Featured Post

Operation: All Clear - The Oklahoma City Bombing

Oklahoma City Bombing The Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 was alleged to have been carried-out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols (alone...

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Great Pyramid Explained?

Giza
Ascent of the Great Pyramid
French architect, Jean-Pierre Houdin, said the Great Pyramid was actually built from the inside out, using a corkscrew ramp some 10-15 meters beneath the outer shell -- basically a pyramid within the Great Pyramid.

Using 3D technology, he gave what was said to be an impressive display of his findings.  He teamed up with a French 3D company, Dassault Systemes, which put 14 engineers on the project for 2 years.  Many were apparently swayed by the presentation and Houdin's belief in his theory, but all agree that it is still just another theory.

If correct, Houdin believes that as few as 4000 men could have built the structure, as compared to the 100,000 previously assumed.   As far as the curse of the Pyramids, Houdin brushed it off, saying, "What could happen to me, except that Khufu would thank me?"

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Circumcision Fights HIV

Do you ever get tired of being right? I do, and yet it happens so often that I've just become accustomed.

Health officials are now urging heterosexual men to get circumcised in order to fight HIV. There is compelling new evidence which suggests that it can cut the risk of contracting the disease by up to 60%. There is no real evidence that the procedure will have a major impact on homosexual men or men who engage in homosexual sex.

Of course, circumcision is not an effective means of avoiding the disease. Anyone who has sex should always take further precautions - namely using a condom and limiting the number of sexual partners. But this single step could curb HIV and the spread of AIDS by over half - particularly important in countries where the disease is not restricted to sex workers, homosexuals, and/or intravenous drug users.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Modem Woes

Sorry kids, if you haven't been reading any of the related blogs, then you might not have known that my modem got fried last week. I got a new one, but it came with incompatible drivers and even though I've since received the correct ones, I can't burn them to disk here at the library, so I'm stuck until I figure out a way to get them downloaded and installed.

Luckily, I'm getting the old 98 box back either today or tomorrow and then I can take care of everything that way. Of course, it may still take a little troubleshooting to get exactly right, but rest assured, we'll be back to regular in no time.

I know I haven't been spending as much time here as I normally did on the old blog, but it's simply because there's been so much going on IRL the last 3-4 months. In fact, I am preparing to go on a vacation in a month or two (just before it gets really hot in the summer) and it'll be the first vacation I've taken... well, pretty much ever (I mean since I was a kid, you know). It still remains to be seen as to whether or not I can actually afford it and there's been a lot of other turmoil here and there with bounced checks, fried modems, missing payments, and so forth, which has really kind of killed my will to write at all, about anything.

At any rate, I am still working and have actually put together some interesting pieces I plan to post as soon as everything gets back to what passes for normal around here.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Freshwater Concerns Plague WWF

No, not the rasslin outfit (that changed its name to WWE); the World Wildlife Foundation. They have released a report indicating as many as ten of the world's most important rivers are in danger from such diverse factors as damming, pollution, biodiversity, and over extension as water sources. Rivers include the Nile and the Rio Grande, among others.

The WWF is urging world governments to take more consideration of freshwater sources - not just as a natural resource, but as a true environmental and human concern, as well as a matter of national security! These factors have led to a "river crisis" which could have great effects on much of humanity. The report was released in advance of World Water Day (the 22nd).

Of course, this was drafted about 5 days ago, before the modem blew on my box...

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Black Jesus Captured

What is up with all the Jesus hoopla lately? First this guy from Miami with the 666 on his arm, telling his devotees to get the same sign tattooed on their bodies, now this "black Jesus." But this cat has apparently been on the run for a few years now, thanks to accusations of sacrificial killings, cannibalism, slavery, and more.

Officials say Steven Tari killed and ate three women he had recruited as sex slaves. He fled from police two years ago and disappeared into the jungles of New Papua. He called himself the "true Christ" and promised his followers great wealth and redemption. He apparently had dozens of sex slaves.

Reports say he was captured by villagers and beaten so badly that he has been unfit to face trial.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Malaria

Scientists have been working on a strain of genetically-modified mosquitoes in the US. After nine generations, up to 70% of the mosquitoes have survived feeding on Malaria-infected mice. Scientists hope to release these new mosquitoes into the wild so they will take over the population. The mosquitoes laid more eggs and had a higher survival rate.

Africa has up to 90% of all Malaria-related deaths. A child dies of Malaria in Africa every 30 seconds. I had no idea! Poor Africa has the most disease-related deaths of any country, do they not? AIDS, Malaria - a lot of diseases that are largely preventable and hardly even present in most of the rest of the world. I understand that it is a poor country, but some may not realize that Africa has a history of denying help from other countries and resisting change.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Sources

Sources are a funny thing with the paranormal for two major reasons.  For one, whenever you don't include one, skeptics use that to discount the report.  The other is that a lot of sources tend to repeat stories -- secondhand information that gets into third- and fourth- and fifth- hand accounts of the same, basic story.

One of the most infamous of these was one that I had originally heard happened in Tennessee: A man walked across his front yard in plain view of his family and a neighbor and, when he turned to wave goodbye to them, he simply disappeared from sight!  This story was repeated so often, with only minor changes here and there, that it was eventually accepted as one of the Unexplained stories everyone assumed to be true because... well, it had to be, right?

Several years ago, an intrepid researcher got down to brass tacks and followed the story all the way down to find out -- it didn't exist!  How did he do it?  He tracked down the newspaper in which the story was supposed to have appeared, as listed in one of the earliest books containing the account, and went through their morgue.  He found the paper and read it from front to back, and the story simply did not exist.

The actual story behind that research is a bit more complex, but it just goes to show that, much like a modern day Schliemann (who picked up a trowel and dug up Troy), the researcher simply followed the source given and discovered the article did not exist.  Was this a hoax?   Probably.  The Indian Rope Trick was; it was published on April 1st and even said, "April Fool's!" at the end of it.  But, the idea so captivated readers that movies were made purporting to show the trick and others went in search of fakirs who could perform it.

The problem with finding "original" sources for many of these accounts is that they are usually astronomical in price.   I have been quite lucky in my time to have read many of the "golden books" in the field (though I had no idea of their status then), and even managed to acquire several over the years.  While the sources we use here vary and are given whenever possible, here are six, major books from which we both cull stories and compare new ones to:
  • Eyewitness to History: Easily one of the greatest books ever - written? compiled? - put together, editor John Carey collects the original documents and firsthand accounts concerning history's most important events, people, places, and times.
  • Mysteries of the Unexplained (1982): Still one of the preeminent authorities on all things Unknown, this tome is well-crafted, copiously illustrated, and extensively researched. One of the very few books on the subject I have at my disposal in which I've found startlingly few errors or omissions.
  • Phenomena: A Book of Wonders: One of the true great authorities within the field, you're going to be hard-pressed to find a good copy of this one for under $15-20.00 and, believe me, that's a steal! I got mine off of an obscure web-based auction site you might not have heard of... e... something or other, and it came from across the Pond there, but it was worth every penny. You'll notice that this book is quoted as a source in most all others on the subject.
  • Unexplained!: An exhaustive, though not always accurate, collection of stories and accounts, this one is what I like to call a third-hand source. Most of the stories and accounts collected herein are drawn from other written sources, making it one of the least credible of the primary sources from which we work, but that's not to say Clark didn't do his homework - this is about as near replete a collection of the Unknown as one could hope for. I just wish he'd checked and double-checked his sources a bit better. Still, he manages to throw in many, many stories and legends even I had never heard of. Great read - in fact, I literally could not put this book down for the 2-3 days it took me to read it, cover-to-cover!
  • An Underground Education: This book should be required reading material for everyone over the age of 17. This book should be taught in colleges - no, eff that - this book should be taught in highschools. If you have not read this book, I honestly do not think you know Thing One about History in any regard. An absolute treasure for the historian, an absolute must-read for everyone.
  • Mind & Magic: This repository is one of the true unsung heroes within the field. King not only collects stories and accounts, but relates the concepts in-depth, and even manages to give real examples (of spells, practices, items, and much more). This is a serious Occult primer book to which many might object, but the information it contains is invaluable to the serious paranormal expert.
Of course, there are literally dozens of others to which I refer constantly and read occasionally.  These, though, are the primary sources from which The OddBlog most often draws.  Many times, when we quote sources, if these are among them, we will simply link to this post.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

This is the New Home for the Old Weirding

For those of you just joining the fray, this is the rundown on the history of the whole mess:

I started the BlogCharm blog, The Weirding, several months back.  It was dedicated to the paranormal, supernatural, ufology, and all such as that.  I got up to like $11.00 on there, then they sent me an e-mail, explaining that they couldn't afford to pay anyone right now -- well, that they were looking into differences in tax laws between here and Canada, but whatever their beady little eyes and flapping heads said, it was because they didn't have the money.  I say this with authority because they then sent me a post, explaining how they had been miscalculating money, then another saying my whole $11.00 was now a whopping $1.53.

Shades o' Google AdSense!

For anyone to whom $11.00 over the course of eight months doesn't mean something, you should be aware that I had to make a concerted effort to get off my ass and find shit to blog about -- even on days when there wasn't anything, and I honestly didn't feel like fucking with it -- and I did this for more than nine months to make $11.00.  Then was told the most I had made was $1.53 -- but I wouldn't even get that until I had made at least $8.47 more!

I felt ripped-off.  Doubly so after I sent them not one, but two, "customer service tickets" over not one, but nearly two, weeks... and they finally responded with a simple, "Dear Sucker..." letter -- one I can't even reprint here for you because it is a violation of their TOS.  And I'll tell you why I'm playing their little game:

I tried to go over there and start deleting posts in order to move them over here?  Wouldn't let me.  No joke.  In other words, everything already posted over there is stuck there; I can't delete it as I wish, nor do with it what I want.

BlogCharm not only ripped my skinny, cracked, white ass off, they also usurped my original content and material!

So I moved the blog over here and I'm going to post the kind of stuff that makes people come back.  A lot.  I've been reading/researching these subjects my entire life, and have countless books I've collected over the years -- some of which have come from as far away as England, Australia, and Parts Unknown -- which delve into pretty much every aspect of the Weird and Unknown that has been tapped thus far.

And I'm going to continue to beat-up on them.  Just now and again, when I want to.

UPDATE:  They went under years ago.  I opened TheWeirding.net in 2006, and the .COM was promptly cybersquatter by some cocksucker out of China.  It has since been usurped by the DOJ working out of TX under the ISIS banner, running through Canada as Google, Ltd.  This is how those motherfuckers get around the FISA "restrictions."  And why they are an Immediate Threat (IT) to all American civilians. - 2018

Friday, March 9, 2007

Coma Patient Awake Briefly

A woman who has been in a coma for nearly six years briefly awoke for about three days before slipping back into her comatose state. Doctors are saying this is unprecedented, but I have heard of at least one other case and it wasn't so long ago. Also an American, the man had been in a coma for years, but then awoke for a few days before going back into one - and this was just a few years back, if that!

At any rate, the woman was able to tell her mother that she was fine and she felt okay. She said she learning to talk was the hardest part, but eating was easy. She even gave a local TV station an interview before going back into her coma.

I think this a great opportunity for doctors to learn more about comatose patients, the very state itself, and much more - if they seize it! I'm particularly interested in what it is that causes this state, specifically in this woman's case. It seems to go without saying that it has something to do with the brain, but what exactly? Could it be an emotional response to something traumatic in her past, or even her own mind shutting itself down to protect her from some damage - real or imagined? Could it be an altered state of consciousness or an actual physical defect or factor?

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Terms

As noted in the former version of this blog, we will be taking on specific terms in order to label and organize the stories we bring you. The idea is to develop a very specific and fairly rigid system of tagging that allows readers to use the blog as much for actual research as just fun to read.

We take the paranormal and related concepts very seriously. Sure, some of it is obvious fakery, others are far more clever and complex hoaxes, but a good portion of what is often termed The Unknown is, in fact, inexplicable.

However, UFO reports do not - so far as we know now - have anything to do with accounts of ghosts, for example. Even if we find out later on down the road that the two are somehow related, almost no one experiences them in the same context. While both encounters may cause the viewer fear, he's obviously going to come away from the UFO encounter with a completely different experience than he would a ghostly one and most people who have these encounters experience a lot of the same circumstances and happenings. We'd tag one UFO and the other Supernatural, instead of tagging them both Unknown, for example.

Obviously, there is going to be some crossover from time to time. Psychic phenomena best illustrates this: purists make a separation between telekinesis and psychokinesis. The former being the ability to commune with spirits and have them move objects for you; psychokinesis is the ability to move objects through the sheer force of one's will or mental energy. Of course, all of this is theoretical, so we have no real way of knowing how such things are done unless the person doing it informs us ("I talk to a male voice and it moves things for me"), so the system will take shape over the course of time spent here, and all suggestions are welcome.

It also has to do with popular usage, known terms, and so on. There is an obscure paranormal phrase I like to use to describe recurring hauntings, veridical imagery or afterimage. I did not create it, but I like the way it sounds, and I think it's power lies in its specificity. Recurring "event" hauntings are well-documented and specialists overwhelmingly tend to agree that they are probably caused by the strength of the emotions that were experienced at the time the event happened - that these emotions somehow "burned" their way into the atmosphere in that area and they surface at a specific time and replay like a recorded image. In general, specialists do not necessarily think that the images involved are actual "spirits" in the way we popularly perceive them - intelligent, animate spirits who can make choices and interact with the living - instead, they are simply recorded images of spirits. That's why I like the phrase; it's specificity communicates this exact concept. But since it is so obscure, I'm not sure if using it would be prudent.

The thing about these event hauntings is that Eastern spirituality suggests that those who take their own lives are doomed to repeat the event eternally. Kind of makes you wonder if those spirits are just hollow, imagistic impressions in the atmosphere, or The Damned, themselves...

At any event, we'll discuss more about tags and how to use them, as well as which tags we're employing and how, as we go along.