Who Ya Gonna Choose for Prez?

The time has finally arrived. We will be voting for President within the next week and by now, most of us have decided who our choice is. There is time left for anyone who is still sitting on the fence. They, and perhaps you, have accessed some of the websites that provide information meant to be neutral and unbiased—about the candidates. If you voted early or for some reason looking for a CyberScribbles column about Halloween, all I can say is sorry, you missed it. Go to www.cyberscribbles.wordpress.com and read it online.

Project Vote Smart (www.votesmart.org). This website provides biographical information about candidates from all levels of government running for office, plus voting records, issue positions, and interest group ratings. Many candidates have agreed to take Project Vote Smart’s “Political Courage Test,” questions focused on the candidate’s support of specific issues. Interestingly, Indiana’s Democratic governor candidate Jill Long Thompson chose not to take the courage test, while Mitch did agree to take it. See the results for yourself.

Open Secrets (www.opensecrets.org). So you want to know who the heavy-hitting donors are and which lobbyists support which candidate? The list of donors here include several who are presently serving time in Federal prison. Interesting.

Political Derby (www.politicalderby.com). This website is billed as “a haven for political junkies.” That is good news for all those people who want to talk politics with someone, but those “someones” don’t want to listen to the same old biases. This is a wonderful spot to find Op/Ed pieces to read, and lots of links to political subject matter. Rather than change your mind about the candidate of your choice, this site and its links will probably reinforce your decision.

Fact Checking (www.politifact.com). This is not the same site that all the journalists and the web-savvy flock to after a candidate’s speech. This is an alternate selection, provided by the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly. It might have less Internet traffic on it, and that is why I am suggesting this url to you. You will like the Truth-O-Meter, which lets you know when a politician has stretched the truth way too far. Outright lies show up as “Pants on Fire.” While you are roaming around, try the Cabinet Maker—your chance to choose the next President’s top advisors. You’ll learn some things about potential seat holders—by Party– for the Cabinet posts.

Voter Voter (www.votervoter.com). This site is a commercial venture. It is trying to drum up your business to buy an ad supporting your Presidential choice that you produce and star in, instead of sending your monetary contribution to your candidate of choice. I guess the Voter Voter premise is all about people’s egos and hunger for their 15 minutes of fame. (We journalists would advise you to look into our personal career choice.) Plus the opportunity to send your passionate message about why people must vote for your candidate. I believe you can broadcast your point of view on this website after registering free.

What’s in Your Future?

What will the future bring? What is the meaning of my life? What would be the best course of action for me to take? These are the questions often asked of those who interpret the Tarot, study astrology or numerology and those who cast runes. Believe it or not, there are still a few decent websites devoted to these oracles, websites that have not been seduced by the profit-making that runs the engine of the Web. If you want an honest reading, you’ll either be told how to interpret on your own or be connected with someone who has dedicated a big chunk of their life studying the art of prognostication.

Oswald the Runemaker (www.runemaker.com). This site treats the subject of runes seriously and reverently. You can learn how to interpret your own rune casting if you are patient and willing to understand the in-depth explanations given. The site also delivers a history of the runes. One of the most interesting parts (to me) were the illustrations and backgrounds of the rune monuments.

Isha Lerner (www.ishalerner.com). This site has been around at least ten years, offering free and quick goddess Tarot readings, chakra readings, and Power of Flowers readings. My later flower, it turned out, was a saguaro cactus when I accessed that free reading. Very much unexpected, yet relevant to my many visits to Arizona. This site is not commercial-free, because they are hoping that you are enchanted by your free reading and will therefore rush to purchase a deck for your own. You will not be bombarded by flashing banners or annoying pop-ups. Bookmark it to go back for a daily reading if you want.

Numerology (www.simplynumbers.com). You will discover that there are lots of “core” numbers to learn about: life path, personal day, and the like. Get a free interpretation of your personal day, which will tell you the best colors to wear that day and the most successful activities to that time period. Or, you can explore more in depth and learn what each number means and how it applies to your life. This is not a flashy, commercial site, which you will appreciate.

Adze Mixxe (www.adze.com). One of the lesser-known astrology sites that provide you a daily reading based on your transits. I like this offering because it hasn’t lost its connection to the planets. You can read the section on celebrity couples (pick from one of dozens) or order your own astro forecast. They don’t bug you too much about buying anything, so you can just access your daily reading if that’s all you want.

Astrodienst (www.astro.com). This is by far the best astrology site on the Web. You’ll get a free daily reading and you can cast one of several kinds of charts for yourself, assuming you know how to interpret the glyphs. For a small fee, you can access more transits for your daily reading. On Thursdays, you can access that same information free.

Daykeeper Journal (www.daykeeperjournal.com). Once a month you can receive an email with the celestial highlights of the upcoming month, along with a day-by-day forecast. Or, you can access the website directly and read a bunch of articles about timely world events. The elections are a big topic right now.

Halloween

Regular readers of this column know that I tend to skip right by most all of the holidays of the year. Then, around, Halloween, I slam on the brakes and bring you websites brimming with information about this October fright festival. This year is no different. Is it because Halloween is my favorite time of year? Not really. There just appears to be lots going on fright-wise this time of the year.

Halloween Express (www.halloweenexpress.com). You want to get some ideas for costumes, and this is a good place to do that. Hopefully, you are making your own costume in the spirit of green living and recycling, although you can recycle a costume down at the local costume shop. I was amazed to see so many scary clown masks here. No wonder so many people are paranoid about clowns.

Halloween Street (www.halloweenstreet.com). This is another costume site, and it has a special section for pet costumes. Pets, who cannot tell you how they feel about being squeezed into a bunch of foreign material, can assume personas such as insects or flowers, fairies, or other animals. Humans can choose from the latest trends for their own costumes: a golden Buddha,a hippie woman, or Edward Scissorhands for a meager $200.

Haunted House Finder Directory (www.hauntedhouseonline.com/). Are you one of those fans that go out of your way to scare yourself silly in a haunted happening in the region? Find those haunted houses close to you right here. Just click on the U.S. map and a host of links will lead you to individual websites—almost all of them welll-executed. Hmm. How about a road trip over to Huntington to the Haunted Hotel sponsored by the Jaycees? Roam the 13^th floor, which, apparently goes on forever. Made me think of the Sheraton in Gary, and how that white elephant could be transformed into a potential moneymaker during the Halloween season. Anyway, Niles’ (Michigan) Haunted House Scream Park is listed in this directory, and it’s open already. Others fairly close by are Kokomo’s Twisted Darkness and Crest Hill’s (Illinois) Stateville Prison.

Castle of Spirits (www.castleofspirits.com). Get yourself in the mood for ghoulish adventure by reading up on all the ghost stories here. Hard-core ghost hunters from the Austrailian Ghost Hunters Society keep a message board, plus sightings, unexplained phenomena, and videos.

The Bone Garden (www.thebonegarden.com). Would if you don’t have the extra money this year to explore one of the many haunted attractions? The next best thing, if you aren’t into Halloween-type scary movies would be to visit the Bone Garden and take a virtual haunted tour. You can be sure the kids won’t be so scared that they cannot fall asleep at night after exploring this online haunt.

Ghoul Skool (www.ghoulskool.com). This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to create their own props, masks, costumes, or anything Halloween-related. Whoever came up with the idea should be congratulated. It’s well worth a visit.