laughing

if i played a song from the book of Mormon musical i'm pretty sure i'd be laughing at it since i know it's not 100% true.

LaSalle Heights disaster

The LaSalle Heights disaster occurred in the early morning of March 1, 1965 in the city of LaSalle, Quebec when a gas line explosion destroyed a number of low-cost housing units. In all, 28 people lost their lives, 39 were injured and 200 left homeless. Most of the casualties were women and children because many men had left for work. The casualties might have been higher had it not been the start of the month when many men left earlier than usual to pay their monthly rent at the rental office. LaSalle Height: LaSalle Heights is a suburban residential block of low income rental units located at the corner of rue Bergevin and rue Jean Milot in LaSalle, Quebec, on the Island of Montreal. It was constructed by LaSalle Heights Inc. in 1955 and 1956 at a cost of $5,300,000. In 1955 construction was announced and the site was expected to consist of 678 units (54 three bedroom houses in rows, 422 three bedroom apartments, 136 two bedroom apartments, 50 one bedroom apartments, and 16 bachelor apartments). Rents ranged from $30 a month to $57 a month and was available to families whose monthly income ranged between four and six times their rent. The block consisted of 25 identical 'U' shaped buildings each housing 36 units of various sizes. Explosion: At approximately 8:05am a six-inch fissure emerged in a natural gas supply line in the cellar of 367 rue Bergevin, destroying units in it along with those in buildings 365, 363 and 361. Approximately 36 units were affected. The explosion left a twenty foot deep crater where the three-story apartment building had stood. Response: By 8:25am the LaSalle fire department, along with a number of naval officers from a nearby barracks descended on the site. By the afternoon, premier Jean Lesage and multiple deputies and ministers arrived to assess the damage. In the days following a foundation was created for the victims and a radio and television telethon took place. Approximately $600,000 was raised in the effort. Queen Elizabeth letter "I am most deeply distressed to learn of the tragic accident which has taken place in Ville LaSalle. Please convey my sincere sympathy to the mayor, to the injured, and the next-of-kin of those who have lost their lives. Elizabeth R." - March 3, 1965. The Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation along with the minister in charge of the Canadian government's housing program made approximately 60 vacant house available for the more than 200 left homeless from the disaster. Rent was provided free for two months. In November of that year Herbert Peard launched a lawsuit against Quebec Natural Gas Corporation. Peard lost his wife of 15 years and his three children. The $85,000 lawsuit includes a claim of $21,000 on behalf of his only remaining child Susan, who was seriously injured in the blast. On March 29, 1965 LaSalle Heights Inc. announced any or all tenants of the LaSalle Heights Housing Development was allowed to break their lease if they wanted. In February 1967, LaSalle Heights Inc. filed a $853,275 lawsuit against Quebec Natural Gas Corporation. 50th Anniversary Commemoration: The Borough of LaSalle organized a number of activities in 2015 to honour the victims' memory and convey to survivors that LaSalle residents will always remember the disaster: -All LaSalle churches were invited to commemorate the event as part of their Sunday service on March 1, marking the exact date of the 50th anniversary. -A resolution was adopted and a minute of silence observed during the Borough Council meeting on March 2, the day after the anniversary of the disaster. -The Borough granted financial assistance of $3,000 to the Société historique Cavelier-de-LaSalle, to write a monograph on the LaSalle Heights Disaster. -The Borough organized an exhibition on the tragedy, including photos from archives and newspaper articles. -LaSalle paid tribute to the victims by means of a commemorative designation at the very site of the explosion.

Volunteer

I asked the bishop at my church if he knew I actually volunteered at a day care and mentioned my mom thinks I'll be good to work with some of the kids.

Promise

I promised a friend I'd see him in heaven

Murder of Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie

The murder of Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie who was an exchange student from Ghana, is alleged to have been carried out by Alexander Kinyua (born October 23, 1990 in Nairobi) in Joppatowne, Maryland, United States. Kinyua is alleged to have eaten Agyei-Kodies' organs in an act of cannibalism. The killing came after Kinyua was released on bail following a separate brutal attack. Background information: Kinyua emigrated from Kenya to the United States as a child and became a U.S. citizen. At the time of the alleged murder and cannibalism, 21-year-old Kinyua was an engineering student at Morgan State University, a university in nearby Baltimore. His father is a professor at the school. Kinyua had posted nonsensical and bizarre writings on his Facebook page. For example, two days before Kinyua's arrest, he wrote: HEAR ME OUT BUTCHERS: ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH TO ENDURE RITUAL HBCU MASS HUMAN SACRIFICES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND STILL BE ABLE TO FUNCTION AS HUMAN BEINGS? IT'S BEEN ALL TOO TRAGIC WITH THE DUAL UNIVERSITY SHOOTINGS AT VIRGINIA TECH, AND OTHER PAST UNIVERSITY KILLINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. NOW FOR A TWIST: ETHNIC CLEANSING IS THE POLICY, STRATEGY AND TACTICS THAT WILL AFFECT YOU, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN THE COMING MONTHS. THIS IS THE BRUTAL BASIS, AN EVIL & TERRIFYING METHOD OF THIS DEATH CULTS. Kinyua's mother posted on her Facebook: Our son, Alexander Kimanthi Kinyua, was arrested on Saturday, May 19, for being involved in a fight in his dormitory room at Morgan State University. The charge against him is “1st Degree Assault and Excessive Endangerment of Life”. His bail has been set for US $220,000.00. In order to get him the best defense possible, we need to secure an attorney who will take his case and leave no stone unturned. The murder: Agyei-Kodie was staying with the Kinyua family pending deportation to his home country due to non-compliance with the terms of his visa. He had first met Antony Kinyua, the father of his alleged killer, while pursuing a doctoral degree at Morgan State University. On Friday, May 25, 2012, Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie was reported missing by Kinyua's father. Police reported to the Kinyua residence on May 31 after being contacted by Kinyua's brother to report what looked like body parts in two tins in the basement. Further remains were found in a dumpster outside a church about a mile away. Alexander Kinyua was arrested and charged with first degree murder, along with first and second degree assault. The aftermath: Morgan State established a chief public safety officer position in the wake of the killing. Kinyua was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was found incompetent to stand trial. Kinyua has been indefinitely committed to a Maryland mental institution.

funny

so i started a story by saying, "so i was doodling in class" in front of 2 teachers and then i said, " after i was finished working"

guilt dress

so my mom bought me a new dress once after my brother brought home a bag of clothes to donate. unfortunately most of the stuff was too small for the boys and since it was all boys stuff my mom felt bad i didn't have anything so she went out and bought some stuff for herself and saw a dress i'd like (and i do). so it's a bit of a guilt dress

holding her breath

if i ever went on a mission my mom would be holding her breath the whole time. although, if my mission was state side she'd be holding her breath a little less. and if it was in California (mainly the long beach area) or New York city she'd be holding her breath even less. i know why since she's my mom. the reason she'd hold her breath less in California or New York is because of family ties. my mom's family is FROM California and has ties there and my uncle (my dad's brother) lives in New York.

easy going

my mom wishes she was more easy going like me. i'm like wow.

dissapeared for 5 weeks

people in the singles ward wondered where i'd ran off to for 5 weeks. 2 weeks in my old ward, 2 weeks out of state and 1 weekend in my old ward prior to coming back.

stressed out

i'm already stressed out and it's only the 1st week of school this semester. unfortunately, it's due to printing issues and drama practice for my brother. it's likely i'm going to be stressed out for a couple weeks and then i'll be OK.

Bunny Man

this is 1 of my favorite local legends surrounding the DC metro area. The Bunny Man is an urban legend that probably originated from two incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1970, but has been spread throughout the Washington, D.C. area. The legend has many variations; most involve a man wearing a rabbit costume who attacks people with an axe or hatchet. Most of the stories occur around Colchester Overpass, a Southern Railway overpass spanning Colchester Road near Clifton, Virginia. Colchester Overpass is commonly referred to as "Bunny Man Bridge". Versions of the legend vary in the Bunny Man's name, motives, weapons, victims, description of the bunny costume or lack thereof, and sometimes, even possible death. In some accounts, the Bunny Man's ghost or aging spectre is said to come out of his place of death each year on Halloween to commemorate his passing. In some accounts, victims' bodies are mutilated. The Origin goes like this: Fairfax County Public Library Historian-Archivist Brian A. Conley extensively researched the Bunny Man legend. He has located two incidents of a man in a rabbit costume threatening people with an axe. The vandalism reports occurred a week apart in 1970 in Burke, Virginia. The first incident was reported the evening of October 19, 1970 by U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Robert Bennett and his fiancée, who were visiting relatives on Guinea Road in Burke. Around midnight, while returning from a football game, they reportedly parked their car in a field on Guinea Road to "visit an Uncle who lived across the street from where the car was parked". As they sat in the front seat with the motor running, they noticed something moving outside the rear window. Moments later, the front passenger window was smashed, and there was a white-clad figure standing near the broken window. Bennett turned the car around while the man screamed at them about trespassing, including: "You're on private property, and I have your tag number." As they drove down the road, the couple discovered a hatchet on the car floor. When the police requested a description of the man, Bennett insisted he was wearing a white suit with long bunny ears. However, Bennett's fiancée contested their assailant did not have bunny ears on his head, but was wearing a white capirote of some sort. They both remembered seeing his face clearly, but in the darkness, they could not determine his race. The police returned the hatchet to Bennett after examination. Bennett was required to report the incident upon his return to the Air Force Academy. The second reported sighting occurred on the evening of October 29, 1970, when construction security guard Paul Phillips approached a man standing on the porch of an unfinished home, in Kings Park West on Guinea Road. Phillips said the man was wearing a gray, black, and white bunny costume, and was about 20 years old, 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, and weighed about 175 pounds (79 kg). The man began chopping at a porch post with a long-handled axe, saying: "All you people trespass around here. If you don't get out of here, I'm going to bust you on the head." The Fairfax County Police opened investigations into both incidents, but both were eventually closed for lack of evidence. In the weeks following the incidents, more than 50 people contacted the police claiming to have seen the "Bunny Man". Several newspapers reported the incident of the "Bunny Man" eating a man's runaway cat, including the following articles in The Washington Post: -"Man in Bunny costume Sought in Fairfax" -"The 'Rabbit' Reappears" -"Bunny Man Seen" -"Bunny Reports Are Multiplying" In 1973, University of Maryland, College Park student Patricia Johnson submitted a research paper that chronicled precisely 54 variations on those two events. The legend: The legend has circulated for years in several forms. A version naming a suspect and specific location was posted to a website in the late 1990s by a "Timothy C. Forbes". This version states that in 1904, an asylum prison in Clifton, Virginia was shut down by successful petition of the growing population of residents in Fairfax County. During the transfer of inmates to a new facility, one of the fifteen transports crashed; most, including the driver, were killed, ten escaped. A search party found all but one of them. During this time, locals allegedly began to find hundreds of cleanly skinned, half-eaten carcasses of rabbits hanging from the trees in the surrounding areas. Another search of the area was ordered, and the police located the remains of Marcus Wallster, left in a similar fashion to the rabbit carcasses hanging in a nearby tree or under a bridge overpass—also known as the "Bunny Man Bridge"—along the railroad tracks at Colchester Road. Officials name the last missing inmate, Douglas J. Grifon, as their suspect and call him "the bunny man". In this version, officials finally manage to locate Grifon but, during their attempt to apprehend him at the overpass, he nearly escapes before being hit by an oncoming train where the original transport crashed. They say after the train passed, the police heard laughter coming from the site. It is eventually revealed that Grifon was institutionalized for killing his family and children on Easter Sunday. For years after the "Bunny Man's" death, in the time approaching Halloween, carcasses are said to be found hanging from the overpass and surrounding areas. A figure is reportedly seen by passersby making their way through the one lane bridge tunnel. Conley says this version is demonstrably false. Among other inconsistencies, Conley notes "there has never been an asylum for the insane in Fairfax County", that "Lorton Prison didn't come into existence until 1910, and even then it was an arm of the District of Columbia Corrections system, not Virginia's." Moreover, court records show neither a Grifon nor a Wallster. Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, via his blog Cryptomundo and book Weird Virginia, in a section on the Bunny Man, wrote about a direct association between the legend of Bunny Man and that of the Goatman of nearby Maryland. Pedestrians, trains, and cars at Colchester Overpass: Because of its association with the legend, Colchester Overpass is a popular destination for paranormal enthusiasts (ghost hunters) and curiosity seekers (legend trippers). Colchester Overpass was built in about 1910 near the site of Sangster's Station, a Civil War era railroad station on what was once the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Interest increases around Halloween, and starting in 2003, local authorities began controlling access to the area during that time. During Halloween 2011, over 200 people, some from as far away as the Pennsylvania/Maryland state line, were turned away during a 14-hour traffic checkpoint into the area. Non-local visitors could be unaware that Colchester Overpass is an active intersection of trains and traffic. The railroad tracks overhead are used by Norfolk Southern Railway, Virginia Railway Express (VRE-Manassas Line), and Amtrak trains. VRE-Manassas Line and Amtrak traffic alone accounts for 90 trains using the overpass each week. In the vicinity of Colchester Overpass, Colchester Road is narrow and windy, with limited visibility. In Fairfax County, Virginia, it is illegal to trespass on posted railroad tracks or to loiter in a public roadway. In popular culture: -In 2010, rhythmic noise/industrial artist, C/A/T (Chaos and Terror), released a compilation of material from 2005-2010, "Music To Piss You Off." The final song, "Bunnyman", centers around the Bunny Man legend. -The 2011 slasher film Bunnyman is an exploitation-style version of the story. -In 2017 Badwolf Brewing Company in Manassas Virginia released their hoppy red lager known as The Bunny Man in a can that featured the tunnel, figure in a bunny suit and kid holding a red balloon. -The 2017 Amazon original series Lore, based on the podcast of the same name, uses the Bunny Man legend to introduce its second episode of Season 1. -The April 16, 2017 Erma comic strip, named "Happy Easter 2017", featured an appearance of the Bunny Man. Erma crouches down in front of a line of Easter Eggs leading to the Bunny Man, who is holding a basket containing a severed arm and a hatchet behind his back, and looks at him with a look evoking a statement such as "Really?" or "Seriously?".[15] This strip was later included in the publication Erma #2, in black-and-white, accompanied by a short paragraph explaining the legend of the Bunny Man.

tried

yes i've tried buzballz. they're not my thing but fun to try.

funny

so i was drinking and i accidentally laughed and made backwash go into the wine bottle. my aunt was like, "great back washed wine." that was funny. i love that.

BuzzBallz

BuzzBallz is an American brand of pre-mixed cocktail drinks. History: The drink was invented by Merrilee Kick and her sons Alex and Andrew in 2009, who was then a high school teacher, in Dallas, Texas. The idea for the cocktail started with a spherical glass that Kick owned. In a 2016 interview with Forbes, Kick described her difficulties raising money for her business, stating that she was told that she was unlikely to survive in a male-dominated industry. She said she "wouldn’t label herself as a feminist because she loves guys" and that women have "special skills that men don’t". Reception: Matt Merkin of Liquor.com described the cocktails as "strong, cheap and ... a lot of fun" and the line of products to have created "an underground drinking phenomenon", stating that they have "colorful containers and equally colorful names". Albert Burneko of Deadspin described BuzzBallz as "the sad cocktail grenades you always wanted". Katie Orlady of the website Spoon University described the drink as a "blinding elixir" and "boozy orbs". Marcie Seidel of the Drug Free Action Alliance, an Ohio-based substance abuse prevention group, described the 20% alcohol content of the cocktails to be "really scary" and that the packaging, which targets young people, is concerning for them.

take the message home

when i was in an institute/ bible study i was told to "take the message home with me" i guess as a parting gift. it was about being washed clean. i promised a friend i'd see him in the celestial kingdom if i didn't see him again in this life

blessing

the last time i got a blessing i'd told my friends to enjoy refreshments i'd set out (a cup of hot cocoa and a chocolate cookie).

on board

so my mom suggested i give people a thank you card for taking me home. i was on board especially for 1. i was embarrassed for having them give me so many rides home so i was like, "i'll find some way to pay you back". i wanted to show gratitude.

yay

i bumped into a friend yesterday. i'd learned a couple days ago my friend worked in the science center tutoring. of course i'm not going to be in that tutoring center but least i know where a friend is. he saw me before i saw him since my glasses are perpetually dirty. when i wiped off my glasses and put them back on i was like, "oh boy. found him."

hilarious

once i dressed up just because i got bored and it looked like i'd came back from a job. i was carrying a tote bag with stuff from school. that was fun and totally hilarious.

Flats

I love flats. They're cute and fashionable. I love both

Baggy clothes

Since I became a dancer my clothes became bagger. I love them. I can also be modest since they're being covered

Shrink

I asked a friend if he shrunk because it looked like I was taller than him. I always looked his size but since my boot had a heel I looked taller

Devotional

I saw another devotional on the request that I'd like it and it wouldn't hurt to see. Plus it was my favorite speaker and apostle

extra credit

i did some public speaking last semester, when i was taking a communications class so i should've gotten extra credit

Sweetheart

So I was on vacation in Hawaii a week ago and I met some great people from church there. The missionaries there were great guys. 1 remembered tons of what I said. Everyone wished I was staying but since I wasn't I was told to take "the message home with me". on Sunday (the day i met these guys) an elder offered me a mint as well as getting me a paper i wanted.

Devotional

I hate them. If I can avoid watching/ reading them I will. Once on the day my grandpa passed away there was a Christmas devotional and my mom made me watch it. I'm glad I did. I said it was nice (and it was).

Alarm clock

My phone is still my alarm clock but now it's later I wake up. My wake up time now is like 9 am or later not 7:30 or earlier.

Crochet

I got into it over the summer and fell in love with it. I'm hoping to make something out of my newer project

sad

when my grandfather passed away everyone was saying how sorry they were, gave me space, asked if they could do anything for me and "gave me a break" from working on a group project (actually i was told to take it easy and take my time). what's sadder than my loss was my dad's. he's now the 2nd "adult orphan" in my family (the 1st being my mom). the 2 people who took it hard was me and my dad since my dad lost both of his parents and i lost my last surviving grandparent. i tried distracting myself with schoolwork and college but i found it hard. i beat myself up for something minor until i admitted to my teacher and group mates that i'd lost my grandpa. i was given "a break". luckily after the funeral my grandpa didn't leave me right away. i passed by the LDS temple twice and i felt his presence with me in Sunday school.

I wonder

I keep wondering what my friends are up to. Most I can find out via social media but 2 I can't since they're elders and on a mission

LDS activity

So I went to church in Hawaii and found a bible study to go to. Its awesome. Everyone was so nice.

Tubing

I went tubing today. It was awesome. I love it

Sneak out

I snuck out this morning. I told my mom where I was "running off to" so I didn't scare her but I left without her knowledge. I went to get coffee so I could get some air. It was fun

Broken

I've likely got more leg injuries than the rest of my family combined. The reason: my legs are uneven so I am prone to leg injuries

Nearly snuck out

I thought I was the only 1 up at this time but when I went to go get clothes 99% of my family was already up so I didn't have to "sneak out" for coffee.

Funny

So I usually laugh when I say my family is unlikely to come into my ward. Reason being they're not mormon and are unlikely to convert but I usually offer them to come in with me. Once I didn't since I woke my brother up having to get to church for a meeting with the bishop.

mental torture

when i gave my talk my family came. surprisingly, they liked the service. my dad said i was his favorite speaker (because i'm his kid of course). no one in my family liked the 3rd speaker. my brother said the "charm" wore off and my dad said he spoke in monotone. i was my family's favorite speaker (obviously). my energy was great as well as my examples.

packing

my family is packing for a vacation we're taking. we're leaving for 2 weeks tomorrow. 1st off to California and then onto Hawaii. goodbye cold weather hello healthy back.

Vanishing hitchhiker

The vanishing hitchhiker (or variations such as the ghostly hitchhiker, disappearing hitchhiker, phantom hitchhiker, or the hitchhiker) is an urban legend in which people traveling by vehicle meet with or are accompanied by a hitchhiker who subsequently vanishes without explanation, often from a moving vehicle. Vanishing hitchhikers have been reported for centuries and the story is found across the world, with many variants. The popularity and endurance of the legend has helped it spread into popular culture. Public knowledge of the term expanded greatly with the 1981 publication of Jan Harold Brunvand's book The Vanishing Hitchhiker, which helped launch public awareness of urban legends. In his book, Brunvand suggests that the story of The Vanishing Hitchhiker can be traced as far back as the 1870s and has "recognizable parallels in Korea, Tsarist Russia, among Chinese-Americans, Mormons, and Ozark mountaineers." Variations of the story: A common variation of the above involves the vanishing hitchhiker departing as would a normal passenger, having left some item in the car, or having borrowed a garment for protection against alleged cold. The vanishing hitchhiker can also leave some form of information that allegedly encourages the motorist to make subsequent contact. In such tellings, the garment borrowed is often subsequently found draped over a gravestone in a local cemetery. In this and in the instance of "imparted information", the unsuspecting motorist subsequently makes contact with the family of a deceased person and finds that their passenger fits the description of a family member killed in some unexpected way (usually a car accident) and that the driver's encounter with the vanishing hitchhiker occurred on the anniversary of their death. Other variations reverse the scenario, in that the hitchhiker meets a driver; the hitchhiker later learns that the driver is actually an apparation of a person who died earlier. Not all vanishing hitchhiker reports involved allegedly recurring ghosts. One popular variant in Hawaii involves the goddess Pele, traveling the roads incognito and rewarding kind travelers. Other variants include hitchhikers who utter prophecies (typically of pending catastrophe or other evils) before vanishing. There is a similar story which is about two travellers sitting next to each other on a train (normally a man and a woman). One of them is reading a book and the other person asks what the book is about. The first person says that it is about ghosts and they have a conversation about ghosts. Then the second person asks if the first person believes in ghosts or has he ever seen one. The first person says that in all of his life he had ever believed in or has seen a ghost. The second person then says that she doubt it and with that she vanishes. Classifications of the story: Beardsley and Hankey: The first proper study of the story of the vanishing hitchhiker was undertaken in 1942–43 by American folklorists Richard Beardsley and Rosalie Hankey, who collected as many accounts as they could and attempted to analyze them. The Beardsley-Hankey survey elicited 79 written accounts of encounters with vanishing hitchhikers, drawn from across the USA. They found: "Four distinctly different versions, distinguishable because of obvious differences in development and essence." These are described as: A. Stories where the hitch-hiker gives an address through which the motorist learns he has just given a lift to a ghost. 49 of the Beardsley-Hankey samples fell into this category, with responses from 16 states of the USA. B. Stories where the hitch-hiker is an old woman who prophesies disaster or the end of World War II; subsequent inquiries likewise reveal her to be deceased. Nine of the samples fit this description, and eight of these came from the vicinity of Chicago. Beardsley and Hankey felt that this indicated a local origin, which they dated to approximately 1933: two of the version B hitchhikers in this sample foretold disaster at the Century of Progress Exposition and another foresaw calamity "at the World's Fair". The strict topicality of these unsuccessful forecasts did not appear to thwart the appearance of further Version 'B' hitch-hikers, one of whom warned that Northerly Island, in Lake Michigan, would soon be submerged (this never happened). C. Stories where a girl is met at some place of entertainment, e.g., dance, instead of on the road; she leaves some token (often the overcoat she borrowed from the motorist) on her grave by way of corroborating the experience and her identity. The uniformity amongst separate accounts of this variant led Beardsley and Hankey to strongly doubt its folkloric authenticity. D. Stories where the hitch-hiker is later identified as a local divinity. Beardsley and Hankey were particularly interested to note one instance (location: Kingston, New York, 1941) in which the vanishing hitchhiker was subsequently identified as the late Mother Cabrini, founder of the local Sacred Heart Orphanage, who was beatified for her work. The authors felt that this was a case of Version 'B' glimpsed in transition to Version 'D'. Beardsley and Hankey concluded that Version 'A' was closest to the original form of the story, containing the essential elements of the legend. Version 'B' and 'D', they believed, were localized variations, while 'C' was supposed to have started life as a separate ghost story which at some stage became conflated with the original vanishing hitchhiker story (Version 'A'). One of their conclusions certainly seems reflected in the continuation of vanishing hitchhiker stories: The hitchhiker is, in the majority of cases, female and the lift-giver male. Beardsley and Hankey's sample contained 47 young female apparitions, 14 old lady apparitions, and 14 more of an indeterminate sort. Baughman's telling: Ernest W. Baughman's Type- and Motif-Index of the Folk Tales of England and North America (1966) delineates the basic vanishing hitchhiker as follows: "Ghost of young woman asks for ride in automobile, disappears from closed car without the driver's knowledge, after giving him an address to which she wishes to be taken. The driver asks person at the address about the rider, finds she has been dead for some time. (Often the driver finds that the ghost has made similar attempts to return, usually on the anniversary of death in automobile accident. Often, too, the ghost leaves some item such as a scarf or traveling bag in the car.)" Baughman's classification system grades this basic story as motif E332.3.3.1. Subcategories include: E332.3.3.1(a) for vanishing hitchhikers who reappear on anniversaries; E332.3.3.1(b) for vanishing hitchhikers who leave items in vehicles, unless the item is a pool of water in which case it is E332.3.3.1(c); E332.3.3.1(d) is for accounts of sinister old ladies who prophesy disasters; E332.3.3.1(e) contains accounts of phantoms who are apparently sufficiently solid to engage in activities such as eating or drinking during their journey; E332.3.3.1(f) is for phantom parents who want to be taken to the sickbed of their dying son; E332.3.3.1(g) is for hitchhikers simply requesting a lift home; E332.3.3.1(h-j) are a category reserved exclusively for vanishing nuns (a surprisingly common variant), some of whom foretell the future. Here, the phenomenon blends into religious encounters, with the next and last vanishing hitchhiker classification - E332.3.3.2 - being for encounters with divinities who take to the road as hitchhikers. The legend of St. Christopher is considered one of these, and the story of Philip the Evangelist being transported by God after encountering the Ethiopian on the road (Acts 8:26-39) is sometimes similarly interpreted. Skeptical reception: Paranormal researcher Michael Goss in his book The Evidence for Phantom Hitch-Hikers discovered that many reports of vanishing hitch-hikers turn out be based on folklore and hearsay stories. Goss also examined some cases and attributed them to hallucination of the experiencer. According to Goss most of the stories are "fabricated, folklore creations retold in new settings." Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell who investigated two alleged cases himself concluded that there is no reliable evidence for vanishing hitch-hikers. Historical examples have their origin from folklore tales and urban legends. Modern cases often involve conflicting accounts that may well be the result of exaggeration, illusion or hoaxing.

Killer in the backseat

The Killer in the Backseat (also known as High Beams) is a common, car-crime urban legend well known mostly in the United States and United Kingdom. It was first noted by folklorist Carlos Drake in 1968 in texts collected by Indiana University students. Legend goes a woman who is driving and being followed by a strange car or truck. The mysterious pursuer flashes his high beams, tailgates her, and sometimes even rams her vehicle. When she finally makes it home, she realizes that the driver was trying to warn her that there was a man (a murderer, rapist, or escaped mental patient) hiding in her back seat. Each time the man sat up to attack her, the driver behind had used his high beams to scare the killer, in which he ducks down. In some versions, the woman stops for gas, and the attendant asks her to come inside to sort out a problem with her credit card. Inside the station, he asks if she knows there's a man in her back seat. (An example of this rendition can be seen in the 1998 episode of Millennium, "The Pest House".) In another, she sees a doll on the road in the moors, stops, and then the man gets in the back. Interpretations of the story: The story is often told with a moral. The attendant is often a lumberjack, a trucker, or a scary-looking man: someone the driver mistrusts without reason. She assumes it is the attendant who wants to do her harm, when in reality it is he who saves her life. In popular culture: -The 1998 film Urban Legend begins with this scenario. -John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween has the character Annie Brackett killed when she enters the car and the killer Michael Myers sneaks up from behind the back seat and slashes her throat. -The first segment, "Terror in Topanga," of the 1983 film Nightmares is a depiction of this legend. -An episode of the detective series Jonathan Creek, "The Coonskin Cap", begins with a version of this legend, except that instead of a killer inside the car, the pursuing driver is trying to alert the woman that there is a body tied to the back of her car. -In a 1998 episode of Millennium, "The Pest House", Frank Black chases a doctor from a mental hospital after one of its patients escapes into the back of her car and tries to kill her. When she pulls over at a gas station, the attendant saves her by taking her inside. -The 2003 Tamil film from India, Whistle, begins with this scenario. -The story is featured in the television show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. -The story is featured in an episode of The Simpsons when Otto tells Lisa the legend as a bedtime story. In his version, the victim is chased by another car that keeps ramming her vehicle, and she drives off the road into the woods and loses the other car. She is then killed by an axe-wielding maniac who had been hiding in her backseat. -In the 2015 episode of Scream Queens, Ghost Stories, Chanel #5 (played by Abigail Breslin) is driving and a truck starts honking at her and using his high beams. When she pulls over at a petrol station, he tells her about the Red-Devil (the murderer), lurking in her back seat but then he is stabbed by it while #5 makes her escape.

Offended

Last summer I nearly got 2 family members to come to a why I believe. My mom was like "don't be offended if they say no". I'm like "why would I be offended? This is amazing they're possibly considering it."

The Hook

The Hook or The Hookman is an urban legend about a killer with a hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car. The story is thought to date from at least the mid-1950s, and gained significant attention when it was reprinted in the advice column Dear Abby in 1960. It has since become a morality archetype in popular culture, and has been referenced in various horror films. Legend goes a young couple parking at a lovers' lane. The radio plays while they make out. Suddenly, a news bulletin reports that a serial killer has just escaped from a nearby institution. The killer has a hook for one of his hands. For varying reasons, they decide to leave quickly. In the end, the killer's hook is found hanging from the door handle. Different variations include a scraping sound on the car door. Some versions start the same way, but have the couple spotting the killer, warning others, and then narrowly escaping with the killer holding onto the car's roof. In an alternate version, the couple drive through an unknown part of the country late at night and stop in the middle of the woods, because either the male has to relieve himself, or the car breaks down and the man leaves for help. While waiting for him to return, the female turns on the radio and hears the report of an escaped mental patient. She is then disturbed many times by a thumping on the roof of the car. She eventually exits and sees the escaped patient sitting on the roof, banging the male's severed head on it. Another variation has the female seeing the male's butchered body suspended upside down from a tree with his fingers scraping the roof. In other versions the man does return to the car only to see his date brutally murdered with a hook imbedded in her. The origins of the Hook legend are not entirely known, though, according to folklorist and historian Jan Harold Brunvand, the story began to circulate some time in the 1950s in the United States. According to Brunvand in The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings, the story had become widespread amongst American teenagers by 1959, and continued to expand into the 1960s. The first known publication of the story occurred on November 8, 1960, when a reader letter telling the story was reprinted in Dear Abby, a popular advice column: Dear Abby: If you are interested in teenagers, you will print this story. I don't know whether it's true or not, but it doesn't matter because it served its purpose for me: A fellow and his date pulled into their favorite "lovers lane" to listen to the radio and do a little necking. The music was interrupted by an announcer who said there was an escaped convict in the area who had served time for rape and robbery. He was described as having a hook instead of a right hand. The couple become frightened and drove away. When the boy took his girl home, he went around to open the car door for her. Then he saw—a hook on the door handle! I will never park to make out as long as I live. I hope this does the same for other kids. —Jeanette Literary scholar Christopher Pittard traces the plot dynamics of the legend to Victorian literature, particularly the 1913 horror novel The Lodger by Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes. Though the two narratives have little in common, he notes that both are built upon a "threefold relationship of crime, dirt, and chance... Such a reading also implies a reconsideration of the historical trajectory of the urban legend, usually read as a product of postmodernist consumer culture." Interpretations of the story: Folklorists have interpreted the long history of this legend in many ways. Alan Dundes's Freudian interpretation explains the hook as a phallic symbol and its amputation as a symbolic castration. Swedish folklorist Bengt af Klintberg describes the story as an example of "a conflict between representatives of normal people who follow the rules of society and those who are not normal, who deviate and threaten the normal group." American folklorist Bill Ellis interpreted the maniac in The Hook as a moral custodian who interrupts the sexual experimentation of the young couple. He sees the Hookman's handicap as "his own lack of sexuality" and "the threat of the Hookman is not the normal sex drive of teenagers, but the abnormal drive of some adults to keep them apart." Influences on film: The Hook legend has most often been depicted and referenced in horror films. Its prevalence, according to film scholar Mark Kermode, is most reflected in the slasher film, functioning as a morality archetype on youth sexuality. In Meatballs, Bill Murray's character retells the Hook legend to campers around a campfire. He Knows You're Alone opens with a film within a film scene in which a young couple are attacked by a killer while in a parked car. The slasher film Final Exam opens with a scene in which a couple are attacked in a parked car, and later, a student is murdered in a university locker room with a hook.[ Campfire Tales, an anthology horror film, opens with a segment retelling the Hook legend, set in the 1950s. I Know What You Did Last Summer features a killer stalking teenagers with a hook; at the beginning of the film, the central characters recount the Hook legend around a campfire. Lovers Lane, is a slasher film featuring a killer who murders teenagers at a lovers' lane with a hook.

happy

i'm super happy. i passed my exams, i got to "hang out" with friends the last couple days and am excited to see my family over the holidays. yay

Friend

I ran into a friend from church today. I helped her out and she'd "entertained" me for a half hour. Or as I call it kept me busy. She felt bad she had to "ditch me". Again I'm fine as my mom's work wasn't that far. Plus I wanted to get coffee

Bun

My hair is in a bun. Its nice since I can tie it up and its out of my face.

freaked out

what i would've done if a friend and i kissed. especially since i like his brother.

i can't believe it

many people in my family are super interested in my religion despite me thinking it was a cult a few years ago. also many are interested in the temples as well as the baptisms for the dead. wow. i'm glad they're accepting of it somewhat but not accepting a baptism quite yet

bipolar weather

in Maryland winter and spring are often bipolar. meaning it could be "spring" 1 day and then "winter" the next.

Cookies

My visiting teachers gave me cookies but accidentally dropped it off at the wrong home

california and hawaii

2 places i'm visiting over the holidays that i love. i love California since i have family over there as well as i just love the huge state. i love Hawaii because it's a tropical paradise.

anxiety

i've got fear of the unknown caused by my anxiety disorder. my family has no idea suffer an anxiety disorder. it's common enough that there's a Wikipedia page dedicated to the subject. my panic this time around is my blood sugar being super high and being yelled at before i have a chance to explain myself, which explains that.

take life as it comes and work with what i got

my philosophy is I've got to take life as it comes and work with what I've got. i never intended to join the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints ever but i did. I've also got to work with what I've got. I've inherited scoliosis and diabetes from my mom. now I've got to "work" with those limitations.

gah why me?

my family is so into my religion but i don't think they'll be baptized. the reason i think they're into it is because the holy spirit is softening their hearts. yay my family is having their hearts softened. why me?

blue

my favorite color at this point in time

blind

i'm nearly blind without my glasses. i needed a guide dog for the first few months but i was able to get around eventually. when i was being baptized i needed a "guide dog" again since i didn't know where i'm going and i could barely see.

hot cocoa

i'm going to make some hot cocoa. i need something warm before bed and it's tasty.

coffee

a no-no in the church i go to but something that "helps me feel the spirit". my brother and i have an interest in coffee and despite me lying to the fact that i'd stop drinking coffee on my interview I've cut down significantly. especially since it induces back pain.

sit with me

a friend sat with me despite me being comfortable sitting solo.

sad

a friend was sad i didn't have a dance recital for my dance class despite it being intro to dance. i would've LOVED a dance recital.

double edged sword

my best/ worst quality is my loyalty. why it's awesome is because i'm willing to drop things for my friends. the reason it's bad is because i could potentially be in the middle of something when i'm dropping everything.

okay?

so a friend asked me to have my number gotten. they asked me to have my number so we could "hang out." it's awesome but ok since i'm friends with them.

blood sugar

my blood sugar has been super high lately. likely due to my periods and the hormones associated with it. also due to my diet is why my blood sugar is high. i'm lucky it hasn't been out of control. it's been high but not super out of control.

wing it

that's what i didn't do during my talk and what i did for a speech in communications class once.

personal carrying case

during my grandpa's funeral my brothers used my bag (which is a large black tote bag) as their personal carrying case. i'm glad to be of service but it's also my bag and i should use it as i want

unlikely

someone asked if i wanted to get more involved in my religion. an unlikely someone. someone who thought my religion was cult like. my brother used to think my religion was cult like but recently got nicer about it. likely because his ex-girlfriend's grandparents are mormon

example

i must've done something to my family since they are now interested in my religion and i'm the only exposure to my religion they have usually.

no way

if you had told me 3 years ago i'd be giving a talk as a baptized member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints i'd've said you were crazy

laughing

if my dad had called me i'd be like "daddy. everything that comes out of my mouth on my end goes thru the mike so everyone can hear me talk to you."

gift

my home teacher says she knows what to give me for christmas

hilarious

what it would've been had i had signs to help guide me during my talk. also what it would've been like if i had gotten a text from a family member during my talk. or a phone call.

finals

i can't wait for my finals to be over with. my back hurts and i can't wait to relax.

ah

i drank diet soda that helped my tummy since i'm sick.

yay

i don't have school until Thursday. it's awesome since i can work on my stuff for school

panic disorder

while i have a panic disorder i'm able to somewhat able manage it behind closed doors.

awesome

i was walking to CVS today after church and i was offered a ride. that was awesome since i was planning on walking.

made me laugh

someone made me smile this morning while i was talking with the bishop. he made me smile by mentioning getting a DJ for the party. the reason that made me smile was because the guy was mentioning stuff for little kids and i was amused.

funny

if i'd had friends come while i was doing my talk i would've had to write on paper "go that way" with an arrow pointing to the door.

fun yet annoying

the snow was awesome yesterday but since i had to go out to a meeting it was annnoying.

venture out

i'm going to have to venture out of the house. luckily the snow isn't sticking.

Sad

Well the snow didn't happen as planned. Oh well

Sore throat

I've got a sore throat. Not sure why. I've not been around contagious people and my allergies have been in check since October.

Snow

I heard it was supposed to snow tomorrow. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it does. More than 2 inches

crazy

i went somewhere and i was like "i've been in this city a LOT. why have i never noticed this before?"

that would be beautiful

whenever i mention about going on a mission it would usually be followed by "that would be beautiful." more like scary, crazy and silly.

Painful

My talk was painful since I hated public speaking. Especially in front of all my friends and family. Another reason it was so painful was because everyone wanted to help me as well as giving me support. For once in my life I've wanted to be invisible but that's never going to happen. I'm glad I did it and I should have gotten extra credit for actually public speaking.

stress induced panic attacks

my panic attacks are now made worse since i'm stressed out. they won't go away till next Thursday since that's the day I've got to do everything by. not fun since i'm panicking. i'll be ok.

freezing winter

it's not even a week into december and i've got wear my slippers in the evening. it'll be cold soon

offer

i offered to posthumously baptize my grand-dad, which my dad and uncle declined. it would offer him a place in Mormonism. i wasn't surprised that my family said no. oddly that was my brother's idea who thought Mormonism was a cult

relaxed

i'm more relaxed. i'm listening to music and have eaten.

see me dance

my communications teacher wanted to see me dance. it wasn't for a while after her class ended

crying

stress makes me upset. i don't like it so i usually cry.

coffee

coffee always calms me down. i love it. the hot liquid makes me happy just to smell it.

stressed out

i'm so stressed out it's like i'm about to have a mental break down. my grandfather died on Sunday, my finals are next week, I've got to work on a group project as well as study for my finals as well as go to a funeral all this week. also to top it off my mom is trying to get me to be more independent by being super bus crazy (meaning my mom is super bus crazy trying to get me to use the buses more, which i'm not against i'm just saying that's way too much considering what I've got on my plate).

freezing

i nearly froze my toes off. it's so cold i need slippers

glad

my semester is nearly over which makes me happy

Parabon NanoLabs

Parabon NanoLabs, Inc. is a company based in Reston, Virginia, which provides DNA phenotyping services for law enforcement organizations. History: Parabon NanoLabs was founded in 2008 by Steven Armentrout, who is currently its chief executive. Products- Snapshot: Snapshot DNA Phenotyping Service is the name of a DNA phenotyping tool developed by Parabon NanoLabs which creates composite sketches based on DNA samples The algorithms used to make the composites are not open source, however, which has attracted criticism from members of the scientific community. Moses Schanfield, professor of forensic sciences at George Washington University, criticized the lack of any peer review, noting that there is no publicly-available performance record for the product. The United States Department of Defense provided approximately $2,000,000 in development financing for Snapshot. Keystone: Parabon NanoLabs was awarded a two-year contract by the United States Department of Defense to develop a software platform dubbed 'Keystone' for the forensic analysis of DNA evidence.

happy

give me forensic science or sushi and i'll be happy. i'm not that hard to please.

dirty glasses

my glasses are so dirty that 1 of the only times my glasses were clean for a long period of time was my baptism

pizza

my favorite food. i love it