On this episode of the Invizible Web, I interviewed Timothy Wyllie, formerly Father Micah of the Process Church of the Final Judgment. We talk about the history of the sect and its de-facto leader Mary Ann de Grimston, as well as his new book that tells its story,Love Sex Fear Death: The Inside [...]
It is a new season on the Invisible Web. After blatantly ripping off Torchwood’s approach of a mini-season, I return with Paul Karasik, a comic archivist, associate editor of Art Spiegelman’s RAW comic anthology, and contributor to the New Yorker and Nickelodean Magazine. In 2003, with sister Judy, he co-authored [...]
Happy Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Perchtenlauf, Requiem of the Dead, Tongzhi, Christmas, Yule or Winter Solstice. On this episode of the Invisible Web Cast, I interview the only court certified historian of the combat sports, Karl Stern once again for the first half of the show. We discuss DC vs Marvel Comics continuity, 52, Annihilation, [...]
The Invisible Web Episode 21 (0302) - Fighting 63 in Japan On this episode of the Invisible Web I interview Roxanne Modafferi, who is one of the headliners for the inaugural GCM VALKYRIE MMA show on Saturday, at Tokyo’s Differ Ariake (doors open 1:00 PM Tokyo and 2:00 is bell time). We discuss the etymological [...]
The Invisible Web Episode 20 (The Incredibly Strange Interview) [caption id=”" align=”alignnone” width=”170″ caption=”The cover of Beer Blood Cornmeal (C) ECW Press”] On this episode of the Invisible Web, I interview Bob Calhoun, also known as Count Dante of Incredibly Strange Wrestling, who released his book, B […]
Update Sat June 26: Elite XC play by play here: http://invizweb.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/elite-xc-coverage/ Combat sports galore. The RAW Draft, Triplemania, and other fun stuff. And remember to vote for Rupert the AntiChrist for President in the 2008 US Presidential election. Xanshin @ Green Destiny Flash CMLL Juicio Final results by Kris Zellner Better lat […]
On this episode of the Invisible Web I celebrate Midsummer’s Day with the odd synchronicities of the holiday. I also review two movies an episode of a legendary BBC Science fiction television series. BAD WOLF~! Gylfaginning featuring Fenrir, from Snorri’s Prose Edda. Fenrir @ Godchecker Happy St. John’s Day, from Cryptomundo Happy Solstice/ […]
An update on my so-called life, Alvarez and Meltzer merge (Melvarez?), Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid IV, Friday the 13th, and more. Notes: Capcom: New Street Fighter IV Boss Character! Concept Art For New Old Characters. WELCOME TO THE NEW WRESTLINGOBSERVER.COM/FIGURE FOUR ONLINE Two good news from Art of War FC (China) Shoot Boxing Standing Vale Tudo’ […]
Cauliflower Alley Club Director Les Thatcher joins the show to talk about his illustrious career the in the Professional Wrestling. What and when is the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion? Who was his trainer Tony Santos? Where is his Wrestling Weekly co-host Doc Young? Plus discussion of Jr Heavyweight wrestling, Michael Hayes’ suspension, [...]
While combating audio nightmares and the lack of meals, Alexandra Chica Bruce, a long-time writer for DisInformation journeys through time and space (three-time zones to be exact) to shoot on various subjects in the second part of our story on Retro UFO 3. Who is Chica Bruce? Where is she currently? How did [...]
On this episode of the Invizible Web, I interviewed Timothy Wyllie, formerly Father Micah of the Process Church of the Final Judgment. We talk about the history of the sect and its de-facto leader Mary Ann de Grimston, as well as his new book that tells its story,Love Sex Fear Death: The Inside story of the Process Church of the Final Judgement. Also find out if dark dank robes were sexy, what Timothy do if he was the Messiah, and whatever a Xtul is.
Editor: Below is a compelling yet whimsical article by Johann Hari for the Huffington Post.
“…Listen to any album and a list of homophobic howls will hit you: Eminem squeaking “Hate fags? The answer’s yes!”, or Masse saying “I be wastin’ em. That’s what you faggots get!” The music’s mood was summarised in a 1992 Ice Cube hit: “True niggaz ain’t gay.”
This boom-boom-boom of homo-cidal hate has a crushing effect on gay kids. It sends out the message: you are so repulsive you should be killed. It’s one of several reasons why gay teenagers are still — after all the amazing progress we have made — six times more likely to commit suicide than their straight siblings.
Why do they do it? Why do hip-hop artists — often the victims of bigotry themselves — incite this hatred? For ten years, Terrence Dean was at the heart of the hip-hop scene as a producer at MTV and Warner Brothers. His life is as ghetto as any of the big name artists. His mother was a heroin-addicted, AIDS-infected prostitute whose ‘clients’ held Terrence hostage at gunpoint. His drunken grandmother raised him in the slums of Detroit, and he eventually ended up in prison. When he was released, he headed for Hollywood – and he was amazed to stumble into a gay underworld stocked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop”
Editor’s Note: Yesterday, two years ago, on January 11, 2007 at 4;50 AM PST, Robert Anton Wilson left this life. I wrote some words to remember him by, last year. Interestingly, Jason Pitzl-Waters, a premiere blogger of the Pagan community reviewed Green Egg Omlet, An Anthology of Art and Articles from the Legendary Pagan Journal, which contained artciles Rev. Bob wrote for the celebrated peridodical. From reading the review, and gleaming inside the TOC, I think I might get a copy from Borders. It would look nice next to my copy of Drawing Down the Moon in my bookcase. What were the first forty years of the modern Pagan movement like? Here is an an excerpt of Pitzl-Waters’ review of this collection from a bygone era.
The print medium is changing irrevocably. Any clear-eyed assessment concerning the state of magazines and newspapers would see a widespread and unforgiving culling taking place. So many magazines are going under that a regularly updated blog has been created to keep track of the carnage, while digital-age pundits predict that the surviving niche publications will soon have to make hard choices about their future. While I’m no futurist, I’ve seen some of these changes coming for some time now, the struggling economy only hastening a transition already underway. It is part of the reason that the bulk of my writing is focused on this blog, rather than in the more “traditional” outlets for a writer/journalist (though I do admit to a certain romantic attachment to being in print, and I currently write for Pagan publications like PanGaia and Thorn).
Given these shake-ups in the world of print, I think it is entirely timely that I recently received a review copy of “Green Egg Omelette: An Anthology of Art and Articles From the Legendary Pagan Journal”. This book, a compliation of excerpts from one of the most influential Pagan magazines ever printed, shows just how vital and necessary the format once was. While books published for Pagans usually stuck to the “101-isms” of Wicca and other Pagan faiths, it was in the magazines that this loose network of Witches, Pagans, magicians, free-thinkers, and philosophers started to communicate, hash out ideas, argue, and push the boundaries of what they knew. It was a place where Pagan filk could rub shoulders with treatises on magic(k) by Robert Anton Wilson, and initial attempts at describing a Pagan theology could have a place next to explorations of polyamory. It is little wonder that even today Green Egg is remembered fondly by almost all who came across it in their journey.
This week we mark the end of our holiday break by discussing some of our ‘favorite bits’ of 2008. Topics covered in this show include Anonymous, The end of Neo-Paganism as we know it?, Patriots and the Georgia Guidestones and of course Obama (or in this case OBAWWWWMA).
” There were beautiful Perchten with colorful clothes and glittering ornaments, and the Schiachperchten – bold forms, ghostly apparitions with masks of wood or bark, enveloped in furs, moss, lichen…demons represented by the inhabitants. ” (Michael Moynihan and Kadmon, Lords of Chaos New Edition, “Oskoriei,” 382)
With 86% of Americans having a belief in Santa Klaus until age 8 (AP-AOL, 2006), Jolly Saint Nick is perhaps one of the most recognizable figures in the USA. The story goes that from the North Pole, Santa emerges from his House each year to dispense gifts to children who are obedient to their parents each year. His house according to North American lore is located in the North Pole, where he lives with his wife “Mrs. Klaus.” In workshop hidden from the world, meek elves in his employ make toys and other presents to the believing, which are delivered to Jolly Old Sat Nick some time before Christmas. When Christmas Eve arrives, Santa and his team of eight reindeer fly across the world. Santa enters home through chimneys and eats cookies left by children.
As written in the past few days, this tradition is not universal; i.e. reindeer do not live in the North Pole, factually, so many European traditions locate the Reindeer of Santa in Lapland, Finland. Originally, the figure celebrated for bringing holiday cheer for the British whom would colonize the US, was traditionally Father Christmas, whose origin was the 17th Century when The Protestant ban on Christmas feasts was lifted. He was a man draped regally as if he was royalty. The modern interpretation of Santa Klaus, a large jolly man full of spirit was only popularized in the mid 19th Century, but was iconized by the drawings of former Playboy illustrator Haddon “Sunny” Sundblom as ads for the Coca Cola Company in the 1930s. This was after Father Christmas and the legendary Bishop of Lycia, Turkey, Saint Nicholas of Myra were syncretized. Nicholas was a holy man reputed to have resurrected three children butchered and paid for the dowry of three women, thus preventing them from entering a life of slavery.
Knight Rupert, or Knecht Ruprecht, as he was named originally in German folklore, protects Santa Klaus with staves. He also uses his rod to discipline “misbehaving children.” Contrasting with Santa, Rupert wars dark colored clothes and has generally uncouth hair and facial hair. Due to his strong resemblance to Odin, he is believed to be a modernization of the Highfather so much to the extent that the NAZIs attempted to replace Santa with Rupert believing him to be a corrupted form of the ancient deity. In some traditions, Rupert and Santa have been merged (something like the fusions in Dragon Ball Z and the combining in Transformers I guess) into one entity: Ru Klaus (Eng: Rough Nicholas), who is both the giver of gifts and the dispenser of punishment. Knight Rupert is also linked with Saint Rupert in Switzerland.
There is a story about a woman. On one night each year she goes searching for her lost child. Sounds like La Llarona? It isn’t. It is the tradition gift giver of rural Italian winter holiday celebrations: La Befana. La Befana is described as a frightening crone whom “is as kind as she is ugly.” She wears a scarf and has a large mole on her nose. On Epiphany, January 6th, in Urbania (of Central Italy) and other towns in Southern Italy, she flies into homes on her broom stick (through keyholes where there are no chimneys) giving “good” children a “bag of goodies,” which include but is not limited to candy. She also gives children coal (and perhaps a bop with her broom). In return, families leave her a stocking filled with fruit (oranges, again?) and a glass of vino.
The name La Befana first appeared in a poem in 1594. Legends of La Befana place the woman to the Biblical Era. In one tale, the three magi who were searching for the soon-to-be born Jesus receive shelter and food from her when she cannot provide directions to Bethlehem, or her accompaniment on the journey due to the need of sweeping. She realizes her mistake too late, and thus wanders the world searching for Jesus to this day. In another variation she continually searches for Jesus due to sadness in losing her own child. Yet in another version, she is a widowed Princess who retreats to the wilderness and becomes a witch. In this telling, Jesus searches and finds her and offers her the role of “the Mother of All Children,” which she accepts.
The Santa Klaus’ most renowned companions are the reindeer who make up his team. This was not always the case as the official animal mascot of the Winter Solstice in most of the Euro-Western world was the Yule Goat. Originally two goat whom were named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr were the mounts of Thunder God, Thor and his hammer Mjonir. It is theorized that these two are the origins of the Yule Goat (note I do not claim Santa is Thor). The function of the goat is to signify the coming feast when a goat (suprise~!) would be sacrificed to diners via roasting. The iconography of the goat lost its prominence since supposedly the tradition of men dressed as a goat for the Yule celebration, knocking on doors to sing carols, spooked small children. Thus the goat is mostly an ornament or a straw effigy to be burned nowadays.
And he whistled, and shouted, and call’d them by name:
“Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,
“On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;
“To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
“Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
excerpt from “A Visit from Santa Klaus (aka, Twas the Night Before Christmas),” Anonymous (1823)
The above poem marked the rise in the reindeer as Santa’s steed of choice in popular culture. As stated yesterday, as there are no reindeer to be found in the North Pole, in Europe, many traditions hold that Santa’s reindeer reside in Lapland, Finland. In Australia, the traditional story is that Santa unreins the reindeer for a team of kangaroo as reindeer would overheat in sub equatorial running.
There are legends of a man long ago who lead lost children into his meat shop in France. Even though it is not explicitly stated in all versions of the tale, it needn’t be said of how these kids ended up the Christmas dinner of Pere Fouettard.
In one modern version of the story, Fouettard and his wife lead three children they believed to be rich enrollments to the local seminary into their shop where the boys were drugged, had their throats slit, stripped naked, put in the camel clutch (OK I made that part up), seasoned, and stewed. The wife would soon answer a knocking on the door which revealed itself to be the workings of Father Christmas. Enraged, he resurrected the three lads whole, and chained the Butcher. Hence that day Pere Fouettard was a servant to Papa Noel, and became analogous to the Boogeyman in France.
In a Medieval variation to the story the three kids were hungry, poverty-stricken, and lost in a field until they were attracted by the single Pere’s house lights. In this version, he cooked them because pork meat was scarce and in demand (whereas he and his wife were cannibals in the other version). Apparently this version took place recently after Saint Nicholas’ death as he was scared shitless when the old man forced his way into his home shortly after the kids were salted and thrown into the brine. After resurrecting the three whole in this version, Pere Fouettard throws himself at Santa for repentance, which the Jolly One offered as “God allows all to redeem themselves.” From that point on, he assisted Santa in dispensing spankings to the “weak of spirit.”
I am at a loss for words at time so I will just have to say what I feel.
Domo arigato Miyamoto Shigeru-kun.
(C) Tina Fineberg/AP
Almost two decades ago in the last Saturday of December of 1990, my dad was excited because he was going to give me what otehr kids have: happiness through my very first video game console. I did not know what the fuss was as I was going to miss the latest episode of Friday the 13th: The Series. After three hours and assistance from my near genius cousin, we finally got the damn Ninetndo Entertainment System hooke dup on our old Zenith TV. I did decently on the first three or four levels of Duck Hunt. However, around mdnight, my brother and I decided to switch the console system on restart to finally play the crown jewel of console gaming at the time: Super Mario Bros. After two minutes we were cruising along, stomping Goombas and Koopa Troopas until we reached the first pit. That night neither of us could make it. A few weeks later my dad played it and explained to my brother that he needed to do a running jump to cross over. I was never able to cross that first pit without sweating bullets (think about level 8-1 now Mario afficionados0), and if I did the first Goomba would do me in. I fared better with Super Mario Brothers 3 though. I still have fear of side scrolling platforms and jumping was hell for me in Final Fantasy X and Rogue Galaxy.
Thank you Miyamoto for bringing joy to millions of children with the story of your Italian Brooklynite plumber chomping down on psilocybin shrroms and brutalizing turtles. You are in fact a great man. Belated 56th birthday (November 16, 2008) wishes to you~!
Capcom confirms the latest entry in the legendary fighting series will skip U.S. arcades.
We recently learned that Street Fighter 4 will be released February 17 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. But if you’re still wondering whether you might be able to get your hands on it at your local arcade any earlier (or even any later), the answer is no — Capcom has confirmed the game will not officially be released in U.S. arcades. We’re pretty sure everyone assumed this would be the case anyway, but hey, now we know for certain.
“At this point, it does not look like Street Fighter 4 arcade machines will officially hit the U.S. arcade market,” said Chris Kramer, senior director of communications and community for Capcom Entertainment, speaking to Edge-Online. The reason, as Kramer explained, is unsurprisingly the nearly non-existent state of U.S. arcades. “There’s not really an arcade business in the U.S. anymore. It’s sort of like an ‘amusement’ business that sometimes has arcade games in it,” he said.
“For the last eleven years (yes, that’s eleven) we here at Blather have been keeping track of every lake monster, UFO sighting, satanist, pornographer, ghost, exorcism, banshee attack, ABC sighting, religious quack, police state action, alien abduction and friendly neighbourhood Kangaroo that we can scribble down in this here site. But the truth is, there’s such an abundance of these bloody things that keeping track of them has become somewhat problematic. Until now.
So allow us reader dear, to present ‘Blather.net’s Map of the Weird’, a first public presentation of what will become an ever-growing, all-encompassing cartographic apocalypse of filth, depravity, smut and forteana.”
CBS Tech Analyst Breaks Down The Stats; Drugs And Alcohol A Much Bigger Risk
CBS) A survey of 1,000 moms of teenagers commissioned by McAfee and conducted by Harris Interactive reached the surprising conclusion that “about two-thirds of mothers of teens in the United States are just as, or more, concerned about their teenagers’ online safety, such as from threatening emails or solicitation by online sexual predators, as they are about drunk driving (62 per cent) and experimenting with drugs (65 per cent).”
That might be how moms feel, but it’s not reflective of the real world. While moms have good reason to be concerned about how their teens use the Internet, online dangers pale compared to the risks of drunk driving. In 2007, 6,552 people were killed in auto accidents involving young drivers (16-20), according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. In 2006, nearly a fifth of the 7,643 15- to 20-year-old drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes had a blood had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.
Perception of Internet danger has been heightened thanks to the TV show “To Catch a Predator” and inaccurate reports stating that “one in five children have been sexually solicited by a predator.” That statistic is a misquote from a 2000 study by the Crimes Against Children Research Center. The data (which, based on a 2005 follow-up study, was revised to one in seven) is based on a survey that asked teens if they had in the last year received an unwanted sexual solicitation.
But many – possibly most – of those solicitations were from other teens, not from adult predators. What’s more, most recipients didn’t view them as serious or threatening. “Almost all youth handled the solicitations easily and effectively” and “extremely few youth (two out of 1,500 interviewed) were actually sexually victimized by someone they met online,” reported the authors of the study.
Other studies have shown that “the stereotype of the Internet child molester who uses trickery and violence to assault children is largely inaccurate” (Wolak, Finkelhor & Mitchell, 2004). In a survey of law enforcement investigators of Internet sex crimes, it was reported that only 5 percent of offenders pretended to be teens when trying to meet potential victims online.
Last Sunday I purchased the book Yokai Attack from the Borders at Penn Plaza. It is a very interesting book in itself with details on 42 plus yokai and their variations. Yokai, 妖怪, as pronounced Yaoguai in Chinese Mandarin (sort of that way in Cantonese also) are entities akin to “the good folk” i.e. fairies, ghouls, and elves to Nordic and Celtic culture, though some appear as bestial creatures. Within the pages of the book include: the ever popular Karakasa (umbrella ghost), Japan’s fastest growing legend Kuchisaki O-nna (the slit mouthed girl), and a frightening entity I never knew of before hand the O-dokuro (demonic skeleton). A profile would include the original Kanji or Katakana spelling, places of sightings (or attribution to where the legends begin), descriptions, and accounts themselves. A must for fans interested in Sino-Japanese legends and the Occult, as well as anime/video game fans.
(c) Kodansha International & Tatsuya Morino
**** 1/4
With that said, on that Sunday night right after I purchased the book, I heard whisperings in my sleep. The next night, I felt teeth clamped on my arm. The next two nights, despite it being Autumn in NYC, I was accosted by numerous mosquitoes, (whom old time Japanese believe were jealous spirits).
With that said, I am still fighting the flu and I dunno when it really began so take my word for a grain o salt.
