The Tale of Unlikely Jewish Heroes

 Gangsters vs Nazis

By Michael Benson

The Jewish gangster was a hero to the young Jewish boys growing up in America around the beginning of World War II. Jewish people over the years had been persecuted and massacred and many were afraid to fight back Not so the Jewish gangster. In those days non Jews felt they could get away with
Harassing Jews. The Jewish gangster fought back. Nazi Germany had made serious inroads into America. The Bundt party was promoting Nazi ideology and antisemitism. They also harassed Jews. So Judge Perlman contacted Meyer Lanskey and that got the ball rolling. Anytime a Nazi group wanted to host a gathering the Jewish gangsters would be there to mess it up. This often times involved brawls, heckling and destroying Nazi property. It worked. Put a damper on Nazi activity. The book details the exploits the heroics of unlikely Jewish saviors , the gangster. Of parented by hard working folk these guys took to bootlegging, gambling, being musclemen you name it. We could sure use heroes like these right now.

Exploring the Final Frontier

 The Final Frontier

By Dr. Heather Lynn

Exploring space is the call of the times. Our future is out there as maybe our past. The UFO phenomena is gaining momentum as interest increases and more witnesses come forward. Another aspect of space exploration is Xenoarchaeology. What is that basically it is stydying the remnants left behind by other alien species on other planet.  In reality though we have not gotten there yet. We have sent manned missions to the moon and sent out a bunch of deep space probes. We have the rover on Mars bringing us pictures of the planet surface. We are still a ways away.

We are still lookingn for other planets that mightb able to maintian life that are in the goldilocks zone of their star. There are a couple of ways we can find out about  these planets. One way is though radio waves sometimes we send them out hoping for contact and other times we are scanning for their existence. Another way is to detect for markers of life. A planet that has life will have certain markers. there are cetin gasses and water that will be in the atmospher and phosphines.  If a civilization is advanced that wil hav evidence of industrial pollution and light pollution.

Omuamua was an oblong object that entered into our solar system from interstellar space. It passed through our solar system and then exited. there has been speculation about what i exactly was. There has ben speculation that it was a probe sent to observe us and there has been speculation that it was technological debris left behind by an advanced alien civilization. Hence another way we can explore an extinct alien civilization.

A final methodn involves psychic power or remote veiwing. Rather controversial and kind of sketchy. They say that the KGB and CIA have used remote viewing to spy on other countries and with some effectiveness.

However the issue is of verification . You have to be able to probe that something is real.  Xenoarchaeolgy is in it's early stages. Eventually we will find an alien civilization or we will find a planet that has the remnants of an alien civilization. We have to b careful not to jump to conclusions. It is easy to see what one wants to see. When nwe have proof it iwill also open up a pandora's box of societal changes and issues.

The tuth is out there. 

Tne Impaler Messiah

By Facile Lupasc Sfintes

 The story starts of with Vlad escaping from being a hostage from the Turks. In an in located at Wallachia follower of Vlad Tepesh conspire to route a preteder to the throne named Dan. These friend are actually Vlad's loyal knight they travel with him to Hungary to get troops and support from Hunyadi, a Wallachian power broker now in the Hungarian military.  They fight the Turks in Constantinople but the objective is not to defend Constantinople but rather to observe the Turks.

In the land of Wallachia there are many troubles. The noble who were appointed by previous voivodes are not loyal to the country of crown bu rather to their own self interest. Then you have the german merchants in Brasov who continually defy Vlad. Then you have the overall problem of the Ottoman Empire. They demand tribute, soldiers and grain. When Vlad ultimately defies them it is war. In Wallachia Vlad does not have to just contend with the Turks he also has internal divisions. Those that know the history know tha Vlad handled them with exceptional brutality which is what the traitors deserved.

Every bit of historical fiction about Vlad portrays things in different lights. Some of them portray Vlad and Mehmet as practically brother while growing up in the Sultan's castle.  This portrayal has Vlad being rebellious and always against the Ottoman Empire. Events leading up to Vlad dealing with the merchants and nobility are also portrayed differently. In this work both groups do some treachery which provokes a response from vlad. Now the book does not end with his death but rather it ends with a betrayal, something common in that part of the back in the day.

Great piece of historical fiction. Showcases his military capabilities and how he used his wit to defeat his oppressors. Great beginnin novel for those jus getting thei feet wet with Dracula history.

Lately some good historical fiction has been coming out about Vlad Tepesh and it is not about vampires rather it is about a messianic figure who is destined to save his nation and lead them out of oppression

Beware the Evil Eye and how to Combat it!

 

The Evil Eye

By Antonio Pagliarulo

Lately you have had some great fortune blow your way. Got a new car, sporting nice clothes and you got the trophy lover. Then bam all of the sudden you get hit qwith a series of events that can only mean one thing, someone gave you the evil eye. The evil eye is born of jealousy and envy and sometimes the person who gave it to you is unaware that they gave it to you. Might notice someone staring at you intently or hey may pay a complimnt but underneath it all they are slipping you some bad energy. the evil eye is known the world over  and it goes by many different names. Lately it has become a trend to wear a nazar or blue eye from the middle east in order to repel the danger.

The author grew up in an Italian American household and was raised around the mythology o the evil eye. His olsder female relatives were experts in diagnosing and getting rid o the evil eye. There are several ways someone can hex you with the evil eye. One way is for someone to compliment you like "gee that is a real cool are" and some passive aggressive comment might be thrown in. Sometimes they just stare at you an at other times they are openly hostile. When you are hexed with the evil eyes sometimes you feel psychologically off and at other times you are hit with headaches, insomnia or other physical maladies. There are instances when things just start going bad.

the author gives techniques on how to diagnose the evil eye and how to be rid of it. Included in this volume are deities and saints who help you fiht against the evil eye. There are also stone and herbs that also combat the evil eye.  the book also lists talismans that have been traditionally used to ward against the evil eye. He pulls his methods from his own background and from that of other cultures.  Neat little book!

The Divine Feminine from the Coasts of Africa

 

Orisha's, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens

By: Lilith Dorsey

From Lilith Dorsey comes a tour de force that gives someone new to African-Carribean Religions an overview of the female deities within the Afro Carribean Religions. There are many. Depending on the religion you are working with you will call the deities of Voodoo either Orishas or Loa's. Afro Carribean Religions such as Voodoo (New Orleans), Voudou (Haitian), Candolombe, Santeria or Hoodoo developed under the boot of a harsh slavery. Based on African traditions back home, the slaves did their best to keep the practices alive. But it was difficult  as the slave masters tried to suppress this practice and force them into Christianity. Plus slaves from different parts of Africa were thrust together. No common language and no common religion makes it hard to mount a rebellion. Often times the religion and spirituality of the slaves combined with that of the master's Christianity, native American practices and with that of other slaves.

The way voodoo is structured is that Bondeye is the main creator god and under this god were the Loa, Orisha or spirits who ran the affairs of the universe. The Loa is what one works with or prays to if they want to do magic or do rituals. Hoodoo is voodoo with a catholic lay over it. If a human being is spiritualy advanced enough they can beome a Loa in their lifetime, as what happened with Marie Lavaugh. the religion was the slaves way of combatting an unjust system they were forced into. being suppressed has forced it to develop in diferent ways than it could have if left out in the open. Voodoo houses can be real secreteive as well and not too open to outsiders.  The author stresses and rightly so that if you want to get serious about Voodoo you need to get initiated along with proper training.

The book is primarily about female Orisha's. Now not only has the African religions been mligned and a certain space must be reclaimed but also the sacred feminine has been maligned and must be restored. These Orisha's can be role models for women to stand up to the patriarchy, Covered in this book are thirteen female Loa. They are Oshun, Yemaya, Oya, Nana Baruku, Mami Wata, Erzulie, Aida Wedo, La Sirene, Annie Christmans and Maman Briggitte along with Pomba gira, Marie Lavaugh and Santa Muerte. The coverage of these deities is as follows. First there is a description of the deity and an explanation of the lore behind them. Next comes mention of how some artists have honored them. Finally there are recipes and rituals to connect with these deities.

An excellent book fo beginners to Voodoo or someone who wants an overview of the dieties and Afro Carribean Religions.

Libraries of the Subconscious

 

Lost Wisdom 

By Heather Lynn PHD

Libraries those great repositories of knowledge. There is one is every city, in fact several in every city and they have been with us since ancient times. Looking back to ancient times we come across two great libraries. One is in Egypt and the other in Mesopotamia. Both libraries are no longer in existence. It is somewhat of an open question as to who built the library in Alexandria. It may have been rebuilt a coupe of times. Certain sources say Julius Ceasar burned it down when he attacked ships in the Egytptian harbor. Others say Christians burned it down while others would have you believe that Muslims burned it down. Speculation continues did it really burn down and did it exist.

Asshrbanipal was supposed to be trained as a priest hence he had all thsi philosophical knoledge and scientific knowledge. He collected all this stuff in one big library. After the fall of Assyria the libray fell to disuse and was buried under stone. Many were still left as raw clay. Once fired up we had a treasure trove of knowledge. Other clay tablets were so baly smashed up that many years later we ar still trying to piece them together.

The Library in Epheus is just a fascade left standing. Epheseus is known for it's temple to Artemis. It was founded by a Greek ruler who was told in a divination that he should build a cirty marked by a boar and a fish.It while cooking that the fish jumped out of the frying pan and then a boar fled from the fire of the camp. Hence Epheseus was found. Another library or it's ruins wefe found in the city of Cologn Germany. It was built by the Romans and housed a substancial amount of scrolls.

Dr. Heather Lynn believes that information is not just passed down through books. Rather like the cloud all livin things are connected to the universal or collective consiousness. Not sure if I one hundered percent buy into it but is it not weird that two people all the way across the world with no contact with each other come up with the same idea at the same time. Civilizations do it as well. The book is short and concise but I wish it could have been longer and more fleshed out. She has many good insights.

Alternate Djinn Reality

 

A Master Of Djinn

by P.Djeli Clark

In an alternate reality the scenery of World War I looks a lot differnt then it does here. It is a world filled with Djinn from an opening torn into the Kaf or Djinn world. Marids, Ifrits and ghouls walk the streets with human beings. The technology is a little bit different as well. Robots or automatons serve an warm up coffee. Mechanical dogs guard the doorways to ministries checking out those who enter.  An important backdrop is back in the 1800's Al Jahiz a sufi mystics opened the gateway to the world of the Jinn.

Much like in our world there are secret brotherhoods sudying the mystica arts, kind of reminiscent of Aleister Crowley and his studies of magic in Egypt. Shrine and temples are built for the gods of old. The brotherhood is attacked by a man in a gold mask. He kills everyone in the brotherhood. He can duplicate his baody and he can command the Djinn. Some say he is Al Jahiz. Despatched to the case are fatma an her partner Hadia.They are part of the ministry that investigates paranormal activity. Together with other members and Fatma's girlfriend Sitti , who is a follower of bastet, go forward battling Djinn as tehy solve the case. After killing the brotherhood the masked man creates a disturbance in the city promising to reveal all. He also robs a ministry of angels where he steal the sword of Al Jahiz an Solomon's Ring.

Who is the masked man? What is his motive? In the end we find out who it is and they is a nice battle that ensues with some reconciliation between Djinn and man. there is more in the series.