Maddie the Soccer Girl

 

Playing for Hayes Middle School. Go Hornets!

Sukkot

After the solemn holiday of Yom Kippur, it's time for a more joyful Jewish holiday - Sukkot. It lasts for 7 days, but the 2 separate holidays following the festival (Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah) are related and sometimes thought of as part of Sukkot. It is the last of three pilgrimage festivals.

Historically, Sukkot commemorates the 40-year period when the Israelites wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters. The word "Sukkot" is a plural word means "booths" or "huts" (or "shelters" or "covers") and refers to those temporary dwellings. The dwellings were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart and travel with.

Sukkot is also a harvest festival sometimes referred to as the Festival of Ingathering ("Chag Ha'asif"). This focuses on hospitality, and it is important to share your meal with others.

No work is permitted the first two days of Sukkot, but okay on the remaining days. Those days are generally used to prepare food, clean house or travel to visit family all in celebration or preparation for the holiday. Activities that will interfere with relaxation and enjoyment of the holiday (laundry, mending, labor-intensive activities) are not permitted.

The focal point of the festival is the sukkah (the singular form of sukkot). Those who observe Sukkot build and live in a sukkah for 7 days. They are temporary shelters, the roofs covered with foliage, and fruits and vegetables are hung inside. Families eat their meals in the huts. Most people just eat in them, but some sleep in them as well. You can buy kits to build them. They can be built of any material, but the roof must be organic.

On each of the 7 days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake them in a specific manner. This ceremony is a symbolic prayer to invoke God's blessing for rain in the coming year for the earth's vegetation. This is usually done in synagogue during the daily prayer services but can be done at home or in the sukkah.

Shemini Atzeret ("the assembly of the eighth (day)") is a separate festival that follows immediately after Sukkot, on the 8th day. The family returns indoors to eat and sleep in their house, special synagogue services are held, and holiday meals are served.

Simchat Torah ("the joy of the Torah") falls on the 9th day. The very last portion of the Torah is read in synagogue during morning services and the very first portion of the Torah (beginning of Genesis) is read immediately after. This conveys the idea that Torah study never ends. In Orthodox synagogues, all the Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and worshippers engage in rounds of spirited dancing. In the Former Soviet Union, Simchat Torah was the day when Jews would gather in the street outside the synagogue to dance and proclaim their Jewishness openly.


SOURCES/MORE INFO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holiday5.html

http://www.holidays.net/sukkot/

Mabon

Today is the autumnal equinox. An equinox is when the Sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are nearly of the same length.

The Neopagan/Wiccan festival Mabon is celebrated on this day. It is also called Harvest Home, The Feast of the Ingathering or Harvest End.

The festival is not an authentic ancient festival in name or date. The name may derive from Mabon ap Modron, a character from Welsh mythology. The name "Mabon" wasn't used for the festival until the 1970s, when it was made up for a religious studies project. Apparently the name was chosen to impart a more authentic-sounding "Celtic" feel to the event. It is used much more in America than Britain.

It is a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and God during the winter months. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally, so respect is paid to the coming dark and thanks given to the waning sunlight. It is time to reap what has been sewn and give thanks for the harvest and the bounty.

Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations (ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizers) to trees. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth.

SOURCES/MORE INFO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabon

http://www.wicca.com/celtic/akasha/mabon.htm

http://tylwythteg.com/Mabon.html

Yom Kippur

Today is the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur ("Yom HaKippurim" in the Torah), also known as the Day of Atonement. It is the most holy day of the Jewish year, and is a day for atonement and repentance for sins. It is the climax of the Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), and with Rosh Hashanah forms the Jewish High Holy Days.

Yom Kippur is considered the date on which Moses received the second set of Ten Commandments, following the completion of the second 40 days of instructions from God. At this same time, the Israelites were granted atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, hence its designation as the Day of Atonement.

This day is set aside to atone for the sins of the past year. You may recall on Rosh Hashanah, God inscribes names in the books of account when he makes his judgments. On Yom Kippur, it is the last chance to demonstrate repentance and make amends before the books are sealed. Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and God, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.

No work can be performed on this day, and there are 5 other prohibitions specified in the Talmud*: Eating and drinking; Wearing leather shoes; Bathing/washing; Anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions; and Sexual relations. Abstention begins 18 minutes before sundown and ends after nightfall the next day. In Israel, by law there is no broadcast radio or television, no public transportation, and airports are closed.

A large and festive meal is eaten on the afternoon before the fast begins. Services are held before sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur and for morning and afternoon prayers the next day.
Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue in prayer. It is customary to wear white, which symbolizes purity and the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow .

SOURCES/MORE INFO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm

http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/yom.htm

http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/yomkippur/

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*I wondered about the difference between the Torah and the Talmud. The Torah is the written holy scripture, and the Torah explains how to interpret and apply the scripture. See: http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm

Ganesh Chaturthi

The Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festival begins this year on 9/15. I have come to especially enjoy learning about Hindu holidays - they have such colorful gods/goddesses, stories and rituals.

Ganesha (or Ganesh) is the Hindu god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. He is famous for being a trickster and for his sense of humor. He is the god of new beginnings and is worshiped before people undertake a journey or embark upon a new venture.

Lord Ganesha is the second son of the god Shiva and his second consort, the goddess Parvati [Incidentally, when Janice's character was introduced on the Sopranos, she was using the name Parvati and insisted everyone call her that. Her back story was that she had changed her name while living in an ashram in California. She later dropped the name, however.]

I am sure you have seen representations of Ganesha -- he is the one with the elephant head. I have wondered why he has such a head. I found conflicting stories.

The first story (which I found some variation of several places) is that Parvati created Ganesha out of a balm she used for her bath, then had him guard her door while she bathed. While she bathed, Lord Shiva returned. Ganesha didn't know him and refused him entry. Shiva got mad and cut off his head. Then he realized it was his wife's son, so he sent his attendants to get him the head of the first living creature they could find [or the first one facing north], and it turned out to be an elephant.

However, another story tells that Parvati was bored and started praying for a son. She gave birth to a beautiful boy she named Ganesha and was so proud of him she invited all the gods and goddesses to come and admire him. They all admired and blessed him, except for Parvati's brother, Sani (Saturn). It seems Sani had been cursed so that whenever he looked at someone, they were turned to ashes. So he didn't want to look at his nephew. But Parvati begged him to look at the baby just one time and when he did, Ganesha's head flew off. One of the gods said he would live live if the head of the first creature found was transplanted on Ganesha's neck, and another god went off and found an elephant.

So anyway.

During the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, statues of Ganesha are installed in homes and elaborately decorated mantapas (outdoor prayer halls or pavilions). The idols are worshiped with families and friends. A special puja (ritual) is performed twice a day. Public celebrations are also held, and it is a time for many cultural activities like songs, dramas and orchestra.

On the last (11th) day of the festival, the idols are taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing and singing for a send off. Everyone joins in the procession, shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya" (O father Ganesha, come again early next year). After the final offering is made, the idols are carried to a river or sea and immersed, symbolizing the start of Ganesha's journey to his home on Mount Kailash, while taking away with him the misfortunes of all man.

Unfortunately, this festival has a negative environmental impact. Traditionally, the idol was sculpted out of earth taken from near the home, then returned to the earth in a nearby water body, representing the cycle of life in nature. But eventually these idols began to be produced commercially using Plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris takes longer to dissolve and releases toxic elements into the water, plus the paint contains heavy metals. There are groups trying to come up with solutions to this problem.

PHOTO OF GANESH: http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/faculty/taj/hindi/ganesha.jpg

SOURCES/MORE INFO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi

http://www.theholidayspot.com/ganesh_chaturthi/

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/ganesha.html

http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/ganeshchaturthi.htm

http://www.dlshq.org/religions/ganesh.htm

http://www.paavani.in/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/ganesha_symbolism_1.gif

Polarization

We have become so polarized, and instead of getting better, as we presumably evolve toward a more enlightened society, it seems to be getting worse. Blacks vs. Whites. Democrats v. Republicans. Men vs. Women. Conservatives vs. Liberals. Christians vs. Non-Christians. Muslim vs. Jew. Rich vs. Poor. Gay vs. Straight. My sports team vs. Your Sports team.

Everywhere you turn there's someone who thinks they are better than someone else because of one of these things or a hundred other groups.

We have to come together. Polarization keeps us apart. We cannot reach our potential as human beings and as spiritual beings if we continue this way. We must learn from one another, try to see one another's point of view, meet in the middle, look for our common interests, and work for the highest good of everyone. EVERY one. The answers are usually not found in the extreme of either side, but somewhere in the middle. We have to learn to appreciate one another and love one another and learn to live together in such a way that everyone -- EVERY one -- can be happy and free and prosperous.

We don't have to look down at other people to feel better about ourselves.

We really are in this together.

Rosh ha-Shanah

Today is the the Jewish New Year, "Rosh ha-Shanah", meaning literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." But it is also the Day of Judgment (Yom ha-Din), the Day of Remembrance (Yom ha-Zikkaron) and the Day of Shofar Blowing (Yom Teruah). The holiday is actually celebrated over 48 hours.

Jews examine their past deeds, ask for forgiveness for their sins, review the history of their people and pray for Israel. The Shofar (a trumpet made from a ram's horn) is blown in temple to herald the beginning of the High Holy Days, a 10-day period.

Similar to the Islamic holiday recently celebrated (Nisfu Sha'ban), Jews believe that on Rosh Hashanah God judges all of the inhabitants of the world and apportions the provisions for each person for the coming year. Judgment is carried out by recording names in three books of account. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living". Those that fall in between get another chance to repent and become righteous over the next 10 days leading to Yom Kippur (the day of atonement).

No work is permitted on this holiday. After afternoon services on the first day, a body of water containing live fish is visited in order to symbolically "cast away" sins into the river (Tashlikh, meaning "casting off") by emptying one's pockets or throwing bread or pebbles into the water.

It is customary to have a family holiday meal with traditional foods, including apples and honey to symbolize sweetness, blessings, abundance and hope for the year ahead. Depending on local custom, other symbolic foods mentioned in the Talmud may be served such as tongue (meat from the head, to symbolize the "head" of the year); dates; black-eyed beans [my family always ate black eyed peas at New Year and I think Husband and I were wondering why recently].; leek; spinach; and gourd. Challah bread, which is usually braided, is served round to symbolize the cycle of the year.

The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of a phrase meaning "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

Sources/More Info:

http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/rosh.htm

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm

http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/holidays/rosh.htm

http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/roshhash.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah

Ramadan

Today is the start of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, the most sacred holiday of the Muslim year. It is a time of atonement somewhat similar to Yom Kippur and Lent. Ramadan is divided into three 10-day parts: Rahmat (mercy of God), Maghfirat (forgiveness of God), and Najat (salvation).

Ramadan is a time of worship, reading the Qur'an, charitable acts, and the purification of individual behavior. Fasting is considered to be the third pillar or religious obligation of Islam, providing many benefits including learning self-control. During this period, Muslims must abstain from food, drink, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn until dusk each day. At the end of the day, fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. After the meal, it is customary to visit family and friends. It is common to go to the Mosque and spend several hours praying and studying the Quran.

The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed by five things: the telling of a lie; slander; denouncing someone behind his back; a false oath; and greed or covetousness. These are considered offensive at all times, but are most offensive during the Fast of Ramadan

Ramadan ends with Eid-al-Fitr or the Festival of Fast-Breaking.

SOURCES/MORE INFO:

http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/ramadan.html

http://www.holidays.net/ramadan/story.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

http://www.colostate.edu/Orgs/MSA/events/Ramadan.html

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/ramadan1.html

Vacation Pictures

Vacation August 2007

Nisfu Sha'ban

According to my calendar, today is the Islamic holiday Nisfu Sha'ban, a/k/a Mid-Sha'ban (and a bunch of other names)

Nisfu-Sha'ban is a Muslim festival celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month (Shaban) of the Islamic lunar calendar. (This year, it corresponds to August 28 on our calendar).

There are two major denominations of Islam: Shia (the Shi'its) and Sunni [aha - I never knew what these groups were exactly]. These denominations celebrate the holiday for different reasons.

Shias celebrate this holiday as the birth of Muhammad al-Mahdi. The Shias consider him to be the twelfth, final and current Shia Imam [a leader appointed by Allah who is a perfect example of how to live] and also the Mahdi [the ultimate savior of mankind]. The Prophet Muhammad said there would be 12 Imams after him, and apparently the Shias believe this one is the last one.

Sunnis observe this holiday as a night of worship and salvation, commemorating when Allah saved prophet Nuh's [Noah's] followers from the deluge [the flood]. They believe that on this night Allah prepares the destiny for all people on Earth for the coming year. It is decided who will be born, who will die, how much provision each person will get, etc. The angels are also given their duties for the coming year. It is a night spent in sincere introspection and repentance.

The Prophet Muhammad urged Muslims to stay up during the night and fast during the day. He himself would go to the graveyard of Madinah [a holy city] and pray for the dead. It is also desirable for Muslims to seek the forgiveness of their dead either by reciting the Qur'an, feeding the hungry, giving money in charity, or by just praying for them. .

SOURCES/MORE INFO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Sha%27ban

http://www.sanatan.org/weekly/2002/144/festivals.htm

http://www.deenislam.co.uk/dua/Shaban_3.htm

http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/february02_index.php?l=3

Isra/Me'raj

According to my calendar, today is the Islamic holiday Isra/Me'raj

The official name of this holiday is "Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj", which means "the night journey and ascension." It celebrates that night that Muhammad went from Mecca to Jerusalem, ascended into the Seven Heavens, and returned, all in the same night. During his time in the Seven Heavens, Muhammad was instructed to establish the five daily prayers that Muslims use now. He also met other religious figures, including Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Adam, the archangel Gabriel, and Jesus. Many Muslims consider this a physical journey, while some scholars consider it a dream or journey of the soul.

The rock from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended is the focal point of the Dome of the Rock, a sacred building in Jerusalem.

http://www.bibleplaces.com/domeofrock.htm

Not all Muslims celebrate Isra Mer-aj and there are no obligatory prayers. Celebrations vary by area and may include gathering in mosques or homes to listen to the story of the journey, illuminating the cities with electric lights and candles, fasting, colorful decorations, and the partaking of sweets. It is also an opportunity for devotees to engage in good deeds, such as donating money to charity, distributing food among the poor, etc.

(There are more detailed descriptions of the vision/journey/dream in the links below - it's quite interesting. I found it somewhat amusing that after Allah told Muhammad he had to say 50 prayers ever day, Moses said that was too much, the people would never do that many, and told him to go back and get it reduced, and so he did, so there are only 5 prayers to do.)

Sources/More Info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isra_and_Mi'raj

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/isrameraj.htm

http://www.al-islam.org/restatement/16.htm

http://www.sanatan.org/en/festivals/islam/lailatulmiraj.htm

Ellen Burstyn

I've added her to my list of heroes. the others are Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Katherine Hepburn and Eleanor Roosevelt. Like them, she is strong, wise, independent and has worked in her own way to make the world a better place for women.

Excerpt from a BeliefNet interview (link at bottom):

"Can you talk about your exploration into Sufism, which you practice today?

Oh, it started with reading. I was reading the work of Gurdjieff. And Gurdjieff led me to the Sufis, and then I met a Sufi teacher. And then I traveled to Europe and I climbed the Alps and went up to a Sufi camp conducted by Pir Vilayat Kahn; I was initiated up there.

When I was on top of the Alps and Pir Vilayat did the universal worship ceremony, I was so moved by it because here we were on an Alpine peak facing Mont Blanc, and there was an altar, and Pir lit a candle to each of the major religions of the world, and then read from the sacred books of those religions.

And the idea that we didn’t have to say, “I am a Christian” or, “I am a Buddhist” or, “I am a Muslim,” but, "I am a spirit opening to the truth that lives in all of these religions,” brings you into a place where you see that the differences are in the dogma, and the essence is very, very similar.

The truth is there spread out and speaking. For instance, Jesus says that if someone strikes you to turn the other cheek and the Buddha says that "Hatred cannot be fought with hatred--hatred can only be fought with love. This is a law eternal." Well, they’re saying the same thing there. And you find that consistently. So, I knew when I came upon that that I had found what was, for me, a doorway into spirit."


Ellen Burstyn's True Face: The Oscar-winning actress talks about embracing her essence, a love of Sufi poetry, and her scorchingly honest new memoir.

Protective Aura

"As you develop your intuition and strengthen your inner guidance, it can have the effect of enhancing your sensitivity to everyone and everything. This week notice how some people or places make you feel energized, while others leave you feeling drained. Learn to strengthen your aura with protection. As you get dressed each morning — just before you start your day — remember to place a protective thought on your aura. See your aura as a brilliant white light that acts as an invisible shield, surrounding you throughout the day. It really is our own personal psychic shield. Use it – it’s part of you!"

(from John Holland's newsletter and 101 Ways to Jumpstart Your Intuition)

Lughnasa

According to my calendar, today is the Pagan/Wiccan holiday Lughnasa.

Lughnasa is a Celtic harvest festival celebrated on August 1st. It marked the beginning of the harvest season, the ripening of first fruits.

In Celtic mythology, Lughnasa was begun by the Irish god Lugh in honor of his foster-mother, Tailtiu, the last queen of the Fir Bolg. Tailtiu cleared a great forest so the land could be cultivated, but then died of exhaustion. On her death bed, she told the men of Ireland that as long as they held funeral games in her honor, Ireland would not be without song. Since Tailtiu's name means "The Great One of the Earth," she was probably a personification of the land itself. Lugh's name refers to childbirth, which ties in with the time of year when the earth gives birth to her first fruits.

The festival was traditionally a time of community gatherings, market festivals, horse races and reunions. Among the Irish it was a favored time for handfastings - trial marriages that would generally last a year and a day, with the option of ending the contract before the new year, or later formalizing it as a more permanent marriage.

At one time the festival had evolved into a great tribal assembly, attended by the High King, where legal agreements were made, political problems discussed, and huge sporting contests were held on the scale of an early Olympic Games.

In later times, the festival was christianized as Lammas ("Loaf-Mass"). Some Wiccans and Neopagans use this name. In some rural areas, it was called "Bilberry Sunday," the day to climb the nearest "Lughnasadh Hill" and gather blackberries.

Lughnasadh is observed by Neopagans in various forms and by a variety of names. Some celebrate like the Ancient Celts, while others observe it with rituals adopted from other unrelated sources. In Wicca, Lughnasadh is one of the eight sabbats and the first of three harvest festivals.

Sources/More Info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lughnasadh
http://www.chalicecentre.net/lughnasadh.htm
http://www.lughnasa.com/pages/1/index.htm
http://www.irishcelticfest.com/

Author says UFO-Air Force dogfight ended in Flatwoods

"BECKLEY -- Sci-fi buffs flocked to a fantasy film in 1984 bearing a title prediction that 2010 would be the year earthlings make contact with aliens.

Actually, contact has come, and it was less than friendly, says one UFO researcher.

Three decades earlier, in fact, back in 1952, just five years after the famed Roswell, New Mexico incident, the American military engaged a convoy of alien aircraft with orders to destroy them in a pitched air battle right off the Atlantic Coast, says Frank Feschino, author of "The Flatwoods Monster,'' a phenomenon that rocked a tiny West Virginia town that year.

An illustrator and writer, Feschino has produced a follow-up book, this one titled "Shoot Them Down,'' an effort produced after years of painstaking research of the U.S. Air Force's once-classified files on unidentified flying saucers and digesting countless magazine articles on the matter.

His years of exhaustive study have convinced Feschino that American jet fighters did indeed make contact -- at the point of their guns.

"Shoot Them Down'' draws its name from orders Feschino says President Truman gave military commanders while an American public was growing increasingly jittery over coast-to-coast UFO sightings.

Two years earlier, Truman had remarked at a news conference, "I can assure you that flying saucers, given that they exist, are not constructed by any power on earth.''

"There are tons of documents right there, intelligence reports, talking about pilots chasing these things, going after them,'' Feschino said, citing the once-hidden reports on the Air Force's so-called Project Blue Book.

"That's when it hit the fan, and the government stepped up. That is when they had to simmer the whole country down. The whole country was in an uproar. Everybody was panicking. The job of the government is to keep things under control, and they couldn't let the country panic.''

UFOs were buzzing the entire country that year, "and a good chunk of them were over military installations, and power plants, like Oak Ridge,'' the author says.

Feschino pulls his theory largely from the writings of Air Force Capt. Edward Ruppelt, a decorated World War II veteran, recalled to duty when hostilities erupted in Korea.

Roswell might stand out as the mother of all UFO stories, but 1952 was the most prolific year by far for aircraft sightings -- by one account, some 30,000 alone in the United States, many of them reported in local newspapers around the country.

Craft ranged from discs to round balls to elongated, cigar-shaped ships, the Port Orange, Fla., resident said.

"Capt. Ruppelt was dropping clues throughout his book,'' Feschino said. "And that's the premise of my book. During that time of 1952 we had the highest amount of sightings.''

In a book he wrote, Ruppelt said "other assorted historians have pointed out that normally the UFOs are peaceful,'' but he alluded to a chase in which one of two pilots engaging unidentified aircraft perished.

"They just weren't ready to be observed closely,'' he wrote.

"If the Air Force hadn't slapped down the security lid, these writers might not have reached this conclusion (about peaceful aliens). There have been other and more lurid duels of death. That's what everybody missed.''

Feschino flatly says the Air Force took on alien aircraft just off the coast with orders to destroy them in a move to pacify a public growing ever restless over bizarre sightings. In the battle, apparently one craft hobbled back inland, resting on a knoll in a West Virginia community known as Flatwoods. And it was there on Sept. 12 a group of boys, accompanied by some adults, scampered up the hillside and saw a metallic, 12-foot object emitting a sulfuric odor. Locals dubbed it "the Flatwoods Monster.''

"I have no idea who they were,'' Feschino said.

Based on his interviews with some 200 residents of Flatwoods, however, the author believes the aliens remain interested in rural West Virginia.

"There are people in West Virginia who have been seeing UFOs for the past 50 years, and there are key locations where they are being seen -- Wheeling, Huntington, and quite a few south of Charleston, around Cabin Creek, even down in the Beckley area,'' he said.

Feschino is a headliner for a Sept. 7-8 UFO summit in Charleston, organized by promoter Larry Bailey. Joining him will be Freddie May, a witness to the Flatwoods incident, and nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman, considered the leading UFO researcher in the world. Friedman has appeared on numerous cable TV shows with his belief that extraterrestrials are frequent flyers to planet Earth.

At the two-day gathering, Feschino plans to sell his new book, featuring a special, limited edition cover for West Virginia consumers."

Author says UFO-Air Force dogfight ended in Flatwoods

Quotes

Posting quotations here:

http://quotescollector.blogspot.com/

Anniversary of Nana's death

12 years ago today, my maternal grandmother, Christine Ellen Woolard Canterbury, passed over.

She was the source of the most unconditional and boundless love I ever had. In her eyes, I could do no wrong.

I have no doubt that I'll see her again when it's my time. Until then, I'll continue to think of her and miss her every single day.

I love you, Nana.

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere." - Frank A. Clark

"In every moment we have a chance to make a choice to bring light into the world. When we bless others with the gift of our positive energy, instead of letting circumstances affect us negatively, we bring a little peace to the world every day." - www.dailyom.com

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."

- Mary Jean Iron