Thursday, March 29, 2007

HAUNT WORLD .... More than seeing dead people...

HauntWorld.com bills itself as "the biggest haunt finder network on the Internet." And though we can't verify that spine-chilling boast, we can tell you that its state locator and ghoulish reviews make the site our first visit for nailing down the season's creepiest spots. So, hold your breath, brush aside the cobwebby banner ads, and march bravely in. Here are the two most bewitching places to enter...

Top 13 Haunted Houses for 2006—a Kentucky steamboat, two Las Vegas semi-trucks, and a St. Louis hayride join those vying for scariest haunt, but it's Ulster, New York's headless horseman that gallops away with the honor.

Haunted News—this section scares up a list of Halloween how-tos and articles from across the Web. Tips on crafting the spookiest yards, a profile of south Jersey's real-life Ghostbusters, and a rundown of the scariest ghost towns all prowl its borders.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

"I BOO" .... errrr, I mean "I DO"

An Illinois couple has found their ideal wedding venue: A graveyard.

"The couple said that deep down a graveyard just seemed right...'People are going to think how they want...' [the groom] said. 'I’m not a freak or Satan worshipper or cult member. It just goes with our theme.'"

A theme that includes a refurbished hearse. At the same time as the wedding, a burial may also be scheduled.

"He said the graveyard offers a tranquility and thriftiness that he wants to be part of his small and private, traditional wedding."

The couple became engaged when the groom placed a sign saying "Will you marry me?" onto the side of his 1965 hearse. How could the bride refuse?

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Diamonds from cremated remains : ) Bid for a diamond made from Ludwig van Beethoven's hair!


I can't resist ... is it Robert DiNiro's famous line ... "Do you want a piece of me?" Well Life Gem put's a whole new spin on that line : )
Want to have your loved one with you always? No kidding ...Or think about this, passing your loved one down as an heirloom? You can. LifeGems.com has a process where they can turn your cremated ashes into diamonds....

Normally, carbon leaves the body in the form of carbon dioxide during the cremation process, says Mark Bouffard, a LifeGem spokesman. But a patented process that manipulates the oxygen level in the cremation oven allows the carbon to remain. Then, the carbon is collected, heated in a vacuum until it becomes pure graphite, and sent to a lab where a gem is created in six to eight weeks instead of the usual several million years. The diamonds are naturally light blue, but LifeGem is also creating red and yellow ones by removing boron and adding color to the gems. And the diamond owners won't have to worry about misplacing all that remains of Grandma or Grandpa. "Each person has enough carbon to make 50 to 100 life gems," Bouffard says. "We'll store the remaining carbon just in case."

And, right now: To showcase Life Gem's newest technology, they are creating three LifeGem diamonds with the carbon from Ludwig van Beethoven's hair! These will be the only three diamonds ever created from Beethoven’s carbon and could be considered the three most rare and valuable diamonds in the world. Go to their site for more info about this auction! (Click here)

Just remember... diamonds are forever .... (I think Shirley Bassey said that ; ) ) and it seems she is dead on!


Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Plant a Memorial Tree


I thought this was actually interesting. I came across a site called "Tree Givers" where you can have a tree planted as a memorial as opposed to sending flowers. Something different... something unique. Figured I would post it. This is something I would actually be included to do:

Plant a Memorial Tree


TreeGivers memorials are one of the most meaningful ways to express your sympathy to families. While flowers will fade, the thought of a young tree being planted for someone will last a lifetime. The memorial planting is a remembrance of the past and at the same time a renewing of life. Living, Growing Legacy. Benefiting the environment for years to come...
Treegivers trees are planted on public lands all across the country where each one, in its own way, will grow and benefit all of us.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Cape Cod Grave Stones .... Interesting


Popular fiction has doomed the cemetery to a reputation as a creepy, dark place where evil things are bound to happen. But we suggest you leave the terrific tales to horror novelists and view graveyards with a different perspective. This site provides a fascinating place to start your peace-making journey with cemeteries. Attempting to document every pre-1860 gravestone in Cape Cod, Robert Paine Carlson has produced a site that brims with historical import. Begin your trip inside these rock-laden yards with the quick tour of gravestone styles from 1683 to 1799 and then wander over to look at styles from 1800 to 1900. After boning up on the basics, we recommend poking through his extensive catalogue of photos from a variety of Cape Cod's final resting places. Read the maudlin inscription on Rebekah Jenkins' headstone, marvel at the grandeur of Ebenezer Crocker's massive stone, or peep at the creepy skull adorning Job Avery's marker. In a time when anything over 25-years-old is considered to be of historical import, Carlson's dutiful work in documenting these true American relics should compel you to leave your fear at the cemetery gates.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Caskets on Parade ... A Death Contest ....

Very interesting site .... Caskets on Parade. It's actually a contest site of sorts. If you read the About Us Page, you will get the following info: : )

Caskets On Parade is the name of our little Ghoul/Death/Dead Pool-type contest. The object of the game is to identify (up to) 75 notable individuals who will die during the contest year. Points are awarded based upon the age and uniqueness of selection of individual Victims of the Grim Reaper.

The contest runs annually (we missed 1986-1987 & 1997-99). Since 1978 our entrants have been making their lists, checking them twice, hopin' to figure out who's sickly, or foolish, or just plain unlucky.

Unlike many of the other contests that you run across on the internet, we accept a fairly large list of potential Victims of the Grim Reaper (75). Also, our contest is scored in four different categories —

We also offer several other "honorary" awards to entrants who:
Give a Good Rookie Performance

Like most of the other contests, our's runs for the (Gregorian) calendar year - January 1st through December 31st. For the sake of brevity we employ mnemonic identifiers as a shorthand notation in our various listings & databases to identify the contest entrants.
During January we compile the accepted entries and post all of the projected Grim Reaper Victims and their selectors on this website. On a regular basis an Update of Standings is published / updated in the relevant contest year subsite; we've finally gotten out of the printing & mailing business.

Entry submission takes place in the week before New Year's Eve. The 2007 Contest is currently under way; too late to enter. However ... the 2008 Contest will be here before you know it; get to work on those submission lists now.

If you'd like to read more dead-poolish blather, click on through to our collection of FAQ pages (Frequently Asked Qustions).

Check out their Grim Reaper Page: Victims of the Grim Reaper