Halloween Recap 2014: Twins, 777, and The Death of the Innocents

They couldn't afford costumes, so 13-year-old Lexandra Perez wore only face paint and her twin sister Lexi wore regular clothes when they dashed out the front door of the Fairhaven Apartments on Halloween. They carried orange plastic pumpkins. LA Times.

Santa Ana (named for Saint Anne, "holy grace," the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus)

Twin sisters Lexandra and Lexi Perez, 13, along with their friend, Andrea Gonzalez also 13, were killed on Halloween night by a hit-and-run driver. They were trick-or-treating in Santa Ana, Orange County, California.  The three girls had on black leggings and dark clothing. They were struck by a sports utility vehicle while in the crosswalk on Fairhaven Street on Friday evening in Santa Ana, about 35 miles (55 km) south of Los Angeles.

Perez means "son of Pero, Pedro, Peter," Portuguese, Galician and Spanish forms of the name Peter, which derives, via Latin "petra," from the Greek word "η πετρα" meaning "stone, rock."

Gonzalez means "son of Gonzalo," with Gonzalo from gundis ("war") combined with salve/salvo. Also, from Visigoth origins, it means "son of battle genius" or "son of war elf."

Neighbors said the 13-year-old Perez twins always walked together. Lourdes Castrejon, 46, who knew them for years, said they were sweet and well-mannered, always saying "good day" in English and Spanish. "I saw them grow up," she said. "They looked just like the Virgin of Guadalupe." LA Times.

On Sunday, police made multiple arrests in connection with the hit-and-run killing of the girls. Police launched a search for the occupants of the vehicle, a Honda CR-V, which sped away from the scene. The SUV was later found abandoned at a nearby strip mall with damage to its front end, Santa Ana police said. Sources: 1, 2.

The Perez's Memorial Fund is located here.

UPDATE:

The Bell name game again. As Enki passes along, a suspect has been arrested in the killings of these three 13-year-olds.

Jaquinn Ramone Bell, 31, is seen in an undated picture released by the Santa Ana Police Department in Santa Ana, California November 3, 2014. Santa Ana Police Department Handout

Irvine (Scottish: "fresh water," English: "wild boar" + "friend")

Some 10 miles away from Santa Ana, in Irvine, on West Yale Loop near Burwood Street, about 30 minutes after the girls were hit, John Alcorn, 65, (an attorney at Wilner and O'Reilly) was trick-or-treating with his 4-year-old son (who was wearing a Captain America costume). The calm, leafy Woodbridge neighborhood has been plagued by speeding cars in recent years. A Mazda struck them. Alcorn was killed; his son was rushed to a trauma center, where he was in critical condition. Alcorn derives from the Scottish/Old English Alchorn, a personal name + literally "horn," but used in a transferred sense to describe a projecting spur of a hill; hence "Alca's hill." Alchorne, begat, Alhorne, Alhorn, Aldcorn, Alcorn. Source.

John R. Alcorn

Vancouver (Dutch: "the place where cows ford the river")

Also on Halloween, authorities in Vancouver, Washington, said two 7-year-old girls and a 20-year-old woman sustained life-threatening injuries when they were hit by a car while trick-or-treating in Vancouver. It occurred at Northeast 112th Avenue near Northeast 39th Street. There are two adult victims, a 30-year-old female, Chelina Alsten, and a 32-year-old female, Annie Arnold, and two juvenile victims, a 7-year-old girl Cadence Boyer, and another girl. The 32-year-old woman is the mother of the 7-year-old, and the other two victims are friends of the family and are not related. Cadence Boyer is in a coma.

"Cadence was their little princess. She was born on 07/07/07. She's 7-years-old. She's most likely not going to see 8," family friend Sean McNamee said. "She was the light of their life." Source.

The fund for the Boyers can be found here.

There is a wealth of information on the significance of the number 777. See here. And you are wondering why I'm watching out for November 7th?

Greece (named after Graecus, the son of the god Zeus and Pandora II, whose maternal grandmother was Pandora of the famed pithos/storage jar, which was mistranslated into "box")

At Greece, New York, a three-year-old boy dressed as Spiderman was killed and a 16-year-old girl was seriously injured Halloween night when they were hit by a minivan as they began trick-or-treating. The car struck the children as they crossing two-lane Latta Road in Greece about 9:40 p.m., police said. Police say Tayvier Granderson died shortly after being hit. The teenager, Nicole Moore, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. They said the driver is cooperating in the investigation and has not been charged. Source.

Click here for funeral fund for Tayvier Granderson.

In Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida, Dohntae Vasquez, 2, was killed when trick-or-treating with his grandmother and a family friend, David Heidler and his two kids. Dohntae was in a stroller with two other children when Heidler, who was pushing them across a street realized he had dropped his cell phone. The man stopped the stroller in the median and told the children to stay while he retrieved the phone. Dohntae got out of the stroller, darted across U.S. 27 to his grandmother on the curb, and was hit by a citrus worker bus. (Vasquez appears to be from seventh-century Basque "bela," meaning crow, and the diminutive suffix "sko," suggesting someone fierce. Vasquez = savage, brutal crow, blackbird.) Source. 

Click here for the burial fund for Dohntae.

Portland ("land near port")

Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, awoke the day after October 31, 2014, to news that a house, which was full of young people from a Halloween party, had caught on fire. The blaze broke out shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday in the apartment house. There were six tenants at 20 Noyes Street, and all five who died lived there, authorities said. It is located near other apartments full of University of Southern Maine students, but it turned out now of the victims were current students.

The last body was not found until Saturday afternoon.

Three of the five have been identified: Nikki Finlay, Ashley Thomas and David Bragdon Jr.

Also, please consider the Brian's Departure Fund, click here.

Condolences to all.

In the realm of "I thought it was a Halloween prank" or some such, we have these 2014 stories:

Zombie run over by Zombie Slayer Bus

Hauser, Idaho. October 10, 2014.

A night of scary fun at an Halloween attraction turned deadly Friday when a teenage employee playing a zombie died in an accident. The 18-year-old employee of the Incredible Corn Maze in Hauser, Idaho, was run over by a bus ferrying paintball-gunning customers, officials say.
The corn maze’s customers paid to shoot employees dressed as zombies on the “Zombie Slayer Bus Ride.”

Jeremy T. McSpadden Jr. of Spokane Valley, Washington, was dressed as a zombie as he ran toward the bus and fell.
He was run over by the rear passenger wheel and likely died “instantly,” officials said. The cornfield’s uneven terrain caused the bus to rock and shake so no one immediately noticed McSpadden had died.
“Many of the patrons believed it was just part of the ride,” the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said. Read more here.

Halloween Haunted Hayride Kills One
Mechanic Falls, Maine, October 11, 2014 

A Halloween-themed hayride loaded with riders crashed down a hill in the Maine woods and slammed into a tree, fatally injuring a teenage girl [Cassidy Charette, 17, of Oakland, Maine] and leaving more than 20 other people hurt....The accident occurred during the Gauntlet Haunted Night Ride at Harvest Hill Farm in Mechanic Falls, Maine, about 25 miles southwest of Augusta. The farm, which also features the popular daytime attraction Pumpkin Land, remains closed while police investigate. More.

Beheading Thought To Be Halloween Prank

Farmingdale, New York, October 28, 2014.

Police said Derek Ward, 35, killed his 66-year-old mother Patricia Ward in their Long Island, New York, apartment before walking into the path of an oncoming commuter train. Neighbors witnessed the horrific scene as Ward reportedly dragged his mother's decapitated body into the street on Tuesday night in Farmingdale, about 35 miles east of New York City. Witnesses told local media that they initially thought it was a macabre Halloween prank. More.

Up next, November 7th...

Tridents, Pitchforks, and Satan in the News

"We will follow them to the gates of Hell until they are brought to justice. Because Hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside," Vice President Joseph Biden speaking about ISIS on September 3, 2014, at the Portsmouth Naval Yard, New Hampshire. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is one of four remaining naval shipyards in the nation, and is capable of docking all active classes of submarines including the Los Angeles, Trident and Virginia classes.

When is a trident really a pitchfork?

A trident is a three-pronged spear, used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea in classical mythology. In Hindu mythology it is the weapon of Shiva, known as trishula (Sanskrit for "triple-spear"). Parallel to its fishing origins, the trident is associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology, the Roman god Neptune, and Shiva, a Hindu God who holds a trident in his hand. In Hindu legends and stories, Shiva uses this sacred weapon to fight off negativity in the form of evil villains. The trident represents the deity in his three aspects of creator, preserver and destroyer.

A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thick, widely separated pointed tines (also called prongs) used to lift and pitch (throw) loose material, such as hay, straw or leaves. Pitchforks typically have only two, three or four tines. The three-pronged pitchfork has grown to be associated with the Devil or Satan. The pitchfork is often used in satire of Christian demonology in popular media, especially in early humorous cartoons where a popular joke was a caricature of an angel and a pitchfork-wielding devil sitting on the opposite shoulders of the conflicted protagonist. The "pitchfork" of Satan looks remarkably like a trident. One has merged with the other.

Author Chris Woodyard's research on Herman Menz and his carved stone Devil of
Detroit (see above) has revealed a trident on the monument, although it was called the "big ugly fork" in the original news story. Woodyard has a new look at this Devil and others here.

Speaking of Detroit, the site of "Devil's Night" every October 30th, it is directly in the news in conjunction with Satan's followers coming to that city.

The Satanic Temple, a New-York-based religious group, announced on September 7, 2014, it wants to build its first chapter house in Detroit, Michigan, where it will perform services such as marriages and funerals. It noted the sacrificing of babies, humans and animals will not take place.

This is the same group that caused a stir when it said it wanted to erect a seven-foot tall statue of Satan near the Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma State Capitol.  The proposed image (see above) of the statue suggested that the Temple wanted to depict Satan as a goat-headed Baphoment figure with a long beard, horns, and wings, with a pentagram design placed overhead. Two smiling children would be placed on both sides of the statue. Early reports of a Black Mass in Oklahoma also circulated. The plans for the Black Mass appear to be on a fast track.

However, the group’s leaders say they do not worship Satan. “We believe in a metaphorical, literary construct of Satan,” a Temple leader said. “He’s a symbol for rebellion, a symbol of human nature, the thirst for knowledge.”

Meanwhile, across the continent, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Devil made a very dramatic appearance in that city on Tuesday morning, September 9, 2014. The Devil was placed on a location that had formerly held a statue of Christopher Columbus.

The 9-foot-tall statue - please note, was left on 9/9 - thus 666 (upside down) - was a representation of Satan, Lucifer or the Devil, complete with red skin, a pointed tail and horns atop his head. The statue also holds one hand up in a devil-horn salute familiar to heavy metal fans the world over. It also sported an enormous erect penis.

The last detail caused headline writers to have a field day, from "Naked devil statue erected near SkyTrain line" to "NSFW Satan statue erected (and taken down) in East Vancouver" to "City crews remove satan statue erected alongside busy Vancouver roadway."

"I'm going to have nightmares tonight," said one city worker who removed it around 3:15 p.m. PT.

All of this news of Satan exist closely in time with the bizarre death of Sarah Bean, who was killed when a gargoyle was beheaded by a piece of metal and then the gargoyle's head hit her directly on her head. She died in front of Chicago's Second Presbyterian Church, on September 4, 2014.

And speaking of a beheading...

Back to ISIS/ISIL, for a moment, as "Satan" is part of their justification for their campaign of terror and beheadings. And I mean more than the old "Americans are Satan" line. Members of the Yazidi religion, one of Iraq’s oldest minorities, are in the midst of a genocide by ISIS. Gruesome images of brutally slain people have emerged in recent weeks, as local officials say that at least 500 Yazidis, including 40 children, have been killed in northern Iraqi.

What is ISIS's reasoning for targeting the Yazidis?

As the Guardian reported in August 2014,

At the core of the Yazidis’ marginalization is their worship of a fallen angel, Melek Tawwus, or Peacock Angel, one of the seven angels that take primacy in their beliefs. Unlike the fall from grace of Satan, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Melek Tawwus was forgiven and returned to heaven by God. The importance of Melek Tawwus to the Yazidis has given them an undeserved reputation for being devil-worshippers – a notoriety that, in the climate of extremism gripping Iraq, has turned life-threatening.

Representations, such as this one above, of the Kurdistan Yazidis’ Melek Tawwus or Melek Taus can have a trident-like appearance. It is a familiar image from The Exorcist movies, an overlap with the same region's Assyrian demon Pazuzu. To the Yazidis, Melek Taus is an angel; to ISIS, Melek Taus is Satan. It is the difference between life and death in modern day Iraq.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
UPDATE: Conservative blogger Matt Drudge took an image from President Obama's 9/10 speech about confronting ISIL.

"We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today." - President Obama, 9/10/2014

Drudge posted the 9/10 image to his blog on 9/11 with the caption "Photos Capture Obama's Head of Horns."

Needless to say, I have to point out it looks like a trident.

Of course, the real question is why would anyone wish to photoshop the real image - there are no drapes that low behind the president (see here) to make President Obama look like the Devil?

Below is the actual background for the speech of 9/10.

See also "Synchromystic Symposium: The Meaning of Tridents."

Vancouver Starbucks-Telus World of Science Shootings

Another shooting has occurred. This one happened in Vancouver, British Columbia. A recent concentration of shootings has occurred in the Pacific Northwest. On Friday, June 6th, there was one at the Seattle Pacific University, and earlier today, June 10th, there was a school shooting in Troutdale, Oregon, near Portland. In Vancouver, specifically, local law enforcement officials noted that today's shootings "followed two other public shootings that injured two people and killed a third since Saturday night."

Reacting to the events of the week, President Obama said on June 10, 2014, the nation should do "some soul-searching" over its epidemic of deadly gun violence and "should be ashamed" it has been unable to address it.

"We're the only developed country on Earth where this happens," Obama said during a question-and-answer session on the social media website Tumblr.

"And it happens now once a week," Obama added. "And it's a one-day story. There's no place else like this."

The CTV had this summary for today's shootings:

Shortly after 11 a.m., police receive reports of shots fired in the city’s Yaletown neighbourhood, at Davie Street and Marinaside Crescent, outside a Starbucks coffee shop (pictured)
Police arrive to find a 61-year-old man suffering a gunshot wound. He is rushed to hospital in serious condition
A 52-year-old male suspect flees the scene. At least part of the way he is riding a bike
Second shooting scene

Vancouver police officers follow the suspect to an area outside the Telus World of Science, at the edge of False Creek
Two officers were looking for the suspect when gunfire broke out just outside the building
Construction workers near the scene report hearing up to 12 shots fired
An unmarked police car remained parked at the scene with its back window smashed out. What appeared to be a pool of blood could be seen behind the vehicle.
Dozens of people are trapped inside the science centre, a popular family attraction
A female officer is hurt. She was treated in hospital for a minor injury and released from hospital
The suspect is taken into custody, and police say they aren’t looking for anyone else
1:30 p.m. Vancouver police press conference
VPD Spokesperson Const. Brian Montague says hundreds of people witnessed the shootings
Police are inundated with videos and photos of the incident
Police ask witnesses to hold onto their photos and videos, police will want to see them all
Say it’s too early to know whether the event is targeted
Police say they will not release any information into the suspect or victim identities
The Independent Investigations Office takes over the probe into the officer-involved shooting

When Vancouver was awarded to host the transportation-themed 1986 World's Fair (Expo 86), a Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic dome was designed by Expo's chief architect Bruno Freschi to serve as the fair's Expo Centre. Construction began in 1984 and was completed by early 1985. After the World's Fair closed, this dome and its buildings became the Science World, now the Telus World of Science.

Two Washington Workplace Shootings In 2 Days

Vancouver, Washington State, is located across the river from Portland, Oregon. In two days, two workplace shootings have occurred.

The first shooting happened on Monday, February 3, 2014, when a paint company driver fatally shot a company manager and then killed himself at a Vancouver business park.

Police found the manager, Ryan E. Momeny, 45, lying dead in front of the Benjamin Moore Paint distribution center, authorities said. Robert R. Brown, 64, a company driver, was found inside a vehicle in the parking lot, dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Vancouver police said.

Then on Tuesday afternoon, February 4th, a 46-year-old woman was taken into custody after the shooting of a 45-year-old man. She also was injured.

Tuesday's shooting happened just before 4 p.m. at the Center for Community Health on the Department of Veterans Affairs campus, Neiman said.

A spokesman for the VA Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, said the man is a VA employee of the regional Veterans Integrated Service Network, a network of medical centers, vet centers and outpatient clinics. Spokesman Daniel Herrigstad described the man's injuries as "non-life-threatening."

Vancouver shares its name with the larger city of Vancouver located 305 miles (491 km) north in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Both cities were named in honor of sea captain George Vancouver, although the Canadian city was incorporated 29 years after the incorporation of Vancouver, Washington. This occurred more than 60 years after the name Vancouver was first used in reference to the historic Fort Vancouver trading post on the Columbia River. City officials have periodically suggested changing the U.S. city's name to Fort Vancouver, Vancouver USA, or even Old Vancouver to reduce confusion with its northern neighbor. Many Pacific Northwest residents distinguish between the two cities by referring to the Canadian city as "Vancouver, B.C." and the United States one as "Vancouver, Washington," or "Vancouver USA." Local nicknames include: "Vantucky" (though the nickname is often used as a derogatory term)" and "The 'Couv(e)". In 2013, the nickname "Vansterdam" surfaced as a result of the legalization of marijuana in the state of Washington. This name is a clear reference to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. (Source)

Statue at top: George Vancouver, found at King's Lynn, Norfolk, Great Britain. 

Statue directly above: George Vancouver, found at Vancouver, Washington, USA. Corner of 6th and Esther Steets, across from Esther Short Park.