5 Halloween Party Household Item DIY Ideas

Happy Halloween! I got to thinking about the 8.5 million people without power in the Northeast and how they are going to spend their Halloween. I'm sure they have kids who are really tired of being inside and for the kids staying at other people's homes and shelters, Halloween is going to be kind of a bummer. I know that Gov. Chris Christie is going to reschedule Halloween, but here are 5 ideas of things to make and games to play this Halloween with things already in your house! Note: I know that people without power can't read this, since it's online, but please share it around!

1. Make a paper plate Batman mask! This is something I just made up this morning. I got a paper plate and just cut out a mask shape. Then I colored it black with a Sharpie. This takes about 10 minutes, so it'll give the kids something to do. Then I added some ribbon for the tie and, voila! Batman mask it is.

2. Grab a bunch of plastic cups and a decorative ball from the coffee table and go "bowling"!

3. Make a tiara out of a 2-liter bottle! Cut the top and bottom of the bottle off. Then cut a shape into it. Decorate with anything and everything you've got! I used ribbon, beads and stickers.

4. Cut a piece of yarn, tie the ends together, and you've got Cat's Cradle for days!

5. Lunch bag puppet! Get out those Crayolas and get busy drawing a character. If you have yarn or any other fun things, use those to decorate the bag, too.

I made all of these things in about two and a half hours this morning, but you can embellish all of these to stretch it out for a whole afternoon. 

Please keep knitting and sewing Sandy Scarves and Hurricane Hats for the victims of Sandy. I made six scarves yesterday. All donations (scarves and hats as well as clothes, toys, and any other donations) can be sent to:

Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation

295 Central Ave

Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Stay safe, stay strong. Happy Halloween!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

The Sandy Scarves I've made so far.

Sandy Relief: How You Can Help

I've never had a writer's block before, but all of the photos and stories of Superstorm Sandy's devastation have left me without a lot of words. What do you say after millions of people have been displaced, are without power and communication, and don't know if their families are safe?

I was going to write something about how it's "just stuff" that people are losing, but after this morning, seeing entire neighborhoods on fire, whole towns flooded, and the death toll rising, I don't want to be that person. This is absolutely devastating the Northeast. The fact that this is the biggest "first responder" movement since 9/11 kind of brings the gravity of the situation into focus.

Please do whatever you can to stay safe. Once you're safe, help the people around you. Please donate money or supplies. Links for a couple of organizations that are taking disaster assistance funds are below.

My first "Sandy Scarf"!

Red Cross
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
SandyRelief.org

My mom, sister, friends, and I are making "Sandy Scarves" and "Hurricane Hats" to send to the victims of Sandy. Winter is coming and if they've just lost everything, the least we can do is send scarves and hats to them. If you want to join us, please let me know either here or on Twitter (@ChickOpinion). I'm still waiting for an address to send the scarves to, but please start knitting or sewing. I'll update this with an address as soon as possible.

Stay safe, stay strong.

"Be the change you wish to be in the world."

Keeping Perspective: Hurricane Sandy

This morning the biggest story on everyone's televisions is about Superstorm Sandy. This superstorm is slated to make landfall tonight in New Jersey; specifically, very close to Atlantic City. This is The Weather Channel's top 5 things to know about Sandy. Keep an eye out and stay safe.

Cyclone Zoe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Cyclone_Zoe_27_dec_2002_2255Z.jpg

It's very interesting to hear people talking about this hurricane. I've been through a couple hurricanes, since I lived in Vanuatu for five years. In 2002, my family and I survived the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere: Cyclone Zoe, a Category 5 storm. The winds got up to 150 mph--and then the anemometer was blown off the national weather center after a gust of 220 mph!

We lived about a quarter of a mile away from the ocean. We only had two inches of water on the floor, so we were fine, but the people who lived in coastal villages were devastated. Zoe doesn't make any of the "worst storm" lists because in terms of dollar amounts, Zoe didn't do a lot of damage. The reason for this is that Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands are third-world countries; there aren't a lot of expensive buildings, electricity, or transportation systems there. Also, no one died during Zoe. The local people know exactly how to get through a storm like this. They've been doing it for 4,000 years, so they had to learn to survive.

A day after Zoe skirted Vanuatu, we walked down to Takara, a village on the beach about a mile away. We had friends who lived there. They showed us how there were fish up in their gardens that had been carried in from the storm surges. They took us to their well, the only source of fresh water, and showed us how the sea water had washed into it, so it was contaminated and undrinkable. Their gardens were destroyed. The avocado crop was almost ready to harvest, and there were green, almost ripe avocados just lying on the ground. There were coconuts and mangos everywhere. Also, their houses were gone. The thatched huts didn't stand a chance against this kind of storm.

The Ni-Vanuatu in the villages have this saying: "After the storm comes the sickness." There is always food right after a storm, because all the fruit has fallen from the trees. But their fresh water is contaminated and after all the fresh fruit is gone or starts rotting, there is nothing else to eat. Then people start getting sick.

Sandy is a serious storm; it's already cost around five dozen people their lives. We need to remember, though, that so much of what we are going to lose in this storm is just stuff. We will have food. We will have water. Some people might lose their houses, but entire communities will not be in danger of dying off. I'm listening to people on TV talking about how to keep your food frozen, how to keep your car from getting flooded, how to make sure you go to the store and buy all the food you can, etc. None of this is a problem in third-world countries because they don't have electricity, cars, or money to begin with.

Keep everything in perspective. Tell your family you love them. Ride out this storm by playing cards, reading books aloud to each other, singing songs together, and laughing. I've done it a few times and doing those things helps you realize what really matters.

Please donate to help the possibly 50 million people who could be affected by Sandy. The Red Cross is taking donations. This is going to be incredibly hard for the eastern part of the U.S. to get through. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Halloween Costumes: What Scares You The Most?

I got to thinking about Halloween costumes. A lot of people my age have grown out of the princess and superhero costumes (yes, stereotypical sexist costumes; not the point of this piece) and into the scary costumes: skeletons, zombies, dead spirits, etc. But are those "scary" things what people are really scared of?

What if we used Halloween to reveal what really scares us? What if, instead of wearing costumes that show who we fantasize about being, we wore our own fears?

This is my scary "costume": the things that scare me the most.

Wear your fears. You don't have to write them on your face, but find some way to show them. The more we get in touch with our fears, the more of ourselves we will like; which means maybe someday we won't even want to wear a costume, because we are the "fantasy" we want to be!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm hoping to launch my new site later today, so please stay tuned.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Should Tackle Football Be Banned?

One of the news stories getting the most attention in the twitter world this morning is a GMA story about a retired doctor who has said that it is "a moral imperitive that we at least begin the process of ending this game" in high schools. The game he was talking about? Football! This doctor, Dr. Paul Butler, says that the research is too obvious that football is a dangerous game for underage kids to be playing.

ESPN says that some of the blows that even high schoolers can take to the head are the equivalent of getting hit in the skull with a sledgehammer.

This is what happens when you marry outside your team...

Even players like Tom Brady are advocating for new rules and safer equipment for players, as seen in this absolutely hilarious NFL Evolution commercial!

Here is the twitter conversation on GMA's status about this. No one, at least in this twitter feed, is interested in banning football! It's fascinating to me that the research obviously says that kids are getting hurt by the tackling, but people love football so much they don't want to stop it. Do these people love the sport more than their kids?

I love football! Any of you who know me know that I am a massive Patriots fan. My fiancé and I are such big football fans that we had our engagement photos done in our jerseys (we love our quarterbacks: Brady and Rodgers)! But when we have kids, if tackle football is still being played in youth leagues and high schools, I'm not sure if we will allow them to play. I played flag football and touch football growing up--I didn't really play tackle until college (full disclosure: I had to quit the team before we played a game). I had an absolute blast playing touch and flag. We had a youth flag football league in my town and it was fun--and safe.

There are also a lot of other sports that are available to kids: track, soccer (heading is under fire, too, though), volleyball, field hockey, basketball, etc. I am very aware that all of these sports have athletes in them who get hurt. The difference to me is that the premise of these sports is not to intentionally run into other players. It happens, sure, but it's not the point of these games.

So, what do you think? Is it worth risking your son or daughter's life or brain function so we can continue to watch tackle football in high schools? Please weigh in!

We want YOU to share your opinion!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

All photos by Bailey Richards.

Women: Take the Chip Off Your Shoulder

This morning, I saw a story about Honda making a car called "Honda Fit She's"--marketed exclusively toward women. It's pink. The apostrophe in "She's" is a heart. It's apparently supposed to be "adult cute", according to the designers. The car also comes in brown and white, the "color of eyeshadow". Apparently, it's only being marketed in Japan. So, I went to the Japanese Honda site and this is their ad for the Fit She's. Very pink and very cutesy.

Now, obviously Japanese culture is different than American culture. The "cute" factor is incredibly amped up in Japan; or maybe it's massively down-played in the States. When I saw the story about the Fit She's, my immediate reaction was, "That's terrible! It's so demeaning. Not all women like pink. And the heart?! Come on, I'm not 16." Then I got to thinking about it. Why shouldn't the car market try to appeal to women? Almost all the other markets try to attract a specific set of people, don't they? I looked at the ads during the first hour of "Good Morning America" (68% of GMA's viewers are women) to see which companies were obviously trying to appeal to women.

Out of 55 total ads during the first hour, I felt that 34 of them were geared toward women. There were 14 campaign ads (3 of which were appealing to women), 9 food ads (6 of which included a mom with her kids; 3 of which were coffee ads), 6 beauty product ads, 1 each for "Katie" and "Ellen", and some clothing and appliance ads.

So, if 62% of the ads on GMA were trying to appeal to the female market, why did I feel so weird about the Honda Fit She's being "for women?" Since I had to go back through my DVR to re-watch all the ads to count them, I had some time to think about this.

I think American women have gotten used to the notion that we can hold our own and be as good as, or better, than men. While this may or may not be true in different areas, it does not mean that we are the same as men. I know a bunch of my "feminist" friends are not going to be happy about that statement, but it's true. And why would we want to be the same as men? We get to be women!

I feel like many of the women who complain about not being treated the "same" as men are also the ones who say that "men are sh!t." "Chivalry is dead" is a common saying among "successful" women. Maybe it's dead because super-feminist women have killed it. Half the time a guy holds the door for us, we say "thank you;" but the other half of the time, we get upset that he is treating us like women and being polite to us, instead of letting us "do it ourselves." God forbid a guy be polite.

We have a huge double standard going on here. We want the same treatment as men, but we want our political candidates to cater to the "women's vote." We want the same respect that men get, but the way many women bitch and complain about the lack of respect leaves men (and other women) disgusted. We want to be equal to men, but then we're upset when men don't put us on a pedestal and hold the door for us.

Going back to the Honda Fit She's topic, while I think the main market for a pink car with a heart on it in the States would be 16-year-old girls with rich daddies, I don't think Honda should be faulted for doing what companies' marketing teams are supposed to do best: find their target consumer and do whatever it takes to get that consumer to buy their product. And, obviously, Honda has done that. The Honda Fit She's is selling in Japan, but it's not even on the market here, because American women (over all) wouldn't make it worth Honda's time and money.

So, women, this morning I felt that chip on my shoulder; the chip that I feel I have to have to keep up with men, or prove myself, or whatever silly reason. Take the chip off today. Leave it at home. Enjoy being a woman today. If that includes allowing men to be kind to you, let it happen. If it includes realizing, not resenting, but realizing that you wear makeup for yourself and not the "male dominated society," let it happen. Am I saying "let guys treat you like crap today"? No. I'm saying, embrace your femininity without putting men down or blaming them for the choices you, a liberated woman, make.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Debate Rundown: What Undecided Voters Might See

The patriotic cupcakes I made!

Last night was the last presidential debate before the election. I threw a very cool party and, even though only a couple of people came, we had a great time.

In my opinion, the debate was alright. Foreign policy is not a popular topic, and I would venture to say that most people don't know a whole lot about it. I don't like the fact that this was the topic, because I feel like a lot of people were put off by it. I think the moderator could have done a much better job of keeping the candidates from going on tangents, but I think both of the candidates know that Americans are more familiar with domestic policy. I can't fault them for going back to it and trying to keep their audience engaged.

President Obama has a whole lot more experience in foreign policy than Governor Romney, and in my opinion it showed. It looked to me like Romney tried very hard to come to the middle, possibly upsetting some of his constituents, but a great tactic to use. He agreed with the president multiple times, but it just seemed to me that he was saying, "I like what you have done and I would have done the same thing, but I would have done it sooner."

I think Obama's one-liners got out of hand. While the "horses and bayonets" line was funny, I really think him saying, "The 80s called and they want their foreign policy back," was extremely childish. That is what teenage girls say about other girls' outfits (well, not now; the 80s are back!). It just seemed like something far beneath what the Commander-in-Chief should say.

Romney seemed like he was being a little bit like a teenage girl, as well, when he kept saying, "Attacking me is not explaining your policies," and then he turned around and attacked Obama. I mean, I agree with the fact that attacks are petty and childish, but both campaigns are doing it. I think they should both stop. I think it was a great strategic move by Romney to try to make it look like Obama was "attacking" him and he was a victim, but I think it just made Romney look like he was jealous of the prom queen.

I don't know anyone who is an undecided voter, but I want to share what I think I would see if I was an "undecided" and uninformed voter and watched the debates. I am trying to put myself in the undecided voter's shoes and put aside my biases. During my time working in the campaign office, it has become apparent that a lot of voters pick one or two issues and vote based on those issues alone.

I would like to preface this by saying that if you are an undecided voter and you feel that this is a misrepresentation of your views, it is not malicious or intentional.

Romney:

• Strong
• Good speaker
• Doesn't let people walk on him
• Has 5 points in his plan
• I'm still not sure about his math 
• Insincere
• Does he keep changing his views to get more of the vote?

Obama:

• Has 4 years of experience under his belt
• Has 5 points in his plan
• Going to make wealthy people pay more taxes
• Irritable
• Good speaker
• Charismatic
• Stays solid on his views

If I were undecided and uninformed, here is what I would think on certain issues:

Healthcare:

• Obamacare? Isn't that the same as Romneycare from Massachusetts?
• I don't want someone telling me what I can and can't do with my body--either way. I don't want Obamacare telling me what my government-funded healthcare is going to be, but I don't want Romney deciding how women's wellness check-ups and abortions will or will not be covered.
• What's a voucher system?

Economy:

• Romney is a businessman. He would be good at balancing a budget and bringing our country back to where it needs to be financially.
• Did Romney say that we should let the auto industry go bankrupt? Didn't the companies the government bailed out still file Chapter 11 bankruptcy before they got the bailout money?

Jobs:

• The unemployment rate is 7.8% nationally. It was 7.9% when Obama took office. Obama said he would get it to 5.4%. Was that possible? Should I trust his "arithmetic" on other issues, since this didn't work out?
• Obama saved tens of thousands of jobs in the auto industry. That's good.
• Obama wants to hire thousands of math and science teachers. Could be a good thing for teachers. What about other careers?

Gay Marriage:

• Obama supports gay marriage. Romney thinks each state should get to amend their constitutions to either support or deny gay marriage. Does this have anything to do with me at all? 
• Most of the people who don't approve of gay marriage say it's because it goes against their religious beliefs. What about separation of church and state? Shouldn't personal religious beliefs take a back seat to equal rights for all?

Education:

• Romney thinks that there shouldn't be teacher's unions. Does that mean that teachers could just get fired even if they'd been working for a long time? This would make teaching merit based, so maybe our teachers would get better.
• Obama wants to hire new math and science teachers to make sure we get closer to the top in terms of technology development. That's good, because we should stay the #1 country in the world.

Foreign Policy:

• Is Libya by Afghanistan?

Taxes:

• Isn't making wealthy people pay more taxes like socialism?
• I'm in the middle class; I can't afford to pay more taxes.
• Romney says he's going to cut taxes for everyone. How does that work without putting us in more debt?

This is obviously just my opinion on what undecided and uninformed voters might be thinking. But it's interesting, because if you look at it as an "undecided" voter might, it's a close race. I just want to say to the undecided voter, "Please do your homework!" Regardless of who you decide to vote for, know why you're voting for them. This is one of the most important elections of our lifetimes and we need to be informed citizens, using the freedom of democracy to our advantage.

If you need to become more informed, here are the two candidates' websites:

MittRomney.com

BarackObama.com

We have 14 days left until this election. Make it the best 14 days of the campaign. Make up your mind about who you want to vote for and then go campaign for them! Knock on doors, make phone calls, talk to people; and when you get tired, keep going.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi