I'm not picking on the Church this time..today we have Villagers with torches (okay, technically, it's villagers with knitting needles). Apparently the bizarre Romanian superstitions that inspired Bram Stoker are stil raging more than a hundred years later, as Romanian villagers stick corpses with pitchforks and other gruesome rituals meant to reign in restless spirits.

If that's not enough to leave you feeling depressed, you can read about the Devadasis, the slavegirls of the Goddess Yellamma. (Inexplicably, after condemning the practice, the author mentions the "excellent accomodations" available at the temple.

Here's a very strangle claim- was Saddam Hussein a magician? (More on this)

Probably as accurate as exit polls, anyway.

"mithras the ....goddess? Oh, please.

The obligatory Solstice nod to Stonehenge...

On the lighter side of things, Tom Cruise got soaked by pranksters who sprayed him with water at his "War of the Worlds" premiere. It's wrong, but I have to ask..was it Kabbalah Water? (snark)