Halloweens With My Son Over the Years

 

 

 

 

Saying no to working today was not too difficult, because today is a special day, of course. Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays ever since childhood, and it is especially nice these days, when my son and I get to go trick or treating together. Usually, I try and dress up, and of course, he always dresses up for Halloween. That is, of course, one of the most fun and attractive things about this holiday, the opportunity to get all dressed up. And that is especially true when you are young, when you are a kid. And admittedly, I guess I am still just an immature kid at heart, because that is what I still love about it, after all these years.

Years ago, I got myself a Darth Vader costume, which I have donned at least a few times, for different Halloweens. It is an easy thing to be, because you just have to put it on. No make up, and no more expenses to pay.

However, this year I wanted to be something different. I always wanted to go as Indiana Jones, and decided that this year would be the year to make it happen.

As for my son, he chose to be a ninja. Of course, he wanted some real life weapons to go with it, and was bitterly disappointed when I told him that real weapons were actually not going to be part of his costume, that there as no way he was going to get real weapons on my watch. He is, after all, just 11 years old, at least for a few more days. No need for actual real ninja weapons when he goes door to door, asking people kindly for candy.

When I was a kid, I can remember donning some of the Ben Cooper costumes that were so famous and readily available back then. They were cheap (usually around $3), and they were exciting for us kids to look at back then. Of course they were of not surprisingly poor quality. You wore them once, and they would get ripped, more often than not. The masks were uncomfortable, and it would be difficult to breathe.

And still, they were a thrill!

I remember being Spiderman one year, and I am pretty sure I was the Incredible Hulk once, as well. Separate from those iconic Ben Cooper costumes, I was also a pirate once, with a kind of ridiculous beard to complete the outfit. One woman said that I looked just like a pirate, but it took me years to realize that she was being a bit patronizing.

As a young man, I got a Scream outfit, because it was cheap and easy and fun - all rather descriptions of me!

But now, as a father, I wanted to remember my son's Halloweens, to remember how he dressed up, and what he was really into each year.

In 2010, he was the Wolverine. In 2011, he was Darth Vader. In 2012, Halloween was cancelled, because of Hurricane Sandy, although I did set aside a day for him to dress up in a few costumes (see the pictures below). In 2014, he dressed as a cub scout (which he was). in 2015, he went trick or treating dressed as the Grim Reaper, and we went with a friend from his school.

Last year, he was the Blue Team leader from Halo.

Celebrating Halloween privately after it was cancelled in New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy, 2012:

Halloween 2014:

He dressed up as a cub scout for Halloween in 2014, and we went trick or treating together. Great memories!

Halloween 2015:

Halloween 2016:

Halloween 2017:

Halloween Has a Haunted History (GLV Article)

I recently wrote another article for the Guardian Liberty Voice. This one continues my tradition of exploring the history of certain holidays.

This time, obviously, the focus was on Halloween, which I think is appropriate for this time of the year.

Here is the link, and I do hope that you take a look! If not, the text of the article nonetheless can be found below:

Halloween Has a Haunted History:

http://guardianlv.com/2015/10/halloween-has-a-haunted-history-video/

Halloween has grown as a major holiday so fast that it is downright spooky. It is the second biggest holiday for decorations, trailing only Christmas, and ne fourth of the candy sold in the United States os for Halloween. With Americans this year expected to spend fully $6.9 billion on the holiday, Halloween has become big business. The average American will spend up to $75 to celebrate the holiday, which for many will include decoration, costumes, parties, and giving candy away to children tracking through their neighborhoods while trick or treating.

It may surprise people to find out that many of these traditions that people have long associated with Halloween are not nearly as old as popularly believed, although the roots of the holiday stretch back to ancient times. What eventually would become our modern Halloween is over two thousand years old, tracing back to a couple of festivals - Sahmain and All Saints Day.

The Celtic festival of Sahmain came before Christianity. Literally translated from Gaelic, Samhain which was the term for the end of the summer. Back then, Celts lived in Ireland, Britain, and northwestern France, and this festival was widely celebrated. They would collect their earnings from farming, and would bring their animals in for the cold season to come. However, this time of the changing of the seasons was also popularly believed to possess supernatural powers. It was held on November 1, although it was believed that the night before Sahmain was a night when the world of the living and the world of the dead mixed. People would leave food and wine outside of their homes in hopes of preventing ghosts from coming in. Also, when people ventured out on such nights, they would wear masks in order to resemble ghosts.

In the eight century, Christians eliminated Sahmain and replaced it with All Saints Day, which was moved from mid-May to November by order of Pope Gregory III. This was done in an effort to eradicate the  pagan roots of this popular autumn festival. Despite this, All Saints Day, which was also known as All Hallows Mass and Hallowmas, never was fully divorced from the former autumn festival that it was meant to replace, and the evening before, which fell on the last day of October, came to be known as All Hallows' Eve. In time, people began a new tradition to scare away evil spirits, as they burned candles and carving turnips (the predecessor of the modern tradition of carving pumpkins).

The tradition of children and adults disguising themselves on All Hallow's Eve to ward off evil spirits also continued. Many would beg for food or coins during the All Souls' Day parade in England. Some families would give them pastries known as "soul cakes" and the beggars, in turn, were asked to pray for the deceased loved ones of the family giving the cakes. This may have been the origins of the modern "trick or treat" tradition that has become common on Halloween.

Ironically, despite Halloween having at least partial roots from the Christian tradition, the relationship between Halloween and Christians has often been complicated. October 31 happens to have been the day that Martin Luther essentially started the protestant Reformation in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517, when he nailed his 95 Theses to a door. Most of the early Christians groups that came to America , greatly influenced by the Protestant Reformation and included the Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Quakers, and Baptists, rejected this holiday as pagan. Still, that ultimately did not prevent Halloween from traveling to American shores.

Halloween is a holiday that has changed greatly over the course of time. Late in the late nineteen century, many women believed that they could find out the identity of their future husbands through various means. Some of these methods involved hazelnuts, mirrors, apples, and yarn. Sometimes, a ring would be buried in food, in hopes that the one who discovered it would be moved to find real love. Also, the winner of apple bobbing competitions tended to be highly regarded as top prospects, as this was seen as a good sign. These traditions, however, generally faded over time.

It also used to have more in common with April Fool's Day, than with what most people today would consider typical of Halloween. Pranks were very common and quite popular, and some of the most popular pranks included throwing eggs at houses, opening up the gates of a farm, and making outhouses fall over. However, these tricks began to spiral out of control and become problematic, and so the focus began to emphasize the more innocent and less harmful traditions of candy and dressing up in costumes.

By Charles Bordeau

Sources:

Bustle.com: Why Do We Celebrate Halloween? 6 Facts About This Spooky Holiday's History

The Newnan Times-Herald: The history of Halloween

The Lincolnshire Echo: What is Halloween and why do we celebrate it?

Business.com: $6.9 Billion in Consumer Spending this Halloween is Spooky

NRF: The long and Short of America’s Consumer Holidays

Image courtesy of Nick Taylor's Flickr page: Pumpkin carving - Creative Commons License

Youtube video History of Halloween (The History Channel) courtesy of  Marco Gomez

NFL Week 8 Wrap-Up

Yesterday, when I posted my review of Week 8 in the NFL, I was not aware of one horrible thing that occurred.

In reviewing the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears, I was then unaware that Zach Miller of the Chicago Bears suffered a gruesome injury. 

However, someone (a Facebook friend) posted a video of it, and I stumbled on it, without knowing what it was. It was horrific, and felt reminiscent of other horrendous injuries that we have seen over the course of time, particularly with Joe Theismann and Kevin Ware. 

Now, with Theismann, his injury occurred because as he planted his foot in dropping back for a pass, Lawrence Taylor, trying to catch and sack him, essentially jumped on him and put all of his weight upon him, producing that injury.

Yesterday's injury to Miller was different, and was more similar to Kevin Ware's injury a few years ago. Ware fell awkwardly, and there was no real contact with any other player on the court. Similarly, even though there was a Saints defender nearby, the injury was not the result of contact, or some tackle. It seemed to me almost to be a freak accident. Something that would not happen more than once in perhaps 10,000 times, if that.

Yet somehow, it happened in that game on Sunday. Miller caught the ball while on the run, and his leg just seemed to twist around - all the way around. It was horrible to watch, and I kept finding myself turning away, like when you see something that seriously disgusts or disturbs you.

So, I just wanted to mention that, because I would certainly have made mention of that in yesterday's review had I known. Some things are obviously more important than football, or sports more generally, and that includes the health of the people playing. To my understanding, Miller had emergency surgery to save his leg. His football career is surely over - although Kevin Ware came back to play basketball again - but at least he can live a relatively normal life, and that is a blessing. I wish him the very best!


Monday Night Football Review - Kansas City 26, Denver 13 - This game went down in a predictable way. The Broncos are in trouble, and showed it, looking unable to cope with the Chiefs offense, and unable to score against KC's tough defense.

I only saw the final quarter or so, but Denver looked frustrated. And for good reason, too! This was their third loss in a row, as they dropped from a promising 3-1 start, and have now sunk to 3-4. With the Chargers and the Raiders also having largely dropped out of relevance, the Chiefs have this division essentially all to themselves, and even though it is too early to officially crown anyone yet, because it will be still quite a few weeks before anything has been officially clinched, it is clear that the Chiefs, barring some huge collapse, should take the AFC West without any real problems.

As for Denver?

Well, surely most fans will remember that just a few years ago, they seemed to be the western version of the New England Patriots. They won five straight division titles, and earned a playoff bye for four straight years. They had that unbelievable, record-shattering season on offense, when they became the first team in NFL history to score over 600 points, although they lost badly in that year's Super Bowl. But they went back to the Super Bowl two years later, and dominated the favored Carolina Panthers to earn the franchise's third Super Bowl championship ever.

But all of that surely must feel like ancient history now. Denver fell to 9-7, and out of the playoffs, in last year's title defense.

And now, after starting the first quarter of the season looking like a serious contender once again, the Broncos are instead showing that the issues that they dealt with last season, particularly on offense, are still plaguing them. Three straight losses now, and a losing record as they approach the mid-season point. It was less than two years ago that this team won the ultimate glory and scaled the greatest heights that any NFL team can go. But that great accomplishment only serves now to make the failures thus far with this particular edition of the Denver Broncos all the more glaring.

My prediction: Accurate

The Haunted History of Halloween

Years ago, this corner of the Northeast got hit with a freak snowstorm. It measured maybe a foot and half, which would normally be quite a substantial storm in it's own right. But since most of the leaves were still on the trees, they got weighted down more than usual, and many of them simply could not stand up to the storm. There were downed trees everywhere, which meant downed telephone poles and wires, as well. The roads were a mess, and many people lost quite a bit of power. I saw it, and unfortunately, had to drive through it, too. It was one of the worst storms that I've seen and had to endure, as a result. That came two days before Halloween, which was surprisingly early for such a snow storm.

But it was nothing compared to what happened in 2012, also two days before Halloween. That was when Hurricane Sandy hit. Tragedy was everywhere. People died, others lost everything. Life seemed to come to a stop for a short while. And almost nobody noticed when Halloween was officially cancelled. Hardly anyone was surprised, for that matter.

As the date neared on this year's calendar, people were half expecting something else. Some other disaster. But this year, we were spared.

So, I will take my son trick or treating later today. But it seems that this is a dying tradition.

When I was young, kids used to look forward to this holiday for a very long time! We talked about what we wanted to be this Halloween, and we loved getting all dressed up. We looked forward to trick or treating, and feeling the weight of our bags begin to increase. It was well earned, we felt!

For whatever the reason, this tradition of trick or treating for Halloween seems to be going out the window. It used to be a strong tradition that all the kids engaged in, and it would go on to the late hours. There were tons of kids, and running out of candy was a serious worry.

Now, we are lucky if we have more kids than fingers on both hands. It has grown scarce, and it seems to be the case everywhere you go, with everyone you ask.

Apparently, trick or treating is on it's way out, even though getting costumes and dressing up is hotter than ever, and a more profitable business than ever before! I heard somewhere that Halloween is only behind Christmas as the holiday that people tend to spend the most money on.

So, I thought it would be appropriate to do a blog on the history of this holiday, since I did not get a chance to do it (although I planned to) last year.

Here's a little something about the night before Halloween. In my area, we used to call it "Goosey Night", although I understand it is more often referred to as "Devil's Night" or "Mischief Night". This is when local punks throw eggs at cars and homes, or do their best to coat cars, homes, and trees with toilet paper, among other practical jokes. This, like trick or treating, seems to be dying off in recent years. Either that, or I am really not noticing these things anymore.

"It's a Jersey thing: N.J. may be the only state to call tonight 'mischief night'" by Alex Napoliello/NJ.com, published on October 30, 2013:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/its_a_jersey_thing_nj_only_state_to_call_tonight_mischief_night.html?fb_action_ids=10201500253725888&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=s%3DshowShareBarUI%3Ap%3Dfacebook-like&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210201500253725888%22%3A165797540294225%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210201500253725888%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%2210201500253725888%22%3A%22s%3DshowShareBarUI%3Ap%3Dfacebook-like%22%7D

A PBS link to the history of specific, Halloween-themed foods can be found by clicking on this link:

http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/halloween-a-foodie-history/

One page that I found fascinating, with specifics on the background history of certain popular Halloween traditions, can be found by clicking on the following link:

 http://www.halloweenishere.com/history.html

The following page, "Halloween History", can be viewed at: http://www.halloweenhistory.org/

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31.  The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows' Evening also known as Hallowe'en or All Hallows' Eve.

Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth    century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand.

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").

The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.

Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.

Trick-or-treating, is an activity for children on or around Halloween in which they proceed from house to house in costumes, asking for treats such as confectionery with the question, "Trick or treat?" The "trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. Trick-or-treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should purchase treats in preparation for trick-or-treaters.

The history of Halloween has evolved.  The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the "trick" element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or illegal "tricks" and police warnings have further raised suspicion about this game and Halloween in general.

In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-treating is often referred to as Beggars Night.

Part of the history of Halloween  is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of "souling," when poor folk would    go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas."

Yet there is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in America, and trick-or-treating may have developed in America independent of any Irish or British antecedent. There is little primary Halloween history documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween in Ireland, the UK, or America before 1900. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another isolated reference appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920. The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict trick-or-treating. Ruth Edna Kelley, in her 1919 history of the holiday, The Book of Hallowe'en, makes no mention of such a custom in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America." It does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the earliest known uses in print of the term "trick or treat" appearing in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939. Thus, although a quarter million Scots-Irish immigrated to America between 1717 and 1770, the Irish Potato Famine brought almost a million immigrants in 1845-1849, and British and Irish immigration to America peaked in the 1880s, ritualized begging on Halloween was virtually unknown in America until generations later.

Trick-or-treating spread from the western United States eastward, stalled by sugar rationing that began in April 1942 during World War II and did not end until June 1947.

Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children's magazines Jack and Jill and Children's Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs The Baby Snooks Show in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat, Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show, and UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating.

Trick-or-treating on the prairie. Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to re-channel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger. Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. Sometimes even the children protested: for Halloween 1948, members of the Madison Square Boys Club in New York City carried a parade banner that read "American Boys Don't Beg."

NFL 2017-18 Week 8 Review

Minnesota 33, Cleveland 16 (from Twickenham Stadium, UK)    The Browns played tough, and challenged the Vikings more than the score might indicate, as the Vikings still had not secured the win by the start of the fourth quarter. Still, all in all, it was yet another loss for Cleveland, as Minnesota remains one of the hottest teams in the league. At this point, they look capable of coasting to secure the division title. They now get a chance to rest after their cross-ocean success, and will get a chance to pick up where they left off in two weeks. As for the Browns, they too will have a bye, and not a minute too soon, after yet another dismal start to a season. For the second straight year, the Browns go at least through the entire first half of the season without a win. I feel bad, because the loyal fans at the Factory of Sadness deserve better, but this team just seems bad.   My pick: Accurate

 

Atlanta 25, N.Y. Jets  20- I knew that I should have picked the Falcons! The Falcons had to survive this, more than anything else, but in the end, they had just enough to beat the Jets, and secure a much needed win that also stopped the bleeding before it really got too bad. As for Gang Green, they are playing most of their games surprisingly tough, and continuing to impress. Yet, still, they just cannot catch a break, and their losing streak continues to grow, as does their irrelevance. A good win for Atlanta, and bad loss for New York.  My pick: Inaccurate

Carolina 17, Tampa Bay 3 - The Panthers are a hard team to figure out. They win games and look great when you are absolutely not expecting them to, and they play poorly and lose games when you figure they should win easily. Perhaps the description of playing up or down to the level of their competition fits them? One way or the other, they played a whale of a game when they absolutely had to, beating the tough, up and coming Tampa Bay squad in a critical divisional showdown for both teams. The Panthers humbled the Buccaneers, holding them to a mere field goal in terms of total point output. Not that the Panthers scored an avalanche of points, either, although they got more than enough to secure an important victory that allows them to keep on the heels of the division leading New Orleans Saints.  My pick:  Inaccurate

New Orleans 20, Chicago 12 - The Bears hung tough and provided a decent challenge, but the Saints won in the end. It was a lower scoring game than I had expected, and the Saints defense looks like they have been holding their own so far this season! Chicago's defense has also looked tough in recent weeks, and holding the potent Saints offense to just 20 points in New Orleans? That looked quite impressive! However, the Saints still managed to win, and stay ahead in the NFC South, while the Bears continue to see what their hot young quarterback can do as he gains more valuable experience on the NFL field of play.  My pick: Accurate

Cincinnati 24, Indianapolis 23 - The Bengals won, but even in winning, they looked a bit troubled. The Colts seem to have largely given up on the season the past few weeks prior to this game. So, to go on the road and very nearly pull off an upset like this, in a game that, for all intents and purposes, means nothing to them? Well, Cincy should just be glad to have eked out this narrow win by the slimmest of margins. It allows them to bounce back from that bad loss to Pittsburgh last weekend, and to now get back to winning. A good effort for the Colts, but Cincy remains relevant in the Wild Card race, while a loss would have likely derailed the remainder of their season. My pick: Accurate

New England 21, L.A. Chargers 13 - The Chargers proved to be tough, and hung in there for longer than I would have expected. But ultimately, having to go to New England, and facing a crafty and experienced team that needs to win to stay stop the AFC East proved a bit much for the Chargers. Taken nothing away from their recent win streak that seemed to get them back in the season, but the Patriots are essentially in a league of their own. A solid win for the Pats, one that came when they seemed not to be playing at their best, and keeps them ahead in the AFC East.  My pick: Accurate

Buffalo 34, Oakland 24 - The Bills won this one in a blowout! They managed to score a lot of points, while limiting the Raiders normally potent offense to a pedestrian 14 points total. Indeed, Buffalo looks like a serious threat to finally qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the 21st century, while the Raiders slide ever closer to total irrelevance. They did not have Lynch, although by this point, I am not sure that it really matters much anymore. There is something fundamentally wrong with the Raiders this season, as they are nowhere near the team that most people expected them to be by this point. A solid win for the Bills, however, and it keeps them in the AFC East division title race, while they also put some cushion between themselves and the Dolphins and Jets.   My pick:  Accurate

Philadelphia 33, San Francisco 10 - Here was a game that went pretty much as most people would have expected. The Eagles were clear favorites, as the team with the best record in the league hosting one of the two remaining winless teams. They did not humiliate the 49ers in record fashion, but they nonetheless beat them soundly, leaving no doubt. The 49ers had kept games close for a while, although they have now struggled and gotten blown out in their last two games, at home against Dallas last week, and now in this game at Philly. For the first time in franchise history, the 49ers have started a season by losing their first eight games, while in Philly, the Eagles are off to their best start in a season since the 2004 season, when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl! My pick: Accurate

Seattle 41, Houston 38 - This one kept going back and forth, and for a while, it looked like the Texans were playing tough enough to pull it off. An offensive explosion by two teams more traditionally known for their defensive capabilities. Yet, the offenses just kept piling up the points, as Houston's recent surge on offense went into overdrive against a still tough Seahawks defense. This might not be the "Legion of Boom" anymore, but it was a bit surprising that they allowed quite this many points. Still, the Seahawks managed to outlast the Titans to keep up with the Rams in the NFC West, while the Texans continue to struggles and fall farther behind in the race for the AFC South title.  My pick: Just barely accurate

Dallas 33, Washington 19 - This went pretty much the way that I expected it. Dallas has the better team, with the most potential between them. A strong offense when they play at their best, as they did last week at San Fran, and as they did this weekend in Washington. They have a decent defense, and when they play at their best, they might just be one of the best teams in the entire NFC. Washington is an inconsistent, up and down team, and they have not been able to produce the kind of consistency needed by legitimate playoff contenders. So, the 'Boys did what they had to do, and got a good, solid divisional win that helps them tremendously.   My pick: Accurate

Sunday Night Football - Pittsburgh 20, Detroit 15 - Detroit needs to play some softer teams on the schedule. They have not really had any easy games, unless you take the Giants, who are surprisingly one of the worst teams in the league, judging by their record and how they have looked thus far. But otherwise, each game that the Lions play so far seems to be against a tough opponent that tests this team. They just never seem to catch a break, and this game was no exception. The Steelers are legitimate contenders, and a team that knows how to win. Detroit should have been well-rested, and really, should have had a chance to win this one. But in a slugfest that wound up being more of a defensive struggle than anything else, Pittsburgh held off the Lions to pull off a nice road win that keeps them well ahead in the AFC North.  My pick: Inaccurate

NFL 2017-18 Week 8 Preview

The Eagles are looking hot, and have the best record in the league, while the 49ers, who are one of only two winless teams remaining, will have to go up to Philadelphia for the unenviable task of trying to find their first win of the season against the hottest team in the league. Good luck!

Meanwhile, the Pats are starting to find their rhythm, but they will host the suddenly hot Chargers, while the team that they beat both last weekend and in last year's Super Bowl, the Falcons, take on another AFC East team in the Jets. Dallas and Washington renew their rivalry, and the Raiders and Bills play a very important game for both teams up in Buffalo. The Chiefs also try to get back to their formerly winning ways when the also struggling Broncos come to town.

Some interesting match-ups. Let's take a closer look:

Minnesota at Cleveland - The Browns really played particularly tough last weekend against the Titans. They have surely grown tired of losing, which once again this season, they have done often, in keeping with their traditions of really, really bad seasons. They do host the Vikings, but Minnesota is playing some hot football right now. As much as everyone wants to root for a Browns victory, it would seem unlikely that they will get their first win this week against the Vikes.  My pick: Minnesota

 

Atlanta at N.Y. Jets - The Jets have lost a couple of games in a row, but they are playing surprisingly well still, and seem to be fighting with everything that they have got in each game. The Falcons, in the meantime, seem not to be doing well, and particularly against AFC East opponents, which the Jets are. I think the collapse and surprise loss to the Dolphins, coupled with the blowout loss at New England, has shaken this team's confidence, and that they are vulnerable. My suspicion is that Gang Green manages to capitalize on that and win a big game against a quality opponent in this one.  My pick: N.Y. Jets

Carolina at Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay hosts the Panthers in a big division rivalry game. The Panthers have been remarkably inconsistent, and are a hard team to figure out right now. The Bucs have been a bit more consistent, although it is still difficult to gauge just how good they are. That makes this a difficult game to pick. Both teams are familiar with one another, and both really need to win this game to try and keep pace with the surging Saints, who could run away with this division if the other teams continue to struggle like they are doing. In the end, I think home field advantage helps the Bucs edge out the Panthers in this game.  My pick:  Tampa Bay

Chicago at New Orleans - The Bears have been playing much better as of late, but will that be enough for them to knock off the Saints in New Orleans? Frankly, my intuition suggests that it will not be, because the Saints are also playing red hot, lights out football. They have strung together an impressive four game winning streak, and they host the Bears, who still have some issues, and will not likely start to win with any degree of consistency this season. They are the team of the future, but it will be difficult to predict anyone but the Saints coming out on top in this one. My pick: New Orleans

Indianapolis at Cincinnati - The Bengals have been far from impressive so far this season, and they already appear to have their chances at a divisional title on life support. However, they still could potentially contend for a playoff spot, and have shown signs of being better than their mediocre record indicates. This week, they have a weak and troubled Colts team coming to town. Indy has firmly established themselves as the likely cellar dwellers in the AFC South, which is far from being the best division in the league. Hard to see how the Colts can find a way to win this one against a determined Bengals team hungry to earn another victory to remain relevant. My pick: Cincinnati

L.A. Chargers at New England - The Chargers are hot right now, having won three games in a row. But they now face their biggest challenge of the season thus far, when they travel up to Foxboro to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, who are on a bit of a tear themselves, having also won three straight. Yes, the Patriots appear to be back to winning consistently, and that will prove to be bad news for the Chargers, who likely do not have enough in their tank to win a game against the Pats up in New England. But then again, upsets do happen from time to time, right? And the Chargers have been playing extremely well. Still, it is difficult to predict anything but a Pats win. My pick: New England

Oakland at Buffalo - The Bills are a good team, and they have to be excited about the possibility of ending their long playoff drought and finally making their first postseason appearance in the 21st century. The Raiders, a team who seemed to hold tremendous promise going into the season after their terrific season last year was essentially cut short by the injury to Carr. However, Oakland has looked decidedly suspect this season with four straight losses, although they had an impressive recovery for an important win against first place KC last week. Still, whether or not that marks a full recovery, or just a temporary retrieve, remains to be seen. The Bills have been the more consistent team thus far this season, and might be the better team. That, coupled with home field advantage, should give them the inside track for a win here.  My pick:  Buffalo

San Francisco at Philadelphia - The Eagles are looking amazing right now. They are perhaps the hottest team in the league, and sport the best record. That makes San Fran's task of trying to get their first win of the season this weekend especially tough, because this match-up features the team tied for the worst record in the league going against the team with the best record in the league, and the 49ers are on the road, to boot. Most likely, the Niners will win a game at some point, but it seems unlikely that it will come against the Eagles this week. My pick: Philadelphia

Houston at Seattle - The Seahawks are finally starting to resemble the solid team that we have grown used to them being in recent seasons. They are, once again, a tough team to beat, and fighting to keep pace for first place in the NFC West, with the surprising L.A. Rams. The Seahawks are especially tough at home, and so the Texans will have their work cut out for them. Indeed, Houston seems to have found a bit of a groove offensively, but they have a tough defense to work against this weekend. It's not impossible that the Texans could pull off an upset, but I think it would be crazy to predict anyone other than the Seahawks coming out on top in this one. My pick: Seattle

Dallas at Washington - A classic rivalry. These two teams used to be the two best teams in the best division in the league, and really, the two best teams in the league, back in the early 1990's, at the height of the rivalry. Now, both of these teams need to win to stay relevant in the NFC East race. The Eagles are likely to beat San Francisco, and neither team can afford to fall even farther behind Philly. Washington lost a humbling game last week, while the Cowboys themselves benefited from a game at San Francisco, where they played very impressively in a convincing 40-10 road win. But they go on the road again, and this time it is a tougher test, as Washington is not an easy place for road teams to play. Still, something tells me that the 'Boys will find a way to win.  My pick: Dallas

Sunday Night Football - Pittsburgh at Detroit - Detroit should be well-rested, and they also have home field advantage, which gives them a chance in this one. The Steelers are flying high atop the AFC North at the moment, and keep winning. They are a tough team to get the better of. However, the Lions are a good team who have had an unusually, and it seems, a bit unfairly, challenging schedule thus far. It seems that every week, they are playing tough teams. At first, they were passing the tests with flying colors, but two losses in a row dropped them behind both Green Bay and Minnesota, which means that they absolutely have to win now to keep pace in this division. This will be my upset special for the week, as the Lions are due for another good win against a quality opponent.  My pick: Detroit

Monday Night Football - Denver at Kansas City - KC has lost two in a row, which kind of rubbed some of the shine from their impressive 5-0 start. However, the Broncos also have dropped two straight, and look decidedly mediocre in the past two weeks now. With Denver suddenly flirting with mediocrity, coupled with what surely will be an extra dose of urgency and renewed focus on the part of the suddenly struggling Chiefs, I like KC's chances to earn a victory here, exposing Denver's suddenly glaring weaknesses along the way.  My pick: Kansas City

Trump Threat to Democracy Transcends Politics and Party Lines

Yes, it happened again.

By this point, criticisms and even downright attacks on Donald Trump are nothing new, although what is new, and unique to Trump, specifically, is the degree to which members of his own party are willing to go to try and discredit and attack him.

Just lately, it was Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona and, of course, Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee. Both are Republicans, and both have landed well-placed hits on Trump, of course angering a man known to have incredibly thick skin.

Flake addressed his fellow Congressmen and urged them to stand up to this president, suggesting that they are playing with fire and are part of the problem when working as political allies with a man like Trump. He suggested that  Trump is “dangerous to our democracy” and called upon his fellow Republicans to not simply accept bad conduct and poor leadership by the president. He said:

"It is time for our complicity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end. Politics can make us silent when we should speak, and silence can equal complicity.”   

He never specifically mentioned Trump by name, yet he made it clear who the target of his criticism was when he elaborated:

“We must never regard as normal the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country — the personal attacks; the threats against principles, freedoms and institutions; the flagrant disregard for truth and decency.  

"We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as ‘telling it like it is’ when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified.” 

Criticizing Trump is nothing new for Flake. He has been criticizing him of and on again for about a year, and even wrote a book, “Conscience of a Conservative,”  that attacked this president's style, and made clear that Flake is no fan of the direction that Trump has taken the Republican party.

And, of course, Corker's attacks on President Trump has already garnered some major news headlines on their own fairly recently, when he compared the White House under Trump as an adult daycare center, with members trying to contain the conduct of an out of control spoiled brat intent on being as destructive as possible. 

Corker was at it again this week, stating that President Trump was “utterly untruthful.” He also called him “the L-word.”  

Corker did not stop there, either. In a Washington post article, some of the attacks that he leveled against Trump is a series of public appearances were summarized quite succinctly, as Corker:

said he should “leave it to the professionals” to handle the North Korea nuclear crisis; said he was not a role model for children; and urged West Wing aides to “figure out ways of controlling him.” Corker also said he would not support Trump for election again.

Now, let's take a count. That means that in just the last couple of weeks or so, Trump, a Republican president, has been attacked by two Republican Senators in Flake and Corker, as well as a former Republican president. And if you go back farther, 

What does all this mean? What is the significance, if any, that these Republican attacks on a Republican president will have?

Well, here is a quote from that same Washington Post article that might suggest that what we see happening is only the beginning:

“This is the ice beginning to crack,” said Peter Wehner, a Trump critic who has advised several past Republican presidents. “This is an extraordinary moment because the members of the president’s own party know that he is not fit in some fundamental way to be the president. These views that they’ve kept in the shadows are now being exposed to the light.”

Perhaps we are indeed seeing the first real chinks in the previously unblemished armor of self-preservation for the Republican party. Traditionally, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to show a certain degree of party unity and discipline, which are supposed to be mirrors of the stability that they allegedly want to bring to the country. 

But what happens when you have an overgrown child like a Donald Trump, a man who is in his advanced years, and yet who, without being self-conscious in the least about his own immature behavior, acts precisely like the snowflake that he accuses so many others of being?

Frankly, Donald Trump is the most divisive, polarizing figure in modern American history. For some, his most loyal supporters, he seems incapable of doing anything wrong. But to the vast majority in this country, it is quite the opposite: this man seems incapable of doing anything right. Even when he says things that most Americans could agree with (which happens very rarely), he nonetheless does these things in such a manner as to come across as either insincere, or as an idiot forced into doing something. President Obama, at some point, was accused of being unable to say anything of substance without a teleprompter. But Trump seems incapable of saying anything remotely intelligent or thoughtful, period. When he tries - and he usually does not have enough patience to give it a good effort - he clearly gives away the ton of coaching that he has received, and you can pretty much rely on some kind of blunder along the way. 

Yet, when he speaks his mind freely, the results are even more horrifying. The man is a dinosaur, the product of thinking and "values" that were pretty much outdated decades ago, and which have no real place in a modern country that wants to feel like it is part of the civilized world. The fact that even Republicans are horrified beyond the ability to pull punches at a man of their own party serves as proof that Trump is incredibly polarizing and, quite frankly, difficult, if not impossible, for intelligent, thinking people to generally and genuinely like.

This general immaturity polarizing, and indeed it is the source of much comedy, which is perhaps why comedians have had a field day since Trump came on the scene. However, it is nothing less than a threat to democracy itself when his ignorance and arrogance starts to target democratic institutions. When he attacks the free press and questions whether they should be able to attack him, and when he dismisses every semi-critical story against him as "fake news," it is a threat to democracy, and goes the constitution. When he incites violence, and does in a crafty way where he can back off and claim not to have been serious, it is a threat to the very law and order that he pretends to champion, and it is also a threat to democracy. When he reveals, time and time again, a staggering and, frankly, offensive level of ignorance about how government works, and then acts like his approach is a refreshing change, it is a threat to democracy. When he attacks or ignores facts, and his tens of millions of supporters allow him to do, encouraging more such behavior, it is a threat to democracy. And when he goes before the entire world, such as he did when he spoke before the United Nations, and he calls other world leaders names like a child might do, and threatens to annihilate another country and wipe them off the map forever, it not only undermines our democracy, but threatens continued life on the planet itself, because it is almost literally like playing with fire. It is irresponsible bravado and misunderstandings like this, which Trump thinks is all an appropriate part of his political theater, that threatens the stability of the world itself.

These things so clear, and so urgent, that even Republicans, known for sticking doggedly to their political game face strategy of complete unity at all times, have began to detract and launch serious, hard hitting attacks at Trump and his style of governance, that reveals that Trump is not just a "normal" president, only a little bit more entertaining. Whatever you might think of him, there is nothing normal about Trump. Never has been, and never will be. Trump is a man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He has never known anything but the most gilded, privileged life imaginable, and he somehow has come to believe that having all of that money, and living a life of extraordinary, exceptional comforts, somehow justified his own belief that he himself deserves to be seen as exceptional. It puzzles me how ordinary folks do not see that, and feel that they can relate to this pathetic man. He does not care about them, and shows it more than even the most polished politician, in his words and in his actions. He is so full of himself, and his exceptionalism and elitism, that he feels that he can say whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and damn the consequences. And he gets away with it, time and time again, because his supporters allow him to get away with it. He gets away with it, because somehow, this is seen as a refreshing change, as some kind of breath of fresh air much needed in our politics. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence and objectivity should be able to see through it, yet tens of millions of his supporters still do not see it. That is really what is most shocking about the Trump phenomenon, is that he still has his tens of millions of supporters, despite not having done anything - not one single thing - to warrant that kind of support.

Indeed, it still amazes me how many people are standing with Trump still. Here is a man who garners negative attention and controversy everywhere he goes, with every action, and still, many people seem to find excuses for him. The man has proven himself to be unhinged, to be the very picture of the "snowflake" label that he himself like to hurl at opponents. The level of his immaturity and the thinness of his skin has been revealed by his own conduct time and time again.

It reminds me or words spoken by one of the Founding Fathers:

"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture."

—Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, 1778

AFTER DAY OF FEUDING, JEFF FLAKE AND BOB CORKER JOIN TRUMP TO UPEND A MAJOR CONSUMER PROTECTION David Dayen October 24 2017,

https://theintercept.com/2017/10/24/after-day-of-feuding-jeff-flake-and-bob-corker-join-trump-to-upend-a-major-consumer-protection/

‘Dangerous,’ ‘utterly untruthful’: Two retiring GOP senators sound alarm on Trump 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/dangerous-utterly-untruthful-two-retiring-senators-sound-alarm-on-trump/2017/10/24/35403472-b8f1-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html?utm_term=.f0013186b525