Eden Alley: a Taste of Heaven
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UNIVERSITY THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS OF UMKC Vol. 78, Issue 10 Oct. 25, 2010 2 Haunting history of Halloween 12 Quick and easy costume ideas 21 Four-day workout from a certified trainer Photo by Kevin Bryce 2 NEWS Vol. 78, Issue 10 Oct. 25, 2010 NEWS 3 Halloween through You history Who is “creepin’” on you? Bailey Wilson Staff Writer Candy, Jack-o-lanterns, costumes and pumpkin flavors are symbols of Halloween. Mark Linville News Editor for those who mindlessly posted information on facebook. But some trick-or-treaters don’t know Halloween has an ancient Facebook and Twitter sometimes aid stalking. People who post their and meaningful history that doesn’t include candy or zombies. On Tuesday, Residential Life staff members hosted an online social class schedule and current whereabouts can allow others to stalk them, Halloween’s roots stretch further than a modern American network safety session called “Creepbook.” or worse. holiday. Students went to the Oak Place Apartments Community Room to talk Mabis and Lamkins explained a new mobile application for Facebook According to www.magick7.com, Halloween traditions began about their Facebook experiences and learn new techniques on how to called “Check-in,” a default application that automatically broadcasts a roughly 2,000 years ago as a Celtic celebration called Samhain stay safe while networking online. users information. (pronounced sow-in). Apartment Living Assistants (ALA) Colton Mabis and Brock Lamkins By simply including a place like Starbucks, for example, in your status, Samhain was an important Pagan holiday. along with Renee Schloss, a Social Justice Coordinator (SJC), facilitated “check-in” automatically adds a link to “Starbucks” and then sends a The Celts lived in ancient Ireland, Britain and parts of Northern the event. special update to all of your friends’ mini-feeds. France. Samhain marked both the end of summer and the The SJC is similar to a residential assistant (RA) but focuses more on Students can face many consequences from using Facebook, Twitter beginning of the Celtic new year. LGBT, women and gender-related issues that students may face. and MySpace irresponsibly. The SJC lives among the residence so they may have that person to talk “These consequences could be anything from [falling victim to] theft, The Celts believed that on Oct. 31, the eve of the new year, the Much of Halloween’s history has focused on the Macabre Photo courtesy Google Image boundary between the world of the living and the world of the to on a 24-hour basis. to stalking, to robbery,” Schloss said.“We want to ensure that our residents dead became blurred, allowing spirits to revisit their former world. The event featured a couple of guests from the UMKC Women’s use these tools safely.” Historians suspect the church wanted to replace the pagan door for food and money, which later became “trick-or-treating.” Center. Director Brenda Bethman and Michelle Kronan, a victim service The check-in application has led to cases of stalking. On this night, Celtic priests, called Druids, made prophecies celebration with a more “holy” holiday. Over the decades, Halloween spread throughout the country, about the coming year. adjustment manager, attended the discussion portion and gave advice In 2009, Asia McGowan, 20, was killed at gunpoint at the Henry Ford The church later made Nov. 1 All Soul’s Day, in remembrance becoming a popular holiday in many cities and communities, and and information on campus services that assist students through all forms Community College in Detroit after a man stalked her on Facebook and Bonfires and sacrifices of crops and animals were made as of the dead. It was celebrated much like Samhain, with costumes, beloved by children. offerings to the Celtic deities, while the Celtic people danced and of traumatic events, including online stalking, which can lead to more harassed her though YouTube. dancing and parties. Today, Halloween is geared more toward young children and physical and dangerous encounters. More recently in August, two Wisconsin women were charged for sang in costume. Over time, All-Hallows Eve became Hallowmas, which we now their families. Family-friendly activities like trick-or-treating have Samhain was about honoring ancestors, the harvest and The students discussed a few key concerns they experienced while on stalking and eventually assaulting another woman over an ex-boyfriend. know today as Halloween. replaced superstitions and religious ceremonies of the past. Facebook. The women could face up to 12 years in prison. celebrating the new year. Centuries later, when Europeans immigrated to America, they Witchcraft, ghosts and pranks were traded for games, food Centuries later, the political world changed and the Celtic One of the biggest concerns was the availability of information on “It can happen anywhere,” Kronan said. “Be very conscience of who brought small bits of Halloween with them. and festive costumes. Though many no longer have a harvest to Facebook. you are allowing to see this information and what kind of information people found themselves ruled by the Roman Empire. They meshed these traditions with Native American traditions celebrate, they still rejoice in the changing of seasons and the hope Around the eighth century, the Roman Catholic Church made “Residential Life recognizes that social media is a powerful tool, but you are sharing.” to create festivities focused on the harvest, much like the Samhain of things to come. on the flip side, can get users into a lot of trouble if they are not cautious Avoiding online trouble was one of the main goals of “Creepbook.” Nov. 1 All Saints’ Day, to honor saints without making individual of the past. But if you want to celebrate Samhain the old-fashioned way, holidays. about what information they provide,” Schloss said. Teaching the students the safe way to network is key to preventing the Communities came together to dance, sing and tell ghost spread your Halloween festivities out over three days. The students asked what information should be on their profiles. violent crimes from happening again. This was nicknamed All-Hallow’s Day, making Samhuin All- stories. Costumes, pranks and mischief-making were popular. [email protected] Hallows Eve. Kronan explained to students how putting information such as a full Below are a couple upcoming Social Justice events similar to The Irish brought with them the tradition of going door-to- birthday can allow easier identity theft: Someone could obtain one’s “Creepbook” that are sponsored by Residential Life social security number using that information. Oct. 27 is the “Looking closer at Athletics” on the fifth floor lounge in “There is all this information that you’re sharing with folks that I think, the Oak Sreet Residence Hall room 5034 at 8 p.m. in retrospect, when you look at all the stuff you’re putting out there, you Oct. 28 is the annual Post Secret workshop, head to the Oak Sreet realize how vulnerable you can be,” Kronan said. Basement at 9 p.m. to make your own Post Secret. October-fest Kronan also mentioned incidents that led to more serious consequences [email protected] Kristen McMillen Staff Writer to dress in the colors of the national flag (green and white) on this day,” Olowu said. “The whole nation is celebrating with visits from house to house, a normal occurrence within a neighborhood. Halloween may consist of Jack o’ lanterns, trick-or treating or Halloween parties for students in the There would normally be a lot of cooking [and] eating in most homes, with dancing and loud music United States, but around the world Halloween has different traditions. blaring from a lot of [houses] as well.” Americans may be surprised to learn much of the world is not aware of the Halloween holiday. While Halloween is not celebrated in Cameroon, another traditional festival takes place, student UMKC student Sashi Saripalle said although Halloween is celebrated in India, most people are Innocent Nsoh-Awasom said. unaware of what the holiday actually is. “In Cameroon, people don't celebrate Halloween because they don't know about it, but every “India is a very diverse country, and yes, Halloween is celebrated,” Saripalle said, “unlike in many community and every society once in a while has a social gathering where they celebrate and other countries, Halloween is not known to many people.” socialize in one way or the other,” Nsoh-Awason said. “Cameroon is not an exception. Cameroon Much more common to the people of India is a festival called Dussehra. is very diverse in culture with approximately 200 different ethnic groups with similar but “Dussehra is a popular festival celebrated by Hindus all over India, albeit with different cultures and beliefs.” Halloween safety tips know it is illegal, and potentially leads to more serious consequences than different names. It is believed that it was on this day that Lord Rama killed the A dance celebration even takes place in the northwestern part of Cameroon. Tips to stay safe ‘Tis the time of year when many people celebrate All Hallow’s Eve, and needing a way home. demon-king, Ravana, and rescued his abducted wife, Sita. In other words, it In Mankon, Bamenda (North West Province) specifically, there is a there are plenty of attractions to see. Kansas City has dozens of events Meeting people is what makes partying fun, but it is important to be signifies the triumph of good over evil,” Saripalle said. celebration similar to Halloween called Abine Forghe (the Fon's Dance). Mark Linville News Editor to celebrate the popular holiday. Even though it’s all fun and games, it is cautious of strangers, especially on Halloween. Do not leave with them Dussehra is also celebrated during the month of October.