Frightfully good pumpkin carving: Pumpkins are transformed into glowing masterpieces by professional sculptors in time for Halloween
Ray Villafane and his team meticulously shaped the terrifying characters using spoons and scalpels . . . using only spoons and scalpels?? Each one takes on average two hours to complete with the horrifying results Mr Villafane has become something of a celebrity in the U.S. appearing on television shows with his creations
By Tara Brady
PUBLISHED: 06:57 EST, 29 October 2013 | UPDATED: 15:11 EST, 29 October 2013
Most Red States Take More Money From Washington Than They Put In
Even as Republicans gripe about deficit spending, their states get 30 cents more federal spending per tax dollar than their Democratic neighbors.
—By Dave Gilson | Thu Feb. 16, 2012 4:00 AM PST 227
States receiving the most federal funding per tax dollar paid:
1. New Mexico: $2.63 2. West Virginia: $2.57 3. Mississippi: $2.47 4. District of Colombia: $2.41 5. Hawaii: $2.38 6. Alabama: $2.03 7. Alaska: $1.93 8. Montana: $1.92 9. South Carolina: $1.92 10. Maine: $1.78
It's no secret: The federal budget is expanding faster than tax revenues, a trend that's been fueled by the rapid growth of entitlement programs and exacerbated by the recession. As a recent New York Times article documents, even as fiscally conservative lawmakers complain about deficit spending, their constituents don't want to give up the Social Security checks, Medicare benefits, and earned income tax credits that provide a safety net for the struggling middle class.
This gap between political perception and fiscal reality is also reflected in the distribution of tax dollars at the state level: Most politically "red" states are financially in the red when it comes to how much money they receive from Washington compared with what their residents pay in taxes.
A look at 2010 Census and IRS data reveals that the 50 states and the District of Columbia, on average, received $1.29 in federal spending for every federal tax dollar they paid. That means that some states are getting a lot more than they put in, and vice versa. The states that contributed more in taxes than they got back in spending were more likely to have voted for Obama in 2008 and were more likely to be largely urban. (There are some clear exceptions: For instance, New Mexico, a rural, Democratic state, gets more federal money per tax dollar than any other state.)
These three interactive maps break down the split between the spenders and lenders. Click on any state for more detailed data, including each state's per capita ratio of spending received versus taxes paid and where it ranked when the Tax Foundation ran the 2005 numbers.
.. excellent maps for Red vs Blue (givers and takers) and for any as i who went to school in Canada and was asked to memorize which state was which .. lol ..
Backlash emerges at parents who allowed child to dress as Klansman for Halloween November 2, 2013 A Craigsville, Va., woman’s nonchalant reaction has sparked additional outrage after she allowed her 7-year-old son to dress for Halloween in the robes of a Ku Klux Klan member. Jessica Black of Craigsville told WHSV in Virginia that there’s nothing wrong with the costume or the Ku Klux Klan. “It’s suppose to be white with white. Black with black. Man with woman and all of that.” [...] http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/02/backlash-emerges-at-parents-who-allowed-child-to-dress-as-klansman-for-halloween/ [with embedded video report, and comments]
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
