Halloween Horrors: Razor Blade found in Candy in Reynoldsburg, Ohio (My Town)

Since I was little, back in the 70s (and for a long time before), there have been stories about tainted Halloween treats. Well-meaning neighbors would make caramel apples, popcorn balls and other homemade treats, only to have parents chuck them in the garbage, in the unlikely event that they contained needles, poisons, razor blades or other potentially  lethal items.

Everyone heard stories, but no one believed them. Parents would rifle through our candy sacks (usually a pillowcase), in the name of finding tears or needle pricks in the wrappers, but really just to steal the best chocolate. The rare occasions when there would be an actual case of tainted goodies would invariably turn out to be a hoax or a prank, either by a kid or a parent looking to scare people or garner attention. If you check out Snopes.com, they back me up on this.

But, especially after the Tylenol scare in the early 1980s, communities started changing Halloween. They'd have X-ray machines to run candy through, they'd hold mass indoor events instead of allowing trick-or-treating, they'd hold "trunk or treat" events, where kids got candy out of the backs of people's cars (and my, my, folks, doesn't that sound like a perfectly idiotic idea to teach kids?). A lot of over-the-top "safety" over a handful of mostly urban legends and hoaxes.

Well, last night it happened not only in the state of Ohio--where I recently returned after 20 years in Las Vegas--but right down the street from me. Seriously, we walk the area almost daily. It's a legit case, insofar as the Reynoldsburg police are treating it seriously, and there are actual photos of the Snickers bar with what looks like the razor blade from a disposable safety razor inside. But, I smell a rat. There was one piece of tainted candy found, period. That doesn't sound like a crazed lunatic trying to hurt people to me. It sounds like almost every other case like this, like a hoax or a prank gone too far. I'd lay money on it.

For the record: yes, central Ohio has "Beggars Nights," on various dates ahead of Halloween, a tradition dating back to the 1950s (with several origin theories). And no, I didn't pass out Snickers bars from my house, only Kit-Kats and Twix. Honest!

[Excerpt]

Reynoldsburg police: Razor blade found in Halloween candy

Reynoldsburg police are asking parents of children who trick-or-treated in the suburb to check all candy tonight, after a razor blade was found in a candy bar. Lt. Shane Mauger said police have no reason to believe the situation was a hoax. He said that the razor blade was in a Snickers bar. . .
Read more at: Columbus Dispatch

Mitt Romney's Short Bus Antics

The Etch-a-Sketch Express? Or The Short Bus?
Image from source.

Do you remember a few weeks ago, when it came to light that Mitt Romney once taunted a gay kid, then--with his posse--chased after the boy, and forcibly cut his hair? We were told that it was almost 50 years ago, he was just a (18-year-old) kid, and blah, blah, blah, we were being petty. Then, more recently, we found out that Romney also liked to drive around pretending to be a state trooper. In uniform. And actually pulling people over. Pfft! Just innocent pranks! He was just a kid!

Well, the weird kid has apparently not grown up all that much. I'm sure the tea baggers lap this stuff up, but do independents? Do disaffected Democrats? I'm thinking not so much.

Romney Campaign Bus Taunts Obama Supporters


Romney Campaign’s Classless Antics Harm Their Brand

It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Image from source, MSNBC

It is rare for a news or pop-culture event to unite so many people. But this "Rapture on May 21" business seems to have united most sane Americans in laughter. Sure, there may be a few of the dimmer evangelicals who are having panic attacks. And the legions of readers of Left Behind (some of the worst popular writing ever committed to paper) may be getting nervous. But by-and-large, most people are making fun of this one. And the prank in the picture? Loving it.

[Excerpt]

Oh, Rapture! Pranks are in the works

If you see scenes like this in your neighborhood, DON'T PANIC! Cast-off clothes are not a sign that the elect have been taken up in Saturday's scheduled Rapture. It's more likely to be a prank suggested by Jonathan Elliot, a self-described "architect of the liberal conspiracy" from New Zealand. Other pranksters have suggested filling blow-up dolls with helium and sending them heavenward ... or calling your boss at 5:58 p.m. local time and leaving a message about how much you love your job, then ending the call in midsentence. If you do such things, let folks know by sending Twitter updates with the #raptureprank or #rapturebomb hashtag. We'll see who has the last laugh this weekend. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

Sarah Palin Gets Pwned on Facebook

Hilarious. . .

Get the story at: Joe.My.God.

Pranksters Infiltrate Tea Baggers

. . .And the tea baggers aren't happy about it. Poor babies.

[Excerpt]

Tea-party crashers: 'I'm gay for Palin'

As tea partiers flocked to hear former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speak at a tea-party rally on the Boston Common, apparent crashers or agents provocateurs appeared at the event today carrying signs with racial slogans and messages attacking Palin and the tea-party movement. . .

Read more, at the (be warned, pretty nutty): WorldNetDaily

Improv Everywhere: Twins on a Train

I love practical jokes, as long as they aren't mean spirited, or making someone the butt of a joke. Improv Everywhere stages pranks in public places, and then records the results. It's absolutely pointless, and a lot of fun.



See more at: Improv Everywhere