Here’s one way to celebrate Halloween: stay up until 2:30am carving a personal pumpkin tribute to the man cobbling together our economic recovery, Hank Paulson. I can’t disappoint the neighbor kids, can I?

Funny how he turned out looking older than he does in real life. Perhaps the brain transplant aged him.

After watching a Food Network pumpkin carving competition the other night–this guy won, by the way–I thought to myself: how hard could it be? Turns out: very, very hard. This took about 5 hours all together and was done with an X-Acto knife, sculpting tools and any scrape-y thing I could lay my hands on. I was completely covered in pumpkin goo and whimpering like a Wall Street trader by the time I was done.

If you want to give it a shot yourself, takepart and have a Happy Halloween!

Filmmaker Andrew Berends

Documentarian Andy Berends and his translator, Samuel George, are still in the custody of Nigeria’s State Security Services after being arrested Sunday afternoon. After 36 hours of questioning with no food and little water, he was provisionally released overnight and required to return in the morning. He’s been accused of (but not formally charged with) espionage; a conviction could mean death.

Andy was in the country — legally, it should be noted — filming “Delta Boys,” a documentary about the local conflict over oil in the Niger River Delta. This is the fourth time journalists and media workers have been arrested on baseless charges in the Delta since 2005, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Earlier in the year, the Nigerian military held the crew of “Sweet Crude” for six days and a CNN journalist was questioned for five days in May.

UPDATE: Nigerian state television reporter Felix Opute and at least 20 others have been detained today while covering a Niger Delta community meeting.

The Nigerian government is increasingly sensitive to coverage of the Delta region. Their military has been battling well-armed and well-organized separatists in the strategic oil-producing region for years.

takepart and pressure your representatives to help free Andy and Samuel.

Filmmaker Andrew Berends

As the news begins to spread through the media, friends, colleagues and supporters of filmmaker Andrew Berends have just set up a website to spread the word about his detainment.

takepart now and help get the word out. If you know someone in the media, Senate or House, send them the PDF press release from the Help Andy site — it’s been carefully worded to protect Andy.

If not, you can still send your thoughts, support and wishes for Andy to helpandyberends AT gmail DOT com.