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...due to storage problems with Google. Check out the new site here.

Seen on the Backroads...

An Open Invitation

A reader takes me to task:

I like your blog but you talk too much about pop culture and politics (especially vampire politics) and not enough about real practical tips for people who need help.

He urges me to remember the initial purpose of this website, which is to be a safe and reliable resource of information for those who are, or are dealing with, members of the preternatural communities. The recent vampire news is interesting, and politics affect us all, but I needed the reminder of what is really important to people.

To reiterate then from my first few posts nearly two years ago:

..preternatural communities tend to have a significant number of troubled individuals, and the prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders is appalling. In the absence of functional physiology, psychotropic medications are ineffective with the Dead, the Undead, or the Disembodied. So psychotherapy remains the treatment of choice. We work with the same issues that plague the human population, including depression, anxiety, identity confusion, and problems with interpersonal relationships.

....I'll answer questions and take comments. I'll share interesting items and information about the preternatural and links to sites on the web. You can reach me at

claire.rowan.wallace@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thoughts on the VRA

The other side of the argument is here.

More 'New Moon'

Here is another version of this popular vampire fantasy: Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

Fun With New Moon

Here is a comment on II of the Twilight saga of fanciful vampires, "New Moon."

ALICE: Bella, Edward thinks you're dead, and he's going to kill himself! It's just like the end of "Romeo and Juliet," which you happened to be reading earlier in the movie! Who could have foreseen that it would come up again??

BELLA: Well, you, with your psychic powers.

ALICE: Yes. Also, anyone who's ever seen a movie before.

ARO: Edward, your girlfriend knows too much. She must be killed.
ALICE: Wait! I had a vision! In the future, Bella is a vampire, too.
EDWARD: Spoiler alert!
ARO: Well, why didn't you say you were thinking of converting? That changes everything! Mazel tov!
BELLA: My parents will be disappointed, but it's for the best. Interfaith marriages are so difficult.

Sometimes nice to have a summary if you don't have time to attend the film.

Defend vs. Destroy

A reader writes in to ask how to defend against vampire attacks. I have mixed feelings about this, because too often "defense" morphs into "destroy," as in this excerpt from the Second Congressional Report:

Despite their Dark magic, or perhaps because of it, vampires are vulnerable to the more powerful forms of warding- and (less often) seeking-magic. They cannot be destroyed by magic, however. Well-made wards created by reputable magicians are generally sufficient to protect homes, modes of transportation, and places of business. Personal wards are somewhat effective but can be overpowered in a determined attack. Garlic and holy items (such as crosses) are only the most well-known or traditional elements of an effective ward. Nocturnal predators relying on secrecy, vampires avoid large groups and bright lights. Reports indicate that as more vampires hunt in packs, however, they are more willing to attack greater numbers of humans and in more exposed settings.

Defense against a vampire attack once initiated is much more problematic than the prevention or avoidance of such an attack. Silver bullets are only slightly more effective against vampires than are regular bullets (in contrast to their destructive effect on lycanthropes), unless directly striking the heart. Vampires are by nature so much stronger and faster than humans that staking is virtually never effective during the vampire's nocturnal phase, and attempts usually end in the death of the human defender. Vampires are able to heal quickly even from major wounds. Staking, beheading, or burning by fire or exposure to direct sunlight are the only ways vampires may be destroyed or reach "the final death," as some call it.

Vampire hunting, or deliberately seeking contact with vampires in order to destroy them, is extremely dangerous and should be engaged in only by trained, licensed law enforcement professionals or special military units.

I realize that vampires are dangerous, but it still seems that there must be a way for us to defend ourselves without destroying them. Surely some are worth saving.