Day: December 19, 2021

The war on Krampus in Leavenworth Washington

IN LEAVENWORTH, CHRISTMAS SKIRMISH BREAKS OUT OVER REBRANDING AND KRAMPUS DRINK CRAWL →

The real war on Christmas is the war on Krampus!?

Here is what we know.. A Facebook posting by a Leavenworth restaurant co-owner has escalated into two religion-advocacy groups warning of the “erasure of Christmas customs” and the bringing of “demonic influences” into the tourist town’s annual holiday festivities..

MORE from the iconic town..

Charge No. 1: The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce took the word “Christmas” out of the name for its famous holiday festival. The “Christmas Lighting Festival” was rebranded “Village of Lights,” the term commonly used on travel sites and news stories about the event, although the chamber had its official name as “Village of Lights: Christmastown.”
Charge No. 2: On Dec. 4, on opening weekend of monthlong Christmas festivities, the town welcomed members of Krampus Seattle. They danced and paraded in their hairy, horned costumes inspired by the mythical Bavarian creature that’s half-demon, half-goat and that punishes those who misbehave at Christmas. The local chamber of commerce even promoted a “Krampus Drink Crawl.”

According to the Lynnwood-based Family Policy Institute of Washington, headed by Mark Miloscia, conservative former state senator from Federal Way: “At an event that is supposed [to] honor the birth of Jesus Christ, town officials have chosen to include demonic influences … These attacks on Christianity are becoming the norm throughout the country.”

MORE…

“What is the unbelievable to me is that Christmas Town USA has decided to replace a family friendly ‘Christmas Lighting’ to celebrate the ‘Village of Lights.’ And this week the Chamber had the audacity/naivety/stupidity to kick off this non-holiday by inviting Krampus Seattle, a group of demonic horned half-goat cosplayers to give speeches at our pavilion and pub crawl throughout the downtown terrifying our children.”

The Seattle TIMES has the full rest of the story…

December 19, 2021
NEW YORK TIMES SPLASHES: Most of the World’s Vaccines Likely Won’t Prevent Infection From Omicron

A growing body of preliminary research suggests the Covid vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from Omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable in most of the world.

The other shots — including those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia — do little to nothing to stop the spread of Omicron, early research shows. And because most countries have built their inoculation programs around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic.
— Read on www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/most-of-the-world-s-vaccines-likely-won-t-prevent-infection-from-omicron/ar-AARXuDf

Developing..

December 19, 2021
Millions of daily COVID cases possible in the United States

Francis Collins, retiring from the NIH, warns of his COVID fears in the coming weeks..

As the omicron variant threatens record-breaking rates of infections in the U.S., Collins departs with a fear. If Americans don’t take COVID-19 seriously, the country could see 1 million daily infections, he said.

“We cannot afford to let down our guard,” Collins told NPR’s Scott Detrow in an interview with Weekend Edition.

“I know people are tired of this,” he said, acknowledging Americans’ fatigue of having weathered almost three pandemic-stunted years. “I’m tired of it too, believe me. But the virus is not tired of us. It’s having a great old time changing its shape every couple of months, coming up with new variants and figuring out ways to be even more contagious.”

While his number may sound dramatic, there are others in medical circles who actually believe the REAL daily infection number will be between 3 and 8 million by some point in the next several weeks.

South Africa hopes it is peaking now.. Europe is two weeks behind.. and the United States will be mid-January for the peak.

There are now talks in various governmental circles as to how to respond: Flatten the curve 2.0 and extend the lifetime of omicron longer? Or … let it be?

Humanity faces an uncertain dark winter..

December 19, 2021
Not ready for prime time mess: SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE COVID OUTBREAK RATTLES CAST MEMBERS

Rumors abound that “four actors” from SNL have tested positive for coronavirus — and “three others” called out because they were now “fearful” about coming to NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center..

The show therefore continued but with no audience.. the musical guest canceled ..

Although some set sources claimed executive producer Lorne Michaels, 77, had tested positive, others have denounced that as “NOT” true — and confirmed that he’s actually on set overseeing the show last night..

Sources to the New York Post murmured that the “show must go on but don’t expect to see Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman or (Aristotle) Athari.” Jost, 39, usually hosts “Weekend Update” with Michael Che, 38, while Sherman, 28, and Athari, 30, are both newcomers to the ensemble this season.

There is no word as to how the virus spread so quickly among the cast of the show. But the positivity rate and numbers are shooting go dramatically in New York City right now..

He next focal point will be on Mayor DeBlasio.. he may not be the grinch who will steal Christmas but will he call off the New Years rocking super spreader event?

December 19, 2021
The Pre-Christmas 2001 Art Bell show revisited

Tonight, courtesy of the Premiere Radio Network, Coast to Coast AM is airing a “Somewhere in time” with Art Bell that takes us back to just about 20 years ago tonight: December 18, 2001..

Whitley Strieber was first to talk about the COMING GLOBAL SUPERSTORM, but then freaky Christmastime ghosts took over afterwards for the duration of the show .. Brendan Cook and Barbara McBeth shared their EVP recordings..

Cook and McBeth were guests so often–but for some reason this exact show sticks out in my memory..

I recall that night I was listening to it, the Christmas season after 9/11.. we were all freaked out by the mass death that occurred just months prior. Twenty years later the mass death of a virus has far exceed that which occurred in 2001…

Also I think–just a fading memory–that I listened to this Art Bell show partially on the car radio coming home from a bar or bowling that night and finishing up at home …

And I recall listening until the sun came up…

20 years ago.
So many years ago, but seemingly like just yesterday.

One of the most amazing parts about Art airing the ghost EVPs is that they were credible –at least on his show– and his reactions were just as all of ours would have been. What were these voices in the night, in the darkness. Did these strange voices mean anything? Were they from beyond.. are they stuck here? Art seemed to get so freaked out during these EVP sessions. 20 years later as we listen here at Horror Report central, we are confronted with the same chills that we had that very night December 2001…

On a personal note, so much changes in 20 years. My mom, now deceased for only weeks, was alive then. We were preparing for Christmas with family that were young and now old, and those who exist now did not then. Our national crisis of 9/11 then is a global pandemic of COVID in ’21..

Twas the best of times. And the worst of times.

And Art Bell listening to a child’s EVP saying “stay with me” in the darkness of the night is as scary in 2021 as it was in 2001..

December 19, 2021