Happy Halloween!

At left, Samhain Productions welcomes you to their haunted house in downtown Greenville.

~*~







I participated in a Samhain circle/celebration on Saturday evening, which was quite wonderful. I was so thrilled to be invited.

Below, selected Halloween posts of the past.

Halloween Horror movie thread! Don't go to sleep! (2007) Commenters contributed their favorite horror movies.

Halloween Horror movie thread II (2008) Contains several great horror movie trailers... and unbelievably, most are still intact! Includes the fabulous Dementia 13, The Brood, and others...

Happy Halloween! (2009)-- Photos of the DOGS FOR AUTISM Halloween benefit, which included a doggie costume party!

And finally, HERE is my account of once attending a local Christian-themed "Judgement House"--which is an 'approved' fundamentalist-Christian-version of a Halloween "haunted house." As I wrote, it was unexpectedly professional and very well-done.

But such a let-down at the end... is heaven really that bad? ;)



Happy Halloween to everybody--have a great holiday!

Getting to know you

Its been awhile since I participated in a fun meme, and so here we go! These are "Getting to Know You" Questions from the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

1. What is the most daring thing you've done?

Hitchhiking to New York City from Ohio, twice. And back! Also hitchhiked out of Candlestick Park after the Rolling Stones concert, and considering the acidheads who picked me up, that was rather daring, as well.

Speaking of which, I've also done my fair share of LSD, and probably your share, too.

2. What is your favourite article of clothing?

I love my vintage 'Doris Day coats' from the 50s, lovingly salvaged from estate sales, attics and such, but of course, I rarely get a chance to wear them. One is far too fragile to wear (although I did wear it for one season); the stitching holding the lining together has nearly turned to dust, and it really does need to be properly restored... the other is bright red and doesn't go with anything, but it's nice during the holidays.

But it is rarely cold enough in SC to wear these kinds of old-style heavy coats.

3. What is your favourite monster?

I love all the vampires in THE HUNGER (David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon), and Jeff Goldblum in THE FLY.

4. If you had to dress up as your favourite literary character, who would it be?

Hmm, not sure. I guess I could be one of the women from JG Ballard's COCAINE NIGHTS, but who could afford those designer-duds? I'll 'dress' as one of those characters after they become addicted to morphine, and just be naked in the back of a limo, perpetually confused.

5. What is your favourite fairy tale, urban legend or nursery rhyme:

I am terribly fond of all GREAT conspiracy theories, particularly the most outrageous and ridiculous of our time. I like the 911-truthers a lot, that is some highly-entertaining stuff, and there appears to be no end to it, regardless of the dedicated-debunkers.

Of course, as an ex-Yippie, I know all the JFK-assassination theories by heart, and I like to concentrate on Jack Ruby's role, as regular readers know. I also believe Roman Polanski was tipped off before Charlie's girls dropped by for a visit... that sudden trip to France has always been suspect to me. (I believe the worst of Polanski, always, and he has never disappointed.)

My favorite conspiracy theory these days is CHEMTRAILS: those "tracks" in the sky that are rendering us sterile. I urge you to study and learn and read all about it! I used to hear this story every day (for about 3 yrs) when I sold supplements, and then the overall popularity of the theory seemed to fade a bit. But I am still all about the CHEMTRAILS and I love hearing people talk seriously about them.

I also love Wilhelm Reich's ORGONE theory... not a conspiracy theory, but amazing and wonderful and certainly worth mentioning here.

6. What is a cause near and dear to your heart?

I am a lifelong activist, so there are many... right now, I want to continue the work Occupy Wall Street (and Occupy movements throughout the country) have started, particularly the strengthening of local networks (especially here in conservative SC) and progressive communities. Occupy and its various accompanying social networks have given us the tools, and we must stay connected and involved. KEEPING PEOPLE'S SPIRITS UP (in the face of unbridled right-wing attacks) is crucial right now, and that is something I am concentrating on too.

When people are in jeopardy, I tend to put animal rights on the back-burner, but animal rights ARE near and dear to my heart, also.

7. What is the strangest item you've used as a bookmark?

I famously destroyed a book by using a leaky-pen as a bookmark! YIGH!

8. Do you have any nicknames? What are they and how did you earn them?

Daisy IS my nickname, which I took from my late grandmother.

9. Name one habit you want to change in yourself?

Various food addictions that wax and wane. When I tackle them, I veer off into ORTHOREXIA, and when I don't, I can easily chow down on Reese's Easter eggs, one right after the other. No healthy and sane in-between seems possible for me in the area of food. I am usually in one mode or another (or on my way to one or the other). I chalk this up to a lifetime of evilll dieting, as well as having gone without food (unwillingly) for long periods as a child.

"Feast or famine" is something I have deeply internalized, unfortunately. (sigh)

10. Tell us something interesting or shocking about yourself.

Is there anything I haven't fessed up to on this blog? If I haven't, rest assured, I HAVE fessed up somewhere and I expect somebody will re-print it one of these days. ;)

I once dressed up as the antichrist for Halloween, with a bright "666" etched on my forehead in red-and-black paint, with upside-down crosses on both cheeks; swathed in black, with a black shawl. People took my photo at various parties, all night long, and if I ever run for office or get famous as a talk-radio maven, I expect to see these dreaded antichrist photos re-surface and posted coast-to-coast. (I guess I will have to plead drug abuse, which is true enough.)


Thanks to my beloved Deadhead friend Jojo, for this meme. THANKS JOJO!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN YALL!

Hope you enjoy my favorite Halloween songs:

Human Fly - The Cramps



~*~

I wrote about the following song in more detail here.

Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family



~*~

And I first shared this one last Halloween... I still love it!

Journey to The Unknown (TV series opening)



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Links to my previous Halloween posts:

Halloween Horror movie thread! Don't go to sleep! (2007) -- Comment thread includes people's favorite horror movies.

Halloween horror movie thread II (2008) -- Several great old horror movie trailers.

Happy Halloween! (2009) -- Dogs For Autism benefit, including a Doggie Costume Party.

Happy Halloween! (2010) -- I shared the above TV-theme, and in the comments I talked about an old trip to a local fundamentalist "Judgment House"--and several people thought I should have made a whole post out of it.

Hope your frightful holiday is good!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween on a SUNDAY has been something of a big deal here in the fundamentalist upstate. The kids went out for trick-or-treat last night, ostensibly so they would not be out late on a school night. But there has also been a fair amount of fulminating about the fact of Halloween in the first place. (The Protestants officially changed October 31st to Reformation Day, but the rabble never quite bought that, did they?)

The pagan roots of Halloween really RATTLE the fundies. Some totally forbid the kids to take part, others have attempted to co-opt the festival for Christian themes; such as JUDGEMENT HOUSE --a popular Christian "haunted house" where you even visit hell, complete with an over-the-top satan with horns. I once went to one of these, and it was surprisingly professional and well-done. However, it is notable that the heaven was pretty dopey and saccharine, and the music was horrible. The hell, with the Vincent-Pricish satan, was much more entertaining, and far better decorated.

~*~

Something to spook you... I have discovered that playing this at night is scarier than during the day, so wait until dark! :)

Courtesy of Hammer Horror's Harry Robinson, this is the opening credits/theme to the British TV series, JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN, which I have featured here at DEAD AIR before.

Used to scare little 10-year-old Daisy to death!

Journey to the Unknown - TV opening (1968)



Hope your Halloween is/was good!

Happy Halloween!

Photos below are of the Halloween benefit for Dogs For Autism--today at Earth Fare Plaza in Greenville.

It was a fabulous day, with great food, folks and entertainment... even if a bit rainy.



Below: The classic rock band is Ordnance 2110, who don't appear to have their own website. (And after much Googling, I still don't know what the band name refers to!)

The highlight was the dog costume party. The dogs loved it!

My favorite is "Medic dog" with the Red Cross insignia, although the sweetest disposition belonged to "Party Animal"--suitably bedecked in an array of colors.

More photos on my Flickr page.

~*~

SC Assistant Attorney General Roland Corning found in cemetery with Viagra, stripper, sex toys

South Carolina deputy assistant attorney general Roland Corning, photo from CBS News.







And a Happy Halloween to all of you, too!

Alan Colmes just posted on the latest South Carolina politician to exhibit Bizarro Universe behavior:

GOP SC Asst AG Caught With Stripper, Sex Toys, Viagra
October 30th, 2009

South Carolina Assistant Attorney General Roland Corning, 65, was seen pulling into a secluded area of a cemetery alongside an 18-year-old stripper, arousing the suspicion of Columbia, SC police officer Michael D. Wines, who eventually searched the car. The woman was an employee of the Platinum Plus Gentlemen’s Club.

[The search] revealed a sex enhancement drug (Viagra) and some sex toys. According to the report, Corning told the police he had a prescription for the medication and the other items were always in the car “just in case”, he needed them anytime he wanted.

The married Corning is a GOP activist in the state and a former legislator best known for his opposition to abortion.

CBS News adds:

Corning was fired, [Attorney General Henry] McMaster said on Wednesday.

"We received credible information about inappropriate behavior Monday afternoon," McMaster said Wednesday. "And by the close of business, he was no longer working here."

Such a trip to the cemetery "would not be appropriate, at any time, for an assistant attorney general," McMaster said.

There was no answer Wednesday at a number listed for Corning, who was a Republican legislator in the late 1980s and early 90s. He was hired in 2000 by the attorney general's office, where he worked on securities cases.

South Carolina has had its share of scandal lately, most notably Gov. Mark Sanford's "disappearance" in June. His office told reporters he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but he was really in Argentina visiting his mistress.

Cemetery fun!

Who says Republicans don't know how to have fun on Halloween?

Odds and Sods - Night of the Hunter edition

I love how Halloween has taken over October. For one thing, it's lots of fun. For another, it stops the capitalists from foisting Christmas on us too soon. Without Halloween, Macy's would be decorating Christmas trees in September.

And the best thing: OLD HORROR MOVIES.

If you have never seen Robert Mitchum's deranged preacher (movie still at left) in Night of the Hunter, your big chance is tonight at 8pm on Turner Classic Movies:

The Night of the Hunter (1955) is a truly compelling, haunting, and frightening classic masterpiece thriller-fantasy, and the only film ever directed by the great British actor Charles Laughton. The American gothic, Biblical tale of greed, innocence, seduction, sin and corruption was adapted for the screen by famed writer-author James Agee (and Laughton, but without screen credit). Although one of the greatest American films of all time, the imaginatively-chilling, experimental, sophisticated work was idiosyncratic, film noirish, avante garde, dream-like expressionistic and strange, and it was both ignored and misunderstood at the time of its release. Originally, it was a critical and commercial failure.

Robert Mitchum gave what some consider his finest performance in a precedent-setting, unpopular, and truly terrifying role as the sleepy-eyed, diabolical, dark-souled, self-appointed serial killer/Preacher with psychotic, murderous tendencies while in pursuit of $10,000 in cash. Lillian Gish played his opposite - a saintly good woman who provided refuge for the victimized children.

The disturbing, complex story was based on the popular, best-selling 1953 Depression-era novel of the same name by first-time writer Davis Grubb, who set the location of his novel in the town of Moundsville, WV, where the West Virginia Penitentiary (also mentioned in the film) was located. Grubb lived in nearby Clarksburg as a young teenager.

Once you start watching, you won't stop. The movie literally sparkles in some places, the black-and-white cinematography gleaming and beautiful. And Mitchum is utterly incredible. His serial-killer/preacher was famously tattooed with the words "Love" on one hand and "Hate" on the other, which has since become part of pop-culture legend--later resurrected on Robert DeNiro's hands in Martin Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear:

Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989) referenced the love/hate, left and right hand theme, when Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) explained the love/hate dichotomy. In The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), LOVE and HATE were tattooed on Eddie's (Meat Loaf) knuckles, and in The Blues Brothers (1980), the two brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) have their names tattooed on their knuckles. In The Simpsons episode "Cape Feare", the menacing Sideshow Bob (voice of Kelsey Grammer) had similar tattoos on each set of knuckles as well - but since the characters in the cartoon show had only three fingers and a thumb, the tattoos were humorously "LUV" and "HAT" - (with a bar over the A).

The hands war with each other, love vs hate, and which will triumph?

Don't miss the movie, if you've never seen it.

~*~

Over at Twisty's blog, I blame the Patriarchy, there was a discussion of Meghan McCain's boobs. OOooops... I mean, McCain's Twitter photo. And for a bunch of feminists, it got kinda rough in there, as "advanced patriarchy blamers" (a group I am not sure I can claim I even belong to, as a bad Catholic) sounded just like my dear, deceased Aunt Mae:

Looks to me like the requisite lips out, head tilted downward but eyes up’ boob showin’ crap teenage girls post on myspace all day long. A joke, perhaps? Or just business as usual. How old is she anyway?

... which promptly set off a fascinating conversation. Go read! Warning: the thread is now up to 170 replies.

And then, Twisty outdid herself in her subsequent post on the conversation:

[Certain feminists commenting in the aforementioned thread] seem to be placing a pretty high premium on McCain’s intent. And they seem pretty comfortable in asserting an infallible familiarity with McCain’s innermost nature, for they have somehow divined this intent precisely. Maybe they have access to 8th-dimension vortex-portals through which they may mind-meld with Internet personalities. They assert, peering through their vortex-portals into the mind of Meghan McCain, not just that her intent was to titillate, but — and here is the critical jump — that this odious species of intent (slutism!) releases them from their oath of feminist solidarity.

You know how when a rapist is prosecuted, and the slutty intent of the victim is so acutely divined by the defense (’she didn’t fight back hard enough; she must have wanted it,’ etc) it may be used as a psychbomb to dehumanize her to the jury? It’s like that.

Or take women who post self-portraits on the Internet. Say we get our hands on one of those vortex-portals, so we know without a doubt that their intent is to titillate. Does it logically follow that they then desire a torrent of sex-based hate speech? Meanwhile, do even the feminists buy the whole women-are-masochists myth and just sit idly by while misogynists rip the titillators to shreds?

Anyway, intent, schmintent. I would urge the reader to recall how little intent has to do with anything. Particularly with the experience of the end user. The result is all that matters. Your boyfriend — if you haven’t taken my advice and dumped him yet — possibly loves you, but when he farts in bed and flaps the covers, who gives a flip about his intent? Do you not gag and think him a Philistine?

Which, before all you fart-flappers get lathered up, is my little metaphor for the metaphorical odor that metaphorically drifts, unbidden, from the condition of male privilege into the metaphorical nostrils of the oppressed.

That last paragraph may be the best thing I ever read.

Check it out.. the follow-up thread is up to 77 posts already.

~*~

More on what we in South Carolina are calling "Jim Demint and the Jews" from David Paul Kuhn writing in Real Clear Politics:

The Op/Ed was published Sunday in the South Carolinian newspaper The Times and Democrat. Chairmen Edwin Merwin, of Bamberg County, and James Ulmer, of Orangeburg County, wrote:

There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves. By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation's pennies and trying to preserve our country's wealth and our economy's viability to give all an opportunity to succeed.

This is only one small story from one small town newspaper. But it is likely to make some national news.

That news will not be well received by the national Republican Party. The GOP has long attempted, albeit with little success, to make inroads into the Jewish vote. Of course, this incident will not help. And it may not be big enough to hurt that much. But the news comes in the context of the GOP's macro push to portray itself as a more inclusive party of late. And every anecdote exemplifying otherwise undermines that push.

That the offensive language was penned in an Op/Ed, rather than made in an offhand remark, makes it all the more politically foolish (and almost too stupid to believe).

Not if you live around here, it sure isn't.

~*~

And finally, the coveted Dead Air literary award goes to my favorite mom-blogger, Sheila, for her very gifted, postprandial haiku.

This was inspired by her first trip to Sonic:

anticipation
cold crappy food wrong order
tarnished cravings

Halloween horror movie thread II

Purty Fresh Market pumpkins!

~*~



I hope you are all having a great Halloween. I have been busily running to and fro, and haven't had as much time to yammer on here as usual. I DID get a chance to pick up my beloved Fresh Market pumpkin coffee, which is to die for. I'm sure it's politically incorrect as hell, not bird-friendly and blah blah blah, but... I love it!

(((shakes head in embarrassment over this admission))))

Yall KNOW I sell all manner of politically correct, organic stuff for a living, right? Shhh! No telling.

~*~


Decided on another Halloween horror movie thread, as I did last year. Below, trailers from some of my favorite horror movies. Once again, I heartily advise SESSION 9 (below) for the brave and courageous viewer.

DON'T GO TO SLEEP!



Please add your own! I have seen most of the films that were kindly recommended here last year. Last night, JEEPERS CREEPERS (2001) robbed me of sleep. Tonight, looking for more thrills and chills. (Check out Rob Zombie's FEAR FEST on American Movie Classics!)

First we start with some vintage punk jams. My favorite Halloween song: HUMAN FLY by the Cramps. And I say BZZZZ, yes I say BZZZZ.

And did he really drink beer out of a tennis shoe? (These were the REAL PUNKS, people!)

The Cramps - Human Fly

[via FoxyTunes / The Cramps]

~*~

Once again, the fabulous SESSION 9 (2001)



Canadian psycho-director David Cronenberg (meant totally as a compliment) titled this film SHIVERS (1975) in Canada, but Roger Corman changed it to THEY CAME FROM WITHIN for USA distribution. Well, of course he did! (I confess I love the Corman title best.)

The ending is one of the all-time great horror movie endings, much copied.



Cronenberg's THE BROOD (1979) is widely considered a sexist movie, although I beg to differ. (What would Freud say?) I think it illustrates how utterly terrified men are of women's childbearing capacities. Cronenberg once said he was going through a divorce and attendant custody-battle when he made the movie, and brother, it seriously shows!



And in Cronenberg's RABID (1977), men desiring to bed the beautiful, legendary porn star Marilyn Chambers end up, well, sick as the very devil. Talk about your sexually transmitted diseases!



As a tyke, I was haunted by THE SCREAMING SKULL (1958), which was originally marketed to audiences with a certificate promising free burial services to anyone who dies of fright while seeing the movie.

I admit, I liked that it was a woman haunting a man for a change. He deserved it!



Francis Ford Coppola's DEMENTIA 13 (1963) similarly spooked me as a child, and I refused to go near ponds situated way out in deserted areas or woods ever again, even in the daytime ... no matter how sweet and bucolic the setting. Something might... be...floating... in it... (AIYEE!!! What's THAT?!)

Not ashamed of my overly cautious ways either--I'm HERE to tell the tale, yes?

Note: This may be the first-ever trailer that starts off with a psychiatrist!



And one of the veritable Cadillacs of the genre, from which we get the standby DON'T GO TO SLEEP!!!!

The original hair-raising ending of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) had Kevin McCarthy (brother of Mary!) ranting and hollering on the highway: YOU'RE NEXT! But unhappy endings weren't allowed in the 50s, so the studio wasn't having it. They quickly tacked-on an ending in which authorities discover a suspicious truck hauling weird giant pods from Santa Mira. (whew!) The ending of this trailer was actually the original ending of the film, before studio meddling.

One legacy of this movie is that the town of "Santa Mira" is featured in lots of horror movies, possibly second only to Bodega Bay (from Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS). You may also notice the first scream in this trailer is delivered by none other than Carolyn Jones, who would go on to distinguish herself as TV's Morticia Addams.



Such an amazing Cadillac it is, the remake in 1978 was also fantastic. The introduction of psychology and new age blather was a brilliant innovation, making me think that every generation might actually update this movie for themselves. (Although the third remake, by Abel Ferrara, left a lot to be desired.)

Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and dazzling movie diva Veronica Cartwright (big favorite here at DEAD AIR!) have a great exchange in this movie that bears repeating:

Elizabeth: I have seen these flowers all over. They are growing like parasites on other plants. All of a sudden. Where are they coming from?

Nancy: Outer space?

Jack: What are you talking about? A space flower?

Nancy: Well why not a space flower? Why do we always expect metal ships?

Jack: I've never expected metal ships.

Only Jeff Goldblum can deliver a line like that and make you laugh when you are simultaneously scared out of your wits.

Also, a Christian aside for those attuned to such minutiae: when (notably Jewish, in this context) Goldblum offers himself to the pod-people mob to save his friends, he stretches his arms out just like Jesus. (No greater love than this, and even a horror movie takes a second to remind us. For emphasis, this scene is featured in the trailer accompanied by AMAZING GRACE, on bagpipes no less, at 1:55.)



Unfortunately, I couldn't locate a trailer for the old Stella Stevens/Shelley Winters shocker, THE MAD ROOM (1969), and too bad. If you find it anywhere, have a look, great fun it is.

Have a great Halloween, everyone!

Q-and-A with Daisy - part IV

Fresh Market Halloween pumpkins! Purty!


I get fascinating emails, particularly on the Sabbath. This one arrived in my inbox last Sunday evening.

~*~


Dear Daisy,

Your blog is interesting. I found it through your link about "Is Barack Obama the anti-christ?" You seem to think this is a funny question and it IS NOT at all. Please take this seriously.

You seem to have the timeline confused. I see from your blog that you are Catholic and most Catholics have no knowledge of the anti-christ or Rapture. Let me explain using Biblical principles.

Satan works in the world and he shapes people and society to achieve his goals. Knowingly or not, anti-christ will force people to follow and obey an agenda that appears to be in the best interest of its people but, in following the pattern of human history and man's rebellion to God, will bring about pain and suffering until Christ comes again.

(Insert pertinent quotes from Revelation 13 here, Mark of the Beast, et. al.)

A time is coming when society and lives will be ruled by a self-imposed system where mankind is monitored, analyzed, measured and evaluated by computers. In those times, anyone who refuses to accept this system will be tortured then killed.

We are moving towards a ubiquitous society where people from all walks of life can access anything, anywhere, and at anytime regardless of time and location. The implementation of RFID technology in retail stores is one example. It's estimated that the majority of retail merchandise will use RFID within 1-5 years, and will replace standard bar codes which have been used for the past 30 years.

What drives such development is the belief that we will live safer, easier, richer and more enjoyable lives by using technology to manage everyday aspects of daily life. In a society that craves automated financial management, instant communication and security, it's not a far stretch for RFID enabled biochips to be implanted into the body, and eventually, replacing currency that is easily stolen, lost or hidden.

In the near future:

1) All people will be required to have a biochip. All economic operations will use this chip, thereby replacing today's unit of monetary exchange.

2) There will be privacy invasion and freedom will cease to exist.

3) A charismatic leader, who is the Anti-Christ, will rule the whole world through a system that is interconnected and interdependent.

MARK OF THE BEAST [1] IN THE HUMAN BODY, WE MUST NOT RECEIVE IT. (REVELATION 14:9, 14:11, 16:2)

Accepting this mark is the irreversible act of selling your soul to Satan. This sin is unforgivable and cannot be reversed by physically removing the mark. (see Revelation verses, above). Your soul belongs to God. Therefore if you receive this mark, you then belong to Satan.

If you receive this mark, you are willfully placing your faith in man and not in God. You are actively choosing to live without a loving God who desires to spend eternity with you in Heaven. God does not want you choosing Hell's path.

God knew these things beforehand [2] and because He loves us and wants us to acknowledge this, it was revealed to us through the writing of the apostle John in Revelation around 100 AD.

If you are not taken up to heaven and are thereby left behind for the tribulation, you must not receive the mark of the beast even though you will be tortured then killed for not accepting the government's sanctioned acts of Satan. You must remember this at all times because the hope of heaven still remains.

The Rapture [3] is reserved for those saints who will be lifted into the sky upon God's trumpet call, saints that are to be Raptured will be lifted into the sky to meet Jesus in the clouds. (1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17) The rapture is reserved for those believers who wear spiritual white robes. Their physical body will be transformed.

Jesus will be coming in the clouds for the salvation of Mankind.

If you remain in lukewarm faith, Jesus will spew you out, so you must not be this type of believer, Daisy! (Revelation 3:16) Jesus' first coming was to bring salvation, but his Second Coming is not to bear sins, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Those with lukewarm faith, those who are tied with the world, and those who do not know Jesus Christ, will be left behind for the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation will be the most devastating time in all of human history. All saints must realize this truth and pray for Jesus Christ's return. Be awake in the spirit and know that Jesus Christ's return is very near.

Maranatha, [4]

__________ (real name given, phone number, the works!)


~*~

[1] Does anyone remember the German horror movie, MARK OF THE DEVIL(1970), that promised free vomit bags to the audience?

[2] I dunno about this. Theologically, it's kind of tricky.

[3] Although my correspondent dutifully links this site, I don't have the heart to tell him that I was already banned from the message board years ago (after only ONE post that didn't contain a single cuss word).

[4] Which congregation started this fad? Who exactly decided to dig up this old Aramaic word and use it all the time? Was this Lonnie Frisbee or somebody like that?

Speaking of which, thanks to John Powers for the heads-up on the documentary of Frisbee's life, which I watched over the weekend, courtesy of Netflix. I enjoyed it, but the music was horrendous and made me want to rend my garments, if I may sound suitably Biblical for a moment. If I had to listen to music like that all the time, I'd be praying for the Rapture to hurry up and get here, too.

My criticisms: not enough explanations regarding precisely what Pentecostalism IS and the various factions therein. Thus, when these various factions started accusing each other of not being genuinely Pentecostal, it wasn't very clear what they meant, theologically. (They all seemed equally Pentecostal to ME, for example.) I certainly enjoyed the chronicle of the Jesus Movement, although I would have greatly preferred more exactitude: dates, times, places and names all seemed to blur together. It was unclear to me if Frisbee was integral to the actual founding of Calvary Chapel and The Vineyard, or if he was just part of the ongoing charismatic scene. The filmmakers never once clarified the geographic locations of any of these places, which was pretty shoddy. And the hugely controversial nature of "being slain in the spirit" was skimmed over, given very short shrift.

I found the central spiritual concept of the last half of the movie--where Lonnie says, "They want my gifts, but they don't want ME!"--to be most interesting. This is similar to what so many artists say, which begs the question of whether charismatic spirituality is a unique talent or possibly a specific art form.

And again, the music made me want to shriek. It might have been the worst music I've ever heard.

Blog Carnival... BlogRush... How we changed

I am thrilled to be included in the ERASE RACISM Blog Carnival. Regarding my post about John Brown, Charles Modiano writes:

As I was reading more of this informative piece, all I kept thinking was, how has there never been a motion picture on this man’s life!!! This was also my sentiment when I personally wrote “History’s Hit Job on Thomas Paine” (the only founding father to unequivocally denounce slavery without personal hypocrisy). What does it say that in 2007, we continue to glorify slaveholders of times past, but routinely ignore or bury the legacy of those whites who most fiercely resisted that “peculiar institution”.

Incredibly, this never occurred to me! No movie about John Brown! Maybe they just don't know what to do with him?

Johnny Cash, may his soul rest in peace, perfectly played John Brown in the rather tepid miniseries NORTH AND SOUTH, based on the John Jakes novels. He properly narrows his eyes and intones "We shoot to kill," at one juncture, and you believe him.

For my money, the man to play John Brown would be Tommy Lee Jones, looking all intense and grizzled and shit. Wouldn't he be GREAT? I'm sure he could glare at you and sagely warn "We shoot to kill," with the same gravitas as Johnny Cash.

I hope some Hollywood casting guru is reading this? You think? Nah.

~*~

The new sensation in Blogdonia, BlogRush, is messing up my posts, and I think I know why. I took out the "no follow" feature on my blog, so search engines could also search comments as well as posts (this modification is called "do follow"). As a result of this twiddling of mine, BlogRush, which supposedly syndicates your "last 12 posts," has instead been syndicating the last 12 COMMENTS instead. So you get posts with titles like "Hey Daisy!" instead of the titles I have assigned.

Consequently, when I logged into the all-hailed Phase 2 of BlogRush, I discovered all of my posts have little icicles on them... which means nobody clicks on them and they are therefore NOT HAWT. :(

I hope they fix this, and I dutifully emailed them about it. Certainly, I can't be the only "do follow" blog out there? (I learned to do that from reading other people's blogs, after all!) Also, if you see goofy titles in the BlogRush widgets, you'll know why.

~*~


Cleaning under my couch, which I do every couple of years or so, yields about a dozen books I had long ago written off as lost. Thus, it's just like shopping! I should probably do it more often.

Casey Walker's MADE NOT BORN: The Troubling World of Biotechnology is definitely a Halloween-related book. O, Brave New World that has such people in it.

In this book, I discovered the following poem, by Jerry Martien:


HOW WE CHANGED


first we made a genetically
improved cat

a cat with wings

before we knew it the cat had
eaten all the birds

so we had to make a genetically
faster flying bird

only it wouldn't
sing unless we gave it
money

so we made a genetic
dog
who'd sing whenever
someone told him to

we couldn't shut him up

the dog got on all the radio and
tv talk shows

logo
the famous genetically
engineered singing
canine

cloned a new
song for every day

and while the birds
bombed the cats
we all sang along with the dog.

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Listening to: Laura Nyro - Eli's Comin'
via FoxyTunes

Halloween Horror movie thread! Don't go to sleep!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm interested in hearing about your favorite little-known or obscure horror movies. Tell me as much as you can without totally ruining it, because I do intend to check out any movies I haven't seen.

My entry is SESSION 9 (2001), which different people react to in markedly different ways. A macho guy I work with refuses to watch it again; a younger woman I know who usually likes horror did not think it was suspenseful enough. It spooked me and Mr Daisy bigtime.

SESSION 9 was shot in Danvers State Hospital, once officially known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, an abandoned psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts. The place is scary enough all by itself, and then you have people poking around in it at night and listening to old psychiatric tapes. (And pray tell, WHY are they doing that???? Don't these people ever WATCH HORROR MOVIES?!? DON'T GO THERE!!!!)

Please add your own, and have a great Halloween!

~*~



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Listening to: The Cramps - Human Fly
via FoxyTunes

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I'm not sure why I started blogging. I know I unequivocally decided to blog on Postmenopausal Day, but I'm not sure why. Am I wasting my time? Probably. All I have to show for my blogging are some nasty emails from Bob Jones University, an increased knowledge of html (I think I'm up to the average 14-year-old, by now, at least) and a handful of great New York expressions from BelleDame (which really impress my friends). Does anyone read this? Well, Sitemeter says a few dedicated folks actually do, so I charge onward, boring the masses (okay, a tiny fraction of the masses) with my postmenopausal, post-hippie existence.

Thank the Lord for Halloween, or should I say, thank the pagans! (Thanks, yall!) Currently sipping some yummy, decadent Fresh Market Pumpkin Spice coffee, which I am aware is not bird-friendly, free trade OR organic, and so, Catholic Guilt and Shame (herein known as CGAS) accompanies my warm and tingly Halloween-Autumn vibe. (Alas, there is no escape from Searching and Fearless Moral Inventories, whether we ever really wanted them or not.) My TV is tuned to the lovely Adrienne Barbeau, ex-wife of John Carpenter, who bravely battles The Fog, and I am comforting myself that at least I am not in a horror movie. Although if Dubya continues on his present course and destroys the world as we know it, we very well may be, so this is a form of meditation and preparation. Horror movies explain what NOT to do in life, and this one reminds us to stay out of the fog.

Speaking of fog, I have several foggy things on the agenda for the week, so stay tuned, fight fans.

~*~

There I was yesterday, re-stocking amino acids and having an existential dilemma about blogging (see above), when Ron Paul Guy (herein known as RPG) approaches me to ask if I am going to the gay movie. Gay movie? BOYS IN THE BAND? BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN? THE CHILDREN'S HOUR? (*nods to Belledame*)

RPG just rolled his eyes, as he usually does when I don't know what is happening. NO, the GAY MOVIE, titled For the Bible tells me so. It's the Soulforce gang again! There is going to be a counter-demonstration!

A counter-demonstration of a MOVIE? Oh, God. I refer everyone to the videos I posted on Tuesday. I was morally exempt (I told myself) from the April Soulforce demo because I was already scheduled to work. However, I will not be scheduled to work during this movie. Oh, God. Well, I said, under the laser-beam glare of RPG's eyes, I guess I will go.

And then, late last night, sitting with local Deadheads on their shadowy terrace, beautifully lit by green light, crystal wind-chimes that spin rainbows in the dark, and candles that illuminated their jungle-like maze of plants, I said, again: Yes! I will go and blog about it! They were very supportive. Deadheads rule, always.

And now, I am committed to doing this. And frankly, I don't want to. It's the kind of thing that if I weren't blogging, I'd find a reason to put off. But now, I feel I have to Witness to the Truth, and all like that.

RPG enthusiastically agreed, and then informed me I had to go see Ron Paul on November 1, which also has the distinction of being All Saints Day. Since I pointedly missed my last Holy Day of Obligation (see CGAS above), I have to go this time. (I'm also gonna try to make All Souls Day, which many of you know as Day of the Dead.) I guess Ron Paul can fit into my All Saints Day itinerary. I am not voting for him and there is plenty about his politics that I intensely dislike, but I was so impressed by how he shook up the last somnambulist GOP debate with some righteous fury over Iraq, I figure I can mosey on over to Pleasantburg Drive and tell him so. I'm also curious about who else might show up. More demonstrators? Positive? Negative?

And then there is the gay movie.

Leading the counter-demonstrators will likely be Badass Preacher Man (herein known as BPM). He is, in fact, in one of the aformentioned videos I posted. He knows me through my work, and he likes me. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. How could this man who preaches like a lunatic-on-cocaine actually like me? I dunno, but I can honestly say, if I had never seen him preach, I'd unreservedly like him, too. BPM literally has two personalities: a sweet, kindly southern gentleman and then, well, see for yourself. I've always known this, since he's been a local Religious-Right fixture for years, and has been prominently featured on numerous national newsclips as well, feverishly preaching against sodomy. And yet, he has been very sweet and friendly to me.

If I show up at the gay movie, will that change? I don't mind telling you, that makes me nervous. I don't know why, but it does. I would like to keep business, religion and politics all separate, but as you all know, life doesn't usually work that way, does it? Perhaps I like him more than I am willing to admit. Hopefully, his fondness for me will carry the day, too?

And what will happen if it does? I can tell you what: a day or so later, when BPM has calmed down, he is likely to ask me why I was there. He knows I am married, a grandmother even. He has no idea.

Should I tell? We are back to the bisexuality question. I am fixin to have a 20th wedding anniversary this month. Bisexuality doesn't even seem relevant, but of course, it is; it is who I am. Should I be honest? I have never told anyone who might be hostile; I've never had to. This will be a first. And even though most old-school southerners would never ask, BPM will ask, since he does like me and will consider my soul in jeopardy.

It's a hairy situation. What's a mother to do?

Of course, I know. At this stage of my life, I will have to tell the truth. I no longer have the wherewithal, the temerity, the ability, to lie, to cover-up, to equivocate.

And then, what happens?

Stay tuned, fight fans. A fun All Saints Week awaits us.

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Listening to: Social Distortion - Don't Drag Me Down
via FoxyTunes