Sunday, March 31, 2013


Illinois is the Land of Lincoln and the city of Springfield, Illinois has a lot of museums, historic landmarks, memorials, and other historic sites dedicated to the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, and the people that lived through the American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865.  Four years of terrible fighting that often tore apart families who disagreed on the subject of slavery claimed the lives of over one million people on the battle field and afterwards.  In the end, slavery was ended and the Union was kept together.  Abraham Lincoln was the last casuality when he was assassinated.  According to wikipedia:


For 4 years the United States had seperated into two countries, the Union and the Confederacy.  My own relative (great-great-grandfather) fought in the Civil War on the Union side.  He was from Wisconsin.

Today we have many revisionists trying to rewrite the cause of this war and claim that slavery was not an issue.  They call it  by other names such as the War of Northern Aggression or the War between Brothers.  In the end, the war per my research was over slavery. 

The war produced about 1,030,000 casualties (3% of the population), including about 620,000 soldier deaths—two-thirds by disease, and 50,000 civilians.[210] Binghamton University historian J. David Hacker believes the number of soldier deaths was approximately 750,000, 20% higher than traditionally estimated, and possibly as high as 850,000.[211][212] The war accounted for roughly as many American deaths as all American deaths in other U.S. wars combined.[213]
The causes of the war, the reasons for its outcome, and even the name of the war itself are subjects of lingering contention today. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in the North and 18% in the South.[214][215] About 56,000 soldiers died in prisons during the Civil War.[216] An estimated 60,000 men lost limbs in the war.[217]
Per some of my own research that is still ongoing, the number of slave owners was small compared to the population of the Confederacy.  This research is still ongoing.  What is interesting to me, is that there are those that are trying to hide this history just as they did the white slave history in the Colonies.  Because of this, I will continue to research this subject and present data as it is found.  For now, please enjoy the pictures from Springfield, Illinois:

Lincoln's Springfield Home

Lincoln Museum

Wax Replicas of the Lincolns and a guest
Inside the Lincoln Library
Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield
Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield
Camp Butler including over 1600 Civil War Dead (some were unknown soldiers)

Old State Capitol

Inside Old State Capitol

Inside Old State Capitol
Inside Old State Capitol
Abraham Lincoln's Law Office

Post Office inside Abraham Lincoln's Law Office
by Rita Jean Moran (


Saturday, March 30, 2013


I finally made it to Cahokia.  Cahokia is located in Collinsville, Illinois about an hour from Springfield, Illinois.  Cahokia is the largest prehistoric (before writing) site north of Mexico that had at least 120 mounds.  The state of Illinois takes care of Cahokia which includes 2200 acres of what remains, including 70 of the 80 remaining mounds.  The first settlements of Cahokia were around 700 AD.  From 800-1300 AD, the Mississippian culture created an advanced ranked society in Cahokia that included an estimated 20,000 people.  The city was ruled over by a chief who resided on Monk's mound.  A woodhenge was used to track the seasons nearby Monk's Mound. 

Monk's Mound is the largest prehistoric earthern construction in the Americas and its base covers more than 14 acres and its height reacheas 100 feet.  At the top of Monk's Mound, you can see the city of St. Louis, Missouri.


Cahokia was part of the Mississippian peoples' civiliation and was connected to Aztalan as I mentioned in previous articles.  The Mississippian culture seemed to take off around 800 AD and end around 1300 AD.  There are no known survivors of the people that lived in Cahokia just as in Aztalan.
Another important mound was Mound 72.  An important man was buried with shell beads underneath him placed in the shape of a falcon.  Dozens of sacrificed individuals were burried with him and the mound was positioned to track equinoxes and solstices.

The Birdman Cult was very important at Cahokia.  A tablet with a man having a large bird nose and a snake skin pattern on the back of it was found inside Monk's Mound.  It is known as the Birdman Tablet:

The falcon was a sacred bird and representative of Horus from Egypt.  The feathered serpent god was popular all through out MesoAmerica and South America.  There were other artifacts on display in the museum next to the site.  Some of the pottery had the same spiral design as was found in Aztalan (see my earlier articles on Aztalan).

Copper, granite, sandstone, and chert were used to make items and tools at Cahokia.
Markings using body paint were used to indicate status.  The man above is a model of an ancient Cahokian who has a celtic cross on his arm with crosses also on his arm and kilt.  I do not know for sure if this depiction is accurate and I will do more research to find out how the museum determined skin and hair color for their models.
I was so glad to be able to visit Cahokia.  It was a one of my goals for a long time.  I have noticed the similarity in mound and mud pyramid styles with all Mississippian peoples' sites.  They all had the same societal structure and had a mound or woodhenge to track the seasons of the planet.  Many of these ancient cities had wooden stockade fences built around their cities to protect themselves from outsiders who were not of high status or were warring enemies.  Many of them had a water source near or behind the largest pyramid/mound as well.  For any large city to work, they must have a steady supply of water, food, and fuel.  In those days, trees were cut down and burnt for cooking or heat.  Once the area was depleated of wood, the group had to move on.  It seems to me that the Mississippian culture lasted about 500 years.  They were all connected through the Mississippi River and trade and travel were done all along it from upper Wisconsin all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.  I have to wonder if the Mississippian culture was connected to the Mayans or Incans.  Perhaps we shall know for sure one day and perhaps we will connect them with Egypt as well.
When I was walking through the Twin Mounds on my way to Mound 72, I saw a tree that had a strange face made of bark on it (looks like one of the old inhabitants of Cahokia).  It caught my eye right away.  See if you can see it, in the picture below:
I will be looking at the the ancient southwestern people in future studies.  I hope you have enjoyed what I have presented in the blog for now.  Please read The Library Kids for more information and a journey back in time.
by Rita Jean Moran (

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Mystery Theater Radio


When I was a kid, I used to listen to a radio show called Mystery Theater Radio on a transistor radio at night.  It was a show that had weekly episodes about mysteries, hauntings, and other macab subjects.  There is now a site that lists the over 1300 radio shows that were made for Mystery Theater Radio.  Some of them can be scary, so kids ask your parents before you give them a listen.  Here is the link:

I've thought about creating a radio show for The Library Kids and more.  If you think this might be a good idea and you'd like to listen to something like that, please leave a comment.


Rita Jean Moran (


Friday, March 22, 2013

Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley was a famous American sharpshooter and exhibition sharpshooter.  Her real birthname was Phoebe Ann Moses.   She learned her shooting skills as a child from having to learn how to hunt to feed herself and her family.  As an adult, she had a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.  Guns are an old and consistant part of American culture and always will be.  To those that want to ban guns, get over it.   Respect for guns should be universally taught, as well as proper punishment for criminals who commit heinous crimes.  Guns are a tool, just like anything else.  Good morals should be taught to all Americans and the usage of guns to murder people should not be glorified in movies or music.

Annie began trapping at a young age, and shooting and hunting by age eight to support her siblings and her widowed mother. She sold the hunted game for money to locals in Greenville, as well as restaurants and hotels in southern Ohio. Her skill eventually paid off the mortgage on her mother's farm when Annie was 15.

Oakley continued to set records into her sixties, and she also engaged in extensive, albeit quiet, philanthropy for women's rights and other causes, including the support of specific young women that she knew. She embarked on a comeback and intended to star in a feature-length silent movie. In a 1922 shooting contest in Pinehurst, North Carolina, sixty-two-year-old Oakley hit 100 clay targets in a row from 16 yards (15 m).

by Rita Jean Moran (


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Real Blue Dragons

There is a real blue dragon, but it is small.  It is a sea slug called Glaucus atlanticus.  According to wikipedia:


Glaucus atlanticus (common names sea swallow, blue glaucus, blue dragon, blue sea slug and blue ocean slug)sea slug, a pelagic aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae. This is the only species in the genus Glaucus,[1] but is closely related to Glaucilla marginata, which sometimes is included in Glaucus.[2

The normal size of this species is up to about 3 cm, depending on the animal's age.[3] Iis silvery grey on its dorsal side and dark and pale blue ventrally. It has dark blue stripes on its face. It has a tapering body which is flattened and has six appendages which branch out into rayed cerata.[4] Its radula bears serrated teeth on their blades.[5]

Glaucus atlanticus and its close relative, Glaucilla marginata, live in close association with what Sir Alistair Hardy described many years ago as "The Blue Fleet" - the siphonophores such as Physalia physalis, Velella velella, Porpita porpita and the other associated animals including the "violet snails" of the genus Janthina. All these animals float on the surface of the ocean being carried by the currents and the winds. Most of us are only aware of their existence when days of onshore winds blow great fleets of them on to the beaches, causing pain and angst for swimmers.



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Werewolves and Vampires

It is clear that the myths of werewolves and vampires are very popular today.  But these types of beings and their stories are very ancient.  It is said that the same virus is responsible for both conditions.  One is a blood drinker and the other is a flesh and blood eater.  Both prey on humans and can infect other humans with their disorder.  To me these stories may refer to the stories of cannibals from the past.  The stories of these creatures may also refer to the story of Osiris and Set.  Osiris was the living dead god, just like a vampire and Set was a murderer who tore up Osiris' body into 13 parts, just like what a werewolf would do. Perhaps once again, there is truth in these ancient stories, but one has to decode it first.  There are also genetic disorders that cause some peole to look like a werewolf and some to have high sensitivity to the sun like a vampire.


by Rita Jean Moran (


The Mes and The Ica Stones

In ancient Sumerian mythology, there was a set of objects called the Mes.  These objects contained great amounts of knowledge.  The person in possession of them could build a civilization with the knowledge contained in these objects.  They sound like a library contained within an object.  It was written that the Sumerian God Enki was in possession of these Mes.  He received them from Enlil who took them from the ruler known as Kingu after killing him.  An object of great power was taken from Kingu as well.  It was some sort of necklace that gave great power to the one that wore it.  It was also written that Inanna was able to trick Enki into giving her some of the Mes which allowed her to build a great civilization.  It is my opinion that these Mes were part of some sort of Crystal Library and that they may be connected to the crystal skulls. 


According to wikipedia:


The Ica stones are stones carved with images of people, events, maps, and more found in Peru.  Some believe these stones are a library from the past, others feel they are fake.  One of the stones has a map that includes the island of Atlantis on it.  Others include images of dinosaurs and humans together.


It is my opinion that these stones are authentic.

by Rita Jean Moran (


Famous Inventors and Scientists

Thomas Edison is credited with over 1000 inventions including the electric light bulb, the motion picture projector, the phonograph, a car battery for electric cars, talking dolls, and improvements to telegraph equipment.  He was thought of as not very bright by his teachers and his mother took him out of school so that he could be home schooled.  Thomas Edison had a chemistry lab in his basement and continued to learn and invent till the end of his life.


Rosalind Franklin was a scientist who studied the structure of DNA.  She actually photographed DNA and her work was used to determine the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick.  Unfortunately, she never received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work because she died of cancer before she received recognition.

Carl Linnaeus created Binomial Nomenclature which is a system used to classify living organisms in nature. His system is still in use today.

Jonas Salk invented a vaccine that prevented Polio. 

Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization to eliminate dangerous bacteria in our food supply that caused death and serious illnesses.


Madam Curie discovered Polonium and Radium.  She was a pioneer in studying rare elements.

There are hundreds of thousands of inventors/scientists that have improved our life through science.  These are but a few.

by Rita Jean Moran (


Sunday, March 10, 2013

Asian Black Bears - Moon Bear and Sun Bear

The Asian black bear is known as the Moon bear due to the white patch of fur on its chest that is in the shape of the moon.  The bears natual habitat is in North Korea, China, parts of Russia, and parts of the Himalayas.
Unfortunately, the Moon bear has been hunted down for centuries for folklore medicinal purposes and meat and is now a vulnerable species.  Mostly herbivorous, this black bear has been known to attack humans; however, that is probably due to the hunting of their species by humans.
Moon bears are related to sloth bears and sun bears.
This bear lives in southeast Asia and is known for its taste for honey.  It is also classified as vulnerable, due to deforestation. 
by Rita Jean Moran (

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Greek/Roman Gods and Goddesses

Demeter/ Ceres










Athena/Minerva and Amphritrite

Hermes/Mercury and Maia




by Rita Jean Moran (