DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Ancient or just simply old castles are some of the most interesting man-made places on Earth.  They are often grand structures that are rich in history, but sometimes their history is dark and violent.  This causes some people to look at these great historical sites in a different light.  You can almost guarantee that if a person has been tortured, killed, or died of old age in a castle, that someone will claim it is haunted.    European castles have been the home to ruling monarchs, both bad and good.  They have seen the hardship, pain, tragedy and triumph of mankind.  They have also served as prisons and torture chambers and in some instances, even tombs.    Many believe this is why castles are so closely associated with ghosts and haunting's.  With so much agony being born within, it makes sense that some of that might permeate into the very structure itself.  Tower of London   Perhaps no castle know...

   Issobell Gowdie was one of the witches of Auldearne coven that was tried in Moyashire, Scotland, in 1662.  Gowdie became well-known partly because of her detailed testimony and partly because it was apparently freely given, without torture.  However, as Cameron states, preliminary torture-which could consist of being deprived of food and drink, being held without sleep, and even beatings and having the legs crushed-was  commonly disregarded by the courts.    The recorded torture was only that which was only that which was applied at a later stage, to acquire the names of accomplices.  Prior to that, the words"The prisoner confessed without torture" would be written into the records.  However, Gowdie did tell her story at least four times, between April 3 and May 27, never once deviating, contradicting herself, or changing her testimony in any way, including the recitation of numerous spells and incantations.    Gowdie...

   Now that you've chosen the perfect pumpkin, carved a flawless design into the pumpkin and made it into a Halloween jack-o-lantern, how do you keep the pumpkin fresh until Halloween?  You must keep your pumpkin hydrated, and there are several ways of doing that.  Here are some tips for keeping your jack-o-lantern just-carved fresh until Halloween.    After you have carved the jack-o-lantern design into your pumpkin, coat the cut edges and the inside of the pumpkin with petroleum jelly.  Good old Vaseline will help seal in the moisture of the pumpkin and extend the life of your jack-o-lantern.  Vegetable oil can be used instead of Vaseline, or spray the inside of the pumpkin with hair spray.  Either of the three will seal in moisture and keep your pumpkin fresh until Halloween.    If the cut edges of your jack-o-lantern have begun to curl, soak the pumpkin in a tub of water overnight to re-hydrate it.  After removing the ...