Tête-à-tête

Hello everyone,
You'll have noticed that the RS is looking spooky today. That's right, with Halloween right around the corner, we decided to indulge in some ghost stories and spooky legends, so feel free to explore the pages if you dare.

Halloween in the month of Ramadan, you say? Well, why not? Just a few days back, we celebrated the Durga Puja amidst much fanfare. This season is a special one indeed, to have so many religious celebrations packed into it, seeing that Eid will be closely followed by Christmas. Maybe it's a sign that it's time we all forgot our differences and learnt to coexist in harmony…either that, or the fasting's getting to me and making me overly idealistic and philosophical.

Well, our RSanime fan forum is gradually gaining momentum…it's an invite-only site, so far, I'm afraid, so you'll have to mail me if you want to join. Speaking of anime, our discussion on the subject closes this week. The first letter we have this week is from DeWan, who writes:

"Well...I'll get right to the point. Firstly I am going to thank Niloy for bringing in the whole broad concept that is adult animation .It is surprising how much the anime fans narrow down this concept. Seriously does adult animation always have to be generated around rather large eyed stubby nosed characters with unusually large samurai swords on so called serious missions (or should I say quests) which fail to make any sense? I don't think so. It has a lot more potential, people. As Niloy had already brought Simpsons and South Park to the light I'm not going to talk about that but I am going to talk about "MEN IN BLACK" the series (Cartoon Network), "SPIDER-MAN" the series (Cartoon Network) or X-men the original series,(Star World), this series is based in Stan Lee's original comics by the way. Then again, X-men Evolution is a healthy dose of adult animation. Now I do admit that these shows aren't particularly violent. A large portion of these shows is based around teen culture and are made for teens. Others uphold concepts that can only be analysed fully by adult minds (X-men: Prejudice). Then again if you are in the mood for something violent or truly adult why not check out the "Hell-SPAWN" series, the series thought of as the mother of adult animation (yes anime freaks, adult animation started in the United States not Japan). SO there you have it...my take on the whole adult animation genre
P.S :Was I the only one in Bangladesh who got up at six in the morning to watch transformers the original series on star plus and is there a way to get it on DVD?"

I have a feeling you stepped on a lot of toes there, DeWan. I'm no expert, but I believe anime is a separate genre based on the Japanese manga characters brought to life by animation. While adult animation might have started in the US (I really have no idea), anime is a separate art form altogether. It's like Impressionism and Classicism are both art, but different genres. Or did I get it wrong?

Moving on, here's a piece from Shuvom, who says:
"Okay, I think this might help settle the argument. This is what I have to say:
Anime are pretty cool. Most of them just lack one thing: A FRAME-RATE MORE THAN 1-FPS! It's the biggest drawback that only I seem to notice, and others too stupid to get it make the animators' jobs easy. I understand Akira and stuff, I think they're cool, but things like Pokemon are simply ridiculous to begin with. And anime ARE cartoons. Of a special genre, that's all."

Well, that's all we have space for this week. Thanks for making this a thorough discussion. Take care, and Happy Halloween.

Send your polls, opinions, and queries to thegirlnextdoor1@hotmail.com or teteatete_tgnd@yahoo.com
By The Girl Next Door

BD Bhoots

Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, werewolves, banshees…you're probably familiar with most of these creatures, and if you're not, just take a gander at the cover story this week.

Bangladeshi folklore has its own share of eerie entities. Since we're getting scary this Halloween, why not take a look at some of our local spooks?

Jinn: this one pops to mind first because even people who normally don't believe in the occult are sitting on the fence about jinns. The Holy Quran acknowledges them [Surah Falaq ("Dawn") and Surah Nas ("Mankind")], and describes them as beings made of 'smokeless fire'. Sometimes identified with serpents, and sometimes with Satan's evil minions, they are said to be invisible unless they choose to appear before someone. Popular belief has it that the jinn is identifiable by its feet, which face the opposite direction from the body.

Pret-atma: the stuff of popular horror stories, the pret-atma is basically a disembodied soul that is denied access to the afterlife. Generally associated with suicide or murder victims, the pret-atma walks a thin line between the living and the dead. It may be invisible in the style of a poltergeist, or visible as a shadow-less form that casts no reflection on the mirror, or even an invisible entity that you can only see as a reflection in the mirror. The pret-atma are usually harmless spirits that are looking for human assistance in resolving some unfinished business, whereby they can safely pass on to the next world.

Bhoot: this is a generic term for a number of spirits and demons. Here are a few common examples:

Meccho bhoot: This fish-loving demon resides in the water, and during a certain time of the day, prevents boatmen from crossing the water body it inhabits.

Shakchunni: According to the ancient Pan-Indian Soul Theory of the Upanishads, every being, rational or irrational, possesses an immortal soul which passes from one body to another. This goes for trees. There are good tree-spirits, and bad ones, the latter being the Yakkha (male), and the Yakkhani (female). The Yakkhani is the predecessor of the modern shakchunni, a menacing spirit that inhabits mangrove and tetul trees, and bamboo groves, and possesses whichever unlucky fool goes near these places alone at night.

Petni: A malodorous and unsightly spirit, the petni lives in barren, uninhabited areas like swamps, rubbish heaps and abandoned houses. It loves eating fish, and can sometimes be spotted extending a long, thin arm out and demanding fried fish in an uncannily nasal voice.

The rural folklore of Kushtia maintains that if a person dies leaving the family in debt, he returns in the shape of a dog, and guards the family until the debt is paid back. Oh Padfoot, here boy!

Well, these were some of the well-known ghosts and ghouls…makes you want to look over your shoulder, doesn't it?

By Sabrina F Ahmad

Trick or Treats!

Q: Why didn't the skeleton go parachute jumping?
A: Because he didn't have the GUTS.
Q: Why was the ghost arrested when he was carrying a gun?
A: Because he didn't have a HAUNTING licence.
Q: What kept the vampire's wife awake at night?
A: His COFFIN.
Q: How can you help a starving cannibal?
A: give him a HAND.
Q: What do you call a nervous sorceress?
A: A TWITCH.
Q: Why are vampires thin?
A: Because they eat NECKS to nothing!
And as a Finale: Knock, knock! Who's there? Ivan? Ivan who? Ivan to drink your blood!

Of Cats, Dogs and Lightbulbs

The Question: "How Many Dogs Does It Take to Change A Light Bulb?"
1. Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?
2. Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.
3. Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!
4. Rottweiler: Make me.
5. Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.
6. Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I?Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!
7. German Shepherd: I'll change it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.
8. Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.
9. Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I'm sorry, but I don't see a light bulb?
10. Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.
11. Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb.
12. Pointer: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there.....
13. Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?
14. Australian Shepherd: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle...
15. Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

The Cat's Answer: "Dogs do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. So, the real question is: How long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage?"
ALL OF WHICH PROVES, ONCE AGAIN, THAT WHILE DOGS HAVE MASTERS, CATS HAVE STAFF.

Compiled by Mistress of Legends

A spine-chilling night out

With Ramadan on in full swing, big-scale Halloween hungama is out of the question. However, if you still want to add a little spook to your day, here's a freaky recipe you can try out for iftar:

Items required:
# Apples
# whole cloves
# a few grains of rice
# 1/2 Cup lemon juice
#2 tsp. salt

Method:
Make a mixture by dissolving 2 tablespoons of salt into the lemon juice.
Peel the apples and coat them with the mixture to prevent the apples from browning.
Carve out eye sockets, noses, mouths and ears using a knife.
Place the cloves inside the eye sockets and the rice grains inside the mouths as teeth.
You can either leave the apples for 2 weeks and watch the shapes of these faces dry and shrink or speed up the process by placing the apples in an oven with minimum temperature (but the process will still take several days).
Once the apples are dried, you can insert a strong wire inside the apples to form a body. Viola! A spooky treat you'll love to eat!

By Shayera Moula

Horror line

A guy (we'll call him Aaron) was laying down the carpet in some woman's home. As he was finishing his job, he got a craving for a cigarette. Aaron looked around and discovered that his cigarettes were missing. He did, however, notice a bump in the carpet, and figured that he had laid carpet over the pack without noticing it there. Aaron decided rather than to take up the carpet, he would get a hammer and pound it into the ground so no one would know.

When he finished that, the owner of the house walked into the room and commented on what a nice job he had done.

''Aaron, The carpet looks wonderful!'' she exclaimed. ''Here are your cigarettes; I found them in the kitchen. Oh yes, and by the way, have you seen my pet hamster?''