Site of Salem Witch Hangings Found

Gallows Hill in Salem has long been thought to be the location where 19 people were hanged as witches in 1692. For over 100 years some have tried to verify the actual site. Now it's been found, a place called Proctor's Ledge. Read more at The Salem News.  and here.    

Are We Becoming Eloi?

The Eloi were, of course, the child-like, cattle-like race of humans in H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine." They didn't do anything except sit around in the sun, eat the food and wear the clothes provided to them by mysterious means without even wondering where they came from. They were used as food by the …

Happy Independence Day

  IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to …

Weekly Card, A Bit Late

The Hermit from Ian Daniels Tarot of Vampyres. I've felt like a hermit the last few days, locking myself in the house to get the revisions done on the vampire novel and sent off to beta readers. I've also been OD'ing on "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and its soundtrack while I write. Seems fitting on …

How Much Can You Do Without?

I suspect a lot. I'm so close to ditching everything I own and moving to a trailer in the desert. Here's a great read in the NYT on living with less. I'd head to Santa Fe if I did. I fell in love with the place a few years ago and still toy with the …

The Grass Where He Stood

Since I have the great luxury this year of having President's Day off (I can't remember the last time I had it off, maybe not since school?)  I thought I'd post a small tribute to Honest Abe, although that's a little disingenuous. Mostly I'm obsessed with the piece of music that plays over the images, …

Self-confidence

Our weekly card. Sometimes I pick one out that seems to be vying for my attention more strongly than the rest, but this week I went through the whole deck and couldn't decide on one (although there were several contenders) so I shuffled and cut the deck and let the Cosmos decide what we needed …

Celtic Sun Worship

It seems like virtually every ancient culture indulged in sun-worship at some point. But did the Irish? Or more specifically, the early Celtic settlers in Ireland? The Irish don't seem to have had a particular god or goddess of the sun, or a name for the sun as a deity. Lugh has sometimes been seen …

Now We Are Free

Next on the list of things I'm obsessing about: http://youtu.be/xbHPTPUpQ1I This video pulls together three tracks, "Honor Him", "Elysium" and "Now We Are Free"  from the movie "Gladiator." It's bittersweet, but somehow celebratory. "Gladiator" is one of my favorite movies ever. I would follow Maximus into Hades if he asked. These particular pieces were composed …

I’m Lookin’ Over a Three-Leaf Clover

Sure and begorrah, the shamrock is one of the best-known symbols of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. But what’s the difference between clover and shamrocks? Well first off, the four-leafed clover has, well, four leaves. Shamrocks by definition have three. The shamrock can however be any of a number of a variety of clovers. Common …