october surprise

USA today with the big scoop.

"Reading from a prepared text, Bush chuckled to himself as he delivered his cutting new lines.

"He shook his head to convey disbelief as he read the charges against Kerry. Bush thumped an open palm against his lectern as he declared: "The world is better off with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell."

"After reciting a laundry list of Kerry's criticisms on Iraq, Bush said: "You hear all that and you can understand why somebody would make a face." It was Bush's way of explaining his debate scowls and looks of annoyance.

"His friendly audience laughed, leaped to their feet and gave him a standing ovation, led, among others, by political aide Karl Rove, sitting in the third row.

October Suprise: A snakelike being bursts from an eggsack in Rove's neck, and commands us all to line up for a feeding.

AP: "The Education Department has advised school leaders nationwide to watch for people spying on their buildings or buses to help detect any possibility of terrorism like the deadly school siege in Russia. The warning follows an analysis by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department of the siege that killed nearly 340 people, many of them students, in the city of Beslan last month. 'The horror of this attack may have created significant anxiety in our own country among parents, students, faculty staff and other community members,' Deputy Education Secretary Eugene Hickok said in a letter to schools and education groups ... The Education Department sent its letter by e-mail Wednesday to school police, state school officers, school boards, groups representing principals and many other organizations."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_10_03.php#003612

Submitted by: B.Jennings
"My grandmother made this many years ago. My children love it. The cooked pumpkin around the 'shepherd's pie' is sweet and delicious! What a surprise when the lid of the pumpkin is lifted!" Original recipe yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 small pumpkin
6 potatoes - peeled and cubed
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn

DIRECTIONS:
Cut a 4 inch circle off the top of the pumpkin, including the stem; set aside to be used later as a lid. Remove seeds and stringy insides of pumpkin. Place pumpkin in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder; set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until no pink shows; drain. Spoon the ground beef into the pumpkin. Pour in the creamed corn and whole kernel corn. Top with mashed potatoes. Cover with pumpkin lid. Pour 2 cups of water in the baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until pumpkin is
tender and can be pierced with a fork.