No Wands for the Harry Potterfied Muggles.

Richard Carter of Mystical Moments who sells magic wands in Huddersfield but has banned Harry Potter fans Credit: Ben Lack Photography Ltd.

Richard Carter of Mystical Moments who sells magic wands in Huddersfield but has banned Harry Potter fans Credit: Ben Lack Photography Ltd.

Okay…might want to pad your desk or start some eyeroll protection here.

A shop which makes magic wands for real life witches and wizards has been blasted by Harry Potter fans for refusing to serve them. The business, called Mystical Moments, is making a name for itself in the wizarding world by supplying wands to cast healing spells and charms for good luck.

But wand-maker Richard Carter says he is selling “spiritual tools” – not toys for young Muggles – and he is barring Hogwarts fans. The wands can be used to draw protective circles to ward off dark forces while owners meditate, bring them money, and help them find love. They can also be used to cure aches and pains and stress, speed a sick relative’s recovery or wish for happiness, courage or physical strength.

Local mystic Mr Carter, 57, spends whole days standing at his lathe in a trance lovingly crafting each wand and anointing them with oil. He says he does not know one end of a lathe from another and works while controlled by the spirits in his shop in Slaithwaite village, near Huddersfield.

He says all you need is faith in the product for it to work wonders – literally.

Riiiight. I’ve been around lathes. You definitely need to know one end from another, because if you don’t, that’s a good way to lose bits of your body you just might be fond of, and I doubt any spirit is overly concerned about that particular problem. Lathes aren’t exactly the cheapest tool around, either, but Mr. Carter just happens to have a tool he can’t use at all in his shop.

[…] In the few months the shop has been open, sandwiched between a church charity shop and shabby chic store on the village’s high street, it has attracted sorcerers from all over the country. But Richard says he only wants to attract true believers in magic and can detect Hogwarts fans wanting his wands for their collections of memorabilia by their aura. He said: “JK Rowling has obviously done her research but Harry Potter is for children. It has done nothing for business.

“You wouldn’t believe how many real witches and wizards there are knocking about. You would be amazed. They know they can come here in reveal themselves without people thinking they’re mental. “I don’t have customers who have been Harry Potterfied. If I had someone come in wanting a wand just because they liked Harry Potter I would not sell them one, not matter how much money they were offering.

“I can tell what people are like when they walk in by their aura.” He would also spot dark wizards and witches the same way and will not sell wands to those wanting to hex other people or perform curses.

Oooh, are they Death Eaters, maybe?

Former textile worker Mr Carter, opened the shop in April with partner and fellow spiritualist Jackie Restall, 43. He claims he does not make a penny out the wants, costing £15 to £25, which he uses to spread the spiritual message.

Different types of wood give each wand different magical properties – oak for strength and courage, yew for those seeking immortality and rebirth, sweet chestnut for love and healing, elm for balance and calm, sycamore for boosting feminine intuition, and mahogany for spiritual growth.

He says: “I have no training in woodwork. I use spiritual guidance and don’t know how any of the wands will turn out. All you need for them to work is faith.”

Jackie said: “Personally, I’m a big Harry Potter fan but I’m afraid it is just about escapism so I respect Richard’s views.”

Zak Cohen, 20, President of York University Potter fan club, the HP Muggle Society, said: “I don’t know what our members will make of this. “My personal view is it’s a bit weird to say the least. I can understand they don’t want it treated as a joke. “But I did not think it was allowed for a shop to say they won’t sell things to a specific group of people. “If they sold to Harry Potter fans, rather than just equipping real witches and wizards, they would sell loads more wands and we wouldn’t treat them like toys.”

GP Taylor, the former Yorkshire vicar turned fantasy author, said: “Magic wands do work by being a focus for your inner desires and powers. “But I think this is terrible. Harry Potter fans should be served. They are going crazy over the Cursed Child and need their wands. It is discrimination against Potter fans. They should go to court for justice.”

The full story is here.

The Ministry of Silly Walks.

One of the zebra crossing signs in Haparanda. Photo: Stefan Haapaniemi

One of the zebra crossing signs in Haparanda. Photo: Stefan Haapaniemi.

The Ministry of Silly Walks is alive and well in Haparanda, Sweden. I think these signs are very cheerful, fun, and uplifting.

Close to Sweden’s border with Finland, Haparanda has brought a smile to local faces with these new road signs that are shaking up the town centre by urging pedestrians to jump, dance or play the guitar while crossing the street.

The Local got in touch with Terese Östling, who is in charge of “Remake the City”, a project launched in 2012 to revamp the heart of the historic parts of the town, to ask why.

She said the idea for the new signs came from Jytte Rüdiger, the local authority’s chief of culture.

“She (Rüdiger) picked up on the fact that people in Haparanda had lots of ideas for development in the ‘old’ parts of town. Many cities in Sweden struggle with dying inner parts as new, big shopping centres pop up outside of town, attracting visitors and locals out of the town centre. Business, attractiveness and inner city life suffers as a result,” she explained. […] But perhaps unsurprisingly, the signs have sparked the most reaction, with a report by national broadcaster SVT trending on social media on Monday.

How to cross the street while carrying a guitar. Photo: Stefan Haapaniemi.

How to cross the street while carrying a guitar. Photo: Stefan Haapaniemi.

The ideas for the various designs – which include a zebra crossing sign of a man doing a version of Monty Python comedian John Cleese’s famous silly walks – were thought up by local residents.

“The result has been overwhelming! Every day I go into town, I see people taking pictures of the signs and other new attractions, enjoying the new vitality of a once tired and shabby inner city. Haparanda is on its way back,” said Östling.

When asked if she had actually seen anyone give a quick boogie while crossing the street, she said: “I have seen it, but I can’t prove it with a picture sadly.”

Want to dance across the street in Haparanda? Photo: Stefan Haapaniemi.

Want to dance across the street in Haparanda? Photo: Stefan Haapaniemi.

Full story at The Local SE.

Black Lives Matter Is Silly.

Getty Images.

Getty Images.

So sayeth former NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly.

“I think these demonstrations are counter-productive, they’re silly,” Kelly said.

Speaking on John Gambling’s AM 970 radio show, Kelly specifically addressed last week’s demonstrations outside City Hall, during which protesters organized in part by Millions March NYC called for the divestment of the NYPD, paid reparations to the families of victims of police shootings, and the resignation of Commissioner Bill Bratton (the last of which actually happened).

When asked, Kelly characterized the protests as “so ridiculous and myopic. If there’s on group that’s concerned about black lives more than any other group it clearly is the police department not only in New York City but really throughout America.” He also complained that rallies and marches criticizing police conduct can really “depress” working cops.

People get damn depressed over cops committing willful murder at a very high rate, commish. People who lost a loved one to aggressive, bigoted, hyped up stormtroopers just might get damned depressed. Angry, too. Angry enough to make the point that murderous cops must go, and that policing as it stands here in uStates has to change. The current model breeds bias, bigotry, and corruption. Let’s not forget about all those murderers being churned out from cop school.

“[Police] think they’re doing a good job, and then you see these demonstrations,” he said.

It’s worth noting that that under Kelly’s leadership, NYPD officers routinely violated New Yorkers’ constitutional rights.

Well, there’s a surprise. :eyeroll:

Later in his interview, Kelly—who now makes an undisclosed salary as an executive at K2 Intelligence—blamed some cities’ rising crime rates on the so-called “Ferguson effect,” in which officers frightened by investigations and national calls for justice apparently refrain from doing their pledged duty of policing neighborhoods and keeping civilians safe. Kelly also reiterated his affection for stop-and-frisk. “Stopping and questioning people who are acting suspiciously,” is “perfectly reasonable and authorized in the law,” he said.

Actually, commish, crime rates are down, except for all the ones being committed by cops. Those are going up. The “Ferguson Effect” was waking people the fuck up, and no, cops don’t like that. You’re at least right about something.

Via Gothamist.

32.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Whitehouse.gov.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Whitehouse.gov.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933, as many as 2 million sheep grazed on the Navajo Nation.

That was in addition to hundreds of thousands of goats, cattle and horses that foraged on the 27,000-square-mile reservation spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The Navajo population itself had quintupled since 1870 and, at the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, about 39,000 Navajos lived on the sprawling reservation, embracing a life of pastoralism and moving livestock from winter homes to summer pastures.

But the Navajo, who were almost entirely dependent on income from sheep and wool, were hit hard by the worst economic disaster in American history. The livestock population skyrocketed while revenues plummeted, and the Navajo Agency reported in 1933 that income had “greatly reduced to the vanishing point,” according to Raymond Friday Locke’s “The Book of the Navajo.”

The land was also showing signs of overgrazing and environmental distress, and its deepening gullies and parched vegetation caught the attention of the federal government. Four months after Roosevelt took office, his newly appointed commissioner of Indian Affairs, John Collier, toured the Navajo Nation and proposed an aggressive and often coercive livestock reduction program.

John Collier. Corbis image/Wikipedia.

John Collier. Corbis image/Wikipedia.

[Read more…]

Invictus. (Possibly NSFW.)

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The goal is to fund the publishing of two large-scale, hardcover, coffee table books.  This is my third Kickstarter campaign, and like last year I will produce a book featuring wounded veterans of the Gulf Wars, Invictus and a second book featuring male figure studies using fitness models from around the world, Adonis Blue.
Invictus
Over the past year I have photographed fifteen severely wounded veterans from the Gulf Wars, all of them amputees who lost a limb or multiple limbs from IED attacks while deployed. Of these fifteen veterans, ten served in either the United States Army or Marines.  Five served in either the British Army or The Royal Marines. The format and size of Invictus will be the same as last year’s Always Loyal: hardcover photo book with dust jacket, 96 pages or more and measures 13.5 X 10.4 inches.  Like last year I will include individual bios for each veteran.  All the images are already photographed and only need to be organized and published.  When the book releases, I anticipate a full retail price of $79.

[Read more…]

Five Steves.

Trump economic adviser Tom Barrack, CEO of Colony Capital, spoke at the July Republican National Convention. CREDIT: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill.

Trump economic adviser Tom Barrack, CEO of Colony Capital, spoke at the July Republican National Convention. CREDIT: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill.

Trump has announced his economic policy advisory team, all men, five Steves, and one person with a Ph.D. Naturally, the amount of actual economists on the economic policy advisory team is short, to say the least. Economists on economic policy? That would be silly. Or something.

Steve Roth, a fellow real estate investor and the billionaire CEO of Vorando Reality. Roth and Trump reportedly co-own a Manhattan office tower together.

Harold Hamm, an oil and gas billionaire and chairman and CEO of Continental Resources. He served as an energy adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign and as a major donor to the pro-Romney Restore Our Future super PAC.

Howard Lorber, president and CEO of Vector Group — a company that owns both real estate and tobacco companies.

Steven Mnuchin, a hedge fund investor and co-CEO and chairman of Dune Capital Management, he is a longtime friend of Trump’s despite the candidate’s public criticism of hedge fund investors. In May, Trump appointed him national finance chairman for the campaign.

Tom Barrack, another real estate investor and CEO of Colony Capital. He founded Rebuild America Now, a pro-Trump super PAC. During the Republican primary, Trump denounced super PACs and requested the return of all donations to any supporting him, but he hasn’t rejected their support during the general campaign.

Stephen M. Calk, CEO and chairman of Federal Savings Bank. He has been a critic of the Obama administration’s banking regulations.

John Paulson, another billionaire hedge fund manager and president of Paulson & Co. Paulson, made billions of dollars in profit from shorting the market during the 2007 housing bubble.

Andy Beal, a billionaire investor and founder of Beal Bank. In addition to making a huge profit buying up undervalued assets during the 2008 recession, he has made waves as a mathematician and high-stakes poker player.

Steve Feinberg, the secretiveCEO of Ceberus Capital Management, a private investment firm which specializes in “distressed investing.” Among the firm’s assets: Remington, the manufacturer of the AR-15.

David Malpass, founder and president of Encima Global, a economic consulting and research firm. He held positions in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations and unsuccessfully ran for the New York Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 2010.

Peter Navarro, a business school professor and anti-China author. He has praised Trump’s “peace through economic and military strength” strategy as “right out of the Reagan playbook.

Stephen Moore, the Heritage Foundation scholar, former Wall Street Journal columnist and founder of the anti-tax Club for Growth. His economic predictions have been wildly inaccurate.

Dan DiMicco, the former president and CEO of steel giant Nucor Corporation. DiMicco authored a 2015 book urging a return to American manufacturing.

Via Think Progress.

About That American Exceptionalism.

Two women dressed in traditional attire wait outside of city hall in Urubamba, Peru (Roxanne Cooper)

Two women dressed in traditional attire wait outside of city hall in Urubamba, Peru (Roxanne Cooper)

The Presidential candidates have been sounding off for almost two years now, pointing out (or in many cases manufacturing) all of America’s problems, and offering solutions they believe will make them the next President. The candidates, especially to the right of the political spectrum, extoll America as being exceptional, and they score empty points with voters by talking about how the rest of the planet looks to the United States to solve the world’s woes. It is surprising, then, to see how many of these seemingly intractable problems are being far more effectively tackled by the countries we are supposed to be “leading”. Maybe it’s time for America to start looking elsewhere for innovative solutions.

Here are 10  examples of problems being solved everywhere but in America.

Yes, I know that all these places have their own problems, and no, none of them is utopia. That’s not the point. The point is that at the very least, other places in the world are actively attempting to deal with serious problems, and trying to come up with solutions. Some of them are quite simple, like prosecuting criminals, something the U.S. is increasingly reluctant to do, unless you’re poor and some shade of brown. I’m only going to include a few here, click over for the full list.

1. Peru: free solar-powered electricity for the poor.

In 2013, in Peru, only about two-thirds of the 25 million people had access to electricity. The Peruvian government decided to do something about it, and instituted a program to provide free solar energy to the underprivileged. With the goal of providing at least 95% of Peruvians with electricity, Peru began the National Photovoltaic Household Electrification Program, installing free solar panels in impoverished communities. The program, which is expected to be completed by next year, has so far installed almost 15,000 photovoltaic systems.

2. Iceland: white-collar criminals go to jail.

In the wake of the collapse of the housing bubble in 2008, it was not only the United States that almost fell into a deep economic depression. The same criminal activity our banks engaged in, inflating the housing market and gambling away our money while saddling crippling debt on untold millions, was also occurring around the world. One country in particular, Iceland, almost imploded. It had a far different response to the crisis, however.

At the same time that the United States was bailing out our “too-big-to-fail” banks, Iceland was letting them suffer the consequences of their greed, namely bankruptcy and failure. Instead of bailing banks out, the Icelandic government bailed out homeowners by forgiving mortgages that were overvalued. While it is arguable whether a similar course of action would have been advisable in the far-larger United States, it may be more important to note that Iceland began prosecuting actual people who propagated the illegal activity. Unlike the U.S., where exactly zero bank executives have answered for their crimes, and prosecutions for white-collar crime are at a 20-year low, 26 bankers in Iceland have gone to prison for their misdeeds.

3. France: stop throwing away food.

While the United States may be the richest nation on the planet, more than 15 million children go to bed hungry. Digest this fact while also noting that 133 billion pounds of food, fully a third of the available supply, goes uneaten, eventually ending up in a landfill. France, facing a similar problem, made a very simple decision: stop throwing the food away. As of early this month, it became illegal in France for large grocery stores (4300 square feet or more) to throw out unsold food. Instead, French groceries must contract with charitable organizations, which will be responsible for collecting and redistributing the food to the needy. The law also mandates educational programs in schools to raise awareness among children about the problem of food waste.

Raw Story has the full list.

The Mystery Superhero In Wonder Woman Is…

EUGENE BRAVE ROCK

EUGENE BRAVE ROCK

Eeeeeeeeeeee, much excitement!

Eugene Brave Rock is the mysterious Native American hero in the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman movie to be released in 2017. But who will he be playing? Sadly, we still don’t know because Brave Rock isn’t allowed to tell us…at least not yet.

[…]

Back in March, ICTMN revealed a key moment in the Batman vs. Superman movie in which Bruce Wayne sees a photograph on his computer with Wonder Woman standing next to a mysterious Native American man (and three other soldiers) in an image from World War I. (See :57 seconds into below video)

To date, there is little to no information online about the character. We can only speculate that he might be one of the the characters either Apache Chief or Lone Shadow which has appeared in Justice League comics and cartoons.

Eugene Brave Rock spoke with ICTMN, and shared one bit of information. “I am only allowed to say I was in London for five months filming the Wonder Woman movie. That is all I am allowed to say,” said Brave Rock. He does add, “It was an amazing experience.”

That’s it. No spoilers, no character name, no insider news … that’s all Eugene Brave Rock could tell us. He says everything about his part is top secret. “When I was auditioning, they didn’t even tell me it was for Wonder Woman.”

Brave Rock did say that director Patty Jenkins — the first female director of a major DC franchise movie — and DC Comics were extremely respectful of Brave Rock’s Native heritage.

“DC really let me have a voice. Usually movies have a lot of do’s and dont’s and they tell you you have to do things a certain way, but in this case, even with wardrobe, it was awesome. In the end, they let me decide a lot about my character. Previously, movies have even told me how I had to braid my hair, and you don’t have a choice – but this was not the case.”

Vincent Schilling at ICTMN has the full story.

Please meet Courtney and Nariya.

Courtney Mike-Wilson and daughter Nariya -- via GoFundme

Courtney Mike-Wilson and daughter Nariya — via GoFundme

A black single mom, along with her foster daughter, are being forced from their Pennsylvania home following a series of hate crimes, including soaking her front porch in gasoline while she wasn’t home.

According to WTAE, local police in Pitcarin have called in the FBI to help with the investigation that began with a racial slur painted on the side of  Courtney Mike-Wilson’s car.

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A few days later, she discovered dodge-balls her foster daughter Nariya plays with slashed with a knife and left on her doormat.

“That morning they were popped in front of my door just so I can’t miss them. I think that’s what scares me right there is you have no problem coming on my front porch,” she said.

On Wednesday, the stalker struck again, dousing the front porch and her daughter’s toys with gasoline, with a note left behind reading: “Now we’re done.”

Despite the police and FBI investigation, Mike-Wilson has moved her daughter in with family members while she looks for a new place to live, saying she fears for their lives.

“I stay to myself, I go to work, and I come home. I’m a foster parent, so I really don’t have time for anything,” she said. “She [Nariya] can’t walk to the park anymore. She can’t go to the day care. I don’t tell her what’s going on. I’d rather she not be scared, but it’s hard to come up with first and last month rent so quickly, especially when you think you’re going to be somewhere for a while.”

There’s a Go Fund Me for Courtney and Nariya, if you can, please help. I can’t, due to being dire broke, but I can boost the signal. If you’re like me, and don’t have money, but are able to signal boost, please do.

Via Raw Story.

Real NDNZ Re-Take Hollywood.

NDNZ

In an effort to dismantle the film industry’s historically stereotypical portrayal of Native actors in buckskin, feathers and painted faces, Los Angeles-based media professional and photographer Pamela J. Peters (Navajo) has created a series of photographs entitled Real NDNZ Re-Take Hollywood, in which contemporary Native American actors recreate classic Hollywood portraits of movie stars such as James Dean and Audrey Hepburn.

[…]

The seven Natives involved in the project include actors from the Dakota, Cherokee, Crow, Blackfeet, Shoshone, and Seminole nations. They are Noah Watts (Crow /Blackfeet), Shayna Jackson (Dakota / Cree), Deja Jones (Shoshone), Kholan Studie (Cherokee), Krista Hazelwood (Seminole), JaNae Collins (Dakota) and Brian Vallie (Crow).

“All participants have a passion to work in the film industry, but they also have ties to their tribal communities and enjoy sharing their respective backgrounds with each other,” says Peters.

“I would like people to think critically about my photos, and hear the young performers’ stories about how they navigate an extremely competitive field of entertainment.  Furthermore, I want society to know that we are many nations, with many stories, and that we can make a conscious choice to reshape perceptions of modern Indians today.”

The showcase will take place at These Days LA at 118 Winston Street, Los Angeles, 90013 from Aug 4th to 7th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Information about the show can be found online. Her exhibit will showcase 24 images and a short video of her project. On Saturday, Aug 6th live art and drumming will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

More information about Pamela J. Peters can be found on her website: www.PamelaJPeters.com.

Via ICTMN.

Oscars Diversity: 5 Natives Invited.

According to an announcement by Sundance, five of the institute’s Native American and Indigenous Program alumni have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This is a positive change for Oscars diversity as the Native artists become a part of the nominating and voting body of the Oscars, each within their own branches and on larger voting sections for the awards.

The five artists and program alumni – as well as a few of their production credits – are listed on the Sundance Institute website:

Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur D'alene)

Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur D’alene)

adam-beach-by-thosh-collins

Adam Beach (Saulteaux of Dog Creek First Nation)

cliff_curtis

Cliff Curtis (Te Arawa, Ngāti Hauiti)

heather_rae-001

Heather Rae (Cherokee)

taika_waititi

Taika Waititi (Te Whanau A Apanui)

ICTMN has the full story.

A Neuroscientist Tackles Loyalty to Trump.

Audience member Robin Roy (C) reacts as U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets her at a campaign rally in Lowell, Massachusetts January 4, 2016. (BRIAN SNYDER / Reuters)

Audience member Robin Roy (C) reacts as U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets her at a campaign rally in Lowell, Massachusetts January 4, 2016. (BRIAN SNYDER / Reuters)

A neuroscientist takes on the remarkable loyalty and obliviousness of those who support and follow Trump. It’s a fairly comprehensive article, starting with the well known Dunning-Kruger effect, and ending with the unfortunate affliction of being entertainment addicted. Just a bit from the end of the article here, click over for the full read.

  1. High Attentional Engagement

According to a recent study that monitored brain activity while participants watched 40 minutes of political ads and debate clips from the presidential candidates, Donald Trump is unique in his ability to keep the brain engaged. While Hillary Clinton could only hold attention for so long, Trump kept both attention and emotional arousal high throughout the viewing session. This pattern of activity was seen even when Trump made remarks that individuals didn’t necessarily agree with. His showmanship and simple messages clearly resonate at a visceral level.

Essentially, the loyalty of Trump supporters may in part be explained by America’s addiction with entertainment and reality TV. To some, it doesn’t matter what Trump actually says because he’s so amusing to watch. With Donald, you are always left wondering what outrageous thing he is going to say or do next. He keeps us on the edge of our seat, and for that reason, some Trump supporters will forgive anything he says. They are happy as long as they are kept entertained.

Of course these explanations do not apply to all Trump supporters. In fact, some are likely intelligent people who know better, but are supporting Trump to be rebellious or to introduce chaos into the system. They may have such distaste for the establishment and Hillary Clinton that their vote for Trump is a symbolic middle finger directed at Washington.

Full article here. I found the Hypersensitivity to Threat and Terror Management Theory sections very interesting. Going by that, it’s much easier to see why so many people have flocked to Trump, and manage to defend every horrible, evil thing he says.