THE BILE OF THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR



My son got sick this morning, right before his final day of day care for the year..

As I write this, he’s watching Netflix on the couch and relaxing. I am home from work and blogging in between worried looks each time he makes a move, just in case I have to rush back to couchside to ensure the garbage can is secure while his body’s natural state does its deed to rid itself of whatever virus is running its course.

It somehow seems fitting. Ending the year with a few projectile dispatches.

Think about it..
New years is about cleaning out the mind, body, and soul. While a four and a half year old may not get the ramifications and meaning of calendar changes or balls dropping in Times Square, it’s almost like his little body decided to take part in a ritualistic cleanse..

Yes, maybe I am being over dramatic.
But my over-drama has improved since my son was born.
I fondly–sarcasm there–recall the very first time my son had a flu. He was about 2, and the vomit started occurring around 3am. And a lot of it.. in the midst of the cleaning, it almost immediately began happening to me. It was gruesome, actually. A mixture of awfulness. My wife got sick, too.. but not to the extent of dad and son.  The air was so bad we wanted to just move out.

Each time he got sick since, I was calmer each time.
That calmness may not last forever, but the years of training my mind to accept sickness as a part of life, and a part of the body’s actual defense mechanism to heal, has culminated with amazing senses.
Like this….
This morning when my son sat up, he looked funny. I was sitting next to him and saw something in his expression.. I knew. I said, “You okay?” A nod ‘yes’ occurred.. I didn’t believe it. I immediately held up the garbage can and, like an amazing 1990s Michael Jordan basketball shot, he projected refuse into the can. 3 points!
Live action dad hero.
Maybe the one time only in life that will happen.. but moms and dads get to be keenly aware of what each expression on their child’s face means.
I knew this morning what the worried look meant. “It” was coming..

My wife and I have dinner plans tonight with friends for new years eve. That may be called off now due to unforeseen bodily circumstances.  The first mission of the day is to effectively utilize Febreeze and Lysol where it needs it most. Already, every door handle was disinfected. Waiting on the current room until the dust settles..
The Twilight Zone marathon is on, too.
Not sure if my son will give a break from Netflix, or fall asleep for a bit, in time for me to tune in to a few amazing Twilight Zones on SYFY, but that’s life.
Life happens when you least expect it.

When you have dinner plans..
When the calendar changes..

So in the spirit of my son at this moment: Cleanse yourself of the trials, tribulations, and pains of 2015.  Sixteen is a brand new chance to get something right that has been going wrong for some time.  Only YOU know what is wrong. Or your body. And if it’s internal, get ready with a garbage can and some Gatorade.

May your travels be safe and your new years eve be the last day you to worry about the things you worried about in 2015.

I like today’s Drudge Report headline. Good touch ole sparky.The...



I like today’s Drudge Report headline. Good touch ole sparky.

The story linked above his fold is well to do with weather–it’s some weird weather this year actually. The temperature this Christmas Eve as I write this at 7:15am outside my Pennsylvania abode is nearing 60. It’s going to edge towards 70 as the day persists.. by nightfall, Santa’s sleigh will trudge through mud as it attempts to gain entry to all East Coast cities and towns.

This is going to be a warm one.. Actually a hot one.

All records in various places may be broken today.. There will be no white Christmas.. the Heat Miser is winning.

From ACCUWEATHER:

image
image
 

It is a strange moment, walking out into the December air and being greeted with the warmth of a spring or summer morning.. And even more, explain the Santa’s sleigh issue to a nearly 5 year old child who analysis things way too much for his own good at his age. My son told me he could not wait to build a snow man Christmas day. I had to break the bad news of weather. . while he did not seem to care too much after a few months, it was an intense line of questions hurled at me all about why pictures show snow and he was under the impression that Santa needed it.

Nonetheless,

No white Stuff.

Only the hot stuff.

And lots of it.

Merry Christmas EVE.

A few more reminders of the heat:

New Yorkers Seen Wearing Sandals, Shorts During Freak Heatwave…

Ice Cream Sales Up in Times Square!


Orlando to reach 86°, topple 1924 record…


 

THE NOSTALGIC IMAGE OF CHRISTMASES LONG LONG AGO




This is my original artwork.. it’s my nostalgic Christmas postcard to you.

The scene I drew in this picture, several years ago actually, is gone now. It is of the former St. Ignatius Church in Centralia, PA, a place I attended Christmas midnight mass for several years when my life began. The road signs are indicating that a highway was closed, most likely because of the Christmas blanket of snow causing mine fire fumes to overtake the highway.. The footsteps? Could be mine walking around .. could be my father, as he was the caretaker of the property for 20 years..

 

But it’s all gone now.
So often, we are greeted yearly with cards of this nature–places that are now gone or changed for good.

My Christmas memories hold this scene in high esteem.
They always will.
Times were simpler then–even though my hometown was being bulldozed over and people were being forced out. Still simple.
A quiet blanket of snow..
This year, 2015, it’s about 60 or so degrees outside of my house.
This scene is a memory.
As is the town and all buildings that were in it.

There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

The title of this post is a line from a famous Christmas song that you undoubtedly have heard *(maybe too much?*) yet again this year..


 


Andy Williams’ classic IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR has a series of nostalgic verses about the season our calenders currently inhabit.. The most wonderful time of year, he concludes with his melody.. But that one line, that ‘scary ghost stories’ reference, has often been overlooked and ignored..

Some may think Williams is talking about Charles Dickens and his CHRISTMAS CAROL, Scrooge’s ghosts of the past present and future coming to haunt in the dead of night..

But the story goes much deeper. That one line in a song lyric has much more meaning for the season than anyone really understands.



On this website, I talked a lot about Krampus, that pesky demonic figure who scares the goodness into kids this time of year. This year he’s the star of a movie. And we also focused on those scary ghost stories..

For those who think the paranormal notions take a break after Halloween winds down, think again.. It just begins. And Christmas was the season of high strangeness, spooky occurrences, and bumps in the night that could not be attributed to elves or Santa’s quest to find a chimney..

 

It’s pagan origins–the Yule log, the evergreen, the lit candle in a window–are all documented. Santa and Krampus used to travel as good cop and bad cop.. Even before Fox News declared that there is a ‘war on Christmas,’ many puritans in America did not even want Christmas to be celebrated. They did not like burning human sacrifices .. they did not log the phallic image of the Yule log. They did not appreciate fearing the ghosts of the night as winter’s brutal chill set in…

 

But as time went on, the Puritans lost.  Some may say the pagans eventually won, despite the Nativity scene and idea that Christmas is the time to celebrate Christ’s birthday, most of the ‘bad’ stuff from the pre Catholic era stuck around.

Roger Clarke authored a book titled A NATURAL HISTORY OF GHOSTS: 500 YEARS OF HUNTING FOR PROOF.. He detailed why the Victorian age became the prime time for paranormal tales to be woven by people around the holiday season..

 

The UK GUARDIAN’s Kim Cochrane explained this in a 2013 article profiling Clarke’s book:
The popularity of ghost stories was strongly related to economic changes. The industrial revolution had led people to migrate from rural villages into towns and cities, and created a new middle class. They moved into houses that often had servants, says Clarke, many taken on around October or November, when the nights were drawing in early – and new staff found themselves “in a completely foreign house, seeing things everywhere, jumping at every creak”. Robbins says servants were “expected to be seen and not heard – actually, probably not even seen, to be honest. If you go to a stately home like Harewood House, you see the concealed doorways and servant’s corridors. You would actually have people popping in and out without you really knowing they were there, which could be quite a freaky experience. You’ve got these ghostly figures who actually inhabit the house.”

The fondness of telling ghost stories around warm December fires also struck another author, one from a longer time ago.. Jerome K. Jerome said this in his book TALES AFTER SUPPER in 1891:
Whenever five or six English-speaking people meet round a fire on Christmas Eve, they start telling each other ghost stories. Nothing satisfies us on Christmas Eve but to hear each other tell authentic anecdotes about specters.

The idea of ghost stories was common–very common as a matter of fact.. the relics of that time still haunt, to a degree. But any memory has been tamed and watered down through the ages..

 

And think of this: Even if you keep the Christ in Christmas, that is paranormal just in itself.. Imagine the notion of a woman going about business, being told by an entity from beyond this world that she will give birth to a paranormal savior who will eventually die but rise from the dead and open the door to another realm..  If you believe in the Christian idea of Christmas, you must conclude that you wholeheartedly have faith in the paranormal and believe in it..



The veil is thin on Christmas.. as a matter of fact, some mystics through the ages have cited Christmas, not All Souls’ Day or any other time, as the prime time moment for the thinnest of the veil.Even a 19th century nun named Saint Teresa of Avila stated just that..

 

The Victorian age was in itself quite scary–the problems which manifested themselves often went unexplained.  Science was beginning to explain some, but not all events.. Those shadows Clarke described were common.. The ghost tales that Jerome wrote about were frightening. Krampus would also show up from time to time, beating children with a stick for unruly behavior throughout the year..

 
Christmas time is a modern occasion of joy..


Slurping eggnog spiked with rum and eating until you’re unable to move? That’s the American pasttime around the holiday season—and then the New Years guilt and resolutions to lose your new found weight is an annual tradition.




Kira Cochrane of the UK GUARDIAN writes this to describe humanity’s long love of telling ghost stories around this time of year:

Christmas has long been associated with ghosts, says Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts: 500 Years of Hunting for Proof. Just before Christmas 1642, for instance, shepherds were said to have seen ghostly civil war soldiers battling in the skies. This connection continued in the Victorian era through Dickens’s story, and through the ghost stories he later published at Christmas in his periodical All the Year Round, with contributors including Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell. It would also continue in the tradition started by MR James, the provost of King’s College, Cambridge, who would invite a select few students and friends to his rooms each year on Christmas Eve, where he’d read one of the ghost stories he had written, which are still popular today. They include Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book (1895), in which an ancient holy book brings forth a demonic presence, first announced by a hand covered in “coarse black hairs, longer than ever grew on a human hand; nails rising from the ends of the fingers and curving sharply down and forward, grey, horny and wrinkled”.

The popularity of ghost stories was strongly related to economic changes. The industrial revolution had led people to migrate from rural villages into towns and cities, and created a new middle class. They moved into houses that often had servants, says Clarke, many taken on around October or November, when the nights were drawing in early – and new staff found themselves “in a completely foreign house, seeing things everywhere, jumping at every creak”. Robbins says servants were “expected to be seen and not heard – actually, probably not even seen, to be honest. If you go to a stately home like Harewood House, you see the concealed doorways and servant’s corridors. You would actually have people popping in and out without you really knowing they were there, which could be quite a freaky experience. You’ve got these ghostly figures who actually inhabit the house.”

We have lost so much with the disappearance of this tradition! I call for a renaissance!

Telling ghost stories around this time of year appears to be a lost tradition. These days, we trample each other at malls and break glass doors for expensive Air Jordans that we cannot afford. But that aside, it would be sacrilegious in modern times to tell such haunting tales around the Christmas dinner table.. 50% of us celebrate the birth of Christ (though it probably would not have even happened this time of year) and the other 50% celebrate the modern rituals of present buying and giving. Ghost stories aren’t found within that celebration.. No time for the paranormal with those numbers.

We did borrow the Christmas tree and SO MUCH MORE from the pagans.. but for some reason, we ended the tales of horror in our newer centuries..



But that was then.


Now it’s all about fun, joy, peace, and harmony. Little thrown in of scary or weird….paranormal or other-worldly. And it seems we miss out on so much with the absence of the paranormal..

A website I follow, SPIRITDAILY.COM, had a small article on its site a few Christmases ago concerning the ‘thin veil’ this time of year.. Of course the site had a religious bent on the argument, but it’s certainly worth considering nonetheless:

Fascinating it is that a number of mystics through the centuries have cited Christmas Day — not All Souls’ Day, or any other time — as when the greatest number of souls are released from purgatory. This was stated, we are informed, by the great doctor of the Church, Saint Teresa of Avila

While I do not contend my theories or ‘feelings’ are ever correct or a representation of anything but bizarre mental manifestations, I have long felt that two times of year were always filled with mystery: One being Halloween, and the other being Christmas. I recall nights when I was a child, especially Christmas Eve night, where I felt something mysterious in the air..something strange around me. Something like a presence—not necessarily a negative entity, but just another ‘element’ that I could not understand with my five senses.  Did the pagans and others get it right.. does the veil thing? Those old ghost stories are not without purpose, they were just a way for people to express their fears of the darkness without shining light. You could argue that such ghost stories in the Victorian Age being popular was because they simply lived in scary times—gas lamps that lit the way for some with prestige and money, but darkness at night for the rest of the troubled lot.



Joy and love and peace could not be found on radio stations, and often so many younger children died from pestilence and disease, Santa Claus was not as busy as he is now.



But I still say there is something else to the story. I think there is a deeper and more profound reason that so many tall tales were expressed this time of year in centuries past. And maybe it’s because we, as humans, have a connection to a sixth sense.. maybe we have a deep affinity for the unexplained because we as humans are a PART of that unexplained.


Why are we here? Ghost tales make sense of our existence in some way, because it gives credence to an afterlife. Yes, maybe spirits get trapped here, but at least we ‘go somewhere.’




Though we have an absence of the fireside chats during Victorian times, there are a few paranormal tales that withstood the test of time. Charles Dickens’ classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL is one of them, with a series of ghosts coming back to haunt a living man to scare him into being nice.. Some of the past film adaptations of CHRISTMAS CAROL were downright scary, and even the black and white versions of the story haunted me as a child,such as SCROOGE from 1935.


Some other stories from my lifetime that still keep the ‘creepy’ in Christmas: The GREMLINS was able to successfully utilize horror and holiday music, grounding up gremlins while DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR played .. that scene shaped my childhood dreams.. There were also some other badly made seasonal horror flicks, like SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT, and CHRISTMAS EVIL.


Even  IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE has a paranormal theme. An angel coming to save a suicidal man before he ends it all.. This year add KRAMPUS to that mix of bizarre tales.


Even the GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS was scary.. and the idea that an ever-knowing Santa watches children when they sleep doesn’t really give me a deep down calm feeling either.


And finally, there could be something else scary about this time of year. Besides the ‘veil thinning’ and the pagan acknowledgement of death during winter, it’s just a scary time altogether! .. New years is coming—one calender year over, of course calenders are man made but that doesn’t make them any less foreboding. Aging is scary.. not knowing what the next year will bring is also scary. We become victims to our paranoia and fear…and maybe that is why the Victorian Age was filled with so much of it..

There is, after all, lots to be actually scared of. Yes, then it was sickness and darkness, but what really has changed? The news media informs us almost daily that a big accident may soon happen to our entire grid, leaving parts of the United States dark for ‘years.’ We are equally warned about diseases that are not being killed off anymore by antibiotics. While we don’t dress with Victorian attire, we can attest that our fears are often the same as they were during our past. That’s the common bond in the human race. We surely don’t all get happy about the same things but that’s not true about fear. Deep down, we all fear the same things.. and ghosts represent the mystery and high strangeness that humans cannot explain.

So I say we bring back ghost stories! Let’s get the fire warm, open some gifts..drink up some spirits, and tell some tales about weird creatures and sounds bumping in the night.


Keep the Christ in Christmas. And keep the creepy, too.


If not, Santa may not stop by this year, but instead give us the ghost of CHRISTMAS FUTURE—and if you recall that was the scariest spirit of them all..


# # #

When I was a child, I fondly recall a few traditions that, at the time, seemed a bit bizarre and other-worldly. We had and still somewhat maintain a Christmas eve ‘Holy Supper,’ a Ukrainian traditional dinner of seven fishes. Before dinner began, the youngest of the family–at that time me–would have to knock on the door of the house with a candle and a statue of the baby Jesus and ask if there was room in the inn.  The lights of the house would be off. Those inside would allow entrance and I’d slowly walk in a dark passage with the lit candle and statue..  After dinner, my family would attend a midnight mass. I always recall a large crowd of people.. I also recall being very short at that age, and mostly sitting in the rear of the church. That ensured I would not see a priest, but instead as a young child, I thought the voice was coming from the rafters itself. It probably did not help much that this Church, Saint Ignatius in Centralia, PA, was the location of my first paranormal moment as a young child when I heard whispers coming from an empty confessional during a very dark night.

All of this said, I think there is something innate in humans to recognize Christmas as a paranormal time, a moment when we are close to the spirit world and the thin veil shreds into non existence for a time..

Santa Claus is even paranormal–he can sweep across the globe and enter homes across the planet, sparing enough time to throw down some presents and even eat about 25 million cookies and glasses of milk. Even the reindeer have time for carrots. We tell our children at an early age to believe in something paranormal, to put faith in something hopeful. Adults who laugh at the notion of Santa then go to church on Christmas morning and sing about another paranormal moment when an angel impregnated a women with God’s son.. Even more, the whole notion of December 25th being chosen is under the guise that it was a pagan celebration..

It’s all connected.
It’s all paranormal..
This is the time of year to suspend logic and happily comply with the other realm…
Just not Krampus.
He’s the one to avoid during the darkest night of the year…..

A New Years dissolution

  
The final few days of shopping are here..
The last chances to wrap gifts..

Tis the season for small annoyances, like bad traffic or office Christmas parties where someone you never expected would get a bit too tipsy, or offensive. I have often thought that often co-workers (sometimes family, too), aren’t people you pick. They aren’t friends. They are necessary. You may like some.. but chances are, if you’re at a party of 50, you’ll really want to associate with just four or five.

Nonetheless, at a gathering just days ago of people, I noted several conversations were about attempts to get better health in the new year, be happier, eat right, and cut down on the luxuries and lushness of life. All this being said while food was in one hand and alcohol in the other..

I am perplexed yearly by this notion that December 31 into January 1 will suddenly equal a burst of health, weight loss, and better moods. By the second week of January, when the bills start coming in and researchers say “Blue Monday” hits, we are already ditching the yearly get rich or well quick schemes, and replacing them with the bad habits all over again.

But maybe that is because the actual attempts are wrong to begin with.

The end of a year and the beginning of a new one is sort of the same as how parts of the earth feel this time of year, as well. The cyclical nature of seasons and time—we are one with the planet and quite possibly one with the feelings of the season. Sorry to go pagan, but maybe even the natural phases of the moon and sun, along with the Solstices, deserve a party! Minus the human sacrifices of ancient Yule time.

My point is, trying to change habits at this time of year is fine. It’s the end of a year. Again. Another 12 months, 525,600 minutes behind us, and a whole new 12 months of anarchy on the way..

But what habits are you trying to break? And why..?

  
“I want to be healthier.”
Fine and cool. It is not bad to be healthy.. But think before you drink. I love the idea that “wine may be good for my heart.” I’m no doctor, but I know the dangers of alcohol when used in excess. And while the skin of grapes could have benefits, so does dark chocolate. Oh, and skin of grapes—meaning you can actually eat grapes as opposed to drinking fermented versions of the product..

  
“I want to lose weight.”
So quick diets and fad trends are imposed on your body. You don’t react as you’d expect in two weeks, and you give it. Weight loss takes time. It took a while to gain it, you surely won’t lose it faster. So if you’re serious about losing weight, just realize you may get a quick hit of ten pounds if you’re really overweight, then it will become stagnant. If you’re closer to normal, you may lose very weight at all but could gain muscle if done the right way…and muscle has weight, so your scale could stay the same.

  
“I want a new job.”

Don’t we all sometimes? Before you get on a new job bandwagon, make a “why I hate my job list.” Then make a “why I have it okay at my job list.” And be honest, include everything, like 401K or pension, free parking, health insurance. See which list has more. Afterwards critically think about what you put. If hatred of your co-workers made the “Why I hate my job list,” go back and read some Yoda. Fear equal hate. Hate equals war.
Be brave and be honest. Trying to get a better job is not a bad thing. But never do something simply based off of hate. You’ll make the wrong decision every time.

  
My advice for this time of year.. Use the force. It’s all around you. Close your eyes…wait…I saw STAR WARS too many times.
or did I?
The ‘force’ may not only be strong for the Jedi, but it could be real..
You could be a part of something far greater than yourself. A universe that goes on forever and somehow is connected in strange ways by invisible math and physics. It’s a great time to be alive, with advanced discoveries that are beautiful and making life better. Yes there is loathsome fear and terror, as we talked about on here several times over the past few weeks, but don’t give into it. Do not let fear guide you. Embrace fear.

A few years ago when I had to give a public speech to a group of 700 people, I did something remarkable. It changed me forever. Up until that point I Was scared to death of public speaking. It’s when I realized that my entire life was made up of public speaking that the fear started to dwindle. I was a waiter since 16. I addressed crowds of 8 to 50 people on a regular basis, even made an open mic speech to a wedding party of 200 naming dessert choices. So public speaking was the simple part.. the hard part was figuring out that if you just do it and stop thinking so much, you’ll be fine. I embraced the fear and actually let it consume me for a moment, I purposely even tried making myself more fearful of the event. At that point, it left me.
Was I still a bit nervous? Yes. Was I filled with trembling fear anymore? Not even close..

Fear about the future is a strange thing, after all.
Consider this: The future is not real, it did not happen, and there is no proof of what is coming. The only thing real is now. Even the past may not be real anymore since it stopped existing. The second of time you stand in, however, is undeniable.
So fearing the future is insane. You’re fearing something that did not occur, that is not here, and that is not year coming to fruition.
Stop fearing.

And on that note, the real new years’ resolution you should strictly maintain:
Be you. Stop hating. Your hating is equaling worse things. It’s creating a worse world. It’s making things bleak. It’s ruining children’s futures. It’s stopping progress. And it’s forcing you to be cemented in ideologies that are failed and ones that should be long gone.

Believe me, I have never been accused of being an optimist.
But I equally have never defined myself as a pessimist. I am a realistic, sometimes nervous and paranoid, conspiracy-theory loving (not always believing) observer of society. From my own personal circle of friends and family to the world as a whole, I sit back and often watch.

My resolution: in 2016 I plan on watching less and doing more..
The next time a fight breaks out at a mall, and I know who is at fault, I will make sure I speak up.
Fear is not an option.
In 2016, neither is silence.

  

Art Bell tolls: $20,000 to whoever catches the stalker!


The famed talk show host put a message on Facebook tonight: Help me find the stalker who pushed me off the air..




Bell wrote,
I will offer $20,000.00 to anybody providing information leading to the Arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the Stalking Terror resulting in my Leaving the air from MITD.

Art Bell

The talk show legend left MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT last week after multiple incidents pushed him from the program.

Since then, Heather Wade has been hosting the program and received mixed reviews..

The Bell will toll, and $20,000 may result..

Despite my exuberance over the newest STAR WARS movie ..

…I’m going to institute a self imposed ban on reviewing the film or giving any personal thoughts on it for at least 24-48 hours.. Much to digest. Much to contemplate.. Much to consider .. Expect something from your friendly neighborhood Coal Speaker.. Just not yet.

STAR WARS will earn a lot of money.. may even break some budgets.. but there is one thing important to consider..

INFLATION!

Ticket prices back in the 1970s were .. oh.. a wee bit lower than the wallet bursting prices that greet consumers today.. on average then: $2.23. ON average now? A lot more than that..

So STAR WARS got $512 mil in ticket sales in 1977 and 1978 (theaters in some cities actually played the movie daily for two years) .. I saw a  number today that approximately 230 million Americans saw STAR WARS A NEW HOPE..

Here is a good graph from BLOOMBERG today on how inflation has impacted STAR WARS’ release:

Yes the force will awaken. It will be gigantic.
But it will not be the new hope .. nothing quite will ever be the new hope..

Droids and The Force: How the Science in ‘Star Wars’ Is Actually Real

Droids and The Force: How the Science in ‘Star Wars’ Is Actually Real:

From the WALL STREET JOURNAL:
 

For a story that takes place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” a great deal of the technology in the “Star Wars” series actually has parallels today on planet Earth. Part of the reason is, ironically, how long the franchise has been around. Concepts and ideas that were the stuff of science fiction when the first “Star Wars” movie came out in 1977 have had almost four decades of science to become real.

 

If such stories like this continue, surely also will the swelling ranks of the Church of Jedi..

If we make it through December we'll be fine

I went to a viewing last night for a friend.. I will skip the details, they are very personal and I wouldn’t want to exchange thoughts on such an instance to the world at large.. I wish I could write down most of what I am saying but if I do so, it will not be in a public forum. It will be kept private intentionally. There are some parts of the modern age of websites, Tweets, Facebooks, and blogs that I still don’t embrace. One of those parts is the emergence of saying everything and anything for all to read.

I will simply say this.. one of the saddest things to watch is a son stare at his mother in a casket—when that young man is not even of an age to understand what he is seeing.. When a child is so young that he cannot care for himself.. when a boy is just starting to mature and already his father and mother are both gone.. that is remarkably sad..

I cannot get the image out of my mind.. a well-dressed young man.. staring at his now at rest mother.. regardless of what anyone may say about the deceased—tacky as it may be, people don’t stop preachy gossip when someone dies—that young man has still lost a pillar, a rock of strength, and potentially the last remaining vestige of security he had..

You may not find this post much of help in your life.. but I ask you only to stop before you say something cruel. Cease your words before something vile comes from your mouth.. judgmental people abound. Dare to be different. Accept.

Because that grown adult you’re talking to today may have been the boy of yesterday who stared at his mother in a casket as his world changed.

Are you trapped? Are you someone’s dinner?



Are you trapped? Are you someone’s dinner?

His just in-ned.. Listen I’m not perfect. But I’m...



His just in-ned..

Listen I’m not perfect. But I’m also not CNN. Get the headline spelling right. The articles can be botched up, no one reads anything anymore anyway..

Elon Musk says 'We must get to Mars before World War Three'

Elon Musk says 'We must get to Mars before World War Three' :

Mankind may only have a brief window to set foot on Mars before a disaster such as a third World War makes it no longer possible, Elon Musk has warned.

The founder of SpaceX, which was the first private company to resupply the International Space Station, fears such a war could set back technological advancements.

His company is preparing to announce its ambitious plans for rocket and space exploration..

A lot of people are laughing at Musk and his fear.. But consider what he is saying. Consider the chances.. And yes, it could become likely that a war to end all wars could also end all progress and humanity on this planet.

In the 21st century, it’s strange to think we fear a return to the Stone Age..

Pro Trump people are getting nasty..Anti Trump people are...





Pro Trump people are getting nasty..
Anti Trump people are getting nasty.
Effigies of him are now being beaten and beheaded in weird fits of rage.. all the while those opposed to him decry the rage at his rallies.

I want this election to be over as soon as possible. Maybe it’s the most important in history (though we hear that every four years) but it certainly will be the most divisive and potentially unhealthy for the nation.. 

It depends on what the meaning of the word 'quit' is

He quits!

He doesn't?

He's done!

He isn't?

Art Bell quit on Friday night and by Monday it became a fight..

Redacted is set to host.. The unexpected is what happens most..

Just days before Christmas and al through the land, we sit back and wonder if Dark Matter will be left stand..

Confusion greets anyone attempting to understand the Art Bell issue at the moment.. 

          
       
     

  
Time will tell.. Will will time travelers tune in?

HEATHER WADE WEIGHS IN

Heather Wade, newest host of MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT, writes this in full on Facebook about the situation with Art Bell,
I write to you with a heavy heart tonight. It has been a pleasure and a great honor to work with Art Bell. I have been with him every step of the way through each incident: his studio internet being tampered with on Sept 23rd, shots fired at his studio on Oct 21st while he was on the air, the threatening phone call he received at his private home number on Nov 18th, the intruder on his property on Nov 23rd, and this last incident of a shot being fired at him when he was on his way to his studio on Dec 9th.

The incidents are becoming more brazen, and more often. I'd give anything to know who it is. Anything. I want this person/ persons caught and stopped. However, wishing it does not make it so. The proper Police reports have been made, Art's security increased, yet it continued.

For anyone who thinks this is a stunt or an excuse to quit, I have made reports to Nye County Deputies myself, and have photos of Art's injuries from when he dove to the ground when he heard the shot on Dec 9th. Unfortunately, it is all too real. I am as angry, and as sad as all of you that Art has been pushed off the air, but the right thing to do is to put his family first. That he was bullied off the air like this makes me so mad I could chew up nails and spit out carpet tacks.

I will be hosting Midnight In The Desert starting on Monday night. It pains me a great deal to have my dream handed to me like this; Art should be the one on that mic. It is his rightful place. Anytime he wants to return, the seat is his. For now, I will keep that fire lit for him.

And already, she has a discussion group on Facebook ...

ROWLAND WITH THE PUNCHES

While some would perceive anarchy behind the scenes at the Dark Matter Radio Network in light of Art Bell's sudden and unexpected departure Friday, Keith Rowland is putting a professional voice to the chaos. The brains behind the paranormal radio network that has grown in popularity online--with help from MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT and Richard C. Hoagland alike--put out an official statement on ArtBell.com to explain the future plans. At least the immediate future.

artbellbye

Rowland explains,
I will run Midnight in the Desert w/Heather Wade on the Dark Matter Digital Network for the next 30 days minimum. She will start in Art’s same time slot for Monday and Tuesday…

However, seeing as I’m obligated to continue feeding the terrestrial affiliate stations for the next 30 days, I’ll need to feed either Heather’s live show or replays of Art Bell’s archives, (which ever they determine the best for them yet to be decided). If I need to feed the Art Bell replays to them at 9-12, Art’s time slot,  I will have Heather do MITD from 6-9 pm PT LIVE to insure she gets to do shows for you also. If the radio stations are fine with Heather filling in for Art, we’ll keep her at 9-12 PT.

And this,
Her shows will be added to the same Time Travelers archive as Art’s shows, so your current subscription will have Art’s old shows and these new ones. It’s up to you to continue to support the show with Heather by keeping your existing subscription or signing up again for the Time Travelers subscription, now at $4.99. After 30 days, we all will evaluate the financial situation of whether we can continue. I hope the subscriber base will maintain the show. We will do our part in reducing the costs.

Heather Wade, Art Bell's producer as of Friday morning and full time MIDNIGHT host as of the night, is expected to return Monday with a program in the wake of his quitting.

The HORROR REPORT has been covering the situation as it developed. Those new to it may find helpful information in the annals of archives on this website. 

There has been rampant speculation on whether the OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT host Hoagland would continue. On that note, Rowland writes,
As for Richard C Hoagland’s OSOM program,  again, it’s all about finances. RCH and I need to re-evaluate our financial model and hope to come to some resolution to continue running his show on DMDN. Stay tuned for updates on this matter. He could be back on Monday night! You can still show your support by Joining Club 19.5.

Rowland went on to give a very personal note to fans and listeners, saying "As hard as I tried, with over two years in building the network, none of the other programs I carried were able to earn any advertising dollars to support the cost of playing the shows, let alone justify my time in producing the shows live. I had to be present in the studio during all live shows in order to connect and bring them on, monitor the sound, play the breaks, record the show and edit the replay audio files. This time took away from my day and had no financial benefit. But I did it because Art’s show was subsidizing the cost. With the leaving of Art Bell, it doesn’t seem financially viable to continue spending hours a day doing this. So I regret to not being able to produce LIVE versions of these programs after this week."  Rowland says, "I need to have those 4 hours of day back."

Rowland spoke briefly at the end of his post regarding Art Bell's vanishing act, writing,
It is sad that incidents have taken our Art Bell away from us again…. The challenge of bringing Art back was intense and satisfying. But the Dark Matter Digital Network was created and maintained for his return. Now that he is gone… the situation will be fluid and could quickly change.  But I’m willing to get this a shot, if you are. I will update this post as I have more information.

Whether fans are willing to give Wade a shot is something only time travelers--the real ones--will know now.

As the HORROR REPORT has previously reported, major stations have either dropped or are considering dropping the MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT program from their programming schedules. Only a week ago, a giant powerful Texas station picked up Bell. Three days later he stopped doing shows and two after that he quit. Even if the slightest chance exists that a change of mind will occur, it would appear fans have already made their minds up that this is the final time. A much smaller squadron of people are calling for Bell to change his mind. The larger majority this go around appear to either be thanking him for one last round of shows, or criticizing him for his reaction to the alleged shooting occurrences on or near his property since November.

rowland

The entire backbone of the entire operation has been Keith Rowland. Those who have heavily followed the past few years' worth of goodbyes and comebacks know of previous tension between Art Bell and Rowland over Jimmy Church and other internal matters at the Dark Matter Radio Network. However as time went on, the strength of programming and the signal increased in popularity and ratings.

Rowland is potentially one of the hardest workers to the cause of good programming. It was evident in what he built, despite a number of armchair critics who could not do the same themselves.

Even more, Rowland has been put into a difficult spot: Allegiance for years to a host who has not quit again vs a future of his radio network he took years to build.

Wade enters.
30 days later?
Time will tell who exits.

 

 

POLICE REPORT RELEASED ONLINE IN ART BELL INVESTIGATION

A poster on Facebook released the third police report filed by now FORMER talk show host Art Bell this past week.. Bell himself went on Facebook and copied and pasted the report in total.. from that post:
Thank you whoever posted this, it is the third of (3) reports given. It's hard to believe I even have to post this, in a prior one a witness saw a Man firing rounds at or near my studio on a dead end street!

Nye County Sheriff's Office
17 mins ·

PRESS RELEASE:

On 12/09/2015 at approximately 2006 NCSO Dispatch received a 911 call from the wife of Art Bell reporting that he was out walking on the property and he had called her from his cell phone to tell her someone had shot at him and then he stopped responding.

NCSO Deputies responded and checked the area. Art Bell was located laying on the ground of his property with no injuries. He reported to responding deputies that he was not sure if the noise he heard was a firework or gunshot.

Deputies did a thorough check of the area and located no one and also did not locate any evidence of gunshots. Deputies maintained extra patrol in the area over the remainder of the week however nothing was discovered. At this point the investigation is closed unless further information is discovered.

Art

It would appear, according to the report and press release, that the investigation is closed. It also seems to compile data showcasing the hectic and frantic scene that developed when, as Bell said, shots or fireworks were heard near or on his property as he was walking to the location of his show broadcasting location juxtapose to his house in Pahrump, NV..

Several people online, in various places, have expressed doubt in the Bell story, decrying his final quit as a staged attempt to either get ratings or utilize the situation to quit the program. Bell has taken on critics, both on Facebook and on Bellgab. He even called into the Friday MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT program hosted by Heather Wade to explain why he suddenly quit.

In an earlier message today, Bell stated that when asked about whether he'd come back if the alleged shooter was caught: " People ask if they catch this person would I come back? Perhaps I would if I was sure it was stopped. There are people saying I made all this up to leave, in what Universe does that make sense? I love what I do."

But even if a return *(again)* was possible, the major stations who picked up the show have already started to bail. Along with that most likely is a steady stream of people quitting the time traveler club.

DEVELOPING.

 

Full moon set for Christmas 2015–the first time since 1977



Full moon set for Christmas 2015–the first time since 1977. It will also not happen for a long time to come..

It will be full at 6:11 a.m. EST on December 25th, according to Fred Espenak with NASA.  A Christmas full moon will not happen again until 2034.

 

December’s full moon is called the Full Cold Moon, or the moon before yule.

And it will make for a good scene as Santa Claus crosses the sky with Rudolph guiding his sleigh..

BELL TOLLS: IT'S OVER! ART BELL QUITS FOR THE FINAL TIME - UPDATED 12/12/15

artbellbyeArt Bell fans are about to light up in rage, anger, sadness, grief, and whatever mixture of emotions they could conjure at the latest Facebook post from the talk show host: He quits.

From Bell,
I am sorry to have to announce this but I will not be on Tonight or any other night, yes I am going to hang it up. Whoever this crazy person is, they are not stopping and it has come to the point that we as a Family do not feel it is worth the risk. While I think the person or persons are after me, my Wife and now my Daughter are really scared, the other night after the latest incident my Daughter was off in the corner of her bed scared to death as the Police cars came screaming up. I will not put my Family through this. As you all know I dearly love what I do but not at the expense of never ending Terrorism. I want to thank those of you who have shown so much support and it has been my joy, short as it has been to have cracked that Mic open for a last time. This was a Family decision. The girls stuck with me and still would but if one of them were harmed because of what I love doing my life would be over.

Art

This message comes after a series of threatening encounters with an unknown man popping shots onto Bell's property.

The HORROR REPORT has followed this story as it developed..
And now tonight, this Friday which would normally be reserved for open lines, is going to be without Art Bell. In his place: His producer Heather Wade..
There will be a live show Tonight and while I know people hate change, Heather my Producer has decided to give tonight's show a try! I would ask that you give her a fair listen before you decide thumbs up or down. She is really really good at what she does.

Art

And with that.. a whimper and not a bang, the MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT program is done. Short lived.. very popular--big stations picked him up and even Clyde Lewis got bumped down from 5 hours to 3.. Coast to Coast AM, though seemingly the weak contender, wins by default..
The Art Bell generation is aging and the new crowd that was introduced to his show over the past few months have suddenly lost a new favorite.

Speaking of Lewis, the Bell re-re-re-retirement has had an effect on Ground Zero. From Lewis,
Art Bell has resigned from Midnight in the Desert. The whole Ground Zero team wishes him the best in the future. In light of this news Ground Zero will go back to 5 hours a night on KXL. (We will post any other updates as needed)

 

MIDNIGHT riders unite.. this is one sad night.

As 'Rick Deckard' on BELLGAB writes tonight,
Damn. Looks like I'll be going to sleep while listening to Art Bell reruns... forever.

So long, Art Bell. You're much loved and will be much missed.

Stay safe. Stay happy. And enjoy your family.

Merry Christmas.

There are some Facebook fans calling Bell to task tonight over the allegations that shootings have occurred on his property. One poster wrote, " On /r/artbell (reddit) they are saying there is no proof of any of these shooting incidents. No police reports, nothing.
I am a huge fan, have been since '95. I am disappointed with this announcement.
Can you explain why you made no police reports about these incidents?"  Bell responded directly, saying, "I did, several times at the Nye County Sheriff Dept." 


 

Another message from Bell posted after the original two talks about refunds for subscribers,
Midnight in the Desert

So, I made my decision after my Wife told me about my Daughter today. She was really scared.

Everybody who wants refunds will get them.

Heather will do a show Tonight with I think a Time Traveler.

Perhaps I will come and do a random show when Heather needs a break if you give her a chance. I just can not keep a routine that puts my Family in danger.

Art

Tonight, Dark Matter Radio Network braintrust Keith Rowland offered up instructions on how to cancel your Art Bell subscription..

 

# # # #

UPDATED 8:08 AM SATURDAY DECEMBER 12 2015:

Art Bell had one more post on the entire matter.
Heather Wade appeared hosting Midnight in the Desert last night.  She sounded like herself--those who may have heard her before on Midnight or even on Bellgab's numerous past podcasts as '(Redacted)' already knew what she sounded like. Her guest was troubling, however. He was not able to complete a thought almost a sentence. He was a supposed time traveler from the future but was guarding his secrets. He seemed to be filled with bunk. Suddenly, around an hour into the program fraught with technical issues, Bell called in to greet the new host. He appeared to be giving her an on-air reassuring--and listeners too.

Then Bell wrote this on Facebook this morning,
I think Heather did a amazing job given the short notice, connection problems and a Guest who was tough. She will return Monday with a great Guest and I think those of you who are considering cancelling should give her a couple of more days before deciding. In my view she has one of the more pleasant voices on Radio!

On another note it may be that after some time if you stick with it I may be able to show up now and then. While I understand I could have some Guard out there it is not a road I care to go down again, I did that Years ago and hated it for the same reason anybody who has ever been under Guard would easily understand, it's really intrusive.

I was prepared to go on, threat or not but after a sit down with my Wife about what life has been like since all this started for her and most of all Asia, it just seemed selfish of me to keep doing it so I could have fun under current circumstances. I also want to say the Sheriff's office has been doing a wonderful job, they have a big valley to protect.

Art

The comments section on this post showcase anger and sadness mixed together in the style reminiscent of the other times Bell quit. Despite his assurance that he'd come back to do an occasional show if 'time travelers' stick around, Keith Rowland has already posted instruction on how to quit and get money back. Major radio affiliates like KXL have already dropped MIDNIGHT.. Most likely other big players who recently picked up the show will do the same thing.

The only take I can personally have on this: It seems too late to make any comeback after this. At this point, the show is Midnight with Heather Wade. It may be wise to take out 'the desert' portion since she's from the West's undisclosed location.  It may also be inventive to try to get other Bellgab.com users involved with the program.  Calling MV? Jazz? others?

And when Wade needs a night off.. Bell may be the relief and give an open lines here and there. But with him gone as the headliner of the program, the audience that gets built will have to be more organic. Bell's name brought back big players and opened the door for huge numbers in ratings. Heather Wade will not have that immediate advantage. And in some ironic twist, thought she and others on Bellgab have long been critical of George Noory and how he got his gig after Bell left Coast in the early 2000s, she may face the same hostile audience.

The ball is in her court now. The HORROR REPORT has personally wished her success in this venture and publicly does here, as well.

Given the circumstances of everything, going from producer to host may not be a simple task..

 

Another Art Bell incident last night forced the cancellation of his show last night (AND NOW TONIGHT -- UPDATED)

From Art Bell on Facebook, explaining why a repeat of the program unexpectedly greeted listeners waiting to hear a live show:



This is seriously out of control..

Another Art Bell incident last night forced the cancellation of the show.. This is getting Otto extreme when you consider it..
This is seriously out of control..

The host has gone through countless threats as of late, both on and off the air. The most famous of which was when live gun rounds were fired on him during a program, as he repeatedly was forced to stop talking and play musical interludes of disco hits..

Only moments ago, Bell announced this on Facebook:
Ok, here is what will happen next, I will not be on Tonight for a couple of reasons. I am sore in parts of my body that I didn't even know could be sore. Also I have a contractor coming to put up giant honking lights to cover the problem area. I will be back on Friday body willing.

The post has already attracted hundreds of likes and commentary about where to get the type of lights Bell would need to be able to see in the darkness of the desert.. A few joked, 'ya old fart,' while others expressed a desire for Bell to safely return to the air as soon as possible.

I did some previous reporting on this matter and as a result was actually contacted by a reporter for a Pahrump news service. I did not see any actual follow up, despite the reporter telling me that he interviewed Bell directly about the series of events.

DEVELOPING//

 

Here is a dose of the paranormal when you most need it.. Spooky...



Here is a dose of the paranormal when you most need it..



Spooky moment TV presenter watches glass of water move across table during live broadcast .. The host claims there was no obvious explanation for the movement of the glass and admits he ‘felt strange’ in the moments beforehand

It’s weird..

A KRAMPUS STATE OF MIND

KRAMPUS has been getting negative reviews.. nasty tomatoes thrown from some critics, even. Both professional and amateur movie reviewers alike have presented a mixed bag of thoughts regarding this film. But I never care about reviews until I actually see a film for myself.

There are a few Christmas films that stand out to me in my short life. SCROOGE comes to mind.. The GREMLINS is next – notice the pattern of creepiness? This movie, KRAMPUS, may have rattled my mental list of movies and given me a new favorite.

It took me about five minutes into the film before I decided that I absolutely loved KRAMPUS.

KRAMPUS opens with a scene of people hurling themselves into a store, striking down fellow shoppers over products, trampling over people, all the while ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ plays in the background. The scene is reminiscent of any you see on Black Friday. Even this Black Friday, which paled in comparison to online shopping, still featured images of people knocking down displays and fighting over toys and cheaply made slave products from third world nations.

The immediate political commentary from KRAMPUS is obvious. You think there is a war on Christmas? There is. And you’re the ones beginning it, shoppers.

The movie features a drinking workaholic father played by Adam Scott. A panic-ridden most likely nerve-pill-popping-mom that Toni Collette effectively plays. There are other family members, a grandmother who knows legends, and a drunk aunt who decides to tag along with the family rejects for Christmas. There is humor. There is darkness. There is fear.


Things get set into motion when the child protagonist, superbly played by Emjay Anthony, rips up his note to Santa Claus and gives up the Christmas spirit. In doing so, he joins the rest of his immediate and extended family who have already done so. A blizzard sets in.. As does Krampus with his demented pack of creatures and elves.

The rest is horror and action, humor and sarcasm. The movie points you in a direction, and then pulls the rug out from under you. Without giving away anything further, the ending is impressive and conclusive. And it swerves you away from what you thought the film ended was, giving it the feel of either the final scene of JEEPERS CREEPERS or a TWILIGHT ZONE that was never made.

I listened to radio host Clyde Lewis last night describe his thoughts about seeing the film, and he said something that struck me deeply: He think that Krampus is the ‘Santa Claus we deserve” in America.

Think about that for a moment.

Is it possible that we do deserve Krampus during this time? Just yesterday, news outlets showed images of a person dying in the streets of New York City while a woman, watching, walked by and continued eating pizza like it did not matter. Shootings are common. Seasons beatings are happening. There is a war between cultures in America. There seems to be a sudden and immediate sense that we are divided and simply concerned over material possessions.

….so do we deserve Krampus?

The legend of Krampus is not new. Despite his sudden emergence in pop culture, he has been around for eons of time. I have written about him extensively for years. The horror that gripped populations in Germany for centuries can be attributed to Krampus. A sudden clang on the roof top and pounding knock on the door insinuated that Krampus arrived at a home to take away a bad child and send him or her to the fiery pits of hell. The gnome creatures who were the lower pawns of Krampus would sniff socks and shoes to see which ones were clean versus not. The unclean kids would have a strike against them immediately.

When I was in grade school, our class put our shoes outside the classroom as a tradition. We heard bells and when we checked there was candy in all of our property. Little did we as kids know what the opposite conclusion to our lives would have meant. . .

Krampus is a figure of lure that has been around for as long as stories about this time of year go back. Christmas was not always about Christ. Cultures, instead, utilized scary ghost stories around camp fires to watch the night until light arrived. They always shunned away evil spirits from their homes by lighting candles in every room. Throughout time, the darkness in December both depressed and annihilated hope within people. Thankfully the modern age features blinking lights and gigantic air-filled garden ornaments of Charlie Brown characters to keep us semi-normal.

In history, Krampus was a natural effect of fear of the lack of light. He would arise at this moment when the dangers of darkness were most present. As time went on, he became a bargaining chip. Kids were afraid of their punishment for being bad because of the horrid things Krampus would do to them, parents most likely often threatened them with the Krampus treatment for unruly behavior. Thankfully for the psyche of children as a whole, Santa Claus eventually rose to greatness and gave us the hopes and dreams of the season. Up on the rooftop, click click click, Krampus was replaced by ole’ Saint Nick.

Now that I saw the film, I read through some reviews of the movie. They were unkind and often, in my opinion, unfair. They also seemed to not understand the legend of Krampus or the meaning of the season that he actually gives.

I will never forge the scene in the GREMLINS when the little creatures were involved in a fight that included a blender while DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR played on a record. KRAMPUS had about four scenes that will stand out to me now, in the same nostalgic way GREMLINS did.


Even more, KRAMPUS is somewhat like NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION meets JEEPERS CREEPERS. When the extended family shows up, they bring with them dysfunction and chaos. Fighting ensues, family quibbles turn into battles. And when the Christmas spirit, once strong, is gone, it gives rise for darker forces to enter.

There were moments of KRAMPUS where I got sentimental alongside of times where I got genuinely freaked out by the characters on display. There are times it was more like a dark fairy tale, a grim scene followed by a series of unfortunate decisions by the family. By the end, even though we do not get to like this family—I don’t think it was meant to be like that—we still are rooting for the main child. The one who suddenly regains his holiday spirit while staring into the endless hole to hell.

I have long believed—and have written a number of times—that Christmas is potentially the most paranormal of all seasons. Think of the reason so many celebrate: Jesus Christ, the savior of mankind, was born of a virgin in a stable, with people following stars in the sky to bring the new kind gifts. There is nothing at all more paranormal than that.

One of the most famous stories of all time for this time of year is A CHRISTMAS CAROLE, featuring ghosts of past present and future Christmases.


KRAMPUS, which in my opinion, does all the right things, has brought a new form of celebration into the season. You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout, and I’m telling you why. Not because Santa Claus is coming with gifts, but because if you lose the reason for the season, the spirit of the time, and the deeper feeling of helping humanity and caring for others, then you will be greeted by the king of darkness and the one who capitalizing on the decreasing Christmas spirit. Krampus.

And it won’t be pretty.

Krampus won't steal Christmas. But he'll try



December 5 2015: Happy Krampus day

KRAMPUS news.. The box office numbers are now coming in..

KRAMPUS is besting original box office estimates..


Tdhe Christmas nightmare film may still finish third place, but the dollar amount may be $4 to $5 mil higher than projections prior to the Friday night release.. MORE// HUNGER GAMES and GOOD DINOSAUR set to stay in the lead.. Developing//

But what is KRAMPUS.. Those who have followed my website know.. you can search the archives for stories I have done over the past several years about Krampus.. Even personal connections I have had to the longstanding myth.

When I was a children in a new closed down elementary school in Pennsylvania named Holy Spirit, we had a yearly regiment of putting out shoes in the hallway during a particular time of day and listening for bells. We were told that St. Nick would be coming around to give candy to good kids. You did not want a wooden stick, though–we were not told by teachers then that Krampus was the one who would give the sign that you were a bad child during the past year.. and later we found out that the school janitor was St Nick anyway, so the whole episode became defunct ..

But that little charade was a part of a grand tradition in some parts of the world–the first week of December is when Krampus gets his holiday. People dress up like the Christmas demon and have wild parties.. As custom in some nations, such as Austria, Romania, and Croatia, younger men will dress as Krampus and roam the street at night to play morbid tricks on children.. they will walk with rusty bells and chains.

This year, in preparation for the increasingly popular KRAMPUS and the motion picture that is being released this weekend, SMITHSONIAN ran a story worth reading about the background of Krampus..  One part in particular to know:
In fact, Krampus’ roots have nothing to do with Christmas. Instead, they date back to pre-Germanic paganism in the region. His name originates with the German krampen, which means “claw,” and tradition has it that he is the son of the Norse god of the underworld, Hel. During the 12th century, the Catholic Church attempted to banish Krampus celebrations because of his resemblance to the devil. More eradication attempts followed in 1934 at the hands of Austria’s conservative Christian Social Party. But none of it held, and Krampus emerged as a much-feared and beloved holiday force.

For some, the annual festival of child-hunting Krampus is fun—but concerns that refugees in the Alpine towns that celebrate Krampus could find the tradition frightful has prompted some towns to consider taming the horror. This year, Krampus’ scheduled arrival in the Alpine towns that celebrate him coincides with an influx of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan. Though the festival is well-loved, it gave rise to concerns that the new neighbors might be scared of the tradition and its nightmare-fueling costumes. Rather than cancelling the parade, town officials decided to educate the newcomers. The Telegraph’s Rozina Sabur writes that refugee children in Lienz were invited to a presentation where they learned about the props, costumes and customs of Krampus.

The Krampus myth will continue to receive attention.. Even if this movie underperforms (which it is not) it will be widely received for years.. It will become the newest horror/Christmas flick, ranking up with SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT and GREMLINS..

Yes indeed. Krampus isn’t going anywhere..

The media invades! Evidence be damned.. The SAN BERN shooters' apartment open for all to see



Anyone else a little shocked by the media storming the apartment of the San Bernandino shooters that took place yesterday?? Journalists opening the fridge.. Rummaging through potential evidence! This is shocking..

The story goes: The landlord opened up the home for review.. Reporters did not waste time turning into a mob, or hoard of heathens, and racing into then either private property or crime scene investigation.

But on the other hand if you were the one reporter to raise moral and ethical objections to the entering the treasure trove of potential exclusives, you most likely would have been out of a job..

Either way shocking to my eyes..

http://ift.tt/1RtKAzf

Tracy Morgan opens up about coma: He said he spoke to God on the other side

Yet more paranormal headlines making it into the mainstream.. this time from Tracy Morgan, who said during an interview he spoke to God while in his coma following a near fatal crash..

Morgan:


“You’re never going to be normal after you go through something like that. You don’t die for a few weeks and then come back to normal, trust me,” he said. “Something’s going to be missing, something’s going to be gained – you just got to live your life after that. But after surviving something like that, I’m probably never going to feel normal.”


Morgan said he “went to the other side” while he was in his coma and learned that his time on Earth was not quite up.“This is not something I’m making up,” Morgan said. “Do you know what God said to me? He said, ‘Your room ain’t ready. I still got something for you to do.’ And here I am, doing an interview with you.”

People will say what they will and judge how they might. But I will take a step back and just let this idea fester in my own brain, and hopefully yours too. 

Did Tracy Morgan talk to God? Since we weren’t there, we will never be able to say. We all have a our own personal view of death and religion, God, and faith. Some of us believe. Some of us don’t. But what happens at the time of death if unknown to us, besides the scientific studies presented to date. When does the body die? That is changing.. When does the mind vanish? When does consciousness end? And does it end..? All questions that, quite frankly, we will ALL know the answers to one day. 

But, for now, Tracy Morgan said he saw God. 

The woman you’re looking at is real..She removed six ribs and...



The woman you’re looking at is real..

She removed six ribs and spent over $100,000 to look like a cartoon character..

She has a 16-inch waste.

Merry Christmas to someone.

Pope Francis-Islamic State Plot: Four Arrested In Italy For Planning ISIS Attack On Catholic leader Following Paris Terrorism

Pope Francis-Islamic State Plot: Four Arrested In Italy For Planning ISIS Attack On Catholic leader Following Paris Terrorism:

MORE..
Acting on a tip from the FBI, Italian authorities arrested four people in Italy and Kosovo Tuesday who were suspected of planning an attack on Pope Francis, the Local reported. The seat of the Roman Catholic Church is the Vatican, situated just outside of Rome, where security has been high since the Islamic terror organization known as the Islamic State group, ISIS or Daesh, threatened attacks on the Italian capital.

All four people arrested by police during raids are from Kosovo, a region inside Serbia in southeastern Europe where international recognition remains disputed. The four people stand accused of participation in a terror ring with specific intent to target the pope.


You better watch out.



You better watch out.

A creepy REDDIT post about something seen in Chernobyl

You will have to read the REDDIT post yourself in entirety.. it’s a great read. Whether a work of fiction or a true gritty report about what actually may exist within the destruction in the city.. unknown. But it’s a great read.

In summary, the poster indicates that his father told him of alien creatures in the nuclear reactor..

The highlight for me:


What he told me didn’t make much sense at first. You have to figure someone running at a dead sprint to pull an emergency alarm at a nuclear power plant wouldn’t stop for anything. But he stopped. And he stared. Something had floated to the top of the boiling water. The way he described it, it was dark, grayish red, almost shaped like a person, but much bigger and dreadfully deformed. It floated, facedown, in the pool. The Party members didn’t react but the soldiers raised their rifles at the thing until one of the politicians barked an order at them to stand down.







A moment or two later, the thing crawled out of the pool and raised itself on thick legs to stand before the gathered crowd. What dad said he remembered most about the thing was its head. It sat directly on its lopsided shoulders and it had no eyes, no nose, no ears. All that was there was a gaping hole. Not even a mouth, but a hole. And inside, the same blue glow from the pool shone out onto the faces of the people surrounding it.


KRAMPUS is out this Friday..We have talked about him many times...



KRAMPUS is out this Friday..

We have talked about him many times over on this website, if you take a look through the archive. Now the creature is returning to pop culture like he was many decades ago..

The Top Ten Things to know about Krampus, as provided by reporter Kelly Kazak..

What is known today about the San Bernardino shooters

The shooters were a husband and wife team..
The shooters were at a Christmas party prior to the massacre..
The male shooter,

Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, was a county health inspector. The female shooter,

Tashfeen Malik, 27, were killed after a wild shootout with police ensued ..

The shooters were reportedly very well armed, appearing to have planned the shooting in advance as opposed to just leaving a party angry and coming back with a weapon.. and one report indicates that they were wearing GoPro cameras.

The links to read this morning:

NY DAILY NEWS

There have been active shooter drills at the location for months..

Farook dating profile showed he liked reading ‘religious books’ and indentified himself as a Sunni Muslim..

Obama calls for gun control..

The day of the shooting, the couple left their 6 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER with Farook’s mother, saying they were going to a doctor’s appointment.. The real plan was slaughter..

Inside the hospital where victims were taken..

Family of killers shocked about outcome..

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS mocks Republicans candidates who called for prayer as shooting was taking place:

NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: MASS SHOOTING IN SAN BERNARDINO

This Drudge Report headline sums up the situation in San Bernardino so far.. 14 dead.. 14 injured.. it’s being called terror. And with that said, police don’t seem to have any active leads–at least nothing being made public at this point.. But rumors are flying..The word terror is being used..Rumors of “Middle Eastern origin” .. rumors of a getaway car being found.. rumors of 3 shooters being heavily armed and firing on a social services facility..This is a fast developing and ever-changing situation..

This Drudge Report headline sums up the situation in San Bernardino so far.. 14 dead.. 14 injured.. it’s being called terror. And with that said, police don’t seem to have any active leads–at least nothing being made public at this point..

But rumors are flying..
The word terror is being used..
Rumors of “Middle Eastern origin” .. rumors of a getaway car being found.. rumors of 3 shooters being heavily armed and firing on a social services facility..

This is a fast developing and ever-changing situation..

# # #

Police being dispatched to key locations…

Police being dispatched to key locations…

 

Another day in December .. Another mass shooting in America <br/>Developing San Bernardino shooting .. Mass causalities ..

Another day in December .. Another mass shooting in America
Developing San Bernardino shooting .. Mass causalities ..

Refugees in Austria told 'don't be afraid of Krampus the child snatching Christmas Devil'

Refugees in Austria told 'don't be afraid of Krampus the child snatching Christmas Devil' :

When cultures collide..

From the IRISH MIRROR: Officials in the Austrian village of Virgen are worried its traditional festival of Christmas Devils where Krampus runs amok trying to snatch children will cause panic among Syrians and Iraqis new to the country.

The Christian St Nicholas tradition has long involved Krampus.. For as long as memory serves, there have been Krampus festivals go coincide with December 6.

And now it appears that an influx of refugees will get pretty freaked at the notion that in leaving a war torn life their children may be at risk of being taken by a demon and killed..

You escape DJinn and get a beast from the East Christmas demon.. A world full of paranormal anguish indeed.

NYC's Salt Warning Rule Set to Take Effect

NYC's Salt Warning Rule Set to Take Effect:

And chain restaurants are really, really angry about it..
 

The average American consumes about 3,400 mg of salt per day, and public health advocates have cheered the measure as a smart step to make diners aware of how much sodium they’re ordering. A T.G.I. Friday’s New York cheddar and bacon burger counts 4,280 mg, for example; a Chili’s boneless Buffalo chicken salad has 3,460 mg. The figures come from the companies’ published nutritional information.

 

HISTORY