before noon, my husband surprised me by coming home for lunch, it was a nice surprise and there was no food involved.

A new study on crime indicates homicides are continuing to increase in dozens of U.S. cities, including Orlando which has seen a 328 percent spike in murders during the first six months of 2006, according to FLORIDA TODAY news partner WKMG Local 6 News.

The report, conducted by a police advocacy group called the Police Executive Research Forum, reviewed crime data from 55 cities and found that the overall number of homicides increased 4.2 percent compared with the same period in 2005.

"Orlando is at the top of the list in terms of cities with significant jumps," Local 6's Louis Bolden said. "Orlando had 30 homicides in the first six months of the year, which is a 328 percent increase from the first half of 2005."

Police said about 60 percent of the killings have been linked to drugs. Some law enforcement agencies said they believe they have been neglected by the federal government, believing federal funding has been redirected to fund several anti-terrorism initiatives.

"The rising homicide rate is not a problem that is specific to Orlando," Bolden said. "This is problem across the country and it is pointed out on the front page of the USA Today." The study found that of the cities surveyed, 19 had double-digit percentage increases in homicides, the report said.


Do you feel that we are spending too much money on the "War on Terror" and not enough on crime here at home?