Hammer Films rises from the grave

Hammer horror films set to return

At a Horror con, I remember hearing Clive Barker talking about the problems he encountered trying to interest a studio in producing his film "Hellraiser". One producer who declined (but appreciated Clive's script) lamented that the story was just the sort of thing a little studio like Hammer would produce. Unfortunately, Hammer had folded tent years earlier, and there were no longer any studios interested in ensemble piece horror.

Horror fans everywhere are rejoicing in the news that the Studio may soon be making movies again. From BBC News:

...Cult Hammer horror films will return to the big screen after the company behind the movies was sold to a group headed by Big Brother creator John de Mol."...Hammer horror films will return to the big screen after the company behind the movies was sold to a group headed by Big Brother creator John de Mol...At least $50m (£25m) will be spent on new horror films after British company Hammer Film Productions was sold to Dutch consortium Cyrte Investments...

Hammer left an indelible mark in the horror genre, and made Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing into international stars. The history of the studio has best been covered by Scarlet Street magazine (the site maintains a forum dedicated to Hammer.) True, one can take some swipes at Hammer. Some people feel Hammer films to be somewhat conservative/reactionary. (However, I feel that analysis is a bit severe; a fan of SciFi and Horror is at least giving a partial nod to anarchy and alternative lifestyles.) On the other hand, Hammer's brand of movie making had a characteristic charm, featured good acting and direction, and the studio made a significant contributed to the evolution of genre film. Hammer's Dracula and Frankenstein movies were the bread and butter of late-night TV in the 1970's, cultivating a fan base which thrives today.

If you are new to Hammer and would like some great additions to your DVD collection, here's some suggestions:

"The Abominable Snowman". Peter Cushing plays a British scientist, Forest Tucker an American showman, on a surreal hunt for the Yeti. This film features a good dose of Tibetan mysticism. What's particularly to Hammer's credit is the sympathetic treatment of the scientist. Although obviously intelligent and highly educated, Cushing portrays the character as gentle, selfless, tolerant, and even handed. It's nice to see a scientist as 'the good guy'. Tucker, as the publicity seeking showman, is manipulative, racist, and willing to do anything for a buck.

"Kiss of the Vampire". This film features the first vampire party! There's also some interesting spirituality, as the vampires follow some form of Paganism. Not only that, but the vampire hunter in the "Van Helsing" role actually casts a circle and uses high magic to battle the vampires.

"The Curse of the Werewolf". Perhaps one of the best werewolf films, staring the always impressive Oliver Reed. What sets this film apart is that it tries to offer an explanation for lycanthropy.

Both "Kiss..." and "The Curse..." are now available together in a box set called 'The Hammer Horror Series". This collection is a great introduction to the Hammer films.

(Pic: Peter Cushing demonstrates the scientific method in "Frankenstein Created Woman")

Monster food?

Toad found deep down in Loch Ness

...US researchers carrying out a sonar survey of Loch Ness have been amazed to find a common toad crawling in the mud 324ft (98m) down...


Although mostly air breathers, there's a few species of frogs that can absorb oxygen directly through their skins. However, this sort of behavior from a European toad is rather bizarre.

Great bedside manner!

A Crusade and a Holy War in the US Military

Great Truthout article via CrooksandLiars. David Miller, a disabled vet, was in for a surprise when he checked in to the VA for a medical evaluation:

...An Orthodox Jew and former petty officer in the US Navy said his civil rights were violated after a chaplain and officials at a Veterans Administration hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, tried to convert him to Christianity while he was under the VA's care..."My doctor said that since I am a religious Jew, I should try prayer or meditation to deal with the pain," Miller said. "I was shocked that a medical doctor would make such a suggestion. I immediately raised hell and was assigned a new physician...The first two visits by the Protestant (Assembly of God) chaplain were all about trying to convert me, trying to convince me that I needed Jesus, that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews too," Miller said...

Imagine being in a hospital, sick and in need of care. Then someone comes in and gives you the idea you'd get better care if you believed in God the way they did! Kinda reminds me of the Inquisition, where Jews were given the option of conversion or death. My, how things have changed!

Wiccan and Pagan Courage

Goddess Bless

Over at "My Navy Wife Chronicles", we have a good example of why the Pentacle Quest is so important:

...For those of you who are not aware…I am Wiccan (or I practice Wicca). I do not wish to offend any of my readers…and please, please, please do not email me, leave comments or tags with messages about how I may or may not be a devil worshiper or what not or how God is Great and I will never get into Heaven because I’ve not accepted God as my personal savior...I was happy to see on one of my blogging bud’s sites that she had an News Article from CNN about the debate of the religious emblem on tombstones of soldiers (or any military for that matter) being berried in the cemeteries allowing the Pentacle (The Wicca Star) to be placed on those soldiers (or any military member) who’s military record recorded them as being Wiccan. I’m sooo excited. This was done recently. Previously the Army was prominently responsible for the Wiccan or Pagan religion being recognized in the Military...

When people like this feel they can come out of the broom closet, we have definitive proof of the significance of this campaign.

Beltane and the Pentacle

Success in the Veteran Pentacle Quest!

Over at Witchvox, there's a fascinating article by Selena Fox documenting her successful lawsuit against the Veterans Admin. This article is a must-read for anyone interested in church/state issues. The VA's foot dragging turns out to be motivated by bold-faced religious discrimination:

...As part of discovery, the VA was required to turn over additional internal emails, memos, and other documents which it had failed to release to us through our Freedom of Information Act request.

Hmm, interesting that the VA held back documents, but it gets worse:

...The VA turned over more than 30, 000 documents to our AU attorneys...Buried in the "blizzard" of paperwork, our AU attorneys found several documents that were additional evidence that VA officials had blocked Pentacle approval because of prejudice against the Wiccan religion.With this additional evidence of discrimination, our preparations for court intensified...our attorneys...issued a subpoena for the internal documents that the VA still had not turned over to us...

Soon, the VA had to deal with three separate lawsuits! Here's the happy ending:

...Then, in early April, our attorneys drafted an amended complaint that we planned to file in the Federal District Court of Western Wisconsin on Good Friday, April 6. As part of this process, our attorneys sent a draft to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys representing the VA. Shortly after DOJ attorneys saw this amended complaint draft, they quickly began negotiating a settlement of our lawsuit with us through our AU attorneys...

So, the the actions of the VA were even deemed unconstitutional by the Dominionist bible thumpers over at the DOJ! The entire "Pentacle Quest" episode demonstrates what's best in Wiccans and Pagans: people coming together to correct ignorance and intolerance.

Selena makes a request:

...Please join us and other Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans of many paths around the world in a special day of Quest remembrance and celebration on Tuesday, May 1. Place offerings of flowers on your home altars, at Pagan shrines, and community ritual sites in sacred thanksgiving and joy for this victory, and in remembrance of living and deceased Pagan veterans and their families. Please let the Lady Liberty League know about your victory celebrations you have held and/or will be holding at Beltane, Memorial Day, and other times. Email: liberty@circlesanctuary.org with Quest Victory in the subject line.

Beltane

Had a wonderful Beltane this year at the Center for Symbolic Studies.
This year, a full ritual was performed, including the calling of the directions. The ritual was based on the Arthurian legend, and featured characters from that pantheon. It was well performed. After that, a procession was led to the fire circle. I got to help out a little this year, moving some benches around and helping getting the fire dance going. A good time was had by all. I want to thank Hrana of Free Style Frolic for all she did.

Charlotte's Web II: The Revenge of Charlotte--This Time It's Personal

Giant spider makes NZ home

Orb weaving spiders of the genus Nephila are spectacular. Not only are they impressive in their own right, they make huge orb webs:

...Lorrie Griebel's Marlborough backyard is home to a golden orbweb spider – the latest found in New Zealand in recent months. Eleven discoveries of the tropical spider have been reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry this year. The Marlborough spider is one of just three confirmed sightings in the South Island since 1975. Measuring over 5cm in length, the spider was thriving on a generous diet of bumblebees and other garden insects. The spiders are known to catch small birds.Griebel discovered "Charlotte" in the garden...Her children, Alicia, seven, and Hayley, five, named the spider after the main character in the book Charlotte's Web. "The first thing we noticed was these strange-looking legs and my main concern was the kids running through it. I left it well alone and gave it a wide berth. I got more interested when it started to change and I thought `this is definitely not a common everyday spider'," Griebel said...

We have Nephila in the SE of the USA. I have also seen them in Central America and Trinidad. The genus is represented throughout most of the worlds tropics. How they recently became established in NZ is somewhat of a mystery. They could have been introduced as stowaways on produce, or spiderlings (which are very small) could have drifted there by ballooning.

Ritual and the Family

Study: Religion is Good for Kids

Maybe Richard Dawkins feels religious upbringing for children is tantamount to child abuse, but here's a study by sociologist John Bartkowski that points to a rather different conclusion:

...Kids with religious parents are better behaved and adjusted than other children, according to a new study that is the first to look at the effects of religion on young child development.The kids whose parents regularly attended religious services—especially when both parents did so frequently—and talked with their kids about religion were rated by both parents and teachers as having better self-control, social skills and approaches to learning than kids with non-religious parents...

That's amazing enough, but here's the clincher:

...But when parents argued frequently about religion, the children were more likely to have problems. “Religion can hurt if faith is a source of conflict or tension in the family,” Bartkowski noted...

So maybe some bestselling atheists got it backwards: religion is not the cause so much societal strife, but families and cultures undergoing angst, strife, or transition can use religion as just one more club to beat each other up with.

Pentacle Wins!

Use of Wiccan Symbol on Veterans’ Headstones Is Approved

What a wonderful Beltane gift! From the NYTimes:

WASHINGTON, April 23 — To settle a lawsuit, the Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to add the Wiccan pentacle to a list of approved religious symbols that it will engrave on veterans’ headstones. The settlement, which was reached on Friday, was announced on Monday by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which represented the plaintiffs in the case...It normally takes a few months for a petition by a faith group to win the department’s approval, but the effort on behalf of the Wiccan symbol took about 10 years and a lawsuit, said Richard B. Katskee, assistant legal director for Americans United...A Veterans Affairs spokesman, Matt Burns, confirmed that the “V.A. will be adding the pentacle to its list of approved emblems of belief that will be engraved on government-provided markers...The government acted to settle in the interest of the families concerned...and to spare taxpayers the expense of further litigation.”

Heh, nice to know where their priorities are. Regardless of the VA's motives, this is a great day for Wiccan's and Pagans, the men and women in uniform and their families, and celebrators of religious freedom and tolerance. Congrats to Roberta Stewart and her family, Rev. Selema Fox of Circle Sanctuary, the various veterans groups who supported the effort, and all who blogged or annoyed their Congressional Representatives. AU is to be particularly congratulated (I'm a supporting member of AU; why not do the right thing and join right now!)and so is the ACLU. Many of us have sent out our wishes in this quest during ritual: what a wonderful thing to have happened at Beltane.

UPDATE: great article via AU, Bush Administration Agrees To Approve Wiccan Pentacle For Veteran Memorials.

O Captain, My Captain: Cap'n Dyke

Blogger to testify before U.S. House Committee

Our very own Capt'n Dyke is testifying before Congress! Blue Gal and Dr. Zaius have details.

Steady on, my Cap'n. Your hearties got your back. I tied a witch rope to bind your problems and calm the sea. Now, the rest of you salty dawgs, drop the good Cap'n good line! (For you sodpounders, that means leave a comment at her blog!)