The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking By Oliver Burkeman

The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it’s our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy. And that there is an alternative “negative path” to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid. It is a subversive, galvanizing message, which turns out to have a long and distinguished philosophical lineage ranging from ancient Roman Stoic philosophers to Buddhists. Oliver Burkeman talks to life coaches paid to make their clients’ lives a living hell, and to maverick security experts such as Bruce Schneier, who contends that the changes we’ve made to airport and aircraft security since the 9/11 attacks have actually made us less safe. And then there are the “backwards” business gurus, who suggest not having any goals at all and not planning for a company’s future.



Burkeman’s new book is a witty, fascinating, and counterintuitive read that turns decades of self-help advice on its head and forces us to rethink completely our attitudes toward failure, uncertainty, and death.

L'enfant Diabolique

''L'enfant Diabolique'' or ''The Devil Child'' was said to be still born. his Mother died of massive hemorrhages, she was 52, the skeletal remains of the stillborn were encased in Glass along with the sparrow that flew into the room at the time in order to contain any Bad Luck from entering further into an already contaminated environment. (Blogged via Alex CF)

2012 Doomsday

The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs according to which cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on 21 December 2012. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. Various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae have been proposed as pertaining to this date, though none have been accepted by mainstream scholarship. A New Age interpretation of this transition is that this date marks the start of time in which Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era. Others suggest that the 2012 date marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Scenarios suggested for the end of the world include the arrival of the next solar maximum , an interaction between Earth and the black hole at the center of the galaxy, or Earth's collision with a planet called "Nibiru".

Scholars from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of such cataclysmic events occurring in 2012. Professional Mayanist scholars state that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the extant classic Maya accounts, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012 misrepresents Maya history and culture. Astronomers and other scientists have rejected the proposals as pseudoscience, stating that they conflict with simple astronomical observations and amount to "a distraction from more important science concerns, such as global waming and loss of biological diversity".

Apocalypse

There is a strong tradition of "world ages" in Mayan literature, but the record has been distorted, leaving several possibilities open to interpretation. According to the Popol Vuh, a compilation of the creation accounts of the K'iche' Maya of the Colonial-era highlands, we are living in the fourth world. The Popol Vuh describes the gods first creating three failed worlds, followed by a successful fourth world in which humanity was placed. In the Maya Long Count, the previous world ended after 13 b'ak'tuns, or roughly 5,125 years. The Long Count's "zero date" was set at a point in the past marking the end of the third world and the beginning of the current one, which corresponds to 11 August 3114 BC in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. This means that the fourth world will also have reached the end of its 13th b'ak'tun, or Mayan date 13.0.0.0.0, on 21 December 2012. In 1957, Mayanist and astronomer Maud Worcester Makemson wrote that "the completion of a Great Period of 13 b'ak'tuns would have been of the utmost significance to the Maya". In 1966, Michael D. Coe wrote in The Maya that "there is a suggestion ... that Armageddon would overtake the degenerate peoples of the world and all creation on the final day of the 13th [b'ak'tun]. Thus ... our present universe [would] be annihilated [in December 2012] when the Great Cycle of the Long Count reaches completion." 

taken from: Wikipedia

My end will be tragic but forgettable

She took a warm shower. She soaked in her patchouli,lavender, vanilla shower gel. Once she calmed and stopped crying, she got out and went to her bedroom. Her roommate was home so she had to wait until he was absolutely done with the bathroom. She pulled up her black and white stripped thigh highs. They were her favorite since they had wonderful black lace on the top. She put on her black Moresca gown and her Witchy shoes. Her hair was loose and her lips were blood red, her eyeshadow as black as a shadow itself. She walked into the bathroom and locked the door. She filled the tub with water and drops of rose scented oil, finally she dropped red rose petals that floated in the surface. She got in the tub and laid down in her gown, shoes and tights. She grabbed the razor blade and slit her wrists upward. The flesh opening showing a thin layer of fat while the torn veins allowed the blood to fill the wounds and uncontrollably started flowing towards the rose water on the tub. She grabbed the white lilies and closed her eyes. The lilies slow staining in red. Blood lilies of the weak she thought, while her pains and worries went away; released as the blood flowed now making the water completely blood red.

A blood bath on Halloween.

Zombie Cupcakes to welcome October 1st!

Made delicious Zombie Cupcakes at the Dark Side Headquarters. :-)

Bettie Page Clothing

Bettie Page Clothing: Bettie Page Clothing | Vintage & Retro Clothing for the Modern Woman

Vermilion

She entered a room; door slammed behind her. She shook but didn't care, because
she was amazed at what she was seeing. There were candles everywhere with
dozens of red roses in vases and rose petals in the bed and floor. An
opened bottle of wine sat on the night table with two half full wine
glasses. She sat on the side of the bed staring at the closet door. Tears
poring down her cheek bones and her hands shook uncontrollably.

Door opens, and a six foot tall man stood by it for a second. She could
only see his shadow with the dimmed candle lights flickering. He walked
towards her locking the door behind him. He stood in front of her with his crotch
at the level of her face. He wiped a tear off her face and with his thumb
he rubbed her lips sticking his thumb in her mouth. He played with her tongue and his thumb while he unzipped his pants. Taking out his cock, he took his
thumb out of her mouth and grabbed her head, shoving his cock deep inside
her mouth. She gagged while he kept fucking her mouth over and over. She
tried pulling back but he threw her back shoving his cock back in her
mouth. This time she couldn't stop gagging, she couldn't pull back. He had
her pinned against the bed and his body. He kept fucking her mouth until
she swallowed a gulp of cum. He took his cock out of her mouth and flipped
her over. He lifted her dress and ripped her panties, penetrating her anus
without lubricant. She felt her skin rip and let out a moaning scream that
echoed throughout the room. He didn't stop.

She felt the warm blood dripping down her inner thighs, but she stopped
screaming and just moaned. He came inside and out, mixing the cum with her
blood. She fell to the left side of the bed and passed out of exhaustion.

In the morning; she wakes up to a tray of a homemade American breakfast,
and laying by it a rose with a note that said: Eat your breakfast my love,
you'll need the energy for tonight....

PHURBA : TIBETAN RITUAL DAGGER

I just got this on Saturday, It's a Phurba. 

The Phurba is triple sided Tibetan ritual dagger or stake. Tibetan meaning for Phurba refers to a stake used for tethering or a peg used for securing a tent. While other objects of similar shape can be considered Phurba, it is usually a knife with three distinct segments, one of which is a characterstic three - sided blade or point. The segments and the triple blade represent the three spirit worlds, while the Phurba as a whole symbolizes the "worlds axis" bring all three worlds together. This ritual Buddhist dagger or dart symbolizes the slaying or destruction of foe or obstructions. This ritual object is usually made of various clay, woods, metals or human or monkey bones or a combination which is considered a powerful element for driving away evil spirits, however wood and bone are also used and often required for certain ritual events. The lower part of the blade is said to represent "Method" while the handle "Wisdom". These would have been two objects that were vital in the survival of people in these hash regions. The Phurba is patterned after an ancient Vedic tool, a stake used to tether sacrifical animals. It is also regarded as a powerful weapon which subdues evil spirits and negative energies, transforming them into positive forces.
The Phurba also Phurpa is a ritual dagger (not meant to actually hurt in any way a sentient living being, the blade is not sharp). It is used against evil spirits by the tantric practioner. The idea is not release the spirit out of its suffering and thereby buide it to a better rebirth. A spirit (more commonly the ghost in the west) is a non physical being which lingers in confusion between differnt realms. By plunging the dagger in it, it will be thrown out of its confussion and thus gets the chance to be reborn (probably a lower kind than human realm). Phurba is used as a means of destroying voilence, hatred, and aggression by tying them to the blade of the phurba and then vanquishing them with its tip. Phurba (Ritual Dagger) is used in the ritual slaying of negative emotions, such as anger. It is regarded as possessing magical powers, and is an essential artifact uses sacred mask dances. It is also regarded as a powerful weapon which subdues evil spirits and negative energies, transforming them into positive forces. It is therefore that the phurba is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual implement, and should be regarded as such. The Phurbas were traditionally for the use of hunting down the demons. Certain demons however, are immune to attack from any earthly weapon. Thuse when a meteor fell out of the
POWER OF PHURBA:
The Phurba bears may abilities;
Phurba - Ritual Dagger is used to drive away evil spirits or negativity. Phurba causes aggravated damage and double damage to spirits. Phurba is capable of moving under it's own power by flying about and is quite fast and capable of lifting a man off the ground (When attempting to resist the Phurba by main strength, the Phurba has strenght of four unless thime magic or some other cheat is used, you will not be able to outrun it). The faces on either side of the pommel can animate and bite anyone gripping the handle (This causes completely negligible damage but requires a Sta roll against a different of eight to hang on to it). Phurba can unerringly track any being whose blood it has already tasted. Anyone killed by a Phurba, has his psychic linkges severed and is thrust into oblivion. Victims of the Phurba never return as ghosts. Phurba also has the strange effect of completely crasing the cause of death to any form of scrying except time magic. Prime, spirit and mind magic will yield nothing in term of sensory impressions and even Necromancy will draw a blank. Any Euthanatos using this dagger should keep a close eye on his Jhor taint. Since the blade of Phurba is triangula in shape, wounds that are caused by it will not close by themselves, this causes the victim to lose his health conditions. Lastly, Phurba are immune to destrucion with entropy, matter or forces magic. Attempting to use any kind of magic or control the dagger will invite attack.
USE OF PHURBA:
The Phurba - Ceremonial Dagger, is a central ritual tool for all shamanic rituals - so central, in fact, that its use is rearely specified but simply presumed. Phurba in Buddhist ceremonies to exorcise demons or as a spiritual nail to pin down the distractions of gree, desire, envy. The sides of the Phurba destroy the three poisons: attachment, aversion, delusion.
Phurba also Phurpa is used as a means of destroying voilence, hatred, and aggression by tying them to the blade of the phurba and then vanquishing them with its tip. Phurba (Ritual Dagger) is used in the ritual slaying of negative emotions, such as anger. It is regarded as possessing magical powers, and is an essential artifact uses sacred mask dances. It is also regarded as a powerful weapon which subdues evil spirits and negative energies, transforming them into positive forces. It is therefore that the phurba is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual implement, and should be regarded as such. The Phurbas were traditionally for the use of hunting down the demons. Certain demons however, are immune to attack from any earthly weapon.
Phurba also Phurpa is used to pin down restless energy and create a stable "protected" and thus "hallowed ground." It is often used in tantric ceremonies to intiate a protective circle by establishing a boundary of Phurba stakes nailed into the ground and connected by a thread or threads of a certain color. The Phurba may be of various woods, clay, metals or human or monkey bones or a combination. But is is more than a ritual object; in Nepal during a healing it is the Jhankri (a man who chases evil spirits away) himself. During his trance, the Jhankri transforms his spiritual body into a phurba and takes flight through the spirit worlds in this form. It is considered be one of the ultimate weapons of intention and is never to be used casually.
The Phurba as an implement is also directly related to Dorje Phurba or Vajrakilla, a wrathful deity of Tibetan Buddhism who is often seen with his consort Dorje Phagmo or Vajra Varahi. He is embodied in the Phurba as a means of destroying voilence, hatred, and aggression by tying them to the blade of the phurba and then vanquishing them with its tip. It is therefore that the phurba is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual implement, and should be regarded as such.

The rise & fall of the prefrontal lobotomy

Posted on: July 24, 2007 7:48 PM, by Mo 

 http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/07/inventing_the_lobotomy.php

 

LOBOTOMY (from the Greek lobos, meaning lobes of the brain, and tomos, meaning cut) is a psychosurgical procedure in which the connections the prefrontal cortex and underlying structures are severed, or the frontal cortical tissue is destroyed, the theory being that this leads to the uncoupling of the brain's emotional centres and the seat of intellect (in the subcortical structures and the frontal cortex, respectively).

The lobotomy was first performed on humans in the 1890s. About half a century later, it was being touted by some as a miracle cure for mental illness, and its use became widespread; during its heyday in the 1940s and '50s, the lobotomy was performed on some 40,000 patients in the United States, and on around 10,000 in Western Europe. The procedure became popular because there was no alternative, and because it was seen to alleviate several social crises: overcrowding in psychiatric institutions, and the increasing cost of caring for mentally ill patients.

Although psychosurgery has been performed since the dawn of civilization, the origins of the modern lobotomy are found in animal experiments carried out towards the end of the nineteenth century. The German physiologist Friedrich Goltz (1834-1902) performed ablations of the neocortex in dogs, and observed the changes in behaviour that occurred as a result:

I have mentioned that dogs with a large lesion in the anterior part of the brain generally show a change in character in the sense that they become excited and quite apt to become irate. Dogs with large lesions of the occipital lobe on the other hand become sweet and harmless, even when they were quite nasty before.

These findings inspired the physician Gottlieb Burkhardt (1836- ?), the director of a small asylum in Prefargier, Switzerland, to use ablations of the cortex to try and cure his mentally ill patients. In 1890, Burkhardt removed parts of the frontal cortex from 6 of his schizophrenic patients. One of these patients later committed suicide, and another died within one week of his surgery. Thus, although Burkhardt believed that his method had been somewhat successful, he faced strong opposition, and stopped  experimenting with brain surgery.

It was not until the 1930s that lobotomy was again performed on humans. The modern procedure was pioneered at that time by the Portugese neuropsychiatrist Antonio Egas Moniz, a professor at the University of Lisbon Medical School. While attending a frontal lobe symposium in London, Moniz learned of the work of Carlyle Jacobsen and John Fulton, both of whom were experimental neurologists at Yale University.

Jacobsen and Fulton reported that frontal and prefrontal cortical damage in chimpanzees led to a massive reduction in aggression, while complete removal of the frontal cortex led to the inability to induce experimental neuroses in the chimps. Here, they describe the post-operational behaviour of a chimp named "Becky", who had previously got extremely distressed after making mistakes during the task she had learnt:

The chimpanzee...went to the experimental cage. The usual procedure of baiting the cup and lowering the opaque screen was followed...If the animal made a mistake, it showed no evidence of emotional disturbance but quietly awaited the loading of the cups for the next trial. It was as if the animal had joined the "happiness cult of the Elder Micheaux," and had placed its burdens on the Lord!

On hearing the presentation by Jacobsen and Fulton, Moniz asked if the surgical procedure would be beneficial for people with otherwise untreatable psychoses. Although the Yale researchers were shocked by the question, Moniz, together with his colleague Almeida Lima, operated on his first patient some three months later.

On November, 12th, 1935, Moniz and Lima performed for the first time what they called a prefrontal leucotomy ("white matter cutting"). The operation was carried out on a female manic depressive patient, and lasted about 30 minutes. The patient was first anaesthetized, and her skull was trepanned on both sides (that is, holes were drilled through the bone). Then, absolute alcohol was injected through the holes in the skull, into the white matter beneath the prefrontal area.  

In this way, two of the bundles of nerve fibres connecting the frontal cortex and the thalamus were severed. (The thalamus is a subcortical structure that relays sensory information to the neocortex, and the thalamo-cortical projections are called the corona radiata.) Moniz reported that the patient seemed less anxious and paranoid afterwards, and pronounced the operation a success. Subsequently, he and Lima used a knife, which, when inserted through the holes in skull and moved back and forth within the brain substance would sever the thalamo-cortical connections. They later developed a special wire knife called a leucotome, which had an open steel loop at its end; when closed, the loop severed the nerve tracts within it.

These procedures were "blind" - the exact path of the leucotome could not be determined, so the operations produced mixed results. In some cases, there were improvements in behaviour; in others, there was no noticable difference; and in yet others, the symptoms being treated became markedly worse. In all, Moniz and Lima operated on approximately 50 patients. The best results were obtained in patients with mood disorders, while the treatment was least effective in schizophrenics.

In 1936, Moniz published his findings in medical journals, and travelled to London, where he presented his work to others in the medical community. In 1949, he was shot four times by one of his patients (not one who had been lobotomized); one of the bullets entered his spine and remained lodged there until his death some years later. In the same year as the shooting, Moniz was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine, for his innovations in neurosurgery.

The American clinical neurologist Walter Freeman (1895-1972) had been following the work of Moniz closely, and had also attended the symposium on the frontal lobe. It was Freeman who introduced the lobotomoy to the United States, and who would later become the biggest advocate of the technique. With neurosurgeon James Watts, Freeman refined the technique developed by Moniz. They changed the name of the technique to "lobotomy", to emphasize that it was white and grey matter that was being destroyed.

The Freeman-Watts Standard Procedure was used for the first time in September 1936. Also known as "the precision method", this involved inserting a blunt spatula through holes in both sides of the skull; the instrument was moved up and down to sever the thalamo-cortical fibers (above). However, Freeman was unhappy with the new procedure. He considered it to be both time-consuming and messy, and so developed a quicker method, the so-called "ice-pick"lobotomy, which he performed for the first time on January 17th, 1945.

With the patient rendered unconscious by electroshock, an instrument was inserted above the eyeball through the orbit using a hammer. Once inside the brain, the instrument was moved back and forth; this was then repeated on the other side. (The ice-pick lobotomy, named as such because the instrument used resembled the tool with which ice is broken, is therefore also known as the transorbital lobotomy. The photograph at the top shows Freeman performing the procedure on an unidentified patient.)

Freeman's new technique could be performed in about 10 minutes. Because it did not require anaesthesia, it could be performed outside of the clinical setting, and lobotomized patients did not need hospital internment afterwards. Thus, Freeman often performed lobotomies in his Washington D.C. office, much to the horror of Watts, who would later dissociate himself from his former colleague and the procedure.

Freeman happily performed ice-pick lobotomies on anyone who was referred to him. During his career, he would perform almost 3,500 operations. Like the leucotomies performed by Moniz and Lima, those performed by Freeman were blind, and also gave mixed results. Some of his patients could return to work, while others were left in something like a vegetative state.

Most famously, Freeman lobotomized President John F. Kennedy's sister Rosemary, who was incapacitated by the operation, which was performed on her when she was 23 years of age. And, on December 16th, 1960, Freeman notoriosly performed an ice-pick lobotomy on a 12-year-old boy named Howard Dully, at the behest of Dully's stepmother, who had grown tired of his defiant behaviour. 

My stepmother hated me. I never understood why, but it was clear she'd do anything to get rid of me...If you saw me you'd never know I'd had a lobotomy.
The only thing you'd notice is that I'm very tall and weigh about 350 pounds. But I've always felt different - wondered if something's missing from my soul. I have no memory of the operation, and never had the courage to ask my family about it.
So [recently] I set out on a journey to learn everything I could about my lobotomy...It took me years to get my life together. Through it all I've been haunted by questions: 'Did I do something to deserve this?, Can I ever be normal?', and, most of all, 'Why did my dad let this happen?'

Howard Dully during his ice-pick lobotomy, Dec. 16th, 1960.
(George Washington University Gelman Library)

Dully's mother had died when he was 5 years old, and his father subsequently remarried a woman named Lou. Freeman's notes later revealed that Lou Dully feared her stepson, and described him as "defiant and savage-looking". According to the notes:

He doesn't react to either love or punishment. He objects to going to to bed but then sleeps well. He does a good deal of daydreaming and when asked about it says 'I don't know.' He turns the room's lights on when there is broad daylight outside.

Freeman recorded the events leading up to Dully's lobotomy:

[Nov. 30, 1960] Mrs. Dully came in for a talk about Howard. Things have gotten much worse and she can barely endure it. I explained to Mrs. Dully that the family should consider the possibility of changing Howard's personality by means of transorbital lobotomy. Mrs. Dully said it was up to her husband, that I would have to talk with him and make it stick.
[Dec. 3, 1960] Mr. and Mrs. Dully have apparently decided to have Howard operated on. I suggested [they] not tell Howard anything about it.

Following the operation, the notebook reads:

I told Howard what I'd done to him...and he took it without a quiver. He sits quietly, grinning most of the time and offering nothing.

Now in his late fifties, Dully works as a bus driver in California. About 40 years after his lobotomy, he discussed the operation with his father for the first time. He discovered that it was his stepmother who had found Dr. Freeman, after being told by other doctors that there was nothing wrong, and that his father had been manipulated by his second wife and Freeman into allowing the operation to be performed.

It was largely because of Freeman that the lobotomy became so popular during the 1940s and '50s. He travelled across the U. S., teaching his technique to groups of psychiatrists who were not qualified to perform surgery. Freeman was very much a showman; he often deliberately tried to shock observers by performing two-handed lobotomies, or by performing the operation in a production line manner. (He once lobotomized 25 women in a single day.) Journalists were often present on his "tours" of hospitals, so that his appearance would end up on the front page of the local newspaper; he was also featured in highly popular publications such as Time and Life. Often, these news stories exaggerated the success of lobotomy in alleviating the symptoms of mental illness.

Consequently, the use of lobotomies became widespread. As well as being used to treat the criminally insane, lobotomies were also used to "cure" political dissidents. It was alleged that the procedure was used routinely on prisoners against their will, and the use of lobotomies was strongly criticised on the grounds that it infringed the civil liberties of the patients.

An excellent account of the effects of lobotomy, and of the ethical implications of the use of the procedure, can be found in Ken Kesey's book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (This was made into a film in 1975, by Milos Forman, who received the Academy Award for Best Director. Jack Nicholson won the award for Best Actor in a Lead Role.)

The use of lobotomies began to decline in the mid- to late-1950s, for several reasons. Firstly, although there had always been critics of the technique, opposition to its use became very fierce. Secondly, and most importantly, phenothiazine-based neuroleptic (anti-psychotic) drugs, such as chlorpromazine, became widely available. These had much the same effect as psychosurgery gone wrong; thus, the surgical method was quickly superseded by the chemical lobotomy.  

Teaching Lobotomy

"Cadaver with calvarium and brain removed showing the geometrical precision with which the instruments can be placed."

Cabin in the Woods

Very few things in life scare me. Cabin in the Woods took me to that little corner in which I had to close my eyes when I saw a clown coming towards the screen with a knife.

This movie either by accident or on purpose explains why every other horror flick starts with 5 young adults who leave for spring break or away for the weekend and end up dying by either a monster, psycho, paranormal force...etc.

Without giving much away I'd like to say this is a MUST see.... and although it might be underrated as most good films of our times. I really hope this one doesn't go under the public eye as soon as it comes out on DVD.

So head out to the theaters and check it out on the big screen before it goes on DVD, trust me, it's best seen big and loud. ;-)

-Nix

THE MELANCHOLY FANTASTIC | NEWS - LATIN HORROR

THE MELANCHOLY FANTASTIC | NEWS - LATIN HORROR

THE MELANCHOLY FANTASTIC is a creepy and surreal horror/thriller about a delusional young girl who speaks with her deceased mother through a life-size doll.

 

Dali

My new creation

Jack the 'Ripper'

TV: The Aftermath Of Jack the 'Ripper' Explored - http://pulse.me/s/7aN4V

Who's playing the new "WALKING DEAD" character revealed last night!

http://www.fangoria.com/index.php/home/all-news/1-latest-news/6745-actor-hired-to-play-new-qwalking-deadq-character-revealed-last-night

My new baby

Cynopterus brachyotis

New 'Dark Shadows' Imagery Tours Collinwood Manor

Check out the link for more images and storyline - http://pulse.me/s/6F9eF

New Look At 'Dark Shadows' Cast Includes Alice Cooper

http://pulse.me/s/6Cfba

Reality kills

Relationships can be so tricky. My defence mechanism always makes me detach emotionally if I feel that my partner has no interest or lost interest. Then I start looking around subconsciously for the affection I need. If a man loses the romanticism and the details to keep you enamored. I feel its time to go because it gets worse, once its lost it doesn't come back. We have to find what satisfies us. Life is too short to waste your time in couples therapists trying to work things out. If a man never made you feel like you're the one and only, then you were never the one and only. I know this kills your heart, but reality kills...

Master Tim Burton's FRANKENWEENIE

"FRANKENWEENIE" trailer indicates Tim Burton is also reanimating

Tim Burton's feature-length update of his 1984 stop-motion short FRANKENWEENIE looks positively electrifying.

Will this year see the return of the Tim Burton we know and love? DARK SHADOWS has been consistently described by most involved as strange and indescribable, and as you're about to see, the clip for his upcoming FRANKENWEENIE looks darkly sweet and fun. It's also a great introduction, with much of the trailer the set-up and only hinting at all that ensues after reanimation.

"After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life -- with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor's fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new "leash on life" can be monstrous."

FRANKENWEENIE stars Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau and many more. It releases October 5. Yahoo! premiered the trailer.

Nice burlesque to "I'm your man" by Nick Cave

Watch "I'm Your Man" on YouTube

Nine Inch Nails- They Keep Calling Me (The Crow)

I had to post this video since I've been thinking about whatever happened to Brandon Lee's case. It's sad that it stayed unresolved and they eventually closed it.

Photos of the abandoned antique cars nature has reclaimed

[Modern Ruins] - http://pulse.me/s/6l0az

19th Century Medical Mummies in the News

A group of forensic anthropologists have completed a meticulous analysis of a set of real human anatomy displays from 19C Italy. Using CT scans and other chemical analysis, the group determined that, some 200 years ago, anatomist Giovan Battista Rini "petrified" the corpses with a mercury and other heavy metals. He injected some tinctures and used others as baths. The eyes are fake. Basically, Rini was modern medicine's first "Body Worlds" guy.--The Terrifying Body Worlds Mummy Heads of 19C Italy, Gakwer

Ok. So although this Gawker story has a MAJOR inaccuracy--Giovan Battista Rini was hardly "medicine's first 'Body Worlds' guy;" that honor would surely go to Honoré Fragonard and his incredible Anatomical Ecorchés from the 18th century--its still nice to see anatomical preparations discussed and pictured in the mainstream media. Read more about the recent CT scan analysis on preparations from the 19th century collection of anatomist Giovan Battista Rini pictured above here and here. Images by Dario Piombino-Mascali, EURAC, and Clinical Anatomy/Wiley via National Geographic article; click here to see more.

Thanks to Joanna and her friend Ken for this article.

Amazing artist's website :Blood and Spit

Renée Laferriere Cinderhouse

An awesome real NYC Horror story

Meat Lover! The Scariest (True) NYC Sublet Story You've Ever Heard

Please, adopt a bat or donate

Donate Now - Bat Conservation International

Abandoned mines throughout the United States provide homes for more than half of America’s bat species. As bats’ habitat disappears at an alarming rate because of urbanization, deforestation and human conflict, many displaced bats – including some listed as endangered – are finding refuge in abandoned mines. But those old mines must often be closed to protect unwary humans. Sealing mines without first examining them for use by bats, however, risks leaving whole colonies without homes – or worse, entombed inside.

Abandoned mines used by bats can be closed with gates that allow the bats to fly in and out while keeping humans safely outside. Over the years, Bat Conservation International has partnered with land managers, mining companies, state and federal agencies and environmental organizations to conduct pre-closure bat surveys at thousands of mines and caves. We have protected many of them with appropriate gates and other bat-friendly closures that keep humans safe while ensuring the bats can keep their homes.

Bats are facing some of their greatest challenges ever. White-nose Syndrome continues to decimate North American bats, and research to protect bats from wind turbines is not keeping pace with the growth of wind energy. With the addition of these new threats, it is increasingly important to conserve safe shelter for these vital animals.

Check out my bff's blog and follow her!

Finding Lost Souls

Ranting and Raving about people, sports, movies and her life experiences. Get to know a real New Yorker at heart. She'll enchant you with her personality and sincerity (plus she's a Horror/Sci fi fan, so you can't go wrong).

Check out my friend's blog

Mr Frights

Mr. Frights is here to produce and promote entertaining horror content 365 days a year, focusing on the fun roots of horror, and sharing with my followers ways that they can enjoy horror in all aspects of their daily lives.

NYC Horror Film Festival

Hey Horror filmmakers! Although the new NYC Horror Film fest website is not up yet, you can start submitting your film using the old site http://www.nychorrorfest.com/submissions.php