Orson Scott Card

I once heard a tale of a man who split himself in two. The one part never changed at all; the other grew and grew. The changeless part was always true, the growing part was always new, and I wondered, when the tale was through, which part was me, and which was you.

The Chinese haunted house.

A ten year old mystery explained. Two brothers purchased a large house for a pittance, $6,500, because a series of previous owners believed it was haunted. After an investigation lasting several evenings, the brothers discovered the cause of the mysterious noises that had frightened away the previous owners. Located in a sewer pipe underneath the bottom floor, a family of catfish were in residence. Apparently, the first owner of the house had enjoyed catfish dinners and two escaped, providing the genesis of a dynasty.

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/12/22/10-year-chinese-haunting-finally-debunked/

Training Santa Claus

It is an arduous and difficult path to travel, should one try to become a Santa Claus.

Brendan Gill

Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.

Boris Marshalov

"Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing. Nobody listens -- and then everybody disagrees."

J. R. R. Tolkien

I wish life was not so short,' he thought. 'Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.'
The Lost Road

How to kill an American

This video purports to be a training film for those who want to kill Americans.

To Kill an American

Too much skepticism.

Skepticism is somewhat defined as a doubting or questioning attitude or state of mind. Many have adopted the mindset as a means analyzing information; sort of an open inquiry directed towards what life has to offer. However, is it possible to be too skeptical? Presumably, there is a theoretical point where sufficient information is collected to infer that an argument is correct. However, for some that point is set excessively high, José Hidalgo of Spain may be one of the perpetually unconvinced. Apparently, Hidalgo and some associates were debating the merits of a poster that warned against eating poisonous mushrooms. Hidalgo, taking the negative of the argument, began to consume mushrooms of the amanita phalloides variety in an attempt to prove his point. Somewhere between the second bite when he appeared drunk and the bite that turned him yellow and made him vomit, one of his associates called an ambulance. After two days in an intensive care unit, the concern now is to what extent Hidalgo may have suffered permanent liver damage.

Amanita phalloides, also known as the Death Cap mushroom, is similar in appearance to several edible species. Because of that similarity, it has been responsible for most of the deaths that occur when mushroom species are confused. Apparently, it also was responsible for a handful of dead Roman emperors as well, although only their family members, slaves, and taste testers could attest to any confusion. Originating in Europe, the Death Cap mushroom is now widespread throughout the world.

Abraham Lincoln

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.

Devil Incarnate

John Lyly

Though all men be made of one metal, yet they be not
cast all in one mold.
--John Lyly (1554-1606)
Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit [1579], "Euphues"

Baby's First Mythos

Laying in the ocean's darkest and deepest depths, what can the dreaming god of evil Cthulhu teach your first born spawn?

How about the ABC's!

Someone with a twisted and dark sense of humor, namely the authors C. J. Henderson and Erica Henderson, have illustrated a children’s book with H.P. Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones. If torturing the souls of your offspring is a passing entertainment for you, then take a look at this book.

In my youth, I was an avid reader. Going through four or five books a week wasn’t unusual, but of everything I read, H.P. Lovecraft was the only author who seriously frightened me. The first thing I read of his was the “Colour Out of Space,” which kept me awake for hours one evening. So of course, I had to go out and read everything else he wrote. Lovecraft created a universe populated with ancient evils that not only caught my imagination, but many others. Although not a popular author in his lifetime, he’s now recognized as one of the founders of the horror genre. With the Internet his popularity has only grown, and the Lovecraft universe continues, his “Call of Cthulhu,” has been made in to an independent film, a card game, and a computer game. Many authors have expanded Lovecraft’s icons in to their own works, and his creature Cthulhu is now satirically running for president, “At least he admits he’s evil.” So if you’re a fan of Lovecraft’s look at “Baby's First Mythos” book. It is an unusual example of fans honoring a great author.

I recall that the people went about with pale and worried faces, and whispered warnings and prophecies which no one dared consciously repeat or acknowledge to himself that he had heard. A sense of monstrous guilt was upon the land, and out of the abysses between the stars swept chill currents that made men shiver in dark and lonely places.

"Nyarlathotep"

Nietzsche

The advantage of a bad memory is that one can enjoy the same good things for the first time several times.

Mayor Resigns, Claims Abduction By Satan Worshippers

POSTED: 6:08 pm CST November 21, 2007
UPDATED: 6:22 pm CST November 21, 2007

CENTERTON, Ark. -- The mayor of an Arkansas town resigned on Wednesday, claiming he was abducted and brainwashed by Satan worshippers nearly three decades ago.
Centerton Mayor Ken Williams said he has been living under an assumed name for nearly 30 years. He had been mayor since 2001.

Williams told authorities he was born Don LaRose and that in the mid-1970s, he was a preacher in Indiana. He said he was abducted and brainwashed into forgetting all about his life as Don LaRose.

It was a double-life he had never acknowledged, Williams said, because he didn't even realize it existed until he had recently taken a truth-serum injection.
As Williams regained his memory, he said, he realized that he had a wife and two kids but that he had decided to leave and take on a new identity to protect them.
"I had no choice. The choice was to watch my family killed before my eyes or go with these people, and I chose instead to run," Williams said.

He wouldn't explain from who he was running, saying only that he had been brainwashed.
"I had multiple shock treatments," Williams said. "It took five years to get my memory back."
Williams said he took his current identity in 1980 when he moved to Centerton. His full name -- Bruce Kent Williams -- was taken from a man who died in a car crash back in 1958, he said.
"What happened in 1980 -- whether it was right or wrong -- I did it under the threat of my family and for my own survival," he said.

The information went public, Williams said, because he runs a Web site about Don LaRose and his disappearance. LaRose's former family found the Web site and started inquiring about its author. They found the site registered to a Ken Williams and went from there.
Williams said his current wife is standing by him and the two of them want to continue living in Centerton. He said he plans to continue living as Ken Williams.
Also, his resignation was signed with two names, he said.
According to police, Williams is under no investigation for any wrongdoing.

http://www.4029tv.com/news/14664847/detail.html

Carl Jung

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.

A muslim protecting a jew.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying "Happy Hanukkah," a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday.
The New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating Friday's incident on the Q train.
Friday's altercation on the Q train began when somebody yelled out "Merry Christmas," to which rider Walter Adler responded, "Happy Hanukkah," said Toba Hellerstein.
"Almost immediately, you see the look in this guy's face like I've called his mother something," Adler told CNN affiliate WABC.
Two women who were with a group of 10 rowdy people then began to verbally assault Adler's companions with anti-Semitic language, Hellerstein said.
One member of the group allegedly yelled, "Oh, Hanukkah. That's the day that the Jews killed Jesus," she said.
When Adler tried to intercede, a male member of the group punched him, she said.
Another passenger, Hassan Askari -- a Muslim student from Bangladesh -- came to Adler's aid, and the group began physically and verbally assaulting him, Hellerstein said.
"A Muslim-American saved us when our own people were on the train and didn't do anything," Adler said.
Adler pulled the emergency brake and the train stopped at DeKalb Avenue station, where police came on board.
The 10 suspects, ages 19 to 20, were taken into custody, said Brooklyn district attorney spokesman Sandy Silverstein.
Askari was first handcuffed alongside them, but he was released when Adler told police he was not an attacker, Hellerstein said.
Alder was treated at Long Island College Hospital for injuries that included a fractured nose and a cut lip that required several stitches, while Askari suffered a black eye, Hellerstein said.
The suspects are to appear in Brooklyn District Court on February 7 on charges that include assault, attempted assault, menacing, harassment, unlawful assembly, riot and disorderly conduct, Silverstein said.
The New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, and will determine whether the suspects will be charged with hate crimes, Officer Philip Hauser told CNN.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/12/12/subway.attack/#cnnSTCVideo

Russell's Teapot

http://russellsteapot.com/comics/

"It's not right. She's 16, damn it."

Canadian girl murdered by her father for refusing to wear a hijab.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071211.wdeadteen1211/BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=hijab&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

More on Matthew Murray

The All Spin Zone has collected a few of Murray's Internet posts.

http://allspinzone.com/wp/2007/12/11/matthew-murray-nghtmrchld26in-his-own-words/