The Metaphysical Site

My workmate's son came to collect him from work the other day while his own car was at the garage. Nothing unusual in that you would think, why shouldn't he? Well from the reaction of my colleagues I thought that he had turned up in an exotic sports car so I trailed outside to have a look. There sat not the exotica I was expecting but a 1966 Chevrolet Sportvan, customized as 'The Mystery Machine' from the Scooby Doo show!

My immediate reaction was to break into a broad smile and looking around me I could see that I was not alone. The family live nearby so I thought that I would call by later to take a closer look. Speaking to them I asked if they always get that kind of reaction to the van and was told to " jump in we'll go for a ten minute drive ". Well I was amazed at the reaction, both pedestrians and other road users smiled and waved as we passed, so when I got home I decided to see what was available on the internet for the Mystery Machine.

Unsurprisingly perhaps there were a number of examples similar to my friends van available for hire, covering all occasions from childrens and adults parties to the High School Prom, with or without a 'Shaggy' character driver and 'Scooby Doo' passenger. A quick surf of the net revealed a multitude of toy Mystery Machines in all shapes and sizes.

A favorite of mine was the 'Glow in the Dark' example complete with Shaggy and Scooby, you could even get additional witch/mummy/other bad guy characters to add to the set, how cool is that!. A plastic construction kit in 1:24 scale took me back more years than I care to remember to old childhood birthday and Christmas presents.

Perhaps the ultimate example of the Mystery Machine was the one included with the complete dvd collection. Titled 'Scooby- Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series'; this comprises the 41 original episodes available on seven discs with a further bonus features disc. The discs are all stored inside a faithful replica of the Mystery Machine beneath a lift up rear section. The van is made of strong plastic, has rotating wheels, is kept on a decorative display base and is a great toy or ornament in it's own right, but the inclusion of the discs must make this the ultimate Mystery Machine available.

My quick surf of the net had revealed a whole world of fun toys and games featuring the Mystery Machine. I was even able to repay my short ride by finding the license plate number of the original van for my friends son ( AC-712, only ever seen once during the history of Scooby Doo in the 1979 Scooby and Scrappy Doo episode ' The Neon Phantom of the Roller Disco' if you're interested ).

I also became aware that almost unnoticed the Mystery Machine seems to have become an American icon, up there with the likes of the Corvette Stingray and the original Ford Mustang so maybe my friend was picked up by his son in an example of motoring exotica after all!

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The History of Jack O’ Lanterns: What's Up With These Pumpkins on Halloween?

Halloween has always been associated with horrific beings, scary creatures and the commemoration of the souls of those who died. However, the modern world has created ways for the season to be everything but gloomy and frightening. If you look at your neighbor's backyard, you'll know what I'm talking about---PUMPKINS.

Every holiday has their trademark object. Trees are for Christmas just like eggs are for Easter. Out of all these holidays, the one that really makes everyone squeal with curiosity about its symbolism is by far, Halloween. Of all things, why are pumpkins the fad during Halloween? Witches and bats are quite self-explanatory and scary creatures being the theme of the season are unquestionable, but the Jack O' Lantern has been quite a source of fascination. People have been pimping their yards with Jack o' Lanterns from time immemorial during Hallow's Eve without knowing why they do such practice. This time, let's try to uncover the mystery behind the famous and Halloween-y Jack O' Lantern.

The Answer Goes Way Back in Ireland

The tradition of the Jack O' Lantern is originally from Ireland. It has its roots from an old legend that initially circulated around Ireland hundreds of years ago. However, Jack O' Lantern was not a pumpkin but a prankster dubbed as Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack was infamous among the village people as someone who would not bat an eyelash about playing callous tricks on people. However, his tricks were not only limited to children, his family, or his villagers. His pranks had taken off on a different level when he played a trick on the Devil himself.

One day, he tricked the Devil on climbing an apple tree. While the Devil was on his way to the top, Stingy Jack placed crosses around the tree naturally preventing the Devil from going down. Then, Stingy Jack drew the last straw when he made the Devil swear that the latter will not take his soul to hell upon death. The Devil was forced to promise for Jack to take away the crosses.

Years later, when Stingy Jack died, he went to the gates of Heaven thinking that it's the only place for him to go since the devil promised not to take his soul. However, Saint Peter said that his evil deeds when he was still alive would forfeit his entrance to Heaven. With no other place to go, Stingy Jack went to the gates of Hell expecting the Devil to accept him. However, the Devil turned out to be a man of his words. Stingy Jack was not accepted in Hell either because of his wager with the Devil. Instead, the Devil handed Stingy Jack a lantern to guide him on his way. Jack placed the lantern inside a carved pumpkin (or a turnip in other versions) and desperately sought for a place where his soul can rest. Just like some scary creatures without a place where their spirit could linger, Jack roamed the world of the living totting his "Jack O' Lantern".

What Pumpkins Have Become During Halloween

The Jack O' Lantern tradition was brought to America sometime in 1800 by Irish immigrants. Since then, pumpkin carving has been one of the highlights during Halloween. Scary creatures, cartoon characters, vampire and witches are made out of artistically carved out pumpkins.

These Jack O' Lanterns don't only decorate homes in America, but also in other parts of the globe. Some countries in Asia like Indonesia, Philippines and other have already incorporated the pumpkin-carving tradition into their own Halloween practices. This cultural assimilation has enriched customs done during Hallow's Eve.

This tradition has made Halloween into more than just a season when ghostly apparitions and scary creatures dominate. It also becomes a time to harness those gardening and artistic skills. Indeed, The Jack O' Lantern has created a whole new meaning to the word, PUMPKIN.

For more info: Scary Creatures

About the Author

Jennifer Franco, 24, is an SEO creative writer, educator and freelance editor. She is a literature buff that reeks love for Neil Gaiman's work. When she's not doing her regular work, she spends most of her time cooking up weird manga concepts or nursing teenage grudge that she still happens to have. Jen, as her friends usually call her, is addicted to haircuts and new-notebook smell. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in English Language and Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Blair witch project ending?

Okay, so... Mike runs downstairs to save Josh, at this time I start getting conused. Does Heather drop the camera and follow? Because when Mike goes down you can hear her screaming upstairs. Then he gets to the basement and the camera drops... Then the camera upstairs is picked up and starts heading downstairs, Heather is screaming in the basement. This is a mystery to me. She must have followed and dropped the camera upstairs to run after Mike right? Because she was screaming upstairs just seconds earlier. Either that or she teleported to the basment... which would just have been so weird... But if she is in the basement who is killing her and who has the camera? There must be two people right? Then who are they? Josh and the Killer? The Killer and the Witch? Josh and the Witch? Or is it just a random dude? What is everyone elses insight on this... personaly I think maybe the filmers messed up...

As I remember she runs downstairs. Mike ran downstairs and then later she ran down as well. The person killing her is never revealed, the camera shows that Mike is in the corner waiting his turn like the legend says, and all you hear is her screaming. It was an ambiguous ending on purpose, you aren't supposed to know who the killer is.

Tawanna Iverson Files for Divorce
Filed under: Interviews , Gossip , Basketball NBA star Allen Iverson has bounced from talented wild child to respected elder statesman during his 20 years on the public stage. But with the announcement that his wife of eight years, Tawanna Iverson , is filing for divorce at the same time that his family is troubled by a mystery illness that has afflicted his daughter Messiah , the basketball ...

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