Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008
Barbara Garcia

Photo: Sophia Sario

Halloween is about glowing jack-o-lanterns setting on front porches and on windowsills. There will be groups of children in costumes knocking on doors for about a half pound of trick or treat candies. It will be a night of ghost stories and bobbing for apples down at the community centers. There will be séances, pumpkin carving contests galore, Ouija game boards, and foggers setting the mood for the scariest of scary nights.

As much as we have come to enjoy the playfulness of Halloween there was a time when October 31st was a celebrated holiday called Samhain pronounced sow-en. It is still a magical time of year producing a palette of color in yellow, gold, and red across the landscape. In Scotland and Ireland Samhain meant summers end and rightly so with the cooler and darker days quickly approaching. It is my understanding of history that it was actually a Christian decision to change Samhain to Hallowmas (all Saints day) a time to commemorate the blessed dead and the night before became known as All Hallows Eve (Halloween). Just as those wandering spirits of the dead began to be thought of as evil, so did fairies, angels, leprechauns and pixies came to be thought of as supernatural beings.

Significantly placed in Halloween history today are glimpses of global climate destabilization etched in the masks of political rhetoric of 2008. A trick bailout proposal passed as pacifier treats for the wealthy. Both campaign managers have exquisitely designed sessions of scary nights of debates that prey on the common fears of struggling Americans in an atmosphere of inescapable economic horrors. You can be sure that fears of loud noises and fears of hot air will be triggered by the events this year.

Earthquake probabilities along Southern California’s San Andres fault in October isn’t a highly active fear among scientist and psychics but the most common fear among California residents is the probability itself.

With so many factual frightful themes, this year should be made an atmosphere of sheer fun. Try making paper skeletons and ghosts to deck the hall to your office this year or how about a shinny carved pumpkin for your favorite teacher. Unleash your imagination not your wallet on those costumes and how about something different than pounds of sugary candy to give out. Instead of candy, give stickers, mini boxes of raisins, inexpensive party toys and nutritious dried fruits.

2008 Gut Feeling Predictions

In addition to my annual predictions for 2008 that were published in on Starmerge at: http://www.starmerge.com/newsletter.html , it is a joy to post the following 5 National Predictions by my brother, John of North Carolina.

Photo: (C)2007 Painting by Ali Vasquez

2008 Gut Feeling Predictions
By
John Lowe

1. The financial crisis will worsen and will become even more widespread affecting markets worldwide. It is like a giant snowball rolling downhill gathering more snow as it goes. However, it will eventually bottom-out and then markets will gradually begin to rebuild. This process may take a couple of years.

2. Hillary Clinton will get the Democratic nomination for President. Barack Obama will receive a strong second place win while others will straggle far behind.

3. The Republican party will continue to flounder but Rudy Giuliani will narrowly receive his party's nomination for President. His primary support will come from the big money states, such as, New York, Florida, Texas and California, and they should be enough to carry his nomination.

4. Hillary Clinton will be elected to become the next President of the U.S. by a wide margin - I'm feeling between 60 - 70 percent of the electoral vote. However, I'm also feeling a possibility of her developing some health issues from either natural or unnatural causes at some point during the year. I can't tell how serious these issues will be but I feel she will get through them. While I feel most Americans support her, I also feel danger from the right-wing radical side.

5. Everything else I feel will be pretty much a repeat of 2007. There will of course be a lot of worldwide political posturing and a bit of shoving back and forth going on but I don't feel anything truly significant will come out of 2008, at least not on the world political scene. I feel like the whole world is collectively holding its breath - waiting in anticipation and in hope of something better - but it will not happen in 2008.

Well - this is the way I see it.

Happy New Year,
John