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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583
Administrator Bionic Scribe
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OP
Administrator Bionic Scribe
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583 |
Welcome To Reader Rant For October, 2015! Happy Halloween! Halloween or Hallowe'en. A contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It initiates the triduum of Allhallowtide,[10] the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers. Within Allhallowtide, the traditional focus of All Hallows' Eve revolves around the theme of using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of death."
According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianized feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with possible pagan roots, particularly the Gaelic Samhain ![[Linked Image from thedshow.files.wordpress.com]](https://thedshow.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/samhain2.jpg)  ) And you can always bob for apples and/or make popcorn balls with caramel![[Linked Image from toriavey.com]](http://toriavey.com/images/2013/10/Popcorn-Balls.jpg)
The Mound of the Hostages, a Neolithic passage tomb at the Hill of Tara is aligned with the Samhain sunrise. Samhain is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and is known to have pre-Christian roots. Many important events in Irish mythology happen or begin on Samhain. It was the time when cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures and when livestock were slaughtered for the winter. As at Beltane, special bonfires were lit. These were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers and there were rituals involving them. Samhain (like Beltane) was seen as a liminal time, when the spirits or fairies (the Aos Sí) could more easily come into our world. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as remnants of the pagan gods and nature spirits. It was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink were left for them. The souls of the dead were also thought to revisit their homes. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them. Mumming and guising were part of the festival, and involved people going door-to-door in costume (or in disguise), often reciting verses in exchange for food. The costumes may have been a way of imitating, or disguising oneself from, the Aos Sí. Divination rituals were also a big part of the festival and often involved nuts and apples. In the late 19th century, Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer suggested that it was the "Celtic New Year", and this view has been repeated by some other scholars.
In the 9th century, the Roman Catholic Church shifted the date of All Saints' Day to 1 November, while 2 November later became All Souls' Day. Over time, Samhain and All Saints'/Alll Souls' merged to create the modern Halloween. Historians have used the name 'Samhain' to refer to Gaelic 'Halloween' customs up until the 19th century.
Since the latter 20th century, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans have observed Samhain, or something based on it, as a religious holiday. Neopagans in the Southern Hemisphere often celebrate Samhain at the other end of the year (~30 April – 1 May).![[Linked Image from img11.deviantart.net]](http://img11.deviantart.net/5211/i/2008/115/a/3/foxglove_of_the_aos_si_by_quicksilverfury.jpg) Aos Si(Samhain nature spirit Halloween is also the time of year when children collect donations for the March of Dimes and/or Unicef, so please be generous.BOO!!! Have a great month, Ranters! 
milk and Girl Scout cookies ;-)
Save your breath-You may need it to blow up your date.
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Joined: Oct 1994
Posts: 5,419 Likes: 179
Honcho old hand
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Honcho old hand
Joined: Oct 1994
Posts: 5,419 Likes: 179 |
Please join us in a Happy Birthday wish to us! Capitol Hill Blue is 21 years old today (does this make us legal?). I started this web site on October 1, 1994 and it continues today as the oldest political news site on the Internet.
I'm not sure if I own CHB or it owns me. I'm also back to writing columns for the site and will be adding some other features over the next month or so.
Thanks to everyone here for their support and help and my overdue gratitude to the moderators here for all they do. Without you we would not be here.
Doug
It is the role of a newspaperman to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
-- Finley Peter Dunne
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,245 Likes: 33
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,245 Likes: 33 |
And a happy 21st birthday too. 21 years is an eon for a political publication. Good job!
Question: Have you returned to riding your motorcycle or have you retired from that endeavor?
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583
Administrator Bionic Scribe
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OP
Administrator Bionic Scribe
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583 |
Yay for CHB and Reader Rant!!!
milk and Girl Scout cookies ;-)
Save your breath-You may need it to blow up your date.
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Joined: Oct 1994
Posts: 5,419 Likes: 179
Honcho old hand
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Honcho old hand
Joined: Oct 1994
Posts: 5,419 Likes: 179 |
Bought a new Harley Switchback and have just under 15,000 miles on it in just a few months. I've been riding a bike for 52 years now and my parents were riders. It's in my blood. 
It is the role of a newspaperman to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
-- Finley Peter Dunne
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583
Administrator Bionic Scribe
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OP
Administrator Bionic Scribe
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583 |
Bought a new Harley Switchback and have just under 15,000 miles on it in just a few months. I've been riding a bike for 52 years now and my parents were riders. It's in my blood. Very cool, Doug! Post of picture of you riding it, when you can.
milk and Girl Scout cookies ;-)
Save your breath-You may need it to blow up your date.
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,985 Likes: 178
Moderator Carpal Tunnel
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Moderator Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,985 Likes: 178 |
I just got a buddy through the rider course (took it with him) so he could get an endorsement. Now I have a riding partner! It's convenient I own two bikes...
A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.
Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,245 Likes: 33
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,245 Likes: 33 |
Man. You are a tough old codger.
I ride too and have done so since my early teens. My dad wouldn’t let me have a street bike (thank you dad) so I rode 2 cycles up in the hills of Oahu. Yamaha’s, a Bultaco, and some old stripped down street Honda). I bought my first street bike while in my early 20’s and then a few Harley’s beginning in 1988.
I am not partial to Harley’s though even if I currently do own a 1998 Electra Glide. Been toying with the idea of getting a BMW of some sort even if finances and inertia keep me with that ol FLHTCI. I’ve put enough upgrades into that machine now that I cannot justify getting another expensive toy to replace it.
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,985 Likes: 178
Moderator Carpal Tunnel
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Moderator Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,985 Likes: 178 |
I got both of my Beemers for under $5000 (each). Both used, low mileage, and (at the time) less than 10 years old. My first was a bit older, but ridden for 7 years and 40,000 miles (and the victim of a hit and run). I can't ride cruisers anymore for ergonomic reasons. (BMWs are expensive to repair, though.) One looks like this: ![[Linked Image from g-ecx.images-amazon.com]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/Automotive/Entity/CRS/v1/2004_BMW_R1150RT_Base._V139115622_.jpg) the other looks like this: ![[Linked Image from 2040-motos.com]](http://www.2040-motos.com/_content/cars/images/70/12770/001.jpg)
A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.
Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583
Administrator Bionic Scribe
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OP
Administrator Bionic Scribe
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 27,583 |
milk and Girl Scout cookies ;-)
Save your breath-You may need it to blow up your date.
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![[Linked Image from happyhalloween9.com]](http://happyhalloween9.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Halloween-Pictures-for-Facebook.jpg)
![[Linked Image from media.graytvinc.com]](http://media.graytvinc.com/images/320*180/march+of+dimes29.jpg)
![[Linked Image from sunriseboxes.com]](http://sunriseboxes.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/unicef.jpg)
![[Linked Image from findicons.com]](http://findicons.com/files/icons/1184/quickpix_2008/256/jack_o_lantern.png){kind=icon}
![[Linked Image from farmlib.org]](http://www.farmlib.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/happy-birthday-to-you-pictures-11.jpg)
