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People Who Got Exactly What They Asked For And Unfortunately, It's Hilarious
Lol May 1, 2018
Sometimes people take what you say too literally. And we don't mean "literally" in the way that society is now working the word into every other sentence, but literally in the sense that you get what you ask for. That's exactly what these people received and these should be cautionary tales to the rest of us!
Make This Taste Like Satan's Breath
Photo Credit: Reddit / @Lowgen
In every group of friends, there's that person who goes over the top and doesn't stop talking about how they don't understand the idea that not everyone likes spice.
This order is exactly what this friend deserves. It only takes one experience when you feel like your mouth is burning in the pit of hell to start rethinking how much you actually like spice. When is the moment for this person? Soon….
"I'm Fine With Nothing, Thanks"
Photo Credit: Reddit / @Douee
There's nothing that makes you want to evict someone from your life more than when they say they want "nothing" for dessert. It's not acceptable and should be punishable by law.
The fact that no one has come up with a dessert that dawns the "nothing" name is beyond me. It's marketing brilliance, and it'll drive up profits for the business which is always a bonus.
Another Loss In The Parents Vs. Technology War
Photo Credit: Twitter / @emilyseggie_
This is just another win for technology over their number one victim, overconfident parents. Most of them will act like they're the next Steve Jobs but can't navigate their way out of the "Lock Screen" of an iPhone.
Even more common is when autocorrect dictates their entire conversation, and you have just to interpret what you think they mean. It happened all too often and backfired here.
Coming up, that friend who thinks he can do no wrong and ends up doing everything wrong.
You Get What You Wish For
Photo Credit: Reddit / @WolfPupGaming
This is what happens when you pray to the Snapchat Gods but aren't specific. They delivered on your wish, Joshua, and beggars can't be choosers.
Rumor has it that if you take your coat off in -10 weather and stay outside long enough, you start feeling warm. Oh, that's the first sign of hypothermia? Nevermind Josh, stay in your car.
"Make Me Look Like Him"
Photo Credit: Reddit / @Lontology
Honestly, this is a public service announcement to anyone who brings in a picture of a celebrity to their hairdresser and thinks they'll end up looking like them — you won't.
Behind every red carpet look that Beyonce has is a team of experts, not a hungover amateur hair stylist that works at Super Cuts.
No, It'll Be FIne — I'll Just Drive Slow
Photo Credit: Reddit / @Achoo_Gesundheit
Being stubborn is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you get what you want a lot because people usually don't like confrontation, on the other, when you fail it's ALL on you.
This guy figured his driving was good enough to put that bucket of paint in the back of his truck with no lid, and well, you see the result.
Coming up, a teacher hilariously trolls his student for not bringing a pen to class.
What Type Of Pokemon Is This?
Photo Credit: Instagram / @tank.sinatra
Girls are willing to look like funnel clouds if it means that they'll get rid of that pimple on their left cheek that no one sees.
I guess if it's between looking like you're about to ravage a small city or just have cucumbers on your eyeballs, I'll take the natural disaster for 100, Alex.
Said One Thing, Did Another
Photo Credit: Instagram / @5thyear
If you have to make this type of a jar, it's inevitable that you're going to do the exact opposite of what you want. This is not a deterrent and never will be.
If you really wanted to stop hooking up with your ex, you should probably stop Snapchatting him at two in the morning with the dog filter on asking, "U UP?" That's a good start.
When You Ask Your Teacher For A Pen…
Photo Credit: Imgur
It's really hard to understand how some students are so unprepared that they don't bring pens to a CLASSROOM.
Jacob, once again, came to class without any writing utensils and had to ask his teacher for one. He gave him this feather which is generous because he should've had to write with some ink and his elbows.
Are you ready to see the definition of grandma goals? Are you sure? She's just ahead.
Beauty Is In The Eye Of The, Uh, Beholder?
Photo Credit: Twitter / @taylandfrench
This is what happens when you want to look like Alicia Keys at the Grammys on a budget of $14.
It should be common knowledge at this point that any dress that claims to be Michael Kors but is made in China is probably not Michael Kors. But, don't worry Tayland, prom is overrated anyways.
Good To The Last Drop
Photo Credit: Reddit / @tegdirbm
Is there anything worse you can do then leave someone without toilet paper? It's important not to be wasteful and get out as much toilet paper as you can, but this might be pushing the limit.
This is the problem when you start a prank war with your siblings as this guy did. You begin to wander into some unchartered and sacred territory, and it's potentially dangerous.
Living Her Best Life
Photo Credit: Imgur / @TaylorSatine
When you're at the age where nothing matters anymore, this is entirely acceptable. While you might not be running a marathon anytime soon, you sure are enjoying the gym more than anyone else.
Life is about doing what you want, and this grandma is getting precisely what she wished for. Does it still count as going to the gym when you go there to have a martini? We wonder if she's just there to check people out.
The lesson we learn from the picture coming up is to not go into public washrooms, ever.
Not Living Her Best Life
Photo Credit: Instagram / @will_ent
This is why you should never go to an amusement park with people who are more adventurous than you. Whether you like it or not, they'll end up convincing you to go on a ride by completely playing down its level of horror.
This little girl is finding out in real time that this was a big mistake. If there's ever been a face that screams "I screwed up big time" it's this little girl's.
That's Not Going To Buy That Diamond Bracelet She Wanted
Photo Credit: Twitter / @fjamie013
Wouldn't it be amazing if becoming rich was as easy as this? Unfortunately for this girl, she's getting exactly what she wanted.
Her wording cost her about $1 million. If she would've said "wealthy" or "financially stable" she would be cruising the Bahamas right now. Instead, she's got the same old boyfriend, just with a new name tag.
So In Other Words…
Photo Credit: Reddit / @Wisdom_over_9000
You know the saying, "When one door closes, another one opens?" Well, this is that poetic saying in reality.
When one door closes, you're actually just stuck in a small bathroom that has the smell of a sewage system. That bathroom also doesn't have any other doors, so you're stuck living in your own hell. Don't take my word for it, just look at the picture.
That's One Way To Break In The New Diggs
Just because you're driving a nice car doesn't mean you're invincible. It seems that people who drive expensive cars forget that the laws of nature still apply and end up making stupid mistakes.
Fresh cement is fresh cement whether you're in your grandparent's 1904 Ford wagon, or this sports car. In this case, justice is served.
Tinder Vs Reality
Photo Credit: Twitter / @AndyLeeman91
This is very relatable if you think about it in terms of dating apps like Tinder. Every time you go on a date it's awkward, but it's even more awkward when they look like Carrie Underwood in their pictures, but end up resembling Britney Spears circa 2008 in real life.
This is the problem with online shopping. You have to put way too much faith that the person selling you the shoes is truthful, which in this case, they clearly weren't.
When You Really Weren't Prepared For Parent Life
Photo Credit: Reddit / @junc-to-us
Parenting is a 24/7 job and it looks like it's getting the best of this dad. Many of us love the idea of being a parent, but when it actually comes down to it we can't handle it.
Sleep doesn't exist the first few months, so anytime you can get some shut-eye it's a luxury. This dad is prepared for every case scenario that might be thrown his way while he's fantasizing about the single life.
Spray Tans Only Help To Expose Your Mental Breakdowns
Photo Credit: Instagram / @kalesalad
Note to self: Do NOT get a spray tan anytime during finals week. This is a classic rebellion story if I've ever seen one.
It's a narrative that's all too familiar to many of us, it's about a teen that gets told not to do something but the then proceeds to do just the opposite. She wasn't sad about anything, she just wanted to prove a point that we're all struggling to figure out.
Can't Handle The Heat, Get Out Of The Kitchen
Photo Credit: Reddit / @cnorwk8
This is why there should be a law against cooking your own pizza past midnight. No one should be allowed to do it. I don't care if THE Papa John wants to do it, someone needs to tie his hands.
This is what happens. One second you want an extra crispy crust, the next you're asleep and wake up to something that looks like it's hardened lava. Raccoons would say "no thanks" to this pizza.


I am long overdue in sharing the results of this year's tasting party with everyone! My apologies, somehow September has left me breathless with the barrage of activity, errands, and unexpected events. Whew!
Without further ado, let me get started.
First, I need to thank the lovely ladies in my support group who graciously volunteered to set up for the tasting when they found out that open house for preschool was on the same night. Thanks to them, I did not have to skip either event.
Now, on to the sponsors.
Somersault Snack Company: These crunchy bite sized nuggets are full of flavor! Nut free and protein packed, there are 4 flavors to try. I put a few aside for my husband to sample, and he actually called me as soon as he tried them because he was too excited to wait until I got home to tell me how good they were. Then he placed an order so our house would be stocked.
Good Belly Probiotic Juice Drink A non-yogurt based probiotic beverage that tastes delicious! My kids love it, so I asked Good Belly if I could share. Know what? My tasters loved it too. It was the surprise of the evening for most attendees. A dairy free probiotic drink that tastes like juice? Every one of them had that skeptic look on their face that told me they had not heard of it before, and were not sure it would appeal. And everyone made the same face of surprised delight to discover it was tasty, and safe! Try it out.
Amanda's Own Confections Can I get an Oooh Yeah! Dairy free, nut free, gluten free, egg free chocolate that is not only yummy but local? I'm in! Originating out of a suburb of Cleveland, I am excited to support not only a tasty allergy friendly product, but from a neighbor! Who doesn't need more safe chocolate in their life? Living somewhere between milk and dark chocolate with an intense and deep chocolate taste that is not overwhelmingly sweet this one will come home with me more often. Consensus? None left. Doesn't that speak for itself?
Courtney's Confections I'll be honest, I am totally biased on this one. The owner is a member of our allergy support group, and I have mentioned her before. This time she shared a peanut safe yellow cake, and an egg/dairy/nut safe chocolate cake. Oh. My. Tasty, and you truly can't tell anything was missing.
Sweet Alexis I'm not sure how I missed the chance to try these, as I was really looking forward to them. Dairy, egg and nut free cookies? Perfection. That is what I need more of in my life. I suppose that the fact that we ran out before I got to them is a good thing, but I'm still pouting. C'mon. It was my party. You'd pout too, if it happened to you.
The Pure Pantry I heard more than one surprised voice say "These are gluten free? What's in them? Ohhh. You used butter. That has to be why they are so good." It's a cookie mix that you can prepare to meet your allergen needs. My volunteer made them with EnerG egg replacer and real butter, and they were good. I think they would be every bit as good with Earth Balance in place of the butter. You could serve these with no apologies.
Goldbaum's These gluten free ice cream cones came recommended from a fellow allergy mom. I was really surprised when I discovered they also have gluten free pasta and rice crackers. (Be careful, the rice crackers have a nut warning on them!) The cones? Paired perfectly with a little coconut milk ice cream. The pasta? Not mushy like gluten free pastas can be.
Home Free Treats This is the only sponsor from last year that was invited back. Why? Because they were so incredibly well received last year. This year did not disappoint. The cookies were incredible. Even more exciting? She has just released a gluten free oatmeal cookie that tastes like the real thing! Moist, chewy, decadently delicious that makes you think "This is too good to be legal. What's in there?" I saw most tasters pick up the box to check it again. And quite a few that were not gluten free yet still proclaimed they would buy it! Don't miss these. Really.
Gilbert's Goodies Gluten, dairy, nut, soy, and corn free cookies. Our bite sized cookies arrived slightly shaken, which is good because the calories fell right out. (It does work that way, right?) They do have egg, so they are not a match for our house. I was surprised when I tasted the snickerdoodle flavor that the cookie was not a chewier, more moist cookie. Don't get me wrong, it was not bad, I just expected more from tasting a forbidden fruit I guess. The other tasters did not share such reservations, and seemed to accept these cookies as a tasty snack possibility.
Questions? Bring them on, I'll try to answer them.
I haven't tried Good Belly yet but I've been hearing a lot about it. Does it really taste good? Right now I get my probiotics from supplements.
My kiddos like it, and depending on the flavor I do too! I do not like it well enough to have a large glass, but a small juice size portion is good. If you have a safe supplement, you may not need this drink. Compare labels to see which packs more probiotic per serving.


Actors, etc.: Angie Dickinson 83. Len Cariou 75. John Finn 62. Barry Williams 60. Fran Drescher 57. Crystal Bernard 53. Eric Stoltz 53. Monica Bellucci 50. Silas Weir Mitchell 45. Tony Hale 44. Jenna Elfman 43. Marion Cotillard 39. Lacey Chabert 32. Kieran Culkin 32.
Musicians, etc.: Cissy Houston 81. Johnny Mathis 79. Marilyn McCoo 71. Sylvia Peterson 68. John Lombardo 62. Deborah Allen 61. Patrice Rushen 60. Marty Stuart 56. Marley Marl 52. Eddie Montgomery 51. Trey Anastasio 50. Robby Takac 50. T-Pain 30.


1) Guys, I just did my first Piloxing class.
If you know me at all, you know this is a little legendary. I was so worried, I had a nightmare about it last night. I am wicked uncoordinated and flimsy and gangly. This body is not accustomed to bouncing about. Or boxing. Or Piloxing.
I was hoping Piloxing involved a pillow. And a blanket. And a darkened room.
I hated it. I glared at the instructor once and she seems liked a really nice girl. One time she made us extend our left leg up and out after an hour of piloxing and then said, "Alright, hold it!" and I said, "Nope." I said it. I meant it.
But I never had to stop all the way like I thought I would and true, I have some kind of undiagnosed moving disability, I lack all perceivable rhythm, I can't move my arms in fast circles while I bounce around rhythmically on my legs. BUT I DID IT.
2) Just this guy. He wants mac and cheese every day. (He gets it on Thursdays...if he gets a gummy worm at pre-school. It's a long story.) (The worm has been withheld a few times. Don't remind him.) He is obsessed with containers. 12-27 times a day he says, "Can I have that bottle (can, box, etc...) when it's all gone? Spice bottles are his kryptonite. He's currently pining over my coveted bottle of Spring Chicken Serum. He checks it daily and he'll be danged if it's not diminishing quickly enough. It's the dropper. Sends him right over the edge.
4) I have a strange fascination with arugula. I don't know. It's peppery. At first you'll think you hate it...and then you'll realize you love it. Need it. I bought a bunch last week at the farmer's market and the cute lady had a stack of photo-copied, hand-written recipe cards for Arugular Salad. (I keep typing "arugular"...it's like I'm Simon Cowell and I can't even help it.) Of course I took one AND I made the salad. It was phenomenal.
5) My little lady has been slaying me lately. She's so princessy and twirly and tough. The best little helper. I think I'm gonna keep her. She sleeps in the strangest positions. My neck kinks at the thought. She tries hard at things and asks Silas to play. Sometimes she prays, "help me to be nicer" and it kills me, because she's the nicest. She made every bed in the house today just to surprise me. The girl just rocks my flip-flops off. That's all.
I feel like 5 is a good place to stop. You know I could go on all night here... Don't even make me prove it.
If you don't hear from me for a few days it's because I'm stuck in my bed and can't get out on account of the Piloxing. Please send salsa.
I have never heard of Piloxing. Explain please.
Also, Silas and I have the same syndrome. I cannot throw away shapely bottles.
Love, love, love all your photos today...well, everyday.
Pilates + boxing. I'm practically Gwyneth!
Ok that made me cackle!
Piloxing? Is that the latest exercise trend??
I'm so far behind the times...I'm still just walking. It's better that way, because I'm real clumsy. Holding a pose on one leg could prove detrimental, to me and all those around me. I could take down half the class, probably. I hope to never really find that out.
Your kids are all kinds of awesome.
I really really really wanted some "boss me" quotes when I saw his sweet face..... Please?
your ruby sounds delish. i have a bella that was perfect & delish till she turned into a teenager :) she's 15 and coming out on the other side. perfect but with lots of extra (crazy emotions!) thrown in. yikes!
enjoy every minute with your rubiness. they grow up quickly. you know.
Siley Pie could be my mom's best pal. I swear she had 45 old mayo jars in her basement when we moved her to assisted living. They are still down there waiting to be dealt with. And cottage cheese containers. You know, for all those leftovers someone might have some day.
your container person is adorable.
your girl has gorgeous rings on every finger and her toes are painted up nice! how awesome that she prays to be nice, when she's already the nicest. :) and double awesome that she made all the beds.
i went to the gym yesterday too...i can't even tell you what the name of my class was....punishment 101? it was great...but i'm sore everywhere today. e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.
we live in a college town...i was in there with mostly college girls. that's always fun.
Where did you do piloxing? And when are we going together??
I don't always have a comment to share, but I love reading your blog! Keep it coming!
Oh yeah---I have a son who collects bottles. Especially the little glass vanilla/almond extract ones. He makes potions of all sorts of nasty things and stores them. I don't dare throw them away, though I think about it alot! He's 14. Do I need to say anything more?
I can't tell you the last time our bed was made. If you send that sweet angel over to my house she will be rewarded with doodle kisses, our dog even has the same curly brown hair she does!
I am eating an arugula salad as I read this, and regretting the skyrobics (aerobics on a trampoline) class I took last night that almost killed me. Scary, right? AND my little girl has almost the same crown and rings and wand, but I guess probably most young princesses these days have something similar . . . your posts make my day.
I laugh out loud pretty much every time I read your blog. Keep it coming!
You, my dear, are a philosophical hoot! Keep it up.
Those pictures of Ruby are so dang dreamy. Love her kind heart!
And, because I'm clueless, I googled a Piloxing video. Whoa! Get it girl.
Classes at the gym always make me feel inferior. And all the mirrors just add insult to injury! Do your thing girl!
I love your posts, they make me laugh! Ifell off a horse- yep, that's right- last week, and I still can't move right. Maybe I'll go lay in bed too.
Goshen has the best farmers market with the best ever arugula. yum! miss it. & the chief!
Some sort of disability in relation to how you move? Cackle AND snort!
Emerson collected old bottles, jars and empty medicine containers. Then he reused them and made signs (I still have this one) that said "adults and kids! Get your pills HERE!"
It's no wonder why I think he's La Bamba!
I've never heard of piloxing. It sounds painful.
Hey there, I just found your blog and it is super cute! I know this is going to sound odd, but I love to cook arugula with my scrambled eggs. It is actually really good!
A. I have no idea what piloxing is and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. B. That salad is making me remember another salad, the fun salad which is making me feel a little sad and maybe teary for that time in our lives minus the teenager thorn in my side. C. I want to borrow Ruby and not just because she makes beds. D. I just love you. The end.
Thanks for helping me to better appreciate my own crazy kids (n lack of piloxing). Your kids are guarranteed to make me smile.every.time.You make city life look pretty sweet to this farmgirl.Arugula n goat cheese n eggs...ummm.


or when working in the round as for granny squares or amigurumis.
An increase can be made in any type of stitch: single crochet, double crochet, treble crochet….
It is a very easy technique to learn in crochet because it only consists of working two stitches into the same stitch.
Work 1 single crochet into the stitch indicated in the pattern as shown in the video "How to single crochet".
Now work another single crochet by inserting the hook into the same stitch that you worked the previous single crochet.
As you can see, there are now two stitches in one stitch, so this row will have one more stitch than the previous row.Once you have worked the increase continue working as indicated in the pattern.


text:
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon
Ciri in The Witcher 3
Lion Cub of Cintra
Zireael
Heiress to the throne of Cintra
heiress to Inis Ard Skellig and Inis An Skellig
Princess of Brugge and Duchess of Sodden (claimant, given to her double)
Suzerain of Attre and Abb Yarra (claimant, given to her double)
Witcheress
Northern Realms
Witchers
Lodge of Sorceresses (theoretically)
Elder blood gene
Travelling through spaces and times
Green, emerald (books)
Ashen grey / mousy blonde
5 feet 9 inches
House of Raven
Pavetta Fiona Elen (mother)
Duny (father)
Yennefer of Vengerberg (adoptive mother)
Geralt of Rivia (adoptive father)
The Tower of the Swallow
The Lady of the Lake
Video games:
The Witcher (mentioned only)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (mentioned only)
Non-video games:
The Witcher: A Game of Imagination
Dynastic descriptions
The World of the Witcher
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (known as Ciri or the Lion Cub of Cintra), born in 1253 or 1252,[1] during the Belleteyn holiday - a princess of Cintra, daughter of Pavetta and Duny (Urcheon of Erlenwald) and granddaughter of queen Calanthe.
After witcher Geralt lifted the curse from her father, he demanded from Duny what he had but didn't know he did (see: Law of Surprise), which turned out to be Ciri (as Pavetta was already pregnant with the child). Six years to the day after her birth, Geralt went back to Cintra for her, but did not take her with him to Kaer Morhen at that time. In fact, he didn't even lay eyes on her and only spoke with Calanthe, and the queen divulged no information to him, not even the child's gender.
2 In "Something More" in Sword of Destiny
3 In Blood of Elves
4 In Time of Contempt
5 In Baptism of Fire
6 In The Tower of the Swallow
8 In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
8.1 Prior to the game release
8.2 Ciri's powers
8.3 Journal entry
8.4 Associated quests
10 In the Movie and TV series
10.1 Episodes
Early life[edit | edit source]
While she was still an infant, Ciri's parents were both lost in a storm at sea and presumed dead. She spent her youth in Cintra and the Skellige Islands in the care of her grandmother and her uncle.
In "Something More" in Sword of Destiny[edit | edit source]
She first met Geralt when she was lost in the forest of Brokilon. She was nearly taken by the dryads and made one of them, but the queen of the dryads, Eithné unexpectedly let the girl choose her own future. Ciri chose Geralt and tried to stay with him after they left Brokilon, but the witcher would not take her with him. Instead, he left her with the druid Mousesack who was working for Calanthe.
Ultimately, she was adopted by a kindly merchant's wife, Goldencheeks and it is at Goldencheeks' and Yurga's farm, that Geralt was reunited with her. (This event overlaps slightly with the events in Blood of Elves).
In Blood of Elves[edit | edit source]
Then came the slaughter of Cintra.
During the Nilfgaardian invasion of Cintra, Ciri was kidnapped by a Nilfgaardian knight called Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach (though his identity was not known at the time), but she managed to escape and wandered aimlessly for some time through Sodden until she was ultimately adopted by a merchant's family.
Coincidentally, Geralt had been helped by that same merchant and transported to his home. So once again Ciri and Geralt were reunited. This time the witcher took her with him to Kaer Morhen, where under the supervision of Triss Merigold she underwent partial witcher training (but not the mutations) with Geralt, Vesemir, Lambert, Eskel and Coën. It was also there that it was confirmed that she was a source.
Geralt and Triss later took her to the Temple of Melitele in Ellander where she received instruction at first from Nenneke, and then from Yennefer, who began Ciri's magical training in earnest.
" 'She is not a child,' the voice repeated. 'She is the Flame, the White Flame which will set light to the world. She is the Elder Blood, Hen Ichaer. The blood of elves. The seed which will not sprout but burst into flame. The blood which will be defiled . . . When Tedd Deireadh arrives, the Time of End. Va'esse deireadh aep eigean!' "
— pg(s). 41, Blood of Elves (UK edition)
In Time of Contempt[edit | edit source]
As news of war began to spread, Ciri and Yennefer left Ellander for Gors Velen and ultimately Thanedd Island and Aretuza where the sorceress intended to enrol the girl as well as attend the Conclave of mages.
Things did not work out as planned though, not by a long shot. There was a coup during the Conclave and several individuals including Vilgefortz and Cahir tried to capture Ciri once again, and once again failed with the girl escaping through an unstable magical portal in Tor Lara. Because of the portal's nature, Ciri was simply ejected in mid-air over the Korath desert.
Unaware of where she was and without obvious recourse, the girl decided to make her way out of the wasteland by heading west. Unfortunately she wandered around in circles for some time before deciding to use the stars as a guide. She nearly died of exhaustion, dehydration and starvation. Luckily she met a unicorn whom she nicknamed Little Horse that helped her out of the Frying Pan (a folk name for the deadly desert).
During the events in the desert, Ihuarraquax was severly wounded by a creature hidden in the sand, which then is killed by Ciri. Ciri then saw the agony of the little horse and decided to heal the unicorn colt's wound, but there was no magical source to draw from. Finally, and out of desperation, she drew (magical) power from a fire she was able to start. Yennefer always had forbidden her to do that and the power overwhelmed her, which lead to her abjuration of the magical power. She was able to save the unicorn, and because of this, some much higher entities (other unicorns?) were eventually willing to let Ciri go on and follow her destiny.
Completely down and out, she finally was captured by the Trappers and brought to the village of Glyswen where she finally escaped along with a group of young brigands known as "the Rats".
In Baptism of Fire[edit | edit source]
Ciri then joined the Rats band under the name Falka. Bounty hunter Leo Bonhart was hired by Stefan Skellen to kill Ciri and by baron Casadei to capture her alive. Bonhart killed the Rats and cut off their heads after their deaths. He neither killed Ciri, nor brought her to baron Casadei, therefore not fullfilling his contracts. Bonhart imprisoned her for some time, beating her, mistreating and forcing her to kill in the arena at Claremont, which belonged to his cousin Houvenaghel.
Ciri managed to escape with the help of Neratin Ceka when Bonhart had taken her to the village of Unicorn on the eve of the equinox. He had gone to meet with Skellen and Rience and possibly negotiate some terms to release Ciri. Bonhart then killed Neratin Ceka, and Skellen seriously wounded Ciri, disfiguring her with an orion as she fled the village on her mare, Kelpie.
Later, she was found, near death by Vysogota of Corvo, who hid and healed at his hermitage in the Pereplut swamp. She stayed with Vysogotha until shortly after Saovine when she set off to find The Tower of the Swallow.
Together with Skellen and Rience, Bonhart tried to hunt her down on the order of Vilgefortz. Eventually, she escaped to Tor Zireael.
Being a twin tower to Tor Lara, Tor Zireael had a portal which led Cirilla to the world of the Aen Elle elves.
In The Tower of the Swallow[edit | edit source]
There she was greeted by Avallac'h, an Aen Saevherne. He explained to her that she had to 'pay the debt' referring to the perceived loss to the Aen Elle when Lara Dorren took Cregennan of Lod as her lover. The elves believed that the latter had 'stolen' Elder Blood from them by marrying Lara. To atone for that 'crime' Avallac'h wanted Ciri to beget a child with Auberon Muircetach, the king of the Aen Elle. That being the only way Avallac'h would let her return to her own world. On their way to Tir ná Lia, the Aen Elle capital, they met Eredin and his Dearg Ruadhri. Ciri was initially quite infatuated with him - he realised that and tried to use it to control her. They also came across a pack of unicorns which appeared to be at war with Aen Elle.
In Tir na Lia Ciri finally met Auberon, who many times tried to conceive a child with her, however he could not - to him she was just a human, a being of no interest for an Aen Elle. Nevertheless he was very proud and refused to admit it. Eredin suggested using a 'potion' which would improve Auberon's performance and allow him to conceive a child with Cirilla. He also told her the truth (probably to gain her trust) - that Avallac'h would never let her go. Knowing this, Ciri found help with the unicorns where she also met Little Horse/Ihuarraquax, by then fully grown. The unicorns explained that both Fox and Sparrowhawk had once possessed The Gate of the Worlds, a mystical power known only to those of the Elder Blood but they had lost it. Now they wanted these powers back and for that they needed Ciri. This could not be allowed, however and the unicorns explained to Cirilla how she should escape.
That same day Ciri once again visited Auberon only to find that he had drunk the 'potion' given to him by Eredin. Unknown to Sparrowhawk it happened to be too strong and killed Auberon. That night Ciri attempted to escape Tir na Lia and its barrier by using a boat and swimming with the river's current. She was stopped by Eredin who then revealed his true intentions, being the same as Avallac'h's. The two battled and Ciri proved victorious due to the elf's underestimation of her abilities - she wounded him and threw him into the river. Later on she mounted Kelpie and rode away from Tir na Lia. She met Little Horse who offered his help (actually his being by Ciri's side was a part of her bargain with the other unicorns). They came across a huge pile of bones. To her horror, Ciri realised that the skulls had human teeth making them a pile of human bones. Ihuarraquax explained that it had been a human world until the elves led by Fox and Sparrowhawk arrived and killed them all - this also would be the fate of other worlds, including Ciri's own, should Avallac'h and Eredin succeed in once again harnessing the power of time and space. Nevertheless, Ihuarraquax and Ciri realised that they were being chased. Little Horse urged Ciri to jump to another world - the only way to escape. She, however didn't know how. The unicorn became her guide and they jumped. This led to the manifestation of Ciri's strongest power, giving her the title of The Lady of the Worlds. That power allowed her to traverse space and time at will. Not being able to control it, however, Ciri had to journey through many different worlds to finally find her own.
At the Stygga castle, Bonhart died at the hand of Ciri.
According to Blood of Elves, her name is derived from the Elder Speech word Zireael, Swallow.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt[edit | edit source]
Ciri is a playable character in The Witcher 3, but only during certain quests and not generally. She appears in the opening quest, as a child and Geralt's search for her as an adult is the main thrust of the game plot.
Prior to the game release[edit | edit source]
https://witcher.gamepedia.com/File:Ciri_blink.webm
In the Sword of Destiny trailer, while speaking to Geralt, Emhyr var Emreis claims that Ciri has returned to the mortal lands and is being followed by the Wild Hunt. Supposedly, the King of the Wild Hunt also refers to her and there is a white-haired woman seen running who has been confirmed to be Ciri. The next shred of information came in the 35min gameplay demo, the Crones appear to be the first to find Ciri after she came back into the world through a portal. She was exhausted and apparently injured. The three witches helped her as best they could, discovering she has the Elder blood flowing in her veins in the process. Cirilla didn't stay with them, she escaped her grotesque saviors.
On 15 Dec 2014 it was revealed that Ciri would be a playable character. The player is not able to switch between her and Geralt at will but rather assumes control over her actions during some crucial points of the plot. It was also disclosed that one of Ciri's unique abilities will be one called blink.[2] See the short video snippet on the right for an example.
Ciri's powers[edit | edit source]
Magic amulet (given to her by Triss)
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon — what can I possibly say about her? That we call her Ciri for short, that she was born in 1251, that she has ashen hair and a scar on her cheek?
All true, and that's the Cirilla I know best, the one I first laid eyes upon those many years ago, the one who seemed thoroughly, well, not ordinary, but certainly not as extraordinary as she in fact is.
For Cirilla is also a highly-skilled witcher, heiress to several thrones, the last bearer of the Elder Blood, a powerful Source endowed with exceptional magic talent and the Lady of Time and Space. Her hair color and date of birth seem... rather incidental now, don't they?
I could also tell you she is Geralt's adopted daughter - but that would be a gross simplification. Ciri is much more. She is his Destiny, his Unexpected Child, someone bound to the witcher by Fate's most inextricably tangled fetters.
Following age-old witcher tradition, Geralt took Ciri to Kaer Morhen when she came into his care. There he and Vesemir taught her in the ways of the professional monster slayer. It was then that her magic talents were first revealed, and they discovered she was a Source.
Ciri's gift proved a curse as well. Because of it, she would one day have to hide from the entire world — even Geralt.
Ciri's biography contained one more great secret. Her natural father was none other than the emperor of Nilfgaard, Emhyr var Emreis. His words confirmed the fears swirling in Geralt's mind. Ciri had returned and was in mortal danger, for the unrelenting Wild Hunt was on her trail.
Yennefer made it clear why the Wild Hunt wanted Ciri: Eredin wanted the power latent in her Elder Blood. She also let Geralt know that Ciri had been seen in war-ravaged Velen as well as in Novigrad, the largest city in the world.
Reports that Ciri has spent time at Crow's Perch proved true. She was there as the guest of the local warlord, Phillip Strenger, also known as the Bloody Baron. Despite his violent monicker, this man treated Ciri with kindness and respect.
It seemed that during Ciri's time in Velen she got into a quarrel with some sort of witch or witches in the swamps.
Geralt learned the truth of Ciri's time in the swamps from the mouths of the hideous Crones themselves. Even Ciri, better able to hold her own than most anyone in existence, was lucky to escape from these powerful beings alive and intact.
The Battle of Kaer Morhen
Blood on the Battlefield
Bloody Baron
Child of the Elder Blood
Ciri's Story: Fleeing the Bog
Ciri's Story: Out of the Shadows
Ciri's Story: The King of the Wolves
Ciri's Story: The Race
Ciri's Story: Visiting Junior
Final Preparations
The Isle of Mists
Kaer Morhen
Skjall's Grave
Something Ends, Something Begins
In the game, the innkeeper at the Country Inn in the village of Murky Waters can tell Geralt the tale of "Cirilla".
Innkeeper: "Ahem... Long ago, in a valley far away, lived a girl. She was a true princess, sorceress and witcheress..."
Geralt: "All three? Isn't that a bit much?"
Innkeeper: "Don't interrupt. You want to hear the story or not?"
Geralt: "I won't interrupt again."
Innkeeper: "A story about destiny might prove useful, witcher.
She was born a princess who wanted for nothing, had loving parents and a grandmother who was a great queen. She lived in palaces guarded by hundreds of knights. Everyone thought she'd become a powerful queen. But fate had other plans. Her parents died. Enemies butchered her grandmother and took the kingdom. Still, the princess survived. Her fate became bound to one particular witcher. She gained a new family at Kaer Morhen, the hold of the witchers. She learned to fight. Yet destiny once again made noise.
The lass had magical talent. She was a source. The witchers afeared the uncontrolled power of a source and needed a sorceress to assist them. She studied arcane magic. The sorceress loved a witcher and the two adopted the girl. She was truly happy and could have become a powerful sorceress...
But war broke out and fate separated the family. Aggrieved, the lass disawoved magic and became a huntress, learning to love killing. Death followed her - everyone she'd loved had died. Only the witcher and the sorceress denied Death's calling. Fate cast her to foreign shores, yet she returned. The worst assassin tailed her, yet she emerged victorious. Agents of all kingdoms pursued her, yet none caught her.
When she killed all her enemies and peace descended upon the world, she rejoined the witcher and sorceress, only to have destiny sneer at her again."
Geralt: "What happened?"
Innkeeper: "A peasant unskilled in arms killed the witcher. The sorceress died trying to revive him. The girl could do nothing for she'd disawoved magic. So the princess who would not rule, the witcheress who fought humans, and the sorceress who cast no spells used her power as a means to leave this world."
Geralt: "I sense you haven't told all."
Innkeeper: "All but one. Her name was Cirilla. What's that matter?"
In the Movie and TV series[edit | edit source]
Marta Bitner as Ciri in The Hexer TV series
In The Hexer movie and TV series, Ciri was played by Marta Bitner. Unlike in the books, in the series she first met Geralt in the Temple of Melitele in Ellander. She is also not depicted during her teenage years in the series.
Episodes[edit | edit source]
09: "Świątynia Melitele" (The Temple of Melitele)
10: "Mniejsze zło" (The Lesser Evil)
12: "Falwick"
13: "Ciri"
↑ The novels are not clear when it comes to dates. In Blood of Elves, when Ciri is leaving Kaer Morhen in early spring 1266, she says she is almost 13 - which indicates that the date is 1253; the same date can be inferred from Time of Contempt (which takes place in 1267), when it is said she is 14. On the other hand, there are a few mentions in The Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake (respectively 1267 and 1268) about her being 15 or 16 years old. Andrzej Sapkowski messes up even more in The Tower of the Swallow and Dynastic descriptions describing her crush on Hjalmar which she had at the age of 12 - which is impossible due to fact that the Slaughter of Cintra took place in 1263 and she went to Kaer Morhen in 1264.
↑ "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will let you play as Ciri", retrieved on 15 Dec 2014.
Ciri in the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Ciri art
Ciri by Aliapkin.
Ciri in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Ciri fanart by JustAnor.
Ciri on the Polish cover of Sword of Destiny.
Ciri fighting General Caranthir (Elder Blood Trailer).
Young Ciri concept art
Young Ciri and witchers
Ciri journal image
Young Ciri journal image
v · d · eCintran monarchs
Cerbin • Correl • Coram I • Coram II • Corbett • Dagorad • Calanthe • Roegner • Eist Tuirseach • Emhyr var Emreis
Becca of Nazair • Eschiva of Sodden • Rigoberta of Lyria • Fiona of Temeria • Elen of Kaedwen • Adalia • Calanthe • "Cirilla"
Other members of the royal family
Ceran • Cirra • Pavetta • Cirilla
Retrieved from "https://witcher.gamepedia.com/index.php?title=Ciri&oldid=416753"
The Witcher 3 characters
Short story characters
Film/TV series characters

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Jr. Roach, the husband of 59-year-old Deirdre Roach, says his wife has medical issues that may have her confused and uncertain about her whereabouts. Each day that passes with no answers, Jr. Roach's fears grow.
"In the condition she is in, her life is in danger," he said.


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THE very first Fleadh Nua in Ennis was held in 1974 and, as the festival prepares to celebrate its 40th milestone, one family recalls those first days, having uncovered a set of photographs documenting its rich heritage.
In 1961, the prominent public house on O'Connell Street, now known as Brogan's, was owned by the Hogan family. Brian Hogan and his wife, Joan, ran the business there up until November 1976. It was then, as it is now, renowned for its traditional music and entertainment and, when the Fleadh Nua began in the town, it was one of the moments they recall with great fondness.
The Hogans' son, Senan, who lives in Kildysart, was given a stack of old photographs by his aunt, Kitty Heffernan from County Waterford, who used to travel to Ennis to help out the Hogan family during this busy festival period.
It is believed that these photographs date to between the first Fleadh Nua or, at the latest, the second or third festival, as the family left the pub in 1976. Still in incredible condition and showcasing the vibrancy, colour and joy the Fleadh Nua brought to the town of Ennis, Senan believes they were a wonderful find and couldn't have come at a more opportune time, given this year's celebrations.
"The Fleadh Nua has always been a major event and a busy one for the town of Ennis, since it began. I remember going to the Boys' National School and there were people pitching tents there and in the Fairgreen. It brought loads of people to the town and there were plenty of characters too. They came from all over and right across Europe, as they still do," he said.
Senan recalls growing up in the centre of it all, having lived at that time on O'Connell Street, and said it was a great experience to be among the sessions.
He recalls his aunt, Kitty, coming up from Tramore to the Fleadh Nua to help out and, even after they left the pub business there, it was her love of the atmosphere and the music that kept her coming back to the Fleadh Nua.
Senan's father, Brian, was a chef and, having overcome a fire in the building in 1971, which resulted in substantial refurbishment of the building, his father fell into ill health and subsequently gave up the business.
He recalls his aunt, with what he described as "a very good camera" at the time, taking the photographs they have uncovered. He is hoping they might bring back fond memories for both the people of Ennis and visitors, who came to the county town some 40 years ago for the Fleadh Nua, and indeed the many who continue that tradition.
Speaking about the evolution of the Fleadh Nua, vice-chairman of the committee, Frank Whelan, said it started out as a three-day event and is now an eight-day festival.
At the outset, he said, "The outdoor aspect of it was huge." He continued, "It was almost like an All-Ireland Fleadh. There were huge crowds. There were tents out in the fields and the park, and the huge floats. The town was able to take them at the time and you hadn't the same restrictions on the streets then as you do now.
"It has evolved quite a lot since those times. There is now more of an emphasis on the indoor events. The changes to the street layouts sounded the death knell for the parades in particular," he recalled.
Although they no longer feature, Frank said the parades did span a great many years in the history of the Fleadh Nua. He remembers, when he was chairman in 1999/2000, that one of the largest parades the festival had seen took place.
"At the millennium, we had the millennium drum, which was built in Dublin. It was a huge thing and it took a 40-foot lorry to carry the drum. After that, the streets changed and got narrower and it wasn't possible around the O'Connell Monument to manoeuvre the lorries around.
"Our concerts now would be the big thing. One of the big concerts this year will be the Brian Boru Suite, which has been specially commissioned by Comhaltas to mark the millennium of his death," he concluded.
This concert takes place in Glór next Friday, May 23. The Fleadh Nua gets underway on Sunday and runs until the following Monday, May 26.


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text:
Religions & Cults
Voodoo / Voudou / Santeria In The U.S. Of A.
Thread starter MrRING
MrRING
Android Futureman
Also, the age thing. They were both supposed to be beauties, but not unaging or unnatural ones... the Widow Paris was infirm in her last 5 years or so, though mentally still pretty sharp. Marie the Second took over most of the voodoo activities when the Widow Paris would have still conceivablly been a hottie (late 40's early 50's) and if they looks enough alike, it could easily led to the idea of eternal youth to people on the outside looking in.
Mighty_Emperor
The Widow Paris?
[edit: Sorry I'm being slow here (I'm tired) this:
Sources conflict but Marie may have been born in New Orleans in 1794
isn't inconsistent with her possibly being born in 1800 and getting married in 1819 and having her daughter (who picked up her mantle) in 1826 - which seems like the bit that most people can agree on. In fact a slightly later date of birth would probably fit better with those dates.
What I'm intrigued by is her mother who seems to have been an African slave arriving in New Orleans via Haiti which would fit with the timing of the slave revolts there. The date of the Haitian slave revolts (1791) meant that Voodoo arrived in New Orleans in the late 18thC and early 19thC depending on the route the plantation owners took - direct or indirect. It would fit either date.
I assume the information is from the book you mentioned?]
[edit2: Some Wikipedia entries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Haiti#The_Great_Slave_Rebellion_of_1791
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans#Colonial_Era
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo#History
although the later is way wrong about voodoo arriving in the 1960s.
Marie the First was also known, (mostly known), as the Widow Paris.
And a bit from the book, pg 10:
Beautiful and multihued, both the Marie Laveaus were a mixture of races and cultures - white, black and red, French, Spanish, West African, and Native American. Marie the FIrst was born in 1801, at the begining of the 19th century and the American regime in New Orleans - a century after the founding of the New World colony of Louisiana...
(cut)
Marie Laveau's color - whatever it was - came from a century of convoluted colonial contacts that began in 1699 when a small group of Frenchmen laid claim to the territory of Louisiana....
(Talking about the slave ships going to Louisiana) Each ship sailed directly from West Africa, which meant that - contrary to common assumptions - most Africans in Louisiana did not pass through the Caribbean first.
. Any ideas about what this could mean ?
on a wooden board a child`s - baby`s - T shirt laid out with a long carving knife stuck in it, a lighted candle alongside and a rolled up piece of paper tied in the middle . The candle was reflecting off the trees alongside where I live and alarmed a pensioner neighbour into thinking there was a fire. I went to look and then took a photo . . it had gone at daylight.
towards the back of an Indian takeaway
lookslikerain: It could be from just about any culture or just have a meaning only the practioner (and possibly the victim) know. It could also be just someone messing around. The rituals seem to vary quite a lot as it isn't like a strict recipe things can vary as long as the message gets across.
Mr. R.I.N.G. said:
What sources do they give for that as it rather flies in the face of what I've read about this?
Emperor, unfortunately I've already turned the book back in - it may take a while, but when it comes back in, I'll list the sources (as there is an extensive bibliography in the back).
Righto no worries - I'm not going anywhere
I do have an awful lot of books to get through but I may sneak a peek at that one on your recommendation.
the takeaway was a new startup at the time and new faces imported to cook - the background the same I guess to all.
a candle left to flicker amongst that arrangement suggests it wasn`t accidental, and didn`t come cheap.
Not a clue my friends about this, the straight line between my bedroom and that is 25yds and lots of trees around, but none in the way - whoever did that expected it to be private I believe.
Emperor said:
OK this came up over in Play Dead's thread on her book:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16262
And it basically touches on the fact that while she uses the Caribbean-style zombies in her book there isn't very much evidence at all for that parctice making it to the States which is a bit odd and I felt worthy of a thread itself as vodou did make it over.
I ran across this:
For example, in New Orleans around 1800, white and black folks alike feared a 'zombie' that was said to haunt the streets. But the zombie involved had nothing to do with rotting corpses. It was the ghost apparition of a deceised French officer holding his head under his arm!
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mke/zombies.htm
Anyone know anything else about this?
[edit: OK found it - it was 1814 and it was a British officer - see Botkin (1955) A Treasury of Mississipi River Folklore.]
An interesting recent case - although "voodoo powder" and the fear of zombification has been deployed against US troops in Haiti it rare to hear claims for it elsewhere (I'll keep digging as this report is scanty):
'VOODOO' SUIT BACK FROM DEAD
March 23, 2005 -- A former Lower East Side school official who claimed she was unfairly accused of sprinkling "voodoo powder" outside her superintendent's office had her defamation suit against the city reinstated yesterday — as if by magic.
Judge Guido Calabrese, who wrote the appellate decision, suggested the Velez controversy had more to do with a political dispute than voodoo and that she may have been a victim of a smear campaign.
A more lengthy legal overview:
2nd Circuit Revives 'Stigma-Plus' Dismissal Suit
Mark Hamblett
A school board member who claimed political opponents got her fired by making up a story that she sprinkled "voodoo" powder outside the door of an adversary has had her lawsuit reinstated.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Amy Velez, a New York City Community School District Board member, had a "liberty interest" in her position on District Board 1, and could continue her suit against Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy and several other defendants.
The circuit also found that Velez had stated a plausible First Amendment claim against Levy in Velez v. Levy, 03-7875.
As a member of the board beginning in May 1999, Velez was subject to removal by the chancellor under New York Education Law §2590-1(1)(a) for failing "to comply with any applicable provisions of law, by-laws, rules or regulations, standards, directives and agreements."
Under the law, the chancellor must provide an "opportunity for conciliation" prior to removal unless the board member has engaged in criminal conduct or poses a threat to the "safety or welfare" of a student or staff member.
According to fellow board member Nancy Ortiz, Velez left a Jan. 23, 2002, board meeting after a sharp disagreement on diversity policy and went to the office of Helen Santiago, Superintendent of District 1, and sprinkled a pink, powdery substance in front of Santiago's office door. She also allegedly dropped a plastic bag containing additional powder.
Ortiz and fellow board members Jacob Goldman and Joyce Early wrote to Levy accusing Velez of sprinkling the powder.
The trio characterized her actions as criminal conduct and asked that she be removed.
Their charges were reported in the Daily News two days later, with the reporter noting the alleged sprinkling of "foul smelling," "voodoo" powder. TV and radio stations then picked up the report.
The Chancellor's Office of Special Investigations issued a report in February 2002 stating the accusations were substantiated and, on March 15, 2002, Levy removed Velez from the board.
She successfully appealed the decision to the Board of Education, which found the investigation "incomplete in its conduct and illogical in its conclusions."
Velez was reinstated in June 2002.
She filed suit in the Southern District, claiming deprivation of liberty and property in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's procedural and due process requirements; unlawful retaliation for political positions and expression in violation of the First and Fourteenth amendments; and unlawful "seizure" of her elected office in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments.
Southern District Judge John Koeltl dismissed the case, finding that Velez had failed to state a colorable cause of action and, in the alternative, that the board members, the investigators and Levy were protected by qualified immunity.
At the 2nd Circuit, Judges Guido Calabresi, James Oakes and Ralph Winter first agreed with Judge Koeltl, albeit on different grounds, that Velez did not possess a property interest in her elected position.
But the panel disagreed on Velez's liberty interest claim, which was based on the stigma she allegedly suffered from being publicly accused of criminal behavior together with the loss of her position -- all without sufficient process.
'STIGMA-PLUS' CLAIM
Writing for the panel, Judge Calabresi said a §1983 liberty interest claim of this sort is commonly referred to a "stigma-plus" claim, which requires the plaintiff, under 2nd Circuit case law, to allege a defendant uttered a false statement injurious to her reputation and "some tangible and material state-imposed burden … in addition to the stigmatizing statement."
Typically, Calabresi said, the stigmatizing statement comes from the same "actor who imposes the 'plus,' such as when a government employer defames an employee in the course of terminating the employee."
But here, he said, Velez "complains of a less single-sourced injury" -- the board members created the "stigma" and Levy created the "plus," a combination that would appear to be a fatal flaw in Velez complaint.
However, the judge said, while the circuit has never directly addressed the question, other circuits have approved of "stigma-plus" claims where the "plus" is imposed separately from "explicit stigmatizing statement."
"We now hold that perfect parity in the origin of both the 'stigma' and the 'plus' is not required to state the infringement of a 'stigma-plus' liberty interest," he said, because the important factor was the proximity between the statement and the action taken. And taking the Velez allegations as true, he said, Velez's "stigma-plus liberty interest" was implicated and she had adequately asserted the deprivation of such an interest.
Velez was also entitled to a pre-deprivation hearing before Levy ordered her removed, which states a valid claim against the chancellor as a "high-ranking official," under the due process clause, he said, but not against the individual board members or the investigators.
While the circuit went on to reject Velez' substantive due process claims, it said she had stated a valid claim under the First Amendment, which Judge Koeltl had dismissed.
Koeltl had found that Velez's speech as a community school board member was not protected because the political affiliations of "policymakers" are not constitutionally protected from government retaliation and the 2nd Circuit held in Camacho v. Brandon, 317 F.3d 153 (2003) that elected officials are "policymakers."
But Calabresi said Camacho, which dealt with the firing of a legislative aide to a Yonkers City Council member, supposedly in retaliation for the member's public statements, did not apply to this case.
Here, the judge said, Velez fell "into a category -- an elected officeholder removed from her office, allegedly in retaliation for her (presumably faithful) representation of her constituents -- as to which no exception from general First Amendment protections has heretofore been made."
Therefore, he said, the First Amendment claims survived against Levy because "extending the policymaker exception to this case, and thereby allowing the Chancellor to remove board members on political grounds, would undermine the very object of the position Velez occupies."
James I. Meyerson represented Velez. Assistant Corporation Counsels Stacy Laine Francolla and Francis F. Caputo represented the city.
and an earlier report (as this has been rattling around for 6 years):
Supporters rally for Amy Velez after her dismissal from the Board of Education, claiming "the only voodoo is this investigation,
By Ricardo Leon Pena-Villa, El Diario / La Prensa, 26 March 2002. Translated from Spanish by Telesh Lopez.
Manhattan's Community School Board District 1 continues to seethe after the dismissal of School Board Member Amy Velez.
Velez, the elected parent representative, was recently dismissed after being accused of practicing voodoo against the School District Superintendent Helen Santiago.
Yesterday, on the front steps of City Hall, organizations including the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, District 1 Parents United, the American Civil Liberties Union of New York, and many officials, including Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-NY) and City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez, voiced their support of Velez.
"I want to send a clear message to the Chancellor and to the special investigators that this public official was elected by parents and voters of the school district, and her rights and those of the voters were violated," Velasquez said. "It is a shame. It is just incredible, and to me it is a joke. This woman does not need to use dirty tricks like voodoo powder. What she does is what she has done since she was elected, which is represent her constituency in political and public decisions."
If it becomes necessary, Velasquez will seek a Department of Justice investigation, she said, because the situation is not about Velez, but about the community.
"The one issue here is Chancellor Levy destroying the balance of power on the School Board," Lopez said. "It is not about voodoo or religion in particular. Chancellor Levy, you need to understand that the School Board has had to fight the last 25 years, and in our district, people of color vote and they have rights to the school they want."
Regarding the decision, Velez said, "the Chancellor decided this. It is unfortunate that a person in a position of power would use it in such a lowly manner. This is the most nefarious thing I've ever heard in my life."
Schools Chancellor Harold Levy said, "Amy Velez was accused of violating the rules. There are witnesses who say she brought voodoo powder. There are witnesses, and it is inappropriate for her to be on the Board. It saddens me. If she did what the witnesses say, she is embarrassing the community. She did not respect the Board or the education process, and this upsets me. I do not know why they support her or why they don't, I will not look at that. What is important is that people behave respectfully."
We tried to locate Nancy Ortiz from School Board 1, who is said to have witnessed Velez's actions, but her assistant, Elizabeth Dillon, said she was unavailable.
El Diario/La Prensa is a Spanish-language daily covering local, national and international news in Manhattan.
This article appeared in Edition 13 of Voices That Must Be Heard.
Translation © 2002, IPA, all rights reserved.
Annapolis House Yields Clues to Hoodoo Mysteries
By Ray Rivera
Wednesday, July 6, 2005; B01
Sifting through the debris of an 18th-century townhouse being renovated in Annapolis last month, the archaeologist and his students found what they were looking for under the brick floor near the kitchen hearth.
There, in a shallow five-inch pit, lay eight bent nails, a clear glass spindle, a plate of glass etched with a checkerboard design and a white pierced disk the size of a 50-cent piece.
What University of Maryland archaeologist Mark Leone and his team of students had discovered was evidence of hoodoo, a New World variant of ancient West African mystical traditions carried across the Atlantic by black slaves.
The practice, meant to influence healing and ward off misfortune, was continued well into the 20th century by freed descendants who lived and worked in the homes of wealthy white families as cooks, launderers and gardeners.
But Leone's research in Annapolis has raised an intriguing question: Scholars have yet to find hoodoo artifacts in homes owned and rented by the city's emerging black middle class in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In other words, while poorer blacks were keeping hoodoo alive, upwardly mobile African Americans were abandoning it.
"That's not to say that middle-class African Americans were giving up their African traditions, but they were finding different ways to express it," said Leone, who has led much of the research in Annapolis for the past 25 years,
The findings released last week add to the complex picture of black life in Annapolis and throughout the region in the decades before and after emancipation.
Hoodoo, which is practiced today, was widespread throughout the antebellum South.
Like other African-derived folk practices such as Santeria in Cuba and voodoo in Haiti, it mixed elements of Christianity with conjuring rituals involving herbs, dolls, pins and other everyday items bundled together as mojos worn on the body or buried in and around homes.
Frowned upon by Christian slave owners and later by white employers, the rituals were often conducted in secret -- what many scholars now see as a form of cultural resistance.
"In part you're talking about a sense of power and control," said Charles L. Perdue, who teaches folklore at the University of Virginia. "When you have no control over your destiny at all, anything you can do to increase the notion that you can exercise some power over your environment is a benefit to your psychic health."
Leone found the first inklings of hoodoo in Annapolis during an excavation in the early 1990s of the Charles Carroll House, home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence who had vast slave holdings.
Buried in a shallow pit in the northeast corner of the house were crystals, shards of glass, beads and a polished black stone. Researchers then didn't understand their meaning or why it appeared that the objects had been placed deliberately in the northeast corner.
The find drew the attention of Frederick Lamp, then curator of African art at the Baltimore Museum of Art. He suggested the materials might be a kind of nkisi , a grouping of religious artifacts used in religious rituals by the BaKongo people of West Africa.
Subsequent finds in Annapolis were unearthed in the Brice and Slayton mansions and, just last month, the Adams-Kilty House on Charles Street. The earliest materials date to 1790 and the latest to 1920.
Based on the oral narratives of former slaves, African American folklore and studies of West African rituals, researchers theorize that the ritual bundles -- variously called mojos, tobys or "hands" -- contain three key elements:
The first is something to catch and hold the spirit in place. In the Adams-Kilty cache, it was a piece of glass with a checkerboard design. The glass is transparent and looks like ash or water, mimicking the environment spirits travel in, Leone said.
Another element is something that belongs to the person to be affected by the spirit. This latest cache didn't appear to have such an object. Leone theorizes that it might have been the cloth, which disintegrated, used to wrap the cache. In the Brice house, the cache included a button engraved with the letter M, possibly belonging to a member of the Martin family, which owned the home in the late 19th or early 20th century, Leone said.
The third element is something that relates to the problem to be solved. In the Adams-Kilty case, it was probably the bent nails, which might signify arthritis.
Researchers have also learned exactly where to look: Under thresholds, hearths and stairwells -- places spirits were believed to congregate and use as entry points, Leone said. Another common location is beneath the northeast corners of houses, but the reason for that placement remains a mystery, scholars say.
During the same period they were excavating the homes of wealthy white families, researchers conducted digs at a half-dozen homes owned or rented in the 19th and 20th centuries by middle-class African Americans. They included the historic Maynard-Burgess House, home to John Maynard, a free black man born in 1810 who later bought his wife and stepdaughter out of slavery.
Maynard was part of a black middle class that began emerging around the 1830s, buying property and working as carpenters and waiters and running their own businesses.
Leone said the lack of evidence of hoodoo may reflect "the difficult choices facing African Americans who strived for acceptance and advancement, but wanted to remain connected to their traditions."
Swarthmore College religion professor Yvonne P. Chireau, author of "Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition," said she isn't surprised by Leone's findings.
"There was a real split among black folks after the Civil War," she said, "in terms of whether they should abandon these traditions . . . and [move toward] what's called an ideology of racial uplift -- an emerging middle class joining American society."
Still, she predicted that further study would reveal pockets where even middle class blacks clung to elements of the practice, particularly when it came to health.
The move away from folk traditions is not unusual as groups move from one economic class to another, said Perdue of U-Va.
"Obviously when you have some money, you have some control," Perdue said. "Of course, you still had racism to deal with, but you would inevitably developed some ability to control your future."
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/a ... 01564.html
KeyserXSoze
Voodoo head found in air luggage
US immigration officials have arrested a Haitian woman after baggage screeners found a human head in her luggage at a Florida airport.
Myrlene Severe, 30, has been charged with failing to declare the head on a customs form and transporting "hazardous material".
She arrived at Florida's Fort Lauderdale airport on Thursday on a flight from Cap Haitien in north Haiti.
Ms Severe said that the head was to ward off evil sprits, officials said.
"Severe stated that she had obtained the package, which contained a human head, from a male in Haiti for use as part of her voodoo beliefs," the US Attorney's Office said in a statement.
'Hair and skin'
A spokesman for Miami's immigration and customs agency told the AFP news agency that the head was not simply a skull.
"It had teeth, hair and skin, and quite a lot of dirt," she said.
Ms Severe, a US resident, appeared in court on Friday in Fort Lauderdale. She could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The practice of voodoo, an Afro-Caribbean religion whose roots go back thousands of years, is still widespread in Haiti.
The Haitian government officially recognised voodoo as a religion in 2003.
Reactions: AlchoPwn
Yithian
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Voodoo Head Smuggling
Myrlene Severe and a US official getting into a car
Human head found
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4703328.stm
Great name she has!
The funny thing is this morning on BBC radio 5 live an american customs officer said that these types of "fetishes" were being used in Santeria and not Voudon.
Santeria is basically the use of Catholic saints used in a african context for magickal /sorcerous purposes.
Found a cool article on the Archive. Org wayback machine that mentions the Atlanta voodoo store I visited...
BACKGROUND - I spent my childhood among the Geechee-related people of Central Georgia. In the late 1940s and '50s television and interstate highways had not yet come to this area, and on hot Summer nights I would listen, transfixed, to the local ghost lore, early stir- rings that would become the Civil Rights movement, African Methodist Episcopal theology and . . . voodoo. Central Georgia hoodoo was a long way from New Orleans, or Haiti, or West Africa. But the candle-burning ceremonial, and the "lucky hands" (charm bags) blessed by the Seven African Powers were as real and enchanting to me as the winking fire flies and marsh gases of the hot summer nights. One evening I went to meet Papa Limba, and danced his dances to an R&B sound, never suspecting I was being introduced to an ancient West African deity. I think it was this that led me to magick. The hot steamy night in the deep south did not diminish the ardor of the participants. Inspired and liberated by the powerful, evocative "Hymn to Legba," the dancers danced on, absorbed, possessed by their barbaric dancing in the light and shadow of the green and yellow candles. As the priest poured liquid fire over the sacramental foods -- various fresh fruits and powdered sugar -- they burned, and the night reeked of, and was perfumed by the scent of human sweat and alcohol. The air was filled with spirituality...and lust. At various points the priest plucked these delights from the blue fire, offering of them to those present. Later, the remnants would be left under a tree as an Offering. The place was a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, the year was 1975 and the priest was me. The ceremony was derived from a description of a voodoo rite which took place about 80 years before and documented in Robert Tallant's classic work on the subject, Voodoo in New Orleans.
The chant grew, the single line was enunciated in stronger pulsations, and other voices joined in the wild refrain, Danse Calinda, boudoum, boudoum! Danse Calinda, boudoum, boudoum! Bodies swayed, the hands kept time in soft pat-patting, and the feet in muffled accentuation............ The Danse Calinda is perhaps the outstanding example of the nature of Voodoo as practiced in America. It is a strange, very old, eeriely haunting song of synthetic Creole/African origin. In the public, voodoo-tinged displays in what was once known as Congo Square in New Orleans, before the Civil War, the Calinda was present. An inoffensive version survived among the rural white Cajun folk of Louisiana into the 1950s - at least. In the 1960s Dr. John (the "night tripper" that is; the underground pop musician of the period was not, as we shall see, the first "Dr. John') recorded a version of the Calinda on his sub rosa hit record and salute to New Orleans - style voodoo, Gris-gris. Yet the Calinda is known to be part of the "outer" world of voodoo. The darker "inner" world of voodoo is something else again. There are long standing rumors in both American and Caribbean version of the sect of human sacrifice; animal sacrifice is a given part of the long trance - possession dance essential core of voodoo. Rumors of sacrifice of "the goat without horns' -- that is, human sacrifice -- is more conjectural, and have never been proven, though since The Serpent and the Rainbow appeared, it seems more creditable. Certainly, the descriptions available of the most traditional rites, held at night in primitive splendor under the open sky and following the religio-orgiastic practices people of European extraction might associate with the primordial Mysteries of Dionysos, or the people of the Indian subcontinent with the Rites of Shiva, are intensely sexual and sometimes violent, and this of itself might account for the contemporary Western World's love/hate repulsion/attraction relationship with voodoo. The cult, in any case, has often enough fallen victim to persecution and prosecution, so that, from its earliest manifestations, secrecy has been a major factor, and the spread of the cult in the Americas has been no exception to the rule. You see traces in Black and Latin ethnic neighborhoods and, occasionally, at arcane "religious supply stores,"the paraphernalia often billed, as "sold as curios only'.
A "Temple Supply Store" in Atlanta, Rondo's Temple Sales, continuously in business since 1945, has brought this tradition down to the present. In the first half of the present century the public face of voodoo in the United States had pretty much degenerated into a collection of charms and spells. In the early 1970s, I searched New Orleans for traces of voudon with my local very history-conscious contacts, and could find no real trace of it. Two factors, however, have in recent years served to modify this trend. The "occult revival' of the late nineteen sixties/ early seventies created a greater public, and for that matter legal, acceptance of fortune telling, charms and talismans. And, the enormous influx of immigrants from Cuba, Haiti and elsewhere in the Caribbean and Latin America during the same period brought with it any number of adherents of various quasiCatholic/voodoo cults and practices to this country. Already, by the middle years of the nineteen eighties, the old voodoo remnants were showing signs of melding with those recently introduced from South of the Border. The magick of brujo sorcerers and the Cult of the Saints, or 7 African "powers ' had made its way North. It can be argued that the older voodoo which reached America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries - reaching its pinnacle in the 1800s when charm seller and brujo, Dr. John and Madame Marie Laveux were the witch king and queen of New Orleans - was already a watered-down or imperfect version of the cult. Haitian voodoo is usually described as a synthesis of highly complex West African tribal beliefs and Roman Catholicism. But its sophisticated magical practices often reflect a knowledge of European ceremonial magick as well, raising further questions. It is known that two Lodges of the legendary French Illumanati (as opposed to the Bavarian version) had relocated in the late 1700s from France to Port a Prince in Haiti. Little is known of the fate of these lodges in the turbulent decades ahead, but traces of freemasonic republicanism and ceremonial magick can be found throughout subsequent Haitian history, and in the voodoo cult itself.
The experiences of T Michael Bertiaux and the Jean-Maine line of Afro-European magick in Haiti imply an unbroken tradition. In any case, one can follow the African Dahomean religious current passing into American voodoo in the person of Legba, the Dahomean god who resembles the ecstatic, erratic Dionysos and the communicative Hermes combined. In Haiti it is this latter attribute which contributed to his adaptation into the voodoo loa (or god) Papa Legba (or Papa Limba), a kind of earthy version of St. Peter and the "gateway' to the other loa. Thus the "Hymn to Legba" (a rudimentary "hymn to Pan') used at the beginning of my aforementioned ceremonial experiment, in that instance being from a recorded contemporary Haitian voodoo ceremony. In the U.S. Legba was transformed into Papa Limba, apparently something of a curious cross between St. Peter and Satan, thus anticipating the unlikely doctrine of the "unity of Christ and Satan" articulated by the Process Church in the 1960s. The propensity for absorbing whatever seemed appropriate to its needs has always characterized voodoo and marked it as an early manifestation of religious existentialism or spiritual relativism. For a time in America, the land of melting pots and blandness, this also almost proved the cult's undoing. "Voodoo" became "hoodoo"; in part because the various cult leaders such as Dr. John (a.k.a. John Bayou, Bayou John, Jean Montaigne, Voodoo John and John Fecelle), Marie Laveaux (who may have been two people -- mother and daughter) and later "Root Doctors," some of whom are still around today, found the commercialization of charms and potions more expedient and lucrative than practicing primordial folk religion. Even so, "hoodoo' as Tau Michael Bertiaux's deceptively simple course reveals, is far from unsophisticated. But, with the wider audience for, and acceptance of the occult, along with the influx of voodoo practitioners from the South, voodoo is today experiencing something of a covert renaissance in the United States.
CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTS - Bubbling beneath the usual tv-and-burger- franchise self-image of the American dream comes, like a call from the collective unconscious, what some would consider the American nightmare. The mystique of voodoo has quite literally haunted the supposedly solidly Christian Western Hemisphere for two centuries or more, raising the most fundamental spiritual issues and questions. During the late Summer of 1992 I led two preliminary voudon workings at Eulis Lodge's Dekalb Avenue temple space in Atlanta. The invocations of Grand Legbha, gate to the loa, began the series with the Hymn to Legba, recorded many years earlier in Haiti, an invocation of Legba, a secret "punch' and fruit offerings, trance dancing and becoming Divine Horsemen ourselves. As I danced around blowing my whistle and beating my drum, the last thing I can remember thinking was that I had not really wandered so far from my Central Georgia roots after all. On Wednesday, August 26, 1992, I conducted the first of the two preliminary gnostic voudon workings at an "open to the public' regular event. The working was conducted at the Temple of Eulis Lodge, a thousand square foot space quite suitable to trance dancing. The purpose of the working was to "open the gate" to the Loa , and therefore Legba as "gate keeper of the spirits' was invoked. Sister Lisa drew the veve flawlessly. Skull candles were placed at key points of the veve. The "Hymn to Legba" followed an invocation; Par pouvoir Saint Antoine de Padoue, Legba Atibon, Maitre Carrefour, Maitre Grand Bois, Maitre Grand Chemin, Legba Barriere, Legba Bois, Legba Caille, Legba Zan- clian, Legba Missebo, Legba Clairhoun'deh, Legba Cataroulo, au nom de Monsieur Avadra Bo-roi, vie, vie Legba. And with fruit essences as sacrifice and Eucharist, a secret elixir provided as inspiration of endeavor, I blew my whistle, beat upon the sacred drum and began the frenzied hour-long trance dance. Participation was VERY broadly based with mixed results -- four people departed, seemingly in great discomfort at the energies generated. The others were all possessed to greater or lesser degree. I became the Priest I was representing, and in that mode gave communion to all remaining. An almost unbearable erotic energy pervaded the working. On the following Wednesday, September 2nd, an invocation of Erzule was conducted along similar lines. The attendance was a bit smaller, but an excellent polarity balance prevailed. After appropriate invocation, the dancing began. The energy was much more sexual, but seemed to effect the males present in a pro- nounced fashion, while females reported a profound erotic reaction which manifested only later. This may be due to my concluding the ritual at a given point, according to the regulations of the host organization. Clearly, the event was on the verge of Sacred Orgy Entranced, or Ultimate Communion. The next working was therefore postponed to a more private occasion. As the group had been working much with Enochian seership, it was proposed by me that the working be an ecstatic invocation of Ghuedhe Nibbho , in specific of Mirroir-des-Sessions in the first grouping of Tau Michael Bertiaux's Grimoire Ghuedhe, the Famille Legba Nibbho.
I felt that Mirroir-des-Sessions was a relatively benign form of Ghuedhe Nibbho for a relatively inexperienced work group other than myself, as well as of specific value to the Work at hand with seership and scrying as major focuses. The form of David Cimochowski's preliminary invocation was proposed as an opening: upright crucifix, two beeswax candles, two taper candles, white and black, frankincense, a glass of water and the altar covered in black. The veves of Legba and Papa Ghuedhe Nibbho , along with the altar paraphernalia would be set up in the North. Legba would be invoked, the white candle lighted, and Legba asked to open the barriers to Papa Ghuedhe Nibbho. The other candles would then be lit, the water used to invoke the water elemental and the dead. The invocation of Ghuedhe Nibbho would follow with meditation, and communication using the water.
rynner2
wembley8 said:
The Cuban version of 'voudou' is called Santeria, and there is a lot of it about.
There is, it seems:
'Priest' arrested after two human skulls and hundreds of pounds of animal flesh, blood and bones found in his shed in Utah
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:01 AM on 16th March 2011
They arrived at the house to search for drugs after arresting three men for possessing methamphetamines.
But police in Clearfield, Utah got a grisly shock when they opened Roberto Casillas-Corrales's backyard shed to find two human skulls and several hundred pounds of animal bones, flesh and blood on the floor and walls.
The remains emitted a strong stench and were surrounded by candles and symbols to form a shrine.
The 53-year-old said it was part of a ritual for his Santeria religion, of which he is a 'santero', or priest.
Casillas-Corrales was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of desecrating of a human body, and police say he may also face charges of cruelty to animals.
According to the Standard-Examiner, earlier in the day narcotics detectives had arrested three men - at least two of whom are relatives of Casillas-Corrales - at a traffic stop as part of a drugs investigation.
They seized two pounds of methamphetamine and arrested Ismael Casillas-Corrales, 46, Marco Casillas-Corrales, 41, and Juan Rosales-Ramos, 38 for possession.
Police then obtained a warrant to search Roberto Casillas-Corrales's home for evidence of drug trafficking.
Instead, they found the animal remains and seized 20 machetes, three knives, a hatchet and a claw hammer.
Mike Stenquist, assistant police chief, said: 'We believe it's a religious ritual at this time.
'He's been performing some type of ceremonies in his backyard shed, and that would include the sacrificing of animals, lambs, sheep, goats, rams and chickens.'
Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion which is mostly practised in Cuba but has spread to the U.S.
Casillas-Corrales told police he sacrificed the animals for his faith, which combines the African Yoruba religion with elements of Catholicism.
According to police he has lived at the house for around ten years, but he is not a U.S. citizen.
He told officials he had bought the skulls for religious purposes three years ago in Cuba, where they had been removed from grave sites.
Mr Stenquist told ksl.com: 'We are being careful about his religious rights. We've asked for assistance from the Davis County Attorney's Office, the state medical examiner and ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) to determine if it's a practice they're aware of.'
Utah Medical Examiner's Office is helping to analyse the skulls to establish whether they come from Cuba as Casillas-Corrales says, the Standard-Examiner reports.
A neighbour, Vince Hall, told the newspaper the Casillas-Corrales family were 'excellent neighbours', and had often invited him and other people in the street over for fiestas and dinner parties.
He said he knew they had an altar and took part in religious rites, but had never seen any signs of animal sacrifice.
He told the Standard-Examiner: 'I've never seen the altar.
'I've heard them chanting and heard something like stones or sticks being thrown on the ground.'
According to ksl.com, investigators now have to decide whether the sacrifices are against the law or are allowed as a religious freedom.
Brian Barnard, a civil rights attorney, told ABC4: 'If somebody is using that in a legitimate religious practice there should be an exemption.
'The constitution protects religious rights.'
SANTERIA: 'THE WAY OF THE SAINTS'
Santeria - 'the way of the saints' - is an Afro-Caribbean faith which began in Cuba. It is also known as La Regla Lucumi and the Rule of Osha.
It is a syncretic religion based on Yoruba beliefs, with some Roman Catholic elements.
It has spread to the U.S. in the last few decades, especially since the 1959 Cuban revolution.
Santeria centres on building relationships between humans and powerful spirits, called Orishas.
These spirits are manifestations of Olodumare (God). Followers believe if they honour them with rituals, they will help them throughout life.
Animal sacrifice is crucial to the religion, as followers believe Orishas will die without being fed.
Followers eat the meat of the animals after the sacrifice, as they believe they are sharing with the Orishas, who eat the blood.
There are no official figures for the number of Santeria followers, but it is believed it could run into the hundreds of millions
(Source: BBC Religion)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1GkuOMoe0
The unspeakable mass
The more sensational elements of Santeria were played up in a movie called 'The Believers'. Unfortunately a group in Matamoros Mexico took it a little too seriously and based a sacrifical religion on it and wound up sacrificng 15 people.
Some of the better less sensational books are written by a lady called Migene Gonzalez-Wippler. I've read several by her and whilst the religion demands a level of sacrifice that doesn't personally appeal ( a shaman in this religion really can't be squeamish) it certainly is a very interesting angle on the Yoruba gods.
Here's a local news story:
Dead chickens, raw hamburger – what are they doing on local railroad tracks?
ATLANTA - People are leaving dead chickens and food on railroad tracks in Metro Atlanta as part of a religious practice.
Part of the religion Santeria involves animal sacrifices in which people kill birds or goats and bring their carcasses to railroad tracks.
Channel 2 Action News obtained body camera video from the Austell Police Department that shows a woman who told officers her pastor said she needed to be cleansed of evil spirits. She told officers her pastor said she should take a sacrifice to local railroad tracks. Once, she left nine packages of chicken parts, raw hamburger and other food and the bomb squad responded.
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/de...n-railroad-tracks-in-metro-atlanta-/915633462
Reactions: ramonmercado and Frideswide
Heckler said:
Some of the better less sensational books are written by a lady called Migene Gonzalez-Wippler.
@Hecler I've just looked at the author's list and there's a whole lot of them! Could you recommend a particular one or two? they all look interesting and I'm having trouble find my way through.
Devoted Cultist
KeyserXSoze said:
Follow up story on Myrlene Severe the Voudon severed head smuggler:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12304315/ns/us_news-weird_news/t/skull-luggage-leads-guilty-plea/
Reactions: ramonmercado
This may be of interest:
https://www.guernicamag.com/the-shape-of-vodou-in-diaspora/
The Shape of Vodou in Diaspora
Photographer Dieu-Nalio Chery draws a portrait of a religion and migration.
By Dieu-Nalio Chery and Gabriel Noel
Haitian photographer Dieu-Nalio Chery grew up knowing little of Vodou. The son of a pastor, Chery wanted to explore the national religion of the Haitian people to better understand the figures and rites that had historically been syncretized with Catholic iconography during the colonial era and thereafter hidden under the veil of Roman Catholicism. Chery earned a living as a news photographer for the Associated Press, but when he wasn't working on major news stories — at increasing risk to himself and his
family — he visited sacred sites.
His day job soon overtook everything. In 2021, his ongoing reporting on Haiti's gangs led to threats on his life. He and his family relocated to New York City, where he studied journalism as his family began its journey to claim asylum. The unexpected move brought him the chance to expand his exploration of Vodou in a new context: the diasporic Haitian community in Brooklyn that practiced Vodou semisecretly. Generally, Vodou is practiced in the open air, deep in the countryside, but the constraints of the urban environment forced worshippers in New York to hold ceremonies in basements, out of public view. Over time, he gained the group's trust and was invited to glimpse a way of life that is notoriously tight-lipped, holds on to remnants of a colonial past, and openly performs feats that most would consider pure magic.
From Haiti and its diaspora, Chery has drawn a portrait of a religion and way of life. His powers of observance offer a different view than the distorted perceptions that pervade pop culture's appropriation of Vodou. Chery's photographs situate a distinctly new-world spirituality formed from the syncretic mix of West African Vodun and Roman Catholicism. Vodou hinges on the mystic connection between practitioners and the loa — ethereal entities somewhat like saints or angels — that are called down to possess a human being and offer advice, healing, and power. Whether one hopes for financial success, recovery from an ailment, or even a spiritual "spouse," the loa and their actions are understood to be of help in all aspects of human life. Like in Haiti, the Brooklyn ceremonies focus mainly on the possession of practitioners by the loa; however, space constraints and local laws (around, for example, the ritual killing of livestock) have forced practitioners to innovate.
I spoke with Chery in Union Square. My father, who was born in Port-au-Prince, tagged along. Together, we spoke in a hybrid form of English, Haitian Creole, and French, our conversation itself a microcosm of the cultural forces and historical movements that wove together to form the Creole religion that is Vodou. Chery spoke to us of his work in Haiti, of the baffling things he has witnessed at underground Vodou ceremonies, and of his attempt to document the struggles of a Haitian diaspora that strives to maintain its identity far from home.
Reactions: ramonmercado, Min Bannister and Frideswide


ELT professionals, teachers and trainers working in business English and ESP.
Meet Macmillan in Munich for BESIG 2016!
We're looking forward to the 2016 BESIG Annual Conference, the largest Business English conference in Europe, which is in Munich this year. We'll be at stand 13-14 so come and say hello.
Join us for the launch of our new In Company 3.0 ESP series and take part in co-author John Allison's workshop, with the chance to get your hands on free inspection copies of selected titles from this new English for Specific Purposes series - before all of your friends and colleagues!
The history of Business English teaching has seen a gradual movement from general to specific.
In the past, we made do with general English and a sprinkling of specialist vocabulary, but as international business environments become more demanding, the next generation workplace requires a much more integrated approach. How can we meet the growing need to develop a full range of communication skills within a specialist field? Using examples from Macmillan's new In Company ESP series, this workshop will review half a dozen key principles we cannot afford to forget.
Examples will be taken from In Company 3.0 ESP series and inspection copies of selected ESP series titles will be offered to lucky participants at John's workshop.
John Allison has designed, sold and delivered professional English courses in France since 1980. He is the author of In Company Case Studies with Mark Powell, The Business with Paul Emmerson, and the new In Company 3.0 ESP series on Supply Chain Management and Logistics with Jeremy Townend.