May Harvest
Mid-May has traditionally been the time of the early harvest in the old European cultural, agricultural, and pagan societies. I believe that it was also called the "Winter Grain Harvest," as like.. the harvest coming out've the late winter.
Full Flower Moon
This coming Saturday evening is the Full Flower Moon. I believe that it has also been called the "May Harvest Moon," tying the two concepts together.
Main Street Universe hosted an hour long interview with Raven and Stephanie Taylor Grimassi on Blog Talk Radio. Blogspot won't support this embedding, so it's located at the above link.
Russian film 'Viking' due for 2016 release
This film is not connected to the very popular cable tv series
VIKING 2016 movie trailer from SkyPIX on Vimeo.
Recently I watched the movie 'Krampus', which was perhaps more in the category of "scary" than the horror genre. Despite its origin in folklore, it's not really the type of movie I would review. It was more of just a scary family Christmas movie. Krampus is very similar to other Alpine legends, such as the Badalisc of Camunian folklore. While watching, it occurred to me that part of the appeal of horror movies is that they subconsciously appeal to our DNA memory from virtually all of our history of living amid the harshness and danger of nature and its evolutionary struggle.
During all of that time, our ancestors lived in constant danger... from weather, dangerous predators, starvation, discomfort, or other competing tribal groups. They particularly feared the night. The night was truly a dark time where they shut themselves off from their environment as much as they could. It's not hard to figure out why the sun and moon were so revered. The typical "cabin in the woods" theme of many horror movies, ties directly to our ancestral memory of living in isolation... the dangers. "Help" would never be on its way. They had to fend for themselves.
I read once that rabbits, although they can make good pets, never fully trust you. They have been at the bottom of the food chain for so long that they maintain their tense nature. Dogs and cats descended from small predators, so they don't feel this psychological-social strain. Our bodies actually crave being scared. We get a certain chemical rush from it. Most people live relatively safe lives, so they're disconnected from nature.
Wild animals possess a "sixth sense"... the ability to sense danger, as well as other heightened senses and awareness. We've lost this ability, although some people can develop it if they live in remote areas, and are close to nature. Horror movies allow us to get that chemical rush which our bodes crave. Our struggling ancestors didn't know what to expect, as a danger could present itself at any time. This is a lot like in horror movies... a theater of the unexpected. The vampire, werewolf, or Krampus of the Middle Ages have morphed into the Mr. Hyde, killer clown, or Jack the Ripper of today.
A town on fire for over 50 years
Urban Exploration: Centralia, PA Ghost Town Burning Underground
TikiTrex
Centralia, PA is a modern day ghost town with an ongoing underground inferno. Silent Hill was inspired by Centralia's plight. It was also a model for various movies that wanted to give a hell-like appearance in a ghost town.
There used to be a WARNING - DANGER sign posted here from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania stating that walking or driving in this area could result in serious injury or death; that dangerous gases are present and the ground is prone to sudden collapse.
Centralia was once a prosperous coal mining town with 1,100 population. It included 4 movie theatres, 7 bars, a school and a gas station.
In the spring of 1962, a fire which started at the town dump during spring cleanup ignited the coal present at the ground level as this area is very rich in coal. As firefighters worked to try and extinguish that fire, it had already spread to the underground abandoned coal tunnels that are 100 meters in depth. After a couple of decades, attempts to put out the fire failed. State and federal authorities said they didn't have enough funding to do the job right. They tried digging up the coal around the burn site but it was burning faster than they could dig and there are too many tunnels too flood.
With the threats of hydrogen explosions, carbon monoxide and cave-ins, most residents were relocated in the 80s. The houses were then torn down leaving approximately 11 people behind who refused to evacuate despite the danger and risks involved such as dangerous gasses, explosions and sink holes. The ground beneath could collapse and has done so already. Looking down the now-empty streets, you can see that nature has reclaimed her land, albeit, a dangerous one. Buildings, cars and trees can fall into this pit at any time.
The old Hwy 61 that used to bring traffic to Centralia has been destroyed by the underground fire. It is constantly subsiding with smoke usually billowing out from the pits and separations that will continue to get wider and deeper day-by-day. This is called subsidence. This is due to the coal seams the run below ground at steep angles which cause the road above ground to collapse as the coal burns.
According to engineers, the only way to stop this fire is to dig the entire 3000 acres of coal field under this town and surrounding area. This would cost $600 million which is more than the US governments were willing to pay.
There is a time capsule that still lies buried in the ground in Centralia. This was set up as a memorial for the working class town to be opened in 2016 which would be Centralia's 150th Anniversary. Whether the residents return to open it on that date is yet to be seen.
The Weather Channel selected portions of this video for their "Most Toxic Ghost Towns" video.
Thanks for watching!
*UPDATE* The time capsule ended up being opened on October 4, 2014 which was much earlier than expected.
'Centralia PA Time Capsule Opened Early'
Centralia - Full Documentary
Juice Newton - Angel Of The Morning
emimisic
Official video of Juice Newton performing Angel Of The Morning from the album Angel Of The Morning.
Buy It Here: http://smarturl.it/yjp0ie
Official Website: http://juicenewton.com/
A couple of weeks ago I watched Scarlet Johansson in 'Lucy', in which through a fluke a young woman started being able to use more and more than the average 10% of her brain and manipulate the laws of nature. At times I found myself fantasizing that this character was like perhaps the Goddess Iduna, returning to the modern world. A pack of guys with guns are coming towards her.... and she raises one hand and they all instantly fall and go fast asleep. Wow! Just like the divine feminine... she didn't even harm them. "She is a god or something like that ?" -- Shaco, YouTube user
In 1996, at about age 12, she stared in a movie entitled 'Manny and Lo' about two sisters who run away from their foster homes. Although it may not sound especially interesting or even for adults, it's really a good movie. I haven't seen it for a long time, but part of the movie revolves around them breaking into an unoccupied house in the country... which then became their "paradise" as one reviewer described it. It's more than just cute, and I would recommend it.
'Ghost World' (2001) was a movie about two semi-social outcasts during the summer after they graduated from high school. Johansson stars along with Thora Birch who was excellent in this. The writers/producers took some creative liberties, such as giving the film a slight 50s/60s visual and feel to it, and giving Birch's character a fetish for the 50s... which would be rather unlikely for teens any time after 1990. She goes to garage sales and swap meets to find unusual clothes in an almost theater-like endeavor. I'm not going to review it, but it's interesting.... interesting characters, and very different. Just as with the previous, this movie could be enjoyed by any age I think.
"Portals to Hell"
The Door to Hell
SciShow
In this episode of SciShow, Hank talks about a crater in Turkmenistan that has been on fire for decades and has earned itself the title of: The Door to Hell!
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There are numerous "doorways to Hell," such as St. Patrick's Purgatory in Ireland, the Necromanteion temple in Greece, and Mt. Hekla in Iceland.
The red bead necklace
I confess, I've never been a fan of pearl, shell, or white bead necklaces. They just seem a bit gaudy, at least with white, or even black. Those colors are all wrong.. However, a red bead necklace looks so sightly. The red works perfectly. Just a thought.
Did you know that the character Lagertha, Ragnar Lothbrok's wife, in History's Vikings is loosly based on a real historical figure? Lagertha was, according to legend, a Danish Viking shieldmaiden from what is now Norway, and the onetime wife of the famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok (D. 840 or 865), Her tale, as recorded by the chronicler Saxo in the 12th century, may be a reflection of tales about Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr, a Norse deity. Her name, latinized to Lathgertha by Saxo, probably derives from the Old Norse Hlaðgerðr (Hladgerd).
His frequently rendered in English-language sources as "Lagertha", and has also been recorded as Ladgertha, Ladgerda or similar. Lagertha's tale is recorded in passages in the ninth book of the Gesta Danonum, a 12th century work of Danish history by Saxo Grammaticus. According to the Gesta, Lagertha's career as a warrior began when Frø, king of Sweden, invaded Norway and killed the Norwegian king Siward, Frø put the women of the death king's family into a bothel for public humilation. Hearing of this Ragnar Lodbrok came with an army to avenge his grandfather Siward. Many of the women Frø had ordered abused dressed themselves in men clothing and fought on Ragnar's side. Chief among them, and the key to Ragnar's victory was Lagertha.
Saxo recounts:
"Ladgerda, a skilled Amazon, who, though a maiden, had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders. All marveled at her matchless deeds, for her lock flying down her back betrayed that she was a woman." Impressed with her courage, Ragnar courted her from afar. Lagertha feigned interest and Ragnar arrived to seek her hand, bidding his companions wait in the Gaular Valley. He was set upon by a bear and a great hound which Lagertha had guarding her home, but killed the bear with his spear and choked the hound to death. Thus he won the hand of Lagertha in marriage. According to Saxo, Ragnar had a son with her, Fridleif, as well as two daughters, whose names are not recorded.
"Lagertha, who had a matchless spirit though a delicate frame, covered by her splendid bravery the indination of the soldiers to waver. For she made a sally about, and flew round to the rear of the enemy, taking them unawares, and thus turned the panic of her friends into the campn of the enemy." upon returnng to Norway, she quarreled with her husband, and slew him with a spearhead she concealed in her gown. Saxo concludes that she then "usurped the whole of his name and sovereignty; for this most presumpuous dame thought it pleasanter to rule without her husband than to share the throne with him.
-- Huscarl, Anglo Saxon Foundation
Horseless carriage
One of the first models of automobile was the Hupmobile, manufactured by Hupp Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan starting in 1909. One of my past relatives, whose family had arrived in the U.S. before mine did, was apparently the first to own an automobile in Milaca, Minnesota. The above image may be a different model, but it was from around that period and it looks so fancy and restored. Over the years, I have come across a couple of financially well off guys who've rented one of those small light industrial property units, with a front desk, a couple of offices, and an operations area with a back garage door. They used them as sort've a clubhouse with perhaps one employee - a mechanic to work on a couple of auto projects. Wouldn't that just be ~perfect~
The Hollies "The Air That I Breathe"
catman916
Graham Nash played an important role in the early history of the Hollies, but after his departure in December 1968, the group achieved some of its greatest successes. After hearing Phil Everly's fine version of "The Air That I Breathe" written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, the Hollies recorded the definitive version, engineered by Alan Parsons. Released as a single in January 1974 on Polydor Records, it reached #2 in the UK. In the US it was released on the Epic label and achieved #6. It can be found on the CD on Best of the Hollies: Air That I Breathe and The Hollies' Greatest Hits on EMI. It clearly demonstrates that Allan Clarke was one of the best lead singers of the era. Terry Sylvester's background singing and Tony Hicks' guitar add to the great sound.
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It's funny how you can have an association between a song, a place, and a time. I do with this one; half reality/half fantasy. Great ethereal sound.
Approaching 100,000 views here..
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