Halloweens With My Son Over the Years

Halloween 2018

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:

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."

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 G

NFL 2018-19 Week 8 Review

Another weekend, and :some more clarity. Some of the weaker teams are being weeded out, while the stronger ones are rising. The Rams remain unbeaten, at the expense of the Packers this time. The Chiefs keep on winning, while the Broncos have dug themselves into a hole that they likely will not be able to climb out of. The Saints are emerging as a clear elite in the league, and especially in the NFC. They knocked off another NFC hopeful, the Vikings, in Minnesota, which means that the Vikings now lost their position as division leaders, at least for now. Seattle continues to surprise with how strong they look, and their win over Detroit might reveal that the Lions are closing in on the end of their serious hopes for this season, although they are in a weak division, so there may still be a chance. The Browns are in a free fall, while the Steelers are establishing themselves as the team to beat in the AFC North, which is really no surprise. And speaking of no surprises, the New England Patriots earned a decisive victory that moves them now solidly in first place in the AFC East, with a two game lead over their closest division rivals.

Let's take a closer look at the games that were this past weekend:

Philadelphia 24, Jacksonville 18 (at Wembley Stadium, London, UK) - The Eagles took care of the Jaguars, mostly relying on their defense to contain the struggling Jax offense from posing a serious threat. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles did not have a horrific day statistically, completing 24 of 41 passes for 286 YDS and one touchdown. But Jax kept having to settle for field goals when they needed touchdowns for any realistic chances to win this one.  For Philly, QB Carson Wentz completed 21 of 30 passes for 286 yards, with three touchdowns to one interception. Both teams now get to enjoy a much needed bye. For the Eagles, it is a chance to rest, get  healthy, and load up for the remainder of the season, enjoying the high from this overseas win. For the Jaguars, it is a chance to take a breather and hopefully, for them, to stop the bleeding of this atrocious losing streak that they are currently on, which is threatening to take them right out of playoff contention. My pick: Accurate

Chicago 24, N.Y. Jets 10 - This is more or less how most people would have expected this game to go. Sam Darnold, in a losing effort for Gang Green, completed 14 of 29 passes for 153 yards, with one touchdown. Mitchell Trubisky continues to get better with each passing week for the Bears, as he completed 16 of 29 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears went from alone in first place two weekends ago to last place last weekend, and back to first place this weekend. What a crazy roller coaster ride! My pick: Accurate

Seattle 28, Detroit 14 - Another intriguing game. Seattle is better than most expected them to be this season, while Detroit has bounced back from a humiliating loss and an overall bad start to become a factor once again. Both teams started off 0-2, but have each has won three of their last four games. The Lions look good on offense with Stafford in charge, but their defense leaves something to be desired. That said, they will not be facing the most explosive offense in the league, as the Seahawks generally are a pedestrian team on that end. Their defense is no longer close to being on the level that they were during the "Legion of Boom" days. Also, home field advantage should really help the Lions here. My pick: Inaccurate

Kansas City 30, Denver 23 - A week after the Broncos earned an impressive blowout win on the road to keep their flickering hopes for the season alive, they lose a heartbreaker in Kansas City, and their season is, once again, in peril. KC's offense just keeps on rolling, as young Patrick Mahomes completed 24 of 34 passes for 303 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. For Denver, Case Keenum completed 23 of 34 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Denver played well in both games against the Chiefs, but could not produce the win. The AFC West, for all intents and purposes, has become a tag team between the two top teams and the two bottom teams, with the Chiefs and Chargers dominating, and the Broncos and especially the Raiders reeling. Denver might still have a chance, but they are getting dangerously close to irrelevance. My pick: Accurate

Cincinnati 37, Tampa Bay 34 - The Bengals capitalized on some big mistakes by the Bucs offense, yet still had to hang on for the narrow win. Tampa's Jameis Winston went 18 of 35 for 276 yards, with one touchdown and a staggering four interceptions. Andy Dalton completed 21 of 34 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals, at this point, are just happy for the win, and the chance to rest up with their upcoming bye, as they were coming dangerously close to losing their grip on this season. For Tampa Bay, they already have pretty much reached that point, as they are basically hopelessly behind not just one, but two teams in the NFC South. My pick: Accurate

Washington 20, N. Y. Giants 13 - Washington has looked incredibly impressive so far this season. Of course, it does not take much to look impressive against my Giants these last two seasons, but that is another issue. The O-line once again failed in a spectacular way, and Eli Manning found himself hitting the turf by way of sack seven times yesterday. He also threw two picks, and the Giants offense just never looked capable of much. Overall, Manning completed 30 of 47 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown, although there were those two INT's. Washington basically wore the Giants down, particularly behind the running of Adrian Petersen, who picked up 146 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.  Alex Smith completed 20 of 32 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, enough to help his team pick up a solid divisional road win to stay comfortably ahead in the NFC East. My pick: Accurate

Carolina 36, Baltimore 21 - Not sure what is happening to the Ravens right now. One week they are up, and the next, they are down. They were down this week again, although that as to be expected on the road against a tough Panthers team. Joe Flacco completed 22 of 39 passes for 192 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Cam Newton was stellar for the Panthers, completing 21 of 29 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers stay on the heels of the Saints in the NFC South, while the Ravens continue to slip farther back in the AFC North race, with both the Bengals and especially the Steelers winning.   My pick: Accurate

Pittsburgh 33, Cleveland 18 - I would have loved to see the Browns win this, but my guy told me that it was not going to happen. Sure enough, it did not. Baker Mayfield completed 22 of 36 passes for 180 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. One of those touchdown passes happened late in the fourth, when the outcome was long since decided. For Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 36 passes for 257 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. Now, Cleveland has fired their coach, and a season that, not long ago, seemed a promising sign of improvements to come, is beginning to spiral out of control, as the all too familiar losing is back. My pick: Accurate

Indianapolis 42, Oakland 28 - This was a real shootout. Not surprising, since both defenses are pretty bad. but the end result was not surprising, either. The Colts are the better team, and so they won. The Raiders are increasingly looking like the worst team in the AFC, and perhaps a contender for worst in the NFL, although my Giants are certainly in serious contention for that, as well. Andrew Luck completed 22 of 31 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns, while in a losing effort, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr completed 21 of 28 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns.  My pick: Accurate

Arizona 18, San Francisco 15  - The Cardinals have now swept their division rivals, the 49ers. That might be it for wins this season, though, because the Cardinals are a very bad football club. San Francisco seemed to be dominating most of the game, taking a 15-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. But that was when the Cardinals suddenly came alive. Larry Fitzgerald in particular came up big for Arizona, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Josh Rosen just two and a half minutes after the 49ers took a 12-point lead to get Arizona back in it. Then, Rosen completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk with just 34 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals the lead, and Fitzgerald ran in the two-point conversion for the three-point margin, ultimately giving Arizona the 18-15, come from behind win.  My pick: Accurate

L.A. Rams 29, Green Bay 27 - The Rams are 8-0 for the first time since 1969, when this team started off 9-0. Indeed, the Rams remain unbeaten at least until the start of November, and once again, they looked impressive. Jared Goff has now become only the second quarterback in NFL history under the age of 25 to lead his team to an 8-0 start to a season. Of course, those of us old enough could hardly forget that incredible 1984 season for Dan Marino, when he led his Miami Dolphins to a 14-2 record and the Super Bowl. That is not to say that these Rams have secured their place in the big game. Far from it. They may be the team's only remaining unbeaten team, but they have a brutal stretch coming up, with games against the 6-1 Saints,  the 7-1 Chiefs, the red hot Seahawks, and the defending champion Eagles all still coming up. Also, while the Rams managed to win, they struggled a bit against the Packers, and were actually down by halftime. But they played well enough to win in the second half, taking over the game, and securing the win. Now, some are speculating about the chances that this team will finish 16-0. While I would love to see a team (other than San Francisco, Washington, or Pittsburgh under Roethlisberger) finish a season 16-0 and win the Super Bowl, that is very unlikely to happen for the Rams this season. Their offense still looks hot, like one of the best units in the league. But their defense has looked suspect, and that might hurt them when they take on some of those high octane offenses, particularly New Orleans and Kansas City in the coming weeks. But for now, the Rams keep winning, and they simply look amazing at the moment. They have virtually locked up the NFC West already by the mid-season, and have looked great doing it. The best thing that they could do is avoid any of the hype about how great they are. They cannot believe that, and need to do whatever it takes to stay focused and understand that they can, and probably will, be beaten at some point this season. But the talent is there for this team to potentially go very far this season. Whether or not they barely beat Green Bay, they won, and this was a tough challenge for them. This is the type of game that could have eluded them, but they won on a day when they did not play at their best. But they will need to up their performance if they hope to remain undefeated when they start taking on some other elite teams in the coming weeks. My pick: Accurate

Sunday Night Football

New Orleans 30, Minnesota 20 - Something just told me that the Saints were going to win this game. There is something particularly impressive about them right now, and they may very well be the best team in the NFC, and not the Rams. New Orleans took the 7-0 early lead, but the Vikings came back to take a 13-7 lead. From that point on, it seemed that the Saints just kind of took over the game, scoring the next 23 points, and allowing the Vikings only one final touchdown late in the fourth quarter, when the outcome really was no longer in any doubt. This might not have exactly been revenge for the playoff debacle for the Saints last January, but it is a stinging defeat for the Vikings, who lose their hold on first place in the division, while it keeps the Saints flying high atop the NFC South, and with one of the most impressive records in the league. Drew Brees completed 18 of 23 passes for 120 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Minnesota's Kirk Cousins, in a losing cause, completed 31 of 41 passes for 359 yards, with two touchdowns and one very costly interception. Stefon Diggs, the hero of last year's playoff game, had a huge game this time again for the Vikings, with 119 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions. But it was not enough to derail the New Orleans steam train on this night.  My pick: Accurate

Monday Night Football

New England 25, Buffalo 6 - The New England Patriots did not play their best game, yet they still managed to win. And win convincingly, at that. They scored their first defensive touchdown in 40 games, the longest such drought in the league, which seems amazing. That last touchdown iced the game for the Pats, who struggled with a very stingy and tough Bills defense. But New England did just enough on offense to keep the game from being in reach for Buffalo late, and that final touchdown secured the fifth straight win for the Pats. Now, those questions that were swirling when they lost two in a row and were two games back to 3-0 Miami are long gone. New England is now two games ahead in the AFC East race, and look very hot once again. They will next host Green Bay, which is not an easy game, but one that this team could win. But they are looking solid once again, and looking to secure the division if the next few weeks continue to play out the way that recent weeks have gone within this division. It seems safe to say that both the Jets and especially the Bills are already out of the running, and that the Dolphins are teetering and looking extremely vulnerable once again. For the Bills, a tough defensive performance seems wasted with an inept offensive one.   My pick: Accurate

Short News Clips for October 30, 2018

To start this short news blog off, here's a story that should surprise absolutely no one.

Guess who's thinking of making another White House run in 2020?

Yup, Hillary Clinton.

Indeed, she says that she'd "like to be president."

Yeah, we kind of got that by your repeated runs, and your transparent political posturing and positioning. Also, illegally asking the Democratic Party leadership for assistance, and then illegally accepting their help, in order to get rid of the Bernie Sanders challenge that you once mocked as completely irrelevant, kind of tipped us off as well. 

And once again, she is proving that, much like Donald Trump, she and her family are unbelievable narcissists. It is never about what is best for the country, but only about what is best for them, for their interests and ridiculous ambitions.

Unbelievable how clueless this ridiculous & corrupt woman is! Also, how freaking selfish she & her husband are, for that matter. Please, just let the Clintons go away already! They've done more than enough damage. That means Chelsea, too! To hell with the lot of them!

Hillary Clinton leaves door open for 2020 run: 'I'd like to be president' Emily Birnbaum, October 29, 2018:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hillary-clinton-leaves-door-open-for-2020-run-id-like-to-be-president/ar-BBP2Ad3?ocid=sf&fbclid=IwAR2Uf-QWdjvokrF01e3kwR2HYiQbnFCXbDtlwrUwmdEaexN4AhyX7UULlj0

Following an unbelievable week of violence, many critics of Trump are asking that he tone it down a bit.

Trump, however, thrives on dividing the country, and on talking out of both sides of his mouth. When he was first elected to the White House, he proclaimed that he would be the President for all Americans.

Remember?

But he clearly is not only a polarizing figure, but thrives on this division. He grows stronger with his base only by trying to foment division and rage and hatred, not by trying to unite the country. 

So, even though this following story seems to be a fairly reasonable suggestion, given all that is happening, it would be naive to actually believe that Trump will do the responsible thing here. After all, when has he ever done the responsible thing in the past?

Trump rips the media as critics call for him to 'tone it down' by Adam Edelman, Oct. 29, 2018:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-rips-media-critics-call-him-tone-it-down-n925541?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma

One of the main criticisms that Trump received in the aftermath of the Pittsburgh tragedy is that he held one of his rallies and, not surprisingly, could not prevent himself from fomenting more hatred among his supporters. That is part of the reason why so many in Pittsburgh do not want to see Trump visit their city.

To that end, several Jewish leaders in Pittsburgh have tried to make clear that they view Trump as the problem, rather than the solution, to the rise in hate and hate crimes in this country. So, they made clear that Trump is not welcome in their city in the aftermath of the recent shootings. Thousands of people signed the letter.

Trump says he will visit Pittsburgh anyway.

Thousands signed a letter saying Trump was not welcome in Pittsburgh. He plans to visit anyway. By Allyson Chiu and Amy B Wang, October 29, 2018:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/29/he-is-not-welcome-here-thousands-support-pittsburgh-jewish-leaders-calling-trump-denounce-white-nationalism/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8995c62eea71

The Trump tax scam at work. The rich get richer, and this is used to justify more severe budget cuts. McConnell has now outright said what everyone hesitated to say before, that hes coming after Social Security. Remember when Trump said he'd protect Social Security? Yeah, well, he lied, like e always lies. What a scam! If you still support him, it's time to take the hell up!


Federal Deficit Jumps 17 Percent As Tax Cuts Eat Into Government Revenue by Scott Horsley,  October 16, 2018:

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/657790901/federal-deficit-jumps-17-percent-as-tax-cuts-eat-into-government-revenue?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2241OnpKln9syuXVwHFZutO2ubTFbplqOu2JGWRCl0qw_VDtgYal9rO9s

One of the most stunning aspects of the paradoxes allowing for the rise of hatred and Trump is the staunch support that he receives from those who would identify themselves as good Christians.

Indeed, what helped carry Trump to the Republican nomination, and eventually the White House, was the solid, unwavering support of the evangelical Christian community. This, despite the fact that Trump has displayed - proudly displayed - his tendency towards outright immorality, even as these allegedly devout Christians would define it. He clearly lusts after women, he has staggering levels of wrath, he covets others, whether it's wealth or it's women, he is filled with envy, he laughs and readily admits to his own mythical levels of greed (he even uses that exact word). Indeed, he embodies exactly the opposite of what any major religion teaches it's followers to try to be. 

Yet, they gave him their unconditional support, and have given him since their unwavering loyalty.

It is truly a sad state of affairs, and at a time of stunning paradoxes in this country, perhaps the fact that the most immoral American that most of us can think of has been elected to be the name, the face, and the voice of the country by those who would proudly proclaim themselves to be the most upright and moral of American citizens.

Personally, it reminds me of that famous Shakespeare line: 

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."

Here are a couple of articles that explore why some devout Christians seem to support President Trump so strongly.

Why Evangelicals Support President Trump, Despite His Immorality by JONATHAN WILSON-HARTGROVE February 16, 2018:

http://time.com/5161349/president-trump-white-evangelical-support-slaveholders/?fbclid=IwAR3iNgoXMpYetHAOSr4hfk-EjEPLtvf64EXmwGAYd_c6PlrxQy8_Yc3sRjM

TRUMP WILL START THE END OF THE WORLD, CLAIM EVANGELICALS WHO SUPPORT HIM BY CRISTINA MAZA ON 1/12/18:

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-will-bring-about-end-worldevangelicals-end-times-779643?fbclid=IwAR2iamoNtl8hfBJM--Bvznq7IoifGobL-QXIOLBTCVaUb83loKVJPRfhFOk

And just in case you perhaps forgot just how bad the man that these so-called good, devout, born again Christians are supporting, please remember some of these stories:



Trump inherited a tremendous amount of wealth, sure. But he "built" the rest of it by scamming people out of their money:



Trump Persuaded Struggling People to Invest in Scams, Lawsuit Says By Maggie Haberman and Benjamin Weiser Oct. 29, 2018:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/nyregion/trump-acn-lawsuit.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR2lBsEN1H2cYMmsaAgFeFjdHS5GqsORWZht2yQr8vvV_OXSKtFwkSG_Jk8


DONALD TRUMP AND FAMILY RECEIVED MILLIONS IN SECRET PAYMENTS TO PERSUADE POOR PEOPLE TO INVEST IN SCAMS, LAWSUIT ALLEGES BY JASON LE MIERE ON 10/29/18:

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lawsuit-payments-scams-secret-1192161?fbclid=IwAR2CLvYnXE0bcs7gTJON-A2Mkawkuw9ytp7s58L0TekQVTjq615emaWGmL8

And Trump received very enthusiastic support from so-called "white nationalists" and other white supremacist groups:



Hail Trump: White nationalists mark Trump win with Nazi salute by BBC News, November 22, 2016:


https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-38057104/hail-trump-white-nationalists-mark-trump-win-with-nazi-salute?SThisFB&fbclid=IwAR0g5Lkt2t_92gr81n8tD_aZIBPZuOONG0J0U1quQqsRWepamXtoPuagAm8