#Court on st worker

[skipper19]

Imagine this..

Alpha!Keigo, who always made sure his mate was well taken care of. There was never anything that you would ever need or want because you already have it, so there's no need to long for it any longer. Keigo keeps his feathers hidden around the house, and a not so hidden one wrapped around your neck as a courting gift. These feathers will always let him know when his little omega is in need of something.

Alpha!Keigo put that specific feather on a necklace because it was the very last courting gift he provided to you before he asked you to be his mate, officially. Not that it was necessary. Keigo always made sure it was obvious to the people around you both that you belonged to him, bond mark or not. Not to mention the stench of nothing but Takami Keigo wafting off of you most times. Which was totally not intentional.

Alpha!Keigo was so twisted with his own emotions the first time another Alpha approached you. One one hand, Keigo knew you were his loyal omega, and you would politely reject the other Alpha, but on the other hand, Keigo wanted nothing more than to hold you so close that his scent was permanently marked into you. He wanted to growl and prowl at the other Alpha, maybe even show off your bond mark that he so happily gave to you when your relationship became official. Thank God Keigo had a reputation as the number two hero to upkeep because if he didn't, he may have actually taken the second option.

Alpha!Keigo became so flustered and nervous on the inside that the media found out about his omega mate. No one would leave you alone. Either it be asking questions about you during an interview or trying to take a picture of you as you walk down the street. Keigo hated when the reporters would spot you on the street when he wasn't there. You always come home smelling of anxiety and nervousness. Keigo, the adoring Alpha that he is, always made sure to calm your nerves on these occasions. Fortunately, you grew accustomed to the press after some time, and you easily avoided them.

Alpha!Keigo notices a rather large bruise on your arm one day, and after further investigation, he discovered it to be a hand mark. Keigo persuaded you (made you cum until you were a crying, blubbering, mess) until you finally revealed that a reporter had spotted you on the road today. You were walking home from work. The male reporter thought it would be a good idea to corner you so he could ask questions. You, rightfully so, attempted to just walk away like you always do. But this guy, alpha no less, grabbed your arm so you couldn't leave. Keigo was seeing red.

Alpha!Keigo calms down enough after a few hours. He lulls you to sleep and watches you dream away so peacefully before he pulls out his phone and makes a call.

Alpha!Keigo doesn't hesitate to let you build a nest in his office. None of his coworkers nor workers are allowed in his office after you do. Of course, they can come close to the door and knock, but they are forbidden from entering. Even when Keigo/you isn't there, they still are not allowed in his office. Your nest is too precious to even be seen by anyone else. Keigo teared up when you said you wanted to build a nest in his office and his room at his house. You trusted him enough to do that. He could only hold you close, wrapped up in his beautiful red wings, as he praises you and thanks you.

Alpha!Keigo, who hates it when you switch your shampoo. You always claim that you never cared for what shampoo you grabbed, as long as it wasn't conditioner, but he hated that you switched it up every time. Your scent just changed too much, and nothing ever smelt special for you, specifically. Finally, the night you both first made passionate love to one another for the first time. Keigos' back was lined with burning passion. His shoulders were tense, sweat dripping from his forhead, his wings jerking and relaxing every few seconds, not to mention you. Your body laid out beneath him, sweat lining your beautiful skin, hair sticking to the bed and your own face, hickies and dark bite marks scattered along your upper chest and neck, it was all perfect. What made it even more perfect was the smell that Keigo couldn't get enough of. After he had emptied his balls into you, he just laid on your chest. But Keigo didn't expect to smell the sweetest, most drooling scent he had ever smelt, pouring from your scent glands. Nothing covering or blocking you from openly releasing this scent if yours.Round two immediately started after that.

Alpha!Keigo protects you and loves you with everything he is. Man, hero, son (hopefully a daddy bird soon), you took it all when you stole his heart. Keigo would gladly put down his life for his omega, and he would put down someone else's life for you, too. Though he would say that allowed, he knows you're more sensitive about gore and killing than he is. But he doesn't care. As long as you stick by his side no matter what, he knows he will stick by yours.

And don't get be started on Alpha!Keigo becoming a father after impregnating his little omega.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Donald Padgett at The Advocate:

A state investigation into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has expanded to target therapists and social workers who may have minors seeking gender-affirming care. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking redacted or lightly redacted medical records of patients who received care at the facility. The state investigation of the center is one of many currently underway, including one by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. The move left the state’s trans and healthcare communities with concern over future access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth in the state, the Missouri Independent reported.

“The attorney general has created a hostile environment for medical providers where they are afraid to stay and practice medicine,” Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of PROMO, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the state, said. Bailey is reviewing the records at the Missouri Division of Professional Registration which oversees the state’s medical licensing as part of the investigation. He had earlier targeted Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Children’s Mercy, a hospital in Kansas City. Bailey has reportedly interviewed 57 healthcare professionals in connection with the investigation. Licensed clinical social worker Kelly Storck spoke with senior investigator Nick McBroom as part of the investigation.

[...]

The Center earlier turned over a spreadsheet providing information regarding patients seeking gender-affirming care, including visits, medications, and other normally private information. The mother of one patient who received care at the Center, a 17-year-old trans boy named Levi, described the investigation as “invasive” and said it was causing unwarranted disruption in their lives. “The state has already basically disrupted our lives,” Becky Hormuth told the Independent. “They’ve disrupted our families, our children’s lives with the legislation that has passed. Then for him to continue going on is even more invasive and damaging.” After Missouri passed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors last year, Bailey issued an emergency rule banning similar care for trans adults as well. In the document laying out the policy, he said these treatments “lack solid evidentiary support” and “pose very serious side effects.” He withdrew the rule when state lawmakers acted. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, signed the ban into law in June. It was quickly challenged in court, but a judge allowed it to go into effect.

Missouri AG Andrew Bailey (R) continues his farcical investigation into gender-affirming care providers, extending his targets to therapists and social workers who assist minors in obtaining gender-affirming care.

[talonabraxas]

Khamael , Archangel of Mars Talon Abraxas

Samael is the Archangel of Mars – prince of the fifth heaven, lord of war and pestilence, and angel of death and destruction. He is the Sathan (Adversary) who visited wrath upon Job, slew the firstborn in Egypt, and (as the Guardian Angel of Easu) wrestled with Jacob. As the Sathan he accuses men of their wrongdoings in the Divine Court. Samael should not be confused with the modern Christian concept of Lucifer or the Devil. Samael is not the source of all evil, nor did he ever wage war upon the Throne of God.

He was, however, cast down to Earth when he refused to bow to Adam as the Image of God. (He had previously sworn to never bow to anything less than God Himself.) Once here, he took Lilith as his wife and has acted as the Divine Accuser, Enforcer and Angel of Death ever since. While he is still very much in the employ of God, he persecutes and seduces mankind when he is ordered to do so.

(Some sources equate Samael with Shemyaza, the leader of the fallen Watchers from the Book of Enoch. This is likely due to both Samael and Shemyaza being punished for disobedience, yet each retaining their positions as celestial angels. However the angels share no other characteristics, and this similarity does not prove the two angels are one and the same.)

The ancient Gnostics elevated him to the position of Demiurgos (the Creator) and interpreted his name to mean “Blind God.” They also called him Ialdabaoth and Saklas. His form was described as a lion-headed serpent. He and his angels (called archons) had created the world as a prison where they could feed upon mankind’s suffering. Later forms of Gnosticism, however, did not equate Ialdabaoth with Samael.

Samael was at one point regarded as the Patron Angel of Rome – and it is likely in this aspect that we see him (as the Dragon with Seven Heads) engaging in single combat against Michael (the Patron Angel of Israel) in the Revelation of St. John.

More recent tradition has given him the name Khamael (Camael, Camuel, etc) – the result of mistranslating a Hebrew Samekh (S) as a Kaph (Kh). In this form he is regarded primarily as the Angel of War and Divine Severity.

Invitation to Samael

I invoke thee, Samael! Holy Archangel of the Martial sphere! I call upon thee within thy realm of Severity and Fear!

Samael, Powerful, Bloody, Sword-bearer, Bold, Untamed, Terrestrial Fire, against whom none can defend himself, thou who destroys the strong and powerful, Lord of fiery heat – and of the planet of blood!

Samael, who art the Adversary, accusing men of their wrongdoing. Fearsome warrior and divine enforcer! You who inflicted Job with sorrow, who slew the firstborn of Egypt, and wrestled with Jacob. It is you who bears the wrath of God unto the Earth! You who overthrow nations and cast kings down from their thrones!

O Samael, we have called upon you [here list the reasons you have called him in the past, if any, and the positive results that came from those workings]. For all of this we thank you!

Come thou forth and partake of these offerings, which we have prepared in thy honour and to the glory of Elohim Gibor. May you find them pleasing and empowering. I ask that you offer your blessings to my home and family, and bear our offerings and prayers of thanksgiving to the Divine Court. We petition thee for strength and protection in all of our undertakings, for defense of our home, and that the light of thy wisdom should guide and keep us at all times. In the name of Elohim Gibor. Amen.

[vidrig]

Swedish Unions vs Tesla

I'm not sure you've heard, but right now Elon Musk and Tesla are in a union conflict in Sweden. A big one. The biggest one Sweden has seen in decades, in fact. It all started in 2018 when Tesla refused to sign a collective agreement with IF Metall, one of Sweden's biggest unions with over 300 000 members. Now, a lot of companies in Sweden don't have unionized members, but metal workers are traditionally very strong.

So what happened? Tesla refused collective agreements in USA, Germany and Sweden, and all hell broke loose as Swedish unions decided to take action:

17 October: IF Metall warns about a strike. Tesla refuses to negotiate.

27 October: Blockades are created at Sweden's seven Tesla workshops. Tesla calls in strikebreakers, which is NOT well received.

3 November: The blockades are expanded to all metalwork on Tesla cars in Sweden, at 17 workplaces all in all.

17 November: At this point, several other unions joins. Fastighets makes sure no Tesla facilities are being cleaned, no Tesla cars are being loaded or unloaded at the docks, no electric work is being done on Tesla cars, loading stations or facilities.

20-21 November: Most damning of all: SEKO and ST has created a blockade against delivering mail and packages to Tesla. Why is this a problem? Because without registration plates you can't sell a working car in Sweden, period.

No, Elon. You're insane.

23 November: Blockade against paint jobs for Tesla.

28 November: Blockade against construction work for Tesla. Also, on this day Tesla sues the Swedish state and the postal company Postnord for refusing to deliver their registration plates. Unfortunately for them, the Swedish court ruled that Postnord has no duty to deliver anything before the trial. Since the right to strike is protected by the Swedish constitutional laws, it overrules the postal delivery law, according to Postnord. And Tesla cannot get those signs themselves.

So what happens now?

We'll see, but things are not looking good for Elon. Good luck with your useless cars, you worthless capitalist piece of shit.

More info from English news sources

[the-avaricious-meddler]

Name: Alana _____ Monikers:  -The Gambling Former Noble/The Gambling Revolutionary (depending on what circles you're in) -Mr Cards Age: 27 (Main 4 storyline), 34 (Violet Storyline) Species: Transition phase between Human and Curator Gender/Pronouns: Girlthing (She/it) Ambition: Heart's Desire (Power Ending) Profession: Correspondent Lodgings: Suite at The Royal Bethlehem Closest To: Revolutionaries Other Affiliations: The Liberation of Night (Allies), The Masters of The Bazaar (Target), The Cardsharp Monkey (Ally), Mr Pages (Enemy), Virginia (Enemy), The Bishop of St Fiacre's (Rival, One-sided), The Manager of The Royal Bethlehem (Complicated), Rubbery Men, Tomb-Colonists, The Court of The Wakeful Eye, The Dilmun Club (tentatively), The Youthful Naturalist, Polythreme Most Valued Primary Stat(s): Persuasive, Shadowy Most Valued Advanced Stat(s): Artisan of The Red Science, Kataleptic Toxicology Ship: Il-Altun-class Yacht  Estivals Experienced: Horticulture Hell, The Sixth Coil

Exceptional/Premium stories canon to this character: Caveat Emptor

Personality: Well-meaning but selfish, artistically inclined, loyal to allies but not always honest about who those allies are. Has strong revolutionary leanings, and aids The Liberation of Night- though unless you are already enmeshed in revolutionary circles, you wouldn't know it. Nasty gambling habit.

History:

Born on the surface in 1868 to a declining noble family.  Despite this, they still had a sizable estate, though they were frequently forced to use 'less than desirable' means of moneymaking to preserve their wealth. Her father was a factory-owner, and wanted her older brother to inherit it, whilst she was to be wed to a more successful family to boost the wealth of her own. She frequently witnessed the poor treatment her family's servants- and the factory's workers- were put through, causing her to become jaded to her way of life.

When she was 16, she turned to gambling, and through this she met a group that would permanently alter the course of her life- a small band of Liberationists that still lived on the surface. She joined them in secret, knowing there would be consequences should her family learn of her association. And eventually they did, and there were. At 18, she was discovered and fully disowned, ousted with little more than the clothes on her back.

She would remain on the surface for 7 years more, before deciding she could do more for her cause if she moved out of the Stars' sight. And so at age 25, she descended to The Neath, taking up residence in a cheap rookery somewhere between Veilgarden and Spite. It was around this time she learned about The Marvellous, and began to hatch a plan: she would find a way into this game, win at whatever cost, and use this victory to gain Power. Status. Enough to get into ranks high enough to consort with the Masters of The Bazaar. And from there, she would subvert, sabotage. Use that power to tear them apart from the inside.

Two years of searching. That was how long it took for her to get a potential in to the Marvellous. And how long it took for her to learn she'd have to wait five more if she wanted to play by the game's usual rules. But she wasn't interested in waiting that long. So she set about 'gently encouraging' the current set of players to begin the game early.

(Major spoilers for Ambition: Heart's Desire below)

A peculiar monkey, Intelligent beyond what it should be though not keen on communication, became her companion in this endeavor.

And her attempts, though tiresome and annoying, and requiring her to convince an imprisoned former Prince of hell to pretend to pretend to be freed and make an even further enemy out of the deviless Virginia, were ultimately successful. She convinced almost every player.

And then a larger obstacle presented itself: a Master of The Bazaar was a player. One Mr Pages, whom she already disliked, at that. She unfortunately needed to get its attention. But how?

It was then an individual she would come over time to despise showed up at her door. They introduced themself with no name, only a moniker: The Avaricious Meddler. A moniker she had heard before, not long after she'd descended to the Neath. One many disparate individuals had taken up over the decades with seemingly no connection.

They offered her a deal: They would help her with her goals, if she just did them a little favor later down the line. Not trusting them, but not having many other options, she agreed. 

They told her the location of a long-inactive cell of revolutionaries, and what to tell them to get them into action. What to do to target The Bazaar itself. 

Of course, before any part of this plan could be carried out, none other than Pages itself showed up. And it asked her to join the Marvellous. ...How convenient.

She agreed, of course. One doesn't turn down that kind of convenience when it quite literally comes knocking at one's door.

Being the one to disrupt the players' lives by starting the game up five years early, it fell upon her shoulders to put in the footwork to actually get things going. She would find a venue that fit with everyone's requirements, and convince whomever owned it to let them play there.

Of course, that location ended up being Arbor, one of the most irritating places to travel to. She was not unconvinced she was in some way being punished for her insistence.

(To be continued...)

[fatehbaz]

The rise of the European empires [...] required new forms of social organization, not least the exploitation of millions of people whose labor powered the growth of European expansion [...]. These workers suffered various forms of coercion ranging from outright slavery through to indentured or convict labor, as well as military conscription, land theft, and poverty. [...] [W]ide-ranging case studies [examining the period from 1600 to 1850] [...] show the variety of working conditions and environments found in the early modern period and the many ways workers found to subvert and escape from them. [...] A web of regulation and laws were constructed to control these workers [...]. This system of control was continually contested by the workers themselves [...]

---

Timothy Coates [...] focuses on three locations in the Portuguese empire and the workers who fled from them. The first was the sugar plantations of São Tomé in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The slaves who ran away to form free communities in the interior of the island were an important reason why sugar production eventually shifted to Brazil. Secondly, Coates describes working conditions in the trading posts around the Indian Ocean and the communities of runaways which formed in the Bay of Bengal. The final section focuses on convicts and sinners in Portugal itself, where many managed to escape from forced labor in salt mines.

Johan Heinsen examines convict labor in the Danish colony of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Denmark awarded the Danish West Indies and Guinea Company the right to transport prisoners to the colony in 1672. The chapter illustrates the social dynamics of the short-lived colony by recounting the story of two convicts who hatched the escape plan, recruited others to the group, including two soldiers, and planned to steal a boat and escape from the island. The plan was discovered and the two convicts sentenced to death. One was forced to execute the other in order to save his own life. The two soldiers involved were also punished but managed to talk their way out of the fate of the convicts. Detailed court records are used to show both the collective nature of the plot and the methods the authorities used to divide and defeat the detainees.

---

James F. Dator reveals how workers in seventeenth-century St. Kitts Island took advantage of conflict between France and Britain to advance their own interests and plan collective escapes. The two rival powers had divided the island between them, but workers, indigenous people, and slaves cooperated across the borders, developing their own knowledge of geography, boundaries, and imperial rivalries [...].

Nicole Ulrich writes about the distinct traditions of mass desertions that evolved in the Dutch East India Company colony in South Africa. Court records reveal that soldiers, sailors, slaves, convicts, and servants all took part in individual and collective desertion attempts. [...] Mattias von Rossum also writes about the Dutch East India Company [...]. He [...] provides an overview of labor practices of the company [...] and the methods the company used to control and punish workers [...].

---

In the early nineteenth century, a total of 73,000 British convicts were sentenced to be transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). There, the majority were rented out as laborers to private employers, and all were subjected to surveillance and detailed record keeping. These records allow Hamish Maxwell-Stewart and Michael Quinlan to provide a detailed statistical analysis of desertion rates in different parts of the colonial economy [...].

When Britain abolished the international slave trade, new forms of indentured labor were created in order to provide British capitalism with the labor it required. Anita Rupprecht investigates the very specific culture of resistance that developed on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands between 1808 and 1828. More than 1,300 Africans were rescued from slavery and sent to Tortola, where officials had to decide how to deal with them. Many were put to work in various forms of indentured labor on the island, and this led to resistance and rebellion. Rupprecht uncovers details about these protests from the documents of a royal commission that investigated [...].

---

All text above by: Mark Dunick. "Review of Rediker, Marcus; Chakraborty, Titas; Rossum, Matthias van, eds. A Global History of Runaways: Workers, Mobility, and Capitalism 1600-1850". H-Socialisms, H-Net Reviews. April 2024. Published at: h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=58852 [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[dionysus-complex]

So last night I was reading Wikipedia articles about abandoned NYC subway stations (as one does) and stumbled upon one of the weirdest historical mysteries/conspiracy theories I've ever heard. Buckle in/grab on to the handrail for this:

Unsurprisingly for a 100-year-old, highly complex subway network, there are quite a few abandoned subway stations in NYC. Some of them are famous, like the gorgeous Romanesque Revival City Hall Station, or the Court St station in Brooklyn now in use as the New York Transit Museum. Others are more mundane, like the 18th Street station and the Worth Street station, both of which are disused stations on active subway lines that can be seen out the window of a passing subway car if you're paying attention. But by far the weirdest is the 76th Street station, which may or may not actually exist.

Basically, the IND Fulton Street Line is the line that carries A and C line trains from central Brooklyn to Queens (if you've ever taken an A train from downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport, that's the one). Just before the Brooklyn/Queens borough line, the line veers slightly north as it changes from a subway under Pitkin Ave (on the Brooklyn side) to an elevated line over Liberty Ave (on the Queens side). But originally, when this line was being extended toward Queens in the late 1940s, the plan was to continue the underground line further into Queens under Pitkin Avenue. Tunnels were dug to the present-day Euclid Ave station and then continued further beneath Pitkin Ave, toward a planned station at 76th Street and Pitkin (just barely over the Queens borough line).

On Nov. 28, 1948, this line is recorded as opening with service to 76th Street station, but almost immediately there was a controversy over whether, when, and how this 76th Street station had actually been built. Some engineers and tracklayers were quoted in the Times as saying they hadn't built anything past the borough line, but maybe someone else had. There was also a story on Dec 2 that quoted a local who noticed a new subway station entrance at 76th and Pitkin that had sprung up seemingly overnight. The Board of Transportation was unable to produce any contracts for construction of this mysterious station, and the line past Euclid Ave to 76th Street is recorded as having closed on Dec 20 after legal threats from unions, which suspected a coverup of non-unionized labor. Thereafter, any reference to the 76th Street station was purged on maps, signs, etc., although the signalboard at the Euclid Ave station evidently still has a taped-over portion which used to show the 76th street station.

Eventually, the line was extended by connecting the subway to the already-existing Fulton Street Elevated line, which is the path used today. A cinderblock wall apparently blocks off the end of the subway tunnel under Pitkin Ave, and a retired transit worker named Steve Krokowski told the NY Times in 2014 that he had tried to dig under the wall and found a track tie but was forced to stop when the hole began to cave in. He also mentioned a retired police officer and other unnamed colleagues who claimed to have seen the fully completed 76th street station, which may or may not have been accessible via a door that may or may not have existed in the cinderblock wall.

The intersection of Pitkin and 76th is now a populated residential area, and it's unlikely that anyone is ever going to excavate it to find the station. As far as anyone can tell, on the surface, there's no evidence (i.e. ventilation tunnels etc.) of a subway station existing beneath Pitkin and 76th. There seems to be one existing picture of the 76th street station from its brief time in service (you can view it here - scroll down almost to the bottom), but despite this, it seems like people are still skeptical that the station exists at all.

Sources/further reading:

-Wikipedia article on Euclid St station, with a section labeled "East of the station"

-Article on the station from Joseph Brennan's page on abandoned NYC subway stations

-NY Times article from 2014 in which Krokowski is quoted

[traumacatholic]

Im on the verge of suicide and I suspect my two sisters are as well. While I don't think I will ever do it, because I'm religious, idk about them. And even if I won't do it, to live in such a torment ad the one I'm experiencing is unbearable and unimaginable. Logically I believe in the power of prayers, but on a personal level I find it unlikely anything will ever help me. But I'm still asking for prayers in the intention of us three staying alive no matter what.

I'm really sorry to hear that you and your sisters are struggling with suicidal thoughts. I don't know where you live, but please know that there will be crisis and non-crisis resources that you can access for support and pass on resources to your sisters (as well as to use for yourself). Suicide hotlines are just one form of accessing support. You can absolutely reach out to your local doctor, or see what other support services are in place. Sometimes you can access therapy groups which can often have shorter waiting list times and can often be offered for free or low cost. There are also a range of apps that are free or low cost that offer a range of coping mechanisms. I would recommend just putting in 'mental health' or 'suicide support' into your app store because sometimes it will also recommend apps that are ran by local resources to you.

As for prayers, something that you can try and do is use these prayers. You can say them when you get up in the morning, before you go to bed, or whenever you feel like anxiety/pain/etc is building up. You can pick up praying one of them a day, or whenever you're able, or using more than one. Whatever you feel is most beneficial to you (and also most achievable). I'm giving you a range of prayers under a readmore, just because some of them vary in length and you might find a certain length of prayer works best for you.

Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner

----

Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with Jesus through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need. (Mention it.) Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those who suffer with nervous and mental afflictions, beloved child of Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.

(Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.)

Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.

----

Glorious Archangel Saint Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace.

You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels.

Because you are the medicine of God, I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor

(mention your request here)

and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.

St. Raphael, of the glorious seven who stand before the throne of Him who lives and reigns, Angel of health, the Lord has filled your hand with balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains. Heal or cure the victim of disease and guide our steps when doubtful of our ways.

Amen.

---

O my beloved Queen, my hope, O Mother of God, protector of orphans and protector of those who are hurt, the savior of those who perish and the consolation of all those who are in distress, thou seest my misery, thou seest my sorrow and my loneliness. Help me—I am powerless; give me strength. Thou knowest what I suffer, thou knowest my grief: Lend me thy hand, for who else can be my hope but thee, my protector and my intercessor before God? I have sinned before thee and before all people. Be my Mother, my consoler, my helper. Protect me and save me, chase grief away from me, chase my lowness of heart and my despondency. Help me, O Mother of my God!

----

Thee alone I follow, Lord Jesus, Who heals my wounds. For what shall separate me from the love of God, which is in Thee? Shall tribulation, or distress, or famine? I am held fast as though by nails, and fettered by the bonds of charity. Remove from me, O Lord Jesus, with Thy potent sword, the corruption of my sins. Secure me in the bonds of Thy love; cut away what is corrupt in me. Come quickly and make an end of my many, my hidden and secret afflictions. Open the wound lest the evil humor spread. With Thy new washing, cleanse in me all that is stained. Hear me, you earthly men, who in your sins bring forth drunken thoughts: I have found a Physician. He dwells in Heaven and distributes His healing on earth. He alone can heal my pains Who Himself has none. He alone Who knows what is hidden can take away the grief of my heart, the fear of my soul: Jesus Christ. Christ is grace! Christ is life! Christ is Resurrection! Amen.

[beakyspecialpics]

W. C. Runder. Workers in the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis, Missouri, 1928.

[craftykittyscientist]

hello everyone!

I want to talk about Marcellus Williams, also known as Khaliifah, who is scheduled to be executed in Missouri on September 24th for a crime DNA proves that he did not commit. There are several glaring injustices surrounding his conviction, including mishandling of evidence.

BACKGROUND: Marcellus "Khaliifah" Williams was sentenced to death for the tragic 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, who was stabbed to death in her own home. The perpetrator left considerable forensic evidence at the crime scene, none of which matched Mr Williams. The prosecution case was based entirely on the unreliable testimony of two witnesses who were incentivised by promises of leniency in their own pending criminal cases and reward money. Neither of them provided new information, and their accounts conflicted with each other, their own prior statements and also crime scene evidence. They could also not be independently verified. In 2015, Missouri Supreme Court stayed Mr Williams' execution and appointed a special master to review DNA testing.

THE TESTING SHOWED THAT MR WILLIAMS WAS NOT THE SOURCE OF MALE DNA FOUND ON THE MURDER WEAPON. Nonetheless, in 2017, the special master sent the case back to the Missouri Supreme Court, who then rescheduled the execution WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE DNA TESTING. The then Governor, Eric Greitens, stayed the execution AFTER Mr Williams' last meal, and convened a board of inquiry to investigate the case. Under Missouri law, the stay of execution was to remain in place until the board of inquiry concluded its review and issued a formal report. EVEN SO, the current Governor Mike Parson, without warning or notice, DISSOLVED THE BOARD WITHOUT REPORT OR RECOMMENDATION WHILE THE INQUIRY WAS STILL GOING. The Attorney General Andrew Bailey then sought a new execution date. Mr Williams attempts to sue Governor Parson for violation of the law and his constitutional rights, but the lawsuit is dismissed in June 2024. The execution is set for September.

MISHANDLING OF EVIDENCE: In January 2024 there was more movement with the case as St Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell concluded Mr Williams was innocent (due to the DNA evidence) and moved to vacate his conviction. The findings of three independent DNA experts was reviewed, again, all three of them concluding that Mr Williams' DNA was not on the murder weapon. Sickeningly, it has also been found that there was CONSIDERABLE MISHANDLING OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE. The office of Attorney General Andrew Bailey himself stated that the knife used to kill Ms Gayle had “been handled by many actors, including law enforcement", and FOR THIS REASON, Mr Williams could not be exonerated! There was also DNA from an investigator for the prosecutor’s office at the time of Williams’ trial, and the prosecutor who handled the case could also not be excluded. In fact, that prosecutor stated that HE TOUCHED THE KNIFE AT LEAST FIVE TIMES WHILE NOT WEARING GLOVES! To Attorney General Bailey, it seems that this heinous miscarriage of justice is more reason to execute Marcellus Williams rather than exonerate him.

RACIAL BIAS WHEN SELECTING JURY: Another injustice in the Marcellus Williams case was the selection of a mostly white jury: eleven white jurors to one Black juror. This was not a coincidence - Keith Larner, the assistant prosecutor during the 2001 trial, removed six of seven qualified potential Black jurors, including one because he thought he looked like Mr Williams. Mr Larner was questioned about this in the recent hearing, and Kansas City Star reports, "They looked like brothers — familial brothers, not Black brothers, Larner tried to clarify." Furthermore, one prospective Black juror was not selected because he worked for the Post Office, and postal workers, according to the prosecutor, tend to be "very liberal". Nonetheless, he still approved a white post office worker for the jury. The jury took less than two hours (including lunch) to decide to sentence Marcellus Williams to death.

what you can do to help is sign the petition, talk about this, and share! save an innocent man’s life.

text is copied from this person! please retweet and like this post :)

[aimeedaisies]

Court Circular | 21st May 2024

St James’s Palace

Princess Royal, Patron, Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, this morning visited the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum, Vemork, Rjukan, Telemark, Norway.

Her Royal Highness, Patron, Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, this afternoon received a briefing on the sinking of DF Hydro, Mael Station, Mael, Telemark.

The Princess Royal this evening attended a Reception given by His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway (Her Excellency Ms Jan Thompson) at the Residence in Oslo.

[howlingday]

Persemblance

(1) / 2 / 3 / 4

Starting today, you're moving in with your uncle and cousin living in Patch, and you will be living here for the next year. But first, do you want to see a totally unrelated picture of a barely legal supermodel athlete in a bikini? >Yes< Yes

Pyrrha: OH MY GOD! I'M SO TOTALLY FAT~!

Ohohohoho yeaaaaah... Wait, what? Oh. Yeah, right. Moving in with your aunt, or whatever.

Qrow: Hey! I'm Qrow Branwen, and this is Ruby.

Ruby: ...

"It's nice to meet you."

Qrow: Hey, no need to be so formal!

Qrow: I'VE SEEN YOU NAKED.

Qrow: Welp, let's head home!

???: Hey! I'm a totally unimportant dust store owner!

???: CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAAAAAND~?

"Urp..."

Ruby: Hey, are you alright? You don't look so good.

Yeah. Seriously. Could it be because of that creepy dust shop worker from earlier who touched you for no reason? NOPE! You're just tired. NOW STOP THINKING ABOUT THINGS!

--------------------------------------------

Qrow: So let me tell you about this one time when I changed your diaper.

Qrow: (Phone rings, Answers) What?

???: Mr. Branwen, sir! They're selling those cute ice cream sandwiches you love so much at Coal & Sons!.

Qrow: I'm on the case! (Hangs up, Walking out) Uncle Qrow's got some (Licks lips) criminals to apprehend. (Leaves)

TV: PLOT PLOT PLOT PLOT PLOT PLOT

Ruby: (About to cry)

--------------------------------------------

Zzz... Zzz... Zzz... Zzz..

OOGA BOOGA!

--------------------------------------------

Hey, guess what. It's time for your first day at school! You wonder what kinds of fun and wacky adventures await you at your new school!

Port: EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS A WHOOOOOOORE!

Port: Now take a chastity belt and siddown!

Oobleck: (PA) Someone got killed. Now go home.

--------------------------------------------

Yang: Hey, transfer student! I'm Yang Xiao Long!

Blake: And I'm uncomfortable!

Neptune: Hey, Yang, I've got-

Yang: TRIAL OF THE DRAGON! (Nutshots)

Neptune: (Falls over) Urgh... What the fuck...

Yang: Okay! Let's go to Coals!

Blake: YAAAAAAAAAY~!

--------------------------------------------

Adam: Hiiiiiiiiii, Blaaaaaaaake.

Adam: Do you want to be my loooveeeeeeeer?

Blake: Um... no?

Adam: (Slinks away) Okaaaaaaaay...

Yang: SHEESH! What a total creep! Good thing we'll never see him again! Now let's talk about stuff nobody cares about!

Saphron: They already took it down.

Terra: Aw, man! But I love dead bodies!

Adrian: MOM! I'M HUNGRY!

Yang: I wonder what happened.

Let's find out.

Qrow: Hey! This is a crime scene!

Oh.

Qrow: And as you can see, (Stuffing his face with ice cream) We're hard at work here!

Clover: EW! DEAD BODIES! EW EW EW!

Qrow: So yeah, (Nom!) you kids should head home.

You decided to head home.

--------------------------------------------

TV: Tukson Nolastname was found dead on a TV and that's why you're eating alone tonight.

Ruby: (Sniffles)

TV: In other news. COAL AND SONS COMMERCIAL!.

Ruby: YAAAAAAY~!

Ruby: Whenever Uncle Qrow is busy working, I sing the Coal's jingle so I feel less alone!

Ruby: Every day's great a-at y-your... C... C... C...

--------------------------------------------

The next day, you helped some loser rolling around in a trash can.

Neptune: Hello?! Can someone help me out of here? I thought this would be a good idea!

Neptune: Hey! I'm Neptune Vasilias! I'll do some stuff after school!

Then school happened.

Neptune: Hey, let's go get some grilled steak.

Yang: (From a distance) TRIAL OF THE DRAGON!

Neptune: No worries! I can cover-

Yang: (In Neptune's ear) TRIAL OF THE DRAGOOON!

Yang: Hey, Blake, let's go get some free steak!

Blake: Yang, I'm gonna get so fat!

Yang: Oh, okay!

--------------------------------------------

Neptune brought you to the Coal's food court.

Yang: STEAK! STEAK STEAK! STEAK! STEAK STEAK!

Neptune: My mom got promoted to manager and we had to move to this location to-

Yeah, whatever.

Weiss: Why am I so miserable...

Neptune: Hey! It's Weiss! Hey, We-

Weiss: HEY, NEPTUNE~! DRIVING MORE FAMILY-OWNED STORES OUT OF BUSINESS BY BRINGING YOUR STUPID FRIENDS HERE?

Neptune: W-What?

Weiss: Wait, what? I don't know, I'm so tired.

Neptune: Weiss, is there something wrong? If there is, you can tell me. Because, you see... Weiss! I lov-

Weiss: OOOOH! Is that the transfer student?!

Weiss: Hey, Neptune is kind of a loser and you should get better friends!

Neptune: Hahaha! Weiss, you're such a kidder! (Pats her back)

Weiss: DON'T! TOUCH ME!

Weiss: Okay, bye~!

Yang: Hey, guys! They say if you look at the TV when it's raining at midnight, you can see magical people inside!

You and Neptune both agree that it was totally stupid, and then decide to try it out later that night.

--------------------------------------------

TV: And now it's the evening news murder corner. Tonight, we have a very professional interview with the person who found the body.

TV: A dead body, ladies and gentlemen! Wowzers! Was it awesome? Or was it AWESOME?.

TV: Wha...?.

TV: Hey, Coal's is pretty cool!.

Ruby: YAAAAAAY~!

Ruby: Uncle Qrow! We should go to Coal's together!

Qrow: (Drunk and hungover) Clove, what the hell are you talking about? Stop putting shaved chocolate in my....

Hey. You should try that thing Yang was talking about. ... THOUARTTHEEARTTHOUSTICKYOURHANDINTHETVDOITDOITDOIT ... CHOMP!

--------------------------------------------

Neptune: Hey, did you see anything last night?

Yang: I sure did! It was awesome!

You try to tell them how your TV tried to eat you last night.

Neptune/Yang: PSHAAAAW!

Neptune: Hey, Yang, let's go to Coal's to find a TV for this idiot to jump into!

Yang: I know, right?

Neptune/Yang: (You stand in front of the TV) Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Neptune/Yang: (You stick your hand into TV) AAAAAAAAAAH!

Neptune expresses his surprise in the most eloquent way possible.

Neptune: I HAVE TO PEEEEEE!

Neptune/Yang: (Fall into TV) AAAAAAAAAAAAH!

--------------------------------------------

You wonder why the voice acting is so poor during animated cutscenes.

Neptune: I have to pee.

Yang: What?

Neptune: I have to pee!

"We should get out of here."

Yang: You're right!

Neptune: I have to pee.

Yang: Hey, a creepy, red vortex!

Awesome! Let's go!

Neptune: I have to pee!

Yang: Whoa... What a weird room...

Neptune: You guys, I have pee SO BAD!

Neptune: I'm gonna pee RIGHT! HERE!

...

Neptune: ...

...

Neptune: ...Okay, nevermind!

Yang: Hey, there's a noose here!

Spooky. Your thoughts, Neptune?

Neptune: Nooses are bad.

SUPER!

Somewhat: Did somebody call for a MASCOT CHARACTER?

Somewhat: Hey, I'm gonna let you guys out of-

Neptune/Yang: AAAH! WE'RE TRAPPED!

Somewhat: Um, I just said I was gonna-

Neptune/Yang: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[beardedmrbean]

A 1-year-old child sat in a shopping cart as her mother knocked a Kroger worker unconscious, according to Michigan police and news reports.

The 20-year-old mother was in the self-checkout aisle with her child on Dec. 4 when she began “screaming” at the clerk at the St. Clair Shores store, police said, according to the Macomb Daily

She had asked the worker for help removing items from her tab, but the employee walked away, police told WWJ.

Surveillance footage obtained by WJBK shows the mother leave her cart and walk toward the worker, hitting her in the face and knocking her to the ground.

“The victim did lose consciousness for a bit, and was transported to the hospital for treatment of head injury,” St. Clair Shores police Detective Gordon Carrier told WJBK.

The worker suffered a black eye and other head injuries, but is expected to be OK, according to WWJ.

Police charged the mother with aggravated assault and she is due in court in January, court records show.

St. Clair Shores is about 20 miles northeast of Detroit.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (July 4)

On July 4, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Elizabeth of Portugal, a queen who served the poor and helped her country avoid war during the 13th and 14th centuries.

Elizabeth of Portugal was named after her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary (7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), who was canonized by  Pope Gregory IX on 27 May 1235.

Their lives were similar in some important ways:

Both married at very young ages, sought to live the precepts of the Gospel despite their status as royalty, and finished their lives as members of the Third Order of St. Francis.

The younger Elizabeth was born in 1271, the daughter of King Pedro III of Aragon and his wife Constantia.

Even in her youth, Elizabeth showed a notable devotion to God through fasting, regular prayer, and a sense of life's seriousness.

While still very young, she was married to King Diniz of Portugal, a marriage that would put her faith and patience to the test.

King Diniz was faithfully devoted to his country, known as the “Worker King” because of his diligence.

Unfortunately, he generally failed to live out the same faithfulness toward his wife, although he is said to have repented of his years of infidelity before his death.

Diniz and Elizabeth had two children, but the king fathered an additional seven children with other women.

Many members of the king's court likewise embraced or accepted various forms of immorality, and it would have been easy for the young queen to fall into these vices herself.

But Elizabeth remained intent on doing God's will with a humble and charitable attitude.

Rather than using her status as queen to pursue her own satisfaction, she sought to advance Christ's reign on earth.

Like her namesake and great-aunt Elizabeth of Hungary, Elizabeth of Portugal was a devoted patroness and personal friend of the poor and sick.

She compelled the women who served her at court to care for them as well.

The queen's bishop testified that she had a custom of secretly inviting in lepers, whom she would bathe and clothe, even though the law of the land barred them from approaching the castle.

Elizabeth's commitment to the Gospel also became evident when she intervened to prevent civil war in the kingdom on two occasions.

Alfonso, the only son of Diniz and Elizabeth, resented the king's indulgent treatment of one of his illegitimate sons, to the point that the father and son gathered together rival armies that were on the brink of open war in 1323.

On this occasion, St. Elizabeth placed herself between the two opposing armies, insisting that Diniz and Alfonso come to terms and make peace with one another.

In 1336, the last year of her life, she intervened in a similar manner to prevent her son from waging war against the King of Castile for his poor treatment of Alfonso's own daughter.

Following King Diniz's death in 1325, Elizabeth had become a Franciscan of the Third Order and had gone to live in a convent that she had established some years before.

The testimony of miracles accomplished through her intercession after her death on 4 July 1336 contributed to her beatification in 1516 and canonization by Pope Urban VIII on 24 June 1625.

[wrathzy]

Project Sanitater-88:

In October 2018, an anonymous user from the Russian imageboard website Dvach, similar to 4chan, published the links to two videos on the platform. These videos revealed the abhorrent works of the Russian Neo-Nazi extremist group "Project Sanitater-88," responsible for pummeling and killing homeless people in Moscow using blades and hammers. The Germanic word "Sanitäter" translates to "paramedic," particularly back from World War II, and the "88" symbolizes the letters "HH" or Heil Hitler.

The Dvach staff deleted the videos, but they were subsequently uploaded on other domains, including a page of a Neo-Nazi group called the "White Hunter Society" for a contest in which members of similar groups shared videos of barbaric attacks. Not only did this grasp the attention of Russian police, but it also piqued the interest of anonymous users of Dvach. The army of anonymous users identified the uploader as St. Petersburg student Vitaly Tkachenko, who was seventeen years old at the time. Vitaly was arrested, along with another teenager around his age.

It appears that the videos uploaded by Vitaly were copycats of similar atrocities committed in Moscow a few years prior. From 2014 to 2015, a crew of Neo-Nazi youths, 20-year-old Pavel Voitov, 25-year-old Elena Lobacheva, 23-year-old Artur "Narcis" Narcissov, 19-year-old Maxim "Zakirka" Pavlov, and 21-year-old Vladislav "Persik" Karataev, went on a rampage. Infamously known as "The Cleaners," this band of young militants murdered more than 15 people. The killings were motivated by their desire to "clean the city" and their disdain for alcoholics and vagrants.

The victims, some of which were either intoxicated, homeless or guest workers, were lured into vacant areas, mostly at night, before being struck with a hammer and stabbed to death with blades afterward. While police had few to no physical or virtual leads to follow, they suspected these killings were by the same individuals and merged them into one case. The police and the FSB eventually tracked the cellular devices in the areas where the murders transpired. Now that they had got their lead, the hunt was on.

On February 15, 2015, Pavel Voitov and Artur Narcissov assaulted a janitor in Vykhino, but he resisted the attack, forcing the two to flee the scene. The janitor then notified the authorities and described the attackers. On February 19, 2015, the police and the FSB managed to apprehend Pavel Voitov and Elena Lobacheva after their home was located through CCTV cameras. During the search, five knives, an unregistered firearm, clothing with the janitor's blood on them, and a hammer were collected. They also found Elena's computer, which contained photos of the victims with their bodies severely mutilated and a step-by-step instruction guide on how to kill people.

Investigators would then arrest Maxim Pavlov, Vladislav Karataev, and Artur Narcissov. All suspects confessed to the homicides during an interrogation. The gang also admitted being inspired partly by serial murderer Alexander Pichushkin, the "Chessboard Killer," convicted for murdering 49 people in Moscow. On October 23, 2017, the Moscow City Court sentenced Pavel Voitov to life imprisonment, Elena Lobacheva to 13 years imprisonment, and Maxim Pavlov to 9 years and six months in a penal colony. Vladislav Karataev was given a 16-year sentence, and Artur Narcissov to 9 years and six months, both to be served in a corrective labor colony.

[myhauntedsalem]

The History of Zombie Road

Zombie Road has quite a reputation as a place where shadowy figures and other non human entities have long been reported.

Gregory Myers of the Paranormal Task Force presents this piece on the history and deaths of one of the most haunted locations in the United States.

Within the urban sprawl of St. Louis lies a remote area called “Zombie Road”. Urban Legend tells a variety of eerie tales which include being host to ritualistic and occult practices which spawned inhuman and demonic entities while other tales tell of those who met their peculiar demise and still roam this desolate road in the afterlife.

“Zombie Road”, real name “Lawler Ford Road” is about 2 miles long through a valley of forest oak land hills and ends near the Meramec River in the Glencoe, MO area where it meets the newly established “Al Foster” trail.

The history of this area goes back to ancient Native American times where this was one of the few pathways cut by nature over the centuries through the bluffs to the Meramec River area just beyond them. It is believed that travelling ancient Native Americans used this pathway for foot travel and also quarried flint here for the making of various tools and weapons.

In the early 1800’s a Ferry (boat) was operated at the bottom area of this passage at times where a ford was located in the river for settlers and travellers to cross the Meramec River to the other side where the Lewis family owned much of the land. The origin of the road name is unknown to historians even today.

Ninian Hamilton a settler from Kentucky was the first settler to occupy and own land in this area in 1803. After his death in 1856, James E. Yeatman a prominent St. Louis citizen, a founder of the Mercantile Library and president of the Merchants Bank acquired the large parcel of land that Mr. Hamilton settled and owned.

The Pacific Railroad completed their railroad line from St. Louis to Pacific along the Meramec River in this area in the 1850’s. Della Hamilton the wife of Henry McCullough, who was Justice of the Peace for about thirty years and Judge of the County Court from 1849 to 1852, was struck and killed by a train in this area in 1876.

The first large scale gravel operations on the Meramec River began at what would become Yeatman junction in this area. Gravel was taken from the Meramec River and moved on rail cars into St. Louis. The first record of this operation is in the mid-1850’s. Later, steam dredges were used, to be supplanted by diesel or gasoline dredges in extracting gravel from the channel and from artificial lakes dug into the banks. This continued until the 1970’s.

From about 1900 until about 1945, Glencoe and this area was one of the resort communities of the Meramec River’s clubhouse era. Many of the homes were summer clubhouses, later converted to year round residences then lost to the great local floods of the 1990’s.

Some say this is called Zombie Road because the railroad workers who once worked here rise from their graves at times to roam about. Some insist that they have heard old time music, seen anomalous moving lights and other ghostly sightings from that forgotten era. Another tale tells of a patient nicknamed “Zombie” who escaped from a nearby mental facility never to be seen again. His blood soaked gown was later found lying upon the old road later named after him.

Other tales include one of an original settler who met their demise upon the railroad tracks. Another includes a pioneer who lost his wife in a poker game then went back to his homestead and took his own life. Many still report seeing these lonely spirits even today.

During the age of Prohibition a nearby town housed speak-easies and the summer homes of well known gangsters. Tales tell of individuals who were dealt a bad hand by such public enemies resulting in their permanent placement within the ground or bordering river to never be seen again.

The bordering river has tragically delivered many to the other side through the years. Children and adults alike have taken their last living breath within its dangerous waters before being found washed up on its shores. Even during this new millennium, several children met their demise one day within its banks.

The railroad still shows “Death hath no mercy” as many have met their final fate upon its tracks. Local lifelong residents can still remember multitudes of tragic occurrences dating back to the 1950’s. One of these occurred in the 1970’s when two teens were struck by an oncoming train. Some of the local residents were used in search parties to find the body parts scattered about the area.

During the 1990’s a mother and her five year old child were crossing a bridge when an oncoming train met them. The mother’s last action was pushing her five year old child off the bridge. The engineer was able to stop the train and save the child. Although the mother died, this is still one of the happiest endings to a story this area will provide.

More recent past has seen this area become refuge for those wanting privacy to practice the occult and other rituals. Who can really know what true doorways to the darkness or unknown were opened here.

During the 1960’s a couple in their late teens were on top of the bluffs overlooking the road below. The male somehow lost footing and during the fall caught his face in a fork of a small tree growing out from the side of the bluff. His face and scalp remained while the rest of him fell to his death upon the road below. Others have also met their demise from the high bluffs above.

The area has also seen its share of suicides and murders. In the 1970’s a hunter stumbled across a car still running at the end the road. Closer inspection revealed a hose running from the exhaust pipe to the inside of the car with the driver slumped over the steering wheel.

One can agree that there is no lack of legends or tragedies surrounding this area which can explain the bizarre and eerie encounters of those who visit. I was one who became truly intrigued and attracted by such lore and was determined to either prove or disprove the Urban Legends surrounding it.

Missouri Paranormal Research (now a division of Paranormal Task Force, Inc.), the paranormal investigative team I belong to, investigated this area on several occasions. Our visits converted many true skeptics into true believers of the paranormal. I was one of those the first time and even remarked “This was going to be like Winnie the Pooh looking for a ghost in 100 Acre Woods” prior to descending onto the old road.

Within an hour several people observed a human sized shadow figure as it descended upon them from a small bluff nearby. It then ran onto the road, stopped, then disappeared into the darkness of the night. Throughout the night others heard unexplained voices, were touched by the unseen and witnessed the unexplained. This was one night that everyone could conclude that indeed some Urban Legends actually are real!