Oct 27, 2008 - 04:05:17 CDT
This Friday is Halloween, so it's a good time to review a number of useful Halloween online resources to help you prepare for the day. I've also included links to lists ranking the top scariest movies of all time to help you carry the Halloween mood through Friday night and into the weekend:Halloween.com
www.halloween.com
Lots of links to just about everything online related to Halloween.
Halloween Online
www.halloween-online.com
Another good reference site with links to tips, tricks, how-to's and shopping.
Halloween Magazine
www.halloweenmagazine.com
Links, downloads, guides, hints and tips for kids and adults.
Halloween History
www.history.com/minisites/ halloween
From the History Channel, a great multimedia resource on all things Halloween.
Halloween Movies
www.halloweenmovies.com
If you're a casual fan or a dedicated fanatic of the nine "Halloween" horror movies, this is your site.
Halloween Origins
www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween.html
A rather somber and straightforward account of Halloween's history, customs and traditions, traced back to ancient Celtic festivals of the dead.
50 Scariest Movies
www.boston.com/ae/movies/gallery/top_50_scary_movies
This list goes from "Arachnophobia" at 50 to the 1982 remake of "The Thing" at the top spot.
20 Scariest Movies
www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,726267,00.html
From "Entertainment Weekly," this shorter list has a number of different films that go from "The Shining" to "Lost Highway."
100 Scariest Movies
http://horrormovies.tribe.net/thread/5a8e8927-ce4f-4451-ae52-0020375d5c32
This list comes from the Chicago Film Critics Association and goes from "Eyes Without A Face" at 100 up to "Psycho" at the top.
The End of DST
At last, daylight-saving time comes to an end this Sunday. This questionable and lengthy period of transferring an hour of daylight from morning to evening began March 9 and runs through Nov. 2.
Americans spend 75 percent of the year under daylight-saving time even though the supposed benefit of having daylight later in the evening isn't a reality during the first and last few weeks under DST.
From 1987 until 2007, DST began the first Sunday in April and expired on the last Sunday of October, or 58 percent of the year.
Before that, going back to The Uniform Time Act of 1966, DST began the last Sunday in April and stopped on the last Sunday in October, or just a bit over 50 percent of the year.
So why, starting with 2008, was DST extended an additional four weeks?
That's the million dollar question - no one seems to have a complete answer.
The additional four weeks haven't increased energy savings or added more useful daylight to the evenings.
A few Web sites are leading modest efforts to either reduce or eliminate daylight-saving time. I've listed these sites below, along with a number of sites that provide some background and context about DST. I also have additional resources and information posted on a special page at my Web site (www.darnay.com/dst/).
End daylight-saving time
www.standardtime.com
History of DST
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/daylight_time.php
Web exhibits: DST
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving
DST wastes energy
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120406767043794825.html
Wikipedia: DST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time
Early DST backfires
www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2007-04-05-daylight-savings-usat_N.htm
About DST
www.timeanddate.com/time/aboutdst.html
DST history
http://geography.about.com/cs/daylightsavings/a/dst.htm
(Keith Darnay is the webmaster and designer for bismarcktribune.com. His Web site, featuring this column going back to 1995, is at www.darnay.com.iec.)
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