tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19966617856907971972024-03-20T18:25:58.541+11:00Spooked: Books to Run FromA review of books on the Occult and/or Paranormal that are better left alone.Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-54792294654753423622009-01-02T18:24:00.003+11:002009-01-02T18:30:09.813+11:00Target Aquired!<span id="fullpost">Once upon a time, I went to a flea market type thing with the lovely <a href="http://anjelscouch.blogspot.com/">Anjel</a>, and she helped me find a fun little paperback called <u>Occult Murders</u>. It was so very very bad that I couldn't read all the way through it at the time (which is saying a lot, since I've read no less than THREE books by Konstantinos!) However, I've finally finished it, and it's the next target for my rusty wit. It'll be a good book to get me back into the swing of things.<a href="http://anjelscouch.blogspot.com/"><br /></a></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-32539616080400269312008-12-03T10:01:00.004+11:002008-12-03T10:07:52.603+11:00Something stirs...Oh my oh my, it has been an age, hasn't it? Well, fearless readers, I have returned. Who would have thought that getting married and making an attempt to write a few less reviews and a few more pieces of fiction would have resulted in such an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">unceremonious</span> hiatus?<br /><br />But now I'm back. And while I can't yet proclaim that old Connie is better than ever, at least I am here again!<br /><br />I'd like to thank everyone who continued to comment while I had fallen off the face of the earth -- I received everything from resounding agreement to an indignant defense of one of my favorite <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">targets</span>, the prolific <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Konstantinos</span>.<br /><br />Well, now that I've actually stirred and posted and started talking again, it's time for me to go forth and dig out my next target. I'll lay off good old Konstantinos for a while and try to find something <em>even more</em> wretched. Wish me luck.<br /><br />While I'm at it, I better change the look of this place. Why the hell did I leave it looking so fugly?Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-34020622913944231512008-04-01T09:40:00.003+11:002008-04-01T09:48:58.202+11:00The Seeker is Out ThereThe April Edition of The Seeker is out there. You can check it out downloading it here: <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?it7l0fmnuth">http://www.mediafire.com/?it7l0fmnuth</a><br /><br />Just follow the link and click the "click here to start download" link.<br /><br />No April Fool's I promise!Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-31666095950915069252008-03-31T17:54:00.002+11:002008-03-31T18:17:40.536+11:00David Devereux’s Brother from Another MotherBook: Occult Investigations: Real Cases from the files of X-Investigations<br />Author: Bob Johnson<br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=desst-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0806526068&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><br /><br />I, Constance Parker, have found a new sub-genre of books. I plan on presenting my findings to the Book Watcher’s Society at their Spring Meeting (as soon as that organization exists). In the mean time, you people will have to do. *Constance peers over the speaker’s podium as the lights glint off of her pince-nez.* You there! Quiet in the back row! More curious than mini-genre of “true-crime-books-in-which-the author-claims-a-relative-killed-the-Black-Daliah,” more frustrating than “witchcraft-confessionals-written-by reformed-Christians”, I bring you the latest genre: Bardus Glorior Occultist Fabula (stupid boasting occultist story – and ain’t that the worst dog Latin you’ve ever seen? Bark, bark!) I’m basing this sub-genre on any book written by David Devereux and my latest review target: Occult Investigations: Real Cases from the files of X-Investigations.<br /><br />You may be wondering what attributes contribute to a book being thrown forcefully into this category. If not, keep your trap shut and smile until the end. If so, you know I’m just dying to tell you all about it.<br /><br />1. The book will be by some Dashiell Hammett-obsessed pseudo-detective with questionable fashion sense. Ain’t no Thin Man here, no matter how hard they try.<br /><br />2. The author will claim various “secret occult learnings” but never be specific about what he knows, because his learnings were actually gleaned from old Dragon magazines and maybe some Googling on the days he feels more academically stringent.<br /><br />3. The author will have a website which will contain photos of him in “action.” The site will be light on information and action, but will serve to confirm the questionable fashion sense.<br /><br />4. The book will contain ridiculous stories of the author’s adventures which will serve only to highlight his lack of knowledge about the paranormal (and sometimes consensus reality).<br /><br />So, with such a silly introduction, where do I start with this book? It is the story of X-Investigations, an organization that Mr. Johnson created to be “hard nosed,” “like the X-files,” and able to “kick the asses of a few malevolent demons.” I wish I was making those quotes up. So, already I’m picturing an angsty Fox Mulder in a Philip Marlowe trench coat doing an Anita Blake imitation. But before that image could scar me for life, Bob goes on to tell us that the problem with paranormal investigators is that they have no “real-world investigative smarts.” And the problem with Churches is that they only deal with the Devil and you have to tithe to them. I’m not going into how he has apparently confused the Catholic Church with all other Churches.<br /><br />Of course, we get the usual story about how Mr. J got involved in the creepy crazy world of the paranormal. He says he’s greatly influenced by Hanz Holzer (the guy who was just sure the Amityville Horror haunting happed because of an angry Indian Chief’s ghost). And J initially began his foray into the paranormal because he liked scary stories! Be still my beating heart. Soon, he’s going to tell us that he read Joseph Campbell. But, no! Instead, he tells us that he met Raymond T. McNally while he (Johnson) was in college. Dr. McNally wrote In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires way back in 1972. Bob Johnson will have you believe that Dr. McNally “took the dark side seriously” and later on in his book claims that Dr. McNally “didn’t discount factual vampirism.” Excuse me for turning into Penn Gillette for a moment, but that is complete bullshit. You want to know how I know that? Guess who else got to talk to Raymond T. McNally when she was in college? Go ahead – guess! You got it in one – I met Dr. McNally while he was doing a college tour in the 1990s to promote the new edition of In Search of Dracula. McNally didn’t believe in vampirism, no matter how much Mr. Johnson wants to hint that he did. He did believe that other people believed in it, however. I appreciate how that can be confusing. McNally also managed to be a brilliant scholar and historian while being light hearted enough to walk around in a cape and fangs – he was a legend of a man. And one whose name shouldn’t be taken in vain by the likes of Bob (I’m a) Johnson.<br /><br />So Bob read scary books, liked Hans Holzer, harassed Raymond and then worked for Beyond Reality, a paranormal magazine that had its hey day in the 1990s.They even assigned him to spend a night in the Amityville Horror house, the results of which he claims is “stuff for another book.” That statement doesn’t surprise me, despite the fact that Amityville was a poorly-orchestrated hoax. Anyone who claims to be an expert on the paranormal and claims to believe that that shouse on Long Island is haunted is one of three things: a liar, an idiot, or a conman.<br /><br />Okay, enough about the distant and murky past of good old Bob. It’s time to move on to the puzzling and contradictory story he tells about the formation of his little investigative organization. One day, little Bobby decided that what the world needed was a paranormal investigation organization associated with a licensed detective agency. According to the description of this blessed event in the introduction (p. xv), he spent a few hours chatting with his private detective friend Vincent, brought in his “Emma-Peel-like psychic Czech colleague” (in a leather cat suit, no less!) and so impressed his detective pal that they decided to create X-Investigations on the spot. From this story, we understand that Bob was associated with Silvana (the Czech colleague) prior to the formation of X-investigations and that the formation of the organization required a couple of hours of story telling. It’s a simple story, really. Which makes it even stranger when it completely changes on page 9. According to the story on page 9, Bob went on a ghost hunt (where he was apparently terrified by a cold spot and a flickering gauss meter – maybe he should rethink his career path). When he got home from the hunt, he had a message from Silvana, now described as a “woman in Vincent’s office” and a complete stranger. In this version, their successful completion of their first case together caused Vincent to agree to assisting in creating X-Investigations.<br /><br />So, which is it? It can’t be both, unless some kookie paranormal stuff that not even I would believe in is going on. Johnson never attempts to explain the discrepancy in the origin of his own organization. So it is obvious that Bob is lying about how his organization came to be. (It’s also pretty obvious that Bob has a really bad editor.) I wonder what else Bob will like about? Sadly, we don’t have to wonder for long.<br />Let’s just have a run down of the topics that Bob covers in his true-to-life exploits:<br />1. A woman burns down a café because she’s haunted by a ghost that was wronged by an ancestor.<br />2. A husband is forced to cheat on his wife by the ghost of her father who is being controlled by her aunt. Huh?<br />3. A Romanian youth in the US becomes a vampire thanks to role playing games. Shoving his cousin (who is residing in another country) into a box with a corpse somehow cures him.<br />4. An occultist uses his 128k Macintosh to store his soul and to take over the soul of a child.<br />5. A devout Catholic woman randomly decides to do a ritual and gets possessed by an Incubus, so se decides to have sex with everyone she sees – and she wears a penis-shaped pendant!<br />6. Some Satanists move into a New York apartment and own a dog with green eyes – and sometimes the eyes appear blue!<br />7. A woman speaks to cats and obtains their magical secrets. She melds her soul with one of her cats when she dies.<br />8. A psychic is pestered by Houdini’s Hell Rats.<br />9. A house is haunted by a remorseful ghost, who attempts to strangle people anyway.<br /><br />Yeah, I know that the above list makes about much sense as a Dadaist poem. But those are the real-life events that Bob gives us to work with. All of the above creatures seem pretty daunting. Well, at least a little daunting. What the hell is a Houdini Hell Rat anyway? Good thing for Bob that he has backup. Unfortunately for us, his backup is Silvana, who is just as much of a cartoon character as he is. I knew things were going to be bad when he first describes her as “Emma-Peel-like.” It’s even worse when you go to the <a href="http://x-investigations.com">X-Investigations web site</a> and see that they have trademarked the phrase “The World’s Sexiest Ghost Buster.” She’s Bobs Czechoslovakian psychic. Don’t worry about forgetting that she’s Czech, because Bob mentions it ever time he mentions her in the first half of the book. We get references to her “Czech accent,” complete with poor phonetic reproductions of it which make her sound like Natasha Fatale from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.<br /><br />So, that’s it – I’m not going into any more details on this one. To sum up, our hero gives two different stories for the formation of his own organization, can’t keep details straight about who he meets when, and lies about what scholars believed about the paranormal. Yet, he asks us to believe in the existence of “Houdini Rats” and Incubuses. Either Bob is completely disconnected from reality or (worse) a liar. Take your pick!<br /><br /><br /></ahref="http:>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-36697752527233490292008-03-04T14:13:00.002+11:002008-03-04T14:15:52.188+11:00March's SeekerI'm so slack -- this post should have been up four days ago.<br /><br />Anywho, head on over to <a href="http://theseeker.ning.com/">The Seeker</a> to sign up to receive email copies or email me if you'd like me to send you a copy. Either way, my latest article is in the March issue.Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-15661909092206436612008-02-29T14:43:00.002+11:002008-02-29T14:45:33.808+11:00Buzz, buzz, buzz...I've just been the busiest little bee these past few weeks -- but I don't have a review to post yet -- for shame! However, the book I am working on is the one pictured in my new icon.<br /><br />You can expect me to be a little more diligent in my posting, now that I've settled back down again. Did the online world miss me? (Pardon me while I strike a diva pose...)<br /><br /><br /><span id="fullpost"></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-4326503139081122272008-02-11T09:29:00.000+11:002008-02-11T09:32:55.530+11:00A Closet Post Secret Junkie Thinks about LoveYes, I'm one of those people that nip over to <a href="http://postsecret.blogspot.com/">Post Secret</a> every week to check out the postcards. This is the latest video collage of cards, all having to do with love.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tzq3srbYEUY&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tzq3srbYEUY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />A word of advice from Connie: don't ever stop loving people -- eventually, you will find the right person.<br /><br />If you haven't quite found "the one" enjoy Valentines this week with that thought in mind!Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-34547987917887587652008-02-05T09:08:00.000+11:002008-02-05T09:14:11.772+11:00The Tide is High....<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq59sYdbAuRo15vTDqAZE3m__TA8yDYKhaFXKbNSBGDdSssWu2Ff_6LvhkMNj0EhFa23iG4zo46cyVYufF-Knll9WBCDuFaW7peQgABlifH3ElJNrlVtvmSaLEB2dGdWRsrje16_Dt51Oy/s1600-h/DSCF6284.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq59sYdbAuRo15vTDqAZE3m__TA8yDYKhaFXKbNSBGDdSssWu2Ff_6LvhkMNj0EhFa23iG4zo46cyVYufF-Knll9WBCDuFaW7peQgABlifH3ElJNrlVtvmSaLEB2dGdWRsrje16_Dt51Oy/s320/DSCF6284.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>It's raining -- a lot. Take a look at this picture of the (usually) laughably dry "wetlands" across the street from my apartment. A bunch of roads are closed -- we are <em>trapped in Nowra</em>. If there was a perfect time for the big Cthulhu-creatures to pop out of the sewers and get us, this is it.<br /><br />I'm not worried -- really. *Clutches can of Cthulhu-Away-Spray(tm).*<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdz-Ed9V3yNabbu0oQ5863R9sl1XvzdvtHDspFQa6fxVFy6qjZ4JxJCqR2BostW5A1SkxEkxTug2q3e-RgZGas8eKS1iHhRXF8QE2WrkVZ65xXWsCrI-EAqIAq1aD7No0UCx_UYlzwmcFW/s1600-h/DSCF6297.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdz-Ed9V3yNabbu0oQ5863R9sl1XvzdvtHDspFQa6fxVFy6qjZ4JxJCqR2BostW5A1SkxEkxTug2q3e-RgZGas8eKS1iHhRXF8QE2WrkVZ65xXWsCrI-EAqIAq1aD7No0UCx_UYlzwmcFW/s320/DSCF6297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163251586994997154" border="0" /></a>The pic above is of me, waiting in the gutter to do battle.<br /><br />Frank and I are going out later to take more photos.<br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-74141570808806791012008-02-01T09:37:00.001+11:002008-02-01T09:41:19.591+11:00An AnnouncementMaya, Chief Editor of the online newsletter <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seeker</span> has been kind enough to let me write a column for it and the first issue of the new year is out. If you just can't get enough of my rambling (or if you would like to read some really interesting articles by some talented folks), check it out <a href="http://groups.msn.com/EagnanaSeanoiri/theseeker1.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=2951&all_topics=0">here</a>.<span id="fullpost"><br /></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-13556978170681202942008-01-31T16:37:00.000+11:002008-01-31T16:56:50.943+11:00Our Gods Wear Spandex, Our Goddesses are Barefoot and Pregnant<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=desst-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1578634067&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Book: </span> Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret history of Comic Book Heroes<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Author:</span> Christopher Knowles<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Illustrator:</span> Joseph Michael Linsner<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Review:</span><br />I had high expectations for this book. It was an item on my Christmas list, as a matter of fact. I figured that it could possibly be the perfect holiday gift book for me – engaging, fun, easy to read in fits and starts, and a good conversation starter while I’m browsing my book by the tree. My fiancée was kind enough to give it to me, and I began to read it on December 26th. (He also gave me Rattles, the glow-in-the-dark skull shaped shaker. Say hello to the folks, Rattles!) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIB0ttvml5PZUcAovLl7OLDPxNbUY5JWvgkUi1PoNcTbG5EIAb1MPra2jxonF0HYW2PhvD8U2U2Ce1WYn8_Kg9XgP_yze3tCUACFJ67ml_cnjjgI49nZrKfhMwe4vEMINxZXKmSWwCuZz/s1600-h/DSCF6269.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIB0ttvml5PZUcAovLl7OLDPxNbUY5JWvgkUi1PoNcTbG5EIAb1MPra2jxonF0HYW2PhvD8U2U2Ce1WYn8_Kg9XgP_yze3tCUACFJ67ml_cnjjgI49nZrKfhMwe4vEMINxZXKmSWwCuZz/s320/DSCF6269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161511167462410082" border="0" /></a>I assure you, Rattles says "hi!"<br /><br />You may have noticed that I began reading this book over a month ago. That’s because reading it almost destroyed me. It was something quite like hitting myself over the head again and again with a miniature bust of some obscure DC hero no one has ever heard of. The book ate my soul. This is the third time I’ve tried to force myself to sit down and write this review. I hope the third time is a charm, because I really want to go set fire to this book in the courtyard once I’m done.<br /><br />It began innocently enough. First, with a brief introduction that explains to us why the author just <span style="font-style: italic;">had </span>to write this book. This was quickly followed by what was, sadly, the most enjoyable part of the book: an engaging history of the comic book industry, with a focus on the horrible state that the industry was in during the 1990s (a.k.a. “The Chromatic Age”). I hung out/pseudo-worked at a Comic Book shop in the early 90’s, which has long since gone out of business (I salute you, Dr. Comics!), so I found the history and the unflinching description of just how bad comics were at that time entertaining.<br /><br />The reader is soon presented with one of Mr. Knowles’s basic premises: that when the general culture is anxiety-ridden and scared, comics become a brisk business. I can buy that – escapism is always on the menu when a culture is stressed. He continues to tell us that as society pendulums from a shades-of-gray-appreciating level of comfort to a black-and-white-desiring discomfort, the appreciation of superheroes wanes and waxes accordingly.<br /><br />Mr. Knowles has a very broad definition of a superhero, which changes according to his whim. It’s interesting to see that he never fully defines this term, lumping characters like Rambo (who certainly did not stem from the comic book industry) in with the rest of the lycra-wearing crowd.<br /><br />The book goes on to explain that in the current climate, fans demand a certain “reverence” from comic book creators, pointing out that the previously popular genre of parodies are no longer accepted as easily. He goes so far as to compare CosPlayers at Dragon*con to “ancient pagans dressing as objects of their worship.” That’s a kind of facile comparison that’s easy to make…and that cries out for something to back it up. Sadly, we don’t receive that something. But what we do receive is the first herald of a sad trend in this book. I’ll let the text speak for itself. Mr. Knowles states that Dragon*con has “…become notorious for the throngs of beautiful women who swarm there to show off their painstakingly constructed costumes, as well as their Pilates-sculpted figures.” At first glance, it seems like a fair-enough statement – everyone I know that’s been to Dragon*con comes back with stories of scantily clad women in elaborate consumes. I just question the “Pilates-sculpted” description. Why do I question it? Read on, dear reader, read on.<br /><br />I’m supposed to be writing these reviews to comment on books which contain shoddy scholarship or downright craziness in regards to the Occult or Paranormal, right? Well, for a moment, Constance Parker is taking a holiday. In her place, meet Constance Wollstonecraft, feminist at large. And let me write it plainly for all to see: this book both implicitly and explicitly denigrates women. Repeatedly. Often enough to make a woman with a fairly relaxed view of feminism’s blood boil.<br /><br />We start with the above quote, with the implications that all women (or at least all women that go to Dragon*con) tone their muscles with Pilates (no offense to those of you who do, by the way.) What follows, sprinkled throughout the book are other misogynistic and male-centric depictions of females. Madame Blavatsky is described as “stout and homely” while none of the other male characters are subjected to a beauty review. The “Occult Superstars” section of the book is devoid of females. Where are the Fox Sisters, Dione Fortune, Madame Blavatsky? (Blavatsky and Fortune are mentioned in other sections, however their omission here is vexing.) No females are mentioned in the Literary Luminaries section. Where’s Mary Shelley?<br /><br />Finally, in the Bram Stoker section of the Literary Luminaries chapter, we hear mention of Anne Rice. However, while male authors are “inspired” by other male authors, who leave a “legacy” to the writers that come after them, we learn that mean old Anne Rice has “hijacked [Bram Stoker’s] theme.” Males get to influence and be influenced; females apparently “hijack” ideas.<br /><br />Next is the issue of Margaret Brundage. I’ll admit – I had never heard of her until reading this book. Let’s compare how Mr. Knowles describes her to how she’s described in another source. Knowles mentions her while discussing the cover art of Weird Tales magazine. He tells us that “Weird Tales became notorious for its sexy and surreal cover paintings, particularly those of Chicago housewife Margaret Brundage.” This is how Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Brundage">describes</a> good old Margaret: “an American illustrator and painter who is remembered chiefly for having illustrated the pulp magazine Weird Tales.” Later on, Wikipedia mentions that she was the chief cover artist for Weird Tales and continued to work as an artist until her death. That’s some housewife!<br /><br />Mr. Knowles lumps all female comic book heroes into one chapter, titled “The Amazons.” Apparently, that is the only archetype he can fit females into as far as comics are concerned. Wonder Women is discussed in some detail, with an explanation about how she was primarily a bondage fantasy. He then sweeps fourteen other female characters into a section cunningly titled “And Others Like Her” and proceeds to dismiss them in five short paragraphs. Electra gets her own section, but only so that he can state that her ruthless and aggressive tendencies make her “devoid of a recognizable feminine personality.” He goes so far as to indicate that he is a transgendered character, due to her strength and aggression.<br /><br />Finally, we come to the issue of the illustrations that adorn the book. The cover art is a parody of the last supper, with one hugely-bosomed female character playing the part of Mary Magdalene. She is the only character without long sleeves on the cover. Out of around 25 illustrations, there are two pictures of female heroes, one of which is a female hero “tied” to a chair and looking distressed. The other illustration is of a trans-gendered Elektra. The other females appearing in illustrations are<br /><br />• A flapper being saved by a gun-toting detective<br />• A vampire woman leaping out to attack a male hero.<br /><br />And, my two personal favorites:<br /><br />• A space bimbo in a metal bikini staring in startled admiration at a space man’s sword<br />• A fantasy bimbo in a leather bikini staring in startled admiration at Robert E Howard’s axe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3RCl8fYgmIcxsu4tPIzwRziYGme69QBEV-EIR-pU77nTH6___6LJsS7U6ae-CtGy2vIiH7bWYqXC2Avf9QfbEWMkaanb1c5SCV8bX3LpGbplvv05iV8fXw9O3RZrgJNGjIfcYuyzhBy4/s1600-h/DSCF6272.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3RCl8fYgmIcxsu4tPIzwRziYGme69QBEV-EIR-pU77nTH6___6LJsS7U6ae-CtGy2vIiH7bWYqXC2Avf9QfbEWMkaanb1c5SCV8bX3LpGbplvv05iV8fXw9O3RZrgJNGjIfcYuyzhBy4/s320/DSCF6272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161513345010829170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxdOIrfVXjkamTbHKve00muVBIvCxxWNTOYjy_Zk-_0NvRCRehosX7FszbglMNagCFspOTI9b4WbbDA3mWYUDGPYgbc9NxsOb17hoWqKEQcL9xeNfpUkFfa7xZtE1VZN_eiutz1MXTc59/s1600-h/DSCF6271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxdOIrfVXjkamTbHKve00muVBIvCxxWNTOYjy_Zk-_0NvRCRehosX7FszbglMNagCFspOTI9b4WbbDA3mWYUDGPYgbc9NxsOb17hoWqKEQcL9xeNfpUkFfa7xZtE1VZN_eiutz1MXTc59/s320/DSCF6271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161513744442787714" border="0" /></a><br />These pictures say it better than I ever could.<br /><br />Okay, now I can shove Constance Wollstonecraft into a box in order to talk about how this book measures up when it comes to its Occult content. The sad fact is that it doesn’t. Not a bit. Mr. Knowles has a habit of obtaining his information about the Occult via conspiracy books. He frequently uses the word “Occultic” as if it was a real word. Despite his thesis that most superheros are vestiges of pre-Christian religions that have been promoted by secret societies that comics creators are either members of or knowledgeable about, he rarely draws a clear line between a pre-Christian religion and a specific superhero. What we are left with is a scattered collection of information that never quite hangs together. Our Gods is arbitrary, loosely woven, and will be frustrating to read for anyone who knows anything about the history of the Occult.<br /><br />My advice? Don’t read past page 7. Actually, don’t even bother with the first seven pages – I am sure there are better histories of the comics industry out there. In fact, I just found this on Amazon.com:<br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=desst-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0786431849&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><br />So, in regards to this subject, hope springs eternal. Excelsior!Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-6578999167992624282008-01-20T08:44:00.000+11:002008-01-21T09:00:52.277+11:00Update + Bad Craziness Down UnderWander over <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/01/17/1200419951220.html">here</a>, if you will, and read this article that appeared in the Brisbane Times. In it, a researcher named Rosemary Aird has announced that "New Age" spirituality may contribute to mental illness.<br /><br />She determined this by surveying 3700<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">21-year-olds. </span>You read that right -- 21-year-olds.<br /><br />Not to mention, she is quoted as saying this:<br /><br /><blockquote>"People who are into the new-age spirituality tend to shop around and will often borrow from all sorts of<span style="font-weight: bold;"> old</span> beliefs, like Wicca, witchcraft or Native American religions. It's a whole mish-mash and changes all the time, where they'll do something for a while before doing something else."</blockquote><br />The emphasis on old is mine. Wicca started 'round about 1954. If that qualifies for old, what qualifies for new, religiously speaking? A comment like that makes it kind of difficult for me to find confidence in what the lady is saying.<br /><br />I have other thoughts rattling 'round my head, but that's it for now.<br /><br />As for Our Gods Wear Spandex, reading that book is like beating myself over the head. But I am slowly working on it. At least I know I'll have lots to say in my review.Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-47471729384797000662008-01-08T11:22:00.000+11:002008-01-08T12:05:54.705+11:00Science vs. Spiritual BeliefsGuess what? Michael is doin' it wrong.<br /><br />Here we have this enlightening quote from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.arewestillhere.com">Are We Still Here?</a>, a self-published philosophical treatise penned by one Michael K. Brier. Mr. Brier is a multi-talented sort -- he writes philosophical (I use the term loosely) books, draws cartoons, and even paints!<br /><br />I will confess right now that I haven't read the entire book. However, the chapter titled "Section the Eighth - You Actually Believe That?" caught my eye, since it has subsections about Myth, Superstition and Magic. And that's where I found this little gem, which attempts to refute out-of-body experiences:<br /><blockquote>"In order for us to see something, that thing must absorb light. That is just basic physics. Those who report having an "out-of-body" experience say they can "see" themselves and their surroundings, but if we are not visible to others then we are not absorbing light. If that weren't the case more people would be seeing "spirits". If we are not absorbing light then we wouldn't be able to see anything." </blockquote>Uh, Mr. Michael? Last I heard, in order for us to see something, it must <span style="font-style: italic;">reflect</span> light. You know, so our eyeballs can then capture the reflected light. If something <span style="font-style: italic;">absorbs</span> light, then we wouldn't be able to see it at all -- kind of like how black holes absorb light so are invisible to the naked eye.<br /><br />Now the above quote is either 1) poor understanding of how light and vision works or 2) really <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> bad grammar. If you interpret the first sentence to mean "in order for us to see something, our eyes must be able to absorb light," then things start to make a leetle more sense, but you are left with deciding that "that thing" in the second half or the sentence refers to the "us" in the first half.<br /><br />It's sad either way, really.<br /><br />I'm going to blaze through a few more pages of Mr. Brier's little missive and see what else he has to say about Myth and Magic and stuff (I don't think I could stomach the rest -- there is, after all, a portion of the introduction that tells us that sometimes women use their sexuality to....<span style="font-style: italic;">get pregnant</span>. And that's a bad thing! Also, I don't think I could take the various references to how women don't sleep with intelligent men, which is also a <span style="font-style: italic;">bad thing.</span>) If I find anything interesting, I'll update this post.<br /><br />And YES, I'm working on Our Gods Wear Spandex, I swear!<br /><br />Already updating:<br /><br />Later, Michael saves us from superstition by informing us that (among other things):<br />1) If you make a funny face, it will <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> stick that way.<br />2) Ants aren't really that strong because, "the smaller an insect is, the less gravity affects them."<br />3) If you hold a sea shell up to your ear you will <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>hear the ocean.<br />4) This one is a direct quote: "If a woman has hardwood floors (shaved pubic region), she is not able to run faster because there is less drag and she is more aerodynamic."<br />5) Sex doesn't clear up acne (though he keeps testing that theory anyway).<br /><br />The last two bits of info are the most telling, in my opinion. First, who the hell uses the euphemism "hardwood floors" to mean "shaved pubic region"?! Second, as well all know, anyone who feels they must publicly declare they are gettin' some on the intar-web, most certainly isn't.Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-11826787643291324842008-01-05T14:58:00.000+11:002008-01-05T15:04:39.737+11:00Next TargetThe book that is resting securely in the cross-hairs of my sights is (drum roll please): <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FOur-Gods-Wear-Spandex-History%2Fdp%2F1578634067%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1199505762%26sr%3D8-1&tag=desst-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=desst-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. So promising, so exciting -- such a good Christmas present (thanks, Frank)! Yet so disappointing.<br /><br />Stay tuned to find out why (it's taking me longer than expected to get through it because it annoys me so much).Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-22959431675815063212008-01-04T10:24:00.000+11:002008-01-04T10:35:22.236+11:00Treading water in the outer reaches of the intar-webSince I live in Nowra now, I couldn't resist doing some research on everyone's favorite local lunatic getting messages from the Virgin Mary while happily nurturing his own cult, Little Pebble.<br /><br />Apparently, his compound is somewhere near Nowra. I was poking around on one of the official Little Pebble web pages, and I just had to share this quote with you:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Do not Hindus have their Buddha in their homes?"</blockquote><br />Hey, Little Pebble...understanding the basics of other religions -- you're doin' it wrong! You may want to ask the Virgin Mary for a little help differentiating between Hindus and Buddhists the next time she drops by for tea and bikkies.<br /><br />The best part is that the quote is used (inexplicably) in a response to a question about him being an adulterer and bigamist. You can read the quote in its context <a href="http://www.shoal.net.au/%7Emwoa/important_events/faq.html">here</a>. Just scroll down to the answer to question 11.<br /><br />The man is a grade-A wing nut -- and though there are many other much more serious (and more scary) problems with his belief structures, I just had to share. <br /><br />Heck, at least he's in jail now.Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-34089093391456319022007-12-24T08:42:00.000+11:002007-12-24T08:45:04.284+11:00Bwahaha!<span id="fullpost">Just another quick post.</span><br /><p>Someone found this website by googling the phrase "dipshit of the year." This makes me giggle -- a lot.</span></p><p>Really going now -- must drive for many hours through weird Aussie outback to weird Aussie family for weird Aussie Christmas rituals.</p></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-6390512594864098872007-12-24T08:04:00.000+11:002007-12-24T08:36:49.919+11:00Spookily bad stuff...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQbpSn935AFLDUWDOmSZj5lkkIllvQ_Y9tTqZ1DGm9sKZvHDqHQV1lqSetU2-4OpyPNWYkX7ClMVueDG-bsfBimuD0HjemQyKySbbkIv3ZqBCDsS5N00uE1uhiu4ldhmJZvdokARIe2O2/s1600-h/spookedpic.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147283498816552402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQbpSn935AFLDUWDOmSZj5lkkIllvQ_Y9tTqZ1DGm9sKZvHDqHQV1lqSetU2-4OpyPNWYkX7ClMVueDG-bsfBimuD0HjemQyKySbbkIv3ZqBCDsS5N00uE1uhiu4ldhmJZvdokARIe2O2/s320/spookedpic.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Spooked%20the%20ghosts%20of%20waverly&tag=desst-20&index=na-video-us%3Advd&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=desst-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" border="0" /><br /><em>This review is dedicated to my father, who never once said to me that skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, but who lives that concept every day.</em><br /><br />Okay, so, there's this haunted Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Louisville, Ky. You may have heard of it before, since it has been explored by everyone from the people who make Most Haunted to <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000997/">Gary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Busey</span></a> (don't ask). So, what was once my favorite high school freak-out tale has become an international ghost hunting Mecca. I don't mind, really. Especially since the current owners are awesome people who are doing everything that they can to make sure that the grounds and the building stay open to the public.<br /><br />Th problem is the quality of people that international ghost hunting Meccas attract. See, we had this jackass film maker named <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0756612/">Christopher Saint Booth</a> traipse into town to make a horror movie called Death Tunnel, which was filmed on sight at Waverly Hills. Apparently, to help promote the film, which has had questionable success, the same fellow has made a documentary about the paranormal events at Waverly. Before I go on, ole Chris is kind of like Ed Wood but without the charm or sartorial style -- his scruffy hair, dumb silver jewelry and bad hat choices are evidence.<br /><br />Evidence:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147283786579361250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdTt8noU-m0rGkKRlOKQX0N7NOkdN-8_IMM05p2AJGbGAAaLiO8FrTWfH2EEhGVqrk85NAFPL7Hh7_V2QIcNkNQasDEdHX1Q4yeVulCTwPi5m5UwzyFZJtsN7AD8L4BQOJukb4foHLjhS/s320/CSB.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />This documentary is called Spooked, and amazingly enough, Frank and I discovered a copy of this gem at Video <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ezy</span> here in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Nowra</span>. It was a must-rent, not only due to the subject matter (now that I don't live in Louisville any more, I'll watch pretty much anything about Kentucky), but because of the stylish and dignified name of the aforementioned film.<br /><br />I am sad to report that every single thing that I feared to find in this documentary was found, and then some. First, it wins the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Amityville</span> Horror award for internal inconsistencies. Facts are provided to the viewer in white text on a black background at the very start of the film. Almost every single one of those facts are contradicted by the statements made by interview subjects within the following fifteen minutes. It's not necessarily a bad thing that the initial facts are contradicted, because most of them are incorrect, but one has to wonder exactly why the initial facts that are presented were not corrected after obtaining information from interview subjects.<br /><br />One of the primary interview subjects is sadly, Keith Age, who is the founder of the <a href="http://www.louisvilleghs.com/">Louisville Ghost Hunters Society</a>. You get to witness this fellow in his best good-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">fellah</span>-from-the-holler, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">yee</span>-haw-ain't-we-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">havin</span>'-a-time best, as he leads a film crew though the beautiful and sadly run-down sanatorium. You also get to watch him trot out his usual repertoire that he provides to all tour attendees, which include stores about and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">EVP</span> meter "melting" in one of the treatment rooms and about how ghosts seem to like to throw chunks of cement at him. I'm on the side of the ghosts in this instance, because if Mr. Age came traipsing through my house on a regular basis, waving cheap electronic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">gizmos</span> and shining laser pointers around, I'd probably throw concrete at him, too.<br /><br />By now, you may have guessed that I don't care much for Mr. Age. And you'd be correct. I've heard far too many stories about this guy and his cheap but uninspired showmanship to believe a word that comes out of his mouth. He's the type of paranormal researcher who likes to stand in the back of a crowd, stumble into people in front of him, and exclaim that he's just been hit in the back by a rock which was thrown by a mean old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ghostie</span>. And, though he claims that he is a skeptic at heart, who is desperately seeking confirmation that the paranormal exists, he'll blithely point at really bad "orb" photos, and insist that they are evidence of the paranormal.<br /><br />I was afraid that "orb" photos were going to put in an appearance, and I wasn't disappointed. Plenty of them are trotted out in the course of the documentary, along with grainy close-ups up "faces" in the orbs. Not once does the documentary mention the questionable nature of "orb" ghost photos, nor are the viewers provided with information about the weather conditions under which the photos were taken. Other photos are show the the viewer, ranging from images of strange human torsos and faces to misty "ectoplasm" shots, some of which are so obviously cigarette smoke, that I ended up feeling embarrassed for the film makers.<br /><br />Some of the other interviews were mildly entertaining, especially the ones with two ex-patients of the sanatorium. Hearing about their experiences with Tuberculosis (repeatedly called the "White Plague" in the film), was interesting. They firmly express how good the care they received at Waverly was, despite the sensationalism of the film makers, who repeatedly attempt to intimate that there was something nefarious going on while the building was operated as a Tuberculosis Sanatorium. (They were barking up the wrong tree, abysmal care of patients didn't figure into the building's history until it was reopened as a Nursing Home years later.) There are questionable moments in the editing, in which it appears that certain interview subjects are backing each other up about stories that are patently false. Careful watching allows you to identify these moments fairly easily.<br /><br />In conclusion, watch Spooked for a piece of Louisville folklore history, because all of the old stories are told, including everything from the nurse who hung herself on the fifth floor in the infamous room 502, to the ghost of a little girl named Mary who haunts the floor below. Or, watch it for the images of Waverly, which are hauntingly beautiful in their desolation. Or even watch it to make fun of Christopher Saint Booth's fashion sense. But don't watch in the hopes of seeing a detailed and well-documented documentary about the paranormal events that are reported to have taken place there, because you certainly won't find that here.<span id="fullpost"> </span><br /><br />Oh, and Happy Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Yule/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy Holidays, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">ya'll</span> -- and have a happy New Year, too!<br /><p></p><p>Much love,<br />Connie<span style="font-size:0;"></p></span>PS: Yeah, I know it was short and not quite as vicious as usual -- but Ms. Connie has been busy doing holiday things and getting engaged and stuff, so deal with it!<br /><div></div>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-40963563810235621042007-12-17T08:13:00.000+11:002007-12-17T08:15:28.988+11:00Aieeee! Right off the edge of the world!Hi folks,<br /><br />I haven't posted in a terribly long time -- I blame the Holiday Season, which has been kicking my butt. I'd like to say that I'm working on another review, but I haven't even started one yet! *ashamed face*<br /><br />Howeve, I'll attempt to get myself back into gear ASAP. Until, then. a question for all of you folks out there: If you could own a copy of any book, any edition, what would it be?<br /><br />Promising to be useful soon,<br />ConstanceConstance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-5212957583556401712007-11-18T14:26:00.001+11:002007-11-18T14:37:30.589+11:00Konstantinos: Keeping you in the Dark for a Dime<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhST1jvdeaKCCHClBzn-83rO0QLrDaib4nog5sQ95brahXUGivm7G23G_G1peg8OTc9IVg59ULNmHHi7_Zabt3mhGfSbrK2h1SOsLD9x-x5W6mIJhGqI0sJZ546BMlpVZOg69EvDuG1uaB/s1600-h/nocwitch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134017216698698962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhST1jvdeaKCCHClBzn-83rO0QLrDaib4nog5sQ95brahXUGivm7G23G_G1peg8OTc9IVg59ULNmHHi7_Zabt3mhGfSbrK2h1SOsLD9x-x5W6mIJhGqI0sJZ546BMlpVZOg69EvDuG1uaB/s320/nocwitch.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Book: Nocturnal Witchcraft<br />Author: Konstaninos<br />Publisher: Who else but Llewellyn?<br /><br />I have a confession to make before I start this review. (And how many reviews do I start out with confessions -- I should really go back and take a look.) Anyway, the confession is this: I started disliking the Konstantinos fellow when I first heard his name a few years back. As I've already mentioned, I have a severe dislike for people who make too much of themselves and providing yourself with a single moniker is a marked indication of someone who thinks a little too much of him or herself. Let's look at the evidence: Sting. Madonna. Prince. Starhawk. (Just kidding on that last one – sheesh, calm down!)<br /><br />So, let it be known that I hate Konstantinos's name. And I don't really care much for his author's photo, either. When I pick up a book on the occult, I don't want to be reminded of every stupid Goth guy that's ever tried to pick me up in a bar by telling me riveting stories about his forays into the occult darkness. Pardon me for a moment, while I shudder:<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134017345547717858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3SWT27pYIH8DWac_2wnSA8PFv4OQM8Uvs-JQgyjYu32T77N3fBo4ftMLxot5HSrQRb7JX_GSQmsAZecVCQeQj-pqLLvkl3sG_eq8WcK_31T_hxxnlBvzHcCdNJI458DaUROop42i2CqP/s320/konstantinos.jpg" border="0" />Come to think of it, he looks a little like Naboo from the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/themightyboosh.com">Mighty Boosh</a> without the turban.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134018307620392178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F_1UC-wl_0pBHuz4luBwmj49Y1UWbs_gehS63ilt4x4-YdGgbFbsAwJ7dH2cW7oLHiLrn4HEgcXj3bkYDw5AZm9iRsFIERuHYp-GJxSgX5e9dEAL5L7vWVvGoVnA5Xv4jf3qB_ZXhUjS/s320/mighty2_450x300.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><br />Now that that is over, let's get to the review. I'm going to try like heck to make this succinct.<br /><br />Apparently, K (as I've decided to call him, if I type that damned name over and over again throughout this review, it sure as hell isn't going to be succinct) has decided that Witchcraft in general and Wicca in particular just doesn't attract enough fringe personalities and that our gothic brothers and sisters in the Craft are being left out in the cold. Apparently, it's not enough to drape oneself in pentacle jewellery as a combination Goth/Witch statement. No, no -- he sees the need to create an entire new tradition for our Dark counterparts. A tradition that is called Nocturnal Witchcraft. And he's serious about it too -- so serious that he's busted out at least three books about it over the course of the years.<br /><br />So, once we get past the appropriately creeeeeepy and goooothic cover art, what do we find? Sadly, not a lot. We first get a cozy little introduction that asks if the reader likes to dress in black (snort, giggle) and likes to wear silver jewellery (chuckle, guffaw). Then, after K is done describing more than half the attendees of any pagan/feminist/gothic/heavy metal (choose one) gathering, he moves on to the really important questions. Do we, as readers, like to be surrounded by the essence of night, by any chance? If the answers to any of these questions is yes, well, we may just be one of the....nightkind. Yeah, you read that right. And yeah, he got paid to write this crap.<br /><br />Next, we get some blather about the four soul types. A kind of Meyers-Briggs for Goths. The world is divided into four types: Good-light, Evil-light, Evil-dark, and of course...our heroes: the Good-dark. He takes great pains to remind us that Dark doesn't have to mean evil, you know. And some people just happen to resonate completely with darkness rather than light. Balance is so over-rated, you know. We get explanations of three of these four types, but surprisingly, we hear very little about these elusive Good-dark souls. Why? Oh, because we probably already know about the Good-dark soul type. Because, "Good-dark may be someone just like you." And the italics are all his, baby. Apparently, because I picked up this book, I am very likely a Good-dark soul. Kind of like if you pick up a copy of the Watchtower, you must be a Jehovah's Witness.<br /><br />Now, before we go one tiny step further, I've got a pet peeve that needs some airing out. And who else can I share it with but you, good readers? In these opening chapters, K tells us that magick is often spelled, with a final "k" to differentiate it from stage magic. Thanks for the tip. Okay, Occult and Paranormal world, I know Mr. Crowley was neato-mosquito. And I know he's primarily responsible for slapping that redundant K on the end of MagicK. (Okay, I think it's his fault and I'm too lazy to check -- but I know he was an early-adopter, at the least. He probably stole it from Mathers, anyway.) But I have a bonza idea: why don't we differentiate stage magic from ooky occult magic as follows: If the results are that you pull a rabbit out of a hat, saw a woman in half, or make the Statue of Liberty disappear it's stage magic. If the results are that the demon Asmodian shows up in your basement, your dog and cat switch heads, or you find yourself able to travel through eldritch portals to other worlds, that's not stage magic. Is the damned K really necessary?<br /><br />Back to work. So, K's little book takes off. We get the same lecture about magical ethics that we get in all books, along with the usual stripped down and over-simplified version of the concept of Karama that you find in all books on Wicca. A note to all you kiddies out there: karma, as it is defined in the cultures and traditions that formed the concept is vastly more complicated and interesting than “tit-for-tat.” Go look it up -- you will be amazed. Then we learn that this is going to be a whole new tradition of magic, with a whole new method of doing things. We even find out that elemental correspondences (heck, correspondences of almost any kind) are unnecessary in this tradition. We, as Nightkind, only use the following correspondences: Silver or White for the moon, Black for the Gothic darkness, and the phases of the moon. This is nocturnal witchcraft and who needs those crazy correspondences? Well, except for casting circles. We'll use 'em for that. Ahem.<br /><br />Next, we get a brief run-down of all the Wiccan sabbats. The descriptions are short and virtually no information regarding a Nocturnal tradition is provided. Get used to that, it becomes a theme.<br /><br />We learn to make a Nocturnal Altar next. I'll try not to give anything away in case you haven't read through to the end, but here's a tip: every single magical tool and altar accoutrement is... chartreuse! Oh wait, chartreuse is just in Constance's little fantasy world. Actually, everything should be black blackety black black black. The blackest black that ever blacked, in fact. A big black attack! Did I mention black? Black altar cloth, censor, candles, ritual clothing, candle holders, etc., etc., etc. The only non-black item is whatever god or goddess representation you put on the altar (I guess so that you don't keep knocking them off your altar because they blend in with all the other black). I'm glad we got that squared away. This is a whole new tradition, you know -- so we have to get our altar items taken care of so that we can do all of this uniquely nocturnal magical stuff! Gee, being a Nightkind is grand! I think I'll go paint my toilet paper black so that it won't taint my gothic bottom. Good lord, I think I just found my Craft name: Gothic Bottom!<br /><br />The chapter on Reaching the Dark Divine has nothing to do with the drag queen that used to appear in John Waters movies. This made Connie sad. It does, however, include a lot of lazy scholarship, and that made Connie even sadder. I wept through the entire chapter; I'm woman enough to admit it. In this chapter, K discusses evoking and invoking God forms. Except, he doesn't call it evoking and invoking God forms. He calls both methods invoking, and then throws in assuming god forms to muddy things up further.<br /><br />Next we move into Circles of Night and Lunar Light, which contains a twenty five step process for casting a Nocturnal Circle which is completely indistinguishable from any other circle a Wiccan may cast. Well, except for the fact that he encourages you to start with a banishing, which is awfully nice and ceremonial of him, but which doesn’t really add anything new or Nocturnal to the process. He also encourages a lot of the “invoking” he describes in the previous chapter, which isn’t really Wiccan, but is still well-established Ceremonial Magic. So what we have so far is Ceremonial Magic light with some Wicca thrown in for flavour. I’m still waiting for the special Nocturnal bits.<br /><br />And there you have the first whole section of the book. Now, if you are a generous soul like me, you may be thinking that maybe, just maybe, the first section of the book was a general primer on magic and the real slick Nocturnal stuff may appear in the second segment: Mind Powers after Dark. If you are that generous of a soul, let me apologize in advance for disappointing you.<br /><br />K starts out the second section by telling us that the primary benefit of being a Nightkind (he doesn’t use the term here, I think even he was embarrassed to keep repeating it) is that you’ll keep late hours and have access to what he calls the “psychic quiet hours.” He claims that from the hours of three to five in the morning, people generate a lot less psychic activity and that these hours are calmer and more conducive to magical practice. To this I say two things: First, Mr. K has never come into contact with crazy thought forms produced by vivid dreaming. Second, if someone thinking real hard nearby is going to throw you off your magical game, you may need to rethink your interests. This chapter is just sad. K mentions several times throughout the book and specifically in this chapter that the methods he is imparting to us have never been written about before. I don’t know if he’s never picked up a book by another author on the Occult or if he just enjoys lying. Perhaps he thinks he may manage to alter reality if he keeps insisting that this information is somehow new or innovative. We progress from learning a zen-like basic method for clearing the mind to learning a way to raise energy by recalling various memories, including “a decently fond memory.” I’ve always dreamed of taking magical instruction from someone who sounds like a fifteen year old, haven’t you? We move on to learn about autosuggestion and basic visualization techniques, chakra meditation (though he never calls it that), and some positive thinking is thrown in. The information that he does provide and which I’ve not seen elsewhere is a ridiculously eye-straining method to enhance your visualization skills by staring at a candle without blinking and squinting a lot.<br /><br />At this point, my brain was melting with the effort of attempting to figure out why the hell people ever buy a second book that K has written. I’m not going to subject you to a review of the Divining by Night chapter. Instead, I’ll share my raw notes with you:<br /><br />* A nocturnal magician never eats, he or she always partakes.<br />* Various visualization and scrying techniques, none of which are new or interesting.<br />* A previously unpublished way to walk down the street!<br /><br />I know that you’re wishing that I stuck to the bulleted format for the remainder of the review, but since I had to read this dross, you get to suffer along with me. The entire next chapter is all about using an old stage mentalism trick to fool yourself into thinking you can read minds. No lie. The method involves spending a lot of time harassing your friends and acquaintances into letting you “experiment” on them, and the whole thing revolves around using body tells to find things. I suppose this is so that you can find your “nocturnal portal” when your friends hide it from you. (Don’t ask – a nocturnal portal isn’t interesting and is poorly defined throughout the book and who gives a damn anyway.) K moves on to teaching us how to read minds without physically touching someone in the next chapter. Sadly, this apparently involves flashing the person a visual queue or saying something to make the person think of what you want to “divine” and then using a mental form of dowsing to figure out their reaction. He actually suggests flashing photographs at your “unsuspecting” subjects – or even popping suddenly into their field of vision. He encourages people to “casually” flash random items at people or fix them with stares so as to “pull forward” the thought in question. I just have to share an exerpt here:<br /><br /><blockquote>“…perform the following actions in a subtle manner:<br /><br />Slightly extend your<br />hand, perhaps just a finger or two. This should appear to someone watching as if<br />you were about to raise a point but got interrupted.<br /><br />Now, with your<br />fingertips inches away from the two (for now) astral representations of possible<br />choices or answers to your question begin to move slowly back and forth over<br />each…”<br /></blockquote><br />Subtle. No really. I will live the rest of my life with the image of desperate Goths running up to people, flashing a picture at them, and staring at them while gesticulating wildly. Mind dowsing: guaranteed to make you a social outcast at any gathering. Thanks, K, you’ve made my life that much brighter.<br /><br />On to our third section: Nocturnal Magick. The other two sections sure weren’t about it, so maybe we will luck out with this last one, right?<br /><br />Right off the bat, K tells us that “The Dark Craft is only accessible by those willing to undergo the special mental training explored in part two.” That sounds promising, though that does mean I’ll have to become a spastic stage mentalist with permanently ruined vision. Hey, I thought he told me earlier that I was a Nightkind just for picking up this book! I knew it was too good to be true. Time to go change back to plain white toilet paper.<br /><br />Anyway, K tells us how to write rituals in this chapter, and how magic works and blah blah blah – yet, he still doesn’t tell us anything in particular that would set this practice apart from any other form of Wicca. The following chapter is all about lucid dreaming, and yes, once again, there is nothing new under the sun (or under the mysterious ether of the nocturnal night time magic, whichever you prefer, you Nightkind, you.)<br /><br />Eventually, K gets to the point where he’s telling us to use thought forms, which is pretty interesting and something you don’t see in a book on Wicca every day. But there’s nothing new here. Well, except during the part where he recommends that in order to get in touch with your childlike sense of wonder, you should hit some clubs and listen to some good music. He prefers Goth clubs, but I bet you guessed that already. He informs us that there is a reason these clubs are called nightclubs, after all, and so all Nightkind should take advantage of them. Thanks for the tip, K. He also recommends slumber parties. Go figure. I’m leaving this chapter now, kthnkxbai.<br /><br />Okay, this is the last chapter I’m talking about because I am sick to death of this ridiculous book. Dark Mystique, Magnetism, and Suggestion. K tells us it’s a harsh world out there for those with our super-rare soul type. We are misunderstood and may even be feared! (Yeah, you wish, Goth boy.) He recommends that we maintain our “dark mystique” by keeping our mouths shut about being a Witch, so that people won’t thwart our magical attempts with negative thought forms. I’d imagine it’s also so that people don’t dissolve into hysterical laughter when you tell them you’re a nocturnal witch. That could really hurt a person’s confidence and may require more nightclubbing to remedy. Luckily, even though you have to keep your mouth shut, K assures us that the dark magical powers you work with will attract people and mystify them. You can increase this dark magnetism by pretending that normal actions require magical willpower. So, before opening a door, see yourself do it, then raise energy, and finally open that door quickly and with severity. K also says you can use illusions or suggestions to influence people with your ooky dark powers.<br /><br />So, what do we have when we look at Nocturnal Magick as a whole? Well, we have a whole bunch of basic techniques wrapped up in a veneer of pseudo-goth culture and nocturnal heebie-jeebies, presented to us by a long-haired fellah with a questionable writing style and no real concept of the tradition he claims to have created. My dear friend Greybeard tells me he has had individuals claim that they are following this tradition, and that makes me sad. Because this tradition consists solely of calling yourself a “Nocturnal Witch” and buying into the complete bullshit this guy has to offer. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>To sum this "tradition" up, a quote from my beloved and staunchly Christian boyfriend: "It's like practicing regular Witchcraft, only you don't have to stop pretending you're a vampire." And people ask me why I love him.</div>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-28687942887985544092007-11-07T09:25:00.000+11:002007-11-07T09:58:43.578+11:00The Worst Witch DVD = The Best Special FeaturesLast night, Ivan (aka Greybeard) and I went to Wild and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wooly</span> Video in order to pick up some movies to watch with Magpie. We intended to rent <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0088930/">Clue</a> and <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0109045/">The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert</a>. We picked up both of those movies (after an embarrassing time of looking for Priscilla under Comedy, Drama, Gay and Lesbian Interest and just about every other category, until the nice man behind the counter gently reminded us that the movie is filed under A, not P). Then, on our way to the checkout counter, I saw a DVD that brought me right back to my childhood: <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0092239/">The Worst Witch</a>.<br /><br />The Worst Witch, if you have never seen it, is a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">bizzaro</span> train-wreck of a children's movie, starring a very young <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Fairuza</span> Balk, 10 years prior to her role in <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0115963/">The Craft</a>. In this movie, she plays the worst witch at an International Witchs' School which is run by the woman who played Mrs. Garret in the <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0078610/">Facts of Life</a>. She is joined by Tim Curry, who plays the "Grand Wizard" of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">witchy</span> world. He doesn't have a lot of screen time allotted to him in the movie -- he appears throughout primarily in photos which the girls in the school cherish like Backstreet Boys memorabilia and spend a lot of time kissing. (It's all kinds of wrong -- especially since I kept expecting him to show up in a crazy KKK outfit every time they called him the "Grand Wizard" -- growing up in the South does things to you.)<br /><br />The movie takes a turn towards the very, incredibly, mind-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">bendingly</span> wrong near the end, when Tim shows up as the Grand Wizard and does an absolutely insane, oh-my-gods-did-someone-slip-me-hallucinogens song and dance routine.<br /><br />Which, of course, I am going to share with you right now, through the wonders of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">YouTube</span>. Keep in mind that we have the lady who played Mrs. Garret running around not only playing Mrs. Cackle, the headmistress of the school, but also playing her pink-haired evil twin from Alabama, who is trying to take over the school. And then this happens:<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wmG80v473AI"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wmG80v473AI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Holy crap, did you just see that? Yes, I assure you, you did. And the Grand Wizard wants to know if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">anybody's</span> seen his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">tambourine</span>.<br /><br />So, of course, Greybeard and I took home the Worst Witch so the three of us could watch it and be amazed and terrified by the downright creepiness of it all. Once the movie was over, and Greybeard and Magpie had somewhat recovered from what I just subjected you all too, we took a look at the DVD special features.<br /><br />When it comes to old made-for-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">tv</span> movies, you know what to expect on the special features portion of the DVD: <em>maybe </em>a stills gallery if you are lucky, or the movie trailer/commercials. Not so with the Worst Witch! <strong>There is an <em>entire</em> section of the Special Features about how to cast spells.</strong> It covers (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">briefly</span> but accurately) how to cast a spell, sacred space, herbs to use for various purposes, essential oils to use for various purposes, color correspondences, gem correspondences and magical tools (including <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">athames</span> and pentacles).<br /><br />We we staggered, we were stunned. We were puzzled and amused. Can you imagine that kind of content being included in the special features section of a Harry Potter DVD? The uproar that would ensue! The furor! But here it hides in plain sight, in the backwaters of the children's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Halloween</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">repertoire</span> -- just waiting to be discovered by a precocious 10-year-old.<br /><br />You just have to smile.<br /><br />....Halp! Is toad in me bass! Is no can be! Is tambourine tiems now!Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-19320947018471416422007-11-04T21:12:00.000+11:002007-11-04T21:15:34.394+11:00"I don't even know if new jersy is a city.From <a href="http://www.prophecies.us/">Prophecies, A Psychic Prediction Registry</a>, we get this missive:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>"I fear that sometime between now and early next year there will be a event<br />that will create change on many levels. I see people moving fleeing to another<br />place of safety. I feel that a terror threat or something linked to terror will<br />cause this migration. I got the feeling that not all is apparent the govement i<br />hidding many secrets. I have had many dreams about being surrounded by Nuclear<br />explosions. I think the city might be in americia or london. This city is either<br />the eastside or it is south west unitied states. I think washington or New<br />jersy.<br /><br />I dont even know if new jersy is a city. London maybe will be flooded. I<br />like to think that it wont and can be prevented but this is my predition. Maybe<br />this is the cause of migratution. Could be many years away. But i feel it will<br />acure in the winter or on a cold day. Not all see doom and gloom cause these<br />changes create heroism and unity.<br /><br />Something in space waits to come. it is neither good or evil. It can create<br />both. Dont know what this is but i feel it will be a comet or astroid. " </p><p><br /> </p></blockquote><br /><br /><em><strong>I can see the future! But I can't tell if new jersy is a city!</strong></em>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-80399205057286998982007-10-26T21:28:00.000+10:002007-10-26T22:30:49.753+10:005 Weird Reasons Why I Love Louisville1. Pope Lick Goat Man:<br /><br />There’s a train trestle that runs over several roads that are fairly close to my parents’ house. And there is a goat man that haunts that bridge! Legend has it that a fearsome half-man, half-goat creature haunts this lonely trestle that arches ominously over Pope Lick Road. (Before you think that we Kentuckians use street names as religious commentary, a “lick” refers to a natural deposit of salt that animals like to come…well, lick.) There are many origin stories for this wretched creature, my favorite is that the goat man was a circus performer and his own circus train ran over him one dark creepy night, decapitating him in the process. He replaced his lost head with that of a goat, and there you have it – goat man! (This version of the legend doesn’t even appear in the Wikipedia entry, which you can check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Lick_Monster">here</a>.)<br /><br />The sad part of this story is that teenage boys, high on hormones and adrenaline, occasionally <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2000/0011/07/001107obit_jewell.html">try to walk across this trestle</a> and often get hit by trains – go figure. Never underestimate the stupidity of teenage boys.<br /><br />For your edification, you can watch an independent movie about the trestle and the goat man, if you can find a copy. It's called <a href="http://www.wandwvideo.com/catalog/catalog.cgi/VIDEO/3752">The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster</a>, and if you live in the 'Ville, you can rent a copy at Wild and Wooly video.<br /><br />For your further edification, you can check out this picture of the Goat Man by <a href="http://www.jeffreyscottholland.com/">Jeffrey Scott Holland</a>. I think it's the creepiest, and therefore the best.<br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125607134847596322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMhmXHFT5x-m5qpzWVJCHWIrgZ9ta4ecnSNXDWt_PCfSV-UA4UuakceFYFDBDlrUa_ZzLXglGJKc1_XFxP3-Q7rNQjrwQBqYqkr1jkfnFMgOeMEcUB2LuMNhbA_j5zKFCFcxHgxttEdXL/s320/popelick.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />2. Potential Satanist Church:<br /><br />In high school (particularly Catholic High School), there's nothing like the story of a Satanic Church hidden in the back waters of a suburb on the fringe of the Metro area to make you want to...jump in a car and go looking for it. Turns out, it was supposedly right near the Pope Lick Trestle, where the Goat Man roamed. So, we would pile into the car and take off into the night to look for it. All we ever found was a bunch of satanism-themed graffiti (probably done by other bored teenagers that couldn't find this church). Now that I look back on it, I wonder what we thought were were going to find? A little white board church with an upside down cross on top and a changeable-type sign out front that said "First Union Satanist Church - Newcomers Scarified Daily"?<br /><br />3. Waverly Hills Sanatorium:<br /><br />This one is the biggie, the one that nearly everyone has heard about. And it is supposedly the most haunted site in the country/the world (take your pick.) It probably <em>is</em> the most haunted site in Kentucky, and probably the region (but not the creepiest, I'm saving that for last).<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly_Hills#Room_502">Waverly</a> started out as a tuberculosis sanatorium, and was hugely expanded during the tuberculosis epidemics that swept through Kentucky 1920's. It's history (along with the sheer number of deaths that took place during the height of the epidemic -- some people say 1 death an hour) and it's subsequent conversion into a nursing home in which the residents were often neglected and mistreated makes for ripe haunting grounds.<br /><br />And haunted it is. There are the ghostly children that play outside on the grounds. There's the eerily haunted Room 502, which contain the ghosts of two suicides. There are the eerie black shadow people that populate the upper floors. There's the ghostly kid I saw peering out a window of the third floor. There's the glowing old lady in a wheel chair I saw on the 4the floor. And those are just a few of the ghostly creatures meant to inhabit this place. </p><p>Waverly has appeared on more "hauntings" TV shows than you can shake a stick at.</p><p>I've visited many times and taken rolls and rolls of pictures. (You can get guided tours through the place). I'll post some pictures in the future. The building is in terrible disrepair due to previous owners who wanted to get it condemned so they could knock it down. The current owners are slowly refurbishing it, bit by bit.<br /><br />A horror movie has been made which used Waverly as a set. It's called Death Tunnel, but I've not seen it yet -- I bet you could pick up a copy at Wild and Wooly Video.</p><p>However, a <a href="http://www.adamwatson.org/">local writer</a> (and old friend of mine) produced a War of the Worlds-type radio play called <a href="http://home.insightbb.com/~jackpottiger/lfwh.html">Live At Waverly Hills</a>, which I thoroughly enjoyed (probably because I performed in it.)</p><p>4. Fatal 48</p><p>This is fire call box number 48, which was located at 6th and Main street in downtown Louisville, and the site of many many fatal fires (statistcally more than there should be at one call box).</p><p></p><p></p><p>5. Eastern Cemetery</p><p>It's a little cemetery on Baxter Avenue here in Louisville that was started in 1843. By 1858, graves were already being reused. Yeah, you read that right -- reused. Whole sections have been renamed, resold, and reburied multiple times throughout the cemetery's history.</p><p>This is, by far, one of the creepiest places in town, despite the fact that cemeteries usually are not home to a lot of haunting phenomena. It's also home to the coolest grave stone I've ever seen.</p><p>The sad part of this story is that due to repeated mismanagement by various management companies, the cemetery is largely uncared for -- except for the efforts of locals and those who have family buried there. The chapel and columbarium at the back of the cemetery is now home for gangs and homeless people regularly camp out on the grounds.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p></span><span id="fullpost"></span><span id="fullpost"></span><span id="fullpost"></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-59689780211246279712007-10-26T20:39:00.000+10:002007-10-26T20:48:09.699+10:00Still in the 'Ville<div><span id="fullpost">I'm still stitting (somewhat) happily in Louisville, eating lots of good food and having various occult-themed adventures. I do miss my partner, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing him ASAP.</span><br /><br /><p>I've been particularly lazy and I've not reviewed a damned thing, even though I have access to my entire book collection now. I think maybe a Konstantinos book review is in order, now let's see if I actually do it before I fly home!</span></p><br /><p>This weekend, I am off to a Samhain festival with Greybeard and Magpie -- in the pouring rain! I bought my vary own rainsuit and Magpie has kindly provided me with some gollashes, so I won't be sopping wet (hopefully). The fest is being hosted by Circle of the Blue Moon and I'm really looking forward to it, despite the need to become one with the dampness and the more watery elements of nature.</span></p><br /><p>Tol, my beloved, sent me a link to <a href="http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heromachine2/heroMachine2.asp">HeroMachine 2.5</a>, so I presnt you with this completely true-to-life, not-enhanced-in-any-way, totally honest self portrait:</span></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125595246378120962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1l_Ew5vW3P6Nm91yF0F42Vv2ePKLHHyik7XeMznxtYtddVIaPRy7m-AEVDCu_lsmNQXaEJf-TCcBkThyRT7nKk0ZaUXcvVlv92urMbigQSIEjJj1hXmfSkUVMnvZJraCuh6ACAk-h53QZ/s320/CP.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p><span style="font-size:0;"></p></span>Hmmm...perhaps I should have gone with a Devereux-esque fadora? One wonders...<br /></div>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-77812789251226362922007-10-16T15:36:00.000+10:002007-10-16T15:52:39.339+10:00*blink blink* Where am I?<span id="fullpost">I'm back in my old stomping grounds for the next month or so, that's where! Connie is visiting friends and family in Kentucky. So, my posts will be erratic, if best. For those of you in the back, muttering about my posts always being erratic, you can just shut the hell up.</span><br /><p>You may be wondering what is on my agenda as I traipse around Kentucky. Well, my schedule is a doozy. Here's what I hope to accomplish:</span></p><p>1. One or more visits to Eastern Cemetery in Louisville, KY. It's one of my favorite spots in town and *very* haunted. To add to the usual weirdness factor, my Mother may be interested in going with me.</span></p><p>2. A visit to Waverly Hills Sanitorium, the most haunted site in the state (some people say the World, but hello -- Glamis Castle, anyone?) Mom has also expressed interest in this excursion, but she's thinks she won't come. Actually, this may be impossible, as they appear booked for the rest of the year. And have suffered an attack of organization and restructuring of tours, to boot! I may throw myself on their mercy and give them a call, and beg, but it looks doubtful. They have done a fantastic job restoring the place, though, so I'd love to contribute some cash to the cause.</span></p><p3.><p></p><p>4. Any other trouble of an occult/paranormal bent that I can get into.</p><p>As for now, I am off to bed!<span style="font-size:0;"></p></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-88384149354725542682007-10-08T09:07:00.000+10:002007-10-08T11:38:48.558+10:00The snark is prisingMore Dark is Rising news.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks to <a href="http://tyrell.livejournal.com/">steve b</a>, I found this lovely banner on <a href="http://shanaqui.livejournal.com/498459.html">shanaqui</a>'s livejournal, where there is call for a boycott:<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118736079909014242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT79DNlvvPH2cUDfDpHi4DjJXY7YKYTwlZFtxudXti0r5n5cDG2nLjIHKPRfl_rZ0JdgBfZ8ciB9UqVZ4qwai7qKwh-FgodGv4laUNnJ6rCZMAjTjWOVePAwzPiK0lvvSdymLEC13BolX-/s320/savethebooksboycott.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p>Though, as one of steve's commenters points out, we aren't really sure what we are "saving" the books from, I do like the idea in principle. <br /><span id="fullpost"><br /></p></span>Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996661785690797197.post-80877985695751815362007-10-05T10:06:00.000+10:002007-10-05T10:43:04.665+10:00The Who is Whating?<span id="fullpost">Stolen from IMDB board again: <em>"The preview clips are bad. And the movie will be beyond imagining..." </em></span><br /><br />You know what? I hate spoilers. They can totally ruin a movie.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>Know what else? I don't give two damns if I ruin Walden Media's The Dark is Rising/The Seeker: The Dark is Rising/The Seeker/Willie and the Old Ones Go to Camp/Whatever the hell they call it next week for anyone.</span></p><p>So, going by a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0484562/board/thread/86671351">post</a> on the IMDB message board for the movie, I'd just like to share the following with you true believers out there:</span></p><p>1. There is no Walker.</span></p><p>2. There is no Sign of Fire.</span></p><p>3. The sixth sign is Will's soul.</span></p><p>I'm not making that up. Hell, I don't think I could make that up if I tried.</p><p>I am beyond words. In fact, I'm wondering if someone substituted my birth control pills with hallucinagins this morning. (If you did, thanks, but I'm having a <em>horrible</em> trip!)</p><p>Further reports from early movie watchers:</p><p>1. The Book of Gramarye does not appear in the film. Will uses Google to find out about the Light and Dark. I hope he remembered to check Wikipedia!</p><p>2. No, really -- the Walker is NOT in the moive. In fact, he's become like the ball in a cup and ball magic trick. He's there! They've hired an actor! No, he's there! He's in the trailer! Now he's over here! Can you find him?! He's gone! Check out this Youtube video for clarification:</p><p><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PYd4CNbqPBc"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PYd4CNbqPBc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p></span>3. Yes, in the movie, Will does indeed have twin.<br /><br />4. From a review by Stephen Farber for Hollywood Review, we find out that "There's one scary sequence with an army of snakes led by an albino cobra."<br /><br /><br />This quote from a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/review/film/s2051057.htm">review</a> by Marc Fennell sums it up nicely:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>“Dear Mr Peter Jackson – Im writing to you cos I'm wonderin... if I asked<br />very nicely... could you run a masterclass on 'how to make a decent epic film'<br />so we never, ever have to watch another movie like The Seeker: The Dark is<br />Rising"</em> </blockquote></em>I'm stopping now. Because I started reading <u>Over Sea, Under Stone</u> a few days ago and I'm up to <u>Silver on the Tree</u>. Time to go spend some time with the real Will Stanton, sans twin.<br /><br />I heard mention that a someone on the IMDB message boards is working on organising a sympathy gift/consolation gift for Susan Cooper from her fans. I'm trying to get more informaiton about that project.<br /><br />Okay, I lied. Holy crap -- I just saw a scene in which Will throws Max at a sheep in the middle of a circa-1600s villiage while they are dressed in present-day clothes and no one is paying any attention to them whatsoever. Silly me! I <em>forgot</em> about Will's hawt brother-tossing powahs of the light! How could I?!Constance Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692214512749855413noreply@blogger.com4