Sanguinarius News & Updates - xx May, 2002 (not sent)
==========================================================

Hello, again, from Sangi-Land. It's time for the News at Night.


Good news! My dad went in *finally* to get his heart ttransplant
that he's been waiting for. My mother said that he is doing okay.
Please send prayers, good wishes and positive energy toward Houston,
TX, where he is, recuperating.

I *finally* got my domain transfer information all straightened out,
and I'm been working like mad to get the site redesigned and back
online, with all the scripts / tools I run up and running again,
too. Not all the pages are back up yet, and not everything may work
correctly. Thank you for being patient.

As I mentioned in the last edition of Sanguinarius News & Updates,
once all the dust settles down, I hope to determine some of the areas
that I can use assistance with and start seeking serious, committed
volunteers who would be willing to accept positions to help develop
and maintain Sanguinarius.org.

--Sanguinarius

Sanguinarius.org for Real Vampires, Blood Drinkers and Vampiric People
http://www.sanguinarius.org/


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

HAPPENINGS IN THE NEWS:

Dracula theme park goes for the jugular
Article by Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
Fri Apr 12, 6:03 AM ET

Romanian officials have given the go-ahead for a new theme park they
hope tourists will (ahem) really sink their teeth into.

*Sangi stifles a cheesy grin* I suppose it was only a matter of
time... The park actually looks like the thing might be pretty cool
once they have it completed.

The full story is at:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20020412/en_usatoday/4023283


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+


COMMUNITY NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Pathway to Darkness / The Sanguinarium Merger

As many of you may know or have discovered, Pathway to Darkness (
http://www.pathwaytodarkness.com/ ) was bought out by Father Todd and
the Sanguinarium. Since that time, steps have been taken to merge
the Pathway to Darkness and the Sanguinarium websites.

Though Pathway to Darkness has a new and very pretty design and much
different functionality, I feel that it no longer contains the
amount, nor the superior level, of vampire and vampire-related
information, -- be it fictional, folkloric, in the media, real
vampire, or otherwise, -- that it once did in the caring hands of the
original owner. That superior level, amount, and quality of
information is what made Pathway to Darkness great, NOT beautifully
designed graphics, not the mere domain name.

I feel that those behind the merger have reduced the Pathway to
Darkness website to little more than a massive propaganda machine for
the Sanguinarium, as well as a commercial attempt to sell more
fangs, ankhs and plug the Sanguinarium scrolls and other Sanguinarium
literature. I do not think they are interested in preserving the
excellent quality of information the site used to provide under its
original ownership, or they would have done so, and not so blatantly
and extensively redesigned it to contain little more than
Sanguinarium materials.

While I am all for the formation and development of a vampiric
culture and community of real vampires, I honestly do not believe
this is or ever has been the goal or interest of Father Todd or the
other upper-echelon members of the Sanguinarium, COVICA, House
Sahjaza, Sabretooth, and quite possibly a good number of elders of
houses and organizations within and affiliated with the
Sanguinarium. I think the main interest here is to unite both
vampires and vampyres under the aegis of the Sanguinarium, where they
can be sold Sanguinarium and Sabretooth merchandise, and spoon-fed
Sanguinarium ideology so they become more willing to buy more
merchandise.

In addition, a significant portion of the Sanguinarium's energies and
resources seems to be devoted to 1.) developing vampirism
(or "vampyrism", as the case is) into some sort of spiritual, quasi-
religious pathway which members and potential members of the
Sanguinarium are drawn into, encouraged to take part in; and 2.)
promoting BDSM and dark-fetishism. While I have nothing to bear
against that sort of thing, trying to insert it into the vampires'
culture and community, or trying to draw the vampires'
culture/community into the world of BDSM and dark fetish, is NOT a
good idea. Though a number of people have interest in both areas,
the sreas are separate, and completely distinct, and have nothing
intrinsically to do with each other. Attempts to link them together
or blur the distinction between them are detrimental to the vampires'
culture and community.

"Vampirism is not a world. It's not a lifestyle. It's not a
fetishism. It's something you are born as. Drinking blood doesn't
make you a Vampire, nor does acting like one and being "vampyric". --
Quote from an elist.

* * *

COVICA

I want you to be aware that C.O.V.I.C.A., which is the "Council Of
Vampire International Community Affairs", founded by
Father "Sebastian" Todd and Michelle Belanger, has no authority over
the vampiric community, and is not a ruling body. Their stated goal
is to be merely an organization which "acts as a forum for
coordination of philosophy, spirituality, networking and organization
amongst the legacy members and sanctioned households and courts." --
from Google's cached information of the page at
http://www.pathwaytodarkness.com/legacy/main.html (at
http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:dg-
ay5U3WngC:www.pathwaytodarkness.com/legacy/main.html+covica+sanguinari
um&hl=en ) The current version of the same page states, "Each
sanctioned household and court gets a representative on the COVICA
council, a 'United Nations' for the vampyre subculture."

I am becoming alarmed at the increasing number of people I am coming
across who assume (and/or accept) that this council has the powers
to "make or break" anybody, or anything. Perhaps it should come as
more alarming that COVICA apparently is taking no steps to dispell
this perception... This indicates to me that there is some subtle
shifting of intentions going on. It seems to me that COVICA and it's
members have fallen victim to the self-glorification syndrome, and
are intent upon garnering more control and status for themselves by
attempting to attract new members to both the Sanguinarium and to
COVICA itself by indicating, "Join up with us and become Official.
Join up with us and become someone of Importance with an Official
position of importance in an important International Council." Very
seductive, especially for social climbers and other individuals
interested in overnight important "community" positions, and who are
attracted to such positions for the wrong reasons. It all serves
ultimately to increase the Sanguinarium's spread and influence.

And what happens when it has completely blanketted the land, and the
lands beyond? I dare not express what possible outcome I foresee.
But, I don't want a part of it.

I have thusly resigned from my position in COVICA. I feel that the
Sanguinarium and COVICA do not represent the community of real
vampires. A copy of my resignation letter follows:

"To whom it may concern:

"I have given this a lot of thought and have come to a hard decision,
but one that I feel I must make. I regret to inform you that I am
resigning my COVICA membership. I no longer have the time or
resources to lend to this organization. I feel that this organization
no longer performs it's original function.

"Seeing how much this community has changed, I hope you all can
understand and respect my decision.

"Regards,

"Sanguinarius"

* * *

The Vampire Community Network

The VCN website was created in late July 2000 by the Gatekeeper of
St. Louis After Dark ( http://www.slad.net/ ) for the purpose of
reuniting and restoring the entire vampire community. During the
past few years, a major decline was seen throughout. Many different
vampire organizations had begun arguing amongst themselves and often
became at each others throats. This constant bickering caused many
prominent members of the vampire community to leave the groups that
they had come to enjoy being a part of. The increasing decline in
community members and activity left some organizations totally
destroyed, leaving only a broken trail of links to former sites, --
many of which contained some of the best information available.

What the Vampire Community Network intends to do is to restore our
community again. Its purpose is to not set standards for the entire
community, but to the let the community set the standards for
itself. By establishing local community-based vampire sites, it's
possible to bring together all its individual members in a way that
allows them to interact with other members of different vampire
organizations without interfering in their own groups' beliefs and
practises. In doing so, it will also help those members who would
normally be ostracized from the vampire community due to lack of
local resources and contacts.

The members of VCN realize that we are never all going to completely
agree, but at least we can try to help and understand. In doing so,
we will keep our community alive.

For more information, visit:

The Vampire Community Network
http://vcn.slad.net/

St. Louis After Dark
http://www.slad.net/

* * *

House of Nekhbet / House Quinotaur Merger

At the beginning of April, it was announced that, after months of
negotiations with House Quinotaur, the House of Nekhbet has joined
House Quinotaur and become the Order of Nekhbet. The Order of
Nekhbet's site says of this merger, "We believe that taking this step
will make us stronger in the community, and it will show to other
houses that if we work as one we can make the difference." The
merging of these two houses will strengthen each, and benefit members
of each with a broader range of experiences, allowing them to learn
more about vampirism. The merger has been met with enthusiasm and
excitement from members of both Houses.

According to my understanding, those who were members of the House of
Nekhbet are now members of the Order of Nekhbet, under House
Quinotaur. The Order is primarily a spiritual and social order, and
their "main foci being the Goddess Nekhbet and Kemetic culture along
with a healthy dose of friendship and silliness," as stated on the
Order of Nekbet's page at
http://www.paradoxboy.com/quinotaur/ordersnekhbet.html

Vampyryra, Founder of the House/Order of Nekhbet, writes, --

"Nekhbet was founded in 1999 in Argentina, the main idea in
those days
was to provide a serious site with information in Spanish,
but we also
realized that we needed a site in English so we created a
bilingual site
with information about vampirism in both Spanish and English.
We wanted
a place where you can learn and share. Right now I am
working on the new
translations to Spanish; I believe that this is very
important, as there
are many countries that speak Spanish and serious information
is needed.

"Nekhbet has been an international house/order since day one,
with members
in Chile, Scotland, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, etc. UNITY
is very
important; after all, all of us work for the same goals: …to
teach, to
search, and to help others. We might have our differences,
but maybe we
should look and see if the differences are such things, and
see how many
things we have in common."

Narradas writes of the founding of House Quinotaur:

"House Quinotaur was founded on May 2000 to provide a true
International
Resource for Real Vampires around the world. We feel that
currently, there
is a huge vacuum open in Vampire Society and an International
group of
Vampires, led by Real Vampires is needed. While we have the
highest respect
for the contribution other groups have made to Vampire
Society as a whole,
in all the various groups we each find something missing,
whether it is in
ideology, leadership, members or simply location. Each serves
a certain niche.
We hope to not only gain our own niche but also to open our
arms to associating
with Real Vampires of all the other ones at the same time." -
from the HQ
website, http://www.paradoxboy.com/quinotaur/founding.html

The House of Nekhbet's site: http://www.geocities.com/houseofnekhbet/
House Quinotaur's site: http://www.paradoxboy.com/quinotaur/

For more information, please visit
http://www.paradoxboy.com/quinotaur/honhq.html

* * *

The Grey Ribbon Campaign

Lifezbluud.net has started a campaign to help preserve and bring
attention to old abandoned graveyards. The Grey Ribbon Campaign
serves to increase public awareness while also acting to collect
information and records through its members to form a database of
graveyards that could be considered high-risk when it comes to
relocation or destruction. The campaign need alls the supporters we
can get. It's just starting but it's a noble enough cause.

"Rest In Peace"? I Don't Think So...
What does relocation mean?
Real estate developers buy up cemeteries considered to
be "abandoned", and then put all the tombstones in one place, yet
bury the bodies in a mass grave somewhere off grounds, so they can
turn the cemetery into a housing development. And in some cases,
they don't even need to tell the families of the deceased by law.
This means that when you die and get buried, there is a good chance
your body may eventually be moved to somewhere else or dumped in a
lot without your family being notified. And if they don't know, then
they can't very well make alternative arrangements to give you a
decent reburial somewhere else.

Also...
There are some established and "business-oriented" cemeteries which
have actually already started double-stacking coffins in some plots.
Your grave could very well be on top of one or two others from a
hundred years ago. They are reselling the plots which have already
been sold to others in the past in order to do this.

So you see, even though people generally don't like to think about
what happens when they die or how they will die, they need to think
about what is going to happen after they and their loved ones are
gone.

Please join us in support of this noble, often overlooked cause.
Technically, you will be investing in your own future, and that of
your loved ones. If you want more details on how you can help,
please visit http://www.lifezbluud.net/grey.htm

Help us make the public aware of this problem so that people can take
the steps necessary to Fight for our right to rest in peace when we
die.


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

SITE UPDATES:

The site redesign is coming along quite nicely. I'm using templates
combined with SSI to bring a uniform look throughout the entire
site. It should look more professional plus load faster. It should
certainly make updating it and adding additional pages and
information a breeze!

I've done some site and directory restructuring to make
Sanguinarius.org less labyrinthine. Also, all the pages now have an
*.shtml extension now (necessary for SSI), rather than the old *.htm,
so if you have a site which links to Sanguinarius.org or any pages
thereon, please check the link(s) and update your page. Also, if you
know of any other pages which has links to Sanguinarius.org, please
let the webmaster/mistress know, too! Thanks much.

Yay! I *finally* got the Site Search function to work properly
(after all this time)! -- It turns out that the script that runs it
had a single " (quotation mark) missing at the beginning of one of
the variables. *sigh* I'm just lucky that I found it incidentally
as I was checking the script settings for the new server I'm on.

I've created a page for contributors' credit and information for
those who have contributed materials to Sanguinarius.org. This is at
http://www.sanguinarius.org/contributors.shtml

Also put up a Privacy Policy Statement, which is located at
http://www.sanguinarius.org/privacy.shtml -- Yay! Now people can
officially rest assured that I won't sell their info to any third
parties. :)

I installed an online page rating / feedback system. You'll see it
floating in the bottom right hand corner of your screen when you
access pages at Sanguinarius.org. It finally works, too! Visitors
click the icon and can provide feedback on and rate the particular
page.

And, last but not least, I installed a InterTran translation tool on
the site so that people of foreign tongues can view the pages in
their own language. The system does have a few limitations:

- Although visitors have the ability to view information in their own
language, they may be unable to submit forms, such as posting
messages or adding an event to the calendar. Solution: Load up the
original, English version of the page or form in order to submit the
information you wish to.

- Trying to use InterTran to translate the page to a different
language WHILE ALREADY VIEWING A TRANSLATED VERSION OF THE PAGE will
bring some error message. Example: The Intro page is originally in
English. I use the InterTran tool to translate it into Spanish.
While viewing the Spanish translation, I try to use the InterTran
tool to translate it into, say, Japanese. It loads a page that tells
me something about using InterTran more than my limit. Solution:
Clcik back to the original, English page, and THEN choose another
language to translate it into. (There is no limit on how many pages
you can use InterTran to translate.)

- Waiting on InterTran to translate a page can be a bit slow.
Sometimes it may take a few minutes. If, after a minute or three, it
seems that no progress is being made to translate it, click
on "Stop", then refresh/reload the page. Don't rush to do this too
quickly; as I said, the translation may take a few minutes to appear.

- Sometimes you may get the following message: "Too many translation
requests by millions of users. Please click here or try again
later." Solution: Be patient, and try it again in a few minutes.

----------

The Vampiric Community Message & Support Board (
http://www.sanguinarius.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi )

The message board is back online! Sorry for any delays, folks!

The board currently has 114 registered members!

Note: Those who register will need to provide a valid email address
in order to receive notifications of replies to their posts (if they
choose that option on a post), recieve their password by email, etc.
I will not spam anybody, nor will I sell, trade or otherwise
ditribute their email addresses to third parties.

* * *

The Real Vampire Directory ( http://www.sanguinarius.org/cgi-
bin/links/pages/ )

The Directory is back online, too!

If you maintain or know of a real vampire-related site or resource
for the vampire community which is not listed in The Real Vampire
Directory, I encourage you to submit the information via the
submission form located at http://www.sanguinarius.org/cgi-
bin/links/add.cgi

When you visit a site from The Real Vampire Directory, please take a
moment to rate the site on a scale of 1 to 10, to let others know how
useful it is; you can do this from the site's listing in the
Directory.

Also, if you click on a link and it leads to a site that is not there
anymore, please report the dead link by using the "Report Dead Link"
feature next to each site's listing. It just takes a moment and
it'll help keep the Directory fresh and up-to-date. Thanks much.

* * *

Guidelines, Tips & Advice ( http://www.sanguinarius.org/guide.shtml )

Please make note of the new URL.

- Just a note to let you know to also check out the Vampiric
Community Message Board, which has many tips and advice archived in
the messages, plus current discussions with lots of good information.

* * *

New Articles ( http://www.sanguinarius.org/articles.shtml )

Please make note of the new URL.

After all the frustration about finding the missing part two of
Vyrdolak's Informative post on the history and evolution of the
word "vampire", and adding the article to the archive, I found I
already had it! Boy, do I feel dumb! (But, hey...I have 45 articles
on the site, so it's kind of hard to keep track of them all.) I
found it while redesigning the site and converting the old pages to
the new style.

I've removed the duplicate articles (Parts 1 and 2), and retitled /
summarized the original article as follows:

"Who are the 'True Vampires'?; or, The Evolution of the Meaning of
the Word 'Vampire', Parts 1, 2 & 3. Vyrdolak takes an historical look
at the way the meaning of the word "vampire" has changed over time,
and the difficulties with categorically defining who is a "vampire"
today. (Added: 16 July, 2000)

- Added "Coming Out". An article with some advice about 'coming out
of the coffin' to somebody, and also some questions you need to ask
yourself beforehand; from an exchange originally posted to the Red
Elixir Message Board. (Added: 4 April, 2002)

- Added "Reality or Something Like It", by Daemien Kaen. A treatise
on reality and how it can be manipulated. (Added: 29 April, 2002)

More articles on the way, so stay tuned.

* * *

VampFangs Store (
http://www.vampfangs.com/show.cgi/Sanguinarius/index.html )

VampFangs offers more than just custom, affordable vampire fangs. In
addition to a variety of different styles of fangs, we also have
scarab pendants in a variety of colors. We have the new Werewolf
Fangs and the New 14K GOLD Fangs! Go check these out!

* * *

#Sanguinarius ( http://www.sanguinarius.org/~irc/ )

This site is back online.

Those of you who have used the web-based chat applet to access
#Sanguinarius on dal.net have no doubt encountered the
annoying "register me" nag message after everything you type. I am
doing what I can to register the script so that you will no longer
have to deal with that. Also, when I do, then you'll be able to use
an upgraded version of the applet. I'll keep you posted.

* * *

Sanguinarius: The Vampire Support WebRing
http://j.webring.com/hub?ring=vampsupport
http://www.sanguinarius.org/vampsupport/vsring.htm

If you have submitted a site to be added to the ring and not yet been
approved or heard back from me, please be patient. I am behind, but
will eventually get to where I can review your site. Thanks for your
patience and understanding.

I am considering finding and installing a script and move the Vampire
Support Webring onto my own site, as I have been extremely
dissatisfied with the WebRing since Yahoo took it over and shot it
all to hell. :(


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

SITES TO CHECK OUT:

Migraine Triggers and Treatment
http://www.drinkdeeplyanddream.com/realvampire/vampireguide701.html
Migraines are common among real vampires. I have suffered Migraines
for years. Here are some things I've found which trigger migraine
headaches and treatments I have found to help. Also, resources for
further learning.

'The Scarlet Moon' Classified Ads - UK
http://pub31.bravenet.com/classified/show.asp?usernum=2656694686&cpv=1
Looking for a donor, soulmate, mentor or just friends? Then post an
ad on the classifieds board.... For those in the UK (United Kingdom).

The Australian Vampire
http://www.angelfire.com/darkside2/austvamp/
The only specifically Australian real vampire support site.

A Brief Guide to Safe Bloodletting
http://www.choronzon.com/vamp/bloodletting.html
A short guide to bloodletting, primarily including details on the use
of needles and scalpels, and advice on safety.


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

If you have found this resource helpful and would like to make a
donation, even a few dollars, please follow the link below:
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=Sanguinarius%
40sanguinarius.org&item_name=Sanguinarius.org&item_number=Sanguinarius
&return=http%
3A//www.sanguinarius.org/vampire.shtml&cancel_return=http%
3A//www.sanguinarius.org/vampire.shtml

SANGUINARIUS SEEKING SUBMISSIONS:

I'm looking for articles on and for vampires / vampirism: blood,
psychic vampires, the Vampyre lifestyle, etc.; contributions
to "Problems Vampires Have", "Fun Vampires Have", the "Vampire Guide,
Tips, & Advice", -- send them in to Sanguinarius@...!
I'll give you credit and an email/page link if you want, just let me
know what to put and who to credit, and include the section it's for
in the Subject line.

If you have any news tidbits or announcements that you feel would be
a useful inclusion for the next newsletter (out next month), please
feel free to pass them on to me at Sanguinarius@...?
Subject=SANG_NEWS_ITEM. I can't possibly be aware of everything that
is going on, or of interest to my newsletter subscribers. Thanks!

The cutoff date for sending items to be included in the next edition
is two (2) days before the end of the month. Unless it is a special
announcement meant for immediate release. If you're planning an
event or gathering, please send in your information / announcement at
least three (3) months prior to the event date. This will allow
enough time for people to make plans and/or save up to attend after
the notice is released. (And don't forget to add it to the Vampiric
Community Calendar, too!)

If anybody is willing to help out with translating and mirroring
translated information from Sanguinarius: The Vampire Support Page,
please get in touch with me at Sanguinarius@... so we
can talk about this.


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

To view the archives of Sanguinarius News and Updates, go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sang-news

Please feel free to forward this News and Updates to your friends.

To subscribe, send an email to sang-news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, send an email to sang-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

"Fang in there!"
\{^^^^}/

--Sanguinarius

Sanguinarius@...
AIM: SangiVamp (Not Sanguinarius)
ICQ: 10090596 (Sanguinarius)

Sanguinarius.Org for Real Vampires
Sanguinarius: The Vampire Support Page
~~~http://www.sanguinarius.org/

The Real Vampire Directory
~~~http://www.sanguinarius.org/cgi-bin/links/pages/

The Vampiric Community Calendar
~~~http://www.sanguinarius.org/cgi-bin/calendar/calendar.cgi?
calendar=default

#Sanguinarius Real Vampire Chat on Irc.Dal.Net
~~~http://www.sanguinarius.org/~irc/