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By some measures, True Blood is the most popular show on TV. But one group isn't too happy with it: Wiccans. More »
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Last night's episode of True Blood saw Antonia Gavilán of Logroño declaring, "I am returned." She has taken over Marnie's body, and we have no idea where Marnie's poor soul is — maybe on a nice vacation in some kind of tropical paradise? In any case, four hundred years ago, Antonia was tortured, raped and burned at the stake by vampires. She is still pretty upset about it. And she's now found a kindred spirit in Tara, who was attacked by Pam, then broke up with her girlfriend and cried her eyes out. Misery loves company, and the downtrodden love revenge, and as Antonia told Tara, "we are alike." Antonia drafted Tara to help her destroy all vampires by forming a witchy circle, controlling each vamp and sending them into the sun. Some vamps — Eric, Pam, Bill — managed to bind themselves in silver so they would not die. But at the end of the ep, it certainly looked like poor babyvamp Jessica opened the doors of the mansion and let the sunshine in. Damn. More »
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At a recent Astros-Diamondbacks game, a foul ball flew into the stands towards a grown woman and some children; after a short squabble, the woman left with the ball. A slow-mo replay shows the woman actually grabbing the ball from a young sportsfan's hands. According to a redditor who was at the game, she was booed for about five minutes, which doesn't seem quite long enough. Fuck off, lady. More »
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A team of dedicated researchers at the University of Manchester spent two weeks photographing a recovered notebook documenting a 1645 trial for witchcraft, so that the world may know of the evil witch who "confessed to sleeping with the devil when she was tortured." It is unknown whether or not "devil" means any man who was not her husband, and if being "tortured" refers to "that time of the month" or "living in a society that will hang a woman just because they think she's a weirdo." At any rate, you can check it out here. More »
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Something is going down in Romania, and it's not good. People who claim the profession of witch, astrologer and fortune teller will have to pay taxes for the first time, ever. Many are not happy. More »
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O'Donnell's declaration, along with the other top ten quotes of the year, will be published in the next edition of The Yale Book of Quotations. More »
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Inspired by Christine O'Donnell, Elvira is speaking out to let us know that she, too, is us. More »
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In damage control mode, Christine O'Donnell is cutting off access to the mean press. Hence, this "tightly-controlled" Republican event. More »
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Romanian senators have rejected a bill that would tax witches and fortune tellers, make them produce receipts, and hold them liable for incorrect predictions. One lawmaker claimed the senators were afraid of being cursed. Really? More »
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It's not hard to see that Baba Yaga, the horrifying witch-hag of Slavic folklore, could be read as saying a lot of things about women. A new retelling of her myth does exactly that. More »
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A new poll shows more than 20% of Americans believe in witches — but we can't judge, because we believe in some weird shit too. More »
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The Pyramid Collection catalog promises "myth, magick, fantasy and romance." And it delivers: Vampires, faeries, Regency-era heroines — the gang's all here! More »
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• A 36-year-old Toronto woman has been charged with witchcraft and fraud. She allegedly fleeced criminal lawyer Noel Daley out of $150,000 by claiming that she was the embodiment of his dead sister. • More »
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Lately, cat ladies have been in the news, prompting legislation, a documentary, and a new inquiry from Slate's "Explainer": "What's the deal with cat ladies?" And why are they always, well, ladies? More »
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Responding to criticism from the Initiative for Black Germans, the Dresden Zoo has changed the name of one of its baby mandrills from "Obama" to "Okeke" — unfortunately, also a common African surname. • More »
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• Famous German polar bear Knut will not be leaving his home at the Berlin Zoo, despite claims that the Neumuenster Zoo is the true owner of the furry celebrity. Also: here's an adorable video of Knut swimming. •  More »
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Opponents of gay marriage in Maine have hired the PR firm behind California's Proposition 8 to help them repeal gay marriage in their state. More »
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• Mental Floss reveals how Peanuts producers made that weird sound that plays when adults are talking on the Charles Schultz cartoons. The secret involves a toilet plunger. • More »
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Some scholars think that within in the half-century of active witch-hunting, as many as nine million people, mostly women, were executed, and countless more tortured. At the height of the craze, "witches" as young as seven were killed; in other cases they were forced to watch their mothers burned alive. The last documented witch-mob took place in England in 1945. In most cases, the women were believed to be in league with the devil — although often, a new book argues, this became a catch-all for any behavior society frowned upon. More »
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If you thought deciding on a Halloween costume was a bother, you should try organizing a Pagan ritual! Slate's Lee Ann Kinkade, has a piece about trying to wrangle witches for the festival of Samhein, or "the night when the veil between the living and the dead, between this world and others, is thin." Like Halloween, Samhein is October 31st, and because Pagans by nature are non-comformists, getting a group of them to agree on anything is near impossible. Though there will be mead and amulets and "an unfortunate excess of tie-dyed material," getting the entire coven to choose the same kind of ritual dagger is a terrible process. More »
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This is a busy month for Bolivian "witches," called yatiris by the Aymaras indigenous group in El Alto. August is the month between winter and spring in Bolivia, and thus it is a critical month for farmers. According to the Aymaras, the Earth deities are hungry for offerings during this time, and thus the Aymara people turn to the yatiris to help them make offerings to the gods. Marketplaces are packed with yatiris and saleswomen hawking special offerings like llama fetuses, skunk hides, and porcupine tails but they are also full of other goods from salespeople looking to benefit from the surge of shoppers at the marketplace looking for yatiri goods (sort of like the Black Friday of the Aymara people). The yatiris, however, offer their services for other concerns, like love triangles and financial issues. While other countries in the West, Africa, and Asia may persecute their "witches," the Aymaras respect and support them by employing their spells and charms for their own purposes. [IHT] More »
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Pussycat Doll takes shilling to high extreme, sings song for Caress body wash. • An Indian man beheaded a woman he believed was a witch. • 18-year-old girl genius makes the natural transition into academia. • "Whether or not we're in a recession, it doesn't matter. That day is the most important day of your life and a memory for a lifetime." —bride-to-be on expensive weddings. • Men undergoing treatment for sleep apnea sleep better when sleeping with their wives. • The U.S. Marine Corps is attempting to recruit women through advertisements in women's fitness mags. • Only 35% of Afghan schoolchildren are female, despite advances in getting Afgani children educated. • A woman sells eggs to fund her Everest climb. • They may be short, but Iraq's female basketball team has dreams as high as mountains! • Fast fashion is out, sewing machines are in! • Don't you know? Asshole male drivers are just getting in touch with their caveman roots. • Awesome 55-year old grandma runs marathons to come to the aid of meth addicts. More »
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We thought the bridal trend that we were the most tired of was the "chocolate" (oh, come on girls — just say brown!) bridesmaids dress. Seriously, everyone we know getting married has had their maids in "chocolate." But that trend isn't half as interesting as the pagan wedding! Yup, pretty and dainty church weddings are out, and a little witchy-woman action is in. "Witches are getting more and more in demand. People want a pagan wedding," said Maxine Sanders, Wiccan high priestess of the sacred mysteries. Is it because people have lost their faith in God? In priests? Or is it the influence of Harry Potter? Fuck "spirituality" — it's all about the sorting hat! [TheAge.com.au] More »
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