#j.h. roberts

[graphicpolicy]

Skybound celebrates 20 years of The Walking Dead with variants and weekly drops in October

Skybound celebrates 20 years of The Walking Dead with variants and weekly drops in October #comics #comicbooks #walkingdead #thewalkingdead #twd

Skybound has announced its 20th anniversary celebration of The Walking Dead, the groundbreaking comic series created by Robert Kirkman. The deluxe version of the series will see weekly releases throughout its anniversary month of October, all leading up to the legendary issue #75, now presented in glorious full color for the first time. Skybound debuted a stacked variant lineup for these issues,…

[cryptofmadness]

CRUEL UNIVERSE Issue 1 Cover Art Round-Up

By Chet Reams

So, EC Comics' new science-fiction series Cruel Universe drops this Wednesday. Here are the covers available for issue #1 of the new comic series:

The "Main Covers"

Cover A - Greg Smallwood art

Cover D - J.H. Williams III art, foil variant.

Cover C - Greg Smallwood art, Foil Variant

Cover D - J.H. Williams III art, foil variant.

Cover E - Blank Cover variant. (used by buyers for sketch cover commissions)

The "Retailer Incentive" Covers

Cover F - Jay Stephens art

Cover G - J.H. Williams III art, Black And White variant.

Cover H - Rian Hughes layout - Archive Edition variant

Cover I - Robert Hack art (High Horse Comics / Groundbreaking Comics / Knowhere Games & Comics exclusive cover variant)

[astralforecast]

books for astral projection

The Phase - Michael Raduga

The Study & Practice of Astral Projection - Robert Crookall

More Astral Projections - Robert Crookall

Out of the Body Experiences - Robert Crookall

Journeys Out of the Body - Robert Monroe

Far Journeys - Robert Monroe

Ultimate Journey - Robert Monroe

Astral Dynamics - Robert Bruce

Mastering Astral Projection - Robert Bruce + Bryan Mercer

The Treatise on Astral Projection - Robert Bruce

Adventures Beyond the Body - William Buhlman

The Secret of the Soul - William Buhlman

Beyond the Astral - William Buhlman + Susan Buhlman

The Astral Codex - Bulsebuub

Leaving the Body - D. Scott Logo

Flying Without A Broom - D.J. Conway

The Astral Projection Workbook - J.H. Brennan

The Astral Projection Guidebook - Erin Pavlina

Projection of the Astral Body - Sylvan Muldoon

The Astral Plane - C.W. Leadbeatter

Hacking the Out of Body Experience - Bob Peterson

Soul Journeys - Rosalind A. McKnight

Cosmic Journeys - Rosalind A. McKnight

Beyond Dreaming - Gene Hart

The Art and Practice of Astral ProJection - Ophiel

The Illusion of Method - Mark Gurriaran

Astral Projection Without Tears - Mark Gurriaran

Astral Projection for Beginners - Edain McCoy

Out of Body Into Life - Kwame Adapa

Navigating the Out of Body Experience - Graham Nicholls

Multi-Dimensional Man - Jurgen Ziewe

The Ten Minute Moment - Jurgen Ziewe

Elysium Unveiled - Jurgen Ziewe

Vistas of Infinity - Jurgen Ziewe

Projections of the Consciousness - Waldo Vieira

Seth, Dreams, and Projections of Consciousness - Jane Roberts

A Separate Reality - Castaneda

[sa-waai]

AFRICAN ORIGIN OF CAESAREAN SECTION

Caesarean Sections were performed in Africa long before they were standardized across the world. They were invented in Africa long before Europe, and the rest of the world fully mastered how to conduct them. The procedure is said to have been started since time immemorial. When a baby could not be delivered vaginally, midwives and surgeons would turn to C-sections in order to deliver the baby safe and alive. In areas around Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria, midwives and surgeons would perform this procedure.

So when a baby could not be delivered vaginally, the midwives and surgeons would sedate the mother in labour with a lot of banana wine. A knife would be sterilized using heat, while the mother would be tied to the bed for her safety. An incision would be made quickly by a team, and the quickness was to ensure that there would be no excessive loss of blood, and also that other organs would not be cut. A conflation of sterilized knives which are sharp and the sedation would make the experience less painful for the mother.

During these times women rarely developed infections because antiseptic tinctures and salves were used to clean the area and stitches were applied. Shock and excessive blood loss were uncommon. However the most reported problem was that it took longer for the mother’s milk to come in. But this would be resolved through friends and relatives who would nurse the baby instead. Uganda, Tanzania and DRC were the countries where this was most practised; and in Uganda, C sections were normally performed by a team of male healers, but in Tanzania and DRC, they were typically done by female midwives. It was in the Ugandan kingdom of Bunyoro that this procedure was most documented.

It was in the Ugandan kingdom of Bunyoro that this procedure was most documented. The procedure was performed well such that Robert W. Felkin, a Scottish medical anthropologist documented all of this in the book, The Development of Scientific Medicine in the African Kingdom of Bunyoro Kitara. He witnessed the procedure in 1879 and was captivated by it. What got his attention was that back in Europe, a C-section was considered to be an option only to be used in the most of desperate situations. At this time, "nearly half of European and US women died in childbirth, and nearly 100% of European women died if a C section was performed."

References

1. “Notes on Labour in Central Africa” by British explorer Robert W. Felkin; published in the Edinburgh Medical Journal, 1884.

2. “Cesarean Section: The History and Development of the Operation From Early Times” by J.H. Young; published by H.K. Lewis, London, 1944.

3. “The development of scientific medicine in the African Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara” by J.N.P. Davies; published in Cambridge Journals Medical History, 1959.

[multiversecomics2]

The Most Popular Comic Books From 2000-2020

Comics have been a favorite medium of storytelling for decades, and with the rise of superhero movies and TV shows, their popularity has only increased. From Marvel and DC to independent publishers, the 21st century has seen a plethora of comic books that have captured the hearts of readers. Here are some of the most popular comic books published between 2000 and 2020:

The Walking Dead (2003-2019) Robert Kirkman’s horror series about a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies was a massive hit, both in comic book form and as a TV show. The comic book series ran for 193 issues and became a cultural phenomenon, spawning merchandise, video games, and even a theme park attraction.

Watchmen (2009) Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1986 comic book miniseries is widely regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. The 2009 film adaptation, directed by Zack Snyder, brought the story of retired superheroes investigating a conspiracy to a wider audience, and introduced new fans to the complex characters and intricate plot.

Batman: The Court of Owls (2011-2012) Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run on Batman in the early 2010s revitalized the character and introduced new villains to his rogues’ gallery. The Court of Owls storyline, which revealed a secret society controlling Gotham City from the shadows, was a standout arc that kept readers on the edge of their seats.

Sandman: Overture (2013-2015) Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series is a classic of the comic book medium, and the 2013 prequel series Overture was eagerly anticipated by fans. Illustrated by J.H. Williams III, the series explores the origin of Morpheus, the lord of dreams, and features stunning artwork and complex storytelling.

Y: The Last Man (2002-2008) Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s series about the last man on Earth after a mysterious plague wipes out all male mammals was a critical and commercial success. With its unique premise and strong character development, Y: The Last Man remains a classic of the comic book medium.

Black Panther (2016-2018) Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze’s run on Black Panther in the mid-2010s introduced new depth and complexity to the character of T’Challa, the king of Wakanda. The series explored themes of power, politics, and identity, and was a landmark moment for representation in comics.

The Umbrella Academy (2007-2008) Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s quirky superhero series, about a dysfunctional family of superpowered siblings trying to prevent an apocalypse, was adapted into a popular Netflix series in 2019. With its offbeat humor and distinctive art style, The Umbrella Academy became a cult favorite.

“Saga” (2012-2018) “Saga” is a space opera/fantasy comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples. The story revolves around two lovers from opposing sides of an intergalactic war and their fight to keep their newborn daughter safe from the conflict. The series is known for its inventive world-building, complex characters, and powerful themes of love and family. It ran for 54 issues from 2012 to 2018 and has won multiple Eisner Awards, as well as being praised by critics and fans alike.

“Ms. Marvel” (2014-2019) “Ms. Marvel” is a comic book series created by writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona. The story follows Kamala Khan, a Muslim teenage girl from New Jersey who gains shape-shifting abilities and becomes the new Ms. Marvel, taking on the mantle from the original character Carol Danvers. The series is known for its diverse cast of characters, relatable portrayal of teenage life, and exploration of issues such as identity and representation. It ran for 38 issues from 2014 to 2019 and has been praised for its positive impact on the comic book industry.

“Invincible” (2003-2018) “Invincible” is a superhero comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker. The story follows Mark Grayson, a teenage boy who inherits superpowers from his father and becomes the superhero Invincible. The series is known for its deconstruction of the superhero genre, subverting expectations and exploring complex themes such as power, morality, and family. It ran for 144 issues from 2003 to 2018 and has been highly acclaimed for its storytelling, character development, and bold approach to the genre.

source https://multiversecomics.com/most-popular-comic-books-from-2000-2020/

[byneddiedingo]

The Divorce of Lady X (Tim Whelan, 1938)

Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier in The Divorce of Lady X

Cast: Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Binnie Barnes, Ralph Richardson, Morton Selten, J.H. Roberts, Gertrude Musgrove, Gus McNaughton, H.B. Hallam, Eileen Peel. Screenplay: Lajos Biró, Ian Dalrymple, Arthur Wimperis, based on a play by Gilbert Wakefield. Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr. Art direction: Lazare Meerson. Film editing: Walter Stovkis. Music: Miklós Rózsa. 

Screwball comedy movies, in which an otherwise sober and respectable male, usually a lawyer, a professor, or a businessman, is prodded into absurd behavior and outlandish situations by a giddy, beautiful, and usually rich female, seem to be a particularly American genre. They may have their antecedents in the French farces of Feydeau and Labiche, but they need that American sense, particularly common in the Great Depression, that the rich are idle triflers, not to be trusted by everyday hard-working folk. Which may be why the British attempt at screwball seen in The Divorce of Lady X is a bit of a misfire. Merle Oberon plays the madcap lady in the film, who delights in deceiving and annoying the barrister played by Laurence Olivier until he inevitably falls in love with her. One problem with the film lies in the casting: Olivier's vulpine mien is not one that easily expresses naïveté, which the barrister Everard Logan must possess in order to fall for Leslie Steele's wiles, when she allows him to believe that she's really the scandalous Lady Mere. The real Lady Mere is played by Binnie Barnes, and the subplot revolves around the desire of her husband, played by Ralph Richardson, to divorce her, with the aid of Logan in the dual role of both barrister and corespondent -- how he got into that predicament is the rather clumsy setup for the film. Barnes and Richardson are far better suited to this kind of comedy than Oberon and Olivier, and they contribute some of the more amusing moments in the movie. It's filmed in the rather wan hues of early Technicolor, which only contribute to the general sense of underachievement.

Merle Oberon in The Divorce of Lady X (1938)

[hessbynum]

Sue Massek Project - Blog #3 - Which Side Are You On and The Death of Harry Simms

“Well, that didn’t go how I thought it would,” is an apt statement to describe 2024. Back in October I started a multi-month cold, around the same time Sue lost someone very close to her, and the rest of the year felt like an uncontrolled tumble down a steep hill. With all that in mind, it’s not surprising I’ve felt a bit lost here lately. 

I’ve continued the work. Practicing, band rehearsals, dug out song lyrics, decided on new arrangements, etc. I haven’t done much songwriting, but it’s always never far from my mind. I’ve felt myself metaphorically grinding an axe, being deliberate in honing my craft, but to what end? What do I need to do? What *am* I doing? 

This past week I got a gentle reminder what it’s about for me. What I’m about. That I have a voice. And a banjo. I ain’t afraid to use ‘em. As we ramp up 2025, that work becomes critical. Right now, more than ever, folks are picking fights with each other. Folks don’t understand we’re all working class folks. Regardless of which side we choose, all we have are each other. 

I’m taking Cowan Creek Mountain Music School’s winter session, specifically “Songs of Kentucky” with Anna Roberts-Gevalt. This week, we got into some of the work of Aunt Molly Jackson and Jim Garland, specifically “The Death of Harry Simms,” also Florence Reece’s “Which Side Are You On?” and followed it up by watching a documentary on Sarah Ogan Gunning. Dreadful Memories, the story of Sarah Ogan Gunning by Mimi Pickering which I believe is available on YouTube through Appalshop. I had watched it fairly recently, but was ready for a rewatch and honestly, I could probably stand to watch it a few more times. 

It may be a little strange with this blog being about working with Sue, this coming up in Anna’s class, but Sue is my connection to the Garland family including Sarah Ogan Gunning, so it makes sense to me because I learned about so much of this from Sue. 

So let’s get to it. 

“Which Side Are You On?” warrants its own blog, but I think we can look more broadly at what was going on to create these songs which are painfully relevant today. Here’s a clip of Florence Reece talking about the song, writing it in 1931, and singing a little bit of it. J. H. Blair was the sheriff. 

For just the song as sung by Florence Reece, you can find that here.

“Which Side Are You On?” is one of the first songs I learned from Sue. She told us that Florence Reece’s house got shot up by gun thugs. While she was hiding under the bed, she pulled the calendar off the wall and wrote the song. 

Here are the lyrics as I learned them from Sue:

Come all of you good workers

Good news to you I’ll tell

Of how that good old union

Has come in here to dwell

Chorus:

Which side are you on? 

Which side are you on?

Which side are you on? 

Which side are you on? 

My daddy was a miner 

And I’m a miner’s son

And I’ll stick with the union

Till every battle’s won

They say in Harlan County

There are no neutrals there

You’ll either be a union man

Or a thug for J.H. Blair

Oh, workers can you stand it?

Oh, tell me how you can

Will you be a lousy scab

Or will you be a man?

Don’t scab for the bosses

Don’t listen to their lies

Us poor folks haven’t got a chance 

Unless we organize

You don’t have to search very hard to find modern artists performing this song with their own updated lyrics and I have no doubt it will get another face lift in 2025. In fact, I really like this version from Dawn Landes released in 2024 on her fantastic Liberated Woman’s Songbook album.

I couldn’t find a handy recording of Sue singing “Which Side are You On?” but here’s a clip of Sue performing Aunt Molly Jackson’s “I Am a Union Woman” which uses a similar melody. The video has it labeled as Join the NMU. This was part of a play Sue starred in about the life of Sarah Ogan Gunning. Her banjo treatment is just 🔥. 

Aunty Molly Jackson and Jim Garland wrote “The Death of Harry Simms” and the song was popularized by Pete Seeger, so I’m going to go ahead and link Seeger’s version if you want to listen before we get into it. 

So, what was happening to cause these songs? 

The University of Kentucky (UK) has a more detailed write up here about the mining strikes in Bell and Harlan County, Kentucky in general with some videos, but I will try to summarize a bit. You can access their page here though: https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/background-coal-strike 

In 1931-1932, when these songs were written, things were a mess for the coal miners in Kentucky. Back then, coal companies ran company towns. Folks who worked in the mines lived in company provided houses, so when the coal industry went bust with the Great Depression (started in 1929), folks lost everything including their homes. People were starving because there wasn’t any food (the Dust Bowl started in 1930) and the miners went on strike trying to improve conditions. Times were desperate. 

Meanwhile, the coal companies hired a private militia who were then deputized by the local sheriff’s office or authority. These are the “gun thugs” in the songs and they had three primary functions. 1) It was their job to protect the mines and the scabs so the work could continue. 2) Because the coal company owned the houses when someone was fired or otherwise let go, it was the gun thugs job to run people out of the housing. 3) They were there to intimidate folks and try and make the miners compliant, such as by shooting up Florence Reece’s house. The second video on the UK page points out that deputizing the thugs blurred the lines between the private and public sectors. The coal companies, the gun thugs, and the sheriff’s office were all on the same side even though as Florence Reece points out, the scabs and the gun thugs are workers too.

The UK page explains that the miners and their families felt abandoned by the United Mine Workers of America (U.M.W.A.), which created an opportunity for the growing American Communist Party in the U.S. to send a representative of their own union, the National Miners Union or N.M.U. The song references recruiting people for the N.M.U. and getting volunteers for the Y.C.L., the Youth Communist League. So, the N.M.U. sent Harry Simms as a representative to try and help organize the miners. Simms stayed with Jim Garland who was active with the communist group. The UK pages point out that communism was viewed as a fresh idea and the Cold War hadn’t happened yet, which I think is important to remember. 

Things escalated considerably after Harry Simms arrived and Simms was killed by one of the deputized gun thugs. He was only 19 years old. 

Here is Jim Garland’s recording of the song with lyrics below.

Comrades listen to my story

Workers listen to my song

I'll tell you of a hero

Who’s now dead and gone

I'll tell you of a worker

Whose age was just nineteen

He was the strongest union man

That ever I have seen

Harry Simms he was a pal of mine

We labored side by side

Expecting to be shot on sight

Or taken for a ride

By a dirty capitalist gun thug

Who roam from town to town

To shoot and kill our comrades

Where e'er they may be found

Harry Simms and I was parted

At five o’clock that day

"Be careful, my dear comrade"

To Harry I did say

"Now I must do my duty"

Was his reply to me

“If I get killed by gun thugs

Please don't grieve after me"

Just remain a faithful worker, 

Dear comrades, do be wise

Remain a faithful worker, 

Dear comrades, do be wise

Help destroy this rotten system

Don’t fail to organize

He was walking up the railroad track

One bright sunshiny day

He was young and handsome

His steps was light and gay

He did not know the gun thugs

Was a waitin’ on the way

To take our dear young comrade’s life

That bright sunshiny day

Harry Simms was killed on Brush Creek

In nineteen and thirty-two

He organized the miners

In the good ol’ N.M.U.

He fought for the union

That was all that he could do

He died for the union,

Also for me and you.

Now comrades, we must vow today

That one thing we must do

We’ll organize all the miners

In the good ol’ N.M.U.

We’ll get a million volunteers for the Y.C.L.

And sink this rotten system 

In the deepest pits of hell

I can’t tell anyone how to feel about these songs, but I can tell you how I feel about them and what they mean to me.

I believe they're still incredibly powerful and there's so much going on today relevant to what happened back then. To me they’re a reminder of how quickly things can get bad. That whichever side we choose matters and that our actions have consequences. It’s a reminder that everyone has forgotten that we’re mostly all working class and should be on the same side despite our differences. But maybe I'm just an idealist. So, which side are you on? 

[entomoblog]

[Bibliographie] Jean-Henri Fabre, un entomologiste au goût du Japon

See on Scoop.it - Insect Archive

Jean-Henri Fabre est sans doute l’un des entomologistes les plus connus dans le monde. Réputé tant pour ses qualités d’observateur que pour sa plume, son influence en Occident fait cependant pâle figure par rapport au véritable culte que lui voue le pays du Soleil Levant.

  Yves Cambefort, Entomologiste spécialiste des coléoptères scarabéidés, chercheur au CNRS et au Muséum d’histoire naturelle, membre de la Société entomologique de France

  Numéro 52 - Espèces

Bibliographie complémentaire

Les références suivantes viennent compléter la bibliographie déjà publiée dans l'article publié dans le Numéro 52 d'Espèces.

Abé K., 1967 – La femme des sables (Suna no onna), trad. du japonais par Georges Bonneau, Stock.

Abé K., 1987 – L’arche en toc (Hakobune Sakuramaru), trad. du japonais par René de Ceccatty et Ryoji Nakamura, Gallimard.

Cambefort Y., 1999 – L’œuvre de Jean-Henri Fabre, Delagrave.

Cambefort Y., 2003 – “Les débuts d’un grand vulgarisateur et de son éditeur : Jean-Henri Fabre et Charles Delagrave (1863-1867)”, Revue française d’histoire du livre, 116-117, p. 33-49.

Cambefort Y., 2014 – “Jean-Henri Fabre”, dans Commémorations nationales 2015, Éditions du Patrimoine, Centre des monuments nationaux, p. 64-67.

Charles-Roux J., 1913 – J.-H. Fabre en Avignon, Lemerre.

Conry Y., 1974 – L’introduction du Darwinisme en France au XIXe siècle, Vrin.

Delage A., 2005 – Jean-Henri Fabre : l’observateur incomparable, éditions du Rouergue.

Delange Y., 1981 – Jean-Henri Fabre, l’homme qui aimait les insectes, Jean-Claude Lattès (réédité en 1986, puis en 1999 avec préface de Claude Nuridsany, Actes Sud).

Diamant-Berger H., 1951 – Monsieur Fabre, Pathé, Paris, 1951 (réédité en DVD en 2007 par Pathé Classique).

Diamant-Berger H. et Kirkland J., 1951 – Monsieur Fabre, Delagrave.

Fabre J.-H., 1912-1923 – The works of J.H. Fabre, Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, Dodd, Mead & Co. ; Hodder and Stoughton (14 volumes).

Fabre J.-H., 1989 – Souvenirs entomologiques, édition d’Yves Delange, Robert Laffont (2 volumes).

Fabre J.-H., 1991 – Konchûki [Histoires d’insectes (en japonais)], adaptation et traduction par Daisaburo Okumoto, Shueisha (8 volumes).

Fabre J.-H., 2005-2017 – Konchûki [Histoires d’insectes (en japonais)], trad. par Daisaburo Okumoto, Shueisha (20 volumes).

Goncourt E. de, 2008 ‒ Utamaro, Parkstone International.

Gourdin H., 2022 – Jean-Henri Fabre, l’inimitable observateur, Le Pommier.

Goka K. et al., 2004 – “Biological invasion caused by commercialization of stag beetles in Japan”, Global Environmental Research, 8(1), p. 67-74.

Halffter G., 2003 – “Un regard sur la répercussion de l’œuvre de Jean-Henri Fabre”, dans Jean-Henri Fabre. Un autre regard sur l’insecte, Conseil général de l’Aveyron, p. 155-161.

Hoshina H., 2022 – “The mythology of insect-loving Japan”, Insects, 13(3), p. 234-238 (Doi : 10.3390/insects13030234).

Imanishi K., 2015 – Le monde des êtres vivants : une théorie écologique des êtres vivants, Wildproject.

Kimura M., 1990 – Théorie neutraliste de l’évolution, Flammarion.

Legros G., 1913a – La vie de J.-H. Fabre, naturaliste, par un disciple, Delagrave.

Legros G., 1913b – Fabre, Poet of Science (traduit par Bernard Miall), The Century Co.

Loison L., 2012 – “Le projet du néolamarckisme français (1880-1910)”, Revue d’histoire des sciences, 65, p. 61-79.

Nakatomi K., 2014 – “Evolution and non-evolution. Bergson and Fabre”, Society and Education, 15, p. 5-15.

Paulian R., 2004 – Un naturaliste ordinaire. Souvenirs, Boubée.

Pelletier P., 2002 – “Ōsugi Sakae, une quintessence de l’anarchisme au Japon”, Ebisu, 28, p. 93-118 (Doi : 10.3406/ebisu.2002.1269).

Peng H., 2014 – “A traveling text : Souvenirs entomologiques, Japanese anarchism and Shanghai neo-sensationism”, dans Peng H. et Rabut I. (éds), Modern China and the West : Translation and Cultural Mediation, Brill, p. 268-302 (Doi : 10.1163/9789004270220_012).

Tort P., 2002 – Fabre : le miroir aux insectes, Vuibert-Adapt.

Tournant P. et al., 2012 ‒ “The rarity and overexploitation paradox: stag beetle collections in Japan”, Biodiversity and Conservation, 21, p. 1425-1440.

Utamaro K., 1984 ‒ Le livre des insectes, Herscher.

Utamaro K., 2012 – Insectes choisis. Myriades d’oiseaux, Philippe Picquier.

  Bernadette Cassel's insight:

  Précédemment

  Les pigments rouges du vivant - ESpèces N° 52 - De especes.org - 16 mai 2024, 16:38

[docrotten]

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (1973) – Episode 215 – Decades Of Horror 1970s

“When will they come? When will they come? When will they come and set us free?” Who are “they?” Who are “us?” Free from what? Sheez, so many questions. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they visit the Farnham household for answers in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973).

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 215 – Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures determined to make the wife one of their own.

  Directed by: John Newland

Writer: Nigel McKeand

Music by: Billy Goldenberg

Cinematography by: Andrew Jackson (director of photography)

Makeup Department: Michael Hancock (makeup artist) (as Mike Hancock); Robert Sidell (makeup artist); Bruce Jossen (hair stylist) (as Jossen);

Selected Cast:

Kim Darby as Sally Farnham

Jim Hutton as Alex Farnham

Barbara Anderson as Joan Kahn

William Demarest as Mr. Harris

Pedro Armendáriz Jr. as Francisco Perez (as Pedro Armendariz Jr.)

Lesley Woods as Ethyl

Robert Cleaves as Doctor

Sterling Swanson as Policeman

Joel Lawrence as George Kahn (as J.H. Lawrence)

William Sylvester as Tom Henderson

Don Mallon as Bob

Celia Milius as Anne (as Celia Kaye)

Elizabeth St. Clair as Party Guest

Monika Henreid as Party Guest (as Monica Henreid)

Robert Priest as Party Guest

Ted Swanson as Bartender

Felix Silla as Creature

Tamara De Treaux as Creature (as Tamara DeTreaux)

Patty Maloney as Creature

Nigel McKeand as Demon (voice) (uncredited)

Ah, the “movie-of-the-week” in the Seventies in the States, when the family gathered around the boob tube deciding which network to watch. On occasion, the decision was to catch a scary movie, perhaps, such as this episode’s topic, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973). The film is littered with small, creepy, whispering “demons” out to get Sally (Kim Darby). Will they succeed in claiming Sally as one of their own? All the while, her husband (Jim Hutton) and their handyman (William Demarest) argue on the phone and her friend (Barbara Anderson) gets locked out of the house. How does this TV quickie hold up? Trust that the grue Crew has an opinion.

At the time of this writing, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is available to stream from archivedotorg and PPV from Google Play and YouTube, and on physical media in Blu-ray format from Warner Archives.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Chad, will be The Alien Factor (1978), a science fiction, horror film shot on a micro-budget with some ringers hiding in the credits for the film’s special effects. 

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

Check out this episode!

[montessorischoolofsaltlake]

What are some good schools in Salt Lake City for children?

Kindergarten classes in salt lakecity is an academic department introduced to standard school particularly for college students in kindergarten thru 6th grade. The kindergarten become born out of the principles and strategies of Robert Owen in Great Britain, J.H. Pestalozzi in Switzerland and his scholar Friedrich Froebel in Germany, who got here up with the word, and Maria Montessori in Italy inside the early nineteenth century. Read more: https://qr.ae/psCHyf

[oldcurrencyexchange]

O'Brien Banknote Guide: 30 Shillings, Mallow Bank, Type 2 (De La Cour & Cuthbert) 1820

Date: 1820 Description: 1820 Mallow Bank, for Robert de la Cour & Richard Jonson Cuthbert, 30 Shillings Dated 2nd June, 1820 Signed by J.H. Cuthbert Introduction: The Mallow Bank (Co Cork) was registered on 23rd January 1801 by Robert Delacour and Hill Gallwey. Both men use variations of their name in documents from that time, e.g. Delacour also appears as Delacore and De La Cour, whereas…

[byneddiedingo]

Valerie Hobson and Stewart Granger in Blanche Fury (Marc Allégret, 1948)

Cast: Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger, Michael Gough, Walter Fitzgerald, Maurice Denham, Sybille Bender, Allan Jeaves, Edward Lexy, Susanne Gibbs, Ernest Jay, Townsend Whitling, J.H. Roberts. Screenplay: Audrey Erskine-Lindop, Cecil McGivern, Hugh Mills, based on a novel by Joseph Shearing. Cinematography: Guy Green, Geoffrey Unsworth. Production design: John Bryan. Film editing: Jack Harris. Music: Clifton Parker. 

Timidity is fatal in moviemaking, and Blanche Fury, whose very title promises turbulent emotions, is a timid movie. It failed at the box office, and its producer, Anthony Havelock-Allan, acknowledged that it didn't turn out the way he wanted, leading to his departure from the producing company, Cineguild, and its eventual collapse. It’s a story, involving as it does an ancient curse, that demands high passion and exquisite villainy, but it gets neither. The key failure is in the protagonists, Blanche Fury (Valerie Hobson) and Philip Thorn (Stewart Granger). They should be modeled on the Macbeths, the very byword for glamorous wickedness. She is an impoverished gentlewoman, née Blanche Fuller, from the wrong side of the family. He is the manager of the country estate of the Fury family, their own kin but from the wrong side of the blanket. Thorn has been scheming to be declared the legitimate heir to the estate, hiring a lawyer to track down any evidence that his father, Adam Fury, actually married his mother. Blanche comes to the estate to serve as governess to the daughter of Laurence Fury (Michael Gough), current heir to the estate and a widower. So you guessed it: Blanche is going to marry the insipid Laurence and fall in love with the virile Thorn, and the two will scheme to get their own hands on the estate. Except that in the portrayal of their schemes, the film goes out of its way to make Blanche and Thorn look better than they are, to justify their wicked ways. Blanche is shown struggling to put up with the harshness of her previous employer, an imperious dowager, and Thorn likewise suffers the abuse and indignity of becoming essentially a servant to a household he believes he should head. Blanche and Thorn should flame, or at least smolder, with passion, but Hobson and Granger strike only the feeblest of sparks, partly because the screenplay doesn't give them enough opportunity to ignite. Much of the film seems to be derived from better costume dramas; there is, for example, a death that comes straight out of Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939). There's also a lot of nonsense about marauding gypsies: The film's Roma are the stereotypical fortune tellers, trinket peddlers, and horse thieves. It has to be said that the movie is quite handsomely filmed in Technicolor by two eminent cinematographers, Guy Green, who did the interior scenes, and Geoffrey Unsworth, who shot the lovely exteriors in Staffordshire and Bedfordshire. If the story and the characters had the depth and color of its images, Blanche Fury might have been more than the routine costume drama it is. 

[yatescountyhistorycenter]

The big box store before big box stores

By Jonathan Monfiletto

When the building containing the J.H. Lown & Co. dry goods store – aptly named the Lown Block, of course – opened for business in April 1889, the Penn Yan Democrat observed “such an immense stock of goods” and “so large a crowd of people” to see it on the first day. Similarly, the Yates County Chronicle spoke about “the largest and finest line of goods ever shown in Yates County” available at the store, which was “thronged with customers and sightseers to witness the exhibition of goods.”

John H. Lown went into business with Ebenezer B. Jones in February 1871, and Jones & Lown succeeded the F.S. Roberts & Co. store that had started five years before and had followed a succession of stores on the corner of Main and Elm streets since 1830. When Lown established his store in his building 18 years after its beginning, the Chronicle noted the store introduced “several new departments” in addition to “the large line of goods which they have always carried.” This included an expanded carpet department that “surpasses anything to be found in Western New York, outside of Rochester” and a crockery and glassware department that “is equally large and complete.”

Also commenting on the carpet department, the Democrat saw the millinery department “drew forth from the lips of the ladies, words of praise, and seemed to give ecstatic delight” with its display of bonnets, hats, trimmings, and flowers and the aesthetically pleasing decoration of the room. The newspapers stated the store offered quality merchandise at good prices and would keep local residents in Penn Yan to do their shopping rather than going elsewhere looking for bargains.

It was with this excitement and enthusiasm from the community – both the leaders and everyday people alike – that J.H. Lown & Co. opened in the Lown Block and remained there, in various iterations, for the next 122 years. The building is still there, of course, with the “Lown’s” sign still emblazoned on the front, but the space is now occupied by the Keuka Candy Emporium. Much like its predecessor, the Emporium’s cavernous retail space contains a seemingly vast array of candy, chocolate, soda, coffee, and other treats.

While John H. Lown had been in business for 18 years by that point, it seemed to be the opening of his own building that put his store on the map as the place to go for department store shopping in Yates County and the Finger Lakes region. Even then, the Lown store can trace its origins to 1830, when Ebenezer B. Jones established his business on the four corners of Penn Yan at Main and Elm streets (whether this is the same Ebenezer with whom Lown later went into partnership is unclear, as a typewritten timeline in our subject file actually names Lown’s partner – seemingly erroneously – as “Elenezer” B. Jones).

From there, in 1852, Jones took on a partnership with T. Dwight Eels and then, in 1858, with John M. Latimer. Jones & Latimer became Jones & Roberts in February 1862, and then it turned into F.S. Roberts & Co. with the so-named Roberts and Jones as partners. Lown entered the picture, and the partnership, in 1871.

From the four corners, Jones & Lown opened a store in the Bush Block – later the Cornwell Block for the opera house of the same in the location, which now holds Long’s Cards & Books – in September 1872. The store took on the name J.H. Lown & Co. in 1880, when Jones seemingly left the picture, and the new building just down the street to the north was completed nearly a decade later.

When Lown died suddenly in January 1898, his son, George, took over the family business, and three years later, James M. Lown – John’s brother and George’s uncle – took over the management. In 1903, the company incorporated as Lown Dry Goods Co. Inc. when Cassius N. McFarren joined the business. In 1913, Isaac L. Yetter became the president of the company as well as the manager of the store, and he remained in that role until his death in January 1946.

At that point, another family took over what had become known as Lown’s Department Store – albeit keeping the Lown’s name – when James L. Curbeau and sons James and Donald bought the store from the Yetter family, who retained ownership of the building. The Curbeaus eventually bought the Lown Block from the Yetters in 1965, and they also started their own three-generation period of Lown’s management. James R. took over for this father that year, and his son, Richard (or Robert, as he is identified in later newspaper articles), joined his father in partnership in March 1972. Robert Curbeau then bought the store from his father in 1984. The Curbeaus closed Lown’s Department Store – and thus ended a community institution – in October 1995, even after the family had announced a temporary closure that February for remodeling and renovations.

Nevertheless, the community institution was gone for less than a year when Carl Schwartz bought the store and building, took on Valerie Brechko as a partner and the store manager, and started Lown’s House of Shoppes. In a department store type of setting, 27 different vendors had their shops in the large, main room of the store offering a variety of items. Under this style, the vendors retained their sales, paid monthly rent to the store for their space, and worked day a month as a cashier. The new Lown’s also boasted a restaurant – Lown’s Cafe – in its basement.

However, Lown’s ceased to exist as a name anywhere other than on the storefront of the Lown Block in September 2011, when Lown’s House of Shoppes closed after a 16-year run of carrying on the Lown’s name in downtown Penn Yan. Schwartz reportedly planned to keep the building, with his law office there, and retain space for SkylArc Studio, the Yates County ARC’s art studio. Later, the Keuka Candy Emporium opened in the first-floor retail space and continues there.

Those who shopped at Lown’s in its heyday – and, really, it was a 122-year heyday from J.H. Lown & Co. to Lown Dry Goods to Lown’s Department Store to Lown’s House of Shoppes – will recall the unique feature that set Lown’s apart from other and similar businesses, especially in its later years: the pulley-controlled money exchange system in which cashiers sent payments in a wooden spool along overhead cables to the manager in the store to make change and send back a receipt. The turn-of-the-century cash carrier system – likely the only of its kind still in operation at the time – even caught the attention of the Smithsonian Institution, which sent a film crew to document the system at Lown’s Department Store before it closed in 1995.

According to several newspaper articles in our subject file, employees working in the store’s various departments each had a connection to the cable system. Whenever customer made a purchase from any particular department, the employee there would take the money and place it in either wooden spool or a brass car and send it toward the store office – where, in 1992, Bob Curbeau made change out of a meatloaf pan and then sent it over the cable system back to the department. Periodic oiling of the pulleys and rubbing rosin on the metal rods kept the cable system in working order, and repairs were made to the system over time.

The antique cash carrier system proved to be an attraction to locals and visitors alike. It seems to have fit with an early 20th century slogan of Lown’s – “where shopping is a pleasure.”

[what-even-is-thiss]

Here's all the sources I've collected so far if you're curious (I haven't read or purchased every single one of these yet but I plan to by the time I'm finished)

Also I'll probably end up adding even more than this by the time I'm done. You can see now why I've been going insane with the mythology posting for the past few months.

Primary Sources

The Iliad by Homer, Translations by: Stanley Lombardo, Caroline Alexander, A.T. Murray

The Odyssey by Homer, Translations by: Emily Wilson, A.T. Murray, Samuel Butler

The Aeneid by Virgil, Translations by: Shadi Bartsch, David West, Robert Fitzgerald, Sarah Ruden, H.R. Fairclough

The Post-Homerica or, The Fall of Troy by Quintus Smyrnaeus, Translation by: A.S. Way,

The Achilleid by Publius Papinius Statius, Translations by: Stanley Lombardo, J.H. Mozley

Fragments of The Nostoi, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

Fragments of The Cypria, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

Fragments of The Aethiopis, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

Fragments of The Little Iliad, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

Fragments of The Sack of Troy, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

Fragments of The Telegony, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

The Taking of Ilios by Tryphiodorus, Translated by A.W. Mair

The Rape of Helen by Collothus, Translated by A.W. Mair

The Library by Pseudo-Alollodorus, Translation by Robin Hard

Fabulae by Hyginus,

Metamorphosis by Ovid,

Description of Greece by Pausanias

The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, Translation by Martin Hammond

The Histories by Herodotus Translation by Robin Waterfield

A History of my Times by Xenophon, translation by Rex Warner

Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod, translated by M.L. West

The Homeric Hymns, Translation by Michael Crudden

The Dramas of Euripides: Complete Surviving Works, collected by Publisher Forgotten Books

The Complete Plays of Sophocles: A New Translation by Robert Bagg and James Scully

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, translation by Gregory Hays

The Argonautica or, Jason and the Golden Fleece by Apppolonius of Rhodes, Translations by Richard Hunter, E.V. Rieu

Fragments of The Aegimius, Translated by: H.G. Evelyn-White

The Dionysiaca Translation by W.H.D. Rouse and Tales of Dionysus: The Dionysiaca of Nonnus of Panopolis: A Group Translation

Secondary Sources

The Attack on Troy by Rodney Castleden

On Ancient Warfare by Richard A. Gabriel

SPQR by Mary Beard

Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide by Jennifer Larson

Minoan Crete: An Introduction by L. Vance Watrous

The Mycenaeans by Louise Schofield

The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean

The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age

Spartan Women by Sarah B. Pomeroy

Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C.

Roman Myths by Michael Grant

Religions of Rome: Volume 1: A History by Mary Beard

Pantheon: A New History of Roman Religion

Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical by Walter Burkurt

I figured out that if I'm gonna keep writing this thing I'm writing I actually need to gather a list of my sources and guys I am losing my mind. I am going insane. I am losing my marbles. And I haven't even started on gathering together my secondary sources yet.

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2019:

44. The Divorce of Lady X (1938) - Dir. Tim Whelan

[frankenpagie]

1.5.20