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GHOST IN MY MACHINE
by kc stapleton
Wednesday, April 12, 2006, 08:18
Yes Veronica! There are good TV writers. Really
The lunatic is on the grass
The lunatic is on the grass
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path
The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more
(Brain Damage---Pink Floyd)
Last night I was prepared for the worst as I settled in to watch Veronica Mars. Thinking they were going to take the easy way out and give our girl the answers from a mystical source--instead we just got more questions.
I love it.
The clue came early (at least for this bear of little brain) when she dismissively quipped about poor Miss JLH. The Ghost Whisperer wasn’t going to help, because the problem wasn’t of the paranormal kind.
The problem is in her head.
And why shouldn’t she be a little disoriented? After all puzzling through clues is no fun. For instance it’s hard to tell if someone mistakenly left something out or maybe they’re trying to tell you a little secret. Who knows?
An interesting piece of (randomly?) inserted irony is Veronica’s rival using Generalized Anxiety Disorder for an academic excuse as our poor hero girl struggles through the episode actually displaying every single symptom of said condition.
In case you were wondering I’ll spare you the Google’ing
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
Being easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)
Pleasant dreams-TTFN
[ 184 comments ]
Tuesday, April 11, 2006, 18:05
Something borrowed and something blue: The Stephen King Rumor and Conspiracy Mil
All that you touch All that you see All that you taste All you feel All that you love All that you hate All you distrust All you save All that you give All that you deal All that you buy Beg, borrow or steal All you create All you destroy All that you do All that you say All that you eat And everyone you meet All that you slight And everyone you fight---Eclipse/Pink Floyd
A year and a half ago I stumbled on to a editorial critical of King’s early work. The young author’s distain was in King’s use of black characters specifically assigning the author of ‘The Shining' and 'The Stand' with a liberal’s tendency to turn African American’s into iconic figures. While the editorialist didn’t go so far as to be this blunt, I gathered from reading the article thoroughly that he felt King put these figures into an “Uncle Tom” state of being rather than flushing them out and making them whole. In fact, the entire editorial read very much like the textbook condemnations of Harriet Beecher Stone and other writers of her time who in their zeal to end slavery created literary figures whose piety and selflessness was too over the top, and served only to make them less realistically human.
In fact I’d have to say the editorial read very much exactly like those textbooks. Hmmmm.
My beef with the writer of the criticism was that he (along with many other new writers) spent too much time learning to write prettily and be agreeable with current public sentiment while not spending enough time on research. If you watch the movies based on King’s work you do see minorities shoved aside---their motivations confusing, but if you read the actual novels you find the opposite. While it’s fun to make your stones knocking one of the older alpha authors the early criticisms, rumors, the conspiracies theories, and the truth about Stephen King are far more interesting.
The Early Rumors:
Almost every piece of entertainment in the seventies was by-the-book formulaic and the problem reviewers complained most about King’s first two books (Carrie and ‘Salem’s Lot) was that he didn’t follow the rules. Now of course it’s an easy mistake to look back and center on his habit of the ‘character driven’ novel as the reason for his popularity, but few see just who those characters were or why they resonated with his fans so strongly.
What many still fail to see is that King took the age old advice on writing to heart---he wrote what he knew. Using few trappings of older horror novels he used an often overlooked cast. Missing was the spooky, but exotic location. Also missing were the usual heroes who always not only knew what to do, but somehow always had the money with which to do it. His hero’s were penny-pinching high school teachers, out of work factory workers, and abandoned or abused young mothers.
Elitist snobbery?
Oh, give me a break.
These picks make perfect sense when you understand he wrote the first book sitting in the utility closet of a mobile home with the typewriter perched on his lap. He was a struggling high-school teacher with several small children. The story of his early life was one of abandonment, loss, pain, grief, health problems, near poverty, and cruel irony---in short all the ingredients of a really good, very scary story.
By the time most of America actually saw the budding Master of Horror in the early eighties he was holding up a credit card and admitting only his name had star power and recognition. The American Express commercial finally put to rest two urban legend-like rumors---that he was actually a woman, or that he was in fact an African American. (In fact, Tabitha King mentioned at least the latter rumor in an early interview)
The Conspiracy Theories:
Captain Trips
The Stand was his fourth book, and it was a daunting task hefting it out of a book store much less finding time to read the darn thing, but the novel was devoured by his fans nevertheless. Inside the pages he continued his usual tricks---not only constantly changing the point of view, but switching from one character’s stream of conscience to anothers so fast the reader’s head swam. Critics screamed! But the novel sold, then sold some more and then was passed around in high schools hand to hand until the paperback’s black cover looked gray.
That copies of the book weren’t being used for door-stops was evident a few years later. While it must seem in the minds of many to have been years later there was soon a reason to remember the plot of The Stand in which an unknown incurable disease sweeps through the country. In fact AIDS was already being studied when the book was being written it just didn’t have a name yet, but the public had one for it---Captain Trips the nick-name King used for the mysterious virus in his novel. It may sound silly now for people to have thought that somehow a horror writer had information about a government experiment gone bad, but when the CDC traced the infection in the U.S. to a commercial airplane pilot from South Africa…
Well, it wouldn’t be much of surprise if there wasn’t a file with Stephen King’s name on it somewhere in Washington.
Rumors Again
If you lived through the seventies and eighty’s then you knew the signs. Weight fluctuations, reports of a sudden mercurial temperament, and (to be honest) sudden dips in creativity all pointed to one thing we’d seen too many times. Loyal fans left him, not so much because of the lackluster writing, but to avoid watching the inevitable crash and burn. Reading recent interviews he’s given since that time gives the impression he thinks his condition was well hidden from the public.
Nope.
As King pointed out in Misery being a fan of fiction means reconciling yourself to a writer holding all your favorite stories hostage in his head. (Well, that’s sort of what he meant) And if fans watched J.K. Rowlings’ wedding impatiently muttering “get back to work!”, then King’s fans wandering away in silent disgust while he took a extended chemical coffee break is understandable.
After rehab he was well on his way to gaining it all back when. . . like I said before it’s hard to say whether he chose the genre or it chose him.
When the news came out that King had been hit by a van and was in critical condition you could see the look of concern on people’s faces turn to concentration as it dawned on them the story seemed somehow familiar. As it turned out the events were so close to one of the horror writer’s stories as to be almost unbelievable. On the anniversary of the accident the body of the van driver was discovered dead by natural causes. Strange, but then again…horror writer…what do you expect?
The last few years have found King the object of some derision, due in part no doubt to a black lash of his once enormous popularity, or perhaps less directly he’s felt the same cold shoulder given to so many celebrities with a tendency to speak their minds.
The new theory?:
Kingdom Hospital which aired two years ago on Network TV will be replayed on the SCIFI channel tonight. The show tanked from ratings as it was moved from timeslot to timeslot, but it did generate new speculation. The show is as hard to follow as some of his early work with its almost angry surrealistic edge. The little girl who wanders through the entire series as a pale, forlorn bell ringing, plot line informing ghost is as cute as Katie Couric in real life, but hard to see under too much makeup. The bad guys are very bad indeed, and it’s hard to see who’d be fool enough to be taken in by them, but the program as whole is enjoyable.
Is it true King hints at a conspiracy in the show’s plot? It seems hardly likely given that the premise was lifted from a program popular outside the U.S., but you’d have to watch and see for yourself what sinister scheme he could be suggesting through this hazy television series--- and after all what is there to hint at? There’s nothing wrong here.
[ 5 comments ]
Monday, April 10, 2006, 19:30
Conspiracies: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
It’s that time of the year again! Spring! Time to start thinking of weddings and conspiracies.
Don’t look at me like that. The two go together like pizza and fried chicken.
YES---they do. Stop it, we’re moving on.
Something Old
Dan Brown’s now “infamous” novel The Da Vinci Code has somehow popped the lock off the once tightly locked lid of debate regarding early Christianity. The intensely researched book is jammed-packed with information once seldom discussed by anyone save a few scandalized theology scholars, but now thanks to “The Code’s” popularity this speculation is being debated around office coffee pots like it’s the latest episode of Lost.
What most want to know is how much of the novel is real and what parts are just Brown’s imaginative plot devices. In fact that’s a hard question to answer since what’s “real” in The Da Vinci Code is after all only conjecture regarding the early turbulent years of the Christian faith.
Adding new fuel to the fire is the recent publication of the long lost Gospel of Judas, and confusion over the discrepancy between the story told in it’s flaking papayas woven pages and the traditionally accepted versions of the events leading up to the Crucifixion attributed to Apostles---Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
A good explanation of why some information made it’s way into the new testament as we know it now and why some versions were left on the cutting room is related by Bart Ehrman in a wealth of books and articles he’s written about the subject. In an article on Beliefnet.com he explains Ebionite, Marcion, and Gnostic Christianity and… why you might never have heard of them.
Beliefnet--Bart Erhman
Something New
Almost since it’s journalistic beginnings America has been infatuated with gossip making the public easy prey for "yellow journalism". One tactic used by sensationalists is not using names in order to avoid charges of malicious slander. So, just for fun how about we take a page out of their book for the next conspiracy---
What tell all chap is being deep six’ed by his own rag for getting caught on camera shaking down a billionaire tourist? But that’s not the big news in this twisted tale. What other outrageously richy rich wants to throw this little shrimp on the barby out of fear that his own Machiavellian political schemes will be brought to light in the scandal backlash? (We’ll give you a hint: It’s not the tie-dye and skirt wearing Survivor, and it’s not the guy from A-Team) But our fallen hero should have considered that if he’d hired a schmoe to slander and defame anyone who spoke up against his powerful buddies---then he should have considered said schmore just MIGHT have a problem in the morals department.
No, no it’s no fun after all. Now I just feel the need for decontamination and a shower. Blah!
Next time Something Borrowed and Something Blue
[ 1095 comments ]
Saturday, April 08, 2006, 10:15
And somewhere the ghost of Edward R Murrow cracks a grin
Front page of the The Drudge Report is this article from The New York Times (in very bold headlines):
In Page Six Inquiry, Gossip Swirls Around Gossips
If you drank everything that flowed from the waters of Page Six this account must surprise you, and I feel for ya.
Personally, I'm not so sorry. In matters like this it usually take years, sometimes decades for the truth to come out and I didn't think I'd be around to see it.
As my mother would say---good on you Mr. Ronald W. Burkle! If you can't get it in writing then get it on video.
[ 6 comments ]
Friday, April 07, 2006, 10:31
Confessions of a Conspiracy Theorist
Quote of the day: No, I think I'll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up.... It always does in the end. ~J.K. Rowling, "The Second War Begins," Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2003, spoken by the character Luna Lovegood
Ever wonder why so many predictors and forecasters of fate have wandered off into the desert for awhile? I think I know---if you can clearly see what’s coming, but can’t convince an unwitting public of their soon-to-be doom miles of sand made scorched and barren by an unmerciful sun start to look good in comparison.
I’ve heard from various people what they think of conspiracy theories. The frustrating process works likes this:
1. A theory is formed from observation of events or evidence.
2. This theory is disregarded by the general population as a “nutty conspiracy theory”.
3. New facts come to light that vindicate the conspiracy speculation.
4. Once the facts are accepted in the public’s mind they are considered no longer a part of a ‘conspiracy theory’, because all such theories are b.s. and can never be proven right.
Cover-ups are easy, proving a cover-up happened is far more difficult, but establishing that you knew a conspiracy was ongoing is freaking impossible after the fact despite the number of times you sounded off about it. The reason for this is simple and Rowling hit’s the nail on the head when she has Hermonie tell Harry that people are far less likely to forgive you when you’re right than when you’re wrong.
No one wants to be told they’re being taken for a ride, and no one wants proof they were duped. Time after time they will forgive the one that did them wrong, but remain ticked off, and sour-puss angry at the one bad, bad person who was mean-spirited enough to point out the truth.
Don’t expect anyone to show up at the door to shake your hand and thank you, in fact don’t be surprised if they begrudge you mentioning the event ever again. Their problem isn’t with you being correct it’s that (darn your stubbornness) now you’ll THINK you were right. It’s best to just go away a distance and let them sort it out on their own.
Coyotes, scorpions, the occasional lizard---it’s all good. I like sand.
[ 4763 comments ]
Thursday, April 06, 2006, 08:50
Last night *Spoilers Warning*
***Spoiler and ep endings for Bones, Veronica Mars, Lost, Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Saint Elsewhere, Charmed, and…oh, forget it. Just run for it.***
(Not a dream. This is actually how I foolishly spent yesterday evening.)
Did this happen to anyone else last night?
See, last night I watched Bones and the bones in question weren’t real. Nope, they were fake bones planted just to keep people coming back to the site where they were found.
Hmmmm
Then I watched Veronica Mars and it was good as usual, but then they showed the teaser for next week and it seems Veronica gets a message from beyond in a dream about the bus crash. That sounds reminiscent of the first season when she got a message from beyond that helped her solve Lily’s murder doesn’t it? Which is cool, I mean it’s not like they throw in the paranormal when the writers can’t figure out how to get Veronica to the clues fast enough to wrap up the season. That’s not it is it?
Hmmmm
Then ‘cuz we’d Tivo’ed Lost we watched last night's episode centered around Hurley and an eerie feeling came over me. Hurley’s having a tough time emotionally. Aww, I like Hurley. Then we find he was once in a mental institution. Ok, that sounds familiar…like that one episode of Buffy the Vampire slayer that made so many viewers mad. Remember how it ended with a hint about the entire story-line from start to finish being only a demented dream the lead character was having? And remember how mad that made people who’d thought the whole thing sounded like the last ep of Saint Elsewhere in which the viewer realizes none of the characters were real at all, but only the fantasy of an autistic child? (Charmed had one with a similar plot, but they ripped off everyone especially BTVS so that was expected.)
Remember those?
And I thought, I’ll keep watching because surely the writers of Lost weren’t going to go there.
But they did.
So, after everyone else went off to bed I started watching Adult Swim and they ran the Family Guy where the world ends and Stewie becomes a mutant freak. (Ok, more of mutant freak) It’s the one where you wonder how the writers are going to get the family back to their usual reality, and instead all of a sudden you find yourself watching Pam wake up and finding Bobby in the shower recounts the whole Family Guy episode as if it were her dream. Just like she did in that famous shower scene from Dallas.
Anyone else notice anything odd last night?
I don’t know what to make from all this. Either the universe is REALLY trying to tell me something, (like there’s a synchronicity and purpose to life, or I’m supposed to take the blue pill and stop watching so much T.V.) ...or television writers are running out of ideas.
(Yeah, it’s the latter. I know.)
[ 4 comments ]
Wednesday, April 05, 2006, 08:16
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz-Oh that constant sound
What is with some folks?: What is the problem? Why the lies?
Let’s take a look:
From Snopes.com
The false email in question---A Texas city provided Hurricane Katrina evacuees with free transportation to a local job fair, but no one used the service.
See the city mentioned is actually Austin which is why I’m really unhappy with these email guys. Please refrain from dragging this town down with your petty stupidity. Thanks.
Ok so here’s the piece of crap…um the email:
"I ain't got no job. I've been looking & looking. Give me some money for . . . . . ahh . . . food. Yeah, that's it . . . . food."
This past weekend FEMA and the City of Austin, along with the Texas Workforce Commission setup a job training/hiring/interview/job fair for all the Katrina FEMA evacuees in the Austin area to be held at the ACC campus on Webberville Road in East Austin. Several of the evacuees said they had no transportation to get from the apartment complexes, private homes, hotels, motels, and inns where they are living.
So the city of Austin/FEMA/TWC set up transportation for each of them to ensure they would be able to partake of the benefit of job searching. The transportation consisted of nine buses and vans, to run from four locations in Round Rock, and five locations in Austin, in continuing shuttles back and forth to the campus to ensure that the hundreds of people looking for jobs would be transported in comfort. The vehicles were brought to their residences; drivers knocked on the doors; and every effort was made.
At the end of the day, the nine vans and buses transported a total of one person. Not one person per bus — one person total.
The bill to FEMA was $7800.
Bull Feathers! Didn’t happen.
Snopes went to The Austin American Statesman for the answer:
Actually, the resource fair, one of several that have been held in Austin since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, was held Feb. 18. And, according to city officials, more than 200 people showed on a rainy, 30-degree day, many commenting on how helpful the resource agencies were.
But the punch line of the heavily circulated e-mail is true: Only one evacuee took advantage of the free rides.
Officials could not verify if drivers knocked on doors, but they did say 12 shuttles were provided for evacuees who lived outside the Capital Metro service area including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Marble Falls and Georgetown. The bill for transportation to the "Austin & the Gulf Coast: The Perfect Blend" event was just over $7,000.
City officials said publicity about the free rides was limited because they didn't get confirmation that FEMA would reimburse the cost until four or five days before the event. Going through the city's procurement process took time, which meant the shuttles weren't secured until the day before.
Rebecca Giello, a City of Austin spokeswoman, said, "I wouldn't consider the (shuttles) a huge success."
So, basically the 200 who showed up on a rainy, nasty day did so of their own accord because the hold up (once again) was FEMA.
Now, one other thing I want to say to emailers who get kicks from lying about disaster victims---they should remember that FEMA hasn’t changed much in the last year. Nope, they haven’t learned much at all, and hurricane season will soon be upon us once again. So, to all those who’ve spread this little piece of vile fiction---enjoy your karma.
****Just found one more thing to add: U.S. team expects 9 Atlantic hurricanes, 5 of them major storms
CNN
[ 6 comments ]
Monday, April 03, 2006, 18:57
Last month sucked
Last month sucked. Badly. I’d been waiting forever in a “when will the other shoe drop” dilemma, thinking that when it did I could handle it. Of course, nothing ever comes when, and how or where we think it will so trying to be prepared is almost silly. When the fall came it wasn’t footwear, but more of a grand piano. All eighty-eight keys and the candelabra. Or at least it felt that way.
I’m not going into too much detail here, but I wanted to let anyone reading this know something. If there are things you’re afraid of because you think you can’t handle them, or that you’ll go running into the street never to return if certain situations arise---I want to let you know from experience---I bet you won’t. Love might not conquer all, but it does make the fight worth the pain.
I'll let you in on another secret---I married a great man, and I love our little family.
(Now if I could just figure out how to get my images back I could put up a rose or whatever. Oh well. Hey guys :X )
[ 6 comments ]
Sunday, April 02, 2006, 11:33
I had a feeling
Next week Basic Instinct 2 will probably be out on DVD, and I had a feeling that would happen.
The official numbers will be in on monday, but the Top 5 moivies from AP are:
1. "Ice Age: The Meltdown," $70.5 million.
2. "Inside Man," $15.7 million.
3. "ATL," $12.5 million.
4. "Failure to Launch," $6.6 million.
5. "V for Vendetta," $6.5 million.
Notice the movie missing? Like I told Clayton earlier this week there's no way the highly coveted 14-30 year old male audience would show up for this. It was of course written and marketed for that group, but they wouldn't show at the theater to see someone Stone's age play the sex interest unless they lost a bet. To be a little more plain, men that age might find her attractive---but they won't admit it in public, and they won't line up to pay to see it. Of course Desperate Housewives might have given movie makers the idea males have become more interested in older woman, but that's a privacy-of-their-own-home type thing. Young males can't be discovered by peers ogling older women. That might sound cold, but much of reality is pretty frosty.
Meanwhile, Ice Age--The Meltdown marketed to a young crowd ruled the day. (Like I said reality can have a chilling affect.)
APWire
SupernaturalNews.com
[ 4 comments ]
Sunday, March 19, 2006, 13:09
Why I’ve learned to love the News
Before you run away let me explain I’m not sparking a heated debate. Hell’s Bells you can do that nowadays by just bring up the weather.
Yes. Really, you can:
“Are there too many nails in Earth's Coffin"
See? Just saying--- “Hey there, nice day we’re having isn’t it?” can turn into a half hour discussion with graphs and little bullets by the talking points. Let’s skip shall we? We could talk instead about what I posted today, and why I posted it.
The fact is even through I post for a page called Supernatural News I find that while many would call anything of that ilk “fantasy” it feels more like teaching a course on reality. I’m not trying to convince you that the Da Vinci Code is completely truthful, or ghosts and vampires stalk the night---what I’m trying to show you is how people perceive these ideas via various mediums (no pun intended).
Now if you noticed after posting--- High Spirits Mock Believers a story with the quote: “The British are far more likely to make such paranormal claims the butt of jokes than Americans,” I posted the Lennon Séance which included the quote: “Sharratt, who does not have Yoko Ono’s blessing, says he’s not a believer in the paranormal, but claims his previous effort, the “Spirit of Diana,” had a therapeutic effect for the 500,000 folks who paid $14.95 each for its inspiration,” you might have thought to yourself that I ’m just being mean spirited (ok, the pun was just too easy so I took it. Give me a break).
The truth is of course that while it’s possible the Brits often poke fun at the wilder beliefs they are no less likely to be found in possession of odd theories. In fact, if you do a bit of scrolling on this blog you’ll find a story relating to a poll in which more UK’ers were found to believe in the paranormal than God (or the Beatles).
The question is why do folks make statements ignoring all facts even as they plead the case for “logic”.
(I’m going to be bringing up a term recently dragged through political mudslinging, so don’t be frightened. Don’t run away, I’m not going to hurt you. REMAIN CALM!)
Now, while those same people who regard all supernatural discussion as fantasy would question a believer’s mental state, here are these folks who’d have us all think that positive opinions regarding the paranormal are in the minority despite the evidence to the contrary.
Ok, so what is that called? That’s right! It’s called: Cognitive Dissonance.
From Third Edition of A First Look at Communication Theory by EM Griffin 1997 McGraw Hill Inc. At--- www.afirstlook.com
“Festinger claimed that people avoid information that is likely to increase dissonance. Not only do we tend to select reading material and television programs that are consistent with our existing beliefs, we usually choose to be with people who are like us. By taking care to ‘‘stick with our own kind," we can maintain the relative comfort of the status quo. Like-minded people buffer us from ideas that could cause discomfort. In that sense, the process of making friends is an example of selecting our own propaganda.”
In other words what I’m trying to say is if you don’t wish to hear about medium’s, spirits, UFO’s or aliens by all means live your whim. Doubters who insist they're in the majority however---need to get out more.
I freaking love the News.
![[image]](http://kacey.whatwasthen.com/images/skull1.gif)
[ 4 comments ]
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