Happy Halloween and a Blessed

Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain to all. What's Samhain? Since I'm a Pagan, I celebrate not only Halloween on the 31st of October but also, spirtually, Samhain:

Hallowe'en has its origins in the British Isles. While the modern tradition of trick or treat developed in the U. S., it too is based on folk customs brought to this country with Irish immigrants after 1840. Since ancient times in Ireland, Scotland, and England, October 31st has been celebrated as a feast for the dead, and also the day that marks the new year. Mexico observes a Day of the Dead on this day, as do other world cultures. In Scotland, the Gaelic word "Samhain" (pronounced "SAW-win" or "SAW-vane") means literally "summer's end."

We have Memorial Day and, in Boston, Patriot's Day but we don't really have a day to reflect on those who have passed onto their next phase in life - or afterlife. It is also a spiritual "New Year" as the rebirth begins and also the start of preperations for Yule, when the Oak King begins his rule from midwinter to misdummer.

Whether you celebrate Samhain or not.....I encourage you to take a moment during this crazy day of tricks and treats, and remember those we've lost in this last year and prepare yourself for a spiritual "New Year" as we move towards the holidays.

I've also launched the Web site for the Massachusetts Chapter of W.A.R.D. (Witches Against Religious Discrimination).

Blessed Be.

In quite the surprising move,

In quite the surprising move, a US District Court Judge dismissed a case against Southwest Airlines brought by Access Now on behalf of a blind man to compell the Airlines to make their site more accessible to those with disabilities. It's a shame that she doesn't feel the ADA should extend into the virtual realm and sets a dangerous legal precedent. If companies aren't held accountable, it's my opinion that we will cut off quite a large segment of the world population by allowing for inaccessible Web sites. And hell, accessible design is just good design practice with an added end-result.

This, coming just after I posted a new design of The Leaky Cauldron, making sure the Blogger template was fully XHTML 1.0 Transitional and AAA Bobby Approved. Well, I'LL at least continue to make sure everyone who visits my Web site can view it.

The Washington Post, per usual,

The Washington Post, per usual, has a great Flash application out detailing what I have below. Although, now I have to make some corrections based on the information there.

What happens when someone has

What happens when someone has too much time on their hands......actually, I don't. I did this during dinner last

night. Below is a list of addresses and longitude/latitude coordinates where the scenes of each of the sniper attacks

are. Also includes are 2 pics - one of all 14 incidents (The 1st being the miss) and a zoom-in of incidents in Montgomery County.

NOTE: All incidents up-to-date as of 10/22/2002.

All 14 Sniper Incidents

A zoom-in of all the events in or near Montgomery County, MD

5:20pm - 10/2/2002 - First non-fatal shot.

Location: Michaels Arts & Crafts Store

13850 Georgia Ave

Silver Spring, MD 20906

lt=39.081189

ln=-77.076080

"Michael's, a craft store in a shopping center on Connecticut Avenue in nearby Aspen Hill, Md., was the

scene of the

first non- fatal shooting, gawkers drove by Thursday afternoon to see the bullet hole about six feet high that pierced

the front plate glass window. No one was injured in this shooting about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, but authorities say they

believe it is connected to the others. The bullet came within 15 feet of a checkout woman, said store manager Debbie

Kaye. "

6:04 PM - 10/2/2002 - First Victim (2nd shot)

Location: Shoppers Food Warehouse
2201 Randolph Rd.
Wheaton, MD 20902
lt=39.060321
ln=-77.046048

"James Martin, 55, who was killed Wednesday outside a Shoppers Food Warehouse in the Glenmont Shopping

Center in Silver

Spring (Wheaton)"

7:41 AM - 10/3/2002 - Second Victim (3rd Shot)

Location: Fitzgerald Auto Mall
5501 Nicholson Ln
Rockville, MD
lt=39.045082
ln=-77.107700

"James Buchanan, 39, of Blacksburg, Va., who was mowing the lawn outside a car dealership in

Rockville"

8:12 AM - 10/3/2002 - Third Victim (4th Shot)

Location: Aspen Shell
4101 Aspen Hill Rd
Rockville, MD 20853
lt=39.080365
ln=-77.080730

"Premkumar Walekar, 54, who was shot near his cab at a Mobil station in Aspen Hill"

8:37am - 10/3/2002 - Fourth Victim (5th Shot)

Location: US Post Office
3802 International Dr
Silver Spring, MD 20906
lt=39.103668
ln=-77.07552

"Sarah Ramos, 34, who was sitting on a bench outside a post office in the Leisure World retirement

community in Silver Spring"

9:58am - 10/3/2002 - Fifth Victim (6th Shot)

Location: Kensington Shell
10515 Connecticut Ave
Kensington, MD 20895
lt=39.027747
ln=-77.07652

"Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, 25, who was vacuuming her minivan at a Shell station in Kensington"

9:15 pm - 10/3/2002 - Sixth Victim (7th Shot)

Location:Corner of Kalmia Road and Georgia Avenue NW
lt=38.983884
ln=-77.026490

"At around 9:15 pm Thursday, (0115 GMT Friday) a 72-year-old man [Pascal Charlot] was shot dead while

standing on a street corner in
Washington, close to the Maryland border"

Afternoon - 10/4/2002 - Seventh Victim (8th Shot)

Location: Michaels Arts & Crafts Store
3102 Plank Rd
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
lt=38.295231
ln=-77.51566

"A Spotsylvania mother of two was wounded Friday afternoon as she loaded purchases from a Michaels Arts &

Crafts store
into her minivan outside the Spotsylvania Mall. She was listed in fair condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital

yesterday."

8:00am - 10/8/2002 - Eighth Victim (9th Shot)

Location:: Benjamin Tasker Middle School
4901 Collington Rd
Bowie, MD 20715
lt=38.957135
ln=-76.74602

"The 13-year-old boy was shot once in the chest outside Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie after being

dropped off
by his aunt a little after 8 a.m., authorities said. A spokeswoman at Children's Hospital in Washington said the boy
was in critical but stable condition after surgery."

8:18pm - 10/9/2002 - Ninth Victim (10th Shot)

Location: Battlefield Sunoco
7203 Sudley Rd
Manassas, VA 20109
lt=38.798109
ln=-77.51804

"Shot in the head and killed."

9:30am - 10/11/2002 - Tenth Victim (11th Shot)

Location: Four Mile Fork Exxon
Rt 1 & I 95
Fredericksburg, VA,22401
lt=38.245639
ln=-77.498890

"Authorities believe the fatal shooting of a man in Virginia is connected to a series of sniper attacks

in the Washington area.

The FBI announced Friday in Philadelphia that the shooting victim on Friday morning was 53-year-old Kenneth Harold

Bridges, a respected businessman from Philadelphia.

FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi said that Bridges was hit once in the shoulder and the bullet hit vital organs." - href="http://www.wral.com/news/1714889/detail.html">WRAL

9:15pm - 10/14/2002 - Eleventh Victim (12th Shot)

Location: Home Depot
6210 Seven Corners Ctr (6201 Arlington Blvd)
Falls Church, VA 22044
lt=38.869003
ln=-77.14918

"(Linda) Franklin, 47, of Arlington was shot in the head Monday night as she and her husband loaded

packages into their
car outside a Home Depot at the Seven Corners Shopping Center. "

7:59pm - 10/19/2002 - Twelfth Victim (13th Shot)

Location: Ponderosa Steakhouse
809 England St.
Ashland, Va. 23005
lt=37.758184
ln=-77.467442

"Male, 37 - Shot and wounded while walking to his car with his wife after dinner."

6:00am - 10/22/2002 - Thirteenth Victim (14th Shot)

Location: In a bus.
Intersection of Bel Pre Rd and Connecticut Ave
Aspen Hill, MD 20906
lt=39.091900
ln=-77.070100

"a 40-year-old man was shot as he stood at the top of the steps of a Ride-On bus in Aspen Hill, Md."