And the winner is...

Encyclopeidacs, you voted, and you chose...

Jon with Little cop!!



Two days, 63 votes, here are the results:



Thanks for your participation!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

And the finalists are...

Thank you for your comment and e-mail submissions! Just for fun, and because I can, I have expanded it to four top entries. Hereeee they are!

White Goodman, submitted by Maven



Napoleon Dynamite, submitted by Testanator



Man Elmo, submitted by James



And last but not least...

Little Cop, submitted by Jon



Also, creating her own category, LJ gets the award for best pumpkin submitted!



Here is where the popularity part comes in, whichever costume has the most votes by October 30 at 11:59 pm wins the glorious pumpkin head full of Kudos!!

Ready, set VOTE!!!

The winner of the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRANIGAN Halloween costume contest should be...

White Goodman

Napoleon Dynamite

Man Elmo

Little Cop

ugg boots

When you vote a little window will pop up, it means your vote was counted. Just close it up and continue with your day :)

The Atlantic City boardwalk was the first in the U.S.

The Atlantic City boardwalk was the first in the U.S.. Built in 1870, the boardwalk was eight feet wide, one mile long, and one foot above the sand. Today the boardwalk is little over four miles, 60 feet wide at it's widest point and sits 12 feet above sea level.



Personally, when I visit AC, I'm not spending my time strolling the boardwalk...my time is spent in the casinos. There are 11 glorious casinos in Atlantic City. Now, I'm not much of a gambler, but I can't resist spending $20 on my beloved video poker.



There are a couple of reasons (aside from video poker)why I love AC...

* When you arrive in AC, you pull up to the valet and from that moment on you pretty much don't have to worry about much else.
* No one has to drive.
* Everything you need is right there in the casino, from food to entertainment and everything in between.
* The people! Such a mixed bag - where else will you see old ladies in sweatpants right next to dolled up young ladies? There truly is something for everyone.
* I can get dolled up. And then go change into sweats if I feel like it.
* There is no time. You get there and clocks don't exist. I stayed out till 5? Really?
* The sound of slot machines - glorious.

Most of all...

* The nightlife!!!

I paid a visit to Harrah's this weekend to celebrate my friend Adam finishing his first semester at medical school (or something involving a white coat) and had the an amazing time.



Congrats Adam!

We went to The Pool, which is Harrah's indoor pool turned into a nightclub. Love it. Everything about it, from the lighting, to the music, to the WONDERFUL staff is perfect. With palm trees and natural moonlight from the domed ceiling, it reminded me of sitting by a pool in the Dominican.



Another great thing about Harrah's, checkout is at 12. And trust me, you'll need it...



I did.

Celtics made their New Years resolutions on Halloween (and they also had free stuff)

Celtics made their New Years resolutions on Halloween (and they also had free stuff). Halloween originated over 2,000 years ago with a Celtic festival called Samhain, which was also their new year. They believed that on the night before the new year, the worlds of the living and dead would combine, and dead people would come back to life. To celebrate, they would make a BIG fire, make plant and animal sacrifices and dance around in costumes of animal skin.

Two thousand years later, this once sacred day has become a day of scandalous costumes and overindulgence in first candy, then as you grow older alcohol and then even older your children's candy.



I love it.

Which is why I have decided to give away... FREE STUFF!

Yes. Here it is, the first annual ENCYCLOPEDIA BRANIGAN Halloween costume contest! Here is how to enter, in the comments section below, post a link of you in your best Halloween costume (if you don't have a linkable photo, email it to lrbranigan AT gmail DOT com). You must post by October 28 at 11:45 PM. Top three costumes will be posted and voted on. Winners will be announced on Halloween. The grand prize winner will receive...



A PUMPKIN FULL OF KUDOS!!!

I know. It's an awesome prize. I might have outdone myself this time. Ready, set, POST!

UPDATE: you can post up to 2 links, but only one can be included in the top 3.

The Queen of Sheba loved nuts

The Queen of Sheba loved nuts, but not just any nuts, Pistachios. She loved them so much that she decreed all pistachios in Assyria be kept for her and her court, and could not be grown for private use.



I don't blame her. I can't stop eating them. I didn't even know I liked pistachios, and then I saw a certain commercial....



...so I bought them (they got me! it must be subliminal messaging) - except I bought CVS Gold Emblem, HaHA! But now I'm hooked.



My first thought about nuts is fat and calories. However, many nuts, including pistachios have great nutritional value. Check it out...

* Pistachios have more antioxidants than green tea
* They contain a appetite suppressing compound called oleoylethanolamide
* Lower phytosterol (bad cholesterol) more than any other nut
* Have more potassium than half a banana
* Trans-fat free
* The green part contains lutein, a compound which helps prevent blindness
* Higher in fiber than any other snack nut

Not bad! I have also decided that you burn calories when opening them, bonus!

For more info on the healthy benefits of pistachios, visit Pistachio Health.

The FTC is the buzz kill of the Blogosphere

Yeah, maybe there are a number of bloggers who post ANYTHING for a bit a swag but most bloggers just enjoy blogging, sharing their opinions and thoughts with others. But now, all that self expression could cost you thousands of dollars.

Now I don't know about anyone else out there, but ENCYCLOPEDIA BRANIGAN doesn't make a dime on its quest to share random knowledge - this is a non-profit reference source, there are no ads (truthfully I couldn't figure out how to use Google Ads)and I haven't received any swag (doesn't mean I wouldn't accept it - who doesn't like presents??), but I don't really like the thought of a large fine, so I better come clean.

I AM A PUBLICIST!!!

Yes! It's true. I've never hidden my profession, I've even written about the wonderful (award winning - wink) agency I work for multiple times, even posted video. If you Google me, you can see I blog for my company too - I'm pretty Hotsheet (hehe). From time to time I will post about something one of my clients is doing. No one has ever asked me to do this. I include them in posts because I think they are interesting and can fit into my format.

So to make sure the FTC doesn't fine me for misleading the consumers of America, whenever a post includes one of my agency's clients I will link to this article.

And that's all I have to say about that.

More than 11,000 people have checked out Encyclopedia Branigan, and most of those people like to read about

More than 11,000 people have checked out Encyclopedia Branigan, and most of those people like to read about catfish! Yes, the post with the most pageviews in the first year of Encyclopedia Branigan was "A catfish has approximately 100,000 taste buds".



So in the Encyclopedia Branigan one year blogversary contest, the winner is...

LAUREN MACKIEL GORY, who will receive a $15 Barnes & Noble gift certificate and a 2010 Encyclopedia Branigan calendar.

Katie and Beth will also win calendars for guessing the correct answer.

Thanks to all who participated!!

More than 11,000 people have checked out Encyclopedia Branigan

More than 11,000 people have checked out Encyclopedia Branigan since October 12, 2008. That's right, on Monday, October 12 it will be one year since the first post on Encyclopedia Branigan, Peanuts are not nuts.


I can't believe it. I started this blog a year ago as a work assignment, and never ever in a million years thought people would actually read it. But they have!


And I thought, maybe they are just my friends...but I don't have 11,000 friends...



...in 118 places all over the world.

So how should I celebrate this momentous occasion? How about by giving away FREE STUFF!

Yes! All you have to do is guess which of the following posts has generated the most pageviews.

Easy right? Everyone who guesses the correct post will win...

...an official, limited edition, only available here, ENCYCLOPEDIA BRANIGAN 2010 wall calendar. I know. SO exciting.

BUT THERE IS MORE!

Because I care about continuing education, the first person to guess the post with the most pageviews will also receive a $15 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Here are the posts:

A. Peanuts are not nuts
B. What is a crownie?
C. Tattoos, getting underneath the skin for 5,200 years
D. Cheese balls were originally made out of livestock feed
E. A catfish has approximately 10,000 taste buds
F. Yawns are more contagious for primates who care
G. There is a 1 in 40 chance of winning the mega millions
H. Earthquakes in New Jersey are Ramapo's fault

Post your guess in the comments section below. Please include your e-mail address or you can't win. Tell me which post on all of Encyclopedia Branigan is your favorite, and you get TWO guesses.

The deadline for entry is Sunday, October 11 at 11:59 PM. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 12.

Ready, set, go!