Lance Segundo’s midlife crisis takes a bizarre twist when he catches a glimpse of his brother, Art, and sister-in-law while driving down a mountain road. Both are long-dead. When he tries to discuss the incident with his psychiatrist, he is met with skepticism and admonished for mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. He accepts the doctor’s reasoning because there are pieces of his life that he can’t remember, such as why he and his brother had become estranged as well as the reason why he stopped partying with his friends.

Another part of him refuses to believe that the sighting of his brother and sister-in-law was an hallucination. His life takes another twist when he meets Naomi Lake at work. They take an instant liking to each other, which quickly turns into a romantic relationship. When he confides in her about his experience, she helps him try to understand it and face it.

Naomi goes with him to the spot where he saw his brother, but stays behind when she sees Art waiting for him. The brothers slip twenty-five years back in time, when they are trying to hike to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a trip which their father had tried and failed. It is here where we begin to see the other side of Lance Segundo and experience his journey toward redemption.

Overall, this is a very good book. The authors try to cover a lot of ground in terms of the afterlife, the paranormal, spiritualism, and near death experiences. They succeeded, for the most part, although at times I found myself reading information dumps that interfered with the story. Despite this irritation, I was riveted to the story, its supernatural elements, and especially the plot twists. Recommended.

I missed this movie when it came out on television late last Spring. When it came out on DVD, I bought it knowing that I had a 50/50 chance of feeling disappointed. That’s been my experience with Stephen King movies. They’re either very good (i.e., The Stand) or very bad (i.e., Maximum Overdrive). Desperation fell in between.

The movie begins with married couple, Peter and Mary driving across the Nevada desert. Mary spots a dead cat hanging from a speed sign and is properly spooked. Their situation goes from ho-hum to bad in a big hurry when they are pulled over by Sheriff Callie Entragian, who promises to kill them. He hauls them off to jail, where he shoots Peter before he takes Mary up to the holding cells.

Mary finds a family and an old drunk huddled in the cells. A short time later, writer John Marinville (Tom Skeritt) joins them. Entragian takes the wife of the tourist family and disappears for a while, giving everyone ample time to escape the jail. Escaping the town of Desperation is another matter, as they find out.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I haven’t read the book in years, but remembered the basic plot. Desperation the movie didn’t sway too far from that. The best characters were David Carver (the religious boy) and John Marinville (the self-serving writer). While the boy was all about letting God lead them out of Desperation, Marinville relied on himself. That made for a good conflict. Recommended.

Looking at this photo you would never know that this place is filled with tragedy and mystery. The Menengai Crater is one of the largest calderas of the world and the largest of Kenya. There are many versions about the origin and the meaning of the name, “Menengai.” One of the more popular definitions is “the place of the dead corpses,” as many people have died there.

During the 19th century, war broke out between the Maasai unity and various rival clans over cattle and grazing grounds. In one battle, the Ilaikipiak warriors were thrown into the calderas. Recently, a woman fell to her death while trying to rescue her 12 year-old son, who was trapped inside a ravine.

The locals claim that the crater is under the control of evil spirits and have since named it “kirima kia ngoma” (where the devils live). Strange things happen to people who visit the crater and its cave. Many were reported to have disappeared, only to turn up hours later, not knowing how they got lost. One of them was a man who had known the area for a long time. Some people go in there and are never seen again.

Pilgrims flock to the site to pray, despite the crater’s reputation. Mr. Paul Walingo from Kakamega spent two weeks in the cave, fasting and praying, without incident. He does not believe the tales of the locals about ghosts and demons.

Simon Kamenju, on the other hand, believes that they are real. According to him, the ghosts capture people who attempt to destroy the crater’s fauna and hide them in the underworld. “Some of those who wander, do so after harvesting firewood inside the cave. But as soon as they drop the firewood, they find their way back.”

The latest mystery involves a “flying umbrella” that appears to shield the crater whenever it rains, only to disappear after the storm subsides. No one knows where this alleged umbrella goes, although I think it would be hard to miss since the crater measures 8-10 kilometers.

Source: allAfrica.com

Bob Larson, an evangelical minister and founder, of the Spiritual Freedom Church in Denver, claims that he has performed 10,000 exorcisms around the world over the past 30 years, including some famous people that he refuses to identify.

“I see it in (someone’s) eyes,” Larson said. “The demon looks at me. I’ve learned to recognize what it looks like. (At a ministry) when I see it, I go to a person. It’s a look that once you see it, you never forget it. It comes from another realm; an incredibly evil look, The eyes narrow and there’s darkness.”

Larson has written 30 books on exorcism, cults and spirituality, as well as hosted a syndicated radio show for over 20 years. During this time, he has managed to create quite a following, enough for him to establish an exorcism center in a $1.2 million facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The funding for his Scottsdale church comes from his worldwide ministry and people he calls Do What Jesus Did Spiritual Team members, who pay $199 annual to support his ministry. Nonmembers are required to pay $20 for exorcisms.