Visit the newest Halloween timewaster here. Thanks Adrants.

The NRF 2007 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey,
conducted by BIGresearch, found that consumers are expected to spend
$5.07 billion this Halloween, up from $4.96 billion last year and only
$3.29 billion two years ago.

A whopping (mmmm, malt balls) $1.57 billion will be spent on candy.

Halloween continues as one of the biggest decorating holidays of the year, second only to Christmas.  Who doesn’t love fake tombstones and fog machines.

That’s a LOT of Sexy Freddy Kruger costumes, bite-size Snickers and fake cobwebs.

Thanks to About.com for the numbers.

At the Mortar we love plumbing the depths of experiences among our clients and offering spokespeople as expert sources. There are, however, occasions when we would counsel against such a program.

Example numero uno below:

Former FEMA Director and Director of Corporate Strategy for Cotton Companies Michael D. Brown Available for Interviews Regarding California Wild Fires

NEW YORK, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Michael D. Brown, Former FEMA Director and Current Director of Cotton Companies, one of the leading disaster preparedness and restoration organizations in the nation, is available for comment regarding the wild fires that are devastating Southern California.

Currently, the brush fires are affecting hundreds of local businesses and have forced more than 500,000 people out of their homes. Of these 500,000 people, an estimated 10,000 of them have taken shelter at the local NFL stadium, Qualcomm, vaguely reminiscent of circumstances of Hurricane Katrina evacuees two years ago.

“The agency has learned some hard lessons regarding the handling of mass evacuations especially in regard to the bureaucratic red tape that is involved in such a process,” said Mr. Brown. “This is a tragic time for many of the people of California, and Cotton Companies is working to ensure that normalcy is restored and that businesses and organizations are back up and running as soon as possible.”

Cotton has already deployed a team to San Diego to prepare recovery efforts and has a Community Assessment Team in full force.

Mr. Brown can speak to the turmoil being caused by the California wild fires as well as to some of the new processes in disaster relief efforts that will help to restore California communities. He can offer advice to residents and businesses on proper relief and recovery efforts and provide suggestions for future disaster preparedness.

Since its inception in 1996, Cotton Companies, the nation’s leading provider of disaster recovery services, has been coming to the aid of businesses and communities coast to coast with its ability to react, take charge, mobilize and execute on the spot crisis management. Cotton has responded to such high-alert disasters as Hurricane Katrina and the tragedy of 9/11 in New York City.

For real.

Hat tip to Americablog.

Hey Mortar People,

Join Team Mortar on the AIDS LifeCycle, June 1-7, 2008! As part of our commitment to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Team Mortar is going to saddle up for the AIDS LifeCycle 7, which takes place next summer, covering 545 miles through beautiful California, from San Francisco all the way to Los Angeles.

Join Sarah, (who hasn’t been on a bike in over 6 years!), Shauna, Renata, Bennett and other Mortarons. You don’t have to be one of those one-pant-leg-rolled-up, down-with-the-man, traffic-law-ignoring bicycle people to do it – just a regular person with a sturdy posterior and an urge to do something good for the world. You know it sounds awesome, so sign up!

REGISTER NOW to join Team Mortar on the ride!