Things to be Frightened of This Halloween

Today is Halloween. Every year countless Americans pay good money to have actors dressed in costumes jump out at them at "haunted" houses. While some people are genuinely frightened by these Halloween attractions, others know all they are is actors and that there are many real things to be frightened.

The following is a list of real things to be frightened of today and every day.

1. AIDS
2. Cancer
3. Amputation
4. Paraplegia/quadriplegia
5. Neurological disorders
6. Degenerative eye diseases
7. War
8. Famine
9. America's failing education system
10. Loosing your home and becoming homeless
11. Rape
12. Murder
13. Disenfranchisement
14. Kidnapping
15. Global warming/climate change
16. Nuclear weapons
17. Pandemic
18. Volcanic explosion which results in climate change
19. Drunk drivers
20. Degradation of the global economy

Happy Halloween!

Who Inspires You?

Who inspires you? The blog "Got Fat? Get Motivated!" posed this very question Oct. 27.

The author of the blog, Determined Diva, asked this question of a couple of women and then went on to answer the question herself. She said, "You must visit the following links, they are from very powerful and inspirational women who I have worked with. ... They are must CLICKS!"

One of Determined Diva's picks is P.O.V.

Thank you very much, Determined Diva, for enjoying and being inspired by P.O.V.

You can read the whole post here.

Using Gods to Advertise

It's incredibly surprising that Verizon Wireless's latest commercial has not caused a controversy or even so much as a complaint. The commercial features a multiarmed woman in lotus position surrounded by clouds and serenity. The woman is very reminiscent of the Hindu goddess Kali and the god Ganesh, both of whom have multiple arms.

The similarity is so striking that even if you are unaware of the names of the Hindu gods you can see the resemblance. The actress is also dressed in Indian dress.

Every time I see this commercial, I wonder how someone of the Hindu faith must feel to see their deity mocked in this way. What were the advertising people at Verizon thinking? Is it alright to use a deity in ads so long as the deity is not worshiped by the majority of country's residents? You can be assured that Jesus or the Judo-Christian-Islamic god would never be used to pitch products because the company would receive such a negative reaction it would impact sales.

There already is a commercial where the ancient Greek gods sell cars. So what's next? Will Buddha be used to advertise cookies? Kokopelli to sell furniture? Confucius to sell books?

10/25 Poll of the Week: Do You Believe in Ghosts?

This week's Tuesday poll question is do you believe in ghosts and the paranormal?

The results of last week's poll are below.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question: Do you celebrate Halloween?

Results: Yes, we celebrate now 80%, Yes, we celebrated when I was a kid 0%, No, for religious reasons 0%, No, other reasons 20%

Film Claims to Know the Real Shakespeare

This Friday, a film will show us the true William Shakespeare, or that least that is the intention of director Roland Emmerich. The film is called Anonymous.

The true Shakespeare, according to the film, is an alcoholic, barely educated actor who takes credit for plays written by the Earl of Oxford who had written his plays anonymously.

Anyone who is familiar with literature knows this isn't the first time the authorship of Shakespeare's plays has been called into question. After all, the man who is considered to be the greatest literary genius in the English language did not have a prestigious education or birthright and he got a woman pregnant out of wedlock. There are also numerous gaps in the historical record so scholars do not know when he moved to London or when he began writing.

Still, those who do question whether he is the author of the Shakespearian plays attribute the works to other playwrights never to a member of the royal family. We may never know for fact whether Shakespeare did indeed write all the plays he is attributed with writing, but most scholars believe that he did. It is a minority who does not.

Do you believe Shakespeare is a great playwright or was Shakespeare a rich man's pen name?

Source: Anonymous - review

Guess the Actress Who is Suing Amazon

Does age really matter? One actress thinks so. She's suing Amazon over the movie database IMDb because the site revealed her real age.

The actress says she signed up for the industry version of IMDb in 2008. Not long after, her real age and birthday appeared on the site. She claims the site refused to take her birthday off.

She suing for $75,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit claims revealing her age has made it more difficult to get jobs.

Who is the actress? She's not named in the lawsuit. All we know is she is of Asian descent with an American name, lives in Texas and is close to 40 years old.

Who do you think the mystery actress is?

Source: Actress sues Amazon for revealing her age on IMDb.

A Haunting in the Northeast

The following post was written by a guest blogger. It's views do not necessarily reflect the views of P.O.V.

A Haunting in the Northeast by Dana Alexander

A true account of a real haunting

Superstitious, coincidence, or real?  I grew up in a house that was haunted by an unfriendly ghost or as some would refer to as a lost "soul".  Luckily, I never heard the "voices or whispers" my mom and sister did.  I, however, sensed the presence of the unwelcomed being on more than one occasion.  It sends chills through my body just reminiscing and goose bumps when I tell others, of the haunted house I grew up in.        

There were just too many occurrences to brush-off the unusual noises as superstitious or just imagined.  It all started when my sister and I were small children.  Her toys would disappear and then reappear to different areas of the house or move on their own in front of our eyes.  As children, we were unsure of what to think.  As we grew older, we would have friends over, and everyone would hear noises coming from upstairs.  We heard scratching as if someone's belt buckle was being dragged against the wall or door. 

Then there was "sleep paralysis" that I would experience quite often.   I would feel as if someone was sitting on my chest and I was unable to move, talk, whisper, or scream.  This would happen only when I slept in the haunted house of the Northeast and has never happened since I moved out of that house.  Coincidence? No. Perception? No. Paranormal? Yes.   

My sister is able to explain, in full detail, outer body experiences (OBE), also known as "astral projection" that she would experience.  She saw herself from above sleeping peacefully and at times her body levitating. 

The "ghost" or "presence" stayed in her room mostly. She would often hear a male voice coming from the corner, whispering foul language into her ear. One evening, she put her hand out to push the voice away and felt a scruffy face.  One night, I decided to sleep in her room and in the middle of the night, my friend saw an apparition of a male standing over me, watching me sleep. 

When we were old enough to begin questioning, during our mid to late teens, we found out that the previous owner’s son and husband both committed suicide.  The question was, did they commit suicide in the house? Regardless of the answer, there were definitely spirits trapped in the haunted house of the Northeast.  

Dana Alexander lives in Maine where he teaches literature.  Inspired by his childhood experience, he is actively involved in the local paranormal/ghost hunting group.

Caring Corporations or Exploited Charities?

October is breast cancer awareness month, which means you have no doubt been bombarded with fundraising and awareness messages. My first blog post of the month was a plea to sponsor my friend in her American Cancer Society walk. But every October I come away feeling this cause has been exploited for the sake of making money.

First, let me be clear on one thing; this post is not criticizing charities nor is it meant to diminish the fact that cancer is a life-altering event. To the contrary, I believe it is even more emotionally devastating and more deadly than we are lead to believe. Instead, this post is meant to criticize television networks and large corporations that use breast awareness and research as a way to make a buck.

Consider Lifetime network, which aired its cancer movie, Five, twice in one week. The movie was promoted for weeks. Not only does the film have a vague title but the clips and the song used in the commercials made it seem like a love story, Lifetime's number one movie genre. No doubt this was purposeful to get viewers who otherwise would not have tuned in.

How many times have you gone into a store and saw pink ribbon items for sale? Hardly any of them specify on the label that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity, and those that do, do not specify the amount.

Then you have large corporations that say in marketing campaigns that they will donate "up to" a certain dollar amount to breast cancer research. In order for this to happen, though, consumers need to purchase the corporation's products. In some cases, a donation is not made to charity until the customer mails in proof of purchase and often times the donation made is less than the cost of the stamp used on the envelope. If these corporations are so generous, why don't they automatically make a yearly donation instead of making people buy their products before the charities see a dime?

All of this is reminiscent of the charity du jour of the early 1990s -- AIDS awareness and research. There were television and theatrical movies, fund raisers and red ribbon products everywhere. World AIDS Day was organized. And then what happened? Better drugs were developed that lengthened people's lives, at least in the industrialized world where the drugs are available, and people became complacent about how serious the disease actually is and how easily it is still spread. It was no longer the popular cause and people stopped caring, but AIDS is still deadly and countless people are exposed to HIV every day. Why is it less worthy of our research dollars than it was 20 years ago?

Finding a cure -- whether it be breast cancer, AIDS or another disease -- should be an ongoing process until there actually is a cure, not until there are better drugs. It should not be a cause companies take advantage of and exploit for profits. It should not be a cause we care about only because it is the popular thing to do. We should care because people's lives are at stake. We should care for the betterment of humanity.

10/18 Poll of the Week: Do You Celebrate Halloween?

This week's Tuesday poll question is do you celebrate Halloween?

The results of last week's poll are below.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question: Do you believe same sex marriage should be legal?

Results:  Yes 50%, No 30%, Undecided 20%

Price of Pumpkins Rise for Halloween

Hurricane Irene has had an unintended side effect. Flooding from the hurricane flooding pumpkin patches and resulted in an increase in the price of pumpkins. Or at least that was what was reported in September. Now that it is the Halloween season, the media has been quiet about this. Have prices increased? Was it a regional increase? Was it a scare tactic?

Locally here, pumpkins are being sold in the grocery store's produce department for $2.99 each. I cannot remember what they were in previous years, but judging from how the selection is starting to thin out, it must not be a bad price.

So what is the price of pumpkins in your area? Are the prices higher or did the financial analyst make a faulty prediction?

Sister Wives Brought on Own Problems

A year ago, I wrote a post about Sister Wives, the TLC show following the lives of Kody Brown, a polygamist, and his four wives. In that post, I focused more on how Kody was focused on having more children and how I felt the show raised more questions about polygamy than it answered.

Well, here we are 12 months later, and the show is in its second season. This time around the entire Brown family left their Utah home in a panic because they are under investigation for polygamy and moved to Las Vegas where the children are unhappy, none of the adults have jobs and they are living off of their retirement fund. Their struggles make for interesting television. But here's the problem -- all of this could have been avoided.

Every episode the adults complain about their situation. They aren't all living in the same house. They don't have any income coming in. They're using up all their life's savings. They don't have a Mormon church in Las Vegas. The children are unhappy. The list goes on. But all these problems, up to and including the investigation, are of their own doing. They chose to go on national television and air their dirty laundry. In the whole scheme of things, polygamy is a minor crime, but it is still against the law.

Perhaps the Browns decided to do the show to educate people on their lifestyle, but they had to have known there would be a negative backlash, especially from the authorities and the narrow-minded. After all, this is a nation where some people don't even believe Mormons are Christians and where you aren't allowed to say or show certain things on television that wouldn't even make other nations bat an eyelash. If the Browns were hoping being on television would change the laws, they were being woefully optimistic.

Either way, it does make for good ratings.

Chill in the Air

The following post was written by a guest blogger. It's views do not necessarily reflect the views of P.O.V.

Chill in the Air by Dawn Pratt

The trees are turning shades of orange and red while the cool autumn breeze ruffles through them.  Fall is here, harvesting, gathering and telling tales of spooks.  There are no shortages of places to find a good scare or two here in Utah, everything from schools to hotels, hospitals you can find sprits.  You have many chances to come across a ghost.   At Kearns Middle School, shadows of a family will watch you from the stairs as they slowly walk away. Students have reported seeing a father, mother and three small children as the ghosts.

The Cyprus High School of Magna, Utah, has been reported as haunted.  Stage lights will randomly click on and off, and mysterious bats fly through the auditorium through assemblies.  Inspections have never found any bats or nests.  The school has burned down once and rebuilt twice since it was built in 1910.  

And if you want to go for a scenic drive, you could visit The Witch Tree in Mendon, where a lady was accused of witchcraft, tied to the tree and burned.  She was said to had cursed the land.  Still to this day, the tree stands alone, surrounded by a fence.  No sounds of animals, birds or trees; just silence.

The most notably haunted place of Utah is the Old Mill, Cottonwood Mill.  It was built in 1883 for the Deseret News. T he Mill made paper for Deseret News from the tree in the Canyon.  When the railroad was complete, it was no longer needed by Deseret News.  In 1892, it was sold to Granite Paper Mills Company.  On April 1, the building caught fire. Many believing that the fire was an April Fool's Joke, ignored the alarms.

It was later rebuilt and turned into a dance hall in 1927 and was a popular place till the 1940's.  According to one account, two squatters and their dog died in a fire at the Old Mill.  The ghosts of these are said to be heard growling, haunting the premises. Caretakers have been known to died violently only to in the interest of Old Mill further.

So if you are interested in seeing some ghosts, there is plenty places to visit.  Your local ghost hunter society can help you find these haunted places.

Dawn Pratt has been researching Genealogy for 30 years with her grandmother. She is a volunteer genealogist through Whispers from the Dust, Find A Grave, Names in Stone, and Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. She is married and a mother of four. She writes about combining genealogy and scrapbooking on her blog.

Gerrymandering Needs to End

Redistricting here in the U.S. is as old fashioned and out of date as the electoral college. On paper it sounds simple. The population of a state changes so the the congressional lines are redrawn to reflect the population change. Unfortunately in real life, redistricting is not as simple as that.

First, there are no set rules as to how districts should be redrawn. It varies from state to state.

Much worst, though, the process has led to gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the process in which districts are redrawn based on the political party in power. Gerrymandering has been around for two centuries, but today we live in a divided country and gerrymander succeeds in doing nothing more than further dividing us.

Take for example what is going on in Ohio. Thanks to a population decrease, the state is losing two of its 18 congressional districts. A Republican governor is in power. Districts which have Republican incumbents have been redrawn so that they will not face competition whereas Democratic incumbents will have to fight for their districts, sometimes against each other. If Republicans get their way, only four of the state's congressional seats will be held by Democrats.

This redistricting does not accurately reflect the state's population. In Ohio, residents of the populated areas of the state tend to vote more Democratic while residents of the rural parts of the state tend to vote more Republican. One look at the map below shows you that the districts with the small areas are those near populated areas such as Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus. The largest district runs for hundreds of miles along the rural, conservative boarder with West Virginia. What's more, residents of the state will have to live with the changes until the 2020 census.

Like the electoral college, which the Founding Fathers put in place because they didn't trust the public to make an informed decision, redistricting represents a bygone era. Unlike the electoral college, we cannot simply get rid of it. It must instead be updated and revised. The redistricting lines need to be drawn by a bi-partisan committee or even from an unbiased, private sector consultant company. For this truly to be a democratic society, the lines must accurately reflect the population of any given state, not the party in power.

10/11 Poll of the Week: Should Same Sex Marriage be Legal?

This week's Tuesday poll question is do you believe same sex marriage should be legal?

The results of last week's poll are below.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question: How has the recession affected you?  Check all that apply.

Results:  Someone in my household lost a job 33.3%, We lost our benefits 33.3%, Downsized or foreclosure  33.3%, Clipping coupons and watching the budget more carefully 66.7%, Our property value dropped 33.3%,  Other 2%

Dance Moms a Nightmare

Dance Moms, a Lifetime show which just had its season finale, is the perfect program to watch for Halloween. Why? Because having your child is this dance class would truly be a nightmare.

Now, I have to admit that I have only seen previews for the show and watched bits and pieces of the actual episodes, but what I saw was enough for me to feel compelled to write this blog.

Dance Moms follows Abby Lee Miller, her students and the students' mothers. According to Lifetime's website, Miller "is one of the most sought-after dance teachers in Pittsburgh" and is known for her "incredible dedication, discipline and passion". Hum, that's an interesting way of putting it. Miller does not come across as dedicated, disciplined and passionate. Instead she comes across as domineering, condescending and rude.

In every episode and every promo, Miller is shown yelling at her students, most of whom look barely old enough for middle school. She has also been shown insulting the girls' mothers. Miller tells Lifetime she is teaching her students "a realistic look at life, an understanding that everyone is replaceable and everything is possible! They should be able to stand taller, speak confidently and be comfortable in front of a mirror or on a stage."

She's teaching them that anyone is replaceable? Now that's a life's lesson that every child needs to learn. I could see if these girls were high school or college students and were about to embark on a dancing career, but these girls haven't even reach puberty. Do they even understand how the professional dance world works?

Why would anyone subject their child to such verbal abuse? In addition, it has been suggested that the girls are at the studio up to 12 hours a day. Why would a parent sacrifice their child's education and their time to be a child simply for dance? Realistically speaking, what are the odds of these girls becoming famous dancers? And even if they did happen to be in that small percentage that becomes a professional dancer, was it the girl's dream or her mother's?

Theresa Walsh Giarrusso, author of the blog Momania, wrote about Dance Moms last month and questioned if the show is realistic. You can read her take on the subject here. 

Source: About Abby Lee Miller

Perils of Socialization

Toddlers teach us a lot about socialization. Socialization is the process where a person learns the norms, values, behaviors and social skills for the society and social class in which the person lives. For years, scientists have been studying whether these traits are ingrained gender rolls or whether gender rolls are taught by society. I have to admit, after living for some time with a toddler, that I am leaning toward gender roles -- as well as many of our insecurities -- are the product of socialization.

Three things toddlers teach us about socialization.

1. We're taught to dislike our bodies. Toddlers have no qualms about running around naked. They don't ask themselves if they are too fat or too skinny. They don't care if their body parts are attractive to the opposite sex. All they know is it feels nice to be naked. End of story.

2. We're taught to not speak our minds. Toddlers tell you what they are thinking. If they don't like something, they tell you. If they don't want to do something, they tell you. They don't do things for the sake of being polite or because they feel obligated. How many times in your life have you shushed a child or told them they were talking too much? As an adult this turns into "I'm afraid to say what I really want because someone else won't like it."

3. We're taught what is feminine and masculine. While certain gender traits are genetic, it is clear others are taught. When children are given the choice between playing with "girls" toys and "boys" toys, they will play with both. They play with the toys which make them happy not the ones which are expected of them.

As parents and grandparents, teachers and child care workers, it is up to adults to teach children the skills they need to become productive adults. However, this does not give us the right to teach children to have insecurities, to stifle their voice and to tell them they need to behave a certain way or they are not "normal". Instead we should be teaching them to embrace their individuality, to not be afraid of their own feelings and to love themselves.

Building Your Child's Self-Esteem & Confidence

By Dana Arevalo,

P.O.V. Contributing Writer

Dedicated to my two angels ~ my two beautiful children. I love you.

Our children listen to every word we say, watch every action, and follow our lead.  What type of example do we set for them?  Building a child's self-esteem and confidence is an imperative parenting responsibility. 

The principal at my children's school reinforces in every school newsletter and at every school meeting “Parents are the child's first teacher”.  It is true.  If we tolerate disrespect, they will.  If we put up with bullying, they will.  If we have respect and self-worth, they will.  If we have self-confidence, they will.  If we  teach them how to say “NO” without feeling bad, they will.  Parents serve as role models for their child/children.  We will make mistakes along the way and depending upon how we react to the mistakes, will make a difference.   No matter what, always keep in mind children are always following our lead, so do your best to set a positive example.

Children are delicate beings and they need our support at all times.  They often react to situations without thinking things through because they have to be taught how to react in a positive manner.   

Some helpful hints on building your child's self-esteem and confidence: 

·         Evaluate your own self-esteem as a person.  Make changes as you see fit. 

·         Play with them often.  When a child asks you to play with them, they are seeking attention in a positive manner.  Play away even when you feel tired. 

·         Set them up for success. 

·         Teach them never to be afraid to speak up.  Communication is extremely important.  Teach them early on how to communicate in a positive manner, especially when something is bothering them. Don't let them hold their feelings inside. 

·         Give them their own responsibilities.  Praise them for doing a job well-done; they will feel important. 

·         Focus on their abilities and provide direction.  Let them know, wow, you really do this well, have you considered enrolling in (whatever their ability is).  

·         Always have a “You can DO IT!” attitude.  If they believe they can, they will. 

Recently, I sat and watched a child's Jiu Jitsu class, and the instructor communicated an important message to the children.  “When you walk, hold your head up high and be confident.”  You do not want to invoke fear upon someone, however, you want that person to know you have self-confidence; they will sense it.  Teach your children to walk with their head up high and love who they are! 

References:  Sears, M. & W. Drs.  (n.d.).  12 Ways to Help Build Your Child's Self-Confidence.  Link: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/child-rearing-and-development/12-ways-help-your-child-build-self-confidence.

Bio:  Dana Arevalo truly loves blogging, writing, reading, and learning new things. When she was in grade-school, she longed to become a writer. Professionally she holds a B.S. in Psychology and a MBA from UMUC.  She aspires to become an adjunct professor and write a novel.  Bullying is an issue close to her heart as she experienced it first-hand.  She lives in NJ and has school aged children whom she teaches to "always believe in themselves" and "never judge others".  Dana believes, "Blogging allows me to freely express my feelings in detail without judgment".        

First Impressions Can be Wrong, Very Wrong

What is the first impression that comes to mind when you see this person?

Was it, "poor guy, I'm glad I'm not him" or "that costume looks hot"? Turns out many passers by thought, "He's a KKK member." Daniel Aviles, the man in the costume, and the Ocala, FL, ice cream shop where he works, made national news last week when it was reported people thought he was wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit and it was frightening away patrons. The shops owners are from Puerto Rico and have never even heard of the KKK yet alone seen their costumes.

It's obvious the people who made this mistake weren't paying close attention or don't really know anything about what a KKK member really looks like. Real Ku Klux Klan members wear sheets that are completely white. The only part of their face which is visible are the eyes. When they protest, they don't do so by waving in a friendly manner to motorists. Aviles, on the other hand, is being friendly, his entire face is visible and the lower part of his costume is supposed to be a waffle cone. The biggest giveaway of all is the fact the ice cream part of the costume has sprinkles and Aviles was standing in front of an ice cream shop.

This case is a very bizarre example of how first impressions can be wrong. In this case, very wrong. We've all heard the saying "don't judge a book by its cover". In this case, perhaps, the saying should be "don't judge a robe by its color".

Source: Ice Cream Costume Mistaken for KKK Robe in Florida

10/4 Poll of the Week: How Has the Recession Affected You?

This week's Tuesday poll question is how has the recession affected you?

The results of last week's poll are below.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question: Have you ever been cyberbullied?

Results:  Yes 25%, No 50%, Unsure 25%