“Excuse me, but you aren’t planning on killing a djinn by chance, are you?  I only ask because in order to destroy that particular supernatural creature, the lamb’s blood needs to already be on the dagger or it won’t work.  Also, it’s a good idea to have backup on hand as the touch of a djinn can render you incapacitated via psychic attack as it feeds off of your life-force.”

Maybe as the scribe he’s very intimidating, but I don’t think so, because to me he’ll always be the zit on Justin Russo’s face in Wizards of Waverly Place…

 and that guy who was selling homemade pirate movies at the convenience store in that one episode of iCarly.

I mean, he’s holding a DVD called “Pirates of the Lima Be-an”. I won’t ever fear him, no matter who he kills, because he’s also got one called “Shiver Me Booty”:

(also because he made that face when he said it)

But really, why aren’t we talking about this??

Randi dives into the most recent of “psychic” Sylvia Browne‘s failed predictions, hoping that this one may be spectacular enough to put her out of business for good.

via The Randi Show – Sylvia Browne: Wrong Again – YouTube.

Via Michael Shermer @michaelshermer (twitter)

Related articles

• Sylvia Browne’s Biggest Blunder (illuminutti.com)
• Guess she didn’t see that coming…Sylvia Browne (rhoadestoreality.wordpress.com)
• When Psychics Fail: The Sylvia Browne and Amanda Berry Fiasco (skepticalteacher.wordpress.com)
• Sylvia Browne Predicts Own Future (baddognews.org)
• Sylvia Browne Blew Berry “Prediction” (newsfromthespiritworld.com)
• People Are Pissed at Sylvia Browne. Again. (disinfo.com)
• Shame on you, Sylvia Browne, for telling Amanda Berry’s mother her daughter was dead. (badscience.net)
• Amanda Berry is alive and well … and proves Sylvia Browne’s to be a total fraud (skeptical-science.com)

(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Dave in Salisbury is an alien from another planet.  You cannot have a serious phone call with Dave From Salisbury on The Fan.  Ever.  Glenn Younes shows you how it is done.

[cbs-audio url="http://cbsbaltimore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dave-in-salisbury.mp3" size="normal" download="false" name="Dave In Salisbury" artist="The Glenn Younes Show"]

“Dude, you’re from a different planet and everybody knows it.  It might be from Krypton, you might be from Uranus.  I’m not sure where you’re from, but you’re not from Earth,”  Glenn started off with.

The Orioles were down 12-4 in a game that looked like a wash.  They came back to make it interesting at 12-10, but in the end it was not enough to overcome the huge hole Jason Hammel put them in early.  Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time, we thought this game was a joke.  Hammel’s line was 4 2/3 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.  The makings of a disastrous game.  We had to have a little fun……….at Dave in Salisbury’s expense.  There is even a cameo from his wife.

“How many acres do you have out there in Salisbury?  Where do you hide Dave’s spaceship when MIB comes Knocking?” Just one of the many questions in the get to know Dave segment.

This ranks up there with another crazy caller we had on the Glenn Younes Show.  Enjoy.

Deepak Chopra is a master of the vague, cognitively empty but emotively charged expression. Science and spirituality should be friends, says Deepak. Like Dick and Jane, I suppose. The only sensible thing he says in his entire article published in Michael Shermer‘s Skeptic magazine (vol. 16 No. 2, 2011) is “With no data to support the existence of God, there is also no reason for religion and science to close the gap between them.” Of course, he asserts this truism only to deny it.

Deepak gets aligned with reality by proclaiming that “God is inside the consciousness of each person.” (In each of us, I suppose, there is a divinity trying to escape.) Does this mean anything more than that God is a thought? Yes, according to the Master:

The physical building blocks of the universe have gradually vanished; that is, atoms and quarks no longer seem solid at all but are actually clouds of energy, which in turn disappear into the void that seems to be the source of creation. Was mind also born in the same place outside space and time? Is the universe conscious? Do genes depend on quantum interactions? Science aims to understand nature down to its very essence, and now these once radical questions, long dismissed as unscientific, are unavoidable….

It is becoming legitimate to talk of invisible forces that shape creation – not labeling them as God but as the true shapers of reality beyond the space/time continuum. A whole new field known as quantum biology has sprung up, based on a true breakthrough – the idea that the total split between the micro world of the quantum and the macro world of everyday things may be a false split. If so, science will have to account for why the human brain, which lives in the macro world, derives its intelligence from the micro world. Either atoms and molecules are smart, or something makes them smart. That something, I believe, will come down to a conscious universe.

Yes, the universe might be conscious, and Deepak might be giving it a giant headache with his frequent, noisy jabbering about quantum this and that. Deepak ought to . . .

. . . MORE . . .

Related articles

• Confusing Standards for Censorship – Chopra Edition (skepticblog.org)
• Deepak Chopra: Dear TED, Is It ‘Bad Science’ or a ‘Game of Thrones’? (huffingtonpost.com)
• What Buddha Might Say To Deepak Chopra. (elephantjournal.com)
• Just Because TED Doesn’t Promote Pseudoscience Doesn’t Mean They’re Censoring Deepak Chopra (patheos.com)

If you don’t know about it, check it out here: Roland Connect.

I’ve read a number of blogs about the keyboard and the comments left seem to be a little uneducated.  A lot of the comments knock the BK-9 down because it’s not what the commenter expected to come from Roland.  The BK-9 is an arranger keyboard with workstation features.

Roland BK-9 Backing Keyboard

For songwriters, it has a vast list of backing rhythms to jam to and the ability to playback and record digital audio files.   For performers, it has over 1,700 sounds and built Mic and Line inputs.

Where it really shines for me, is the SuperNATURAL sounds.  There’s 22 SuperNATURAL sounds (derived from the same engine in the Jupiter-80 and Integra-7) that make your performance uber-dynamic.  Playing the SN Jazz Guitar with the Cool Blues backing rhythm is just an amazing experience.  I can jam on this combo for a year!

The BK-9 really does inspire music.  I urge musicians to go out to their local music store to give it a try . . . once they start shipping . . . which is very soon.

Related articles

• Roland Intros BK-9 Backing Keyboard (synthtopia.com)

Ever have a boring Saturday where you can’t find anything worth watching on TV, and eventually come across a preacher (commonly known as a Televangelists) preaching what they claim is the word of God? Well, I have a many of times, and there are certain things that I have noticed about Televangelists and what they tend to do.

So here are five things I’ve noticed about Televangelists:

5. They’re very entertaining.

I openly admit, I think a lot of Televangelists are very entertaining to watch.

Their charismatic actions often times make them very humorous to watch. My personal favorite (in terms of entertainment value) is Benny Hinn with his “ability” to make people fall down on the floor when ever he touches someones.

Of course that entertainment value gets taken away when you realize the next four things:

4. They’re always asking for money.

Just about every single broadcast a Televangelist makes, they’re always asking for money.

Of course they don’t actually outright ask you to give them money. They call it something else, such as pledging, or a gift, or “sowing a seed”.

They also make it seem like they need that money right away, and they always do that while wearing suits worth $2,000 to $3,000, in studios worth $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.

3. They act like they have supernatural powers.

Televangelists often times act like their extra special with God, and that if you send them money, you will be in God’s favor (and usually the more money you send them the better favor). Sometimes they will even pray on camera for the people who sent them money, just for that extra “favor”.

Some of them also act like they can heal people from long distances away, or up close by touching you (and knocking you down in the process).

MORE . . .

Related articles

• Broke Benny asks for millions of dollars (ivarfjeld.com)
• Senate committee investigating six televangelists (virginiahinostroza4.wordpress.com)
• Televangelist under fire over comments (wcpo.com)
• Benny Hinn Asks Followers for $2.5 Million to Get Out of Debt (praiserichmond.com)
• Televangelist Juanita Bynum Arrested (thebuzzcincy.com)
• Pat Robertson, Who Prophesied ‘Romney Will Win,’ Urges Viewers to Beware False Prophets (alternet.org)
• Why Do So Many Televangelists Land Themselves in Jail?. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)
• Pat Robertson Cheating Advice, ‘Well, He’s A Man’ (VIDEO) (hngn.com)
• Wait… What?!!? Televangelist Pat Robertson Claims All Men Cheat And It’s The Wife’s Fault When Her Husband Is Unfaithful (bossip.com)

So, I thought I would check out something completely out of my typical genre. I’ve read a several romances, a few vampire novels, but no steampunk. So, I found Tarnished Knight (on sale for Free! (Have you noticed a theme to my Kindle Purchases?)

So, here’s a quick summary – we’re in Victorian London and there’s a group of vampires hiding out. The vampires are very hierarchical and an interesting part of the mythos. We’re introduced to the protagonist John `Rip’ Doolan. He enters the story with his mechanical arm and infected by the Vampire Virus. There’s quite a bit of internal dialogue as `Rip’ struggles to control his vampirism and his feelings for Esme – his longtime friend and one of the keepers at the house the vampires share.

The two of them spend much of the novel trying to sort out their feelings for each other. Rip fears that he’ll lose control of his vampire aspects and drain Esme, killing her. Esme doesn’t understand why Rip is ignoring her – they were excellent friends before his being turned in to a vampire.

Meanwhile, in the darkness of the London night, groups of Slashers are moving through the region. While the vampire group is not afraid of them, the reputation of their leader keeps the Slashers from doing anything to those protected by the vampires. It creates a good bit of backdrop and motivation for the Slashers in the story to have this conflict available, because otherwise all we would have to look at is the conflict between Esme and Rip and that could not sustain the novel in and of its entirety.

I won’t go in to many more details, but the story is decent if sloooooooow to start. It does start to pick up about half way through but I could have done with a little less focus on the characterization at the start to get to some of the conflict outside of Rip and Esme’s feelings. Those parts are fairly well written, but *something* has to happen to keep the reader on board, and it takes awhile for the story to do that. The writing, however, is compelling enough to keep a dedicated reader committed.

The romance is fairly well played, if a bit predictable. All of the traditional phrases of romance novels are present in the book and used to their full effect. Rip’s internal conflict is contrasted against some of these feelings, though, which makes for some interesting reading as he pushes at his vampirism while working through his passions. The contrasts are some of the best pieces of writing in the book and make for a change compared to what I see in a lot of romance novels.

On the whole, this is a pretty well crafted story. The slow beginning is the only true `down’ side to the novel, but it could be a deal breaker in a busy schedule.

Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Action: 3/5
Word Count 5/5
Price: 5/5
Overall: 4/5

The CW

Also coming to the network this fall is The Originals, a spin-off to The Vampire Diaries, while Star-Crossed and The 100 will debut in midseason.

Returning dramas include Hart of Dixie, Beauty and the Beast, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Arrow and The Carrie Diaries, while Nikita has been renewed for a six-part fourth season that will bring the show to an end.

Reign is the untold story of the young woman who would become Mary, Queen of Scots. It is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros Television with executive producers Stephanie SenGupta, Laurie McCarthy, Frank Siracusa and Brad Silberling.

Reign

The Tomorrow People is about the next generation of humans that are born with paranormal abilities. It is produced by Warner Bros Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Greg Berlanti, Julie Plec, Phil Klemmer and Danny Cannon.

The Tomorrow People

The Originals was a back-door pilot spun-off from The Vampire Diaries and which aired in April. It is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers  Julie Plec, Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo.

The Originals

Star-Crossed tells the story of a race of aliens known as the Atrians who crash land on Earth and, ten years later, send some of their children to the local high school for the first time. It is produced by Ole Productions, Isla de Babel and 360 Powwow in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros Television with executive producers Meredith Averill, Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Furst, Sean Furst, Daniel Gutman, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg.

Star-Crossed

The 100 is set a century after a nuclear war when a spaceship housing human survivors sends 100 juvenile delinquents back to Earth to investigate whether it can be repopulated. Based on the forthcoming novels by Kass Morgan, it is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Matthew Miller, Jason Rothenberg, Bharat Nalluri, Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo.

The 100

The list of pilots in development at The CW this development season can be see here.

Source: The CW / Futon Critic

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This post is going to have nothing at all to do with menopause, so no tales of hormone imbalance, hot flashes or lack of this or that but rather I decided to talk a little about a topic that is simply an every day occurrence in our home, I’m referring to our “visitor”. For those of you who have ever seen the movie “The Others” you will quickly know why I chose the title of my post.

I have lived in this house for 14 years and our house is around 100 years old, so it’s not surprising that it’s had it’s share of past inhabitants. I have really no idea who these people were or how they passed but our whole family is convinced that we are not living her alone. My husband is disabled so is home all day alone and has many strange feelings and sightings of what he believes to be a little girl, I don’t know if the visitor is a he, she or them, all I know is that they are here to stay.

We have all had so many many “situations” that it would be impossible for me to go into detail about each of them, but I want to tell you about my most vivid and amazing event.

I had just started dating my current husband and upon returning home from a date, it was around midnight, I gave him one last call of the night to let him know that I made it home ok, so I sat at my kitchen table and chatted with him for awhile. As I was sitting there I could hear such a ruckus upstairs with the dog running back and forth and the dog was just having the best time playing. I continued to talk to him on the phone and even had to ask him to speak up because I told him the kids (I have 3) must have come home from their dad’s house late and were settling down upstairs and playing with the dog so he needed to speak up because the noise they were making was pretty loud.

Our conversation lasted about 20 minutes, you know how time flies when you are in love, and the whole time we were talking the kids and dog continued about their merry way playing and running upstairs. Finally I told him I had to go because I needed to go upstairs and calm down the kids so they could sleep.We said our good byes, I locked the back door and headed toward the stairs.

As I rounded the corner of the dining room, something didn’t feel right, at all, I seen eyes in the dark, I quickly flipped on the light and realized that IT WAS THE DOG, laying on the couch sleeping soundly and I had woken him up with the light. I felt weird, I can’t explain it, just scared.

I turned and opened the door to the upstairs and the lights were off, I yelled upstairs for the kids and no one answered me back, it was silent. I flipped on the light and headed up the stairs….THE KIDS WERE NOT HOME, the house was empty except for me and the dog. My husband can totally vouch for that evenings events because he was on the other end of the phone the whole time all of the ruckus was going on upstairs.

That was my absolute most vivid encounter with whomever is sharing our house and I can remember every detail of that night just as if it were yesterday. I haven’t had anything that loud happen since but once was enough. Everything was ok when I thought it was the kids and the dog upstairs but the second I turned that corner and seen the dogs glowing eyes, I knew were would never be alone again in here.

As I see it you have 2 choices when you are sharing your home, run or stay and live peacefully. We have chosen to stay and live peacefully. We have had many events so numerous to mention but all, we truly believe, to be 2 worlds colliding at odd times and maybe they are trying to make the best of us being in their space.

There are of course a few things that aren’t allowed in our house, ever, and our family has mutually agreed upon these conditions:

1) No one is allowed to turn out the lights and say that stupid bloody mary thing in the mirror!

2) No cameras or video equipment is allowed to be on at night for night time recording, ever.

3) No one is allowed to try and capture an image of anything by pointing a camera in the room and trying to photograph it or them.

4) No Ouija Boards are allowed in the house under any circumstance.

5) You are not allowed to speak meanly to whomever is here.

6) No priest or mystic people are allowed to come in and try to “cleanse” the house or tell us who is here, don’t want it angry..ever.

and finally 7) If something odd happens to you, feel free to share it with all of us but talk to the spirit, ghost, or whatever it is, in a nice tone and tell them they are always welcome here and we are glad to meet them.

You see, I, we, believe that spirits can get angry and we don’t ever want to make it angry and so far the tactics have worked.

Now don’t get me wrong if anything really bad or dangerous happens, we are gone, but I don’t anticipate that happening here in our little home.

A few years ago we put new carpeting in and right in the middle of the dining room was a huge red mark on the ancient flooring, of course the kids seen it and freaked because it totally resembled old blood, but we all just smiled and said, out loud….we didn’t see a thing….and covered up the whole floor with a new subfloor.

Well that’s a look into our life that I rarely speak about to anyone other than my coworkers and family. I don’t fear that no one will believe us because I don’t care if they do or don’t, it’s happening to us and has for a very long time. Every member of our family has encountered something at some time, so we aren’t all imaging it.

Book – The Infernal Devices – Clockwork Prince
Author – Cassandra Clare
Genre – Paranormal
Number of Pages – 496
Reviewer – Laura

Blurb
Love and lies can corrupt even the purest heart…
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Grey finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, while her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will – the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers to who she is and what she was born to do? As their search for the truth leads to three friends in peril, Tessa’s heart is increasingly torn, especially when one of their own betrays them…

Review
Clockwork Prince is the second book in the Infernal Device’s trilogy. Picking up where we left off in book one, Clockwork Angel, Tessa Grey has finally found safety with the shadow hunters at the London institute.
Whilst Mortmain and his clockwork army are still threatening however, Tessa finds that this safety is quite short lived, as the council plan to have Charlotte – Tessa’s protector – replaced as head of the institute by the devious and untrusting, Benedict Lightwood.
In the hope of saving Charlotte, and the institute, Tessa, Will and Jem set out to unravel the secrets of Mortmain’s past, and subsequently learn that his war against the shadow hunters is a deeply personal one.
Whilst on this journey Tessa also learns more and more about her lineage and begins to find herself caught between the affections of both Will and Jem. ..

Opinion
I found this book a lot more enjoyable than the first one (Clockwork Angel), and I did not want to put it down!
The parts that I enjoyed most were learning more and moreabout the characters pasts! I was so excited to finally find out Will’s secret, and you begin to understand why he is the way he is! You also start to get a little glimpse of Tessa’s background which opens up a whole series of options to what she actually may be! I can’t wait to find out whether she is a warlock/fairy/shadow hunter or even a demon for that matter! Either way I love her and all the other characters right now!

The love triangle – I am quite happy to say – was so much more convincing than it was in Clockwork Angel!! I especially liked the hot and steamy kissing scenes that occurred between Tessa and Will….and Tessa and Jem! Needless to say, as much as I love both characters – I am definitely on Team Will!

I think that Clockwork Prince was an awesome addition to Clockwork Angel – and far more enjoyable at that! Cassandra Clare has written a great and addictive series here, and I cannot wait to find out what happens in the third instalment – Clockwork Princess!

Rating
4/5

We are all too quick to assume, consciously or unconsciously, that the totality of reality is what we see – the physical universe. However, God created much more than just the physical universe. What we might commonly call ‘spiritual beings’ were also created by God. Angelic beings, whether good or evil (like Satan), whether they have a similar image to humans or to other life forms, all owe their life to the Creator God. This is the realm of existence that we do well not to ignore – the Spiritual realm. Now we only have glimpses, but soon we shall see clearly.

Tim Goodall

After thinking hard about the question I realised there was simply no way for me to authentically answer it. So I will simply say I don’t know, perhaps nothing.

Lewis Connolly

The easy answer is the supernatural, like angels, demons and the heavenly realm.  But what is the supernatural, is it something that is not part of the physical universe?  Do angels have no physicality?  Does heaven have no physical dimension?  I believe in angels and I believe in heaven.  I believe in a spiritual realm.  Is this created apart from the physical universe?  I don’t know, perhaps it is, or perhaps it is another dimension of our universe.

Barney Pimentel

Click here for last weeks post: How did God create the universe? (In 100 words).

When we were studying at London School of Theology our Church Doctrine lecturer Prof Tony Lane set us some questions with the challenge to answer them in less than 100 words.  The idea being that we should be able to give clear succinct answers to complex questions   (Exploring Christian Doctrine by Tony Lane)

Hoof beats sounded softly in the distance, a rhythmic promise of pain, and my eyes narrowed at the sound. I could hope they would give up, but I knew better. The Riders have no mercy, just like the king they swear loyalty to. Souls long since departed have left behind the carcasses that make chase on their black steeds. They were brought before the king without their families’ knowledge, and he poured his very hate into their skins. Remorseless, fearless, obedient. They were the perfect puppets for (Insert King’s Name). In fact, to test his power of them he sent them to slaughter their own families. Wives, children, mothers, all fell before their unforgiving steel. I had stolen from the king, and now the demon’s minions charged forward to deal the same fury upon me.

Tall black trees stretched for miles in either direction where the forest met the field. Sunset was crawling its way to the horizon, yet the light didn’t quite seem to reach the forest. My mind raced back, searching for any information about these woods I might know, but nothing came. Standing to my feet once more, I cringed at the strain it took. Fear fueled my movements, as well as determination. I plunged into the forest, picking up my pace until I was running once more. My heart beat vigorously in my chest, pushing the blood of my elders through my veins. Thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind as I simply acted, swatting away branches and jumping over logs. Every so often my attention would be pulled to a bright red tree, which seemed to be scattered about the mass of black I was fleeing through.

The obstacles that impeded my running significantly slowed me down. I could hear the horses panting, the hounds snarling, the Riders calling. When it became too much for their horses to run through, they jumped off their saddles and made their way on foot with the dogs. One thing I envied at that moment was the stamina those creatures had. They jumped over fallen logs with ease, and a few even plowed their way straight through the trees that got in their way. Beasts long since sunk into savagery chases without abandon.

I pushed my way through some thorny underbrush when I heard the first scream. From my left one of the Riders was howling. I tried to see through the dense foliage but saw nothing. My feet were moving before I realized it, and I was off running again when a another scream joined the first, then dogs began to howl and whimper. Trees were cracking and snapping around me then. Something very big was in here with us.

My shaking legs tried to launch me over a log, but my foot caught and I landed square on my face. The pain was instant and I tasted blood. I rolled over on to my back in time to see a rider drawing his sword above me. His face was emotionless, no fear, no remorse. Before he brought the blade down one me a branch whipped out and wrapped around his wrist. He was jerked up, and the branch began to beat him against the ground. Steel and bone were crushed by the blows, and when the last flicker of existence left his eyes a great groaning from a nearby tree snapped me back to reality. A network of giant teeth covered the roots of the tree, and the Rider was dumped right into it. I thought I was crazy, but the tree chewed him, and as it did so the black bark turned a bright red.

I’m a little sad.  No new Supernatural for four months.  Unlike the past three years, I will be watching the repeats.  Well, maybe except for “Bitten” and “Best Friends with Benefits.”  I didn’t even mind the Sam/Amelia stuff, but then I thought there might be more to it than there was.

I always go into Supernatural‘s  season finales skeptical.  I hate cliffhangers, and that’s pretty much all this show does.  But “Sacrifice” was satisfying, while still leaving many questions open.

The trials are taking their toll on poor Sammy.

With demon king Crowley killing all the Winchester saves last week, many feared for Sheriff Jody Mills.  Sure enough, “Sacrifice” led with Sheriff Mills, trying to get back into the dating pool.  Except her date was Crowley (under a pseudonym, of course).  Once again, Crowley called the boys to  bargain for Jody’s life.  It’s not clear whether the brothers made their deal in time to save Jody, but I’m going with “yes,” for sheer grief avoidance purposes.

Sam and Dean meet Crowley at Bobby’s old auto graveyard to trade the demon tablet for the angel tablet, and to call off the trials.  But Dean ensnares Crowley with the demon-binding handcuffs discovered last week (or the week before?).  Crowley’s the demon Sam is going to cure.

They take Crowley to an old church (sacred ground),   To purify his blood, Sam enters a confessional, but there’s no priest.  [Actually, this is a major tenet  of Protestantism—communication with God directly instead of going through a priest.  (I remember this from my confirmation lesson days.)]

Castiel shows up to ask for Dean’s assistance on his quest to close the gates of heaven.  Naomi has captured Metatron and carted him off to heaven.  Dean reluctantly agrees to go with Cass, leaving Sam alone to deal with Crowley.

The dynamic duo (Dean and Cass) return to the Men of Letters bunker to give the angel tablet to Kevin translate.  Kevin’s rather pissy, saying Dean promised him he could get back to his old life.  In one of the best scenes of the episode, Castiel grabs him by the collar and says emphatically, “You are a prophet of the Lord.  Always and forever… Untilyouceasetoexistandthen-anotherprophettakesyourplace.”  Misha Collins’s delivery is wonderful.

Just a couple of angels, shootin’ the breeze.

If Metatron seemed a little hinky last week, it’s because he was.  By drilling into Meta’s mind, Naomi discovers the trials Castiel is performing aren’t meant to close heaven’s gates, they’re part of a spell to cast all angels out of heaven.  Seems Metatron has been holding a grudge for millennia after being chased from heaven.  While inside Meta’s head, Naomi also discovers the third trial will kill Sam.  She relays this message to Dean before Metatron slays her with a drill bit to the cranium.

Sam doesn’t seem to be making much progress with Crowley.  In fact, Crowley bites Sam, drawing blood.  While Sam is tending to his wound, Crowley uses the blood-phone to call for help.  Only Abaddon shows up.  And she’s quite pissed that Crowley proclaimed himself the king of hell.  She does a great job of beating Crowley up—Sam, too—before Sam douses her with holy oil and sets her on fire.  The Josie Sands vessel is destroyed, but Abaddon escapes in the black smoke cloud.  When was the last time we saw that?

The last bit of Metatron’s spell is to take Castiel’s grace and send him back to earth, apparently as a human.  Metatron tells him to live a full life, with love and family; and when he dies, he’s to return to heaven and tell Metatron his story.  Geez, Meta, again with the stories.

Brotherly moment #2685.

Dean returns to Sam in time and tells him to stop the trial, because completing it will kill him.  Sam says, “So?”  What a different Sam this is from the one who said he saw a light at the end of the tunnel in “Trial and Error.”  But here he’s reeling from all his failures Dean threw at him at the beginning of the episode.  Dean reassures Sam he’s the most important person in his life.  He adds that he’s fine without closing the gates of hell, because with everything they learned this year, they can kick some serious demon butt next season.

In the end, Castiel is wandering in the wilderness while Dean and Sam watch thousands of angels fall to earth.  Pretty impressive.

Thank you, Jeremy Carver, for a superb season.  You’ve made me excited about this show again.

[Photos credit the CW]

they were eating up his brain,

they required ad-lib answers,

zombies-nearing-target/prey(um?!) .

 {Straight A’s changed to fangs (from a snout/chainsaw-mouth)}

Poor plot twists are everywhere, and they come in two types: either the plot twist was so cliché and obvious that everyone knew it was happening miles before the book, show, or film decided it was time to reveal it, or else the twist caught everyone so far off guard that it didn’t even seem to be real after it had happened. Authors and screenwriters are always walking a tightrope balance: they must both create a twist that is foreshadowed and explainable, and they must make sure that no one sees it coming. That’s a tough task, and that’s why plot twists are so hard to write.

Let’s take the last few series of Doctor Who as an example. Stephan Moffat is a reigning king of twisty plots. The episodes that he’s personally penned for the earlier series of Nu Who – The “Empty Child” two-parter, “The Girl in the Fireplace,” “Blink,” and “Silence in the Library” – are all stand-out plotty-wotty stories, and his “Scandal in Belgravia episode” of Sherlock is my favorite of that series. Moffat became the Doctor Who show runner in 2009, and, although the show definitely retained its awesomeness under his hand, he finally showed which side of the plot twist problem he stumbles over. His recent Who episodes have all held underdeveloped plot twists.

Spoilers to follow. … Sweetie. Sorry; it’s a dumb joke, but then again, so am I.

Moffat’s a fast-paced writer with a ton of crazy ideas in every episode, and, while there’s nothing wrong with that, his pace and his ideas works against each other. The revelations that show up every five minutes come too quick to be foreshadowed properly, and therefore don’t sit as well with the audience. In this season’s Asylum of the Daleks, for example: The Daleks convert humans into hybrid slaves! The Daleks have a parliament! The Daleks can’t stand to blow up their own kind! Nanoclouds are also around! The Ponds solve their marital issues by talking about them for two minutes! Now the Daleks are blowing up their own kind!

It all works fine in theory, but in practice needs more set up, so that it isn’t a constant series of surprises. One plot hole in particular leaks through: why can’t the nanocloud convert timelords if the Doctor said it converted “all organic matter, living or dead”? And I still don’t understand the time problems in the last few season finales. Plot twists in which all of time is compressed into just the cool parts, or the universe can be rebooted from a few cells are definitely surprising… but they make so little sense that it’s hardly fulfilling.

Moffat, at least, is more intelligent than plenty of writers who telegraph their plot twists, as in the latest season finale of Supernatural, in which Dean just now realizes that Sam needs to die to fulfill their trials, even though everyone’s known that for like half a season. If you’re going to fall one way or the other, you might as well assume the most out of your audience and hope they can follow a story. Still, the best option is to slow the story down enough that the audience absorbs the tidbits of foreshadowy information you’re feeding them without realizing that that information is setting up a bigger revelation. The big twist in Asylum of the Daleks – what Oswin’s prison is – actually was set up this way, and, in a particularly brilliant move, was bolstered by the informed audience’s knowledge that Jenna-Louise Coleman was going to be the next companion. Keep the plot slow enough to understand. It’s not going to explode if it’s driven under 50 miles per hour.

Doctor Who works best when the plot twists make sense but surprise us. I don’t have high hopes for the Name of the Doctor… we know so little about the fields of Trenzalore or what the “fall of the eleventh” is that any foreshadowing will have to be slipshod. But whatever it is, it’ll definitely be surprising. I’m hoping the Doctor’s name turns out to be the key that unlocks the Time War, but that’s just me.

This post is from my io9 blog.

A cave in Israel where some Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. People actually lived in this area!

I’ve lived in a few “lands” in my life–the Dominican Republic, Arizona, California, Illinois, and now Kentucky. I’ve heard Spanish . . . and Southern drawl. I’ve lived in lush tropics . . . and in the desert. I’ve enjoyed beaches . . . and snow. No two of these places are alike.

Just like the two places I am thinking of today: the land of Barely Enough and the Land of More Than Enough.

You can see a really good example of these opposite “countries” in the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to what became The Holy Land. The Lord delivered them miraculously from slavery in Egypt. He led them through a wilderness area to Mt. Sinai, where they stopped and built the Tabernacle of worship. Within months (a year or two) they could have entered the Promised Land, but they were not ready. So they wandered in the wilderness for forty more years, until all the older generation had died.

Why were they not ready to take possession of the Promised Land? They didn’t trust God when he said he would go before their fighting men to give them the victory against their enemies.*

Now, God cared for his people–even when they did not trust him. During the years of wandering in the wilderness, he miraculously provided manna for those millions of people to eat. He also (according to Moses) kept their garments from wearing out and their feel from swelling (Deuteronomy 8:4). Daily miracles of provision for forty years! But the desert was the Land of Barely Enough.

They could have been in the Land of More Than Enough “a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper” (Deuteronomy 8:7-9).

Two of the original adult generation–Caleb and Joshua–made it to the Promised Land. They knew God would do what he said. They believed. And it happened for them–in spite of the doubters around them.

Do Christians around you say things like:

“Ask God for what you need but don’t expect him to give you what you want.”

“I’m only human. I can’t live the way the Bible says.”

“I’m just not very spiritual. I don’t know what God wants, so I’ll have to decide by myself.”

“God only heals once in a while.”

“It is not spiritual to want to be comfortably well off and have plenty to share with those in need.”

“God only calls a few, extraordinary people to do great things.”

“Until they get to heaven, Christians have to put up with everything the world dishes out. Strong Christians don’t expect God to protect them. He wouldn’t anyway. He just gives you grace to endure.” **

Maybe “the masses”  of well-meaning Christians are saying these things, but what what does God say? (Did you click on the link in each statement to see?)

Are you content to live in the Land of Barely Enough–barely enough grace, barely enough well-being, barely enough protection, barely enough provision, and barely enough fruitfulness? You don’t have to! Study the Bible, take God at his word, and step into the Promised Land. Be like Joshua and Caleb–hold out for God’s full purpose and destiny for your life. And–like Joshua and Caleb–as you step into it, take all your family and friends with you.

No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
What God has arranged for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9 MSG).

For no-hassle commenting, enter your name when prompted, but not your email address.

____________

*Why would God send the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites and take their land??? In those days–before Christ came as Savior–people could not be changed inwardly to become righteous. The only way to protect society from the influence of thoroughly degenerate people was to remove them from the earth. Today, born-again Christians are the “salt” that has a cleansing and preserving influence on society. Since Christ, the Holy Spirit draws evil human beings to him, and he transforms them into saints.

**Christians do suffer persecution and challenges for the sake of the gospel. And God gives great, supernatural grace for that. But, otherwise, God blesses and protects them.

Yellow is New Shows.

The Originals

Video

Take: Having watched season 3 (but not season 4) I enjoyed the Originals. The villainous Originals are now the protagonist of their own show. With new developments to see (Klaus’s baby) and the drama who rules New Orleans.  

Recommendation: DVR It.

Possible Outcome by Winter Outbreak: Full Season Order.  

The Tomorrow People

Video

Take: This is the third reincarnation of this television, now with an American version. I recommendation to watch it now before it would possible be canceled. The show is on CW while the premise is good, the effects look completed, they will in time bog down the story with romantic entanglements. This airs after Arrow on Wednesday I wonder if this how to do with the fact that Stephan Amell (Arrow) is Robbie Amell cousin.  

Recommendation: Watch It.

Possible Outcome by Winter Outbreak: Canceled  

Reign

Video –

Take: I’m going to be real here. I don’t like what I see. I feel like this show is just holding the spot for a mid-season show.

Recommendation: Don’t Watch.  

Possible Outcome by Winter Outbreak: Canceled  

From Press Release

8:00-9:00 P.M.           “THE ORIGINALS”

Family is power.  The Original Vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago.  They pledged to remain together, always and forever.  Now, centuries have passed and the bonds of family are broken.  Time, tragedy and hunger for power have torn the Original Family apart.  When Klaus Mikaelson, the original vampire-werewolf hybrid, receives a mysterious tip that a plot is brewing against him in the supernatural melting pot that is the French Quarter of New Orleans, he returns to the city his family helped build.  Klaus’ questions lead him to a reunion with his diabolical former protégé, Marcel, a charismatic vampire who has total control over the human and supernatural inhabitants of New Orleans.  Determined to help his brother find redemption, Elijah follows Klaus and soon learns that the werewolf Hayley has also come to the French Quarter searching for clues to her family history, and has fallen into the hands of a powerful witch named Sophie.  Tensions between the town’s supernatural factions are nearing a breaking point as Marcel commands his devoted followers and rules with absolute power.  For Klaus, the thought of answering to his powerful protégé is unthinkable, and he vows to reclaim what was once his – the power, the city and his family.  While they wait to see if their sister Rebekah will leave Mystic Falls and join them, Klaus and Elijah form an uneasy alliance with the witches to ensure that New Orleans will be ruled by THE ORIGINALS once again.

The series stars Joseph Morgan (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Immortals”) as Klaus, Daniel Gillies (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Saving Hope”) as Elijah, Claire Holt (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Pretty Little Liars”) as Rebekah, Phoebe Tonkin (“The Vampire Diaries,” “The Secret Circle”) as Hayley, Charles Michael Davis (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Switched At Birth”) as Marcel, Daniella Pineda (“The Fitzgerald Family Christmas,” “Homeland”) as Sophie, Leah Pipes (“The Deep End,” “Sorority Row”) as Cami and Danielle Campbell (“Starstruck,” “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection”) as Davina.

THE ORIGINALS is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios.  Julie Plec (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), Leslie Morgenstein (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl”) and Gina Girolamo (“The Lying Game”) are executive producers.  Plec wrote the pilot episode, which was directed by Chris Grismer (“The Vampire Diaries”).

9:00-10:00 P.M.         “THE TOMORROW PEOPLE”

They are the next evolutionary leap of mankind, a generation of humans born with paranormal abilities — the Tomorrow People.  Stephen Jameson stands at the crossroads between the world we know and the shifting world of the future.  Up until a year ago, Stephen was a “normal” teenager — until he began hearing voices and teleporting in his sleep, never knowing where he might wake up.  Now, Stephen’s issues have gone far beyond the usual teenage angst, and he is beginning to question his sanity.  In desperation, Stephen decides to listen to one of the voices in his head, and it leads him to his first encounter with the Tomorrow People — John, Cara and Russell — a genetically advanced race with the abilities of telekinesis, teleportation and telepathic communication.  The Tomorrow People are being hunted down by a paramilitary group of scientists known as Ultra.  Led by Dr. Jedikiah Price, Ultra sees the Tomorrow People as a very real existential threat from a rival species, and the outcast group has been forced to hide out in an abandoned subway station just beneath the surface of the human world.

Trading in secrets, Jedikiah offers Stephen the chance for a normal life with his family and best friend, Astrid, if he will help in the struggle to isolate and eradicate the Tomorrow People.  On the other hand, Cara, John and Russell offer Stephen a different type of family and a home where he truly belongs.  Unwilling to turn his back on humanity or the world of the Tomorrow People, Stephen sets out on his own path — a journey that could take him into the shadowy past to uncover the truth about his father’s mysterious disappearance, or into an unknown future with THE TOMORROW PEOPLE.

The series stars Robbie Amell (“Revenge”) as Stephen, Luke Mitchell (“H20: Just Add Water”) as John, Peyton List (“Mad Men”) as Cara, Aaron Yoo (“Disturbia,” “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”) as Russell, Mark Pellegrino (“Lost,” “Supernatural”) as Dr. Jedikiah Price, and Madeleine Mantock (upcoming “All You Need is Kill”) as Astrid.

THE TOMORROW PEOPLE is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “Green Lantern”), Julie Plec (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Kyle XY”), Phil Klemmer (“Political Animals,” “Chuck”) and Danny Cannon (“Nikita,” “CSI: NY”).  The pilot was directed by Danny Cannon.

9:00-10:00 P.M.         “REIGN”

Hidden between the lines of the history books is the story of Mary Stuart, the young woman the world would come to know as Mary, Queen of Scots.  Queen of Scotland since she was six days old, the teenage Mary is already a headstrong monarch? Beautiful, passionate, and poised at the very beginning of her tumultuous rise to power.  Arriving in France with four close friends as her ladies-in-waiting, Mary has been sent to secure Scotland’s strategic alliance by formalizing her arranged engagement to the French king’s dashing son, Prince Francis.  But the match isn’t signed and sealed, it depends more on politics, religion and secret agendas than affairs of the heart.  Prince Francis is intrigued by the fiery Scot, but like most young men, he resists the idea of settling down into marriage, especially when he has a history with a lady of the court and his own point of view on the wisdom of an alliance with Scotland.  Still, an attraction between Mary and Francis is ignited.  Further complicating things is Bash, Francis’ roguish half-brother, who has a history of his own? Despite his illegitimate birth, Bash is his father’s favorite.  And now that Bash has caught Mary’s eye, a royal triangle may be forming.  While at French Court, fierce foes and dark forces conspire to sabotage Mary’s marriage to Francis and even threaten her life, until a mysterious shrouded guide becomes her ally.  With danger and sexual intrigue around every dark castle corner, Mary rallies her ladies-in-waiting and steels herself, ready to rule the new land and balance the demands of her country and her heart.

The series stars Adelaide Kane (“Teen Wolf”) as Mary, Toby Regbo (“One Day”) as Prince Francis, Torrance Coombs (“The Tudors”) as Bash, Megan Follows (“Anne of Green Gables”) as Queen Catherine, Alan Van Sprang (“The Tudors”) as King Henry, Celina Sinden (newcomer) as Greer, Caitlin Stasey (newcomer) as Kenna, Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”) as Lola, and Jenessa Grant (“Cyberbully”) as Aylee.

REIGN is from CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Stephanie SenGupta (“Hawaii Five-0”), Laurie McCarthy (“The Ghost Whisperer”), Frank Siracusa (“Beauty And The Beast”) and Brad Silberling (“Moonlight Mile”).  The pilot was directed by Brad Silberling.

In Edwardian London, if you had something strange in your neighbourhood then you would most likely call on the services of one Charles Dove. The establishment of the English Society for the Extermination of Ghosts, was borne out of several gentlemen having far too much time on their hands and a desire to find something more purposeful for their redundant athletic qualities.

Dove placed several advertisements in local papers at the time and was most surprised to be inundated with applications to join his team. However, despite the immediate allure, Dove promised each man signing up to the ‘Death on Ghosts’ brigade nothing more than an oak cudgel to lay the unsuspecting phantoms. And, although all the ghost warriors professed their disbelief in ghosts, I am reliably informed that Dove decided it wise always to send two hunters to lay away the reported miscreant spectre.

The Times, April 18, 1908.— There are two kinds of ghosts — good ghosts and bad ghosts. The bad ghosts are supposed to haunt houses and castles and belfries and make their appearances at uncertain and too frequent intervals. The good ghosts never unnerved anybody except by their absence. They make their appearances usually once a week, as the week’s work is drawing to a close. They are the most welcome of all guests and the majority of us would like them to show their faces every day in the week, instead of only on payday.

It is hardly necessary to say that the English Society for the Extermination of Ghosts, which has just entered upon its work, is concerned with the bad, and not the good ghosts. It offers to lay any of the former variety of ghosts for a fee. No matter how persistent, how terrifying a midnight visitor may be, the members of the organisation stand ready to lay in patient wait for him, or her, or it, and knock his or her, or its head off with a stout oaken stick.

The scheme is the idea of Charles Dove, formerly a commercial traveller, but at present proprietor of the Dew Drop Inn, otherwise known as The Ark, a diminutive resort for refreshments in one of the poorer districts of London. It seems that this establishment, hardly big enough for a good-sized man to turn around in, is the meeting place of a club of English athletes. That is, the members of the club called themselves athletes but their energies never took them beyond a perusal and discussion of the latest sporting news in the morning and evening papers, and heated arguments on the abilities of the cricket stars of the moment. Dove, who used to sit behind the counter and listen in resignation to the endless repetition of figures and facts and opinions finally hit upon the bright idea of converting all this hot air into physical energy.

Dove had thought a good deal about ghosts. His interests date from a night, many years ago, when he was a commercial traveller. He retired to sleep one evening in a cottage in Ramsey and was awakened in the middle of the night by a spectral figure of a young girl, with jet black eyes that pierced him through and through (he says), and long hair that hung in luxurious curls about her shapely shoulders. The figure stood at the foot of his bed. Slowly he arose so as not to alarm her and after pinching himself to see that it was not all a dream, made a spring to take the visitor in his arms. To his disappointment, the visitor vanished into space, so his arms closed around the waist that was not there.

Next morning when he related his adventure to the woman who owned the cottage, the latter told him that it must have been the ghost of her daughter, who had died in the same bed and the same room, twelve years before.

That was many years ago, yet Dove has never forgotten the haunting beauty (the words are his) of the young girl who visited him so strangely during the small hours of the morning. Many times he has been back to the cottage and slept in the same room in the hopes of seeing the figure and conversing with it, but in vain. Finally, he has come to the conclusion that it was all a humbug and it is this desire to prove that those who believe in ghosts are being bamboozled that he has entered upon his crusade.

Applications for his expert services came to him in basketfuls soon after his advertisement appeared. One of the letters revealed the fact that there is much more to the time-honoured mother-in-law joke than our humorists have imagined. The writer said that some years ago, the mother of his wife died and while not wishing to be unkind to the dead, he wanted to say at the outset he was relieved, to say the least, by her demise. Imagine his surprise and disgust when about a year ago, she again made her appearance in ghost form in the room in which she had died. Since then she has made pretty regular visits to the house. Could Dove and his brave assistants call around some evening and knock the ghost on the — I mean — that is — well, would they take the job?

Dove and his fellow sluggers made further enquiries, discovered the woman was 80 when she died and very feeble, and finally declared they were ready to have their bravery tested. No date for the event has been set, but is understood that as soon as they can get their oak cudgels cut, their nerves keyed to the proper pitch and can stop the chattering of their teeth (consequent upon the present cold spell), the exterminators will proceed to lay the grey-haired lady.