Poll: One-third believe in ghosts
WASHINGTON (AP) – It was bad enough when the TV and lights inexplicably flicked on at night, Misty Conrad says. When her daughter began talking to an unseen girl named Nicole and neighbors said children had been murdered in the house, it was time to move.
Put Conrad, a homemaker from Hampton, Va., firmly in the camp of the 34 percent of people who say they believe in ghosts, according to a pre-Halloween poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos. That’s the same proportion who believe in unidentified flying objects – exceeding the 19 percent who accept the existence of spells or witchcraft.
Forty-eight percent believe in extrasensory perception, or ESP. But nearly half of you knew we were about to tell you that, right?
Conrad, now 40, lived in Syracuse, Ind., when her family was scared from the house they rented.
“It kind of creeped you out,” she recalled this week. “I needed to get us out.”
To put the roughly one-third who believe in ghosts and UFOs in perspective, it’s about the same as, in recent AP-Ipsos polls, the 36 percent who said they are baseball fans; the 37 percent who said the U.S. made the right decision to invade Iraq; and the 31 percent who approve of the job President Bush is doing.
A smaller but still substantial 23 percent say they have actually seen a ghost or believe they have been in one’s presence, with the most likely candidates for such visits including single people, Catholics and those who never attend religious services. By 31 percent to 18 percent, more liberals than conservatives report seeing a specter.
Those who dismissed the existence of ghosts include Morris Swadener, 66, a Navy retiree from Kingston, Wash.
He says he shot one with his rifle when he was a child.
“I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a white ghost in my closet,” he said. “I discovered I’d put a hole in my brand new white shirt. My mother and father were not amused.”
Three in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room. For whatever it says about matrimony, singles are more likely than married people to say so.
Fourteen percent – mostly men and lower-income people – say they have seen a UFO. Among them is Danny Eskanos, 44, an attorney in Palm Harbor, Fla., who says as a Colorado teenager he watched a bright light dart across the sky, making abrupt stops and turns.
“I knew a little about airplanes and helicopters, and it was not that,” he said. “It’s one of those things that sticks in your mind.”
Spells and witchcraft are more readily believed by urban dwellers, minorities and lower-earning people. Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated and white – 51 percent of college graduates compared to 37 percent with a high school diploma or less, about the same proportion by which white believers outnumber minorities.
Overall, the 48 percent who accept ESP is less than the 66 percent who gave that answer to a similar 1996 Newsweek question.
One in five say they are at least somewhat superstitious, with young men, minorities, and the less educated more likely to go out of their way to seek luck. Twenty-six percent of urban residents – twice the rate of those from rural areas – said they are superstitious, while single men were more superstitious than unmarried women, 31 percent to 17 percent.
The most admitted-to superstition, by 17 percent, was finding a four-leaf clover. Thirteen percent dread walking under a ladder or the groom seeing his bride before their wedding, while slightly smaller numbers named black cats, breaking mirrors, opening umbrellas indoors, Friday the 13th or the number 13.
Generally, women were more superstitious than men about four-leaf clovers, breaking mirrors or grooms prematurely seeing brides. Democrats were more superstitious than Republicans over opening umbrellas indoors, while liberals were more superstitious than conservatives over four-leaf clovers, grooms seeing brides and umbrellas.
Then there’s Jack Van Geldern, a computer programmer from Riverside, Conn. Now 51, Van Geldern is among the five percent who say they have seen a monster in the closet – or in his case, a monster’s face he spotted on the wall of his room as a child.
“It was so terrifying I couldn’t move,” he said. “Needless to say I survived the event and never saw it again.”
The poll, conducted Oct. 16-18, involved telephone interviews with 1,013 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
4H Rodeo will feature 300 participants
Thursday, June 18, 2009
George Anderson
Rodeo events include Barrel Racing, Calf Riding, Team Roping, Pole Bending, Goat Tying, Calf Roping, Steer Riding, Team Penning, Chute Dogging, and Bull Riding.
Members of the Dunklin County 4H competing in the contest include Tripp Scales in Steer Riding, Break Away Roping, Poles, and Barrel; Dalton Jackson in Calf Riding, Barrels and Poles, and Goat Tying; Cheyenne Long in Break Away Roping, Poles, Barrels, and Goat Tying; Tatum Lowry in Goat Tying, Pole Bending, and Barrel Racing; Joe Mobley in Pole Bending and Barrel Racing; Max Mobley in Team Penning, Goat Tying, Barrel Racing, and Pole Bending; Rachel Leslie Pole Bending and Barrel Racing; Britlyn Pikey in Goat Tying, Pole Bending, and Barrel Racing; Pierce Watkins in Bull Riding; James Michael Goodwin in Bull Riding; Scott Jackson in Bull Riding; and Sam McHaney in Pole Bending and Barrel Racing.
According to Adult Volunteer Leader, Will Mobley, this is the fourth year Dunklin County has had a club, and this is the second year they have hosted a rodeo.
“The thing that is a little bit interesting is seeing the kids grow up and then grow in their horsemanship,” Mobley said.
“You see the kids growing up and learning about the horses. They start out with a plug and then they graduate to something better and then they get interested in being competitive and trying to win.
“The mothers in the program do most of the leadership,” Mobley continued. “They are pretty strict about the kids being good to their horses and being empathetic. The mothers also all work together. If one kid is doing something inappropriate, its like he has six moms out here.”
Mobley said that any child wishing to be involved with the program can sign up at any time, however, they will not be allowed to compete until the insurance enrollment, which is held in February of each year.
Admission to the event is $6 for adults and $4 for youth between the ages of seven and 12, children six and under may attend free of charge. Concession stands will be available throughout the event.
The SEMO 4H Rodeo is sponsored this year by the Kennett Area United Way and University of Missouri Extension.
14 Times the Luck!
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25 St. Patrick’s Day Quotes and Irish Sayings
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symbols of good luck
photo credit: me and the sysop
symbols of good luck
| Acorn: During the Norman Conquest, the English carried dried acorns to protect themselves from the brutalities of the day. Considered to be an emblem of luck, prosperity, youthfulness and power, the Acorn is a good luck symbol indeed! It also represents spiritual growth. Learn about oak tree symbolism here. |
| Caduceus:Used as a good luck symbol in Egypt, India and ancient Greece, this emblem was said to ward off sickness, quarrels, and bring peace to any situation. The wings represent those on on the feet of Mercury who was the messenger of all the Greek gods. The snake symbolism speaks of the balance between good and evil. See more info on the caduceus symbol here. |
| Shamrock and Clover: Specifically, the four-leaf clover is revered in Celtic myth for its emerald green hue and its vigorous growth. Each leaf symbolizes a different lucky characteristic: 1) Fame, 2) Wealth, 3) Love, 4) Health. If you wear a lucky clover, your sweetheart will come to you, if you possess one, no evil can harm you, and if you dream of one you will live happily for the rest of your days. Click here for more Celtic symbol meanings. |
| Hand: A symbol of spiritual power, strength, domination, and protection. The Hand of Fatima (Muhammad’s daughter) is worn as a good luck symbol in Islam – each finger representing an attribute 1) Faith, 2) Prayer, 3) Pilgrimage, 4) Charity, 5) Fasting. In ancient Europe a hand held up was believed to protect against the “evil eye.” Talk to the hand! See also hand symbolism. |
| Horseshoe: Another ancient emblem used to ward off the “evil eye.” Common legend is that the ends must be pointing up (keeping all the good luck in). There are theories that the magic of this symbol is in its shape – that of the horned moon. Then again, most are satisfied that the shoe protects the horse – must work for people too. See also horse symbolism. |
| Keys: Three keys worn together are said to unlock the doors of 1) wealth, 2) health, 3) love. The ancient Greeks used one key as a symbol for knowledge and life. A gold and silver key crossed is a papal emblem of authority and translates to mean the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.” We see this demonstrated in the Hierophant card of the Tarot. |
| Skull: Mostly understood as a symbol of warning, the skull was often used by ancient cultures to ward off any type of evil influence or illness. It’s philosophically viewed as the seat of intelligence, spirit and the spark of human life. Interestingly, the skull is also the remnant of the body that is the least resistant to decay – another sign of its strength as a symbol. Many primitive cultures believed wearing skulls would insure protection and well-being. Celtic skull meaning here. |
| Star: Legend claims this geometric symbol was designed by Pythagoras to represent perfection. It was also known as the Wizard’s Star in the Middle Ages and was worn as an embelm on clothing to represent the mysteries of the Universe. The Lucky Star is such because in ancient times it was believed good fortunes were determined by the Stars. |
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