I don't know where this is from, but it's Hugh Laurie and a PUG.
What could be better?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Dogs of Fallout: New Vegas' Playing Cards
I love how Lupa gets her own card.
Queen, no less!
Although since women aren't allowed to have positions of power in the legion, I guess it's pretty telling that they have to go to a dog for the Queen card. Gives you some insight into that faction.
Also - Rex!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
All Hallows and Halloween
What is particularly laughable about this campaign, other than the rather unfortunate-sounding name, is the fact that clearly the organizers have no idea what the Hallo in Halloween means: It's from hallows. As in saints.
Because today, November 1st, is All Saints' Day.
All Saints' Day is a religious feast day in honor of all saints, "known and unknown." All Souls' Day follows it on November 2nd and, just like it sounds, is a commemoration of those who have departed. This is a very spiritually positive series of days.
So why do we associate the night before All Hallows' (Saints')---which would be All Hallows' Eve (Hallow'een)---with tricks and the devil and whatnot?
Traditionally this night was regarded as the best time for divination games, possibly as hold-over from the pagan holiday of Samhain, when the veil between this and the Otherworld was thinnest. These games often revolved around predicting the occupation of your future husband, something of vital importance to girls in the past, when they could not hold occupations themselves and their status in life would rely upon their husband's. (Such divination games led to the witch hysteria in Salem, by the way.)
In 20th century America, children would take the role of bad spirits and get up to mischief (Mischief Night) by playing tricks and pranks on their neighbors. The whole "bribe those children with candy" idea wasn't a nation-wide movement until the 1950s, when the night's emphasis was deliberately shifted from tricks to treats to make Halloween a more family-friendly (and less destructive) event.
So it's kinda funny that now there are people who think Halloween isn't family-friendly at all.
But what could be more wholesome than the traditional Halloween game of bobbing for apples, right?
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
Witches of Salem
Witches have become an intrinsic part of Salem, Massachusetts.
You don't see ads like the above anymore, of course. Although that sort of positive, Witches Can Help philosophy is much present. Very unlike the ad I describe in HIDDEN HISTORY OF SALEM (an ad that uses the hanging of Salem witches to sell a product and can be found if you search my website - it's hidden).
You can't find the famous Witch Spoon at Daniel Low anymore (the building currently houses Rockafella's) but you can find all sorts of authentic experiences, such as at the Witch House
where witch trials' Judge Jonathan Corwin lived.
Or you can sit in the Salem Witch Trials Memorial and commune with the spirits of those who died.
Each of the stones jutting from the walls represents a person, and is inscribed with their name and the date they were hanged (or in one case, crushed). We don't know where their actual bodies are, or even where they were executed (something I address in HIDDEN HISTORY).
You can also learn to be a witch from the Official Witch of Salem herself.
No, not like that.
Witchcraft involves studying and classes and workshops. Not near Salem? Check out Laurie Cabot, our Official Witch on YouTube.
Of course, some would rather Salem not focus on the witch aspect so much, but when your local police department's official patch looks like this:
You should really just accept that witches and Salem go together and are here to stay.
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