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Labor Day-2019

/ Lori

First I want to say that I love researching history and sharing what I”ve learned with everyone. I will try to put the words of what I’ve read into some type of synopsis. I truly think it’s important to know our history especially American history.

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters.

In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages.

People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.

As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay.

Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it. Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the Pullman strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers.

Who Created Labor Day?

In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified.

Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.

Labor Day Celebrations

Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.

My synopsis:

I feel depressed when this holiday is here. It means it’s the end of summer, and everyone it seems is in that mechanical work mode. Then October comes and we have my greatest holiday HALLOWEEN! Then November, Thanksgiving….not real hip on that cuz I can’t cook 🙂 Then December is here when everyone gets greedy and money oriented, and children and teens EXPECT expensive gifts rather than throwing away the technology for a week and just spend time with one another without looking at your phone constantly. I guess I’m a pessimistic person right now because I’m on disability and it truly sucks. If my memory hadn’t been destroyed with my head and spinal cord injury I could be a Nurse with a MSN. Working the job I loved and wanted to specialize in psychological nursing. Oh well I guess we can still celebrate Labor Day even when we can’t be part of the LABOR FORCE!

TAKE CARE ALL AND ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY 🙂


There are no Atheist on the BATTLEFIELD!

/ Lori / 2 Comments

     As many of you know I’ve been a nurse with a MSN and my minor was in psychology. I also have experienced a LOT in my life that has made me always wonder, question, and experiment with that one word RELIGION; that makes people either uncomfortable(people unsure in their religion and belief in God) or too comfortable(those that think they know everything about GOD, the Bible and are usually very JUDGMENTAL); I’m writing this not just to inform you about what I observe but to ask you to reply as to what your perception is of God and Religion or Spirituality.


First of all, let’s get a few things out in the open. I consider myself to be a spiritual person. But that does not mean that I am a perfect person. I have plenty of faults. I can swear like a sailor, I enjoy a good dirty joke, and I’m bipolar which really makes me imperfect in the eyes of society. 
Forgive me if this sounds overly judgmental, but to me terms like “faith” and “spirituality” are just shorthand for an individual’s inability to cope with the concept of oblivion .But that is my sarcasm which is paradoxical because I consider myself SPIRITUAL …see life isn’t just a series of RIGHT OR WRONG or CORRECT OR INCORRECT there are a LOT of in betweens.

But I also believe there is an omnipotent being or spirits *energy if you will; that surrounds us everywhere we are.  Ever really look into a puddle of water and realize where mirrors came from only the puddle is more beautiful?  The trees their colors seem to dictate or infer our sense of the season at hand.  Animals, insects, et al they seem to appear out of nowhere when our thoughts are deep and then out of the blue a butterfly will appear.  Or, we are miserable one day and go outside to smoke a cigarette and a damn bee won’t leave you alone.  I always see these as signs, I don’t believe in coincidences, but I also don’t believe in a God that most portray or envision.  e.g a large old man with a beard just inside a gold iron gate in heaven telling you your accepted or denied (this is an analogy for those of you who don’t know me).  Omnipotence just means EVERYWHERE, and no matter where you are there are things such as;  grass, dirt, trees, sky et al.  These things are omnipotent and influence everything in our daily lives.  E.G. if the sky brings rain then it would ruin a day at the beach……but then again that beach trip might have ended in sadness or death which brings us back to coincidence.  

There are so many ways to define peoples existence and their beliefs of what happens in the afterlife or when we die, I can’t possibly delve into each one.   *** Some of these statements below are copied from some papers that were published regarding this subject

Some of the things that influence how we perceive GOD, RELIGION, FAITH are cognitive, motivational, and societal.                                                           One cognitive factor is analytical thinking style. People who tend to act according to reason rather than intuition are also less likely to believe in God. Perhaps relatedly, we also see a tendency for people who are higher in intelligence to hold agnostic or atheistic beliefs. In contrast, people who are high in what’s commonly called “emotional intelligence”—that is, the ability to easily discern the emotions and motives of others—also tend to be more religious. Of course, it’s exactly this ability to read others’ minds that led to the rise of religious belief in the first place, hundreds of thousands of years ago on the African savanna.

There are also motivational reasons for religious belief. People who are socially isolated tend to have more religious faith, perhaps allowing them to feel they’re not truly alone. Likewise, people facing death are more likely to express faith in God and an afterlife. The old saying that there are no atheists on the battlefield is no doubt true to a large extent. Furthermore, faith in God increases when situations become uncontrollable, as in the case of natural disasters. Believing that God has a plan helps people regain some sense of control, or at least of acceptance.

Another motivational factor is self-enhancement. If you live in a society where religion is prized, it’s in your best interest to say you believe, whether you truly do or not. I’m sure there are plenty of doubters in the pews at Sunday services, though none will admit it.  And it’s not uncommon to hear stories of priests or pastors who’ve lost their faith but continue to preach because it’s the only way they have of making a living.

Finally, there are societal factors that influence the degree of religious belief within societies. As a general rule, religious belief is considerably lower in developed countries compared with the underdeveloped world. For instance, Japan has one of the highest standards of living in the world, but only 4% of its population claims to be religious. Traditionally, Japan was a Buddhist country, and religion played an important role in the daily lives of the Japanese until after World War II. A similar trend has occurred in Western Europe, which many social scientists now characterize as “post-Christian.”

The United States, with its high standard of living and high religiosity, is the glaring exception. However,   Japan and Western Europeans have universal health care and extensive social safety nets, as opposed to the U.S. The Japanese and the Europeans know their governments will come to their aid in their hour of need. But the laissez-faire attitudes of American society make people’s futures less certain and the belief in a benevolent God more attractive.

SYNOPSIS:

My belief is what I stated earlier there are spirits that are omnipotent in everything around us and they influence our lives and possibly afterlives.     I believe that our loved ones who were decent people watch over us until we pass over.  I have many questions about other subjects such as reincarnation e.g. Do people keep getting reincarnated into other people or animals dependent upon how they treated people in their past lives.  If I were a pedophile in my past life would I come back as someone who was tortured and raped like what was did to boys in your past life?  If I were a bad person but not necessarily evil would i keep coming back and bettering my life with each reincarnation until I got it right.  Like I come back as a cat who was abandoned and then I helped other cats get food, and then I come back as a cat who is spoiled rotten by their owner and they continue to be a good cat and are obedient and loving and there for their owner, then they get to graduate to a human reincarnation where they can get their behavior right until they perfect it (*or to the point of perfection which is allowed on this earth) then they get to go to the actual place or platform we call HEAVEN!  Or is it a merry go round?  I’m always thinking and questioning but what is funny is that when I’m in my car I talk to a person (I don’t know who I just have a conversation actually with myself but I usually ask this person questions I’m struggling with like:  is it right to forgive someone that has done you incredible wrongs in your life, if we forgive them on this earth does that give them a free pass into heaven?  I have had many people do me wrong and I’m sure I’ve done wrong to others usually by no INTENTION, so I wonder about this.  I love the people and my SPOILED CATS IN THIS LIFE, but I still would like to know whats waiting OUT THERE FOR ME when I pass.   I don’t think it’s wrong to question our faith and the entity we pray to.  What type of entity would scold you for asking questions if they are a loving understanding persona, entity, enigma (you choose)?  If what we have is an all knowing, all loving God who forgives all then I doubt very much if we question our reasoning and why we do the things or think the things we do.                        

Until I have all the answers (which I never will) I will continue to believe as I do, and I don’t push my beliefs on anyone nor do I judge those for their beliefs.  As long as we live on this earth and treat people with kindness, love and the ability to understand or try to understand both sides of the coin, then I feel like we are going down the right path.  The Bible to me is a book meant to teach people morals and just behavior with parables.  I don’t believe in Noah’s arc but I do believe that we should treat all animals with kindness and keep the need for continued existence of the species.  So many of our beliefs albeit evolution, reincarnation, Heaven, Hell, etal, still have one common factor :   PEOPLE and their FAITH.  As long as we do others no harm or foul and respect one another I think we will have done well in LIFE!  God Bless  

I hope you can make sense of this enough to reply cuz I’d love to hear your comments.

Goodbye my Bandit

/ Lori

I was just looking over my blog and getting ready to make some changes to it when I found this draft; and to my surprise I had never posted it.

This was my BFF who died and had been with me  for 12 years. I rescued him from this home that had dozens of cats all put into these carriers.  There were 10 kittens stuffed into these carriers and they were starving and were getting hit by kids that were there.  I got you , then called animal control and those people got fined and their kittens taken away.   I couldn’t believe that I had left this as a draft and never published it so people would see what a wonderful friend you had been to me.

I’m sorry Bandit, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.  I wear your designated ring, I have your designated necklace hanging from my rearview mirror, and I have your memories with me ALWAYS!

 

 

 

I had this gravestone made for you, but I opted instead to make my own.  Your grave sits right out over the swamp by the edge of the trees where you liked to go and just sat there for hours.  You helped me get over a lot of grief by making me laugh or distracting me when you sensed me getting sad.  You never displayed anger, aggressiveness, never scratched or bit anything or one 🙂  You were such a good little guy.  I miss you so much and when you died I felt like my heart had been ripped out.  I add something to your grave every year and keep it beautiful in the summer by re-landscaping it:)  Your buried in your favorite purple blanket but that is not how I will remember you.  I will remember the times you sat on my lap and put your paw over my arm when I started crying about things that had happened to me, then you would look at me and I just knew you knew.  You took care of Ringo when I brought him home ( a little rescue kitten we thought would die) see below.  You two looked like brothers and you treated him ever so gently when he first came to us, but you helped me get him better by cuddling with him to kee

p him warm, you gave him baths, and you just layed silently next to him for hours just to keep him secure.  You were such a great guy.  Words can’t say enough for how I feel about you.  I know your in heaven and have crossed Rainbow Bridge, and I know your still looking over Ringo (he has diabetes) and his little friend Missy ( a tortie kitty that has made Ringo’s life miserable).  But I know that while your looking after him your also looking after us.  I can’t wait to see you again Bandit Boy!  You are always with me.  Peace little guy.

 

This was the original draft that never got posted.

Today 11/30/2015 My best friend Bandit died.  He was with me for 12 years and I’m so blessed to have had him in my life.  He was the best cat you could hope for.

He was with me through the whole time I wrote my book.  He used to get on my lap and play with the keyboard or paw my hands to get me to stop and pay attention to him.  He LOVED JOHN.  While John might not look thrilled at the moment it’s due to not wanting his picture taken, not because Bandit was on his lap and “claiming him”.  He would come and sit on John’s lap every night and would put his paw on John’s arm like he’s doing here..  484904_3215823227595_1022629225_n

 

 

CROSSING THE LINES OF CULTURE: ONE WOMAN’S EXPERIENCE IN IRAN – BY LORI FOROOZANDEH

/ Lori / 8 Comments

The picture above is of my Iranian students  (whom I taught English to):

when I lived in IRAN.

If you write a book about something that is little known, you have to be prepared for questions. Some will be silly and trivial, some will be deeper: but there will be questions. I wrote about Iran. Immediately I learned that many Americans know little about that country and its culture. Many of the questions I have been asked have been about the women of Iran. They seem so different from the women of America, so different and so very hard to comprehend.

The mere mention of Iran invokes suspicion. Backwardness, fundamentalism, and terrorism were some of the words that seemed to immediately spring to American minds.  Iranian men are seen as bearded, militant, hostile, and chauvinistic. The women are assumed to be veiled, oppressed, and submissive. Shrouded in their traditional black chadors (the ultimate symbol of their oppression), Iranian women shown on television appear angry. Holding their hands in the air and chanting anti-American slogans, they are more than willing to join the men in a fight against the United States.

Is the anger and anti-Americanism of the Iranian woman real? Are these so-called truths only media propaganda? Are these mass images a reflection of “the people,” or are they just manufactured collages that deprive the individual Iranian woman of her personal humanity? Exactly who is the Iranian woman?

While her appearance seems to typify inferiority and the oppression of the “second sex” that is so prevalent in that part of the world, I beg to differ with the stereotype. Having lived in Iran and having been in day-to-day contact with many of these women, I know them to be wise, proud, and highly intelligent. They are also tactful if not downright manipulative as they deal with the male dominated society around them. They are in many ways truly heroes.

The true Iranian woman may be oppressed, but underneath she is rebellious. She is subjugated but unruly. She is controlled and at the same time defiant. She may seem hushed and subservient, but she is strong in her faith—a true believer—and ready to fight for it. However segregated and oppressed she may be, the Iranian woman is a revolutionary, a fighter, and willing to die for her nation. Yes, she is a loving mother and a dutiful wife, but she has the heart of a warrior and the soul of Persia beats within her.

In short, there is a contradiction between the submissive and the fierce sides of these women. Westerners tend to see only the passive and subservient side. Perhaps that is because Western observers have been so fascinated by what they have seen as so different from their own cultures. Certainly the conflict with Western values has highlighted the anti-feminist aspects of Iranian culture and Islam. In part the revivalism of modern Islam has fortified these traditional values and appearances.

However, having lived in Iran for three and a half years, I have seen the other side of Iranian women. Oriented very much in the here-and-now, Iranian women are pragmatic and are often looked to for advice. Most Iranian men were closer to their mothers than their fathers.  Of course, older sons have a sense of responsibility for their mothers and sisters should anything happen to their fathers. Also, because women are removed from men in the common run of things, they may seem somehow more enigmatic, some one who has to be understood—especially after an arranged marriage, when the man is suddenly expected to take on the role of husband, a role for which he has had so little training.

It is interesting to see how greatly Iranian women change when they come to the United States, especially those women who come by themselves. Without the pressures of family, Iranian women who immigrate to the U.S. frequently give up the chador. They wait to marry. And perhaps most importantly, they continue their educations.

While the women who come here with their families and husbands continue the traditional ways (or perhaps are pressured into doing so), the women who are on their own quickly adapt to this land of new opportunities. Perhaps the most immediate sign of that adaptation is the change in their clothing. The drabness of traditional dress is suddenly replaced with color. But underneath that exuberant change, they are still some of the kindest people you will ever meet.

 

Be sure to visit my website and purchase the book on Kindle,paperback or hardcover Lori  http://www.loris-song.com

I would appreciate Amazon reviews if you read my book.

Excellent book!

/ Lori / 2 Comments

I am sharing this from Micki Peluso’s post.  She is a very accomplished author and be sure to read her book  “And the Whippoorwill Sang” a book about her daughters death from a drunk driver, excellent book as well.

 

One of the best Memoirs You’ll Ever Read!!!

LETTING GO into PERFECT LOVE

Discovering the Extraordinary After Abuse

By Gwendolyn M. Plano

Author Gwendolyn Plano, in this extraordinary memoir, “invites you into my journey, replete with childhood stories and adult meanderings.” Yet this book is so much more, encompassing all elements of life’s struggles, dreams, and heartache which so many readers will latch onto, sharing Plano’s feelings and experiences. I was hooked from the first page until the ending, causing me so many mixed emotions; closing the book with a feeling of love and peace which stayed with me.

Gwen’s first marriage seems heaven sent and produces a wonderful son, Matt. But her husband Bruce develops psychiatric problems so severe that he must be committed, “for his good and yours” says the psychiatrist—leaving Gwendolyn a single Mom, and little Matt on their own.

She gets a second chance with Ron, who seems the perfect man and father figure. Falling deeply in love, she misses some of Ron’s flaws, serious flaws, and marries him.  The bliss of romance soon fades as Ron shows a severe abusive side, unnoticed before- and it grows worse.  There is no easy way to escape a brutal husband, physically, mentally and emotionally.  Over the next 25 years she bears two more sons and a daughter, and Gwen tries heroically to maintain an atmosphere of normalcy.

Abused women are often criticized for tolerating marital torture and not leaving. The situation is complex and author Plano depicts the plethora of reasons in this heart rending story of a woman trapped. It takes increasing and serious abuse of her children to awaken in her a newly found and deeply held faith in God giving her the determination and courage to sever the destructive relationship. Help from angel visitations guide her from an existence in terror to a life of joy and peace.

The second half of the book is written in breathtaking and beautiful verbiage that comes directly from the author’s heart and soul – so deeply embraced by love that I re-read many parts and was left with a sense of peace upon finishing it. This is one story which needs to be read by every woman . . . and man as well. This book is one of the most touching, honest memoirs that I have ever read.

Highly recommended for those searching for their true selves, love and companionship with God and others— “Perfect Love.”

Life or what we know it to BE!

/ Lori / 3 Comments

I’ve been thinking lately about life, religion, and how to perceive GOD.  There are many reasons I started contemplating these, MOSTLY BOREDOM, and THANKFULNESS.

The boredom is brought on by my disability and not being able to work.  The Thankfulness is for everyone in my life that I love and my two kitties who mean the world to me; especially Ringo who has diabetes.  Everyday I thank GOD for these people and say a prayer for Ringo and hope that he suffers no pain due to this illness.  God knows everytime he sees me I’m sticking him with either a lancet to measure his blood glucose, or a needle for insulin, and yet another needle for his arthritis pain.  Not to mention the medication I have to squirt into his mouth for tooth and gum pain.  His teeth and gums are terrible with everything you could imagine, he gets an antibiotic shot every two weeks prophylactically because he can’t have surgery until his BG is stabilized.  It has been running over 500 and their parameters are the same as ours, 70-120, but they can tolerate higher levels easier than a human.  Otherwise he doesn’t act very different, when his sugar is high he is a little bit sleepier, and low he meows loudly for food.  I see him as not so bad off in pain that he should be put to sleep.  Or am I selfish.  I don’t think so.

 

Now the religion part;  Are these prayers for my loved ones really being answered or are we just seeing a string of coincidences?  And how many coincidences does it take to make us realize that there is someone watching over us.  I always thought KARMA played a role, when bad things happened to bad people.  But then I’ve seen a lot of GOOD PEOPLE (or so I think are good) go through tremendous pain and suffering.  Which brings my next question up, are good people supposed to suffer like Jesus did on the cross in order to get to heaven when they die.  I don’t know how many times I’ve seen or heard how really bad people get away with murder and are always catching breaks, yet good people suffer.  If this is true then my latter theory would hold water more.

God, what is he/she/it?  Is this omnipotent being a person, or is it the nature and energy around us, or both.  I saw a mud  puddle in a whole different light this past summer.  While I was staring into it I saw a perfect reflection of the trees and leaves and sky….and I thought what a beautiful mirror for everything good, which brought me to think that God IS everywhere and his omnipotence is in everything around us.  I also believe (I think) that our loved ones who have passed are meant to look out for us so when you ask for God to look out for you should add the names of those that died and were close to you too.  I think we as human beings are responsible to watch out for our loved ones in life and death, and I think those that don’t complete it satisfactorily will have to do it after they die or maybe regardless of either they just do.

I’ve always thought that RELIGION is another form of prejudice so I’ve opted out.  Not that I didn’t try every religion there is to test it out 🙂  I started going to Bible class when I was about  8 or 9, there was a bus that would come and pick us up.  No one asked or suggested I go, I just saw a flyer at school about it happening in the summer. (FUNNY, you sure CANT post any RELIGIOUS flyers nowadays without getting sued for discrimination or at least screamed at by people and politicians).  Anyway every Sunday I would go there and before Bible class we sat thru about 20 minutes of church; and the pastor would always ask  if anyone wanted to be saved by Jesus Christ so I would walk up to the podium and get splashed with water over their bowl or tub (baptized).  I did this for about five Sundays in a row, until the pastor took me aside and told me you only need one baptism to have your sins forgiven.  I wasn’t embarrassed, too young for that, I just thought I was more ahead of the game due to other people only getting it done once:)

 

There are so many questions, and while religious people tell you not to question God, that is BULL.  God would want us to question him, to learn more about him.  I’ve never denied that God exists  I just want to know in what form or matter, all the more reason to have respect for what you know.  I will always have free time on my hands or even if I don’t I will always have questions and love for an entity I can’t ever be sure of, but who are we HUMANS to ever think we know what GOD or HEAVEN is?   No one knows, and I’m not sure I believe wholly in the “light at the end of the tunnel stuff, especially when I’ve caught people in exaggerating about the event….but then maybe it does exists….Like I said who am I to pretend to know anything about God or his motives.  I DO BELIEVE though that GOD DID OR DOES NOT CONDONE TERRORISM.  There is no God that would warrant such torture or hatred that comes with these Islamic terrorist, or serial killers or anyone who uses their position to advocate hatred, torture and death.

I lived in IRAN with a lot of Islamic extremist and what I saw and went through in that POW camp was horrific.  Do I stop for a minute and think was I that bad in the past to warrant such torture?  Maybe I was, maybe I was not.  But the important thing I believe is that I made it home ALIVE and am able to share with everyone my story.  Regardless what it was for;  information, education, inspiration, or self help the story has helped many people (or so I’m told).  Even if it helps one person it was worth it.  Also had I not gone through the torture in Iran, would I have met John.  I truly think that if he was my light at the end of the tunnel I would do it again.

So there you have it my vanity card (or sermon) do with it what you may I just had to get this off my chest and find out what your opinions are on these subjects.

I welcome your comments.

Have a great day, a great week, and the best in life.

Lori

 

 

 

HALLOWEEN FACTS AND FUN!

/ Lori / 3 Comments

Because of the unknown, Halloween is the one of the most captivating holidays, often celebrated by both adults and children. The element of surprise makes it fun and unpredictable. Enlighten yourself with Halloween trivia and fun facts to enjoy the holiday even more. Take the trivia and make a quiz for your next party!

Halloween Holiday Trivia

  • Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
  • Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
  • Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!
  • Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
  • Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
  • The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
  • Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
  • Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
  • Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
  • Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
  • Black cats were once believed to be witch’s familiars who protected their powers.
  • The fear of Halloween is known as Samhainopobia.

Monster Trivia & Folklore

  • Signs of a werewolf are a unibrow, hair palms, tattoos, and a long middle finger.
  • Vampires are mythical beings who defy death by sucking the blood of humans.
  • In 1962, The Count Dracula Society was founded by Dr. Donald A. Reed.
  • To this day, there are vampire clubs and societies with people claiming to be real vampires.
  • There really are so-called vampire bats, but they’re not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.
  • Many people still believe that gargoyles were created by medieval architects and stone carvers to ward off evil spirits.

Halloween Movie Details

  • “Halloween” was made in only 21 days in 1978 on a very limited budget.
  • The movie was shot in the Spring and used fake autumn leaves.
  • The mask used by Michael Meyers in the movie “Halloween” was actually William Shatner’s mask painted white.
  • The character Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis was named after John Carpenter’s first girlfriend.
  • While the setting for the story is in Illinois, the vehicles have California license plates.
  • Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Holloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

Creepy Tidbits

  • If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.
  • Worldwide, bats are vital natural enemies of night-flying insects.
  • The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal it’s size, with a life span averaging 32 years.
  • In about 1 in 4 autopsies, a major disease is discovered that was previously undetected.
  • The Ouija Board ended up outselling the game of Monopoly in its first full year at Salem. Over two million copies of the Ouija Board were shipped.

 

Reflections of 9/11 and the future of Terrorism

/ Lori / 3 Comments
 This information ;  while some was gathered throughout various posts I’ve done or others I’ve asked permission to use theirs, but we all concluded this was a much needed look back.
 We have to review our past to keep pushing towards the future in a way that will only gain us perspective and direction.
9/11 was a life changing day for me.  For those of you who do not know my story, I was put into a POW camp in IRAN during 9/11.  If you are interested in reading my book or looking at the Discovery Channel documentary all of the links are on the first page of this blog (the About page).
*** After reviewing these events, think to yourself, are we more secure in our country now?  could anything like this happen again?  Do we need to stop immigration for Muslims or those of the Islamic religion?  

My opinions:  

  • Muslims are not allowed to associate with Christians, in their country they kill them.  
  • So why do they come here, and infiltrate our schools with demanding the Qu’ran be taught, yet we can’t allow our children to say the Pledge of the Allegiance?
  • If Muslims are not allowed to socialize with those of another religion other than Islam, then why do they want to come to our country?  
  • If they do come to our country then they should assimilate themselves to OUR CULTURE, not demand that we respect theirs.  

There is a difference between allowing immigration from other countries (since this is what this country was born of)  and inviting the Devil into your house.  After all the Devil is the best manipulator par none, that is why we have terrorist attacks happening all over this country.  I think it’s about time we take action.

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR OPINIONS BELOW, TYVM.

Shortly after the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, the nation began to mourn, and around the country Americans began to commemorate the victims and demonstrate their patriotism. Some flew the American flag from their front porches and car antennas. Others pinned it to their lapels or wore it on t-shirts. Sports teams postponed games. Celebrities organized benefit concerts and performances. People attended impromptu candlelight vigils and participated in moments of silence. They gathered in common places, like Chicago’s Daley Plaza, Honolulu’s Waikiki Beach and especially New York City’s Union Square Park, to post tributes to the dead and to share their grief with others. “I don’t know why I’ve been coming here, except that I’m confused” one young man in Union Square told a reporter from the New York Times. “Also a sense of unity. We all feel differently about what to do in response, but everybody seems to agree that we’ve got to be together no matter what happens. So you get a little bit of hope in togetherness.”

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Meanwhile, people turned to their faith to help them make sense of the attacks. “We join with our fellow Americans in prayer for the killed and injured,” the imam at the Al-Abidin mosque in Queens told his congregation. At the WashingtonNational Cathedral, the Reverend Billy Graham implored his listeners “not to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation” but to “choose to become stronger through all the struggle to rebuild on a solid foundation.” And at Grace Church in Manhattan, the Reverend Bert Breiner asked parishioners to “please go forth into this world with love as though everything depended on it, because as we now know, everything does depend on it.”

Americans tried to bolster the rescue effort in any way they could. Cities and towns sent firefighters and EMTs to Ground Zero. Lines to donate blood at Red Cross offices and other blood banks were incredibly long–an entire day’s wait in Madison, Wisconsin. New and established charities raised money for the victims and rescue workers. It was possible to donate to the Red Cross with just one click on Amazon.com, and the organization raised $3 million that way in just two days.

But for some Americans, their grief manifested itself as anger and frustration, and they looked for someone to blame for the attacks. Reverend Jerry Falwell made news by saying on his television program “The 700 Club” that “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way–all of them who have tried to secularize America–I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.’” And sadly, some anger erupted into attacks on people of Arab and Muslim descent, with nearly 600 incidents in the first 10 days after the attacks. Five hundred furious people mobbed a Chicago-area mosque and refused to leave until they were forced out by police. A Pakistani grocer was murdered in Texas. A man on an anti-Arab rampage in Arizona fatally shot a gas station owner who was an Indian-born Sikh. (This type of confusion was common since many Sikhs wear turbans, have beards and are seen as looking, as one told The New York Times, “more like bin Laden than Muslims do.”) FBI Director Robert Mueller said over and over again that “vigilante attacks and threats against Arab-Americans will not be tolerated,” but harassment and violence at mosques and in Arab-American neighborhoods continued for months.

Political leaders urged calm and promised aid. New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who rose to national prominence thanks to his leadership in the wake of the attacks, urged decisive action against terrorism and encouraged New Yorkers to try to return to their normal lives. He appeared on “Saturday Night Live” with several firefighters on September 29 (in the opening monologue, Lorne Michaels asked if it was okay to be funny at such a sad time; Giuliani replied, “Why start now?”) and orchestrated a major promotional campaign designed to lure tourists back to his beleaguered city. New York Governor George Pataki activated the state’s Emergency Operations Center; created a new Office of Public Safety to check on the state’s bridges, tunnels and water supplies; and won bipartisan support for a plan to establish a Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and a state-run World Trade Center Relief Fund.

Meanwhile, President George Bush was able to win a broad mandate to act in the nation’s defense. In a speech on September 20, he asked citizens to be “calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing threat” and promised that the United States would triumph over terrorism–”stop it, eliminate it, destroy it where it grows.” After the United States began military operations in Afghanistan in October, the president’s approval rating soared to 90 percent. Congressional leaders responded too: They passed a $40 billion disaster relief bill in September and, the next year, the USA Patriot Act, which gave investigators a great deal of leeway in their domestic surveillance activities and made immigration laws more stringent.

Despite such anti-terrorist measures, many Americans continued to feel uneasy. According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, nearly half of all Americans reported symptoms of stress and depression after the attacks. Many thousands of Americans lost loved ones on September 11. Millions more watched the unrelenting news coverage of the attacks, looked at the wrenching photographs in the newspaper and listened to heartbreaking interviews with firefighters, survivors and relatives of victims, feeling that, at least in some small way, the trauma of the day was theirs too. Memorials, commemorative ceremonies and time have helped many to begin to heal, but for others the shock and horror of that day in September remains painfully fresh.

“Today,” the French newspaper Le Monde announced on September 12, 2001, “we are all Americans.” People around the world agreed: The terrorist attacks of the previous day had felt like attacks on everyone, everywhere. They provoked an unprecedented expression of shock, horror, solidarity and sympathy for the victims and their families.

Citizens of 78 countries died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on September 11, and people around the world mourned lost friends and neighbors. They held candlelight vigils. They donated money and goods to the Red Cross and other rescue and relief organizations. Flowers piled up in front of American embassies. Cities and countries commemorated the attacks in a variety of ways: The Queen Mother sang the American national anthem at Buckingham Palace’s Changing of the Guard, while in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro put up huge billboards that showed the city’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue embracing the New York City skyline.

Meanwhile, statesmen and women rushed to condemn the attacks and to offer whatever aid they could to the United States. Russian president Vladimir Putincalled the strikes “a blatant challenge to humanity,” while German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder declared that the events were “not only attacks on the people in the United States, our friends in America, but also against the entire civilized world, against our own freedom, against our own values, values which we share with the American people.” He added, “We will not let these values be destroyed.” Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien denounced the “cowardly and depraved assault.” He tightened security along the border and arranged for hundreds of grounded airplanes to land at Canadian airports.

Even leaders of countries that did not tend to get along terribly well with the American government expressed their sorrow and dismay. The Cuban foreign minister offered airspace and airports to American planes. Chinese and Iranian officials sent their condolences. And the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, visibly dismayed, told reporters in Gaza that the attacks were “unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable.” “We completely condemn this very dangerous attack,” he said, “and I convey my condolences to the American people, to the American president and to the American administration.”

But public reaction was mixed. The leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas announced that “no doubt this is a result of the injustice the U.S. practices against the weak in the world.” Likewise, people in many different countries believed that the attacks were a consequence of America’s cultural hegemony, political meddling in the Middle East and interventionism in world affairs. The Rio billboards hadn’t been up for long before someone defaced them with the slogan “The U.S. is the enemy of peace.” Some, especially in Arab countries, openly celebrated the attacks. But most people, even those who believed that the United States was partially or entirely responsible for its own misfortune, still expressed sorrow and anger at the deaths of innocent people.

On September 12, the 19 ambassadors of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) declared that the attack on the United States was an attack on all of the member nations. This statement of solidarity was mostly symbolic–NATO did not authorize any specific military action–but it was still unprecedented. It was the first time that the organization had ever invoked the mutual defense section of its charter (intended to protect vulnerable European nations from Soviet invasion during the Cold War). NATO eventually sent five airplanes to help keep an eye on American airspace.

Likewise, on September 12 the United Nations Security Council called on all nations to “redouble their efforts” to thwart and prosecute terrorists. Two weeks later, it passed another resolution that urged states to “suppress the financing of terrorism” and to aid in any anti-terrorism campaigns.

But these declarations of support and solidarity didn’t mean that other countries gave the United States a free hand to retaliate however, and against whomever, it pleased. Allies and adversaries alike urged caution, warning that an indiscriminate or disproportionate reaction could alienate Muslims around the world. In the end, almost 30 nations pledged military support to the United States, and many more offered other kinds of cooperation. Most agreed with George Bush that, after September 11, the fight against terrorism was “the world’s fight.”

The real truth of ISLAM, ISIS, OBAMA and etal…PLEASE READ!!!! This is my blog posts.

/ Lori / 3 Comments
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Let us not forget the soldiers who risked their lives in past wars to maintain our freedoms.  They were and are admirable men/women.  This is why what President Obama is doing is just sacrificing our soldiers now with some way out ideologies.
I found this article and added a lot of my own comments to bring the writing to everyone’s understanding.  Please comment after you read, I’d love to get your opinions.
WWIII started by ISIS- Won by the stupidity of Americans who want to believe that all religions are peaceful, even Islam.  Well read on!!!
Muslims will not integrate and assimilate the cultural values and laws of other people. This is a reality that is driven by an ideology documented in the Qur’an and implemented with Sharia law. Unable to define the Islamic threat and unwilling to classify terror attacks in America as motivated by Islamic beliefs,

President Obama has publically stated to the American people:

“The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam.”

“Islam is a religion that preaches peace.” and,

“Islam is a religion of peace.”

For an educated man, Obama has had a poor schooling of the history of Islam.

He appears to be unaware that after the death of Muhammad in 632 CE, in only 29 years, the fifth Muslim leader, Muawiya ruled an Islamic empire that extended over an enormous territory, stretching from India to Spain.

Motivated by power and wealth, by 750 CE, Muslim leaders forced conversion to Islam in all conquered territories by presenting two alternatives: death by the sword or pay a tax. The Islamic Theocratic Empire extended from the Byzantine and Persian empires, and continued along the Mediterranean as far west as Spain and all of North Africa, including its east coast down to the island Madagascar, and further east to the northern half of India.

Allah, We, Our and Us presents a history of Islam and many abominable passages of the Qur’an. The Islamic objective to dominate all other religions is driven by the Quran extolling a belief that Islam is the only true religion, the religion of truth, and will prevail over all other religions (Qur’an 9:29 and 9:33). In light of the Qur’an’s objective of world domination, Americans must question why does President Obama publically proclaim Islam is a religion of peace?

Not revealed by the liberal media, as a young boy, Obama was registered as a Muslim in elementary school where he was taught daily to read and write in Arabic, read and recite the Qur’an, and study the laws of Islam. This early indoctrination has greatly influenced his affinity for Islam and the Muslim people.

Unfortunately, Obama’s schooling lacked Islamic history and his early indoctrination of the Qur’an may be reason for his arrogance to proclaim Islam is a religion of peace. It is this arrogance that explains why he negotiated the Obama-Iran Nuclear Deal while Iranian leaders and Muslims chanted, “Death to America and Death to Israel!!”

According to Obama, “The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam.” However, WWIII will become a reality by the incessant advance of an Islamic cancer that has already destroyed cities in many countries. Two of many verses in the Qur’an, clearly show how the minds of Muslims are indoctrinated to kill those who do not follow Islam:

Sura 7:5-7: Little is it that you heed. How many a town have We destroyed! Our punishment came upon their dwellers by night or while they slept at noon. When Our punishment came upon them all they could utter was: We are indeed wrongdoers.

Sura 7:97-100: We afflicted them suddenly with chastisement, while they perceived not the cause thereof. If the people of those towns had believed and been righteous, We would surely have bestowed blessings upon them from heaven and earth, but they rejected the Prophets, so We seized them because of that which they did.

War will commence after Iran and militant Islamic extremists have grown to such an extent by aggressive force that many free-loving countries will have to defend their people and land by fighting back. The U.S and its allies will, out of necessity, fight those countries supporting Islamic terror because they will have no alternative.

In addition to the U.S., Israel, Germany, France, Canada, Spain, Australia, Russia, China, United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Finland, Bulgaria, and even Egypt and Jordan may become part of the coalition force to combat Islamic aggression. Many countries have already felt the threat and loss of their sovereignty as Muslims migrate into their lands and refuse to integrate and accept their laws and cultural values. This outcome has been documented in the October 2015 publication of Obama, Islam and Benghazi.

Americans and Muslims must jointly assess the Islamic problem and acknowledge that it is the Qur’an that is the source of discontent around the world. Addressing this fact leads to a solution that cries out to those with rational minds; revise the Quran to eliminate many abominable verses and stress God’s greatest command – love one another.