Sukkot Celebration & Festivities

The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Sukkot or Feast of Booths) is a celebration - Christian festival (the Season of our Joy) about the establishment of the 1000 year messianic kingdom to be set up at the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah (Christ). It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals God gave the children of Israel in the Bible (Leviticus 23). It was during these festivals that the Israelites would bring their offerings and firstlings to the Temple in Jerusalem and enjoy a feast!

Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles ) is not a "Jewish festival", but rather a "Hebrew" festival, for it was given to all the Israelite tribes, not just Judah. Today, it would be observed by all of God's people since ". . . if ye be Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal 3:29).

To learn more about Sukkot like it's origins, laws and prayers, please check out the following website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot

Brightest blessings to all.
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The Jewish Feast of the Tabernacle, Sukkot, begins at sundown on Sept. 30, 2012, and ends at nightfall on Oct. 7. The Festival of Booths, as Sukkot is also known, is observed from the 15th to the 21st of the Tishrei in the Jewish year of 5773.

For the eight days and seven nights of Sukkot, Jews traditionally eat and sleep in a sukkah, a temporary dwelling with a thatched roof, from which the holiday gets its name. Two other components of the holiday are inviting guests, or ushpizin, and waving the four species, known as the lulav and etrog.

Sukkot is one of three biblically mandated holidays for which the ancient tribes made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The holiday is based on the verse: "Every resident among the Israelites shall live in booths, in order that your [ensuing] generations should know that I had the children of Israel live in booths when I took them out of the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 23:42-43). The sukkah is a physical remembrance of the "clouds of glory" that surrounded and protected the Israelites as they wandered the desert after escaping from Egypt.

The commandment regarding the "four species" -- the lulav (palm, willow and myrtle) and etrog (citron) -- also comes from chapter 23 of Leviticus: "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot], the fruit of the hadar tree [myrtle], date palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for a seven day period" (23:40). The lulav and etrog are held together and, after reciting a blessing, waved in six directions -- forward, backward, left, right, up and down -- in acknowledgment of God's dominion over all creation.

Another important aspect of Sukkot is welcoming of guests (ushpizin in Aramaic) into the sukkah. While people actually invite friends, family and strangers into their hand-built temporary homes, on each night of Sukkot a different ancestral guest, leading the entire group of "holy shepherds," is said to enter the sukkah, and Jewish teachings are invoked in their names. The ushpizin -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David -- embody seven different spiritual paths that, together, bring humanity and all of creation to a more perfected state: Abraham is lovingkindness, Isaac is strength, Jacob represents harmony, Moses is eternality through Torah, Aaron is divine splendor, Joseph is spiritual foundation and David embodies sovereignty.

Do you believe in dreams? If not.....why?

I have touched on this subject a few times in the past. Do people dream? Do they remember dreaming? Why do some people think that they don’t dream? Why do some believe that dreams are just fluff? Can we really learn from our dreams?


Actually, dreams are really important. It can tell you how to deal with and all about a problem you will face and how to overcome that problem. But only if you listen and pay attention. These are the ways in which your own higher guidance or ‘spirit’ communicates with you through the dream realm. Some people believe that you are communicating with God, himself, through the messages of dreams or His angels, which are also considered your angels. God also has many names, Buddha, Allah, Great Spirit in the sky, etc. No matter who you believe in and what you call Him, remember we are all in His hands and he does communicate with us.

In my other articles, I have touched on the different parts of dreaming. Just in case, I’ll explain it again, there is the beginning, which can give you the time, place and people involved. There is the presentation, which is basically the appearance of the dreams problem coming to light. Then, there is the climax. This is where the transformation has taken place and the situation or catastrophe is unveiled. And, finally, there is the conclusion or the closing phase of the dream. Are you starting to understand what I’m talking about?

I do have some customers who do believe in power of dreams and the interpretation of them. For some, they wake up and jot it down. For others, in order for them to get the full benefit, they find it helpful to keep a dream journal. Either way, it all works out. However, the longer we wait to write down our dreams, the more apt we are to omit details or just forget about them altogether. Even if you just write down a few key details, it helps to trigger the memory at a later time when you are writing or typing them out to have interpreted. I keep a journal for dreams so I can refer back to it and if I don’t understand the lesson, I will at a later time when I am presented with the situation. This way, I am able to keep using the lesson and knowledge throughout my lifetime. Another way to look at the dream journal is that by keeping one, we are sending a message to God that we hear Him and that we take what He says seriously. Many people actively ask God to speak to them through dreams. For those of you who do not believe in the power of dreams, then the information may not generally be volunteered to you. It may or it may not - it all depends on you and your open mindedness to it. It’s there for the taking, but if you do not heed it, then it may disappear until you ask for it.

The details of a dream are important, no matter how minute and small you think it is because it would not be put in the dream if it wasn’t significant in one form or another. If we don’t pay attention to these small details, we’ll miss the valuable information and messages to be received. Dreams are like a puzzle and the pieces need to be put together in order to solve the mind mystery and understand and unlock the message that is meant for us. Dreams don't always mean what you think they do. Dream meanings are not the same as waking meanings. For example, if you die in a dream, it is not foretelling that you or someone will depart this earthly realm. Or if your teeth are falling out, it doesn't signify that you have a periodontal problem. The same holds true for dreaming that you are at an AA or NA meeting-it doesn't mean that you will suffer the effects of being addicted to drugs or alcohol. I have studied dream interpretation for over a decade and have much professional experience with the subject and giving guidance. I can’t stress the point enough that you should be careful and not assume that you know the interpretation of the dream through your own personal and natural way of thinking. By trying to do that, you run a risk of having a marred and unclear version of what God wants to speak to you about, especially if you end up taking the details of your dream literally, and using your natural and personal way of thinking to figure it out. Instead, you must consider trying to understand their symbolic nature. Because dreams are usually symbolic, what they look like on the surface is often not at all really what they are about or what the point trying to get across is.

Drawing the interpretation of our dreams solely from dream books is another mistake to be avoided. Dream books can be useful and do have an advantage, however, your dreams are highly personal, and meanings of details and purpose in them are often tailored fit to you specifically. Dream books list what certain items have meant commonly to many people, or may fall in a category but it does not necessarily follow that an object must mean this or that or even what the dream book says it represents.

If and when you are ready for some insight, please don’t hesitate to check me out. This is one of my unique gifts. I have much experience with this wisdom and guidance.

Remember, we are all in God's, Allah, Great Spirit, Buddha, God/dess hands. Brightest blessings!

(Article written by L.A. 3/08: reposted 9/12 - any duplication of article is prohibited without authors consent)

Tools of the witch.

In the past few weeks, many have wrote in to me asking questions about certain tools that are used by witches, High Priestess', etc. and the role these tools play when doing rituals and prayers. So, let me touch on a bit of that. Below you will find a list of items and hopefully this will anwser some of those questions.

Tools of the Craft - Bell

The bell can be used to represent male and female. The Outer shell of the bell would represent the female while the hammer/clapper represents the male. Bells can be used to mark the time, to purify the air of unwanted influences,  aid in the calling of spirits or help create an altered state of consciousness.

Bell Folklore

In Europe, the bell is used to announce a death and even as a means of protection.

In Italy, bells are often attached to livestock to help prevent them from getting the Evil Eye. They are also attached to household pets to protect them from baneful spirits. (Taken from Pagan Lore)

Don't have a bell, that's okay, a singing bowl can be used instead of a bell. This is a metal bowl that 'sings' when a wooden stick is drawn along the edge of the bowl. The sound and vibration is said to clear the air of any negativity before doing altar work or to draw spirits near when doing seance work.
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Tools of the Craft - Altar Pentacle

The pentagram has existed for thousands of years. For some people the word “pentagram” may associate with worshiping the devil, but the fact is that in the past, it was used as a protection sign from evil and was even used by the Catholic church. Today it is a Wiccan symbol of faith.

A pentagram is a five-pointed star. The pentagram is known as the endless knot because it’s possible to draw it with a continuous motion, without lifting your pencil or writing utensil.

A pentacle is a pentagram inside of a circle. It can be made of wood, stone, metal or clay. It is a very powerful protection symbol and Wiccans usually put it on an altar. Pentacles and pentagrams can take material form or be completely abstract-whatever your preference. If you should draw a pentagram in the air above a certain object, it will be just as protected as if you had put a material pentacle on it or next to it. Pentacles and pentagrams have always been associated with mystery, magic and protection from evil.

A little history: The pentagram became first associated with evil during the Inquisition in the form of Baphomet, a goat creature, which was considered a demon and a personification of the devil. It was believed that the pentagram represents the devil‘s goat head. If you should turn it upside down, that is the symbol that is used and most associated with devil worship.

The corners of a pentagram represent the Akasha (or Spirit Self) and the four elements, the substances which are responsible for all living things. Some pentagrams have colored corners, when each color is associated with a specific element (water – blue, fire – red, air – yellow, earth – green, spirit – white or purple). Some witches believe that the pentagram is a personification of the trinity of the Goddess (Maiden, Mother and Crone) and the dual-unity of the God (light and dark). Yet in some other traditions, the corners of the pentagram represent the four elements and the magical intention. Spirit is at the heart of the pentagram and is connected directly with each of the corners.

For more on the pentagram, see my other blog specifically about the pentagram by clicking here.
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Tools of the Craft - Boline

The boline is a white handled knife and usually has a curved blade, like that of a crescent moon. It is used for more practical uses than the athame. Examples of using the boline would be harvesting and cutting herbs, inscribing candles with symbols, sigils or even cutting ritual cords. Unlike the athame, the boline is used in the physical process of magical works (like ritual cutting as an example). The boline serves for the physical plane while the athame serves for work in the spiritual/astral plane.
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Tools of the Craft - Chalice

Ah, the chalice or otherwise known as the cup, is used on the altar to represent the Female principle of Water. Another chalice (or cauldron or bowl) is or can sometimes be placed in the West as well.

Chalices can be of any material. Many use silver or pewter. (WARNING-be careful with untreated metals especially when serving wine). Ceramic ones are now becoming quite popular and are very readily obtainable and available. Some Witches prefer to have many different kinds for using in the variety and many different types of rituals. Practitioners will tend to avoid real "lead" crystal because of the Saturn energy influence plus it's ill affects should you drink from it. So be sure to read and understand what your chalice is made up of and made out of by checking the label or box it comes in. And as with any tool used in ritual, always cleanse and bless it before using.

The chalice is sometimes passed around the circle in a coven so each participant may take a sip from the cup. This is a bonding experience and often the words "May you never thirst!" are passed throughout the circle with the chalice. Libations of wine or water are often then poured outside to honor the Old Ones and "sabbat" cakes are also offered back to the Source in a similar manner. This pays honor/homage and respect to the Source.

The chalice is symbolic of the womb of the Goddess and is associated with fertility. It is used for drinking and for the offering of libations to the gods. It is believed that to drink from the cup is to drink of life.

Something to think about.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.


Retreating to the farmyard, The mouse proclaimed this warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched,raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow and said,"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap. ....Alone....

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home she still had a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup. So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient, chicken.

But his wife's sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. But, alas, the farmer's wife did not get well...She died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them for the funeral luncheon.

And the mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and you think it doesn't concern you, remember --- When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY. OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON. One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a FRIEND. Blessed be and Amen!

The Pentagram Symbol

The Pentagram symbol (as I have stated before in other blog postings), is one that is near and dear to my heart. And surprisingly, many people do not understand it's true meaning. Some find it a sign of evil and others a very treasured and sacred symbol. To me, it is a very sacred and powerful symbol. The pentagram, throughout history, has long been believed to be a potent protection against evil, a symbol of conflict that shields the wearer and the home. The pentagram has five spiked wards and a womb shaped defensive, protective pentagon at the center. The pentagram (amulet/talisman) can be made of nearly anything - stone, metal, wood, or even a combination of them. Just choose something that appeals to you.

The Pentagram is a symbol of a star and at times, it's encased within a circle. Always with 5 points (one pointing upward), each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit/self. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contribute to life and are a part of each of us. (For example, your astrology sign can tell you what element you are closely related to). To wear a pentagram necklace or other form of jewelry, is to say you feel the connection with the elements and respect the earth.

A pentagram may be open, without a surrounding circle. This is the active form symbolizing an outgoing of oneself, prepared for conflict, aware, active. (One wearing an open pentagram must be physically aware of the danger of sharp points sticking in their skin from time to time). As a pagan religious symbol, the open pentagram represents an open, active approach.

A circle around a pentagram contains and protects. The circle symbolizes eternity and infinity, the cycles of life and nature. The circle touching all 5 points indicates that the spirit, earth, air, water and fire are all connected and is the passive form implying spiritual containment of the magic circle, in keeping with the traditional secrecy of witchcraft, and the personal, individual nature of the pagan religious path, of its non-proselytizing character.

Up until medieval times, the five points of the pentagram represented the five wounds of Christ on the Cross. It was a symbol of Christ the Saviour. Today, the pentagram is criticized by modern Fundamentalist Christians, as being a symbol of evil. The church eventually chose the cross as a more significant symbol for Christianity and the use of the pentagram as a Christian symbol gradually ceased.

The pentagram may be inverted with one point down. The implication is of spirit subservient to matter, of man subservient to his carnal desires. The inverted pentagram has come to be seen by many pagans as representing the dark side and it is abhorred as an evil symbol. Fundamental Christians, indeed, see any form of pentagram as such. However, these are recent developments and the inverted pentagram is the symbol of Gardnerian second degree initiation, representing the need of the witch to learn to face the darkness within so that it may not later rise up to take control. The center of a pentagram implies a sixth formative element - love/will which controls from within, ruling matter and spirit by Will and the controlled magickal direction of sexual energies. This is another lesson of initiation.

Now let's talk about the number five. The number five has always been regarded as mystical and magical, yet essentially 'human.' We have five fingers/toes on each limb extremity as well as five senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. We perceive five stages or initiations in our lives - eg. birth, adolescence, coitus, parenthood and death. The number five is associated with Mars, representing and signifying persuasiveness, spontaneity, daring/bold nature, action or a change in course. In Christianity, five were the wounds of Christ on the cross. There are five pillars of the Muslim faith and five daily times of prayer. Five also represented the virtues of the medieval knight - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety as symbolized in the pentagram device of Sir Gawain. The Wiccan Kiss is Fivefold - feet, knees, womb/abdomen, breasts/chest, lips/mouth. The number 5 is prime. The simplest star - the pentagram - requires five lines to draw and it is unicursal; it is a continuous loop.

So, as you can see, wearing the pentagram as a pendant is a great way to express your faith, but also to wear your protective talisman any where you go. I hope this helps to dispell the negative stories that the pentagram has so underserving received.

When Pentagram Night rolls around (February 26), it is a symbolic gesture to reaffirm your dedication to the craft of Wicca and The Old Ones. Most who celebrate this night, will do a dedication and make offerings-which is the norm.

Blessed Be/Brightest Blessings to all. In light and love.
(First posted by L.A. in 11/08).

Dog watches over his master - who is in the grave.

Talk about pulling and tugging on heartstrings....what a story. It's sad but honorable. People do not give animals the praise that they deserve. There is so much out there about how people hurt, abuse and abandon their pets that it just sickens me. I, personally, would starve to make sure that my furball babies are fed, warm and loved to pieces. Animals are very smart and deserve so much more credit for their existance as well as owning our hearts, forever love and being cherished. They do so much for us, like guard and protect us, love us unconditionally, are always happy to see and welcome us, give us exercise, laughs and tons of entertainment, they help to lower our blood pressure, they know when we don't feel well or are upset, can predict seizures and they can play a part as the culprit when our children do something mischievious as well as work with the police, military and help with the blind and disabled. Give these precious creatures credit where credit is most certainly due.

Now back to the article:

                                               Dog stands guard over deceased owner's grave

An extremely dedicated dog has continued to show its loyalty, keeping watch on its owner's grave six years after he passed away.

Capitan, a German shepherd, reportedly ran away from home after its owner, Miguel Guzman, died in 2006. A week later, the Guzman family found the dog sitting by his grave in central Argentina.

Miguel Guzman adopted Capitan in 2005 as a gift for his teenage son, Damian. And for the past six years, Capitan has continued to stand guard at Miguel's grave. The family says the dog rarely leaves the site.

"We searched for him, but he had vanished," widow Veronica Guzman told LaVoz.com. "We thought he must have got run over and died.' The following Sunday we went to the cemetery, and Damian recognized his pet. Capitan came up to us, barking and wailing as if he were crying." Adding to the unusual circumstances, Veronica says the family never brought Capitan to the cemetery before he was discovered there. "It is a mystery how he managed to find the place," she said.

Cemetery director Hector Baccega says he and his staff have begun feeding and taking care of Capitan. "He turned up here one day, all on his own, and started wandering all around the cemetery until he eventually found the tomb of his master," Baccega said. "During the day he sometimes has a walk around the cemetery, but always rushes back to the grave. And every day, at six o'clock sharp, he lies down on top of the grave, stays there all night."

But the Guzman family hasn't abandoned Capitan. Damian says the family has tried to bring Capitan home several times but that he always returns to the cemetery on his own. "I think he's going to be there until he dies, too. He's looking after my dad," he said.

To read the article from it's source online, click here: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dog-stands-guard-over-deceased-owner-grave-six-190556479.html

To my fellow tarot readers & mediums-be safe out there.

Many people have often asked me why I do not do face-to-face readings anymore. No, I have never been physically hurt or had a negitive situation in which I had stopped doing them. I find that with age, and because I know myself so well now, that I just prefer to do email readings. Even over the phone, I've had times where the customer's dog will bark, the kids come home or they are doing dishes and I can hear the water running and pots/pans clanging and all that will distract me. Plus, people have a way of hearing what they want and then they zone out everything else I am saying to them. So they end up missing important details that I'm trying to get across and I am bombarded with five other questions when I'm still stressing to get out the answers received for their original question. That is the reason why I so LOVE email readings. I can concentrate on the person's energy and question to receive the insight they need. Not all readers can work this way. Some love the phone readings. Some love face to face readings. I, personally, just do not care for  either anymore. Love and light to all. And now, back to the purpose of this blog:

To all my reader friends: This is so scary. Be careful out there. (This did not happen to me but it did to another Medium).


It is with great sadness that I write this post today. This afternoon I was asked to visit an elderly lady to give her a reading. I have not been doing house parties (under police advice-as they said it was not too safe these days) plus, due to recent issues as most of you are aware of.
However, I thought this was ok and felt I would be safe. Bottom line, the person was fake (fictitious) and the person at the house address knew nothing about it! When leaving the house, I was attacked by two men, who knocked me down to the ground and really hurt me...they where showering me with verbal abuse and were intent on causing great physical harm to me. They where not aware that Kev was in the car and he was just turning it around when he saw it....after a long pursuit they lost him as the area was unknown to us....Because of this, I will NOT be doing any house parties..I am sorry if this causes any issues for anyone, but right now I can not. Although I will recover, my fear may remain for a while....

Like I said, this did not happen to me personally but this is a status I've just read off another Mediums wall, so BE CAREFUL OUT THERE PEOPLE!!

In light and love,
~Luna

Tarot question special - running now!

Got questions? Need some guidance with a situation? Are you worried about something? Well, if so, here is your chance to have some of those questions answered and to find some peace.

I'm running a special on tarot questions....meaning that each question you have will be answered discreetly, confidentially and within a few hours time. Only $6.00 per question. But hurry, this is only a limited time special.

Interested? Use section for Tarot reading or 3 & 5 questions and fill in your questions. I will answer you promptly. Paypal is the only method of payment I will accept and you will be invoiced for payment. Click here to get your questions in now before the special expires.

                                                        Where does your path lead?



Blessed Balsamic Moon! A magickal time!

Happy & Blessed Balsamic Moon to all. (September 12-14) This is the Wishing Moon and a great time to put wishes out there in the air. It is also called and known as the Witches Moon - a time to bring to mind those who need healing. Feelings invoke healing - meaning the deeper we feel, the deeper we heal.... This 'Wishing Moon' with Venus trine Uranus is an opportunity to invoke true love, world peace and creative prosperity. The deeper we feel, the more Moon magic we invoke for the new lunar cycle. This Balsamic Moon is most powerful as it comes before the 7th New Moon of the zodiacal year (when the world is created anew). Shadows before the New Moon can be cleared through deep breathing with paying close attention to the light of the crown. This is the time to invoke the new creation.


~Love and light to all.

The Great Chestnut Tree's of Europe are dying!

How incredibly sad is this? My neighbor has a towering chestnut tree in her back yard. It is a gorgeous tree. When you see it combined with other tree's, it's just a stunning tree-standing tall and proud. The squirrels just love this tree and the treat so nourished and protected by the tree. The article below just breaks my heart.

GHENT, Belgium (AP) — Visit the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris and chestnut trees greet you as you wander among graves of luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. When Anne Frank was in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, the view of a monumental chestnut tree was one thing that cheered her up. In Cambridge, England, the two-century-old chestnut standing outside King's College chapel has become a beloved icon. In all those places — and over much of Europe — the horse chestnut tree is under threat.

Sometimes they crash across boulevards and smash cars, unable to bear the weight of their own foliage. At other times, city officials move in and cut them down before they collapse. In high summer, their leaves can become so rusty it feels like October. As autumn approaches, many stand naked while other trees still wear their crowns of green.

The culprits: a moth that produces leaf-eating larvae and a bacterium that makes trunks bleed and die. In a sense it is almost like a lethal cocktail," said Dr. Darren Evans of the University of Hull. "If it is under attack by moths, it is probably going to be more susceptible to this bleeding canker — which will kill it." A cure? Not immediately in sight. "It has spread throughout most of northern Europe," Evans said of the leaf miner moth in a telephone interview. "We still don't really know whether there is any effective way of controlling it." The same goes for the bacteria.

Without any clear reason, the moth became rampant and spread through much of Europe about a decade ago. In Britain, it first surfaced in Wimbledon in 2002 and soon spread across England and Wales. It has flourished across the continent. The moth lays eggs in leaves and the larvae start devouring them, causing foliage to turn color as soon as July. The rusting robs the tree of vital sunlight for key months and, weakened, some fall prey to other diseases such as fungi.

The moth was soon joined by a bacterium that came from the Himalayas and causes chestnut bark to bleed an oozing sticky liquid, sapping the tree and in many cases causing death. "The worst case scenario is that we lose most of our horse chestnut trees to this bleeding canker," Evans said. In Britain, which has up to 2 million chestnut trees, a 2007 survey showed that up to half could be infected with the disease. In countries like Belgium, France and the Netherlands, the alarm has also been raised.

There is historical precedent for the fears: At the turn of the 20th century, a fungus caused a mass extinction of the American chestnut tree in the eastern United States.

Europe's chestnuts came first from the Balkans and were introduced in western Europe about 500 years ago. It is a hallmark of cities rather than forests and, especially during the Victorian era, became a favorite for stately lanes, parks and squares.

In Ghent, Belgium, last month, a huge chestnut suddenly collapsed along the upper Scheldt river, smashing a car along a road usually busy with cycling students. As in many places, city councils have been increasingly checking the health of chestnuts and, if there's any doubt, cut them down as a safety precaution.

The chestnuts are all gone this summer from the city's Groentenmarkt medieval center, depriving weary tourists of reprieve from the sun.

The chestnuts, or marroniers, in Paris are also part of the attraction at Pere Lachaise. But last year, visitors could walk ankle deep through rusty leaves in the middle of July.

It's a problem all over Paris," said cemetery conservator Martine Lecuyer, although she said heavy rainfall made this year a little better.

In Amsterdam, officials are scrambling to try to save chestnuts within the famed canal belt. For Anne Frank's tree, help came too late. The 150-year-old tree, affected by the moth and fungi, weakened progressively and crashed to the ground two years ago.

If the darkest predictions prove true, many Britons will mourn chestnut trees as the passing of part of their youth: The game of "conkers," in which children take turns trying to smash chestnuts, was once a popular pastime on playgrounds across the country.

Just as bad for chestnuts is the way people deal with the problem: On Ghent's Groentenmarkt, the new trees are now linden, and the example is followed in many parts of Europe. "Many local authorities are then no longer planting horse chestnut trees because they fear — what is the point in planting something that is going to be susceptible to attack," Evans said. "Essentially, we could lose an entire new generation of horse chestnut trees."

To read the article on the web, click link below:
http://news.yahoo.com/great-chestnut-trees-europe-dying-080321320.html

Siberian Cranes being led in flight by Russia's Vladimir Putin

Putin leads young Siberian Cranes in flight


VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) — Vladimir Putin flew on a motorized hang glider to lead a flock of young Siberian white cranes in flight, a characteristic stunt for Russia's action-man, animal-loving president that was tarnished by reports that endangered chicks had died while scientists were setting up the trip.

Dressed in a white costume meant to imitate an adult crane, Putin was taking part in a project to teach the endangered birds who were raised in captivity to follow the aircraft on their southern migration to Central Asia.

Putin has charmed many Russians while disgusting others with his feats, starting from 2000 when he flew into Chechnya in the back seat of a fighter jet. Over the years, he has ridden a horse bare-chested through the mountains, driven a Formula One race car and taken the controls of a firefighting plane to dump water on wildfires.

The flight in the hang glider proved to be a test of Putin's leadership skills. Only one crane followed Putin on his first flight, which he attributed to high winds that caused the hang glider to travel faster than usual, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. On the second flight, five birds followed Putin, but after a few circles only two had stuck with him for the full 15-minute flight.

Putin stopped off at the Kushavet ornithological research station on the Yamal Peninsula in the Russian Arctic on Wednesday en route to an international summit in Vladivostok, on Russia's Pacific coast. Once at the station, he paired up with a pilot, who sat behind him on the hang glider as they took the birds for a spin.

It was a scene reminiscent of the 1996 movie "Fly Away Home," in which an estranged father and daughter use an ultralight plane to help a flock of geese migrate. The movie was based on a real-life Canadian, who spent a decade teaching orphaned geese how to fly south.

Putin's moment dimmed, however, when a biology student at the station claimed online that two chick cranes died and several others were hurt in the hurry to be ready for Putin's arrival.

"One of the chicks got into a hang glider's propeller while training and waiting for" Putin, Mariya Goncharova wrote on her page on the Russian social netwroking website, vk.ru. "One more broke a beak and stripped its claws off on bad netting, and many simply flayed themselves" while being transported in boxes to the flight venue.

Goncharova deleted the post several hours after posting it, but it remained available on Russian search engines.

A researcher confirmed the death of a three-month-old chick before it was transported to the research station.

"An autopsy will give us the exact cause of death," Tatyana Kashentseva told The Associated Press. She said other birds arrived safely, although it was not clear how many there were.

Russian biologists say there are less than 20 Western Siberian white cranes left in the wild worldwide.

Putin's flight, given many minutes of airtime on Russian television, provoked an array of contemptuous jokes on the Internet, one of the most popular being "So Putin is off to wintering with cranes. Does this mean he's not going to be back before spring?"

Some of Putin's adventures have purported scientific connections, such as when he fired a crossbow at a gray whale while being tossed around in choppy seas to collect tissue samples.

He also once shot a Siberian tigress with a tranquilizer gun so he could place a tracking collar around her neck. He patted the sleeping tiger's cheek affectionately as if she were a pet. A Russian environmentalist claimed later that the tigress died because Putin's security insisted on increasing the dose of the tranquilizer.

After leading the cranes, Putin said he didn't know what he would do next with animals. "That's for the specialists to decide," he said. "It shouldn't be just for fun, but should have some use."

Last year, Putin was caught short when one of his scientific events was revealed to be a set-up. He was shown scuba diving and bringing up fragments of ancient Greek amphorae, but his spokesman Dmitry Peskov later admitted the artifacts had been planted on the sea floor for Putin to grab.

The stunts irritate Putin's opponents, who regard them not as benign political entertainment but as part of an establishment of a cult of personality lionizing an authoritarian leader.

Marat Guelman, one of Russia's most well-known art gallery operators, wrote in a blog on the Ekho Moskvy radio station website that the flight shows Putin "has lost faith in us. He sees our treachery, greed, cowardice and cruelty. There's nothing to love in us anymore. Dolphins, cranes, horses — that's a different thing."

Masha Gessen, author of a book critical of Putin, left her post as editor of the travel and science magazine Vokrug Sveta (Around the World) this week, saying she was fired for refusing to send a reporter to the Yamal Peninsula, 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, to cover Putin's flight with the cranes.

A statement from the magazine Tuesday said Gessen left by agreement with management because of "differences" on the separation of editorial and publishing powers.

Vokrug Sveta works closely with the Russian Geographical Society, whose board of trustees is chaired by Putin.

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Interactive gravestones link to online tales of life

Imagine visiting a cemetary and seeing QR codes on the gravestone/tombstone? In an instant, you can read some snippets of this person's character, life work or just view a tidbit of what they were like and who they were. Crazy thinking? Not really. 'Keeping the memory alive' is going to have a whole new meaning to it now. Check out the following article below because it's happening:

LONDON (Reuters) - Summing up the life of a dearly departed relative with just a terse description etched in stone may become a thing of the past with the introduction of interactive codes on gravestones. One funeral company in the southern English town of Poole is offering to add quick response (QR) codes to headstones which will link smartphones to online memorials illustrated with pictures, videos and contributions from family and friends.

Chester Pearce funeral directors said QR barcodes enable visitors to learn a lot more about the person buried beneath gravestones than the age, dates of birth and death and the odd biblical passage or literary quote usually written on them. "It's about keeping people's memories alive in different ways," managing director Stephen Nimmo told Reuters. "When you lose somebody, whether it be suddenly or ongoing, you can really struggle with things. Talking about them is very important, keeping their memory going is very important and this is just an add-on to that."

QR codes, a barcode that can be scanned with smartphones or QR scanners, allow users to pull up information on the internet and are frequently used in advertising and marketing campaigns. "It's a new technology, it's something that there will be people who like it, there will be people who don't and that's the same in everything that we do," Nimmo said. He said he has seen demand growing for QR codes as they catch the imagination of the public.

Chester Pearce charge about 300 pounds ($477) to create a code that can also be placed on gravestones, benches, trees or plaques and is linked to a page on their QR Memories website.

Gill Tuttiet, 53, was one of the first customers in Poole to use the technology for her late husband Timothy.
"Tim was quite outward-going and game for anything. I think this is the way forward and Tim would have wanted that, and it's making a process that's hard possibly easier," Tuttiet said.

The website linked to the code shows a profile of the departed, pictures, videos and tributes from family and friends. Close friends and family given a password are also able to add personal messages of their own. "We've all got a story to tell," Nimmo said.

To read the article on the web, click the link below: http://news.yahoo.com/interactive-gravestones-online-tales-life-133458195.html