All Hallow's Read, treat people to a good scary story.

As you may know. Halloween has found it tied to many traditions over the years since the first coming of a harvest. The traditions come and go, and vary from place to place. And from the time you were a kid to now, it's changed some more.

So some bright soul came up with another idea for this holiday. The idea of All Hallow's Read.

The idea is simple: During this Halloween season, share a scary book with someone.

It's a simple enough prospect. It's wonderful to share literature and stories. And at this time of year, along with costumes, candy, and spooky movies, throw in a beloved book (a comic book, children's book, Stephen King -- Whatever is appropriate for who you plan on sharing with.).

So, please, join in.


And here's Neil Gaiman to explain as only he can.




And here are some posters ideas, if you would like to promote or enjoy celebrating the All Hallow's Read.

Net Speak: Me Talk No Good. LOL

Is the language of the Internet killing society, language, literacy, and...stuff?

Probably not.

This may well just be part of language and social communication flexing, growing, and experimenting. Language needs to get taken out once in awhile and exercised. It's not the family silver.

So, yes, if you fret that language isn't used the way you like, you are a Margaret Dumont character.

From Critical Lit:

The Horror Of...Lovecraft, Should I feel guilty?

Howard Philip Lovecraft. Where do we begin?

For those of you who are blanking on who Lovecraft is, let's start there.

Lovecraft is an early 20th century writer. Primarily he is known for his work in the area of horror stories. Though he also is remembered by some for his letters and poetry.

Lovecraft's impact on horror storytelling will long be remembered. His creations and tales shaped the thinking of many future horror writers, and still inform many stories being told and written today. While he was not a commercial success in his lifetime, his work become fundamental and widely lauded. (His work was mostly to be found in pulp magazines.)

The Necronomicon. Great Cthulhu. The Re-Animator. Arkham. All of these are creations of Lovecraft. From direct retellings of his stories to liberal use of ideas or characters, Lovecraft stays with us.

As well, Lovecraft was in active correspondence with other similar writers. These included Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Clark Ashton Smith, etc. It was through this that he and other authors batted around ideas and concepts, offered ideas for stories, and shared concepts. As a result you can find similarities in some of their works, common settings or antagonists.

His writing style was distinct and affecting. And his stories could often be haunting, and disturbing. His reoccurring concepts came to form a Lovecraftian Mythos.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." 

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

Cover of Art of The Art of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos
- Drawn by  Michael Komarck

Some storytelling for your Halloween. With Price, Rathbone, Poe, Lovecraft, and Kermit the Frog.

For my review of Vincent Price's Once Upon A Midnight Scary, I offered up a reenacting of The Raven by Vincent Price. I thought, for those not looking at the post, I'd add it here. And then, some more Poe, and other things you may enjoy as night falls on Hallows Eve. Enjoy.

Happy Halloween


The Raven. Presented by Vincent Price.




An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, starring Vincent Price.




A reading of Alone (Poe) by Basil Rathbone.




A reading of A Cask of Amontillado (Poe).




The Muppet Show, episode with Vincent Price.




And, The Tomb, by H.P. Lovecraft




Nyarlathotep, by H.P. Lovecraft




Herbert West - Re-Animator, by H.P. Lovecraft

All Hallow's Read, a chance to share your literary love.

As you may know. Halloween has found it tied to many traditions over the years since the first coming of a harvest. The traditions come and go, and vary from place to place. And from the time you were a kid to now, it's changed some more.

So some bright soul came up with another idea for this holiday. The idea of All Hallow's Read.

The idea is simple: During this Halloween season, share a scary book with someone.

It's a simple enough prospect. It's wonderful to share literature and stories. And at this time of year, along with costumes, candy, and spooky movies, throw in a beloved book (a comic book, children's book, Stephen King -- Whatever is appropriate for who you plan on sharing with.).

So, please, join in.


And here's Neil Gaiman to explain as only he can.




And here are some posters ideas, if you would like to promote or enjoy celebrating the All Hallow's Read.

Banned Book Week is closing, and some books are left unopened. ^UPDATED*

Mark Twain

 Today is the end of Banned Book Week, supported by the American Library Association. The idea of this week is to make yourself and others aware of all the literature which is kept out of people's hands. In schools and libraries books are pulled from the shelves and denied to students and patrons.

Sometimes their can be a valid concern about where the book is placed, like more adult themed material being placed in with children's books. But much of the time it is a matter of someone not caring for ideas being presented, or social and sexual imagery and concepts being presented. The books are dangerous! What an idea. Books are generally dangerous in the most wonderful of ways. As are ideas.

Margaret Atwood

For so long powerful and evocative books, sometimes with complicated views of society and history have been deemed better forgotten. Fahrenheit 451. The Grapes of Wrath. Howl. Leaves of Grass. Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison). The Great Gatsby. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Our Bodies, Our Selves. The Jungle. The Scarlet Letter. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. To Kill A Mockingbird. Gone With The Wind. The Call Of The Wild. The Red Badge of Courage. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. Where The Wild Things Are.

George Orwell

Honestly I look at this list, and the rest at the link and think, "I have a lot of books to reread. And plenty to pick up for the first time.

And now we live in an age where kids books are written about someone having two moms. Or kids dealing with serious real world issues. And for some people this is terrifying. As terrifying as once a book about an island full of boys unsupervised running a muck was to people. Or a book about fighting back against a society that burns books. Or a book about a totalitarian regime against who there can be no victory. Or a book about a boy wizard with a destiny.

Here's a listing for many books that have faced bans over the last 100 years. You can see it continues to this day with books like the Hunger Games and The Perks of Being A Wallflower facing ban challenges. This is a fight to preserve access that will continue for years to come.

Neil Gaiman -
MPR Photo/Steve Mullis

Here's a piece talking to Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank, about the bans and conflicts she faced.

Here's a list of some of the week's heroes, working against bans. Let them inspire you.

Here's an article from CNN looking at the week and the struggle many books and libraries continue to face. It also lists books heavily attacked last year, like And Tango Makes Three (about two male penguins who hatched an egg), Kite Runner, Beloved, and Captain Underpants. 

Ray Bradbury

That CNN list also shows 50 Shades of Grey, a book many of us I know aren't fond of seeing. But that's the point of opposing banning. It's not whether we care for or respect a book. It's the fact people have a right to access all sorts of literature.

Below are some additional notes on more titles that have faced hostility when made available.

• The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
• Lord of the Flies - William Golding
• More
• More, with a Judy Blume quote

And here's some comics that have faced being banned. And as you may note are some amazing award winning works. This includes Spider-Man books, Maus, Persepolis, Sandman, and Tank Girl. And also Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Strikes Again. A really lousy and loathsome piece, in my mind. But I don't care for people to be denied the right to access and read it themselves and come to hate it just as I did.

J. K. Rowling

Perhaps that's the hidden benefit of this fear of some for some books.

It reminds up how amazing and powerful literature is. And that we should never take it for granted, or loose our love for it.

Literature and literacy. Help it spread.

And for "fun", here's a quiz on some banned books.

__________
UPDATED:

NPR found a nice library display looking at famous banned books, and why they were banned.

National Poetry Month...has passed

So it is probably time for me to mention it. Ugh.

I had hoped to talk sooner, but perhaps it's better. I am not really the greatest of connoisseurs of poetry. As a kid I was asked to bring in my favorite poem. Ended up bringing in Trees ("I think I shall never see..."). Honestly I think I picked it because it was in a movie, or just because it does get tossed around so much (at least when I was kid). So, yeah.

Still, I hope I've improved some as I've gotten older. I like a good poem, even when it doesn't rhyme! (And I could claim to have tried to write a poem, here and there. But I won't admit to that.) Yet still, I feel the philistine.

Still it is good to take on and experience poetry from time to time, or much of the time; and do it even at times other than April. It is part of literature, which like all the rest, one should partake of.

So let me point you to someone who was properly celebrating this year's National Poetry Month.

Gibbons has been sharing her own work over the last month. I'll link to the National Poetry Month tag so you can enjoy some of her lovely work, and some others she points to.

And then here's something I do enjoy. I am a fan of the work of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (not exactly an unknown). I enjoy listening and reading to her sonnets. So here's one. Go From Me (As opposed to How Do I Love Thee, which everyone seems to do a rendition of. -- Not that that's a bad thing.).




And, fine. How about something a little less serious. Some Captain Jean-Luc Picard, with poetry.

The stupid that come from the History Channel

Came across this. History Channel, remember when it was about history?



It is almost a cliche now to talk about it (When Chuck Grassley is on it, it must be old.). But it is an annoyance. It once was nice to have access to a channel where you could watch historic documentaries. Now it is day long marathons on scavenging, logging, and other things.

Sure you can see more docs, if you get History Channel 2 (which I don't), but that's like saying you can get music videos if you get MTV2 (Do they still have music videos?). So it's annoying, and makes me not want to get the channel on my cable.

But as this video notes. About as bad as the ridiculous reality shows, the channel spends a lot of time on pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Why are you offering up conspiracy, demons, bigfoots, and alien abductions? I shouldn't be surprised when you honestly critique conspiracies. Still, most of these have moved to other channels now. And History Channel has it's reality TV, mixed with some old ancient aliens and bible mystery docs.

Now, I do get the evolution of channels. (I going to make a long aside now.)

I remember getting SciFi Channel...when it was still called that. It was early days, and like every young channel, it was filling space. It would buy up cheap shows and show them in mass. So you would get day long runs of Star Trek, Knight Rider, Invisible Man, etc. And that could be repetitive  But it was also scifi, and fun. (There was also the occasional UFO or mysterious sightings shows.) They also threw on shows that were made in their studio, like Sci-Fi Buzz and SF Vortex. These were shows that would promote and talk about what was going on in scifi TV, Movies, etc that week. So you'd get the channel's niche topic talked up, have interviews with actors and writers in the genre, clips from shows (it was how I discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and even rants from Harlan Ellison. It was fun. It was the kind of thing you ought have on a channel specializing in Science Fiction entertainment. And eventually they got dumped as the channel evolved.

Here's some of those old shows:

SF Vortex:


Sci-Fi Buzz:


An Ellison Rant:


That is what we always see, channel execs see cheaper or more engaging ways to draw customers/viewers and they change. So more shows come and go, and the original in studio shows get dropped. That made me sad, as it would be nice to have at least one show talking up the genre. But the channel changed and started buying up new shows, like the Invisible Man, Chronicles, Farscape, Lexx, new MST3K episodes. So there is a trade off. And this seems like a nice place. Some old shows, some new shows. But...the channel evolves.

Execs look at ratings and want more, and they want to find ways to pay less. So shows get replaced, and fans aren't happy. And change keeps coming. Reality shows boom. Ghost Hunters. Horror makeup shows. Weird little games. And then wrestling is put on. And I missed the point they started buying more and more crappy bad movies off the shelves on studios to put on and original movies.

And SciFi come SyFy might want to look back at itself to see what it's become. (Makes me want to pull up the piece Charlie Brooker did showing how TV is where innovative ideas go to die...OKAY!)



SciFi was an interesting channel to start. It needed improvement. It needed to grow. It needed to change. Some changes have been good, and many bad. And it is definitely not what it started out seeking to be.

But it's like what we see with History, Learning, Arts, Discovery, etc. The channels start shifting from who they are. Some more than others, but the marathons of silly shows and ridiculous choice of funding these silly shows...They've made online choices for thoughtful entertainment a desperate need. I think Travel Channel had some better luck. For awhile they became the Poker and Vegas Channel. But they seem to have shifted back some (And they are about travel, which is all about advertising.).

But then we have examples of where this can go like Tech TV. A niche channel, that gave some gaming talk, but also lots of talk about technology, computers, and Leo Laporte. Then they began the move that ended up with them becoming G4. As G4, they had a lot of crappy reality shows, Ninja Warriors, old movies, old TV, with a bit of guy focused gaming talk shoved in. And that channel is dead now (Gods, it's not around, right? I mean, we already have Spike. -- Another tale of an evolving and changing channel.).

Still, let's get back to the History Channel. Ice Road Truckers? Top Gear? Ancient Aliens? Pawn Stars? Swamp People? Chasing Tail (What is this even about?)? American Pickers? Ax Men? Cajun Pawn Stars (Cause one isn't enough.)? Counting Cars (Theirs a show called Counting Fucking Cars.)? Really? This is who you are, History Channel?

Sigh.

But, as noted in the video at the top, this was a long time in coming.

Look at this show Satan's Army (Interesting point. This is an example of what a lot of these channels do. You have a show. And you just plug it into whatever other show you have that is related and pretend it's new. I've seen most of this in another show on History, with different graphics. You know, I once saw a piece on the haunting of a WWII aircraft carry pop up on three different paranormal shows. What a way to save cash.)


But just watch the first minute or two, and think, "This is what the History Channel does."




Oh my gods. I forgot for a moment about The Nostradamus Effect...That was so dumb. Anyway, I want to sit down at a some point and talk about how bad this and some other shows were.

Shame on you History Channel. Shows like this make my brain hurt. So so dumb.

It's almost St. Patrick's Day...So let's talk Christmas!

Or, Christ's Mass with the Palins.

Pay attention to me!

Sarah Palin is trying to get into the limelight again, following her fall from the heights of punditry. And, one could go into her, her family, and the sad pursuit of fame. So many posts, pieces, and tweets cover it. Still, her ridiculous schemes for validity offers a chance to talk on some of the tired fears and claims that Conservative Christians like to trot out annually.

This morning I went on twitter and was presented with the suggestion that Sarah Palin (late of FOX News, later of governing, even later of failed campaigning, and never of relevance) would be writing a new book. This time it would be on the great and dire War of Christmas.

Hey! A Christmas tree!
Just in time for...
World Kidney Day.

Oh, Christmas. Forever the pawn of villainous secular progressives, out to destroy you.

It is a favorite refrain for conservatives. It implies liberals are all godless (or non-Christian, which is the same thing) and trying to take away presents from kids. It's kind of like the way they say the president wants to take away people's health care, money, and then place them education camps. Both statements have no real bearing on reality.

So let's considered how Christmas is being bombarded by secularism. As people like Palin suggest, it's being homogenized, it's being commercialized  and it's marginalized or ignored. Hmm? Interesting points. They are bull pucky, but scary to some people.

Christmas, as a religious event...is a religious event. That should be self-evident. If you are a church goer, you know how yours treats the day and the season. You have hymns, passages, and rituals you turn to, year after year. In the home's of the most pious, things no doubt run just as when dad and granddad ran things. So what is the wartime attrition being dealt with? It seems churches and homes seem to be able to operate, in their space, as always. Christians remember the day and tale well enough.

No. What is obviously meant is the public space, and business space. Once Christians could be assured that they were exclusively catered to, and now they have competition for attention. Sometimes people will put up menorahs (They don't understand them, but they want to be friendly.), or snowmen and Santa, to be inviting to all. But being inviting to all isn't what Conservative Christians want from Christmas. It is all supposed to be about them.

Christians are not getting the preferential treatment they are used to. Suddenly it's harder for them to see and receive to their preferential seating in the great banquet of society. (Though don't worry. Many places still give Christianity special dispensation in the community.) Suddenly, city halls, city parks, and town squares are not automatically handed over to church interests for the month to use as they have in the past. Instead, these spaces are seen as the property of all Americans. So, in some cases, anyone can put up messages or imagery on public property, to celebrate their tradition. In other cases, it is left neutral to the season. And in other cases, it is left open and unused.

Mangers/creches aren't being guaranteed funding or center stage status in towns. And for some this is a great crime against religion. It's an affront to the faithful (Christians). And, yes, that is silly. It's ridiculous to hear. In my city, in a very red state, I saw no manger scenes at city hall or in the major park that had Christmas lights up. But mangers were EVERYWHERE, on front lawns, at churches, etc. , it's just not being sponsored by government. (Side note: I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that none of the lights at the park were set up to reflect any religious scene, just reindeer, snowflakes, etc. And they blasted Christmas music through the park, and I noticed it was all nonreligious. It was way too much country music, but it was about the winter and the secular holiday stuff. Because that is what it is all about these days. And I also noticed how everyone would pass through the park and enjoy it. And they could do this before or after going to church, if they wanted. But I saw a place where people of all cultures and traditions were welcomed. And, to some, that is a bad thing.)

Christians are not getting the same level of priority and deference. And this, to Conservative Christians, is victimization. Instead, other faiths are also acknowledged, or just seasonal frivolity is enjoyed. And, to Conservative Christians, this is victimization.

Society has changed. We no longer just tolerate Others in our communities. We celebrate them, just as we celebrate ourselves (Whoever "them" are, or "ourselves" are.). Things are not centered just on the white christian male perspective (THIS REALITY IS STILL BUFFERING.).

And, is "it" commercialized? Yeah. Welcome to how every holiday and event is treated. And, welcome to Capitalism. You don't like? Ha ha ha ha ha! But, really, how many of the people complaining also sell Christmas items to make a buck? ...Like a book on the War on Christmas?

It is all silly. But it is also a go to paranoid money maker. From Palin to Bill O'Reilly to Bryan Fischer. It's all about a silenced voice. The excising of Jesus from society, the evil plot of it all. And when you're raised to not be aware of the world outside your home, home school, or church/megachurch, it can be damn scary to hear.

But I have to break this to you, societies change. American society, and even Christian societies, change and shift over time. Religion often desperately works to keep things frozen in place and time, but it's inevitable

Do you know why more and more people say "Happy Holidays" now? Looking passed fear of "PCness", other religions, and evil liberal agendas, we've simply changed as a people. That's it. Some people found it annoying to say "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years". Then some people found it awkward to wish Jewish people a "Merry Christmas", and Jewish people no doubt didn't care that much for it. And then the holiday expanded to swallow the month, and...for a lot of people it just became natural to say. Society shifted. And I know people, from Sarah Palin to Richard Dawkins, are pissy about the change in greetings. Sorry, old timers, the world's moved on. And soon enough it will move on in someway, leaving me behind. As it is, I noticed that I still use terms like Christmas tree, Christmas lights, etc. Many don't say that now, but they are terms I've used since childhood. My vernacular may prove to be anachronistic before long. And I am fine with that. That is life. Sadly for Conservative Christians, it's war.

This change does anger some faithful. Faithful who want communities to honor their faith before all, who want a one day holiday honored in daily greetings for a whole flipping month, and who want to kill Santa (Yeah. It can go both ways.).

Oh, yeah. This is way better than
being part of a moving and
changing modern world.

But, you know, that is fine. If you don't like all the fancy and alien affectations glomming onto your special day, you can celebrate it how you like, in church and at home. And many groups do that, sticking to their ways and shunning the modern and impure. But, Sarah Palin, and others like her, don't want that. They want the world to revolve around them. They don't want to do without TV, cars, reality shows...buttons. The only people that actually find really standing heading off are nutty as Glenn Beck.

The reality is that they don't care that much.They don't care about Santa Claus, or Easter Bunnies. All the new bits and pieces that have been added over centuries are fine to them. The Christmas tree is a weird little tradition from Germany, that came over to England with Prince Albert, and became trendy. So it has no ties to Christ, at all. But the Palins put one up every year. Santa? A European tradition. But even O'Reilly will defend the idea (Though their are stories to the contrary, where he'll fight Claus.). And gift giving? Yet, everyone is up for some presents. Today most of us, Christians and non-Christian, like the secular side, the side that has grown and evolved. But it wasn't always so.

Back in the day, when the Puritans landed in America, they took Christmas serious. How serious? They banned it. That's how a serious Christians handles that. No drinking. No parties. No gifts. Nothing...Except church and prayer. Want to know what folk are actually supposed to call for, when they say they want to put the "Christ in Christmas"? That's what they are supposed to mean. On Christmas, you go to Church and pray. Otherwise you work, sleep, and pray.

But nobody wants that. It's part of the reason no one cared to have them in England in the first place (Their was also the whole civil war, killing the king. etc.). People want to have a party. And people, before and after Christians, will want to celebrate the end of the year and the midpoint of Winter. It is a happy holiday. And that's why, despite the complaints of commercialism and "add ons", most Conservative Christians take full advantage of the holiday season. But they aren't satisfied.

They just want you to treat them as the superior. Teach their religious views in school. Place their commandments in the courts and town squares. Write law by their vision of their holy book. And, fucking, say "Merry Christmas" to them, and smile while you're doing it. Okay? Thanks.

Now that that is finished. Let's get back to some proper religious celebration. It's almost St. Patrick's Day. Where's the green dye and the massive keg of beer?! Let's party like Christians! Woo!!!

Loving the South

I am getting a but late to this, as so many things. But I wanted to suggest a good blog on politics, culture, news, and more.

Big Blue Dot Y'all

It  is being written by kchapmangibbons (at @kcgibbons on twitter). It's a nice blog for thoughts and information, given from a liberal Nashvillians point of view.

Among her shared insight is on the why's of being a blue dot. This term reflects how many of us, while living in largely red (conservative...I don't know why I'm over explaining.) states do represent blue (...You know what that means.) dots, oases, in sometimes extreme conservative deserts (Hey, I'm completing the metaphor.).

While some liberals do like to be oblivious to it, every state is more than red or blue. There are the Austins and Nashvilles. Also some people and places are changing and growing. Beyond them, their are just the individuals and families that represent. And they represent, because they are home, and they want to embrace what's good and change what isn't good.

So, take time to enjoy here insight and views of the good from a place you may never visit. Or maybe it is close to the life you live, and you'll enjoy the sharing.

Huck and Jim are still on the river. 128 years on.

Image credit: E. W. Kimble, 1884,
Public Domain via
Wikimedia Commons.

I saw that yesterday was the 128th anniversary for the release of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. And seeing as Mississippi has just ratified the abolition of slavery, it seems to be somewhat current tale. (Guess the state was too busy not properly educating and not acknowledging various people's rights to get to that...Apologizes to everyone in Mississippi that's been actually wronged and/or been troubled by your states failings.)

Huckleberry Finn is the story of a young boy, chafing at society, along the Mississippi River in Missouri. As the story progresses he flees his home and father, along with Jim, a fleeing slave, trying to escape getting sold away from his family. The story takes them on a trip down the Mississippi  via raft, learning about the world around them, people, and themselves.

For me, one of the best moments in that book, and just a very evocative moment, comes late in the book.

Sigh. Okay, I am going to be giving some SPOILERS here. Spoilers for a 128 year old book, that's been turned into a number of movies... Still!

SPOILERS




Late in the story Huck and Jim are betrayed by folk they've met and befriended along the river. Jim is locked away as a runaway slave. Huck goes to the place he's held and is taken as a visiting relative, who will later be revealed to be Tom Sawyer (Tooooooom!!!).

Seen as an escaped slave, Jim will quickly get sold on down the river, deeper into the South, and further from his family. Huck could reveal Jim as being owned, by sending a letter to the slave owner. But for fleeing, there's little chance he won't get sold on anyway. And Huck would become a pariah for helping him. These choices trouble Huck. How is this right? Jim doesn't deserve this treatment. And he's afraid of further abuse at home for himself. But, he's also afraid of hell, for not turning in a slave. So he writes the letter down to the slave owner, and tries to get his head straight on what he should do as a good hell fearing civilized person. He decides he can't stand by, not for a friend, someone he's already gone through so much with. So, we get this section:

... 

I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didn't do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking- thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time; in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing. But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him agin in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now; and then I happened to look around, and see that paper. 

It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: 

"All right, then, I'll go to hell"- and tore it up. 

It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. And for a starter, I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog. 

...

Huck has been brought up in a society that has said slavery is good, slavery is right, slavery is the will of God. To help a slave to be free is a crime, and the path to hell and damnation. That scares Huck, as it does anyone brought up on the idea of hell. The act he's taken in this story, to befriend someone that's enslaved and help them escape, marks him as uncivilized. But Huck struggles to see things that way. He knows Jim. He sees a human being, a friend. But with hell looming, Huck tries to think of the right and proper way out of their situation. The trouble is just what the right and proper ways look to be. Huck can't accept living by society's rules, the right way of doing things, not if it means not caring when a person is treated like property and made to suffer. It's a moving moment. Seeing him, in his struggle between what's expected of him and what he thinks is right, see that society is wrong. It means he'll suffer for it, but he has to do what he feels is right. Even if it means burning for eternity in a lake of fire, the thing all of society say await him.


...Then Tom Sawyer steps in. As always, dicks around leaving Jim to suffer for his fantasies and amusement. And Huck doesn't help things, falling under Sawyer's sway. (And the book for many falters here. With Jim and Huck stuck playing fools for Tom Sawyer's ring master.) And, then, we get some surprise revelations at the end to save Huck and Jim from fates they feared.

But back to the quoted piece. At that moment he was choosing Hell over Heaven. Choosing the incivility of freeing someone from slavery over the proper response of not caring. It's a line that speaks so loudly of what society was during the days of open slavery. Over even certain attitudes that remained following the abolition of slavery. It's a type of pressure ever present. It pushes people to be uncivil for the sake of being civilized.




END SPOILERS




It is a book I do enjoy a great deal. And, for me, it is the story of the better character, in comparing Huck to Tom Sawyer. But Tom seems to get the most love (Damn bad boys.). So, if you've never read it, consider taking some time this year to get to know Huckleberry Finn.

The book has been popular, and controversial. While more recently the language used has gotten it banned, as has it's look at slavery. Many in it's own day disliked and banned it to, some seeing it as a trashy book and others not caring for a main character who would scratch themselves. But you'll have to decide for yourself, just as Huck does, between redeemability and irredeemability, when you read.

It's the holidays...and I should be writing.

Alright...

Yes. What the fuck.

Okay. Mostly this is mostly a note to me, because I have allowed myself to go radio silent on the blog for about a month now, and that is rather annoying me. It's not as if this has been an uneventful month on any front of interest to me. But I have been struggling to write. Sitting down, organizing thoughts, putting them down in a semi-coherent form, and hitting post, it just hasn't been happening for me. And that annoys me.

Worse, it means I start, as I've noted before, building up tabs on my browsers full of topics and articles I want to reference and talk about. And then it all gets overwhelming, and it...eh.

But it has been extra annoying as I've been, for the last month wanting to write some posts on the holiday season (Yes, Richard Dawkins, it is a valid phrase. Learn to live with that.). I missed Diwali by a day, it happens. But Hanukkah  I started writing something up on it on Day 1. And, on Day 9, still nothing was done. You may be thinking, "But Jaded Skeptic, there are only 8 days in Hanukkah " Or, you may not know that. In which case, SEE, I've failed you. Point is, it didn't get done, in an 8 DAY window.

My procrastinating on this is getting out of hand. Particularly as their are things I want to talk about here, and things I'd enjoying sharing.

So, again, this mostly about kicking myself, and being pissed at a missed seasonal opportunity to share. So, next year, we'll talk Hanukkah, Diwali, Ramadan, etc.

But maybe I can tweak some of the interesting Christmas customs...maybe. It does feel cheap to just talk Christ Mass. Rather run of the mill, isn't it?

Anywho.

Let the frog play the trumpet...That's how we all celebrate December, right?

Lizz Free and Buy This Book

I have noticed that Lizz Windstead (at @lizzwinstead on Twitter) has had a new book out, Lizz Free or Die.

I haven't given the book the interest it deserved before now. And that's a  shame, because it is actually quite an interesting and fun read. But I have not been inclined to books recently as I should be, another shame.

Thankfully, I listened to the newest podcast episode of Comedy and Everything Else. Winstead had a very engaging talk about her experiences and the new book, host Jimmy Dore (at @jimmy_dore on Twitter) and Frank Conniff (at @FrankConniff on Twitter). Episode is here.

... 

Lizz Free or Die is her new book in which she tells us how it all began, along with lots of other interesting and funny things. 

"She writes of getting knocked up by her hockey player boyfriend in high school, spending a fortune on her dogs’ waste problems, and saying goodbye to her dying father with understated insight and, of course, humor—reminding us of its value as an antidote to both political and personal hardship. ..Salon.com 

...

At a minimum, it is a fun interview to listen to, looking at Rachel Maddow, the start of Air America, the start of The Daily Show, dog care, and more.

But the book itself is a prize to partake. Give it a look through, and decide for yourself.

Remembering Ray Bradbury

It does seem hard to believe, but Ray Bradbury has passed on. It did seem, as some are saying like he was always here, and would always be here. Writing daily for years, he seemed like a dynamo. He seemed and was a have a tireless creator, with an ever youthful imagination.

Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury:

“Death doesn't exist. It never did, it never will. But we've drawn so many pictures of it, so many years, trying to pin it down, comprehend it, we've got to thinking of it as an entity, strangely alive and greedy. All it is, however, is a stopped watch, a loss, an end, a darkness. Nothing.” 

Like we all will, his watch stopped. Stopped, after long decades of producing real magic for his eager audience. His voice, his words, his visions, and those glasses, will accompany me for the rest of my life, as fond memories.

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury:

“Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the Universe together into one garment for us.” 

And he was a master of the patchwork. He was one of those unique voices that helped shaped many of our childhoods, with scares, wonder, and thrills. His was a very special voice that we all should try and carry on in hearts and on our book shelves

I know all of us old fans will be taking time to pull out an old favorite to peruse. But I hope as well, we can entice some more to give one of his books a chance, perhaps one of his beautiful short stories? Or, maybe take some time with one of the movies drawn from his work, or the TV series.

He had a fascinating impact on storytelling, leaving us an array of works and media to enjoy.

Something Wicked This Way Comes:


Or, listen to Bradbury himself:

The plus side of the new Justice League book.

Yeah, I have been wanting to look at the new DC Universe...

...right. No idea what that is? That's the reworked and restarted comic book line of DC Comics...you know, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash (yeah, I don't use Green Lantern in this spot, and I don't even really like Barry Allen).


That drive away all the non comic readers then? 

Good, back to not explaining things.

Holmesian Skeptism

Among the enjoyable aspects of the latest variation of Holmes is the maintaining of his skeptical and logical view. As he faces the fear of many that demonic forces are at work, he looks beyond it all to the truth. It is nice to see, as it is in the case of the Baskervilles and of the Sussex Vampire.

Another one I didn't know before now is within the 1944 film, The Scarlet Claw, with Bail Rathbone. He faces an assumed phantom out to ripe the throats of his victims.

Best is how Holmes enters the story. In Quebec, he is meeting an Occult Society. He is talked down to by the groups leader. He is seen as a skeptic. He is closed minded. He won't see the facts. Sound familiar. Holmes takes it all with humor and calm repose. He tries to make clear that he wants to just see facts, as without them there is no reason to believe the idea of the supernatural. And when he is given "proof", that a bell is known to have wrong in a given village, then the next day sheep were found murdered, he is unimpressed. In fact he deduces the events that would follow the tolling bells, heck as a lover of scary stories many of us could. He excepts that the bell did ring. He accepts the sheep were slaughtered. But how that proves the supernatural? Well? That action only confirms the true believers contentions about him.

It shows me why I have loved the character, and like this outing all the more. As Rathbone's Holmes does say, "It is elementary, my dear Watson." A skeptical Holmes is a great Holmes. We need more!

Newt Gingrich: The Crap Historian and His Friends

Not a historian of crap, I can respect them. But Newt Gingrich, who claims to be a man of knowledge and thought, has proven himself just that a crap historian. I won't comment on his alternate history fiction, as I have never read it. But in dealing with politics he seems to deal with yet another alternate reality. He should leave it in the fiction isle.

But he does not, he peddles it at podiums, on TV, and in the papers. He is so quickly to throw out comparisons to Nazis. Beck does to, but he is an acknowledged twit. Gingrich likes to play as the better man of conservatism.

Gingrich: “The Secular Socialist Machine Represents As Great A Threat To America As Nazi Germany”

Wallace: You also write this on the screen: “The secular socialist machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did.” Mr. Speaker, respectfully, isn’t that wildly over the top?

Gingrich: No, not if by America you mean….Just listen to President Obama’s language. He gets to decide who earns how much. He gets to decide when it’s too much.

This is all just crap. Obama decides how much you or I make? Bull. Maybe he's worried about the bonuses of those poor BP execs. Maybe he is scared for the owner of the Massey mines, and his estate. Maybe he is worried about having to pay his own taxes. Pathetic playing up of fears.

And secular socialist? The two chimes of our modern conservatives. Evil secularist, not good Christians. Socialist, not true Capitalist Conservatives. Oh, those banes on us all.

Really, Newt? This is what you peddle. What a sad weasel he is.


PZ Myers has some good thoughts on this lot. Read the quote he has from Sinclair Lewis. It is amazing how apt it is in comparison to today.

...

The book can be summarized in this misattributed quote (Lewis didn't actually say it, but it is a perfect description of our situation):

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

Look at America today, and we're seeing this phenomenon in progress: think tanks, ideologues, and religious fanatics are insistent that we are a Christian nation — when we are most afraid of external threats, what do they do? Entangle the country deeper in the web of the sacred. ...

A wrapped in the flag, with a cross over the shoulder? That is Newt, that is Beck, that is O'Reilly, that is Hannity, and so many others. They cry out for their Christianity, their Christian nation, and their Christian god.
They do harp on and demand special respect for it all...for the sake of all Americans. And when the other is acknowledged, or when faith is not heralded is just the right manner, it is a true state offenses. Ridiculous. And also not new.

Also I like that Myers notes the history that goes along with this religious fervor. Like with the National Day of Prayer, God on money, etc. It is of interest to me as so often I see the pious seek to talk about the various presidential proclamations or Congressional declarations requesting prayers goings back through the centuries. And it is true, these request have been made. But the National Day of Prayers, and other pushes to acknowledge Christianity have come from the likes of the Cold War terror and paranoia, not the wishes of the Founding Fathers, despite some wishes that it were otherwise. These choices made in government during the middle of the 20th century were wrong, made in error and out of fear. Lines were crossed. And for some pious it is a fear they hold as they lay down for the night...the lines may be recrossed...and the country may truly be a secular one, that won't put there interest over that of the whole.

A look at a messy writer

Almost give you hope for ones own tatty ways.

A look through Agatha Christie's journals shows her curious approach to writing and a mystery.

Interesting to learn.

The Vampire Conference

New conference on British vampire fiction? You bet. At University of Hertfordshire.

Writers and vampire "experts" from around the world will speak at the event, discussing their portrayal in traditional and modern culture. 

... 

The event will be held on 16 and 17 April.

A reaction to Twilight? Maybe.

Adele Blanc-Sec approaches

Adele Blanc-Sec, a film with a female protagonist of the same name is coming soon in France.

It is a cool comic series by Tardi, which I wish I could find, now it jumps coolly and confidently to the big screen.

Here's the trailer, with subtitles.


Cool, huh?

Here is the movies English website.

i09 has some additional clips and some photos.

Hope we see it over here.