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News & Submissions 1/3/2012

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Headlines:

DC Pagan Community Center Launch (Source: FireFlyAcadamy)

Environment:

Moss Has Cloned Itself for 50,000 Years, Study Says
A moss spreading throughout the Hawaiian Islands (map) appears to be an ancient clone that has copied itself for some 50,000 years—and may be one of the oldest multicellular organisms on Earth, a new study suggests.

The peat moss Sphagnum palustre is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but the moss living in Hawaii appears to reproduce only through cloning, without the need for sex or production of spores. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com

News:

ACLU sues library for blocking Wiccan websites
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Eastern Missouri sued a local public library on Tuesday for allegedly blocking websites related to Wicca, a modern pagan religion.

Anaka Hunter of Salem, Mo., said she tried to access websites about Wicca, Native American religions and astrology for her own research, but the library’s filtering software blocked the sites.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Eastern Missouri sued a local public library on Tuesday for allegedly blocking websites related to Wicca, a modern pagan religion.

According to the ACLU, the software labeled the sites as “occult” and “criminal.”  Read full story from thehill.com

Happy Gay Year
In a piece of shameless propaganda, two female sailors were photographed kissing on a dock in front of a U.S. Navy Ship. The headlines read, “Two women share historic kiss at US Navy ship’s return. For the first time since the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ a same sex couple takes part in a traditional public embrace. A Navy tradition caught up with the repeal of the US military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule on Wednesday when two women sailors became the first to share the coveted ‘first kiss’ on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.”

Having served eight years in the Navy myself, I immediately asked: what Navy tradition is that? The Navy I served in never did any such thing.

American servicemen and women are not just being asked to tolerate this behavior, but are being subjected to “sensitivity training” where they are required to embrace homosexuality or abandon their careers. Meanwhile, homosexuals, transsexuals, and other perverts are being recruited in an effort to drive Christians from service. This abomination has been extended to the rest of government with executive order #13583, directing that homosexuals be given preference for government jobs and contracts. Read full story from rigthsidenews.com

Paranormal:

Reports of “strange lights” & “UFOs” flood in as 2012 hysteria arrives
On a daily basis WeatherWatch.co.nz receives around a handful of eyewitness reports of meteors and other lights in the sky, from nations all over the world.  Some busy days we might get 10 eyewitness reports.  However in the past 24 hours we’ve had almost 80 reports and they are still flooding in at about 10 an hour.

From New Zealand’s Otago Peninsula, to Cape Town, Venezuela to the UK, Australia to North America those ringing in the New Year have seen flashing lights, “floating orbs” and “UFOS”.

WeatherWatch.co.nz weather analyst Philip Duncan puts the dramatic increase in sightings down to a few things.  “Many people around the world have been outside celebrating the New Year.  In the US, where most of the sightings came from, conditions were fairly mild and dry in many areas – so more people were outside to see things.  Finally, it’s 2012, the year the world is supposed to end according to the Mayans and it seems many are already worrying “.Read full story from WeatherWatch.co.nz

Science:

Twin Moon Probes Start New Year by Entering Lunar Orbit
A pair of NASA spacecraft are ringing in the new year in grand style, with both now successfully circling the moon after journeying through space for more than three months.

The Grail-B probe entered lunar orbit today (Jan. 1) after firing its main engine at 5:05 p.m. EST (2205 GMT) in a 40-minute-long orbital-insertion burn, NASA officials said. It joins its twin spacecraft, Grail-A, which arrived at the moon yesterday evening (Dec. 31) after completing a similar maneuver.

The two probes are on a mission to study Earth’s nearest neighbor from crust to core. After gradually circling down to super-low orbits, the pair will zip around the moon in tandem, working together to map the lunar gravity field in unprecedented detail, researchers said. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 12/8/2011

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Retrospective: BBC’s ‘A Ghost Story For Christmas’
Britain’s adoption of Halloween as a season for all things ghoulish is a relatively recent phenomena, gathering momentum by minute gradations, but still is somewhat fleeting compared to the glorious renditions accorded to that season by our friends in the U. S. of A. This has little to do with any discontent at larkish shenanigans generally, nor prudishness at a festival so rooted in things Pagan, naught a scintilla with disinterest in all things macabrely malignant. It has simply to do with the fact that for Brits, Christmas – with its long, dark nights – has long been established as the time for fear and it’s been that way multos annos. In terms of what we would today consider popular culture, the man most directly responsible for this unlikely paradigm is a chap known in his own lifetime, affectionately, as ‘Boz’. Mr. Charles Dickens, like many a Victorian, was obsessed with the supernatural. As editor of ‘All the Year Round’, one of Victoriana’s most popular ’zines, he published not only his own unheimlich offerings, but a plethora of others by some of the best in the genre. The most important of these, by far, was Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. But the techniques Le Fanu pioneered – the slow escalation of narrative, the meticulous use of suggestion, the excessive under-statement, the well-used psychological underpinnings, the almost obsessive use of folklore would prove far less important in his own lifetime than they were to become to his most renowned protégé – M.R. James, who always placed Le Fanu “absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories”. Read full story from brutalashell.com

Astrology:

Saturday’s Lunar Eclipse Will Include ‘Impossible’ Sight
This year’s second total lunar eclipse on Saturday (Dec. 10) will offer a rare chance to see a strange celestial sight traditionally thought impossible.

Ringside seats for the lunar eclipse can be found in Alaska, Hawaii, northwestern Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and central and eastern Asia. Over the contiguous United States and Canada, the eastern zones will see either only the initial penumbral stages before moonset, or nothing at all.

Over the central regions of the United States, the moon will set as it becomes progressively immersed in the Earth’s umbral shadow. The Rocky Mountain states and the prairie provinces will see the moon set in total eclipse, while out west the moon will start to emerge from the shadow as it sets. Read full story from space.com

News:

‘Witch’s cottage’ unearthed near Pendle Hill, Lancashire
Engineers have said they were “stunned” to unearth a 17th Century cottage, complete with a cat skeleton, during a construction project in Lancashire.

The cottage was discovered near Lower Black Moss reservoir in the village of Barley, in the shadow of Pendle Hill.

Archaeologists brought in by United Utilities to survey the area found the building under a grass mound.

Historians are now speculating that the well-preserved cottage could have belonged to one of the Pendle witches. Read full story from bbc.co.uk

Religion:

Psychology lecturer is also a practicing Wiccan
Laura Wildman-Hanlon, a practicing Wiccan, is not your Hollywood witch. She doesn’t wear a pointed hat or have green skin, and she certainly doesn’t turn men into frogs. This she says, is not at all what real Wicca and witchcraft are about.

“Wicca is a modern form of witchcraft,” said Wildman-Hanlon, office manager for the psychology department at the University of Massachusetts. “It’s more of a religious component. It is earth-based spirituality that acknowledges the divine in many forms.” Read full story from dailycollegian.com

Black, atheist and living in the South
(CNN) – Benjamin Burchall first realized how different his experience in the South was going to be while looking for something to watch on television on a Sunday night.

“I couldn’t find anything on television but religious programming,” says Burchall, 38, a former Christian minister and agricultural consultant who moved from Long Beach, California, to Atlanta for work, “And I thought, ‘Oh my God, where am I? Is this all that is on television here?’”

And he quickly found other differences from West Coast living.

“I was not used to meeting someone for the first time and having their first question be ‘what church do you go to?’”

Burchall’s proud response to such queries was, “None.” He is part of an increasingly visible minority – black atheists living in the Bible Belt. Read full story from cnn.com

Camp Pendleton Cross Does Not Honor Non-Christian Fallen Marines
The United States military is highly diverse. According to a 2010 analysis, many different Christian denominations are represented in the ranks, but some personnel are Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan or followers of other traditions. One survey found that as many as 25 percent cited no religious preference at all.

Thus, when a group of marines at Camp Pendleton erected a large cross on their California base as an unofficial memorial to soldiers wounded or killed in combat, they left out a lot of their comrades. A cross may honor Christian service personnel who died, but it doesn’t include those of other faiths and those who follow no spiritual path at all. Read full story from opposingviews.com

Study: Some atheists with children attend with religious services
Washington (CNN) – Nearly one in five atheist scientists with children involve their families with religious institutions, even if they personally do not agree with the institutions teachings, a recent study says.

The study, conducted by Rice University and the University at Buffalo, found that these scientists affiliate with churches for both social and personal reasons. Additionally, the scientists indicated a strong desire to prepare their children to make educated decisions about their personal religious preference. Read full story from cnn.com

Blogspot:

  • Pagan Culture – Witchy Books Reading Challenge 2012
  • Patti Wigington – Yule Countdown: Customs Around the World
  • The Wild Hunt – Oberon Zell and Kenny Klein Cut Ties With Revived American Council of Witches

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 10/18/2011

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Interview:

Interview with Author Dorothy Morrison
Dorothy Morrison is the author of a number of books on Wicca and Paganism, including the brand new Utterly Wicked. Dorothy was able to take some time out from her busy tour schedules to answer a few questions for About.com.

Health:

Accepting death is difficult for patients and doctors, but it needs to be done
My 64-year-old patient with terminal cancer and less than six months to live wanted to go to Oregon. He was contemplating assisted suicide, which is legal there. “My life has been long and good,” he said. “I believe it is my right. I want the ability to say it’s too much, I can’t do it anymore. A person should have a dignified quality of life.”

Another one of my patients, an 84-year-old woman from a nursing home, had heart failure, lung failure and kidney failure. She lay in her bed on a ventilator and on a dialysis machine with little hope for survival.“We want everything done,” her daughter insisted. “It’s in God’s hands, and God can do miracles.” For weeks we continued aggressive and ultimately futile efforts to keep her alive. Read full story from washingtonpost.com

News:

GOP presidential hopeful courts pagans
Gary Johnson’s unorthodox campaign for the Republican presidential nomination continued Sunday, when he spoke at a Google+ town hall conducted by representatives of various pagan media outlets.

The former New Mexico governor spoke with members of the Pagan Newswire Collective, ModernWitch Podcast and Patheos.com, among others. He said it was important to reach out to voters that fall outside the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, and slammed his own party for being too beholden to the Christian right. Read full story from thehill.com

Religion:

Pastor defends teacher accused of anti-gay rant
UNION, N.J. — The pastor of a high school teacher who has been vilified for an anti-gay tirade on Facebook came to the woman’s defense, calling her a “very loving person” who should not be fired for expressing her religious beliefs.

The Rev. Milton B. Hobbs, pastor of New Covenant Fellowship in Clark, N.J., said special education teacher Viki Knox is not homophobic and that her comments, when taken in the context of the Bible, were not false.

Knox, 49, an ordained minister at the church and a faculty adviser for a student Bible study group, wrote on her Facebook page that homosexuality was a “perverted spirit” and a “sin” that “breeds like cancer.” Read full story from washingtonpost.com

Shamanism: Religion next door to medicine
Shamanism is the national religion in many regions of the Earth, including Yakutia. The ancient belief has survived the Soviet persecution of religion. During those atheist years the Yakut shamans were hiding their abilities. The remaining oyuuns, as they were called by the local population, and Udege (female shamans) soon found a loophole. With a talent for medicine, they found work as medical staff and veterinarians. Hiding under the guise of the Soviet medicine, Yakut shamans secretly conducted their magical rituals. Read full story from pravda.ru

Samhain:

Halloween: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
“As far as history goes, it’s supposed to be the eve of All Saints Day,” Thad says. “I think they’re supposed to drive evil spirits away. That’s when they believed all that stuff. We just like to see the little kids dressed up.”

While many people view the Oct. 31 celebration as harmless fun, others express concerned about its origin.

The Encyclopedia Americana says, “Elements of the customs connected with Halloween can be traced to a Druid ceremony in pre-Christian times. The Celts had festivals for two major gods — a sun god (called Lug) and a god of the dead, called Samhain, whose festival was held on Nov. 1, the beginning of the Celtic New Year.” Read full story from clevelandbanner.com

Media:

Who does God want in the White House? (Source: CNN)

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 10/4/2011

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Harry Potter tour hopes to cast spell on UK Muggles
As all good students of the Harry Potter saga know well, Muggles are not usually allowed at Hogwarts school of witchcraft of wizardry. However, a new exhibition will soon give those not gifted with magical powers the chance to see some of the famous Potter film sets, such as the Great Hall and Dumbledore’s office, for themselves. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

The enchantments of witch fiction
Being a witch or wizard in the Potterverse, or in many other magical landscapes, is an exciting and desirable state – special, talented, glamorously outside the norm.  But there are also contexts in children’s literature, particularly in historical fiction, fantasy or the bleed-space between genres, in which a little magic – or just the suspicion of it – is a dangerous thing.  To be accused of witchcraft, whether truthfully, maliciously or both, may cause characters to be shunned or tormented by their communities, interrogated by frightening figures of authority, or even put to death if their luck runs finally out. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Environment:

30 Million Plastic Bags Collected by School Kids to Save a Species
They’re like little troll dolls with tails. These super cute and super tiny animals are Cotton-Top Tamarins, found only in Columbia, and they’re about to disappear from the wild. But clever strategies for saving the forest in which they live have been devised by Proyecto Tití, from collecting plastic bags polluting the forest and turning them into marketable products to finding new sources of cooking fuel that spares trees. Read full story from treehugger.com

News:

‘Witch’ hunt continues in Rajasthan
Bhilwara (Rajasthan): A 60-year-old woman in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara says she was branded a witch, tortured and banished from her village, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place in Fuliakhurd village in Bhilwara district, some 250 km from state capital Jaipur, and a case has been registered against four villagers. Police say an inquiry has been ordered.

“A group of people broke open the door of my house on Monday and started beating me. They held me by my hair and dragged me, saying I was a ‘dayan’ (witch). Then they ordered me to leave the village immediately,” the woman said in her complaint.

“They ostracised her and claimed that she was a ‘dayan’ (witch) and possessed an evil spirit,” a senior police officer said. Read full story from india.com

Religion:

Strange YouTube video claims Irish college hosts Satanic church – VIDEO
Here’s a strange one to start the week with.

According to Irish third level website StudentNews.ie, University College Cork — better known for recently accumulating such accolades as a five star quality rating from QS, and the Sunday Times Irish University of the Year — is in fact also playing host to a satanic religious institution on its main campus.

The Honan Chapel, known to students as the on-campus chapel, and also a popular wedding venue for those a little past their college-going years, boasts eerie satantic imagery according to this video from YouTube. Read full story from irishcentral.com

Attacks on Buddhists in Southern Region of Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand (CHAKRA)—In the southern region of the Narathiwat province, three consecutive bomb explosions killed four Malaysians as well as a Thai volunteer that was working in a tourist area. Concern has risen for the area, especially because officials believe that the targets of such blasts are foreign tourists. The specific targets of the blasts were a hotel and a Chinese-Thai cultural center, which were both partly damaged. These spoils have reminded the government of the ethnic minority problems that exist in the south. Read full story from chakranews.com

Samhain:

Samhain — Nature’s Holy Day for Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder
In the Northern Hemisphere, neopagans celebrate Samhain as the last harvest, the point at which the day has shortened and winter is setting in. Some modern pagans consider it the “witch’s new year,” though in other traditions, Samhain marked only the end of the year. The beginning of the year, the “new year,” came with the promise of light’s return at Yule, several weeks later. The span between the two stellar points was considered untime — a sacred experience outside our usual observation of time and space. Thus, an understanding of cyclic “Dead Time,” or “Dark Time,” entered our consciousness. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

Media:

Dalai Lama scraps trip to South Africa; Tutu lashes out (Source: CNN)

Blogspot:

  • Capital Witch – Starhawk and Pagan Cluster to Occupy Freedom Plaza
  • Daughters of Eve – Lost in Translation… or maybe not
  • Patheos – Don’t Worry, Wicca Isn’t A Real Religion (A Rant)
  • The Wild Hunt – Virginia Court Says Divination Not A Religious Practice

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 9/29/2011

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

The Biggest Logic Fails in The Vampire Diaries Season 3, Episode 2: “The Hybrid”
The Vampire Diaries is a show where witches can bring back people from the dead, vampires kiss humans instead of ripping their throats out, and werewolves have silky smooth chests when they haven’t transformed. And we accept all of this without the blink of the eye. Yet it’s the little things that make us scoff and say, “that would never happen.” Check out the biggest logic fails from Season 3, Episode 2, “The Hybrid.” Read full story from wetpaint.com

More Creepy Footage from 1988 in Second ‘Paranormal Activity 3′ Clip
Earlier this morning we told you about a VHS cassette and player that arrived at our house that featured the first ever clip from Paramount Pictures’ Paranormal Activity 3, which arrives in theaters October 21. Another cassette has turned up and features more creepy footage, this time from September 3 of 1988. Check it out inside. Read full story from bloody-disgusting.com

News:

Woman walks naked to reunite with lover, rescued
CHENNAI: A 25-year-old woman, spotted walking naked to a temple in the Chennai suburb of Pallavaram on Tuesday night in a reported bid to reunite with her lover, was handed over to her parents on Wednesday.

Renuga (name changed) had come from Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district to fulfill the ‘vow’ on the advice of a woman practitioner of witchcraft, the police said. Read full story from indiatime.com

Teenager died from ‘suffocation’ in exorcism
A teenage girl thought by her father to have been possessed by an ‘evil spirit’ died from suffocation during an exorcism, it has been reported.

Tomomi Maishigi’s father and a monk performed a ‘waterfall service’ on the 13-year-old where she was allegedly bound to a chair by a belt and placed face-up underneath a water pump for five minutes at a Buddhist church in Kumamoto, south Japan. Read full story from yahoo.com

Paranormal:

Paranormal group scares up spooky tours in East Bridgewater
EAST BRIDGEWATER —Take a healthy dose of local history, add some props and costumed characters, throw in dark nights and a visit to Central Cemetery – and you have the makings for a spooky evening on the Historic Ghost Tour of East Bridgewater Village.

For the fourth year, the Massachusetts Area Paranormal Society will be hosting the ghost tours on Friday and Saturday nights, starting Friday and lasting through Nov. 5.

“It’s historic, it’s educational, it’s exercise, it’s scary, it’s just a real fun-filled night, ” said Lorrie Parker, tour organizer. Read full story from enterprisenews.com

Religion:

New Archaeological Find Discovered: Holy Trinity “Lie” Uncovered
An unprecedented new discovery—which some predict will “devastate” Christianity in the years to come—seems to show that the “Holy Trinity” of “God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is nothing more than a pale echo of an ancient and very powerful “Three-in-One” religion once common throughout Europe.

Richard Cassaro’s controversial new book, “Written in Stone: Decoding the Secret Masonic Religion Hidden in Gothic Cathedrals and World Architecture,” exposes the Christian religion as a Potemkin village of watered-down paganism by exposing what he calls the “Great Lie of the Trinity” that suppressed the spiritual traditions of ancient Europe and covered up important spiritual practices and principles that had been the guiding light of man for thousands of years. Read full story from prweb.com

Samhain:

Sláinte! Feile Na Marbh
That which we know as All Hallows Eve actually began as a harvest festival several millennia ago in Ireland. Though the evening’s popular colors are black and orange, they might as well be Forty Shades of Green, for the customs of the celebration are Irish as the shamrock.

The ancient Celtic year was divided by the four seasons and reckoned by a lunar calendar. The full moon that rose midway between the Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice was called Samhain. It was the most scary and sacred time of all. Read full story from irishcentral.com

Media:

Saudi woman driver to be lashed (Source: YouTube – AlJazeeraEnglish)

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 8/30/2011

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

New Creepier ‘Apollo 18′ Trailer (Source: Screen Junkies)

Events:

Discover Cherokee Nation at 59th Holiday
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The 59th Cherokee National Holiday, Sept. 2–4 in Tahlequah, Okla., offers visitors a chance to enjoy activities that are sure to please the entire family. Events such as the powwow and the downtown parade are perennial favorites. But there are other enticing events Holiday guests may not be as familiar with waiting to be discovered. Come learn a few phrases in the Cherokee language or take a tour of some of Oklahoma’s most historic structures. Or just kick back, relax and listen to some favorite sounds.

Eclectic Burning Man festival celebrates 25th anniversary
SANTA FE, New Mexico — Starting on Monday tens of thousands of people will descend on a great expanse of Nevada desert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Burning Man, a gathering of free spirits, artists, entrepreneurs — and anyone else who managed to get a ticket.

News:

Psychic uses court as medium to fight Alexandria’s ban on fortunetelling
Rachel Adams wants to use the talent she believes she was born to share.

Adams, a mother of two who recently moved to Alexandria with her husband, has opened a fortunetelling business on Jackson Street Extension, Readings by Faith, where she hopes to use her psychic, fortunetelling and Tarot card-reading abilities.

There’s just one problem. Fortunetelling is forbidden in the city’s code of ordinances. Read full story from thetowntalk.com

Witch Hunting in Assam – Capital of Black magic to national shame
The history of witch hunting dates back to several hundred years. During the period of 14th to 17th century, persecution of witches had led to the torture and murder of thousands of innocent women and men, even children. Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) was burned alive at the stake for heresy at the age of 19 on May 30, 1431. It was believed that she was called to save France from England by supernatural voices when she was just 16. Her victories were legendary, but eventually she was captured and executed. That was history, but the sad part is that such practices still prevail in the world, – in different names, customs and beliefs. Whether it is Joan of Arc from history chapters or Hermione from a Hollywood blockbuster series Harry Potter, people still secretly believe in such practices,- some call it Voodoo, some call it witchcraft and some calls it Black magic. Read full story from timesofassam.com

Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs Has Pneumonia, Is Not In Coma
Jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is suffering from pneumonia and is not in a medically-induced coma, as has been widely reported, a source familiar with Jeffs’ condition tells NPR.

According to the source, the 55-year-old leader of the nation’s largest polygamist group was sedated, pharmacologically paralyzed and placed on a ventilator as part of his treatment for pneumonia. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity due to federal medical privacy laws that do not permit disclosure of medical treatment without permission of the patient or family. Read full story from npr.org

In Libya: ‘Biggest Fear’ Is Gadhafi Disappearing, Continuing To Fight
The news that ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s wife and three of his children have fled to Algeria underscores “the biggest fear” for many Libyans, NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports from Tripoli — that Gadhafi will elude capture and that his forces will continue to battle for weeks, months or perhaps years. Read full story from npr.org

Religion:

Christian wants atheist registry
Florida pastor, Michael Stahl has suggested that an organization and website be created that would keep track of known atheists. The website would list by city and state all atheists with their photos and some personal information such as place of business. It would not include a physical address which seems to contradict one of the main purposes of the site.

Pastor Mike compares atheists to “convicted sex offenders , ex-convicts , terrorist cells , hate groups like the KKK , skinheads , radical Islamists , etc..”  He claims that the purpose of this organization/website called, “The Christian National Registry of Atheists” is to inform the public of known atheists so that they can be proselytize to and their businesses can be boycotted. Read full story from examiner.com

Muslim festival brings rare joy for some this year, but not all cheer
(CNN) — For Christians, the wild celebrations of Mardi Gras come before the solemnity of Lent, a last chance to celebrate before the abstinence marking the 40 days to Good Friday and Easter.

Muslims do it the other way around. First comes the month of daytime fasting during Ramadan, then the eruption of joy called Eid al-Fitr, marked with gift-giving, new clothes, donations to the poor, feasting and festivities.

But as the sighting of a crescent moon officially marked the beginning of Eid on Tuesday, feelings are decidedly mixed for many Muslims. Read full story  from cnn.com

Media:

TRENDING: Bachmann points to ‘great sense of humor’ after God joke (Source: CNN)
(CNN) – Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann defended her recent comments about natural disasters in Washington, D.C. serving as messages from God, saying she was joking.

Texas pastor opens drive-in church (Source: CNN)

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 8/16/2011

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Real witches cry foul at portrayal on “True Blood”
(Reuters) – Critics of bloody violence and excessive sex on TV have long had HBO’s vampire drama “True Blood” in their cross hairs, but now the popular series has another group of wary citizens — witches, real ones.

The series’ fourth season has focused on Marnie Stonebrook (Fiona Shaw), a seemingly harmless medium and leader of a Wiccan group who becomes the physical conduit for Antonia, a long dead witch who is hellbent on vengeance against vampires who persecuted and burned her at the stake.

Marnie winds up as the mouthpiece for Antonia’s spell to drive the bloodsuckers of fictional “True Blood” town Bon Temps into the daylight. And that sort of deadly revenge, say some modern-day witches, is what gives witchcraft a bad name. Read full story from reuters.com

Native American:

State of Sequoyah Conference To Address Native American Issues
The State of Sequoyah Conference—scheduled for September 1 and 2—will address a number of Native American issues including economic development, history, contemporary studies, as well as warriors and war.

Speakers for September 1 include Cherokee Nation Tribal Councillors Julia Coates and Cara Cowan Watts; Wyman Kirk, who is with Northeastern State University’s (NSU) Language Program; Courtney Lewis, a Cherokee graduate student studying anthropology; Julie Reed, of the University of North Carolina; and Sonia Genslar, author of The Revenant, which is a young adult novel set in the 1890s at the Cherokee Female Seminary. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

Court Preserves Indian Health Care Law
WASHINGTON – The permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is safe for now. That’s according to a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit handed down on August 12, which found that some parts of the overall Obama administration healthcare plan are unconstitutional—but not the Indian health law.

The permanent reauthorization of the IHCIA was signed into law in 2010 as part of the larger healthcare reform bill pushed by the Obama administration. Given the controversies involved with some parts of that legislation, especially the so-called “individual mandate” to require Americans to buy health insurance, some Indian advocates felt it would have been safer to have IHCIA pass as a standalone bill. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

News:

Woman admits role in toddler’s ‘exorcism’ death
A Fort Wayne woman Monday morning admitted she took part in an “exorcism” act that led to a toddler’s death.

Natasha N. Hawkins, 31, pleaded guilty to a Class A felony battery charge in the death of 2-year-old Jezaih King. In June, a jury found Jezaih’s mother, Latisha Lawson, guilty of murder. Read full story from journalgazette.net

Ontario city mystified by whole lotta shakin’ underground
WINDSOR — For months, residents of south and west Windsor have been wondering and worrying about vibrations of unknown origin.

And now, those mysterious rumblings under the city have found a new believer — the city’s Ward 10 Coun. Al Maghnieh, who says it’s time to start taking the phenomenon seriously.

“It’s very present and real,” he said.

Maghnieh added that those who think the phenomenon is a joke or that its proponents are “crazy” need to grasp the implications in terms of health and the environment. Read full story from montrealgazette.com

Media:

“Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief” special, “Psychic Power,” airing on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 10 p.m./9c on ABC.

Spirit of Albion Movie Production Diary – Day Six

Blogspot:

  • io9 – When did magic become elitist?
  • Ghost Theory – Mexican Media Promotes “Real Life Fairy”
  • PaganDad – Feminine Archetypes – Crone
  • The Wild Hunt – Pagan Community Notes: Vivianne Crowley, Odroerir Journal, Sacred Harvest Festival, and more!

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News & Submissions 8/11/2011

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Tattoos Come Alive in Canadian Indie Horror ‘Comforting Skin’ (VIDEO)
There have been a small handful of films made over the years about tattoos taking on a life of their own. I’ve always found these films to be conceptually interesting, since tattoos often carry deep meaning to the bearer, ones that are often tied to a persons sense of identity, but Comforting Skin appears to be the first film to execute on the idea solidly. Read full story from brutalashell.com

Holistic Health:

Traditional African Medicine: Herbalism, Spirituality and Treating HIV/AIDS
Throughout Africa, there are more traditional healers than trained medical practitioners, according to the book Healing Traditions: African Medicine, Cultural Exchange, and Competition in South Africa, 1820-1948. The traditional healers promote traditional African medicine, a form of holistic health that combines spiritual beliefs and herbalism to treat patients. Because traditional healers are so well-respected and trusted by their communities, many practitioners and followers of westernized medicine believe the healers can play an important role in treating deadly epidemics such as HIV/AIDS among Africans. Read full story from empowher.com

News:

1,000 alleged witches arrested, drugged
DAKAR, Senegal — Authorities in Gambia have rounded up about 1,000 people and forced them to drink hallucinogens in a witch-hunting campaign that is terrorizing the tiny West African nation, an international rights group said Wednesday.

Amnesty International called on the government of President Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup and has claimed he can cure AIDS, to halt the campaign and bring those responsible to justice.

Gambian officials could not immediately be reached for comment and the government has issued no statements in reaction to the report.

Authorities began inviting “witch doctors,” who combat witches, to come from nearby Guinea soon after the death earlier this year of the president’s aunt. Jammeh “reportedly believes that witchcraft was used in her death,” the London-based rights group said. Read full story from msnbc.com

Photography:

Multicolored Auroras Sparked by Double Sun Blast
An auroral “flame” flickers over Tibbitt Lake in Canada’s Northwest Territories early on August 7. Throughout last weekend, auroras shimmered above northern countries as Earth’s atmosphere was hit by its strongest geomagnetic storm in years. See photos at nationalgeographic.com

Media:

The Moon Up Close, in HD
For the past two years, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been orbiting the Moon, gathering data that will help astronauts prepare for long-duration expeditions to the lunar surface, and eventually push further into the “infinite frontier of space.” (Read more about the big picture plan here.)

Fox News: Cancer Patient ‘Cured By God’s Voice’ (Source: YouTube – AtheistMediaBlog)

Making The Shining
In 1980, Stanley Kubrick shot The Shining, the classic horror film based on Stephen King’s novel. During production, the director allowed his daughter Vivian, then 17 years old, to shoot a documentary called Making The Shining, which lets you spend 33 minutes being a fly on the wall. Read full story from openculture.com

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 8/9/2011

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

O’Death: “Bugs” Challenges Nick Cave For Most Disturbing Video
And loses, but keep in mind that Nick Cave, whose latest incarnation Grinderman is responsible for “Heathen Child”, has never really said for certain whether or not he is in fact a demon toying with our souls until he consumes them. So no, O’Death doesn’t beat the creepiest man in rock and roll with their music video for “Bugs,” but that doesn’t mean theirs doesn’t haunt your nightmares afterwards.

Our discovery of O’Death is part of an ongoing exchange program that Rocks Off utilizes with Mick Cullen of Subterranean Radio (live via Intertubes every Thursday from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. courtesy of WRLR FM in Round Rock, Ill.). We gave him Alyssa Rubich and the Folk Family Revival; he gave us Erland and the Carnival and O’Death. Read full story from houstenpress.com

Ten worst film remakes
Lionsgate Studios have announced they are working on a remake of 1980s classic Dirty Dancing. Here are some Hollywood remakes that failed to impress the critics: Read full story from telegraph.co.uk

Native American:

Droughts, water scarcity, fires, flooding, snowstorms are especially harsh for American Indians and Alaska Natives
North American Indian Tribes are especially harmed by climate change, as more ecological shifts and more frequent, more extreme weather events occur, a new study concludes. Because Tribes are heavily dependent on natural resources, severe weather events like droughts, floods, wildfires, and snowstorms make tribal communities particularly vulnerable and impact American Indians and Alaska Natives more than they impact the general population.

“Extreme weather events can be very destructive for Tribes, many of whom are already suffering from lack of resources to begin with,” said Dr. Amanda Staudt, scientist, National Wildlife Federation. “Heat waves and droughts can exacerbate plant and wildlife mortality, heighten the risk of wildfires and habitat loss, and compromise tribal lands.” Read full story from nwf.org

News:

London riots attract international coverage
The London riots made front pages across the world – in Europe, the United States, Asia and Australasia.

The images of blazing buildings in Tottenham and elsewhere around the capital appeared in scores of newspapers.

For once, the phrase wall-to-wall coverage was justified. It was the surprise international story for almost every major paper in capitals around the globe.

The New York Times carried a front page picture under the headline, “Riots continue to rattle Britain in worst unrest in two decades”. And its website updated the story, “Rioting widens in London and spreads elsewhere”.

The Washington Post ran a single column top on page 1, “London unrest escalates, spreads” turning to a full page inside. Its website ran an online gallery of pictures. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Religion:

Army agrees to host concert for atheists on N.C. base
(RNS) A group of military atheists have won the backing of U.S. Army officials to hold a “Rock Beyond Belief” concert for nonbelievers at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg next year.

The victory came after several church-state separation watchdog groups complained last month to the Secretary of the Army that a Christian-themed concert held at the fort last September gave “selective benefits” to religious groups.

That concert, staged by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, received more than $50,000 in financial support from the base, according to records obtained by local atheists through the Freedom of Information Act. The nonreligious concert will receive the same funds and will be held at a similar venue at the base. Read full story from christiancentury.org

Buddhist wonks? No, Buddhist Geeks
Vincent Horn opened his eyes after a moment of meditation, scanned the room and smiled. About 150 other people were emerging from their own states of dead-silent, self-induced tranquillity. They shuffled a bit in their seats.

“Hello, Buddhist geeks!” Horn said from his perch onstage. “This is the most geeks I’ve seen in one place, I think, ever.”

His statement brought to mind a moment in the documentary “Woodstock,” when folk singer Arlo Guthrie takes in the crowd of several hundred thousand young people and cackles, “Lotta freaks!” But this was a very different time and place. Read full story from latimes.com

Media:

Vandalism Discovered at Pontiac’s Oak Hill Cemetery
PONTIAC, Mich. (WJBK) – Sam Wiscombe brought his daughters to Pontiac’s Oak Hill Cemetery. He wanted to use the historic burial grounds built back in the 1820s as an artistic backdrop for some pictures he was taking, but after looking through his lens he wasn’t happy.

“I just thought it was a shameful testament to our culture that we allow our ancestors to be in this state,” he said.

As this English teacher wandered through the grounds, he noticed mausoleums were literally crumbling with trash thrown inside.  There were toppled grave stones. Someone even drew the word “wiccan” and other profanities on marble monuments. Read full story from myfoxdetroit.com

Punk Rock Permaculture in Mexico City
It’s not just hippies going that like to go green. From green-living anarchist collectives to Punk Rock Permaculture’s reporting on disaster relief in Haiti, the notion of green living back-to-the-land lifestyles goes hand-in-hand with punk rock subcultures. Here’s a neat PBS report on the punk rock permaculture activists of Mexico City. Read full story from treehugger.com

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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News & Submissions 8/4/2011

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

Arts & Entertainment:

Paranormal Hide and Seek: Interview With Ghost Hunters International ‘s Barry FitzGerald
Since 2008, Ghost Hunters International has traveled the globe, its team members using their knowledge of the paranormal and technical know-how to try to substantiate — or debunk — claims of ghostly sightings.  Last month, the GHI team, led by Barry FitzGerald and co-lead Investigator Kris Williams, returned to Syfy for a third year of investigations.

In the season opener, “Rising from the Grave,” GHI visited Trinidad and the Lopinot Plantation to check out reports that the spirit of Count de Lopinot, a cruel slave master, rises from the grave on his cocoa plantation. FitzGerald and the team remained in Trinidad for the following episode, “Sensing Evil,” and journeyed to a former leper colony on Chacachacare Island. This episode also featured an investigation at the Frigorifico Meat Packing Plant in Argentina where the ghostly apparitions of four murdered workers have been seen throughout the building. Read full story from thenortonreport.com

Native American:

Sacred Site Preserved but Ceremonies Affected
Through centuries, Northern Arapaho hunters tracked deer, bison and antelope across the plains at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in present-day eastern Colorado, where tribal members who lived there are remembered in Denver with streets named after Chief Little Raven and others.

Today, Arapaho people return to their homelands and its sacred places: “Not too far from here there are important sites,” said Nelson White, keeper of the sacred bundle of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. “North, tipi rings. Nearby, that medicine wheel. Medicines in the mountains to the west. And the (Valmont) butte itself is a marker where the people used to go.” Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork

Cherokee Holiday Powwow Welcomes Dancers, Spectators
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Calling all fancy dancers, jingle dancers and grass dancers! The Cherokee Nation will host the 59th Cherokee National Holiday’s intertribal powwow on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2 -3. One of the largest powwows in the state, the event takes place at the Cherokee Nation cultural grounds located behind Sequoyah Schools on W. 810 Rd. south of Tahlequah, Okla. Gourd dancing, social dancing and competitive dancing will be featured, and the powwow is free and open to the public.

Cash prizes of up to $600 will be awarded to the top four contestants in the adult, golden age 55 and up and juniors age 6-15 divisions. Registration is open from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday evening. Ladies will compete in the areas of cloth, buckskin, jingle and fancy shawl dancing, and male contestants will take part in straight, traditional, grass and fancy dances. Contestants must register and remain in full regalia and participate in both grand entries to be eligible for cash prizes. Read full story from cherokee.org

News:

Prosecution rests in polygamist sect leader trial
San Angelo, Texas (CNN) — Texas prosecutors rested their case Wednesday in the sexual assault trial of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs after playing a key piece of evidence for jurors: an audiotape they allege documents his sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl.

One juror wiped her eyes as she listened to the recording. Another looked at Jeffs out of the corner of her eye. Still another had a hand covering her mouth.

The tape contained praying at the beginning and end, and in it a man alleged by prosecutors to be Jeffs addresses the alleged victim by name. At one point, the man asked her how she feels, and a girl replies in a small voice, “I feel fine, thank you.” At another point, the man appears to address other people who are present. Read full story from cnn.com

‘Dead’ Baby Wakes Up Moments Before Its Own Burial
SAO PAULO, Brazil (PIX11)—A baby girl who doctors declared dead was moments from her burial when she awoke and started crying at a Brazilian funeral home. Read full story from wsbt.com

Photography:

Space Pictures This Week: Star Valley, Sun Waves, More (Source: National Geographic)

Religion:

Drunken Odinists protest at Church of the Sacred Heart
A drunken father and son duo staging a supposed protest against mainstream religion had to be talked down from scaffolding on a church spire at the weekend.

The pair were seen high up on scaffolding outside the Church of the Sacred Heart in Watlington Street shortly before 8am on Saturday, and police were called.

The duo, downing Fosters and vodka, told police they were Odinists – a little-known pagan religion that worships a large number of gods. Read full story from getreading.co.uk

Science:

Early Earth May Have Been Orbited By Two Moons
The early Earth had two moons instead of just one — our familiar moon, as well as a smaller companion moon that also rose and set in the sky for tens of millions of years.

That’s according to a new theory that says this smaller moon eventually went careening into our moon and is still there, in the form of mountains on its far side.

Scientists have long puzzled over those mountains, and the fact that the two sides of our moon are very different. The near side has flat lowlands, while the far side is high and mountainous.

Erik Asphaug, professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, says he was at a talk about this asymmetry when he got an idea. “I thought, ‘Well, you know, what about just something colliding with the moon, in such a manner that it didn’t form a crater, but it just made a big splat?’ ” he recalls. Read full story from npr.org

Media:

Despite objections, jury hears tapes in polygamist sect leader’s trial
San Angelo, Texas (CNN) – The state of Texas is expected to rest its case Wednesday in the sexual assault trial of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs.

On Tuesday night, the jury heard audio recordings that, prosecutors said, show Jeffs instructing a 14-year-old victim and his other young “wives” on how to sexually please him in order to win God’s favor. Read full story from cnn.com

Native Hawaiian Fights to Protect a Burial Cave From Development (Source: YouTube – keonikealoha)

Blogspot:

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa

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