The Wit of the Staircase

Wit And The Warrior Heart: What Tarot Card Are You?

Wit is the Emperor.

"You are an authority figure, and other people look to you for what to do.
You are strong and powerful. Crossing you is not a good idea.
You have worked hard to get to your position, and you're not about to give it up to anyone.
Though you have a warrior heart, you are gentle to those who treat you well.

Your fortune:

In the near future, you need to be willing and able to defend those you love.
This may be the time for you to step up and be the authority figure to those around you.
It is time for you to be independent, to become your own person.
You may need to look at your relationship with your father, or your relationships as a father."

Link: What Tarot Card Are You?.

Female Serial Killer On The Prowl

"For 14 years this spectral figure has been killing and burgling houses across southern Germany, France and Austria. Her identity has been a mystery, baffling detectives who can see no motive for the three murders committed so far. In charge of hunting the Phantom is Juergen Brauer (50), a state prosecutor who has been puzzled by the woman since she began her crime spree in 1993. Then, her DNA was found on the rim of a floral-printed tea cup at the home of Lieselotte Schlenger (62). She had been killed with wire used to bind bouquets of flowers..."

Link: Junkie's needle may lead to woman serial killer - Europe, World News - Independent.ie.

Via: Professor Hex.

New Issue Of The Hatchet: Journal Of Lizzie Borden Studies Online

Link: The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.

A Toad For A Princess

"As a way of getting yourself a date, it would raise more than a few eyebrows nowadays.

But for those desperate to win a lover in Elizabethan Britain, burying a dead frog in an anthill at a cross roads and putting its bones in a river was apparently a sure fire way to secure a woman's heart.

The bizarre spell has been unearthed in a unique handwritten book of 400-year-old magic due to be auctioned next month...."

Link: How a dead frog could help you woo a lover | the Daily Mail.

Via: Professor Hex.

Best Ever Footage Of Loch Ness Monster Recorded This May

"Like tartan, bagpipes, and shortbread Scotland's Loch Ness Monster is as much an emblem as a tourist draw.

And now Nessie's back.

An amateur scientist has captured what Loch Ness Monster watchers say is among the finest footage ever taken of the elusive mythical creature reputed to swim beneath the waters of Scotland's most mysterious lake."

Link: Fabled monster caught on video - CNN.com.

Man Suffering From Both Cotard's Syndrome And Lycanthropy

"The series on weird psychology opens up with a suggestion kindly provided by Dr. Vitelli of the first reported case of a man suffering from both Cotard's syndrome and lycanthropy. The Iranian authors describe a 32-year-old man admitted to a psychiatric hospital with some unusual delusional beliefs (Nejad & Toofani, 2005). First he believed he was dead, yet immortal (Cotard's syndrome) and second he thought he was a dog (lycanthropy)...."

Link: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog: I'm a Dead Dog: First Case of Cotard's and Lycanthropy.

Obit, Blog Of The Dead

Great graphic design, and a new Charles Nelson Reilly tribute.

Link: Obit Magazine.

Via: Design Observer: writings about design & culture.

The Sigil On The Staircase

Some people wake up very late Sunday and make a cup of tea. We of Wit stay up and charge our sigil.

Wit of the Staircase sigil, above.

Paranormal Phenomena Have Been Regular Occurrences For Years

"Paranormal phenomena have been regular occurrences for years at the 75-year-old courthouse. Lights and elevators have been known to turn on and off without explanation, courthouse employees have reported hearing footsteps in deserted hallways, and security personnel have spotted a black-robed figure whisking out of the Division 2 courtroom..."

Link: Sierra Vista Herald | The Bisbee Daily Review.

Via: Professor Hex.

Werewolves Of London

If you hear him howling around your kitchen door
Better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
Werewolves of London

--Warren Zevon

"A police force is to put more officers on the streets during full moons because they believe the lunar cycle may be linked to violent behaviour, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Sussex Police have found that drinkers in the seaside city of Brighton and Hove are particularly aggressive during full moons, despite mixed findings from researchers who have examined the issue previously.

'I compared a graph of full moons and a graph of last year's violent crimes and there is a trend,' Inspector Andy Parr told the Brighton Argus newspaper.

'People tend to be more aggressive generally. I would be interested in approaching the universities and seeing if any of their post-graduates would be interested in looking into it further. This could be helpful to us.

The announcement has led some locals to joke that werewolves -- humans who, according to myth, turn into wolf-like creatures during a full moon -- may be loose on the city's streets..."

Link: The Raw Story | Police find 'werewolf' link to violence.

Link: Werewolves of London - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Via: Professor Hex.

Above, origami werewolf.