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Please b mine

It has happened again: a farmer using one of his fields to spell out his desire for marriage. Or, in the case of Chris Mueller of Hillsboro, N.D., mis-spell. After his soybean crop had been harvested, he plowed "KATIE WILL YOU MARY ME?" in the soil. By the time he realized his error, it was too late. But he took girlfriend Katie Goltz for a plane ride over his land anyway ("to look for deer") and she saw the proposal and accepted. Then she noticed that "marry" was one "r" short. "I thought it was so sweet," she said. "It made it more special."

Contrast that with the couple in southern England who took turns messaging each other earlier this month over his wish to end their marriage. He hung this banner from a highway overpass : "Wendy, I want a divorce. JBS." Days later, her answer appeared: "No way. You are the cheat! Wendy." "Very immature," said a marriage counselor, urging that they seek professional advice.

As carved pumpkins appear on front porches, millions of children - and even parents - find themselves contemplating what to wear for Halloween. One organization especially interested in their thoughts is the National Retail Federation, which tries to anticipate demand for costumes for both the trick-or-treat set and adult party-goers. The most popular costume choices in the NRF's 2005 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, with the percentage of people who voted for each:
Children
1. Princess 11.8%
2. Witch 5.2%
3. Spiderman 4.5%
4. Monster 4.1%
5. Darth Vader 3.9%
(tie) Superhero 3.9%
Adults
1. Witch 16.4%
2. Vampire 6.0%
3. Actor/celebrity 3.3%
4. Monster 3.0%
5. Pirate 2.4%