Today we look at the stories portrayed in the 1964 Japanese ghost story anthology film, Kwaidan. The Black Hair “The Black Hair” (黒髪, Kurokami) is adapted from “The Reconciliation” and “The Corpse Rider”, which appeared in Hearn’s collection Shadowings (1900). An impoverished swordsman in Kyoto divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a […]
Category: Gods, Goddesses, and Mythical Heros
The following short story is from the 1905 edition of Kwaidan – Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn. Illustrations by Elder G. MUJINA On the Akasaka Road, in Tokyo, there is a slope called Kii-no-kuni-zaka,—which means the Slope of the Province of Kii. I do not know why it is called the […]
A Cold Snap takes our WLBOTT World to La Paz, Bolivia Much of the WLBOTT empire is experiencing a brisk morning. The La Paz Connection Let’s say that the Elders wish to embrace their dull side. We asked Elder G where we could go to experience the least fluctuation in weather. Nuestra Señora de La […]
Just curious: how many liquor stores can I rob before I get punished? I’m guessing at least 35. The judge who presided over tRump’s criminal trial, Juan Merchan, issued a sentence of “unconditional discharge”, meaning the president-elect will be released without fine, imprisonment or probation supervision for his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying […]
The ancient game Senet has become the go-to game at the WLBOTT barracks. The game over 4,500 years old. Senet or senat (Ancient Egyptian: romanized: znt, lit. ’passing’; cf. Coptic ⲥⲓⲛⲉ /sinə/, ‘passing, afternoon’) is a board game from ancient Egypt that consists of ten or more pawns on a 30-square playing board. The earliest representation […]
WLBOTT engaged in a epic quest yesterday, fully consuming the corporate offices (hence no BLOTT). We were in search of the Lost Texas Driver’s License. Phase I: Panic Phase II: Fear of Consequences If you’re not wealthy or well-connected in Texas, you don’t drive without your license. Phase III: Sally Talks Us Down “Everybody just […]
Sadly, WLBOTT HQ had to say goodbye to our dear and true Jack-o-lantern. A Little Background Jack-o’-lantern’s WLBOTT Origin Story Jack was a result of the creative artistry (and a big hammer) from the WLBOTT CenTX staff. Sally T. Intern had a fun idea of using cookie cutters to make the eyes. Jack’s Goodbye Sadly, […]
Kupala Night is one of the major folk holidays of the Eastern Slavs that coincides with the Christian feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the East Slavic feast of Saint John’s Eve. In folk tradition, it was revered as the day of the summer solstice and was originally celebrated on the […]
We come from the land of the ice and snowFrom the midnight sun where the hot springs flowThe hammer(?) of the godsWill drive our ships to new landsTo fight the horde, sing and cryValhalla, I am coming- Immigrant Song / Led Zeppelin While listening to Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song on endless loop, I began to […]
María Elena Velasco (La India Maria) was born in Puebla, Mexico’s 4th largest city. Let’s take a closer look. Puebla is a city in east-central Mexico, southeast of Mexico City. It’s known for its culinary history, colonial architecture and pottery. The painted Talavera tiles adorning numerous buildings are locally produced. The Renaissance-era Puebla Cathedral has […]