Below is part two of my previous article: How Marilyn Manson's Upcoming Concert in Ferrara Became Italy's Most Controversial Cultural Event . For nearly three months, Marilyn Manson's scheduled appearance at the Ferrara Summer Festival was discussed less as a concert than as a cultural battleground. What began in April with an offhand remark by Mayor Alan Fabbri during a radio interview quickly grew into one of Italy's most unusual public controversies, drawing in city officials, the Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, politicians, journalists, and commentators across the country. By the time July 11 arrived, the debate had become as much about religion, politics, and artistic freedom as it was about music. Yet when the evening finally came, something unexpected happened. The controversy largely disappeared. Instead of headlines dominated by protests or confrontation, Ferrara witnessed exactly what the city had spent month...
The Confession of Ann Putnam How many of you know who Ann Putnam was? It is a name we should all know. Ann Putnam was born in Salem, Massachusetts on October 18, 1679, the eldest of twelve children. Most famously, she was one of the prime accusers at the Salem Witch Trials. Though a primary accuser, Ann wasn't one of the original accusers. She was friends with some of the girls who claimed to be afflicted by witchcraft and, in March 1692, proclaimed to be afflicted herself, along with Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Abigail Williams, and Mary Warren. Putnam is responsible for the accusations of 62 people, which, along with the accusations of others, resulted in the executions of twenty people, as well as the deaths of several others in prison. Fellow accuser Mercy Lewis was a servant in the Putnam household, and Mary Walcott was, perhaps, Ann's best friend. These three girls would become the first afflicted girls outside of the Parris household. Multiple accusers,...