The Day of the Doctor – BBC’s 50th Anniversary Episode

Dr Who PosterBBC’s Special 50th Anniversary Dr Who Episode – 23rd November 2013

There is much buzz surrounding the 50th anniversary episode of Dr Who titled The Day of the Doctor, certain details have been released, but they are desperately trying to keep the story under wraps. So much so that the special will be broadcast around the world at the same time; it will be the biggest simulcast in history! British viewers will be able to watch the episode in many cinemas in the UK in 3D.

Much to the disgust of die-hard fans, American fans have seen a special sneak peak trailer that was shown at the San Diego Comic-Con. Steven Moffatt (writer and producer) has claimed that he has ‘lied until his pants burned’, in order to keep the true story a secret, so it’s possible it could all be different to what we believe so far… (more…)

Interpreting Flames

Girl with CandlePyromancy

Pyromancy was an ancient type of divination used by those in Ancient Greece and Rome. Vestal Virgins in Rome were keepers of the eternal flame; they divined the future whilst observing the forever burning flames. In these times fire was looked upon as being intrinsically pure – a primary element that would purify anything offered up be it plants, animals or people, making them acceptable to Vesta the Goddess of the Hearth.

Everything about the flames would have been analysed – the way they flickered, their height, their colour, their rise and fall, the amount of smoke, any sounds they made…

During a sacrifice it was considered good if the flames were quickly consumed, it was considered bad if the flames were disturbed by wind, took a long time to start or took a long time to burn. A favourable interpretation was taken from no sounds and a bright orange colour, but things were adverse if the fire crackled, there was a lot of smoke or it was deep red in colour.

The ancients would also divine by fire torches, a flame divided in two meant a bad omen, but a single flame or one with three or more aspects was a good sign. A bent flame could mean sickness or even death, the most feared sign was if the flame went out suddenly – signifying great disaster. (more…)

Halloween Divination

Halloween DivinationDivination Games have been performed for centuries to provide guidance during Samhein; the thin veil between the worlds at this time allows us to obtain advice from our ancestors and see a glimpse of our future…

Old fashioned divination or parlour games often involved an open fire and many involved lots of apples and nuts. So they may not be as practical today:

This is called Fortune – An engaged couple would throw a hazelnut into the embers of a fire. If the hazelnut split apart with a loud cracking noise, this was a sign that the marriage would be a strong and happy one. If the hazelnuts only caught fire and burned, this was an indication that their love would fade away. A variation of this game was to crack a walnut in half. If the walnut cracked easily into two equal sections, the guest would be lucky in love. If the walnut broke into pieces, this would signify a shattered love. (more…)

Trick or Treat?

Trick or Treat?Trick or Treating is now one of the most widely recognized traditions of the Halloween holiday. Children dress up in costume and go from house to house, with a question ”Trick or treat?” as a treat they often get confectionary, occasionally money and the trick is an idle threat to perform mischief on the homeowners property if no treat is given.

In England and Ireland a form of trick or treating began many years ago in the form of souling, where children would go from door to door singing and saying prayers for the dead in return for cakes.

There is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in North America, where trick-or-treating may have developed independent of any Irish or British antecedent. (more…)

Halloween Movies

Thor: The Dark WorldWhy not celebrate Halloween throughout October, in traditional style with scary films from Marvel Sci-Fi adventures, to true horror movies…

Starting with Natalie Portman staring alongside Chris Hemsworth in the 30th October 2013 UK release of Thor: The Dark World.

Marvel’s ‘Thor: The Dark World’ continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s ‘Thor’ and ‘Marvel’s The Avengers,’ Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all. (more…)

Diana Movie

DianaNaomi Watts is one of those unique celebrities – incredibly beautiful and yet down to earth (probably able to walk around without being noticed). Maybe it has something to do with being raised in laid-back Australia, although she is English born and now lives in New York. She has two sons and an enviable eight year length marriage (given Hollywood norms) to actor Live Schreiber.

Like many Australian’s she started her acting life with a stint on Home And Away, but perhaps unusually she did not really bloom in Hollywood until she was in her 30’s gaining critical acclaim for her work in David Lynch‘s 2001 psychological thriller Mulholland Drive, starring alongside Justin Theroux and Laura Harring. Then next came public recognition for her participation in the box office hit horror film The Ring. In 2004, she received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress as well as for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Cristina Peck in 2003 drama 21 Grams. Her other film roles have included: The 2005 remake of King Kong, the 2006 remake of The Painted Veil, the 2007 thriller Eastern Promises, the 2009 thriller The International. Then In 2010, Watts portrayed Valerie Plame Wilson, opposite Sean Penn as Joe Wilson, in Fair Game. In 2011 J Edgar and Dream House and this year The Impossible and Movie 43 which is in post-production. (more…)

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

Sisterland Book CoverCurtis Sittenfeld is the author of the bestselling novels American Wife, Prep, and The Man of My Dreams, which have been translated into twenty-five languages. Prep was chosen as one of the Ten Best Books of 2005 by The New York Times and optioned by Paramount Pictures, and American Wife was chosen as one of the Ten Best Books of 2008 by Time, People, and Entertainment Weekly; both were nominated for the UK’s Orange Prize.

Her latest novel Sisterland tells the story of twin sisters:

From an early age, Kate and her identical twin sister, Violet, knew that they were unlike everyone else. Kate and Vi were born with peculiar “senses” – innate psychic abilities concerning future events and other people’s secrets. Though Vi embraced her visions, Kate did her best to hide them. (more…)

Psychic Twins

Twins
We all have the ability to strengthen our psychic abilities but some are more innately talented than others. Over the years there has been a particular focus on twins and the abilities they may have over us mere single borns when it comes to extra sensory abilities, especially between themselves.

There have certainly been some strange happenings with twins. A four year old girl burnt her hand whilst her identical twin, which was nowhere near the heat, had an identical blister in the same place. A grown man found himself slouched in his arm chair and struggled to move for a while, unbeknownst to him, his twin brother, who lived thirty miles away, had been shot dead. One pair of twin sisters were that in tune with each other that despite them living in separate countries found that one day they had bought the exact pair of trousers from the same retail chain on the same day. The very same twins, whilst one was in labour, the other found she had dreamt she was holding a baby, totally unaware that her sister had gone into labour (due to the time differences). (more…)

Out-Of-Body Experiences

Out of Body ExperiencesWhen I think about an out-of-body experience I tend to conjure up the movie version, where somebody is on the brink of death, doctors all around, CPR and defibrillation being administered, but the person is hovering between deciding whether to live or whether to give up and all the time aspects of their life are flashing before them…

However in reality out-of-body experiences can appear on a much less dramatic level, such as when we are on the verge of sleep, either when we are entering or leaving REM sleep – the rapid eye movement part of the cycle or during lucid dream sleep. People that have such experiences tend to have very emotional responses, either finding the event deeply disturbing or incredibly moving. It may be that they actually unconsciously willed themselves from their bodies, but others describe a feeling of having been dragged by an unknown force. The simplest explanation for out-of-body experiences is that our human consciousness separates from our human body for a period of time but travels unhindered. (more…)

Meet the Presenters & Judges of The Great British Bake Off

Great British Bake Off TeamDid you watch The Great British Bake Off series 3? I did and I thoroughly enjoyed every delicious moment of it! Being rather partial to a cake or two I have been watching since the beginning and with the last episode of series 3 garnering a viewing audience of 7.2 million to watch John Waite take home the title of best amateur baker – apparently I am not alone…

Whilst each year we hear more about the winners endeavours (see John Whaite Bakes book opposite) it seems to be the unique blend of presenters – Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc and judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood that really make the programme. (more…)

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