DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Known variously as Samhain, Summer’s End, All Hallow’s Eve, Witches Night, Lamswool , and Snap-Apple night , Halloween is among the world’s oldest holidays. Rooted in ancient pagan and Christian festivals that celebrated the inextricable link between seasonal and life cycles, Halloween has transcended its cultural roots and is currently celebrated in various forms all over the modern world. Halloween as it exists today is an exciting array of dichotomies as it delights both children and adults, prompts private religious observance as well as public exhibitionism, and blends personal imagination with mass marketing. A day full of magic and mystery, Halloween has not only survived, but it has thrived during epic cultural, religious, economic, and industrial changes throughout its long history. Roots in Ancient Celtic Festivals    The essential elements of Halloween, such as costuming, trick-or-treating, lighting bonfires, telling ghost stories, and attend...

  The World Stone Skimming Championships 2011 will take place on Sunday 25 September 2011 on Easdale Island, near Oban in Argyll, Scotland.     Easdale Islan  is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides. It was once the centre of a thriving Scottish slate mining industry, and one of the disused quarries forms a perfect arena for the World Stone Skimming Championships.    The championships are held every year on the last Sunday in September. Anyone of any age and any level of skill can enter. Each competitor is allowed 3 skims using specially selected Easdale slate skimming stones.    For a skim to qualify the stone must bounce at least three times - it is then judged on the distance achieved before it sinks. About The World Stone Skimming C...