You just know he's up to no good. (Photo by Amanda Hirsch) There is perhaps no figure in contemporary culture that incites such contradictory and extreme emotions as the clown. For some, they represent a boundless source of pure and unadulterated joy and elation, while for others, they are creepy, unsettling, and downright revolting -- possibly even evil incarnate. How did the innocent clown become saddled with such conflicting baggage? In a proclamation honoring the first official "National Clown Week" in 1971, Richard Nixon (ironic, no?) declared that "clowns and the spirit they represent are as vital to the maintenance of our humanity as the builders and the growers and the governors." And, for most of history, this has been true. There has long been a tradition of clowning throughout the world. Consider the jester, the fool, Pierrot, Arlecchino, and the buffoon.  They've traditionally been seen as silly or sad -- but always loveable -- figure, whose sole motive was to bring joy and laughter to the young and the young at heart. Unfortunately for the general clown population, though, that perception is changing. Fear of clowns (known as "coulrophobia," though one wonders if "bozophobia" might have been a more appropriate moniker) is becoming an increasingly somber issue and the clown's reputation has taken a serious blow in recent years. Gone are the kinder and gentler clowns of yesteryear: Bozo, Clarabell, The Tramp. They've been replaced by such memorable malcontents as Krusty the Clown, Homey D. Clown, and Flunky, the "Late Night" Viewer Mail Clown. While those guys are at least amusing, there's nothing especially funny about the likes of Pennywise, The Joker, Captain Spaulding, or real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. -- also known as "Pogo the Clown." The idea of the "evil clown" has taken hold in American culture and, unfortunately for serious groups like Clowns of America International and Clowns without Borders, that doesn't appear to be relenting any time soon. Still, there's room in the car for clowns of all types, from silly to sinister, and what better time to honor the tradition than National Clown Week, which runs from August 1st to August 7th? So paint on some greasepaint, pull out your big shoes and rubber nose, and let your inner clown out to play -- just be sure not to scare the neighbors. Suggested Sites... Clowns without Borders - bringing laughter to all suffering peoples, especially children living in refugee camps, conflict zones, and emergency situations. Clowns of America International - dedicated to the art of clowning and to bringing joy and happiness to everyone. International Clown Hall of Fame - preserving and advancing the art of clowning. The No Clown Zone - for people who are afraid of -- or who just plain hate -- clowns Clownz.com - beware the grease-painted ones!

Directory categories: Clowning, Anti-Clowns, Clowns, Clown Fetishes, Clown Apparel

Archived under: Celebrations, Children, Circus Arts, Clowns, Comedians, Criminals, History, Horror, Horror Films, Humor, Make-Up, Monsters and Creatures, Phobias, Psychology, Serial Killers, Villains

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Couldn't you just bite these two on the neck? (Photo from Yahoo! Movies) If you’ve been in a movie theater lately, chances are you’ve heard a chorus of teenage girls screaming at the trailer for the new "Twilight" movie, "New Moon." But it's not just adolescents who are giddy over the series -– fans of all ages will be convening in Dallas, Texas, from July 30th to August 2nd for the first-ever "Twicon." And lest you think that a convention about vampires who sparkle in sun is silly, it’s certainly not the first fan gathering of its kind. "Harry Potter" fans, or "Potterphiles," have been convening for years now -- most recently in San Francisco at the cleverly-titled Azkatraz." Then there are "Xena" fans, "Star Trek," a slew of other science fiction conventions, and countless comic book conventions. "Twilight" fans, like any other fandom, have their fair share of hardcore devotees (sometimes known as "shippers"). Fans express their undying love for Edward and Isabella by writing "fanfic" (short for fan fiction) or creating fan art. Then there are the fans who bring a little reality to the party by poking fun at the diehards or by parodying the movies and books themselves. This year's Twicon might not be filled with giant Wookiees or people dressed like Spock, but it's sure to feature some oddities of its own. But just remember, if you or someone you love starts wearing fake fangs and body glitter to channel their "inner vampire," it might be time to stage an intervention. Suggested Sites... Twicon 2009 - everything you need to know about this year's Twicon. The Twilight Saga - official move site. Stephenie Meyer - official site for the author. TwiFanatics - movie news, fan fiction, gossip, pictures, and more. Yahoo! Movies: Twilight - movie info and more.

Directory categories: "Twilight" Saga, "New Moon" Movie, Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Fan Fiction, Vampires

Archived under: Books, Celebrations, Celebrities, Children´s Literature, Comic Books, Communities, Conventions, Cultures, Entertainment, Events, Fan Fiction, Fanatics, Festivals, Fiction, Harry Potter, Horror, Monsters and Creatures, Movies, Mythology and Folklore, Reading, Society and Culture, Star Trek, Star Wars, TV, Vampires

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Possible algal bloom in Canada's Bowman Bay (Photo by Pierre Nordique) It seems there are still mysteries to solve on this planet. Following the recent discovery of the "Alaskan blob" (insert your own Sarah Palin joke here ... ), there's been a flurry of news stories covering the explosion of colonies of microorganisms on both sides of North America. The furry-looking slick located off the shores of northern Alaskan has so far baffled scientists as to why it's appeared where it has. It's something generations of locals have never seen before, and whether it will hurt the local wildlife and eco-systems or not is something they can't yet answer. Just a simple news search on "algae bloom" gives you the skinny on who's dealing with harmful algal blooms (or HABs, for short) at this very moment. In June, there was an algae bloom in Tampa that stretched for more than a dozen miles, and which could still cause a large fish kill. And off the entire coast of Maine, a red tide has virtually shut down clam-digging and other local fishing industries. As of last week, the most current research vessels on the scene have concluded that the bloom is finally ending, though. And these examples represent just saltwater occurrences, we haven't even begun to touch on the freshwater bacteria that can wreak all sorts of havoc ... something that visitors to Vancouver Lake in Washington found out about last weekend. And now that we've got you worried about that, what's up with those big globs of oil washing up on the beaches in Texas? Suggested Sites... National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service - investigating the ocean algae blooms with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Harmful Algae: Red Tide - comprehensive resource for information about harmful algal blooms. The Bioluminescence Web Page - some varieties of algal blooms can produce a ghostly glow in the dark. The Biotech Weblog - researchers find a diatom that can reduce the toxicity of a red tide.

Directory categories: Harmful Algal Blooms, Phycology, Microorganisms, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Archived under: Alaska, Bacteria, Beaches, Biology, Canada, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Mysteries, Nature, Science, Scientists, Underwater, Weird Stuff

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The perfect meal: an In-N-Out "Double-Double" with fries (Photo by Elliot) On July 28, 1900, a hungry customer rushed into Louis Lassen's luncheonette in New Haven, CT, and asked for something that he could eat on the run. Lassen slapped a broiled beef patty between two slices of bread and invented the hamburger. Or did he? There's an old saying that "success has a hundred fathers, while failure is an orphan," and nowhere is that adage truer than in the question of exactly who invented the hamburger. Given its phenomenal success (Americans alone consume some forty billion per year), it's not surprising that there are at least three other claimants to the title "Father of the Hamburger." The earliest contenders seem to be the Menches brothers (Frank and Charles), itinerant sandwich vendors who traveled the state- and county-fair circuit at the end of the 19th century. In 1895, they ended up at the Buffalo Fair at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. Local butchers were unable to provide the boys with their usual pork sausages, so they substituted ground beef flavored with "coffee beans and brown sugar, and other ingredients that remain a secret" (yum!). The sandwich became a hit and took its name from the venue, which would seem to end the controversy. Except that, also in 1895, Charlie Nagreen was trying to sell meatballs at the Seymour Fair in Seymour, WI. The fair was a hit, but Nagreen was not. Meatballs are tasty, but aren't necessarily easy to eat while walking through a fair. Charlie was seized with the idea of making them more portable by smashing them between, yes, two slices of bread, and they immediately became a hit. Since loaves of ground beef, known as "Hamburg steaks," (named after the city in Germany) were a popular meal, Nagreen named his invention the "Hamburger sandwich," which was soon shortened to "hamburger." The least-likely innovator was Fletcher Davis, who owned a lunch counter in Athens, TX (the self-proclaimed "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World"). Davis, according to oral reports, had been serving a ground-beef sandwich as early as the 1880s. He claimed to have sold the sandwich at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis (where the sandwich was undoubtedly served -- the New York Tribune wrote about the sensation it caused), but unfortunately, there’s no hard evidence to prove that Davis was the man serving them. (Though McDonald's does give the St. Louis fair credit for serving the burger, in spite of the earlier documented examples.) Regardless of who invented the hamburger, it's become as much a part of American culture as, well, apple pies and the hot dog (and don’t get us started on who invented that) -- from backyard cookouts and drive-ins to such noted fanciers as J. Wellington Wimpy and Forsthye P. (Jughead) Jones. The sandwiches range in size from normal to large to beyond jumbo to ridiculous, and while some of us are satisfied with just one, there are some folks who can finish off 103 sliders (in ten minutes!) or a 9-pound giant in less than half an hour. But if you don't mind, all this burger talk has made us hungry. We'll take ours medium with ketchup, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, pickles, and a touch of mustard, please. Suggested Sites... Louis' Lunch - where the hamburger was invented. Menches Brothers - news about the other inventors of the hamburger. Home of the Hamburger - another place where the hamburger was invented. Home of the Original Hamburger - and yet one more. A Hamburger Today - burger blog with ketchup, mustard -- and opinions.

Directory categories: Hamburger Recipes, Hamburger Restaurants, Fast Food Restaurants, Food and Drink Blogs, Fast Food Calorie Counters

Archived under: American History, Anniversaries, Cooking, Creativity, Eating, Fast Food, Food and Drink, Hamburgers, History, Invention, Inventors, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Tourist Attractions

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Watch out, pup! They're going to soak you! (Photo by Mara 1) For many of us, dragging ourselves out of bed in the morning is one of the day's least pleasant activities. Well, in Finland, today is National Sleepyhead Day; the one day of the year when ensuring you're up and about in good time is no problem at all. The day's traditional customs dictate that on July 27th, you get to wake up the last person asleep in your household through the medium of water. You might chose to simply pour a nice icy-cold glass of water over your victim as they snore away in their bed. But you may also be lucky -- or sadistic -- enough to toss the unfortunate individual into the nearest lake, river, or ocean. The origins of the day lie in the tale of the Saints of Ephesus, who, refusing to recant their Christianity fled the Emperor Decius and hid in a cave. Decius promptly ordered the cave to be sealed as punishment. Some 309 years later, a local farmer opened the tomb. Much to his (and we dare say the departed Decius’s?) shock, the farmer found the saints all waking from the longest nap in history. (Take that, Rip van Winkle!) What is less clear is where the water pranks associated with the day came from. Nowadays in the coastal town of Naantali, "unikeonpäivä" (to give it the day its Finnish title) is a major event and the town throws a festival each year in its honor. One might be tempted to think that a town that is already home to the world’s foremost theme park dedicated to the "Moomins" -- those incredibly popular (if seriously creepy) children’'s characters -- would have enough on its plate. But not so. The festivities kick off with a Finnish celebrity being (un)ceremoniously dumped into the Baltic Sea at 7:00 a.m., and run late into the evening with music, games, and other assorted revelries. If the phrase "Finnish celebrity" strikes you as a glaring oxymoron, then National Sleepyhead Day offers some interesting insight. Given that previous recipients of the chilly "honor" have included president Tarja Halonen's husband and the CEO of a Finnish oil company, the term "celebrity" is used in its loosest possible context. That said, if the upshot of being a celebrity in Finland is that someone may, one day, wish to throw you into freezing water at 7:00 a.m., it may account for slim pickings when unikeonpäivä rolls around. Just think of the effect on the cult of celebrity worldwide if we all embraced the practice with true Finnish enthusiasm. Suggested Sites... Visit Finland - home of the Finnish Tourist Board. Naantali - official site of the home of the annual celebrity dunk. Naantali Music Festival - everything you need to know about the long-running festival. The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus - information on the saints whose imprisonment is the precursor to National Sleepyhead Day

Directory categories: Finnish Holidays and Observances, Finland, Finnish Government Officials, Theme Parks, The "Moomin" Series

Archived under: Celebrations, Celebrities, Europe, European History, Events, Festivals, History, Mythology and Folklore, Pranks, Regional, Saints, Sleep, Tourist Attractions

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