Author name: admin

Bob Makransky, of the Magical Almanac Ezine, gives us his thoughts about luck.

This September 29 through October 6 is Banned Books Week. The American Library Association’s website tells us, First observed in 1982, Banned Books Week reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. The event is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

I love Kathy Griffin. I always have, and I imagine I always will. I frequently tell people that I want to be the Kathy Griffin of the spirituality set. I shamelessly use her bits in conversations with friends and family, sometimes even giving her credit. I love her vicious mocking of celebrity. On the surface it all seems so simple. Kathy makes fun of celebrities. Perhaps, I’m reading too much into her work, but I personally feel there is so much more to it than that.

On August 29, 2007 the winner of the 2007 Blake Prize was announced. According to the Blake Prize website, The Blake Prize for Religious Art is one of the more prestigious art prizes in Australia. For 55 years it has been awarding a prize for works of art that explore the subject of religious awareness and spirituality. This year’s winner was Shirley Purdie and her piece Stations of the Cross. However, the winning piece isn’t what people are talking about.

Are you Wiccan? Are you interested in astrology? Are you interested in the moon? Are you interested in mythology?

A mostly irrelevant post about establishing a book review section on the old website.

I was a big fan of the television show The West Wing. I also loved Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip(created by the same guy) but it got cancelled and I’m bitter so I would thank you not to bring that up.) Anyway, there was this amusing little bit in the episode Debate Campthat I always liked involving 600,000 Evangelicals praying for C.J. (the White House Press Secretary). It went like this:

Congolese Pygmies tell travelers about some creature that appears to be a cross between a zebra and a giraffe. Ridiculous, they say. Do we have another kongamato on our hands? Well fortunately for us, Sir Harry Johnston took them seriously. That’s why today most every zoo around the world has an okapi. That’s right, this month I am writing about a creature that definitively exists!

Mommy bails out daring, handsome, Finnish hero. That would be Lemminkainen, one of the heroes of the Kalevala. The Kalevala is an epic Finnish poem; it is considered the national epic of Finland. It is 50 chapters, runes, or cantos (depending on who you ask) of epic adventures. Today, we’re taking a little peak at Lemminkainen.

It’s big. It’s yellow. It can do neat stuff. It makes you smile. No, I’m not talking about Big Bird, although he is pretty cool. I’m talking about the sunflower.