Quite independent from Robyn's awesome post last week, I coincidentally was also working on a Ouija post. I cover a bit of the history of spirit boards and how that links to Spiritualism in the US. Perhaps you'd like to read it? https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/ouija-look-at-that
The Ouija board story is largely ridiculous but the way the concept bled into truly offensive zones was with "facilitated communication" with autistic children, a very tragic story which led to some horrible abuse.
A lot of religious communities decided that autistic children were prophets and had all sorts of truths so they would do these things in public, asking, for example, where is the center of evil in the world and producing the answer "San Francisco" (I heard that one directly from a "facilitator"). Of course, it turns out that horrible things were happening, the poor kids would be strapped into chairs, etc, and the inevitable abuses happened and it mostly disappeared
This is at a severe slant from the awfulness of your subject, but as a long time San Franciscan, I find the notion of San Francisco being the center of evil in the world nothing short of hilarious. It reveals a risibly ignorant view of the world, a tininess of mind and of spirit and of experience that merits nothing but ridicule.
I have a friend who for several years lived at 666 Castro St., and we used to joke that he was at the center of the center of the evil of the world, and in fact wore it proudly. It was not uncommon to come downstairs and find tourists taking photos of the "666" above the door.
Love the story of the Ouija board. American hucksterism at its finest. As an overly-literal child who sneered at such bunkum, I occassionally wonder if I missed all the fun.
Same! We had so much fun with it as kids. Although I was constantly frustrated that Bob Crane would never come to talk with us. I really wanted to ask him about how he died.
J-M plant in town where I grew up got their raw ingredient in the form of big green marbles. Scoop up bags full around the tracks behind plant. Every kid in town had a slingshot and plenty of ammo.
My weird mom anxiety is choking and I was absolutely the mom quartering grapes and halving hot dogs until my daughter was 4, and had she expressed any interest in it I would 100% have been the “I will not buy Hungry Hungry Hippos until you’re 6” parent, yet I let her ride the Zipper at the county fair as soon as she was big enough. Marbles: heck no; thrill ride hastily assembled by carnies: I don’t see why not
I'm a safety nut with my kid--fortunately she doesn't even like hot dogs! I'm wondering if she was switched at the hospital or something--but I certainly didn't get that from growing up. I always joked that my parents couldn't afford all three of us and were counting on Darwin to thin the herd!
Many years ago I was at an antique mall and almost bought a homemade Ouija board that was round, it looked very well made and they had also constructed a box to contain it. I wish I had bought it.
It occurs to me that Beltway types can only get excited by a politician they want to “do”. And since Old Joe is more like the kindly grandad type, they’re trying to sweep him under the rug. And yes, some of them had a chub for Trump. Maybe it was one of those really gross chubs where you’re all reluctant at first but you give in, because you’re overpowered and thus not really responsible. I know, the thought makes me want to barf, but I’m looking for explanations, too.
I thought it was just a gag on SNL but apparently Mike Johnson does have a Black son that he raised, and that no one has ever seen, nor does anyone even know this guy's real last name?
I don't think Pence will endorse Trump. The man has a shred of decency and nothing left to gain by suppressing it. I don't see anyone in the field he would whole-heartedly endorse.
I wonder if this blog from Heather Cox Richardson where she says, "Americans think our economy, currently the strongest in the world, is in poor shape. They mistakenly believe it was better under Trump." may be missing a simpler cause: high stress about everything (global warming, economic equality, hate, racism, covid, housing. PAB etc etc) leads to negativity and pessimism.
It's the Germans again ... Remember, when I raised the recent horrible postings from the international FFF account?
Turns out that was pushed by a single member from FFF in Germany ... who had been thrown out there, who has been thrown out by his local FFF group, who was told to not enter any of the "left/progressive" community places there ... for being a vile, antisemitic bully asshole.
Save us from people who feel inspired because a blind guy can find his own way to work (on sidewalks and public transit) or read his music while also singing. Sigh. Auditory cues & physical landmarks for the former, and duuuh, he can walk and chew gum simultaneously, too, concerning the latter.
My go-to Sangria is 750ml rosé (that's a bottle of not the white, not the red, but the pink stuff), a litre of Schweppes or even better Trader Joe's ginger ale, and a litre of OJ. That's it.
Austin Chronicle Halloween cover. Every year, the chronicle has a spooky cover that can serve as a mask. This year it is “Elon Sucks”. (Musk as a vampire). This cover has caused the local right wing loons and the musk fanboys to become quite irate. The instructions for preparing the mask for use are given inside the issue. They are quite funny. The AC isn’t behind a paywall, I believe you can access them online
Our neighborhood is not conducive to trick or treat, as all the houses have the garages in front, and you have to walk along the side of the residence (usually after going through a gate) in order to reach the "front" door.
"Renowned artist Laurie Anderson, a versatile talent in music, composition, poetry, film, vocals and literature, is set to embrace yet another creative role this Halloween.
Anderson was selected to serve as the Grand Marshal of the 50th annual Village Halloween Parade.
"I am going to use this violin in the parade, and we're going to play a little bit of things with some really large drone sounds. These are guitars with them set up against their speakers, so that there's a lot of feedback. So it'll be this massive sort of beautiful overtones and harmonics,” Anderson said of her planned entrance.
Anderson will also pay tribute to her late husband, The Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed, as he is posthumously bestowed with the same honorary title of Grand Marshal.
The tribute will be especially fitting, given that Reed’s song, “Halloween Parade,” has become the parade’s anthem.
"It's a memorial, in a way, for all his friends that he was missing who weren't going to be at the parade. They were dead, basically. And he wrote that in a kind of AIDS era, so it was a kind of memorial for them, really,” Anderson said.
Reed died on Oct. 27, 2013, following a lengthy battle with liver disease. He was 71."
The Jenna Ellis story just fills me with rage because it’s such a perfect summary of this entire mess. She’s failed at literally everything she’s ever done and she’s failing upwards with more and more self righteousness as she goes on.
Quite independent from Robyn's awesome post last week, I coincidentally was also working on a Ouija post. I cover a bit of the history of spirit boards and how that links to Spiritualism in the US. Perhaps you'd like to read it? https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/ouija-look-at-that
The Ouija board story is largely ridiculous but the way the concept bled into truly offensive zones was with "facilitated communication" with autistic children, a very tragic story which led to some horrible abuse.
I didn't know about it's use with autistic children. Seems pretty awful.
I think it was being sarcastic about the Ovaltine.
A lot of religious communities decided that autistic children were prophets and had all sorts of truths so they would do these things in public, asking, for example, where is the center of evil in the world and producing the answer "San Francisco" (I heard that one directly from a "facilitator"). Of course, it turns out that horrible things were happening, the poor kids would be strapped into chairs, etc, and the inevitable abuses happened and it mostly disappeared
This is at a severe slant from the awfulness of your subject, but as a long time San Franciscan, I find the notion of San Francisco being the center of evil in the world nothing short of hilarious. It reveals a risibly ignorant view of the world, a tininess of mind and of spirit and of experience that merits nothing but ridicule.
I have a friend who for several years lived at 666 Castro St., and we used to joke that he was at the center of the center of the evil of the world, and in fact wore it proudly. It was not uncommon to come downstairs and find tourists taking photos of the "666" above the door.
It is because religious communities are obsessed with LGBT people.
Ug. Stomach-turning.
Love the story of the Ouija board. American hucksterism at its finest. As an overly-literal child who sneered at such bunkum, I occassionally wonder if I missed all the fun.
We used to play with the Ouija board, spine tingling even if we all knew we were the ones moving the planchette.
I had to look up planchette. Ya learn somethin' new every day
Same! We had so much fun with it as kids. Although I was constantly frustrated that Bob Crane would never come to talk with us. I really wanted to ask him about how he died.
Wasn't the cause of death "auto-erotic asphyxiation" or was that some other Hollywood type?
He was bludgeoned to death, almost certainly by a shady-as-hell friend and fellow-perv who was tried for the murder but beat the rap.
Thinking about it, I remembered it was David Carradine ( TV's "Kung Fu" and Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies ) that I was thinking of.
It didn't help matters that the perv didn't get put on trial until more than a decade had passed.
LOL
The only time I ever tried a Ouija board was in my hazy college days. It told me to fuck off and drink more Ovaltine.
Wonderfully clever! ❤️
Thank you, friend!
My thing with Ouija boards is this:
1) If they are fake, there's no point to them.
2) If they're real, DON'T FUCK WITH THEM, EEK! SPIRITS!
Hungry Hungry Hippos for this guy!
I had friends who had Hungry Hungry Hippos. It was one of the loudest games I ever encountered.
My thing with Hungry Hungry Hippos is this...
I was not permitted to play hungry hungry hippos for about 5 years because marbles.
I tended to choke on things as a yute
As a consequence, I stole most the marbles from the game over those years and secured them in a sekret box.
Still got it, somewhere
J-M plant in town where I grew up got their raw ingredient in the form of big green marbles. Scoop up bags full around the tracks behind plant. Every kid in town had a slingshot and plenty of ammo.
I don't remember not being allowed to play with marbles, but then again our household also visited Action Park regularly.
The death trap in New Jersey? I'm impressed.
Class Action Park!!!! Did you read the book/watch the documentary? :
My weird mom anxiety is choking and I was absolutely the mom quartering grapes and halving hot dogs until my daughter was 4, and had she expressed any interest in it I would 100% have been the “I will not buy Hungry Hungry Hippos until you’re 6” parent, yet I let her ride the Zipper at the county fair as soon as she was big enough. Marbles: heck no; thrill ride hastily assembled by carnies: I don’t see why not
My two greatest fears - thrill rids of any kind, and carnies.
very small hands, smell of cabbage 😆
I'm a safety nut with my kid--fortunately she doesn't even like hot dogs! I'm wondering if she was switched at the hospital or something--but I certainly didn't get that from growing up. I always joked that my parents couldn't afford all three of us and were counting on Darwin to thin the herd!
Candy Land is about as daring as I will be.
Gotta play it with real candy!
Seem to recall a Waltons episode with a Ouija board.
Just watched a Miss Marple with a round ouija board- an upside down wine glass was used as the cursor
Many years ago I was at an antique mall and almost bought a homemade Ouija board that was round, it looked very well made and they had also constructed a box to contain it. I wish I had bought it.
Oh man, I don't think I could have resisted that purchase. How cool!
There are a couple of cool ones on the market today!
😂
Donna is such a sweet young lady!
It occurs to me that Beltway types can only get excited by a politician they want to “do”. And since Old Joe is more like the kindly grandad type, they’re trying to sweep him under the rug. And yes, some of them had a chub for Trump. Maybe it was one of those really gross chubs where you’re all reluctant at first but you give in, because you’re overpowered and thus not really responsible. I know, the thought makes me want to barf, but I’m looking for explanations, too.
I thought it was just a gag on SNL but apparently Mike Johnson does have a Black son that he raised, and that no one has ever seen, nor does anyone even know this guy's real last name?
Scarfolk FTW.
For further information, please re-read.
I don't think Pence will endorse Trump. The man has a shred of decency and nothing left to gain by suppressing it. I don't see anyone in the field he would whole-heartedly endorse.
Mike Pence has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever right now:
Endorse Robert Kennedy Jr.
I wonder if this blog from Heather Cox Richardson where she says, "Americans think our economy, currently the strongest in the world, is in poor shape. They mistakenly believe it was better under Trump." may be missing a simpler cause: high stress about everything (global warming, economic equality, hate, racism, covid, housing. PAB etc etc) leads to negativity and pessimism.
It's the Germans again ... Remember, when I raised the recent horrible postings from the international FFF account?
Turns out that was pushed by a single member from FFF in Germany ... who had been thrown out there, who has been thrown out by his local FFF group, who was told to not enter any of the "left/progressive" community places there ... for being a vile, antisemitic bully asshole.
My my. Google translate is your friend:
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/antisemitismus-bei-fridays-for-future-der-aktivist-der-die-hassposts-durchsetzte-10699462.html
Save us from people who feel inspired because a blind guy can find his own way to work (on sidewalks and public transit) or read his music while also singing. Sigh. Auditory cues & physical landmarks for the former, and duuuh, he can walk and chew gum simultaneously, too, concerning the latter.
My go-to Sangria is 750ml rosé (that's a bottle of not the white, not the red, but the pink stuff), a litre of Schweppes or even better Trader Joe's ginger ale, and a litre of OJ. That's it.
o.O
I’m sure no one is shocked that Jenna “I’m a Christian!” Ellis has been a liar and a fraud her entire career.
You already said "Christian"--the rest is redundant.
Austin Chronicle Halloween cover. Every year, the chronicle has a spooky cover that can serve as a mask. This year it is “Elon Sucks”. (Musk as a vampire). This cover has caused the local right wing loons and the musk fanboys to become quite irate. The instructions for preparing the mask for use are given inside the issue. They are quite funny. The AC isn’t behind a paywall, I believe you can access them online
https://substack.com/profile/1586251-john_atx/note/c-42751556?r=xzyj&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Well, he *is* a vampire of a sort. All billionaires are, imo
Our neighborhood is not conducive to trick or treat, as all the houses have the garages in front, and you have to walk along the side of the residence (usually after going through a gate) in order to reach the "front" door.
"Renowned artist Laurie Anderson, a versatile talent in music, composition, poetry, film, vocals and literature, is set to embrace yet another creative role this Halloween.
Anderson was selected to serve as the Grand Marshal of the 50th annual Village Halloween Parade.
"I am going to use this violin in the parade, and we're going to play a little bit of things with some really large drone sounds. These are guitars with them set up against their speakers, so that there's a lot of feedback. So it'll be this massive sort of beautiful overtones and harmonics,” Anderson said of her planned entrance.
Anderson will also pay tribute to her late husband, The Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed, as he is posthumously bestowed with the same honorary title of Grand Marshal.
The tribute will be especially fitting, given that Reed’s song, “Halloween Parade,” has become the parade’s anthem.
"It's a memorial, in a way, for all his friends that he was missing who weren't going to be at the parade. They were dead, basically. And he wrote that in a kind of AIDS era, so it was a kind of memorial for them, really,” Anderson said.
Reed died on Oct. 27, 2013, following a lengthy battle with liver disease. He was 71."
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/human-interest/2023/10/30/velvet-underground-lou-reed-laurie-anderson-grand-marshal-50th-village-halloween-parade
She's always quirky cool.
The Jenna Ellis story just fills me with rage because it’s such a perfect summary of this entire mess. She’s failed at literally everything she’s ever done and she’s failing upwards with more and more self righteousness as she goes on.
Hey! She grifted $250K for legal expenses! That makes her a Legitimate Businesswoman in the eyes of the GOP!
Her continual failures are evidence of God's grace.