Spooky stuff you should know about Halloween!
I have always been interested in how things evolve. That includes why are certain holiday traditions observed and coveted. Halloween is no exception. Halloween has become one the the the most popular Holidays in the United States. It is celebrated by children and adults alike and is second only to Christmas in popularity. The current Halloween holiday is a far cry from it’s odd beginnings. Halloween is the result of the combination of several ancient holidays and traditions. I’m sure the candy manufacturers have had a huge hand in current traditions as well!
Halloween, is one of the world’s oldest holidays and is still celebrated in several countries around the globe. The autumn rite is commemorated in the United Kingdom, although with a surprising and distinctive British twist such as the Lighting of the Witches. In Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, All Souls’ Day, the third day of the three-day Hallowmas observance, is the most important part of the celebration for many people. In Ireland and Canada, Halloween, which was once a frightening and superstitious time of year, is celebrated much as it is in the United States, with trick-or-treating, costume parties, and fun for all ages.
The word itself, “Halloween,” actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, “All Hollows Day” (or “All Saints Day”), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was a harvest festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which means “end of summer” or the last day of the Celtic calender.
Trick for Treat
The custom of trick or treating probably has several origins. During Samhain, the Druids believed the dead would play tricks on mankind and cause panic and destruction. They had to be appeased, so country folk would give the Druids food as they visited their homes.
An old Irish peasant practice called for going door to door to collect money, breadcake, cheese, eggs, butter, apples, etc., in preparation for the festival of St. Columb Kill.
Also a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul’s passage to heaven.
A traditional food eaten on Halloween is barnbrack, a kind of fruitcake that can be bought in stores or baked at home. A muslin-wrapped treat is baked inside the cake that, it is said, can foretell the eater’s future. If a ring is found, it means that the person will soon be wed; a piece of straw means that a prosperous year is on its way.
The TRICK part of “Trick or Treat” has be attributed to Mischief Night. Mischief night or Gate night or Cabbage Night (also known as Devil’s Night, Cabbage Night and Mizzy Night in some areas) is an annual tradition in parts of England, Canada, and the United States; a night when the custom is for people (primarily teenagers and preteens) to take a degree of license to play pranks and do mischief to their neighbors. The most common date for mischief night is November 4th however October 30, the day before Halloween is becoming more popular.
Halloween Masquerade Mask (There is more to this story!)
Rise in breast cancer cases in Iraq vets
Breast Cancer in Iraq leads to Gulf War Veteran News Alert and Rep Boswell Legislation
March 18, 2010 by Denise Nichols – Veterans Today
Gulf War Veterans need to be made aware of the following articles. Alert for all female veterans you know the drill! Self Breast Checks often and Mammograms. VA does provide this, so make use of that service!
Male Veterans yes you too can get breast cancer. Again our females will have to teach you the principles of breast self exams. Basically you work in a clockwise pattern and outward and inner in direction from the clock face. If you palpate any lumps or bumps under the skin GET IN TO A DOCTOR for further Assessment!
Also checks should also extend to lymph nodes in the arm pits.
I already know quite a few female gulf war veterans that have had breast cancers. I would also recommend that all print this out and provide to health care providers, fellow veterans, etc. Also I would recommend sharing on facebook pages personal and veteran groups facebook pages and specific gulf war veteran unit facebook pages. I would also reccommend we use all social networks ie Twitter information.
We need mass communications. Also try to get your local media and newspapers to cover the issues. Email media contacts in your area. I also recommend you get in touch with your US Representatives and Senators and get their staffer’s email and keep them in the flow of information. VSO’s should also get this information for their post newsletters and magazines. Each Veteran can do their part! Each citizen should be helping!
Here are the stories about Breast Cancer in Iraq from the American Association for Cancer Research
Breast cancer continues to rise in Iraq, and scientists have established the Iraqi National Cancer Research Program to better understand the underlying molecular and environmental causes in an effort to curb the incidence of cancer.
“Breast cancer is the most common type of malignancy recorded in the cancer registries of almost all countries within the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In Iraq, the continuous rise in the incidence rate is associated with an obvious trend to affect pre-menopausal women,” said Nada A.S. Alwan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Breast Cancer Research Unit at Baghdad University Medical College and the executive director of the newly established Iraqi National Cancer Research Program. (There is more to this story!)
The FDA promoting big business at the cost of American health
A livestock drug banned in 160 nations and responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown and 10 percent mortality in pigs has been approved by the FDA.
The beta agonist ractopamine, a repartitioning agent that increases protein synthesis, was recruited for livestock use when researchers found the drug, used in asthma, made mice more muscular.
Ractopamine is started as the animal nears slaughter.
How does a drug marked, “Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask” become “safe” in human food? With no washout period?
The drug is banned in Europe, Taiwan and China, and more than 1,700 people have been “poisoned” from eating pigs fed the drug since 1998, but ractopamine is used in 45 percent of U.S. pigs and 30 percent of ration-fed cattle.
Dr. Mercola’s Comments:
Ractopamine, aka Paylean and Optaflexx, is banned in 160 countries, including Europe, Taiwan and China. If imported meat is found to contain traces of the drug, it is turned away, while fines and imprisonment result for its use in banned countries.
Yet, in the United States 45 percent of pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys are pumped full of this drug in the days leading up to slaughter.
Why?
This drug, manufactured by Elanco Animal Health, increases protein synthesis. In other words, it makes animals more muscular … and this increases food growers’ bottom line.
Adding insult to injury, up to 20 percent of ractopamine remains in the meat you buy from the supermarket, according to veterinarian Michael W. Fox. Yet this drug is marked “Not for use in humans,” and is known to increase death and disability in livestock.
Why is Ractopamine Allowed in U.S. Meat? (There is more to this story!)
