Sometimes when you really put effort into making your Halloween costume realistic, you get compliments. "Wow, you really look like (blank)!" people might say. But other times, you might do too good of a job, and get mistaken for the real thing by a relative, who will then shoot you with a shotgun.

Fidel Castro made his first public appearance in months earlier today, refuting recent reports that he was near death.

As we all know by know, bullying is a terrible problem in schools across the country. There are many ways one can react when your child is being bullied, some more effective than others. One tactic, though, that you probably avoid is physically attacking your kid's tormentors, which is just what New Jersey's Rebecca Sardoni allegedly did last week, with her own mother, the child's grandmother, in tow no less.

A recent post on the New York Times Campaign Stops blog discusses all sorts of Google search-related political factoids. The point of the analysis is, for the Times' purpose, to act as a predictor (or, the article's title puts it, a "crystal ball") for the election. But it also offers up important information about how often people do things like search for topless photos of Paul Ryan, or, on the more depressing end of the spectrum, how often people searched for "Obama" in conjunction with "KKK." Here are some of more interesting searches:

You really have to visit the lovely town of Leakey, Texas, home to The Church in the Valley, a hidden little Southwestern sanctuary just 90 miles northwest of San Antonio. It has the most adorable signage! Take, for instance, the one that points to the road and says, ahem:

He'll be partying at an abandoned whitefish factory in Little Israel, naturally.

Finally a brave Cleveland radio jockey has asked Barack Obama the hard-hitting political question of the election: What do he and Jay-Z, you know, talk about?

Would you rather look at seven Instagram photos from Rihanna's Instagram feed or read a recent 7,340-word Vogue profile about how cool, hot and fashionable she is? Frankly, as a devout follower of miss badgalriri, I'd opt for the former. So, here is some advice: Do not read this Vogue profile—just look at these seven photos, and you will learn everything you would've (and more!) about your favorite coconut water spokesperson.

Seven people have been injured in a mass shooting nearby Brookfield Square Mall in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Police have described the shooting as a "mass casualty" situation and are working to secure the scene. Nearby roads are blocked off and local hospitals are on alert. In its live updates, WISN-TV said witnesses saw a barefoot woman who ran out of the nearby Azana Spa, screaming and crying about the shooting.

Big, big news: Yesterday residents of southern New Jersey felt the earth beneath them shake for an estimated 15 seconds. The event created chaos in the area, causing one resident's dog to whelp twice and another's basement door to rattle violently. Both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service say that there was no earthquake in there area, and allegations of a sonic boom have been squashed by a local military base spokesman.

By now you may be acquainted with Rev. Phil Snider, a pastor whose Springfield City Council speech about homosexuality went viral this week. Watch it if you haven't yet! The dude knows how get a crowd's attention.

George McGovern, the war hero and U.S. senator who ran against incumbent President Richard M. Nixon in 1972, died today at a hospice care center near his home in South Dakota. He was 90. We've collected a few amazing moments — like the one above — from the Democratic senator's amazing life.

Doesn't it seem like the U.S. and Iran have been trying to "talk" forever? Remember way back, like, right after the 2008 election when they would slink off and have these intense, very secret conversations and we were all like oh, those two crazy kids will work it out! And we would sort of just avert our eyes and talk about whatever because it was just awkward how much they were fighting in public.

Continuing a fall from grace so epic that it rivals the span of, say, the Tour de France, ex-Nike bestie Lance Armstrong is now facing charges of bribery, in addition to allegations that he ran a doping ring among fellow cyclists. If you have not already set fire to your copy of It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, feel free to do so now.

Yes, that's Joe Biden delivering a bag of Dunkin' Donuts and a carton of coffee to a Field Office in Florida. He is wearing a very nice navy-blue blazer with gold buttons, slacks, and a pair of aviators because that is what Joe Biden wears to go pick up Dunkin' Donuts. No, he did not once look this serious during his debate with Paul Ryan.

Way back during the Republican primaries, presidential candidate and creepy son-maker Mitt Romney once famously declared his love for firing people. Today, a report from the New York Times clarifies Romney's definition of fireable people as anyone who he has not worked with closely (i.e. played at least one round of golf with).

Take shelter, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Nicolas Cage — whose impressive résumé includes such masterpieces as National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets and Ghost Rider — is coming to town.

When I was little there was no such thing as terrorism and there was no such thing as Female Genital Mutilation. I lived an oblivious, suburban life up until 1999, when I moved to Minneapolis, where I still reside today. I'll never forget the day when Zuhar, my cousin and next-door neighbor, asked me if I was circumcised.

In case you missed it, Arizona Senate candidate Richard Carmona recently let slip that the male moderator of one of his recent debates was "prettier" than CNN anchor and presidential debate moderator Candy Crowley.

This morning someone out there woke up, opened the window, took a breath of fresh air and said, "I'm going to start a homophobic hashtag on Twitter." At least that's how I imagine the very unfunny #SignsYoSonIsGay hashtag, not unlike the Android App called "Is My Son Gay?", was born. Soon, others demonstrated their own profoundly shallow perception of gay people (as well as their own grammatical indiscretions). For instance: