The year is 1826, The Walke Manor House has visitors that stay on the Plantation from time to time, mostly cousins. To set the scene, a huge brick Manor House, a race track, acres of fruit trees and a bounty of legendary oysters in the bay. The men indulged in gambling, drinking and card parties that ran into the early hours of morning. The women on the other hand enjoyed the beautiful countryside with games on the glorious green.
Tragedy strikes and a Lady in White is found at the bottom of the staircase, her lifeless body never to enjoy the fresh sea air on her face or hear the laughter of children that she governed for many years. Psychics have reported that her neck was broken and she died instantly. Some say her heel was caught on the hem of her dress, others blame the children at the top of the stairs for her fatal fall. It is rumoured that in her day she enjoyed the race track as she is seen even today wandering the fields where the cloud of dust and pony hooves were embedded for many years. She has also been seen riding on a two wheeled bicycle which cannot be mistaken for a modern bike as one wheel is much larger than the other. The whiskful layered light remnents of her clothing catch the breeze as she rides as if floating on air in the old roadway which was recently uncovered. This Lady in White has been seen by many.
Many visitors come and go from the Ferry Plantation House each year, but when some leave they have lasting memories they take with them. It cound be at any time of the day when visiting the historic Ferry Plantation House. You enter any room and get the feeling that you are not alone. Shortness of breath, heavieness on your chest, signs that some one from the past is trying to contact you. The owner calls them visitors “soul prints of the past”. They just want their story to be told.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and then crosswise into pieces. Toss potato pieces and onions with oil in small bowl until thoroughly coated. Place potato pieces and onions in 11/2-quart soufflé dish. Add Italian seasoning and pepper. Mix well. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Tear off three 18 × 3-inch strips of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lay the strips on a flat surface, cross the strips so that they resemble wheel spokes.
Place soufflé dish in center of strips. Pull foil strips up and over dish and place dish into slow cooker, using foil strips as handles.
Pour hot water to about 11/2 inches below top of soufflé dish. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours.
Use foil handles to lift out dish from slow cooker. Stir tomato, feta and olives into potato mixture.
Canadian singer-songwriter David Hein, 36, heard those words about 18 years ago when his divorced mom married her lesbian partner. At the time, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal, but the pair have since made it official.
Hein’s mom came out as a lesbian when he was a teenager. Around the same time, she recommitted to her Jewish faith. Her bride, though, was a Wiccan — a modern-day pagan.
So the non-traditional ceremony in the musical romantic comedy My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is straight from life, says Hein. He co-wrote the warm-hearted show with his wife, Irene Sankoff, to salute his offbeat family and celebrate the idea that love knows no gender or religion.
“There were Jewish elements of the wedding, and Wiccan elements,” he says. “They stood under a chuppah and they smashed a glass, but they also had their hands bound… and jumped over a broom and a cauldron of water.” Read full story from winnipegfreepress.com
(CNN) – Everyone knows the 2012 presidential race is about jobs and the economy. As likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney said a couple weeks ago: “It’s still about the economy, and we’re not stupid.”
But have you noticed how the culture wars keep intruding into this it’s-all-about-the-economy election?
But studies show there’s another reason to favor gay marriage – it’s good for public health.
A study published in February by the American Journal of Public Health found that gay men in Massachusetts were in better physical and mental health after that state became the first to recognize same-sex marriage in 2003. Researchers examined the medical records of 1,211 gay and bisexual men who went to “a large, community-based health clinic” in a “large metropolitan city” and compared the patients’ use of medical services before and after the law went into effect. Read full story from latimes.com
How the Olympics were born
Approximately 28 centuries ago, a festival emerged in the ancient Greek district of Elis (the northwestern area of the Peloponnesian peninsula). Quite how it developed is not entirely clear. It may have had something to do with funeral ceremonies; or perhaps it was the result of increasing political competitiveness (and a touch of neighbour envy) among early Greek city-states.
The ancient author Pindar assures us that Hercules himself started the whole thing as a gift to his father Zeus. Be as it may, this Greek festival was given the name of Olympic Games, and you could say it grew to become a big hit.
The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia, a site controlled by Elis, every four years. Like today’s Games, they were considered a pretty special event. Ancient Greeks travelled from all over the known world to watch or take part in them. The atmosphere was riotous. Thousands-strong crowds cheered, heckled and gasped as they followed the competitions. Read full story from sport.uk.msn.com
US should return stolen land to Indian tribes, says United Nations
A United Nations investigator probing discrimination against Native Americans has called on the US government to return some of the land stolen from Indian tribes as a step toward combatting continuing and systemic racial discrimination.
James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said no member of the US Congress would meet him as he investigated the part played by the government in the considerable difficulties faced by Indian tribes.
Anaya said that in nearly two weeks of visiting Indian reservations, indigenous communities in Alaska and Hawaii, and Native Americans now living in cities, he encountered people who suffered a history of dispossession of their lands and resources, the breakdown of their societies and “numerous instances of outright brutality, all grounded on racial discrimination”. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Why shouldn’t paganism have a place in RE lessons?
Last month it was suggested that Cornish schools should study paganism in religious education. This modest proposal provoked a splenetic and histrionic reaction from Cristina Odone, in the Daily Telegraph. She seems to be under the impression that the schools’ new remit is to “teach witchcraft and druidry”. For an exciting moment, I had a vision of Hogwarts’ latest Ofsted inspection proving inspirational to Cornish educational authorities, with parents in Truro and Penzance being sent appropriate memos for their children’s latest classes (“Please supply: cauldron x 1, athame x 1, candles x 4. Child must bring own goat.”)
“How long,” Odone asks, working herself up to a tirade which one can only hope is tongue-in-cheek, “before the end of term is marked by a black mass, with only health and safety preventing a human sacrifice?” Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Paranormal:
Ghost Box Paranormal Tool Reveals Compelling Ghost Evidence
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — There’s a paranormal tool that’s been used by ghost hunters for the past couple years, known as the ghost box. A paranormal investigator from Massachusetts has used the ghost box in his own home, and shared a video that reveals some compelling paranormal evidence, with possible proof that ghosts may actually exist.
Phillip Brunelle has been interested in the paranormal since his youth, and recently he founded ATF Paranormal Investigations and shares ghost videos and paranormal evidence on his YouTube channel, Mass Most Haunted. Read full story from technorati.com
‘Alien Abduction’ Research Suggests Episodes Are Actually Lucid Dreams
Hundreds of thousands or millions of Americans believe they have been abducted by aliens. In a typical case, an abductee recounts lying in bed one night when an eerie feeling overcomes him, and alien beings appear out of nowhere. The extraterrestrials transport him to a spacecraft and subject him to a battery of physical and psychological tests. After what seems like hours, he is returned to his bedroom unharmed, and finds that the whole ordeal transpired in minutes.
Abductees think their traumatic experiences were real. However, most psychologists think abductions are lucid dreams or hallucinations, triggered by an awareness of other people’s similar experiences. One recent experiment, in which participants trained in lucid dreaming techniques were able to dream up vivid alien encounters, supports this hypothesis. But if each perceived abduction is just the latest in a series of hallucinations, what was it that triggered that first dream or delusion? How was the alien abduction story born? Read full story from huffingtonpost.com
In the late Middle Ages, Physicians recommended Borage; they believed it supplied courage, confidence, cheerfulness and restoring life. Today, we know that it stimulates the production of adrenaline, which prepares the body to handle stress (the medieval beliefs were well founded). Other names for Borage: “good cheer”, “dear friend” and “sparkling eyes”. This reflects borage’s ability to brighten the mood. Rich in a polyunsaturated fatty acid, Borage seed oil is used to address metabolic problems from obesity to premenstrual complaints. It also promotes lactation, helps break a fever by inducing a sweat and breaks up phlegm while easing sore throats and coughs.
Help for viral infections:
A Borage and Echinacea tea have a calming effect.
Reduces fever and induces sweating.
Helps combat measles, mumps, chicken pox, colds and flus.
Mix equal amounts of fresh borage leaves and powdered Echinacea root. Brew in hot water, steep for 10 min. and sweeten with honey. Drink 1 cup 3 times per day.
Therapeutic Effect:
Borage leaves are diuretic, it increase sweat and urine.
It acts as an adrenal stimulant, useful for countering stress and lingering effects of steroid therapy.
Tea made from Borage soothes sore throats and irritated coughs.
Components:
The seed oil contains gamma linoleic acid. Found primarily in vegetable oils and used as a dietary supplement for treating problems with inflammation and auto-immune diseases.
The acid is used to to treat metabolic disturbances, including obesity, premenstrual syndrome, eczema, high blood pressure and alcoholism.
Recent evidence suggests Borage may be useful for treating heart disease and cancer.
The leaves are a good source of vitamin C, organic calcium and potassium, essential oils, tannins and mucilages. It’s also has saponins that strengthen resistance and flavonoids that prevent infection.
The silicic acid in Borage stimulates hormone production and balances mood swings.
For lactation:
A Borage tea will help promote healthy milk flow while you’re nursing.
Add a generous handful of fresh Borage leaves to ½ gal. of lemonade, or to the same amount of a mild hot tea, which ever flavor you enjoy – chamomile, fennel, nettle and violet blossoms are Excellent choices.
Let steep for at least 20 minutes, then strain through a paper filter. Drink a cup 3-4 times a day for best results.
From your garden
Borage is hard to find commercially. If you plan to make it a regular part of your diet, plant it in your garden. It attracts honeybees, ensuring pollination of other plants.
Plant the herb in sandy soil in which water drains rapidly. Sow in mid-or late spring, in full sun or partial shade, and again in early and midsummer.
Borage is an annual, it will die at the end of the season, but self sown seedlings germinate for replacement plants.
For medicinal use, the leaves are best gathered before the flower buds appear. The plant is easily bruised, so handle gently and use right away. The young leaves have a prickly texture that are edible.
Kitchen Hints
Preserve Borage in vinegar or in an alcohol tincture. It does not dry or freeze well.
Capture the flavor of Borage over the long term by making a blue vinegar from the blossoms or an emerald green vinegar from the leaves. These vinegars make wonderful gifts in decorative bottles.
“Cucumber herb” is another name for borage, and complement plain and pickled cucumbers. It adds flavor to salads, soups and summer stews. Try with eggs and fish.
The pretty blue blossoms are also edible. Remove the green sepals on the undersides before using, then sprinkle the flowers over soups and salads.
Freeze the flowers in ice for a garnish for punches and other summer drinks.
For cooking, use young leaves that are no larger than a half dollar. For teas, the bigger leaves are fine.
Borage is an essential ingredient to many Italian dishes. Borage risotto is very popular, as is ravioli stuffed with borage.
To enhance the flavor of dishes, sprinkle Borage leaves or stir them in before serving. It loses much of it’s flavor and aroma, once cooked.
Tip: Cut borage leaves into thin strips and mix into strawberry punch. Strain the punch through a paper filter before serving.
References:
The Complete Guide to Natural Healing
Note: Consult with a Physician or certified herbologist if you are seeking medical remedies. The information is not intended as medical advice. PagansWorld.org is not liable for the misuse of the herb listed above.
Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!
A Thanks to the Earth Mother By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide
Great earth mother!
We give you praise today
and ask for your blessing upon us.
As seeds spring forth
and grass grows green
and winds blow gently
and the rivers flow
and the sun shines down
upon our land,
we offer thanks to you for your blessings
and your gifts of life each spring.
Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have wonderful Beltane!
It comes from the fossilised bones of a foot that were discovered in Ethiopia and dated to be 3.4 million years old.
The researchers say they do not have enough remains to identify the species of hominin, or human ancestor, from which the right foot came.
But they tell Nature journal that just the shape of the bones shows the creature could walk upright at times. Read full story from bbc.co.uk
Climate Change Poses Disaster Risk for Most of the Planet
Climate change is bringing more droughts, heat waves and powerful rainstorms, shifts that will require governments to change how they cope with natural disasters to protect human lives and the world economy, a new U.N. report says.
The 592-page analysis by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released yesterday, also makes clear the uneven toll extracted by extreme weather, because its effects can be magnified by a lack of resources to plan for disasters and cope with their aftermath. Read full story from scientificamerican.com
News:
NYC Schools Want To Ban ‘Loaded Words’ From Tests
New York (CNN) — Divorce. Dinosaurs, Birthdays. Religion. Halloween. Christmas. Television. These are a few of the 50-plus words and references the New York City Department of Education is hoping to ban from the city’s standardized tests.
The banned word list was made public — and attracted considerable criticism — when the city’s education department recently released this year’s “request for proposal” The request for proposal is sent to test publishers around the country trying to get the job of revamping math and English tests for the City of New York.
New York (CNN) — Divorce. Dinosaurs, Birthdays. Religion. Halloween. Christmas. Television. These are a few of the 50-plus words and references the New York City Department of Education is hoping to ban from the city’s standardized tests.The banned word list was made public — and attracted considerable criticism — when the city’s education department recently released this year’s “request for proposal” The request for proposal is sent to test publishers around the country trying to get the job of revamping math and English tests for the City of New York. Read full story from ktvz.com
Suspects: Alleged sexual assault part of religion
MARIETTA – A Marietta couple was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage family member, acts they say occurred due to their religious beliefs.
Arrested were Daniel R. Hess, 45, and his live-in girlfriend, Lacey K. Day, 30, of 728 Mount Tom Road, Marietta. The couple was charged with third-degree sexual battery after allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old girl on three occasions beginning in late 2010.
“We’ve been conducting the investigation for about the last two weeks. It came to our attention through another public service agency within the county,” said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks. Read full story from newsandssentinel.com
The moss-covered monolith has three faces and appears to be roughly 4,000 years old, based on dating of other relics sprinkled about the site, which is called Gardom’s Edge.
“The stone is a singular, very striking feature in contrast to the landscape,” said astronomer Daniel Brown of Nottingham Trent University in the UK. “It’s definitely not a Space Odyssey alien relic. It’s far more mundane and tricky.”Read full story from wired.com
One of these men owned slaves, another created laws to regulate – but not ban - slavery. The third’s chief spokesman even ordered slaves to obey their masters, religious scholars say.
Most modern people of faith see slavery as a great evil. Though the three great Western religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – disagree on many matters, most of their contemporary followers condemn slavery.
Yet there was a time when Jews, Christians and Muslims routinely cited the words and deeds of their founders to justify human bondage, scholars say.
At times, religion was deployed more to promote the spread of slavery than to prevent it. Read full story from cnn.com
Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for you to become more sustainable and do something positive for the environment. It’s been the source of inspiration for millions of people taking steps towards a cleaner, safer future. It’s not just about saving energy for one hour, it’s about going Beyond the Hour with lasting, behaviour-changing actions for a sustainable planet.
There are lots of ways you can take action for Earth Hour. Whether you’re a social media fan or a hands-on organiser, you’re sure to find some inspiration right here! Read full story at earthhour.org
Arts & Entertainment:
Documentaries: The Witches of Gambaga and Sweet Crude
Earlier this week I watched two really interesting documentaries that I thought I’d share with you here briefly. The first is Witches of Gambaga by Yaba Badoe (mentioned here at Amy Reads previously as she wrote True Murder and was featured in African Love Stories). This short film (at 55 minutes) talks about the Gambaga witch camp in Northern Ghana where women go for sanctuary who are accused of witchcraft. Read full story from amckiereads.com
News:
Zimbabwe: It’s Time to Destroy Witchcraft
Witchcraft can be defined and described by people depending on their life experiences. Different contextual, cultural experiences and understandings have led to the classification of witches into black, white and red witches with different functions attached to their names.
The Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary defines the word witch as one who practices black art, or magic or possessing evil supernatural or magical power backed by demons and works in league with the devil or a sorcerer or sorceress.
My life experiences have informed me that witchcraft is an enemy that hates progress with perfect hatred. Witches have an ugly and nasty agenda for people, communities and nations. Therefore witchcraft can supervise personal and also national disasters. Besides this, witchcraft is an evil force that quenches people’s destinies and national destinies. Read full story from allafrica.com
NYC schools ban on dinosaurs, Halloween
NEW YORK — In a bizarre case of political correctness run wild, New York educrats banned references to “dinosaurs,” “birthdays,” “Halloween” and dozens of other topics on city-issued tests.
That is because they fear such topics “could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students.”
Dinosaurs, for example, call to mind evolution, which might upset fundamentalists; birthdays are not celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses; and Halloween suggests paganism. Read full story from myfoxny.com
The Dartmouth Anomaly Research Team investigates strange phenomenon in historic places, like the Yankee Pedlar. They were joined by other investigators from Worcester Paranormal. They are at the 121-year-old Torrington hotel in part because of the recent movie, “The Innkeepers,” which told a fictional story of hauntings at the hotel and was filmed on location at the Torrington landmark. Read full story from courant.com
Religion:
Exorcism victim’s last moments
Four women and a 15-year-old minor accused of the “satanic” murder of an uMlazi teenager, were all released from custody on Thursday after being granted bail at the uMlazi Magistrate’s Court.
Sinethemba Dlamini, 15, was found dead by police on March 10 with her intestines lying next to her at her home in uMlazi.
Fundiswa Faku, 29, Lindela Jalubane, 38, her daughter, Nokubonga Jalubane, 18, Nonhlanhla Mdletshe, 21, and the 15-year-old minor all pleaded not guilty.
On Thursday, Magistrate Anesh Sukdeo granted each accused bail of R500 and released the minor into her father’s custody.
He said the accused had satisfied the court by presenting it with exceptional circumstances to be granted bail. Read full story from iolnews.co.za
