Category: Reviews

Help I’m Alive and Other Lamentations from Metric

by Administrator, posted in Music, Reviews

I love the new Metric album “Fantasies”. If you want, I suppose you can skip reading the rest of this article, but if you like synth pop/rock influenced by the 80’s and Weezer, you’re going to want to read on.

I guess Metric is old news. “Fantasies” is their fourth album but they’re new to me! It’s hard to clearly define the “sound” of this album. Their lead singer Emily Haines has a light, feminine voice which makes the sometimes visceral lyrics really stand out. For example on the song “Sick Muse” her airy voice sings “Watch out Cupid, Stuck me with a sickness, pull your little arrows out, let me live my life.” The accompanying music is low, guttural guitar, and yet it comes around to a chorus that could have been written by Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) for all of the pop perfection that it embodies. In fact, the whole album dances the line of rock and pop quite well. Some songs like “Stadium Love” are straight up, Weezer-esque pop/rock tunes, others such as “Twilight Galaxy” lean heavily on the synthesizer sound, and yet others like “Gold Guns Girls” are female fronted rock and roll excellence.

Lyrically, these songs are not telling stories, they are conveying emotions. I mean this as a complement, but this album would make an excellent soundtrack to any drama on television, particularly a police procedural. If I was involved with the television show “Life” (which is great, by the way) I would be securing the rights to use the whole album. Maybe you won’t hear it when you try out the album, but it’s something that struck me after repeated listening.

Unfortunately there isn’t a music video for their song “Help I’m Alive”, which was the song that got me to pick up the album. However, I did find this nifty documentary clip about Emily Haines writing the song! Enjoy!

A Sufi Rapper?

by Administrator, posted in Books, Islam, Religion, Reviews

France has ghettos, there are projects in France. I know it sounds ridiculous to say that, as if you didn’t know. Here’s the thing, until the riots in Paris a few years back, I was totally unaware of this fact. Press reports would say the people involved were from the “deprived Paris suburbs”, but it’s true, that in that moment I realized that Paris is a large city and like most large cities, there is probably some equivalent of what Americans call the “projects”. It was also during this time that I learned that France has a vibrant rap scene. Oddly, the concept of French rap was less shocking than coming to grips with the idea that Paris had “deprived suburbs”. Want to learn more?

Then I would highly recommend the book “Sufi Rapper” by Abd Al Malik. This book is a great read. It follows the spiritual journey of the author from his beginnings as an aspiring criminal in Neuhof, described as a “difficult” quarter, into becoming a leader in the French hip hop community, and through his discovery and evolution within the Muslim faith. “Sufi Rapper” gives the reader a look at the life of a street hustler and a musician, a history of rap music from the French perspective, and an introduction to many Islamic paths. It’s like he wrote the book for me!

Abd Al Malik’s writing has a lyrical, enchanting quality to it. It shouldn’t be so surprising, coming from a lyricist. Seriously though….

“Despite everything, I cannot help but feel affection toward this father-child. No doubt he also served me as an anti-role model, with his fickleness and libertine habits, whose consequences we suffered. But I have never been able to nurture the slightest feelings of bitterness toward him.”

….if I could write like that I wouldn’t be here blogging to you people, I’d be published and an Oprah pick!

As much as I enjoyed the glimpse into the art of crime and learning about the French hip hop scene, the most fascinating part of “Sufi Rapper” is Abd Al Malik’s evolution into, for lack of a better descriptor, a Sufi rapper. Any person who has been on a spiritual journey, or struggled with finding a place in their faith, will see themselves reflected in this story. Or, if you’re like me, and just nosey about how people practice their faith, you’ll like it too!

Crime, music, religion….I love this book!

Is Obama Keeping His Promises?

by Administrator, posted in Politics, Products, Reviews

Shortly after President Obama was elected I thought it would be cool to try to track his progress at keeping his campaign promises for The Magical Buffet website. However, then I thought about the time and research that would require and went, never mind. But then I received a copy of “President Obama’s 500 Promises” from U.S. Games Systems.

This box is really neat. It contains 510 cards that compile promises Obama made in interviews, debates, speeches, and on his website while campaigning to become President. It gives the promise, such as Promise 37 “Extend tax cuts for lower incomes” and then provides a bit of explanation. In this case, “Extend the Bush tax cuts for those making less than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single).”

What’s the big whoop about that, you may be asking. Well, if I’m curious as to what is going on with this promise I can just go to www.PolitiFact.com, type Promise 37 into their search engine, and bam! I can find out what’s going on with it. In this case, the Promise is “In the Works”. The website tells me where the Promise came from originally and provides updates as to what is going on with the Promise to justify its “In the Works” rating. How freakin’ easy and sweet is that?

Also, the information isn’t from some hack at a computer, like yours truly, it’s from PolitiFact, who just won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the 2008 election. A Pulitzer bitches! (I apologize. I just really wanted to say “Pulitzer bitches!”, like I had a Pulitzer of my own.) And it’s because this great group won a Pulitzer that I will forgive them for having the horribly named, “Truth-O-Meter”, “Flip-O-Meter”, and, wait for it, “Obameter” sections on their site. Great sources of information, well presented, and easily read….but silly names.

So, back to this box of awesome I received called “President Obama’s 500 Promises”. What can one do with a box like this? I think any group of politically minded friends would have fun with this. Each person draws a card. Read the Promise to the group. Everyone vote as to whether Obama has kept the promise, broke the promise, compromised, is it stalled, in the works, or has no action been taken. Then go to the website and see who is right. (Perhaps whoever is wrong has to drink. I haven’t quite fine tuned this into a proper drinking game yet. You might just have to play for the entertainment and educational value alone.)

Or perhaps if, let’s say you had an eclectic blog and wanted to occasionally mention to readers various promises that the President has made and let everyone know what is going on with them, you could probably use it for that too.

Promise 122: Expand the Family Medical Leave Act to include leave for domestic violence or sexual assault.

And how is that coming Mr. President?

No action? Get on that.

A New Science of the Paranormal

by Administrator, posted in Books, Paranormal, Reviews

It’s time for all my paranormal peeps to step up their game, and Lawrence LeShan is just the man to school you.

I recently finished reading LeShan’s new book “A New Science of the Paranormal” and I have to tell you, I was blown away. Why wouldn’t I be? He has twenty or so books published and he has been in the psi studying game since before I was born! This guy has probably forgotten more about psychic phenomena than I, or you for that matter, will ever know. Now LeShan is here to tell us all how to grow up and start studying it like the big boys, and let me tell you, it’s simple and hard, all at the same time.

LeShan calls for an entire reevaluation as to how we look at science, and from this new perspective shows you how to apply it to studying psychic phenomena as a science. Let’s be clear here, LeShan isn’t telling us to forget about science, he asks you to really think about how science and scientific discovery work. Amongst many persuasive arguments, one suggestion is using the example of how physicists and mathematicians have accepted the idea that you have to change the system of reality you are using if you wish to solve certain problems as an approach to take in psychical research.

“A New Science of the Paranormal” is a fascinating read. LeShan uses passion and logic, and by the end of the book you find yourself asking, how can I help make this happen?

The End is Near!

by Administrator, posted in Movies, Mythology, Reviews

It’s true. The awesome Disinformation Company gave me a copy of their documentary “2012: Science or Superstition” to review. I’m very excited, not only is this the first DVD I’ve ever reviewed, but it came from the folks at Disinfo.com, AND I’m interested in the subject matter. Obviously the end times are upon us.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the whole 2012 thing, let me sum up. The ancient Mayans created a very complex, advanced, utterly bad ass long calendar. The calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Everyone has an opinion as to what this means, and most of them seem to have a book.

“2012: Science or Superstition” is an hour and a half of opinions from a variety of sources, most notably Graham Hancock, author of “Fingerprints of the Gods”. I don’t want to sit here and outline it for you because I would probably flounder horribly at presenting their research. The introduction to the documentary explains in more detail the Mayan long count calendar and that the end date of December 21, 2012 is generally interpreted to mean one of two things: a date for the beginning of the apocalypse or the beginning of a time of renewal and rebirth of conciousness. (For the record, my theory is that by the time the Mayans realized that their formula for the calendar broke down the last date was so far away that they figured hey, let’s just forget about it. I mean, they were advanced, but they were still just people, and people are more than happy to not deal with annoying and tedious problems that could later be address hundreds of thousands of years later.)

The rest of the film has various authors and scientists presenting their thoughts, theories, and research. My favorite of these individuals was Dr. Anthony F. Aveni, Professor of Astronomy and Anthropology at Colgate University. His insights were razor sharp, laced with skepticism, yet surprisingly thoughtful and considerate in regards to other people’s beliefs. Oddly, it was his insights that are making me reconsider my “The Mayans Got Lazy” theory.

The best part is that you can get the movie on iTunes for only $9.99! You can buy it on Amazon for just a tiny bit more, and it retails at the reasonable price of $19.99.

To learn more, visit the website!

The Goddess is in the Details

by Administrator, posted in Books, Religion, Reviews, Wiccan/Pagan

I recently finished reading Deborah Blake’s latest book “The Goddess is in the Details”, which is releasing in May. What a wonderful read! As Blake points out in her introduction, there are “many books out there for the witch just starting out. Lovingly (or not so lovingly) referred to by many of us [Wiccans/Witches] as ‘Wicca 101’ books.” What has been lacking in the vast Wiccan book marketplace are books that talk more about what it means to be a Witch, the more spiritual and philosophical side of those who call themselves Wiccan. “The Goddess is in the Details” fills the void.

Blake’s book asks, and answers, just about any question you could ask about what it means to be Wiccan. The book is divided into six parts: The Everyday Witch, The Inner Witch, The Outer Witch, The Social Witch, The Practicing Witch, and The Natural Witch. Within those six parts, Blake discusses everything from “The Seven Beliefs at the Heart of Being a Witch” and “Mindful Eating” to “The Witch and Marriage” and “Interacting with Others at Work and Play”. Better still; at the end of each chapter, Blake has “Something to Think About” and/or “Something to Try”. These ask you to consider how you deal with or view the things previously discussed or offers exercises to try to incorporate what you’ve just read into your life.

I tend to think of this book as kind of a “High Priestess in a Box”. Any question you would think to ask a High Priestess, Blake answers. This makes the book an invaluable tool for Solitary practioners, individuals interested in becoming leaders within their respective spiritual communities, and any Wiccan looking to find what it means to be a Witch.

For me though, the best part of this book is the writing style. Deborah Blake and I have interacted frequently since our introduction in September of last year. She is a very warm and wise cracking lady and fortunately, she doesn’t edit her personality out of her writing. This makes the book an engaging read, with a lot of heart, instead of a dull philosophical text.



This Review is Rated X

by Administrator, posted in Products, Reviews

On October 19, 2008 I made the bold declaration that Roger von Oech’s Ball of Whacks is “the greatest fidgety widget of all time”. I invited readers to comment on favorite fidgets or perhaps suggest something better than the Ball of Whacks. Since no one said anything I’m free to assume that I have revealed one of the great universal truths of our time, that when it comes to fidgeting, the Ball of Whacks is the only way to go. Imagine my surprise and excitement when offered the opportunity to play with the follow-up to the Ball of Whacks, the X-Ball.

Obviously this wasn’t going to be any ordinary review. Roger von Oech’s X-Ball was going to have to go head to head with the Ball of Whacks. It seemed simple enough, what ball was the better fidget? Ready, set, fight! Oddly, comparing the Ball of Whacks to the X-Ball is a bit like comparing apples to oranges.

The Ball of Whacks is simple in design. You can mindlessly fidget with that bad boy for hours (ask me how I know) without it even registering. The X-Ball on the other hand, is made up of little x shaped pieces. This allows for a much wider range of designs and also causes you to think more when playing with it. Just like the Ball of Whacks, the X-Ball comes with a 96-page booklet loaded with creativity exercises and examples of the things you can construct with the X-Ball.

After hours of play and passing it around to my friends I feel I can say that both balls are great fidgets, but the X-Ball requires more thought and, in my opinion, that probably makes it a better fidget for inspiring creative thought. Of course, when it’s just me sitting around, working my way through the shows recorded on the DVR, it is, and will always be, the Ball of Whacks that I fidget with.

Why choose? Get them both.

The Tell-Me Tarot

by Administrator, posted in Magic/Occult, Products, Reviews

I have always loved tarot cards. There’s something just so delightfully arcane and occulty about them. I have loads of decks that I love to thumb through but never use. I own “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tarot and Fortune-Telling” by Arlene Tognetti and Lisa Lenard and “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tarot Spreads” by Arlene Tognetti and Carolyn Flynn, and I still don’t read tarot. Why? I can never remember the basic fundamental meanings of the cards. Now I know there is this whole school of intuitive tarot reading where you define the cards yourself based on what they seem to mean to you, and I get that, I really do. However my respect for the old school will not allow me to do that without first knowing exactly what Arthur Edward Waite said they meant first…by memory. What is a slave to tradition like me supposed to do? Turn to the “Tell-Me Tarot” created by Arik Eyal and illustrated by Nir Cassuto.

The “Tell-Me Tarot” is a traditional 78-card tarot deck that features whimsical art that plays off the traditional “Universal Waite Tarot Deck” artwork. The big difference between the “Tell-Me Tarot” and other decks is the inclusion on each card of a brief meaning for the card. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? It’s so clever!

For instance, a favorite card of mine, Death is explained in Waite’s “The Pictorial Key to the Tarot” as “The veil or mask of life is perpetuated in change, transformation and passage from lower to higher, and this is more fitly represented in the rectified Tarot by one of the apocalyptic visions than by the crude notion of the reaping skeleton. Behind it lies the whole ascent in the spirit. The mysterious horseman moves slowly, bearing a banner emblazoned with the Mystic Rose, which signifies life. Between two pillars on the verge of the horizon there shines the sun of immortality. The horseman carries no visible weapon, but king and child and maiden fall before him, while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end.

There should be no need to point out that the suggestion of death which I have made in connection with the previous card is, of course, to be understood mystically, but this is not the case in the present instance. The natural transit of man to the next stage of his being either is or may be one form of his progress, but the exotic and almost unknown entrance, while still in this life, into the state of mystical death is a change in the form of consciousness and the passage into a state to which ordinary death is neither the path nor gate. The existing of occult explanations of the 13th card are, on the whole, better than usual, rebirth, creation, destination, renewal, and the rest.”

Obviously the previous definition is describing the art and symbolism of the Waite deck, but still, pretty long and involved. What happens when you draw Death in the “Tell-Me Tarot”? You get the delightful variant art by Nir Cassuto and at the bottom of the card it says “DEATH=TERMINATION & RENEWAL Let go of past patterns, people, or activities in order to allow renewal and personal growth.” How simple is that?

Thanks to the on card definitions, there is no need for the little booklet that comes with most tarot decks. Instead, there are four cards that briefly explain a few spreads and different ways to use the cards.

The “Tell-Me Tarot” is the perfect starter deck for anyone interested in tarot.

Walking the World in Wonder…Wonder I Say!

by Administrator, posted in Books, Reviews

Right now, I’m writing this at home, trapped inside because of yet another ice storm. As I hear the clicking noise of ice hitting the ground, I find it hard to imagine spring will ever be here. However, I know that it will, and with it will come all the vibrant hues of the flowers, trees, and herbs that only a winter followed by spring can bring. I’ll have to ramp up all the allergy medications I take, but also it will be the appropriate time to give a certain little girl I know the book “Walking the World in Wonder” by Ellen Evert Hopman.

I found the existence of “Walking the World in Wonder: A Children’s Herbal” a pleasant surprise. It never occurred to me that such a book would exist. I was given the chance to look it over for review and jumped at the offer. I was rewarded with a wonderful book. The back cover says the book is appropriate for children ages 5-10 years old. Although I will readily admit that as a novice to the world of herbalism this book was at about the right speed for me too.

The book highlights 67 plants, ranging from barberry to witch hazel, conveniently divided up by season. Each plant introduces itself to the reader (such as “I am barberry. I am found in open fields and sometimes in people’s yards.”) and has a large, clear, full color photo of the plant. Each entry clearly describes the plant, provides details as to harvesting, and examples of traditional uses of the plant in herbalism.

All that was awesome, but what really impressed me was that Hopman offers advice to parents and teachers as how they can utilize “Walking the World in Wonder” as a fun, educational tool. Hopman discusses safety, “green etiquette”, and provides a checklist of all the plants so as children find them they can check them off the list.

I can’t wait until spring when I can give “Walking the World in Wonder” to a special little girl in my life.

By the way, I’m pleased to tell you that Ellen Evert Hopman, past Magical Buffet contributor and author of “Walking the World in Wonder”, will be sharing her thoughts on trees with Magical Buffet readers on a fairly regular basis. To learn more about her and her writings, click here.

The Little Book of Sanctuary

by Administrator, posted in Books, New Age, Reviews

How much information can you pack into 40 pages? A lot. Yeah, but can it be useful and make you think? Yep. How do I know? I just read “The Little Book of Sanctuary” by Alison Marks.

This cute little book is a step by step guide to reevaluating your relationship with your home and implementing change into your space. Marks is the founder of Inside Out Design Coaching in San Francisco. (Incidentally, she has a great blog called Spirit in the City that I check in on from time to be shown the coolness that is San Francisco.) Whether it’s showing you the beautiful, useful, loved test for cleaning out your belongings or setting up a plan to redecorate your home, Marks makes the challenges seem less daunting and the process useful for home and spirit. All in book that easily slips into the back pocket of your jeans.

Can I make a suggestion? Are you throwing a New Year’s Eve party or attending one? At $5.45 this seems like the perfect party favor or hostess gift at New Year’s resolution time. Also, perfect for housewarmings. I told my husband if I ran a new age gift shop or home décor store I would put a rack of these at the register. It’s the perfect little gift book, and the old retailer in me knows it’s a perfect little impulse buy! So what are you doing still reading this? Buy it already!

Click here to learn more about The Little Book of Sanctuary and other Our little Books.