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.)
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
Gif Recap: ‘True Blood’
Oh, yes. It’s finally happened! Sookie and Eric! Well, that is until King Bill walks in on them. Damn it Bill! Royal or not, you have crappy timing! We wanted to see some Sookie/Eric sex! And really, Sookie shouldn’t have stopped Eric from staking Bill with that poker. Instead, Eric kneels before his liege. Oh, that isn’t going to end well. Read full story from screenjunkies.com
Figures show that Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the eighth and final instalment of the boy wizard franchise, has surpassed $1bn (£615m) in global box office returns. The previous best of the series was $974.8m set by the first movie 10 years ago, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Events:
UPCOMING POW WOWS 2011
Nationwide pow wow calendar covering all events including Gathering of the Nations and more. Check for the next Pow wow in your state or city.
“The Response” Promises Toxic Mix of Racism and Bigotry
A mix of racism and bigotry against American Indians, Palestinians, Muslims, Jews, gay people and others is the backdrop to a mass rally billed as “A National Day of Prayer” that will take place in Texas the first weekend in August.
August 3 , 2011 – Open Lughnasadh/Lammas Ritual (Bring a DISH)
Merry Meet! Come and join in the celebration of the next turninsg of the wheel. 13 Magickal Moons is hosting an Open Lughnassad/Lammas Ritual on Wednesday August 3 at 7:30pm during Tea Nite. Join us for an evening of magick and mystery! Bring a dish to share and be sure to dress accordingly for the weather!!!
News:
Woman killed over suspected sorcery
BARIPADA: A 45-year-old woman was arrested from Thakurmunda area in Mayurbhanj district for allegedly killing a tribal woman suspecting her to be practising sorcery. The accused Jaba Tudu was produced in the court on Monday and remanded in judicial custody.
Police sources said Tudu, a resident of Nunadiha village, beheaded Jamuna Hansda (55) suspecting that the latter practised black magic on her husband. Read full story from ibnlive.in.com
Local Pagans might have heard of Druid Heights, but then again, the area has been kept so secret that maybe they haven’t. The community is typically off limits to hikers and random visitors, but for only two days this summer (the first was July 30th) a lucky group of people will be treated to a hike and evening of amazing poetry amongst the beautiful architecture that is known as Druid Heights. Read full story from examiner.com
The Hindu secularists : Liberals or Hypocrites?
Today, we can find many people who are quick to christen famous Hindu gurus as “dhongis” and “pakhandi”. Such people generally hold the view that to become a guru all one needs is to chant a few mantras and promote the supertitions. These people think that the millions who follow the advice and teachings of such gurus are “fools” and ignorant of the modern science. Moreover, they not only percieve Hinduism as a mix of cast system, dowry, sati pratha etc but also use these assumptions as a basic elements of their argument to further denigrate their own culture and the ancient knowledge. These are the set of people who have never read even the bhagvad-Gita, the works of the world famous scholar Sri Aurobindo or the testimonials of the famous scientists like Heisenberg, Nicholas Tesla, Albert Einstein etc. Read full story from chakranews.com
Media:
Understanding the religious history of the Knights Templar
The group has come to everyone’s attention because of Anders Behring Breivik’s killing spree in Norway, now just over a week ago. He claimed in his rambling manifesto to represent a modern-day “Knights Templar”. Read full story from cnn.com
Scariest Movies
Over the history of cinema there have been many films that have been called the scariest movies. Many of these movies are horrific, gory and frightening on many different levels. Some people are scared by monsters while others are frightened by real life horrors, but all these movies scare people in many different ways. Read full story from screenjunkies.com
The program is funded for five years and is intended to:
improve young Native American students’ skill acquisition
prepare them for grades K-12 and post-secondary education
improve the quality of early childhood teachers in Native communities
bridge early childhood and K-3 education
integrate Native language and culture into early childhood curriculum
empower Native families and communities as change agents in education for their children
In March, AICF started looking for someone to administer the program, and they finally found someone who fits the bill. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
News:
War Widow’s Truck Targeted By Vandals
SPARKS, NV – The wife of a Nevada National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan woke Monday morning to find her husband’s truck vandalized.
Sadly, it was only the latest in a series of incidents which have marked Roberta Stewart’s life since her husband’s death.
The truck was to have been Sgt. Patrick Stewart’s coming home gift, a purchase he and Roberta, had planned together.
In 2005, he and Chief Warrant Officer John Flynn, both Nevada Army Guardsmen were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.
Monday morning, the truck he had wanted, the one she bought, now bearing new Gold Star license plates as a tribute to their sacrifice, was parked outside her Sparks apartment, it’s windshield smashed by a large brick. Read full story from kolotv.com
Paranormal:
Children of the paranormal
I have been doing paranormal research now for over 11 years now. I have written four books on the subject and dozens of articles. I have also been to dozens of places around the US in nearly 20 states. To this day, in spite of many attempts and visits to notoriously dangerous locations, I have never been attacked or injured by a ghost, spirit, demon, entity, evil energy, ifrit, jinn or anything similarly supernatural. I am starting to feel a bit left out. When is my hair going to be pulled? When am I going to be poked, kicked or prodded? When is my immortal soul going to be in danger? I mean, if you watch some of these shows on television you would think this sort of thing happens all the time. Well, at least once or twice a week and maybe more on “sweeps week” and Halloween. Read full story from examiner.com
Paranormal Activity Found At Terror Mansion
SAN ANTONIO — At Halloween, you pay your money and take a scary tour through Terror Mansion, a popular haunted house in San Antonio.
But now the house is the subject of a paranormal investigation after ghostly orbs and other phenomena were caught on camera.
Photos of Nancy Alanis’ dog, Jenny, taken at Terror Mansion the day before the dog died, gave the first clues of paranormal activity. Read full story from ksat.com
Religion:
Atheists pick the wrong ground to fight
It is so common that zealous individuals take actions that seem wholly against what they claim they stand for it is almost a cliche; those who object to abortion as murder commit murder to get their point across, the heinous mass killing in Norway was meant to “protect” traditional values, Republicans claim to be defending US soldiers while they cut their pay and strip them of benefits, and multiculturalists out to protect “free speech” want to ban objectionable words and phrases. Neither left or right is free from this hypocrisy, and it continues to hamper public discourse and objective consideration of opposing viewpoints, and a group here in NYC that I agree with in principle has done something I wholly disagree with, attempting to force the removal of a “cross” at the Ground Zero memorial. Read full story from examiner.com
Media:
Montreal First Peoples’ Festival: Fun!
Montreal is North America’s festival city during the summer, and one of the most exciting is the First Peoples’ Festival. This year’s festival—the 21st annual event—takes place August 2–9.
The year’s theme is “And now, the world,” according to Andre Dudemaine, Innu, the co-founder and director of Land InSights, a nonprofit organization that organizes and sponsors the event.
“Artists from First Nations of the whole planet will come to meet their North American counterparts and showcase their works. It is an opportunity here on Native land to reaffirm messages of welcome and peace they left as sovereign peoples to all the world’s peoples,” Dudemaine says on the festival website. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Folk Names: Ban-Sangli, Bread and Cheese Tree, Gazels, Hagthorn, Halves, Haw, Hazels, Hedgethorn, Huath, Ladie’ Meat, May, Mayblossom, May Bush, Mayflower, Quick, Thorn, Tree of Chastity.
Hawthorn is a member of Rosaceae family. A spiny tree or shrub, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America, It may reach a height of 30 feet.
The hawthorn has been regarded as the symbol of hope. The branches were carried by the ancient Greeks in wedding processions, and were used to deck the altar of Hymenaios. In Celtic folklore, the hawthorn plant was used commonly for rune inscriptions along with Yew and Apple. It was also used to heal a broken heart. In Serbian and Croatian folklore, hawthorn is deadly to vampires, and a stake used for slaying must be made from its wood. In Gaelic folklore, hawthorn marks the entrance to the other-world’ and is strongly associated with fairies. It has been said, it is very unlucky to cut the tree at any time other than when it is in bloom, during this time it is cut and decorated as a May Bush. (Beltane)
Deities: Cardea, Flora, Hymen
Element: Fire (Courage, Exorcism, Health, Lust, Protection, Strength)
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars (Courage, Exorcism, Hex-Breaking, Lust, Protection, Sexual Potency, Strength)
Medicinal Uses: Hawthorn helps to lessen pain in the heart and adjacent areas. It also increases warmth in cold hands and feet where the drop in temperature is due to poor circulation. Hawthorn can also play a part in lowering cholesterol levels and removing plaque that has accumulated in the arteries. The plant parts used medicinally are usually sprigs with both leaves and flowers, or alternatively the fruit.
Magical Uses: At Beltane, the blossoms are used to symbolize love and the union of marriage. Newlywed couples will dance around a Hawthorn tree to bless and ensure a long and fruitful marriage.
Young women would eagerly await the first blossoms. When found after appropriate regard to the trees guardian spirit, a sprig of the blossom would be taken and kept as a charm to encourage the interest of a suitable husband.
It is said the Hawthorn is sacred to Fairies. Make a wish, then tie ribbons and shreds of personal belongings to the thorn, as a gift to the Fairies. The strips should be symbolically appropriate to the nature of the wish, (i.e. blue for health, pink or red for love, green or gold for prosperity) and if pleased, they would grant your wish.
Care should be taken when removing any of its branches. Damage to the tree is said to anger the guardian spirit. Any Hawthorn tree standing alone should be avoided, and only parts from trees forming hedges should be taken. In Ireland and Britain it is part of the fairy-tree triad known as the: “Oak, Ash and Thorn”, and where all three trees grow together it is said that one may see the fairies.
The tree is regarded as a powerful symbol of protection, and often planted near a house to protect it against lightning and damage from storms. In the past most witch’s gardens contained at least one Hawthorn tree, to protect the house against evil spirits. In Ireland it is believed that food left over from the May Eve dinner should not be wasted, but left near the Hawthorn tree as an offering to the spirits that inhabit the tree.
Hawthorn wood is excellent for making talismans and wands for protection, health and luck, as well as tools in rituals to enhance spiritual development and communication. If you cut a piece of live wood from a tree, be sure to do so with reverence and thanks to the tree’s guardian before hand. Another option, take the discarded branches to be found after a heavy storm. To make a talisman, strip off the bark while the branch is still green and before it dries hard onto the wood. Store it outside until you are ready to work with it, this will stop the wood from drying out too quickly. Carving is easily done on green wood before it dries. The wood of the Hawthorn is especially hard.
Another custom was to make a Hawthorn globe or charm ball from its twigs and foliage. This is made at first light on the old Celtic New Year’s Day (Samhain) and tied with a white ribbon. The old charm ball from the previous year is then burned on a bonfire of straw, ash twigs and acorns. This represents all the previous years troubles. Your new hopes and aspirations can then be forged into the new globe and hung in a safe place until the next New Year.
Ritual Uses: May poles were once decorated by the Hawthorn, where witches have long danced and performed rites It was also believed that the thorn were witches transformed. Use Hawthorn to cleanse an area before ritual, protection spells, attract love or communicate with those who have passed.
Other Uses: The wood of some hawthorn trees can be very hard and resistant to rot. It has been used for tool handles and fence posts in North America.
Scott Cunningham: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of magical herbs
Note: Consult with a Physician or a certified herbologist if you are seeking medical remedies. The information is not intended as medical advice. PagansWorld.org is not liable for the misuse of the herb listed above.
Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!
Kerchache, a key cultural adviser to Jacques Chirac, was instrumental in introducing African and tribal art to the Louvre in 2000.
The success of the Louvre’s new galleries led to Kerchache’s biggest achievement – the creation of the Musée du Quai Branly in 2006, France’s first major institution devoted to indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Read full story from independent.co.uk
News:
Police watch as mob kills suspected witches
A couple accused of witchcraft was killed after the body of an eight-year-boy was discovered in a maize plantation Monday morning in Nyahera Village, Kisumu.
Residents were shocked when they found the partly mutilated body dumped in a maize plantation.
Although circumstances under which the child died were not immediately established, enraged villagers descended on the man and his wife, who they suspected of causing the boy’s death.
Residents stormed the home of the suspects where they argued with the man before killing him. They then turned on his wife. Read full story from standardmedia.co.ke
Scots site may hold the key to Arthurian mystery
IT is a mystery that has baffled generations of historians, but the secrets of King Arthur’s round table could finally be laid bare thanks to modern technology.
A circular earthen mound near Stirling Castle has been linked variously to the legendary king, to British aristocrats and to Roman invaders, but its origins remain shrouded in history.
Now, for the first time, a team of archaelogists from Glasgow University is preparing to use hi-tech scanners to survey the ground beneath it, providing a clear insight into the mound’s beginnings.
The structure, often referred to as the King’s Knot, has long fascinated national historians. Despite the mysteries it may contain, however, it has remained undisturbed for fear of damaging it. The new project, scheduled to run next week, will provide a full geophysical survey of the entire area.
Stirling Local History Society (SLHS) and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society have secured funding from Historic Scotland and Stirling City Heritage Trust for the operation. Read full story from heraldscotland.com
People from the southern city say hundreds are unaccounted for since a crackdown on protests began on 18 March and intensified when the army moved in on 25 April to try to quash unrest against Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year rule.
Radwan Ziadeh, the US-based head of the Damascus Centre for Human Rights, said so far seven bodies had been identified by residents. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Photography:
Best Night-Sky Pictures of 2011 Named
Organized by astronomy-education projects The World at Night (TWAN) and Global Astronomy Month, the contest honors pictures that meet one of two criteria: “either to impress people on how important and amazing the starry sky is, or to impress people on how bad the problem of light pollution has become.” In total, ten winners were announced May 9 in either the “Beauty of the Night Sky” or “Against the Lights” category. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com
Police said they expect up to 50,000 people to visit the forested Mayadevi temple, built where Buddha is believed to have been born 2,555 years ago.
Devotees chanted and offered fruits and flowers at the temple.
Buddha was born as Prince Sidhartha in Lumbini, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southwest of Katmandu. Followers believe he left his family and kingdom and meditated in the jungles of Nepal and India before achieving enlightenment. Read full story from washingtonpost.com
As a presidential candidate in 2008, Huckabee – a Baptist minister who focused on faith-related issues like opposition to abortion – rode evangelical support to victory in Iowa and seven other states during the primaries and caucuses. John McCain eventually won the GOP nomination.
With Huckabee on the sidelines, other Republican White House hopefuls will have a better chance of picking up evangelical votes, which accounted for more than half the GOP electorate in Iowa and South Carolina in 2008, according to polling. Read full story from cnn.com
“THE WICKER TREE” grows in the U.S.
Fango has learned that writer/director Robin Hardy’s THE WICKER TREE—the British helmer’s semi-sequel to his 1973 classic THE WICKER MAN—has been picked up for distribution in North America and the UK, as early as this fall. The film’s international sales agent, High Point Media Group, will screen THE WICKER TREE at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival on May 14 and 16. Read full story from fangoria.com
Art exhibition offers a psychedelic experience
Visitors are invited to take a trip through hallucinogenic patterns, optical illusions and cosmic landscapes when the latest exhibition at The University of Queensland opens this weekend.
New Psychedelia takes over the entire ground floor of the UQ Art Museum from Saturday, May 7 with pieces by 43 contemporary Australian artists, including one that requires 3D glasses.
“A new psychedelia has undoubtedly emerged in the past decade as an off-spring of the rave party, but also out of the décor of virtual reality and what William Gibson dubbed the ‘consensual hallucination’ of cyberspace,” Dr Edward Colless writes in the exhibition catalogue.
Curator Sebastian Moody said it was debatable whether recent explorations of psychedelia are in fact a countermovement to the “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out” mentality of the 1960s. Read full story from ug.edu.au
Environment:
Deadly weather in US could become the norm
It’s been a severe start to the spring season in the United States. Tornadoes have ravaged the southeastern US, flooding threatens much of the Midwest, and wildfires are scorching Texas. But according to researchers, a confluence of seasonal oscillations in weather patterns, rather than climate change, is to blame. And growing populations mean that grim casualty figures from such events may become the norm.
“I don’t think there’s any way of proving climate change is responsible for the weather patterns this week and week before,” says meteorologist Howard Bluestein, of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Read full story from newscientist.com
Native American:
Apache Leader Jeff Houser on Use of Geronimo’s Name
The day after the news spread that the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, or bin Laden himself, was code-named Geronimo, Fort Sill Apache Tribe Chairman Jeff Houser asked President Obama to issue a formal apology for associating one of the most enduring and heroic figures in Indian country with the name of the man who epitomized global terrorism. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
News:
Barack Obama pays 9/11 respects at Ground Zero Barack Obama spoke no words as he laid a red, white and blue wreath at the centre of Ground Zero. But then he didn’t need to: the location and the identity of the individuals gathered round him spoke for him.
The location was in the shade cast by the Survivor Tree, an oak that was recently planted at the World Trade Centre for a second time. The first time was in the 1970s, but the tree was later engulfed in rubble on 11 September 2001. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
The archbishop of Canterbury has said the killing of Osama bin Laden left a “very uncomfortable feeling” because it appeared as if justice had not been done.
Bin Laden was shot dead in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on Sunday. It has since emerged that he was unarmed when US Navy Seals fired at him.
Lambeth Palace had previously refused to comment on the death of Bin Laden but, when asked at a press conference what he thought of the killing, Dr Rowan Williams replied: “I think the killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling; it doesn’t look as if justice is seen to be done. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Paranormal:
How Many Intelligent Aliens are Out There?
OK, I’ve had enough. I’ve been looking up at the night sky for 20 years and not once have I ever seen anything that has aroused my suspicion that an alien visitor has popped by Earth to take a look.
The thing is, I am contacted far too often by people saying they have seen an unidentified flying object, or UFO. Being terribly literal, they probably have seen something “unidentified,” and it may look like it’s flying; whatever it is, it certainly is an “object,” but it doesn’t mean it’s aliens. Read full story from discovery.com
UFO, zombie, ghost and witch sightings revealed
DYFED Powys Police has revealed how many sightings of UFOs, zombies, ghosts, witches and vampires occurred in the county in the past five years.
The figures, made public because of a Freedom of Information Request Act, reveal 14 recorded UFO sightings in the past five years, along with 26 reports of ghosts, 11 witches and two of zombies and vampires respectively. Read full story from countrytimes.co.uk
What is often not fully absorbed by onlookers, though, is the underlying role that religious doctrine – or “pulpit power” – plays in the environmental debate in the US. On the one hand, you have the “Creation Care” movement which is prevalent in some quarters of the Christian Church. On the other, particularly among evangelicals, you often see a vitriolic reaction aimed towards environmentalism. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Police in Munkyuong said they were overwhelmed with the investigation and declined to provide further details.
But local media depicted an elaborate reconstruction of the crucifixion of Jesus, with the victim wearing a crown of thorns and dressed only in his underwear. He put nails into the cross first, then drilled holes in his hands and hung himself on the cross, reports said. Read full story from cnn.com
Zam Zam water is taken from a well in Mecca and is considered sacred to Muslims, but samples from the source suggested it held dangerous chemicals.
Tourists can bring back small amounts from Saudi Arabia, but it cannot be exported for commercial use.
An undercover researcher found large quantities of bottles being sold in east and south London, and in Luton.
The president of the Association of Public Analysts said he would “certainly would not recommend” drinking it. Read full story from bbc.co.uk
World:
Nigerian kids ‘slain as witches’
HUNDREDS of Nigerian children have been severely beaten, burnt or killed after being accused of witchcraft, a British charity was to tell an inquiry overnight.
Stepping Stones Nigeria has compiled a dossier of more than 250 cases of severe violence against children accused of being witches in Akwa Ibom state. Children as young as two have been burnt, poisoned, buried alive or chained up because their families believed they were witches, according to the report. Read full story from australian.com
Summer Movie Preview, with a Witchly Touch
My question isn’t “What films will you be seeing this summer,” it is “What movie besides Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” will you be seeing. LOL! For us Pagans of all types, this is the pinnacle of film. It has opened the world up to the possible fact that Witches and Wizards exist and we’re not that bad. When you say you are a Witch, the fist image in their head isn’t the Wicked Witch of the West, but maybe of Hermione or, in my case, Looney Lovegood.
Here are the films this summer with Pagan content and do yourself a favour, find your nearest Drive-In theater. Enjoy a film under the stars! Read full story from apaganslifefor me
It’s Horror Month on SundanceNOW
I’m slowly becoming a big fan of watching films “instantly”, be it through Netflix, Hulu, FearNet or any other online provider. Well, Sundance has gotten in on the action with SundanceNOW, and April is horror month. (You can view a full line-up of their horror films right here).
While most of their films rent out from $3.99-$4.99 SundanceNow is offering our readers three films for only 99¢ each. That’s a pretty good deal, especially considering NONE of these are currently available through Netflix on Demand. Here’s the lowdown on the films and how to view them…Read full story from brutalashell.com
What is Gov’t Doing to Rescue Women in Witch Camps?
Democracy, education, technology and modernity still haven’t changed the mindset of people in this 21st Century. The beliefs and practices of people pre-dating this modern era still rule the lives of people today.
In the northern part of Ghana, the baseless accusation of aged women as being witches has made old age a nightmare for many women.
Witches’ camps in the northern part of Ghana have been in existence since time immemorial.
The reason behind the creation of these camps was to protect society from the harmful attacks of alleged witches, and the level of false accusations and brutalities compels the victim seek protection from a higher authority if the rest of the society is not willing to protect them. Read full story from allafrica.com
Paranormal:
JFK sought documents on UFOs 10 days before his assassination
Adding new speculation to the assassination of President John F Kennedy, two documents revealed by an author researching the JFK presidency show Kennedy’s interests in gaining access to UFO information.
In letters sent by President John F Kennedy to the CIA, and revealed by author William Lester to AOL News, as reported byThe Daily Mail, Kennedy requests access to top secret information on UFO sightings, with particular interest in sightings reported over the former Soviet Union. Read full story from digitaljournal.com
Religion:
Religion’s interconnectivity comes full circle in Rome
ROME – While chanting monks, accordion players and the Italian version of “Beauty and the Beast” I saw last week were very cool, I’m here to talk to you about a different kind of tune than what you’ll find in the rest of this paper: “Music of the Spheres.”
This ancient philosophy explains there is a harmony between God and heavenly beings that move around the Earth, especially the Sun and the Moon. The idea was later explained in a literal and physical sense by Johannes Kepler, astrology scholar David Plant said. Kepler explained that geometry, astrology and other sciences worked together to explain the movement of the planets.
Last week for class, I watched the film “Agora.” It displays a clash of ideologies in 5th-century Alexandria (Roman Empire), running the gamut from Roman Paganism to Judaism and Christianity, to astronomy and philosophy. It is impossible for me to go in depth, but what you need to know is that every denomination of faith in the film is portrayed in a bad light. Read full story from temple-news.com
Islam Converted the Pagans But Did Paganism Convert Islam?
The Arabia of Mohammed was religiously diverse during his childhood and throughout the region you had Pagans, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Sabaeans, and other faiths. Therefore, Arabia was multi-religious and extremely diverse and many faiths co-existed and thought patterns were openly debated because countless families will have been religiously mixed.
However, once Mohammed obtained power then the “no compulsion in religion” became “kill the apostate.” This small aspect of the Koran and Hadiths point to a period of weakness and moderation during the early stage but once powerful, then Mohammed desired power mechanisms in order to defeat and control the economic system of the non-Muslims.
Mohammed and orthodox Muslims in the world today believe that the next stage was about monotheism and the eradication of Paganism within the body politic of Islam. However, while it is true to say that Muslim forces did defeat the followers of Paganism it is also true to say that Paganism defeated Islam within the tenets, customs, rituals, and sayings of Mohammed. Read full story from aina.org
As reported today on MSNBC, a Wiccan TSA employee accused of witchcraft has been fired. As described below, listed apostles of a global evangelical movement that claims to fight witchcraft will, on April 1-2, be holding a conference at Harvard University.
While Salem has garnered all the attention, the real peak of the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s witch craze was in what is now North Andover, where two dogs were tried and executed for witchcraft. It’s been a few years now since witch hunting was in vogue in Massachusetts, but the upcoming Social Transformation Conference to be held at Harvard this April 1-2 could help rekindle the practice. Footage from a November 2009 evangelical conference held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village near Honolulu shows scheduled Social Transformation Conference speaker Dr. Pat Francis up onstage, her voice cracking with intensity, shouting out “In the name of Jesus we break the power, of witchcraft power, every witchcraft power, we drive you out!” Read full story from dailykos.com
Archeology:
The Talbot Vervel
Shropshire Council’s museum service has acquired a remarkable find by local metal detectorist, Frank Taylor – a small hoop and shield that gives us a glimpse into the life of the Earl of Shrewsbury around 380 years ago.
Although small, this hoop and shield are inscribed with the name IOHN TALBOT (John Talbot) and emblazoned with a hound or ‘talbot passant’ which was the family crest of the Earls of Shrewsbury. The design and style of the lettering suggests that the owner was probably Sir John Talbot, 10th Earl of Shrewsbury (1601-54). Read full story from pasthorizons.com
Arts & Entertainment:
‘Camelot’: A Timeless Story Becomes a Forgettable TV Show
Why do we like King Arthur so much? For T.H. White, author of the Once and Future King series, Arthur’s court was a place to explore utopian governance. Mark Twain saw him as fodder for a satire of modern technology in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. And in The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley pushed him to the side in a feminist reinterpretation of the battle between Christianity and paganism that’s perhaps the most effective distillation of the story’s continuing draw. The story of a man elevated by birth and good fortune to unite a fractured land, only to break it again in the name of Christian quest, is infinitely adaptable. Read full story from theatlantic.com
Gemini dogs are sociable and enjoy travelling, Virgos enjoy their creature comforts and appreciate peace and quiet, and Scorpios make great police dogs because they are inherently nosey.
Fiona is using her unique skills to diagnose and resolve behavioural issues with pets and charges £35 for a reading. Read full story from swns.com
Amusing as the banter was, unfortunately, they never really got to an answer. So, I thought, what about the phenomenon I focused on in my book Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future? How would it shape up as a candidate? More importantly, is it funny enough, or better yet, sexy enough, to convince Colbert? Read full story from huffingtonpost.com
Exorcism is the subject of a six-day conference being held this week at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, which is under the Vatican’s authority.
“The internet makes it much easier than in the past to find information about Satanism,” said Carlo Climati, a member of the university who specialises in the dangers posed to young people by Satanism.
“In just a few minutes you can contact Satanist groups and research occultism. The conference is not about how to become an exorcist. It’s to share information about exorcism, Satanism and sects. It’s to give help to families and priests. There is a particular risk for young people who are in difficulties or who are emotionally fragile,” said Mr Climati. Read full story from telegraph.co.uk
Ireland’s last witch trial investigated
The intriguing tale of Ireland’s last witch trial has been re-investigated ahead of the 300th anniversary of a case that saw eight Co Antrim women found guilty of possessing a teenage girl.
The story of the Islandmagee witches has generated little historical re-examination in the last three centuries.
But Dr Andrew Sneddon from the University of Ulster intends to change that with a reappraisal of the trial, which took place 300 years ago tomorrow.
After being convicted at a court in Carrickfergus, the eight Presbyterian women were sentenced to a year in prison and each put in the public stocks four times on market day. Read full story from rte.ie
Paranormal:
Haunting: House at Willow Pond
House at Willow Pond was built in 1898 in Piqua, Ohio, and was recently investigated by Doorways Investigation Group – and now the subject of a video series.
Current owners know of two deaths that occurred inside the house. Today they see ghostly children running around a nearby pond. They talk about the paranormal experiences going on in the house today. Read full story from examiner.com
Witchcraft accusations and human rights abuses in Africa
Witch‐hunts have become epidemic throughout Africa. Although witch‐hunts have historically been viewed as gender specific, with a large percentage of victims still identified as elderly and solitary women, recent reports show that victims of witch‐hunts include both women and men of all ages. read full story from paganrightsalliance.org3
Whistle-blowing witch grounded by TSA (Source msnbc)
Here’s a situation for all you aspiring managers: If you were the boss at a U.S. government agency and one of your employees complained that she was afraid of a co-worker’s religious practices, what would you do?
Would it change your decision if the religion were Wicca, and the employee feared her co-worker because she thought she might cast a spell on her? Read full story from msnbc.msn.com
Exploring power held by goddesses (Book Review)
GODDESSES FOR EVERY DAY: EXPLORING THE WISDOM AND POWER OF THE DIVINE FEMININE AROUND THE WORLD – BY JULIE LOAR
Her intention is clear: to provide goddess stories drawn from ancient myths that can empower women to find from within the courage, power, strength, love and wisdom they need to live their lives to the fullest — to “save the world one woman at a time.” Read full story from mysanantonio.com
Rob Zombie Gives a Peek at The Lords of Salem film
And so it begins. Here are a few shots from my recent scouting in Salem. Great town, great locations. Stay tuned to this blog for all upcoming LORDS updates. Much more to come since we are now moving full steam ahead. See photos at rzfilms.blogspot.com
Astronomy:
Coldest Star Found—No Hotter Than Fresh Coffee
Dubbed CFBDSIR 1458 10b, the star is what’s called a brown dwarf. These oddball objects are often called failed stars, because they have starlike heat and chemical properties but don’t have enough mass for the crush of gravity to ignite nuclear fusion at their cores.
With surface temperatures hovering around 206 degrees F (97 degrees C), the newfound star is the coldest brown dwarf seen to date. (Related: “Dimmest Stars in Universe Spotted?”)
“Over the years there has been steady but slow progress in pushing the boundaries of finding the coldest stars,” said study leader Michael Liu, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii.
“But with this latest discovery we have made a big leap forward—besting the previous record holder by at least 150 Kelvin [270 degrees F, or 150 degrees C],” he said. Read full story from nationalgeographic.com
Environment:
First Practical “Artificial Leaf” Powers Fuel Cells for Rural Homes
Scientists have long been trying to mimic the photosynthesis perfected by leaves — turning sunlight and water into energy that can be stored. While many have made attempts, there seems to be one group of scientists that have pulled it off. The news comes from the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, where the researchers made their announcement. The “artificial leaf” would be used to generate power for off grid homes in developing areas, and the hope is that one such “leaf” could provide enough energy for an entire household. Read full story from treehugger.com
The monk bursts into tears, an involuntary act, as he asks heaven what he can do to comfort his destroyed hometown and begin to rebuild his house of worship.
Fujiwara needs heaven to speak to him, for he must preside over Kamaishi’s first mass burials in memory. Behind his temple, the sound of heavy machinery digging giant ditches for unmarked coffins echoes through the shattered remains of the 300-year-old building. Read full story from cnn.com
Herbalists Form National Network
Kigali — Practitioners of traditional medicine from across the country, yesterday, met in Kigali to establish a forum that will protect their rights and regulate the profession.
Herbalists currently operate without clear guidelines, although the Ministry of Health, says that it has prepared a document that spells out the ethics for the practice of traditional medicine, guidelines for quality assurance and assessment, good agriculture practice and guidelines for research. Read full story from allafrica.com
Too Many Psychics in ‘Witch City’?
Salem, Massachusetts is famous for its modern witches and history of witch persecution. The city’s unique past supports a thriving menagerie of businesses selling everything from magical charms to fortunes, but some fear the number of psychics flocking to the community north of Boston could be too many.
In 2007, the city lifted a cap on the number of psychics allowed to operate and now some believe the ‘Witch City’ is getting overrun.
Barbara Szafranski is a long-time psychic license holder who conducts readings at her downtown shop Angelica of the Angels. She needed no crystal ball to tell her business would take a hit when more fortunetellers hit the scene. Read full story from foxnews.com
Christians and the pagans
In her letter Dr Emma Chung, President of Leicester Secular Society, stated that Christians had “purloined” Christmas and Easter from pagans (Mailbox, March 16). This is wrong.
In the time of Rome‘s dominance (a pagan society), Christians were in the minority.
It was emperor Lucinius, a pagan, who “ordered” Christians to treat Sunday as a day of rest, as it suited Rome. Later, Emperor Constantine “ordered” Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus on the same day, December 25, pagans celebrate the re-birth of the sun following winter (the Feast of Natalis Solis Invicti), as it suited Rome. Read full story from thisislleicestershire.co.uk
A deity diverse and divisive
In the wide, red land led by an atheist and where evolution has prevailed in its political war with creationism, God has not died. But Australia’s almighty has become a far more diverse and divisive deity, still influencing laws and values and maintaining the potential to undermine social cohesion.
The complexity of beliefs haunts policies and legislators. Christians fear suffocation by political correctness and attack from opposing fundamentalism; Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists complain of bias; pagans rail against marriage laws and the ban on pagan chaplains in the military.
Indigenous Australians say their spirituality has been bundled with paganism and dismissed as a valid belief system, further undermining their ability to manage their affairs, and damaging the fragile process of reconciliation. Read full story from nzherald.co.nz
News:
Radiation levels at Japan nuclear plant reach new highs
TOKYO — As radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant reached a new high Sunday, workers contended with dark, steamy conditions in their efforts to repair the facility’s cooling system and stave off a full-blown nuclear meltdown. Wearing respirators, face masks and bulky suits, they fought to reconnect cables and restore power to motor pumps the size of automobiles. Read full story from washingtonpost.com
Vietnam Zoo Owner Gets Jail Time For Selling Dead Tigers
A zoo keeper in Vietnam was charged with the illegal selling of five endangered tiger carcasses and was sentenced to 3 years in jail. The owner had raised the tigers on his farm near Ho Chi Minh City, but after they died (reportedly from bird flu and choking on a bone), he attempted to sell the carcasses — a product that can earn big money on the black market. Read full story from treehugger.com
Radiation From Japan Plant Seeping Into Pacific
Radiation from a crippled atomic plant northeast of Tokyo has wafted into the air, contaminating farm produce and drinking water as well as seeping into the Pacific Ocean, although officials stress there is no imminent health threat.
Highly radioactive water has been found seeping from reactor two’s turbine building, the operator said Monday, worsening fears that it is leaking into the environment.
Engineers are racing to restore cooling systems knocked out by the tsunami, but have been hindered by pools of highly radioactive water thought to have leaked from the steel-and-concrete reactor casings or their pipe systems. Read full story from discovery.com
Lisa Manning and her children Ellie, 11, and Jaydon, six, have fled their house in terror several times because of bizarre goings-on.
They include pots and pans being thrown around the kitchen, window blinds moving up and down by themselves, lights being switched on and off and drawers being opened. Read full story from dailymail.co.uk
Paranormal research session to air tonight
MILLERSBURG — Ghosts who reside in the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg apparently had their say Saturday, shutting down a planned live Internet stream of research being conducted in the house by the Central Ohio Paranormal Research Group.
However, there is good news for ghost hunters.
Saturday’s session, which Mark Boley, director of the Holmes County Historical Society, said again revealed “lots of activity,” will be available for viewing tonight on the Internet.
Beginning at 8 p.m., the session will be available at the web site www.centralohioparanormalresearchgroup.com/Livewebstream.html. A chat room also will be available. Read full story from timesreporter.com
History:
The First Pocahontas May Have Been a Viking
Genes from the Beotuk, a long-extinct branch of Canada’s aboriginal peoples, have shown up in samples of 80 people from Iceland, a team of anthropologists and geneticists has revealed.
A study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology indicates that a woman of that line may have been brought to Iceland by the Vikings 1,000 years ago, the Montreal Gazette and other media outlets reported on Thursday. The study was conducted by researchers from Iceland and Spain. Read the full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Lifestyle & Religion:
Diary reveals the horror of the Witchfinder General trials
A 350-year-old notebook which describes the execution of innocent women for consorting with the Devil, has been published online by The University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library. Puritan writer Nehemiah Wallington wrote passages on his attitudes to life, religion, the civil war as well as the witchcraft trials of the period. Read full story from pasthorizons.com
Coast home to 500 witches: psychic
A FAMOUS TV witch says the Sunshine Coast is a sacred and magical haven to as many as 500 practising witches.
Stacey Demarco, a judge on the 2009 psychic Australian television show The One, said the region had a variety of covens and had attracted them because the Coast’s earth had a “deep and powerful energy”.
Ms Demarco, voted Australia’s 2009 psychic of the year, will be on the Coast this weekend to teach one of her invitation-only workshops for “intermediate” witches. Read full story from bollinaadvocate.com
News:
Research Firm to Study Tribes’ Economic Impact on California
A coalition of American Indian organizations in California hired a prominent research firm to analyze tribes’ contribution to the state’s economy, states a California Nations Indian Gaming Association news release.
Beacon Economics, a consulting firm based in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, will measure the economic impact of tribes by examining Indian-owned casinos, businesses, tribal government programs, purchases of goods and services and charitable donations, amongst other things.
A spokesman for the charity said: “There are some fraudulent emails circulating claiming to be raising money for the Japan Tsunami Appeal. These may request that you donate through companies like Western Union or Money Bookers, which we would never do. If you suspect an email is fraudulent please do not open any attachments or click on any links. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Now a relic claimed to be a thorn from Jesus’s crown is to go on display at the British Museum.
And while no one can doubt the item’s rich history, there is less evidence to support the claims of its provenance. Read full story from dailymail.co.uk
