Wow Its been a very, very LONG time since I've written in this! Indeed from my last entry GHOST HUNTERS was re-newed and wow the NEW SEASON is awesome!! They're finding new evidence, and helping people out, its great! Luckily I discovered and got people hooked onto that show! Another plus is that They're based in RHODE ISLAND and yeppers thats where I'm originally from!

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09:00am ET, 1-December-04 Ghost Hunters Renewed SCI FI Channel announced that it has ordered 13 additional episodes of its hit series Ghost Hunters. The announcement was made by Mark Stern, executive vice president, original programming for SCI FI. Ghost Hunters, which premiered in October, follows the exploits of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, plumbers by day and real-life ghostbusters by night. In the six weeks since the show's debut, Ghost Hunters has averaged a 1.2 HH rating and 1,412,000 total viewers. According to SCI FI, that represents a 33 percent increase in HH ratings and a 37 percent increase in total viewers versus the time period average in the same weeks in 2003. Ghost Hunters, which airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m., will go back into production in early 2005.

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Stargate Parallels Reality ow closely do Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis parallel our reality? In both fiction and the real world, the point man is usually black, and from an unsophisticated background. World-changing technology is kept secret and under strict military control. The first human presence in an unknown zone is an unmanned military vehicle. The first human entrants to any promising area arrive in combat fatigues, with weapons at the ready. These people claim to represent Earth, and yet are overwhelmingly North American and white. There is a strong and unfounded tendency to assume cultural and moral superiority over less technologically advanced nations. Despite numerous occurrences of individual death, and wholesale destruction, there are lax rules governing contact. The human military are usually considered above foreign/alien legal systems. The primary objective is to secure weapons or resources. The only time that the North Americans are seen to pack up and go home is when they come up against a technologically equal nation/world. The humans insist that their way of life is better than any foreign/alien way, despite the foreign/alien cultures having successfully existed for many centuries longer than their own. The big differences between fiction and reality are in how worlds designated as friendly by the Stargate crews are depicted. Always, we see them retaining their individuality and cultural idiosyncrasies. Humanity's self-appointed representatives treat them with respect. But if the Stargate actually existed, things would be rather different. Within six months of contact the aliens would've been sold golden arches, a talking mouse and a dead rock star. In five years, their own culture would've become polluted with trash TV, Bible-bashing maniacs and the lingering threat of "do it our way or die." After a decade, some worlds would've concluded that exported Earth-style democracy and transworld capitalism were killing them and moved to bounce us back where we belong. Meanwhile, those who controlled the stargates on Earth would likely brand their former friends as godless/Goa'uld worshipping insurgents, and new targets in the intergalactic war on terror. Thus do reality and fiction blur into a maelstrom of what Norman Schwarzkopf called bovine scatology. All of which makes me hope that if stargate technology is ever discovered, it's by a Swiss Buddhist. Nathan Brazil (This is taken from SCIFI.com SciFi Weekly Letters to the Editor)

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Doorstep Astronomy: Bright Morning Planets By Joe Rao SPACE.com's Night Sky Columnist posted: 29 October, 2004 6:40 a.m. ET The first week of November will be an exceptional time for predawn skywatchers with a beautiful gathering of the two brightest planets, and the waning crescent Moon will later drop by to join them. Venus and Jupiter will appear closest together on the mornings of Nov. 4 and 5. The moment of closest approach will actually come during the early evening hours of Nov. 4, unfortunately when this dynamic duo is below the horizon for North America. They’ll be separated by just over ½-degree, roughly the apparent width of the Moon (the width of your fist, held at arm’s length roughly corresponds to 10 degrees). Generally speaking, at least for the immediate future, conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter will come in pairs. The first conjunction takes place in the morning sky, usually followed about 10 months later by another in the evening sky. Then 2½ years later, Venus and Jupiter are again in conjunction, again in the morning sky. When Venus and Jupiter next get together, it will be in the evening sky late next summer, at the beginning of the Labor Day holiday weekend. Future Venus-Jupiter conjunctions The table below shows future Venus-Jupiter pairings in the coming decade. Date Visible in Separation Nov. 4, 2004 Morning Sky 0.6-degrees Sep. 2, 2005 Evening Sky 1.4-degrees Feb. 1, 2008 Morning Sky 0.6-degrees Dec. 1, 2008 Evening Sky 2.0-degrees May 11, 2011 Morning Sky 0.6-degrees March 15, 2012 Evening Sky 3.3-degrees The closest approaches between these two planets come during the morning apparitions. So although their next conjunction comes about ten months from now, the next time Venus and Jupiter will appear as close together as they will this week, won’t come until February 2008. After Nov. 4, Venus and Jupiter will slowly separate, but there will still be one more eye-catching sight. On the morning of Nov. 9, those who arise about 45 minutes before sunrise will be treated to a spectacular sight as Venus, Jupiter and the Moon – the three brightest objects of the night sky – form a stretched-out triangle, the Moon appearing closely above Jupiter. Imagine the astrological significance that the ancients might have ascribed to a celestial summit meeting such as this! As a bonus, the 1st-magnitude star Spica and the planet Mars barely miss being part of this assembly; look for them respectively about 17 and 22 degrees below the Moon if the sky is clear and dark enough. More on this morning spectacle in next week’s Night Sky Friday.

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Retailers to Carve Out Another Successful Halloween---------- Washington, DC, September 28, 2004 – Retailers across the country are filling their shelves with the spookiest merchandise available to meet the demands of consumers already hunting for Halloween items, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF 2004 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that Halloween spending this year is estimated to reach $3.12 billion, up from $2.96 billion last year. Survey results indicate that the average consumer plans to spend $43.57 on Halloween merchandise this year. Sweets remain a popular Halloween purchase with the average consumer planning to spend $14.83 on candy this holiday, second only to costumes at $15.21. Halloween remains the second-biggest decorating holiday of the year with 61.8 percent of consumers planning to purchase decorations. "Halloween fills an important retail void between back-to-school and the holiday season," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "Many retailers are carving out quite a niche for themselves in the Halloween market." Halloween will be celebrated most among young adults, with more than 69 percent of 18-34-year-olds planning to celebrate the holiday. Over half of 18-24-year-olds will dress in costume (54.1%) and throw or attend a party (50.6%), while most consumers 55-plus will hand out candy (82.7%). Though some adults will be celebrating the holiday with their children, single adults are also getting in on the fun. "Young adults aren't willing to relinquish a holiday they grew up enjoying," said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch. "Halloween remains one of the only days where society gives adults permission to act like kids again." Although the $3.12 billion to be spent on Halloween this year is significant, it remains the sixth-largest spending holiday after: Winter Holidays ($219.9 billion estimated), Valentine's Day ($12.79 billion), Easter ($10.47 billion), Mother's Day ($10.43 billion), and Father's Day ($8.04 billion). Because Halloween is not a gift-giving holiday or an apparel holiday, it ranks lower than other annual holidays in terms of spending. About the Survey The NRF 2004 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Halloween. The survey, which polled 7,680 consumers, was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch from August 31 – September 8, 2004. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent. BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch’s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace. The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet and independent stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 23 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2003 sales of $3.8 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com.

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Okay...Now to catch up on my life! This Past weekend I went to the NASCAR Races at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City KS. And Yeah it was the best weekend so far this entire year!!! Friday they had Practice and then Qualifying. My Dad with Tony and Ann Mann also came...they picked me up in Manhattan Friday Morning and then headed to the speedway. We watched the Nextel Cup drivers practice. This lady in front of my let me listen to her other Scanner it was great Got to listen to Dale Earnhardt, Jamie McMurry, Casey Mears, Tony Steward, and Kevin Harvick (thats all i can remember) then after that we went to do the Fan Walk in the infield...that was GREAT got pictures of the guy's cars...Got a picture with Michael Waltrip and I aslo got his Autograph...that was Great...I was shaking i was like a little girl! It was hillarious after i got his autograph i was like OMG i can't believe I got someone's autograph! Okay well neway we watched Qualifying and then we headed back to Topeka...We at at Outback Steakhouse (I've never ate there its pretty good!). Later that night Alex called me and we figured out our Plan of Action. Went to bed like at 10:30 or 11 I can't believeI went to bed that early!! I was tired! Saturday: Got up, took a shower Alex called I didn't hear it so I had to call him back. And of course I was a little late I said lets leave at 6:30am well we left like around 6:45am! Drove til' Topeka stopped at the Walmart to get Ear Plugs...then headed off to Kansas City. This was the first time for me driving on the Toll Road like without my parental units!! LOL! Stopped at McDonalds had a Great Breakfast and then on we went. Got to the Kansas Speedway about 8:50am or so but because of the "traffic" we didn't really get into the Stadium til a bit after 9:30am. Thought our seats were at the end of pit road but not....had to walk all the way down to the opening of pit road for our seats!! So we missed the first practice session of that day! But that was okay...We got to watch Happy Hour and then the Busch Race started! Both Alex and I forgot our Cameras for that day :( yeah damn us!!! :( we could have gotten some good shots from Practice! Well the Stadium was FULL and thats really surprising for a Busch Race but then with the whole NBS 24/7 show on SPEED has really up'd the Busch status...and some Nextel Cup drivers are drivers in the Busch and also for the 21 Reese's team (usually its Kevin Harvick driving but not this week) they had a rookie driver from EMPORIA, KANSAS so maybe thats why it was packed oh well. Tony Stewart lead a lot of laps, and both Championship contenderds Truex Jr, and Busch had recked. But it was the 4ths to last lap or something when Joe Nemechek touched Stewart and sent him crashing...but then now people say that they didn't touch there actually were never a real good camera angle on that...but neway he crashed and NEMECHeck won! That ticked like everyone off...lol...okay well not a couple seating a few rows behind me! Well we then headed back to Manhattan ate dinner at the rest area. And then onward to Manhappen! Got back...dropped Alex off at his Dorms and said same time same place for tomorrow! Then headed to my apartment. Watched some TV, and then went to sleep at 10:00pm I was exhauseted!! Sunday: Well I would have gotten like enough sleep but Susan called me at 1:40am she was pretending to call someone else and didn't expect me to pick up. What to you think I have the phone on all the time because I don't have a home phone and it rings, I notice its Susan and I pick it up! LOL! Well actually for some strange reason, I had just woken up a few minutes before that, (must have had a strange dream or something.) (Well i acutally had adream about Nascar and I know it had Ryan Newman in it and his car fell from a cliff into water or something lol!). Okay well I actually woke up earlier so that I could take a longer shower and go to the Gas Station and get some Cappachino (can't spell!) drove straight to the McDonalds 30 miles west of the Speedway, had another Great Breakfast!! :) and then headed to the Speedway. I'm glad that we left a bit earlier because it was packed!!! Did A little shopping bought a few shirts, I bought this thing to sit on so my butt doens't get numb lol! Alex of course bought a Gordon shirt...lol but i'm getting the exact one but just of Dale Earnhardt Jr (its the Inaugural Nextel Cup Championship so each of the 10 drivers has this shirt but with something that represents them the driver.) Got to our seats and just rested a bit took a short cat nap on the bleachers because Alex had already slept in the car and I was tired! Watched and listened to all the pre-race ceremony stuff. THey had a band from the 4th ID, they had Parachuters, they had 2 huge Helios and then Driver Introductions, Prayer, singing of the National Anthem and then they had a stealth come at the end of the Anthem(really kewl!). Watched the race pretty good kept everybody up for most of it! Some good race between Gordon and Dale Jr. Jr prevailed at the end!! :) had some recks but not too bad... Really good racing at the end...between Ricky Rudd and Joe Nemechek but in the end Nemechek won again. He swept the weekend...hes the 2nd driver this season to do that. Dale Jr did it a few weeks ago at Bristol. Had a good finish 1,2, &3 were military cars, US Army, Air Force, and the National Gaurd that was pretty kewl in its self. Well we watched the Burn out and then we head out to my car...Couldn't find it for a while but in the end we found it! Took a while to get out but you would expect that from a race or any kind of huge sporting event! Drove straight to Manhattan no stops nowhere...Started to rain...omg never imagined how many people were speeding! Its like you watch cars go fast and then wehen u get into one you know you want to go fast! Yeah I was going pretty fast! i think the highest i went was like 85 to 90 MPH but i tried to keep it to 75 or 80 mph. lol! But yeah got home dropped Alex off and then went to my place called my parentals and then went to sleep!!!

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