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If you don't know what that means, the translation is "Day of the Dead." 

Wait, don't faint yet! It is actually a celebration , and a pretty BIG one at that! One day a year, people rejoice and make offerings to the dead, telling stories about them and lighting candles on shrines dedicated to the special people that are no longer with them.

It's actually a very unique day  where family members gather to remember and celebrate the lives of their dearly departed — a Mexican tradition that has been in existence for over 2500 years (wow!), going WAY back to their indigenous peeps.

Like Halloween , it's also filled with sugary sweets . For example, they make marzipan skulls from sugar, chocolate  and amaranto , along with sweet egg bread called pan de muerto  — usually shaped as skulls, rabbits and twisted bones.

Sound tasty? I know, makes you want to bite into one right now huh?

Just remember — with so many candy sales everywhere, watch that island wallet of yours and don't go overboard! I'll see you islanders at the Halloween Pumpkin party today at 4:00pm! If you don't know the details, check out the invite!

If you already do, meet us at 4:00pm island at 3s 30w — and get ready to be spooked!

Yum! With Halloween peeking around the corner, thought I'd take a sec and let you islanders know about the special-ness of this month! Yup, October is National Caramel Month  — but that's not all!

October is definitely going to satisfy your sweet tooth, because if you trick-or-treat, or celebrate Día de los Muertos  or the Pumpkin Fest, you'll be glad to know that the today (October 28) is National Chocolate Day! 

What could be better than a national holiday that celebrates chocolate, you ask? Well, we're hyped up about this Thursday, October 30, because, yep — you guessed it! — it's National Candy Corn Day!  So grab those candy bowls and fill them up! Not that I'm encouraging you islanders to eat lots and lots of sugar, but in the spirit of Halloween  and the Pumpkin  festivals, treat yourself a little!

Oh, and my two cents? Try to stay away from the "tricks" — like lostpoet caging people on the island!

*cough cough*

To celebrate the haunted houses being built, we're turning the Pumpkin Fest into a party! It'll be at the spot/haunted house that wins the competition, so keep your island eyes on this site for the update of the location!

Date:               Thursday, October 29, 2008
Time:               4:00pm PT, 6:00pm CT, 7:00pm ET
Location:         The winner of the haunted house contest
Details:            Bring yourself and be ready to be scared!!

Don't be a scaredy cat and let us know if you can make it below! We'd love to see all you islanders there! Anyone who doesn't come will suffer the wrath of lostpoet's cages, like below! Beware...!!!

It's been a team effort on HaileyHorse15's corner of the island at 123s 142e! Take a look as islanders such as cheese3dude, trev22 (our newbie in the Member Spotlight), jesusfreak012 and a few others gather to watch and give ideas for the soon-to-be haunted house entry for the contest!

 

I've taken a few snapshots to give you guys a sneak peek of the place. The strobe room is really kind of creepy. You walk in and it's completely pitch black — well, except for the strobe mummy. Take a look for yourself!

 

I've heard that there are a few houses and special spots in the works, and can't wait to see all of them! What have you got in store for us? Post here!

Share and let's see who will win the Halloween highlight!

Think you've got what it takes to make a great Halloween house? Well here's your chance! You can design a Halloween haunted house with your friends (or by yourself if you wish) and submit it to be voted on!

All you have to do is build something that you think best represents Halloween! You can make a BIG pumpkin house or do what RandyLH and Shag did and make it super scary. You decide! When you're done, all the islanders will vote for which house gets all the bragging rights.

Are you ready and willing to "trick or treat" the island? We are! BOO!

Here's a hot-off-the-presses news story for all you islanders to share!

But first, a mystery...who was the mysterious paparazzo  behind the photos? Hmm...we're not entirely too sure either. I know there are a few reporters/investigators out there — but the email that was sent to us didn't say who the islander was! Well, we want to give credit where credit is due, so whoever you are just let me know, and we'll post your name right here!

Now for the news itself! Go check out all the haunted spots on Shag's property! With Halloween coming up next week, get ready to be spooked — there's a little "surprise" around every corner!

And no, I haven't gone into it yet. I mean, I barely stepped my island foot into RandyLH's haunted mansion last time! I know, I'm a scaredy cat, but you're not! Or are you?

Beware and enter at your own caution!

P.S. We should have an island Halloween party next week! Any spooky ideas?

 
 
 

Here's your chance to go on an amazing underwater adventure! Built on Freckle's property, there is a massive two story aquarium:

The exploratory spot is ginormous and very well put-together. Plus, there are these awesome exhibits and rooms scattered all over the place – you can explore the island aquatic life all in one spot!

 
 

There's even a touch tank where you can pet these little (or scary) fishes. If you're in a super learning mood, you can even pay a visit to the video room, where you can sit under a tank full of pretty fish and learn about the sea life.

 

*grabs a popcorn and soda*

That's where I'm heading! Care to join? Bring your own popcorn, though! Or you can visit the convenient café and pick up some fresh snacks and shakes – it's right downstairs when you walk in the aquarium.

If you haven't been yet, it's an amazing spot to check out at 156S 114W. And BYOP! (Bring your own popcorn!)

 

See you there!

I know...I've been butchering my rhymes a bit lately, and I can't seem to top the ones that came in last time from all of you islanders! So I want to open up the island floor for you all to bust a rhyme about anything (or any islander) — but it has to relate to financial stuff, like credit!

Why? Well, it just so happens that today we're celebrating a very important day called Get Smart About Credit Day!  Now it may not sound exciting, but believe me, it's a pretty important topic these days.

If you haven't taken a peek into the news lately, it's been a little crazy out there. With everything in the economy heading south, it seems like a good time to mention it here and note the importance of learning about credit — before you bite off more than you can chew! (Like I sometimes do, which is bad, bad, and bad! Ugh.)

If you want to learn more, hit up our Student LoanDown blog page and read Dinna's post about Get Smart About Credit Day! Other than that, I'm challenging all of you to bust your rhymes here, and let's see who has the one sick rhyme that'll beat everyone else's! Here's mine:

I like to party hard, without the plastic card.

What do you think?

P.S. RandyLH: you still owe me a rhyme that's supposed to TOP everyone's on the island. Don't think I've forgotten. We're all still waiting for that little snippet to show up...*cough* *cough*!

As a newbie, it's always hard to get around and make new friends. But there are some people who are able to break through those barriers and become newbie superstars! Congratulations to Trev22! Learn more about him in the Member Spotlight box to the right, and be sure to add him as a friend.

We also have an "Honorable Mention" to Freckles! She is definitely one of the coolest islanders in town, so congrats to her for getting a close runner up.  Those who voted for her, show her some love next month!

If you've noticed the weather going in and out, the sunset and sunrise going back and forth — don't worry...you're not going crazy! That's what RandyLH and I thought too, but in fact, it's the weather fairy taking control of the island!

No, not really! But we're sure it's something iffy, and we've got the island investigators working the case. We'll have the weather fairy (the bad one of course) captured and taken into custody in no time.

Think about it! Wouldn't it be cool if we were all characters from Marvel^®Comics, like Storm , and we could make the weather do whatever we wanted it to do? I mean, we could have rain or shine, anytime! (Okay, bad rhyme, I know, but hey, I tried.)

Anyhow, we're working on getting the weather back to normal. So in the mean time, enjoy the sudden sunset and rainstorms — it all makes the island a bit more mysterious!

P.S. Stay tuned for the Member Spotlight, the new island celeb will be joining this site shortly!

 
 

Cbow found an interesting see-through red box the other day. RandyLH (our Member Spotlight for last month) suspects it's a sound box, like speakers almost. What is it really? Hmm...I don't know if we'll ever really know.

If you have no idea where the box is, you can find it if you take the Quest! It's hidden in one of the Quest clues, along with all sorts of strange and bizarre things. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for other mysterios and interesting thing-a-ma-bobs along the way — there's always something new and unknown just around the corner!

Oh, and by the way, the new Member Spotlight will be up Monday, and the new island celeb will be revealed!

Will it be YOU?

 

Are you picturing yourself in the new guy's and gal's fashions for this month? Better not miss out and pick up a set or pair for yourself today! Once they're gone, they're gone — you won't be able to buy them again! So don't let October's stylish fits slip away! Pick up your own set today!

 

Let me break it down for all you islanders! Couple things buzzing on the island right now: new clothes in GCK, Black Bart's Quest, and the newbie nomination for member spotlight. BAM! Clean, clear and simple.

Well, I guess I can add that for those of you who were in over the weekend and missed the moon (there was no night time) — no worries, we're bringing back the night!

Oh, and don't forget to pay those taxes to the SIRS! How do you know you owe any? Easy! Just take a look and see if you have an itty bitty reminder that comes up on the upper left-hand corner of your screen.

Also, RandyLH wants to make a new award, some "computer whiz" one! What do you think?

In the meantime, don't forget to submit your nominations for the newbie member spotlight! We're closing them this Friday. Hustle, hustle!

 
 

So now that you have a bit of an idea about Special Agent James B. Hume and his adventures, why don't we get into the juicy part of the story and talk about the mastermind behind the stagecoach robberies: the great...Cassie!

Just kidding! I'm not a bandit, I swear! The person we're actually going to talk about is the one and only Black Bart!

Black Bart is responsible for robbing stagecoaches and looting treasure chests back in the late 1800s , and known for leaving behind these little poetic messages. He was noted for being an outlaw with unusual manners and politeness  — stylish, no? He always said "Please," was courteous and never used foul language.

Wow, what a gentleman!

Yep...he's made his mark here on the island as well. So follow the string of clues he's left behind and maybe — just maybe — you'll be able to help Wells Fargo Bank recover some of that lost treasure! Black Bart was caught , of course, but after his release his whereabouts have always remained a mystery. No one knows whatever became of the gentleman robber....

It's not going to be the easiest adventure, but if you can follow his tracks — like the famous and brave detective James Hume did back in day — you'll be able to figure the mystery out too!

P.S. Don't forget to nominate and help decide which newbie will be the famous face on the Member Spotlight next month!

We've made a slight change in the menu buttons on your browser window — updating them to a sleeker and cooler look!

Don't be alarmed though, it's not going to make you download an update. But if you want to have the newest, most updated functionality buttons we have to offer, you can choose to upgrade it by clicking right here and following the prompts!

With it, the community site can be accessed by the "411" button up top (once you log in-world), and don't forget — if you want to visit us at our Wells Fargo Homepage and peruse around, there's a button for that too!

For all the newbies, you'll already have this, so no need to download again.

Let us know what you think! And don't forget to get your nominations in for the newbie you think should be featured on the Member Spotlight!