A new mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania.
The Rhynochocyon udzungwensis is a type of giant shrew, also known as a sengi, was caught on camera. Roughly the size of a small housecat, it looks kind of like an anteater, with a long, narrow snout and bristly, rust-colored hair all over its body.
Despite the name, the creature actually is not related to the shrew. Elephant shrews are only found in Africa and the name comes from a mistake made by those who first discovered them, due to their physical similarities to shrews from Europe and America. It really is related to anteaters, however.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The paranormal, the Supernatural, the odd and Unexplained
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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...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sci-Fi's UFO Hunters - A Review
So, we discussed History Channel's UFO Hunters, as well as why there are two shows with the same name and why they both premiered on the same night in the same timeslot. This is the review of Sci-Fi Channel's reality show, UFO Hunters.
From the same guys that bring us Ghost Hunters, UFO Hunters is a reality show featuring NY-SPI (New York Strange Phenomena Investigators) and the cases they investigate. Dedicated to UFO sightings, Ufology, and abduction cases, NY-SPI was founded in 2006 and is based in Manhattan.
They take what they do extremely seriously and all of the members are highly-trained in other fields. They bring their knowledge of these related fields, including psychology and research, to bear on their investigations along with top-notch equipment, and the result is a truly interesting addition to Sci-Fi's growing Hunters series.
Like the other programs in the line, UFO Hunters showcases two investigations in 30-minute slots. Last nights' were interesting, though I found the whole abduction angle in the second one to be reaching (to say the very least). Of course, I am still very much on the fence when it comes to UFO abductions; I thoroughly believe some people have had genuine contact and were the victims of abduction, but I also believe investigators are far too quick to jump at such cases.
Abductions, or "close encounters of the fourth kind," are the "Holy Grail" of ufology and every time I am confronted with such a case, I cringe. Again, I honestly believe some people have had some sort of abduction experience, but I would venture to say less than 25% of those who are thought to have had such close encounters actually did. I have no way of verifying/proving this and no statistics to back me up; this is just a number I suggest - about 1/4 of those who claim, or are thought, to have been abducted actually have. With this in mind, I did not appreciate the latter half of the show.
There really isn't much to say about Sci-Fi's UFO Hunters. It is exactly what you think it is: Ghost Hunters with UFOs. The set-up, the premise, the production, the format, the presentation - all the same as the other programs in the Hunters line. And just like those shows, the investigators are earnest, dedicated, serious-minded, and professional - same show, different "monster."
All in all, I have to say I prefer History Channel's UFO Hunters to Sci-Fi's, but since Sci-Fi rushed this one episode out the door for legal purposes, I do not believe that it is a fair assessment. If it makes it to the airwaves on an extended basis, I will definitely be covering it, so for now, I will simply say that History Channel's UFO Hunters is more in-depth, better put-together, and simply more interesting. This one will be more popular with younger audiences and the mainstream crowd, though.
Again, temper this with the fact that I tend to dismiss 75% of all abduction claims out of hand.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
From the same guys that bring us Ghost Hunters, UFO Hunters is a reality show featuring NY-SPI (New York Strange Phenomena Investigators) and the cases they investigate. Dedicated to UFO sightings, Ufology, and abduction cases, NY-SPI was founded in 2006 and is based in Manhattan.
They take what they do extremely seriously and all of the members are highly-trained in other fields. They bring their knowledge of these related fields, including psychology and research, to bear on their investigations along with top-notch equipment, and the result is a truly interesting addition to Sci-Fi's growing Hunters series.
Like the other programs in the line, UFO Hunters showcases two investigations in 30-minute slots. Last nights' were interesting, though I found the whole abduction angle in the second one to be reaching (to say the very least). Of course, I am still very much on the fence when it comes to UFO abductions; I thoroughly believe some people have had genuine contact and were the victims of abduction, but I also believe investigators are far too quick to jump at such cases.
Abductions, or "close encounters of the fourth kind," are the "Holy Grail" of ufology and every time I am confronted with such a case, I cringe. Again, I honestly believe some people have had some sort of abduction experience, but I would venture to say less than 25% of those who are thought to have had such close encounters actually did. I have no way of verifying/proving this and no statistics to back me up; this is just a number I suggest - about 1/4 of those who claim, or are thought, to have been abducted actually have. With this in mind, I did not appreciate the latter half of the show.
There really isn't much to say about Sci-Fi's UFO Hunters. It is exactly what you think it is: Ghost Hunters with UFOs. The set-up, the premise, the production, the format, the presentation - all the same as the other programs in the Hunters line. And just like those shows, the investigators are earnest, dedicated, serious-minded, and professional - same show, different "monster."
All in all, I have to say I prefer History Channel's UFO Hunters to Sci-Fi's, but since Sci-Fi rushed this one episode out the door for legal purposes, I do not believe that it is a fair assessment. If it makes it to the airwaves on an extended basis, I will definitely be covering it, so for now, I will simply say that History Channel's UFO Hunters is more in-depth, better put-together, and simply more interesting. This one will be more popular with younger audiences and the mainstream crowd, though.
Again, temper this with the fact that I tend to dismiss 75% of all abduction claims out of hand.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Women's Health
*This is a Sponsored Post*
You might be asking yourself, "What in the world does a nerdy guy know about women's health?" Well, it's a fair question; the truth is that I am neither a doctor, nutritionist, pharmacist, nor... a woman. But I know enough to tell you about a great product when I see one. and I have played all of those on TV... okay, not really.
Women's health is closely tied to their menstrual cycles and development, and they are always on the lookout for products that address these needs. Now the experts at UltraPMS.com have some good news: Renaissance natural progesterone cream is great for all stages of a woman's life.
Progesterone Cream helps minimize cramps, balance chemical levels, fight estrogen-induced weight-gain, and much more. It is an all-natural product found in the body and the only known side-effects are drowsiness, which only occurs at high, high levels.
A great product that is actually what it says it is (no Wild Yams in this batch!). Follow the link for more information.
You might be asking yourself, "What in the world does a nerdy guy know about women's health?" Well, it's a fair question; the truth is that I am neither a doctor, nutritionist, pharmacist, nor... a woman. But I know enough to tell you about a great product when I see one. and I have played all of those on TV... okay, not really.
Women's health is closely tied to their menstrual cycles and development, and they are always on the lookout for products that address these needs. Now the experts at UltraPMS.com have some good news: Renaissance natural progesterone cream is great for all stages of a woman's life.
Progesterone Cream helps minimize cramps, balance chemical levels, fight estrogen-induced weight-gain, and much more. It is an all-natural product found in the body and the only known side-effects are drowsiness, which only occurs at high, high levels.
A great product that is actually what it says it is (no Wild Yams in this batch!). Follow the link for more information.
History Channel's UFO Hunters - A Review
If you are confused by the two UFO Hunters shows, I discussed them in an earlier post. This entry reviews The History Channel's UFO Hunters, filmed under the working title, UFO Road Trip.
Last night's debut of the new, ongoing reality series, UFO Hunters, from The History Channel was pretty darned good. While the criticisms I've heard include how the foci of the show are older (and bad) actors, I did not find that distracting. It actually lent more credence to the whole thing for me; reality shows with polished performers can sometimes come across as manufactured, such as with Ghost Hunters' Live Halloween Special.
Don't get me wrong, I am not so naive as to think that reality shows are not staged, but those reality programs which are completely manufactured are pretty easy to see through (usually). The UFO Hunters just seemed a little too aware of the cameras, as well as themselves - and I noticed the same with Sci-Fi's cast, so it shouldn't be counted against them too much. I'm sure they will get better at the whole thing once they get used to it.
One of the selling-points of this series is the History Channel name and they definitely lived up to that much of it. The investigations were carried-out by professionals and were far more traditional in nature than those featured on similar investigative shows. These cats get down to the nitty-grit of microfiche, newspaper clippings, contacting living relatives, and the like. Of course, they viewed the scene of the investigation and searched for evidence there, but they were accompanied by an actual archaeologist who was also an expert on the geographical area in which they were investigating.
They did not just "troubleshoot" or "debunk" rumors and claims; they took the evidence into actual scientific labs and put them to the litmus test - literally! They did not prove anything concretely so much as lend credence to the possibilities others had forwarded; through scientific-based investigation, they showed that some of the "crazy" rumors and ideas that other investigators might have dismissed as "conspiracy theories" or "quackery" were at least theoretically valid. The criticism here could be that they worked to try and "prove" such things could be true more than they did to debunk anything, but I don't feel that way; it is simply a different approach to the matter. No matter how they went about it, there is no disputing that their investigation was scientifically-based.
And this old-fashioned detective work methodology paid-off in a big way for their investigation last night... even though they raised more questions than they answered. But, hey, that's what a good investigation should do, if nothing else!
While The History Channel's UFO Hunters might not appeal to younger viewers, it is definitely on the high-end of the scale for such reality programming. A bit slower-paced, more traditional in their approach, and far less flashy than competitors, UFO Hunters is a solid presentation. While similar groups investigate more recent cases, the UFO Hunters are dredging through older ones - cases which have received enough attention to be deemed truly "unexplained" - collecting new evidence and putting old clues together. Given the very nature of what they are doing, they stand a much better chance of uncovering some truly useful Ufological information than groups working on newer cases.
Recommended.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Last night's debut of the new, ongoing reality series, UFO Hunters, from The History Channel was pretty darned good. While the criticisms I've heard include how the foci of the show are older (and bad) actors, I did not find that distracting. It actually lent more credence to the whole thing for me; reality shows with polished performers can sometimes come across as manufactured, such as with Ghost Hunters' Live Halloween Special.
Don't get me wrong, I am not so naive as to think that reality shows are not staged, but those reality programs which are completely manufactured are pretty easy to see through (usually). The UFO Hunters just seemed a little too aware of the cameras, as well as themselves - and I noticed the same with Sci-Fi's cast, so it shouldn't be counted against them too much. I'm sure they will get better at the whole thing once they get used to it.
One of the selling-points of this series is the History Channel name and they definitely lived up to that much of it. The investigations were carried-out by professionals and were far more traditional in nature than those featured on similar investigative shows. These cats get down to the nitty-grit of microfiche, newspaper clippings, contacting living relatives, and the like. Of course, they viewed the scene of the investigation and searched for evidence there, but they were accompanied by an actual archaeologist who was also an expert on the geographical area in which they were investigating.
They did not just "troubleshoot" or "debunk" rumors and claims; they took the evidence into actual scientific labs and put them to the litmus test - literally! They did not prove anything concretely so much as lend credence to the possibilities others had forwarded; through scientific-based investigation, they showed that some of the "crazy" rumors and ideas that other investigators might have dismissed as "conspiracy theories" or "quackery" were at least theoretically valid. The criticism here could be that they worked to try and "prove" such things could be true more than they did to debunk anything, but I don't feel that way; it is simply a different approach to the matter. No matter how they went about it, there is no disputing that their investigation was scientifically-based.
And this old-fashioned detective work methodology paid-off in a big way for their investigation last night... even though they raised more questions than they answered. But, hey, that's what a good investigation should do, if nothing else!
While The History Channel's UFO Hunters might not appeal to younger viewers, it is definitely on the high-end of the scale for such reality programming. A bit slower-paced, more traditional in their approach, and far less flashy than competitors, UFO Hunters is a solid presentation. While similar groups investigate more recent cases, the UFO Hunters are dredging through older ones - cases which have received enough attention to be deemed truly "unexplained" - collecting new evidence and putting old clues together. Given the very nature of what they are doing, they stand a much better chance of uncovering some truly useful Ufological information than groups working on newer cases.
Recommended.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
UFO Hunters vs... UFO Hunters?
I told you sometime back that The History Channel was premiering their new series, UFO Hunters, last night. Imagine my surprise when I saw a show with the very same title on Sci-Fi at the very same time! And it was also a premiere!
We discussed it and thought it might have been some kind of joint-venture, the way Sci-Fi shows one season of Dr. Who at the same time BBCA is showing another, but that didn't make any sense. Further, the show descriptions were entirely different.
It turns out that The History Channel originally aired an episode of its UFO Files entitled UFO Hunters in 2005. They decided to develop it as a spin-off series and applied for a trademark of the name in October, 2007. Sci-Fi announced it had bought a new reality series from the Ghost Hunters producers with the same name in July 2007, then filed a patent on the name in November - less than week after The History Channel. However, History was able to file its claim as an "ongoing series currently in progress," while Sci-Fi was forced to make its claim as an "intent to use."
Both networks changed their scheduled debut dates so that neither could claim they were the first to air the series under said title. However, History's UFO Hunters is already on-schedule as an ongoing, weekly series; Sci-Fi's UFO Hunters is still in development, so they billed their show as a "special."
Neither network plans to change the title, but even though History got the claim first and can point back to the show with the same title in 2005, the working title was actually UFO Road Trip. It appears the decision to change the name may have been made after Sci-Fi announced their new series.
Neither claim has been granted at the time of this posting, but when you search for "UFO Hunters" in IMDb, it automatically comes up to the History Channel series' page. I left a summary of this information there as an FAQ, but it has yet to show up.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
We discussed it and thought it might have been some kind of joint-venture, the way Sci-Fi shows one season of Dr. Who at the same time BBCA is showing another, but that didn't make any sense. Further, the show descriptions were entirely different.
It turns out that The History Channel originally aired an episode of its UFO Files entitled UFO Hunters in 2005. They decided to develop it as a spin-off series and applied for a trademark of the name in October, 2007. Sci-Fi announced it had bought a new reality series from the Ghost Hunters producers with the same name in July 2007, then filed a patent on the name in November - less than week after The History Channel. However, History was able to file its claim as an "ongoing series currently in progress," while Sci-Fi was forced to make its claim as an "intent to use."
Both networks changed their scheduled debut dates so that neither could claim they were the first to air the series under said title. However, History's UFO Hunters is already on-schedule as an ongoing, weekly series; Sci-Fi's UFO Hunters is still in development, so they billed their show as a "special."
Neither network plans to change the title, but even though History got the claim first and can point back to the show with the same title in 2005, the working title was actually UFO Road Trip. It appears the decision to change the name may have been made after Sci-Fi announced their new series.
Neither claim has been granted at the time of this posting, but when you search for "UFO Hunters" in IMDb, it automatically comes up to the History Channel series' page. I left a summary of this information there as an FAQ, but it has yet to show up.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Seven-Second Delay
Yes, we are somewhat live. Obviously, I did not get to everything I wanted to, but I did get a few things done. I am going to try and get to the template this weekend, but can make no promises.
I got some of the tags taken care of and some of the other things were worked on. Unfortunately, the RSS feed is still not working. I am quickly running out of options, but I will say that I did not delete the directory tree before I republished it largely because I got involved in something else along the way.
My Windows Mail program crashed when the power went out on us last night and I have not been able to fix it yet, but I had to go ahead and get this back up and running in the meantime.
Still working on the whole RSS thing, so if anyone has any suggestions, I would really, really appreciate them!
©C Harris Lynn, 2008
I got some of the tags taken care of and some of the other things were worked on. Unfortunately, the RSS feed is still not working. I am quickly running out of options, but I will say that I did not delete the directory tree before I republished it largely because I got involved in something else along the way.
My Windows Mail program crashed when the power went out on us last night and I have not been able to fix it yet, but I had to go ahead and get this back up and running in the meantime.
Still working on the whole RSS thing, so if anyone has any suggestions, I would really, really appreciate them!
©C Harris Lynn, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Panic-Buy Carrot Day: May 15th, 2008
Out of sheer silliness, student Freya Valentine decided to create a Facebook group urging members to panic-buy carrots on May 15th. The group (which I would have linked to, but is apparently overworking Facebook servers now, due to the coverage) has attracted nearly 100k members at the time this entry was written.
While some spin-off and opposition groups have popped-up along the way, none have succeeded as well as the original. Many members are calling for May 16th to be dedicated to "taproot-based generosity and carrotty philanthropy." They suggest making carrot-based dishes and giving them out to the needy.
Vice-president of the British Carrot Growers' Association said, "Bring it on! Let's try and reach a million members!"
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
While some spin-off and opposition groups have popped-up along the way, none have succeeded as well as the original. Many members are calling for May 16th to be dedicated to "taproot-based generosity and carrotty philanthropy." They suggest making carrot-based dishes and giving them out to the needy.
Vice-president of the British Carrot Growers' Association said, "Bring it on! Let's try and reach a million members!"
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE
Alright, guys:
The OddBlog is actually, officially, and sincerely offline.
Serious maintenance is being done... but we don't get many hits and we keep those what we do very close to our vest, so if you are seeing this, it means you had to surf over here because the feed is down.
I had no idea the feed was down. Apparently, it has been down since September.
Whatever else you do or don't, if you honestly enjoy reading this, I would honestly appreciate it if you would tell me when something is wonky.
I'm not going anywhere; this isn't some fly-by-night operation; I love this stuff and I will work this thing into one of the most sincere and user-friendly directories on the paranormal that has ever been published in this form... but, if it gets wonky?
Let me know! And I'll fucking fix it!
It's MY blog! That's my job!
See you in February.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The OddBlog is actually, officially, and sincerely offline.
Serious maintenance is being done... but we don't get many hits and we keep those what we do very close to our vest, so if you are seeing this, it means you had to surf over here because the feed is down.
I had no idea the feed was down. Apparently, it has been down since September.
Whatever else you do or don't, if you honestly enjoy reading this, I would honestly appreciate it if you would tell me when something is wonky.
I'm not going anywhere; this isn't some fly-by-night operation; I love this stuff and I will work this thing into one of the most sincere and user-friendly directories on the paranormal that has ever been published in this form... but, if it gets wonky?
Let me know! And I'll fucking fix it!
It's MY blog! That's my job!
See you in February.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
VS. Bigfoot!
A hairy, mannish being has been spotted all over the world. In Australia, it is called "Wowie," in Canada, "Sasquatch," in America, "Bigfoot." Could it be the missing link? Could it be a new species within the genus of ape? Could it be your uncle in a wig?
Well, guys, I don't know that. What I do know is that you can't go continent-surfing without a little protection. Especially if you are searching for an 8' bipedal covered in hair and reported to be aggressive! What you need is some serious travel insurance.
You could step on a bear trap, get abducted by aliens, or even actually come across a Bigfoot! No one knows what It is, but there is a whole lot of evidence that suggests there is something out there!
So, go forth and investigate, but don't do so recklessly! Follow the link above and find out what steps you can take to ensure your safety, as well as provide for those you love later.
Well, guys, I don't know that. What I do know is that you can't go continent-surfing without a little protection. Especially if you are searching for an 8' bipedal covered in hair and reported to be aggressive! What you need is some serious travel insurance.
You could step on a bear trap, get abducted by aliens, or even actually come across a Bigfoot! No one knows what It is, but there is a whole lot of evidence that suggests there is something out there!
So, go forth and investigate, but don't do so recklessly! Follow the link above and find out what steps you can take to ensure your safety, as well as provide for those you love later.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Scientists Frantically Trying to Disprove TX UFO
A new, and quite in-depth, article from Newsweek details how scientists are trying to disprove the existence of UFOs by, once again, explaining them away "logically."
While the article is actually very detailed and paints a sympathetic portrait of scientists to UFO witnesses, we here to The OddBlog know that this is not an accurate portrayal of the scientific community as a whole. While some may truly be sympathetic -- even empathetic (having had their own "experiences") -- to witnesses, most are condescending know-it-alls who fall back on the age-old "scientific explanations" saw.
Most of these simple "explanations" are intellectually insulting and thoroughly belittling, not only to witnesses, but to everyone. The idea that highly-trained Air Force pilots would mistake a flock of geese at several-thousand feet, or that "swamp gas" can rise a mile into the air and fool entire towns, are just some of the "plausible" explanations forwarded by scientists and researchers in the past. But, with the advancement of science comes the advancement of their "plausible" explanations, with today's belittlements relying on far more advanced descriptions of magnetic fields, brain activity, pop-culture iconography (Jung), and so forth.
Now, I would be remiss if I did not admit that such things definitely are factors in some percentage of reported UFO events, but such reports are remiss when they do not admit that not all UFO-related events can be so easily dismissed. In fact, governments around the world have documented cases that "cannot be explained."
This is a case of "a part masquerading as the whole," which we have discussed many times before: Just because some cases can be explained by such means does not mean they all can. My favorite analogy (which I cannot take credit for) is the one that states, just because you can counterfeit money does not mean that all money is worthless.
While advancements in this type of research are important to ufology, they can also be dangerous. Minor advancements and limited successes in these fields and with these theories have a tendency to encourage even well-meaning scientists to start "explaining-away" accounts before they collect the evidence; e.g., dismissing actual evidence in favor of "accepted" theoretical explanations of unexplained phenomena.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
While the article is actually very detailed and paints a sympathetic portrait of scientists to UFO witnesses, we here to The OddBlog know that this is not an accurate portrayal of the scientific community as a whole. While some may truly be sympathetic -- even empathetic (having had their own "experiences") -- to witnesses, most are condescending know-it-alls who fall back on the age-old "scientific explanations" saw.
Most of these simple "explanations" are intellectually insulting and thoroughly belittling, not only to witnesses, but to everyone. The idea that highly-trained Air Force pilots would mistake a flock of geese at several-thousand feet, or that "swamp gas" can rise a mile into the air and fool entire towns, are just some of the "plausible" explanations forwarded by scientists and researchers in the past. But, with the advancement of science comes the advancement of their "plausible" explanations, with today's belittlements relying on far more advanced descriptions of magnetic fields, brain activity, pop-culture iconography (Jung), and so forth.
Now, I would be remiss if I did not admit that such things definitely are factors in some percentage of reported UFO events, but such reports are remiss when they do not admit that not all UFO-related events can be so easily dismissed. In fact, governments around the world have documented cases that "cannot be explained."
This is a case of "a part masquerading as the whole," which we have discussed many times before: Just because some cases can be explained by such means does not mean they all can. My favorite analogy (which I cannot take credit for) is the one that states, just because you can counterfeit money does not mean that all money is worthless.
While advancements in this type of research are important to ufology, they can also be dangerous. Minor advancements and limited successes in these fields and with these theories have a tendency to encourage even well-meaning scientists to start "explaining-away" accounts before they collect the evidence; e.g., dismissing actual evidence in favor of "accepted" theoretical explanations of unexplained phenomena.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Weekend Warrior
Okay guys, this is the last time I'm going to post on this until I know more. However, I told you yesterday that I was going to take the blog down today and try to fix the feed, situate the tags, and do some other stuff, so I wanted to fill you in on what's going on:
I am going to wait until this weekend to do this. The reasoning is simple: hits fall off on the weekends and it will give me two, solid days to do everything I want to accomplish without having to worry too much about turning-away new readers. We don't get a whole lot of hits in general here anyway, so it will be the best thing all the way around.
Again, you shouldn't have any problem accessing what's already been published in general, but there won't be anything new after tomorrow/early Saturday. Then, at some point (once all the work is done), I am going to delete the entire directory tree containing the blog and republish it completely from scratch. You obviously will not be able to access it during this time.
If everything goes well, this shouldn't be any longer than an hour at the very most; if things do not go well... well, we're all computer-users - you know what that means. Still, it shouldn't take that long and once we're back up, everything should be much, much smoother and the RSS feed should be working again.
Thanks!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
I am going to wait until this weekend to do this. The reasoning is simple: hits fall off on the weekends and it will give me two, solid days to do everything I want to accomplish without having to worry too much about turning-away new readers. We don't get a whole lot of hits in general here anyway, so it will be the best thing all the way around.
Again, you shouldn't have any problem accessing what's already been published in general, but there won't be anything new after tomorrow/early Saturday. Then, at some point (once all the work is done), I am going to delete the entire directory tree containing the blog and republish it completely from scratch. You obviously will not be able to access it during this time.
If everything goes well, this shouldn't be any longer than an hour at the very most; if things do not go well... well, we're all computer-users - you know what that means. Still, it shouldn't take that long and once we're back up, everything should be much, much smoother and the RSS feed should be working again.
Thanks!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Last Night's Ghost Hunters International, MonsterQuest
Last night was the second episode of Sci-Fi's new Ghost Hunters International that I have caught. I am pretty sure I missed a show or two, but I don't really mind. Personally, I just don't care for the spin-off as much as the original.
Maybe it's a misplaced sense of loyalty, maybe I just got used to them, but I feel the International team is a bit on the pompous side. I love that T.A.P.S. takes what they do seriously, but these International cats take themselves very seriously -- and it's a total turn-off. But, I can tell they all really enjoy what they do, and they're very good at it, so maybe it will just take some time for them to grow on me.
After GHI, I flipped over to MonsterQuest over to the History Channel. I absolutely love this show!
While Destination Truth is fantastic and always has a place on my must-see list, MonsterQuest really goes Destination Truth one better because they focus solely on a single "monster" each episode and they really get some definitive conclusions!
Well, that's probably overstating it...
Let's just say that MonsterQuest always comes to some definitive conclusions. They may not solve the mystery, but they definitely get further down that road than their counterparts.
If you are interested in Cryptozoology, then you simply have to check out this show! It never fails to give me something to think about and reawaken my passion for the Unknown -- nor does it fail to enlighten me on whatever subject it tackles. A perfect winner of a show!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Maybe it's a misplaced sense of loyalty, maybe I just got used to them, but I feel the International team is a bit on the pompous side. I love that T.A.P.S. takes what they do seriously, but these International cats take themselves very seriously -- and it's a total turn-off. But, I can tell they all really enjoy what they do, and they're very good at it, so maybe it will just take some time for them to grow on me.
After GHI, I flipped over to MonsterQuest over to the History Channel. I absolutely love this show!
While Destination Truth is fantastic and always has a place on my must-see list, MonsterQuest really goes Destination Truth one better because they focus solely on a single "monster" each episode and they really get some definitive conclusions!
Well, that's probably overstating it...
Let's just say that MonsterQuest always comes to some definitive conclusions. They may not solve the mystery, but they definitely get further down that road than their counterparts.
If you are interested in Cryptozoology, then you simply have to check out this show! It never fails to give me something to think about and reawaken my passion for the Unknown -- nor does it fail to enlighten me on whatever subject it tackles. A perfect winner of a show!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
TV Bits, Technical Issues
As regular readers know, we've been having some serious technical issues here lately -- apparently since September! -- and we still haven't been able to fix it just yet.
The RSS feed apparently quit working back in late September and, try though I have, I have not been able to get it back up and going. I am going to have to try something radical tomorrow: I am going to take the blog offline for a few hours to attempt and fix the RSS feed, as well as consolidate the tags, fiddle with the template, and some more technical... stuff.
You should have no problem accessing the blog in general, but right before I republish it, I am going to completely delete the entire tree from the site so there are no issues on rewriting. This means that, God forbid, if things go terribly wrong, it may be a day or two before I get the blog back up. But (knock wood) there really shouldn't be much problem; it should be easy enough, it just might take a few hours to complete.
I was going to discuss tonight's Ghost Hunters International and MonsterQuest episodes, but I am honestly too tired. I will get to those first thing tomorrow -- that way, you will have some new content to keep you reading while I work!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The RSS feed apparently quit working back in late September and, try though I have, I have not been able to get it back up and going. I am going to have to try something radical tomorrow: I am going to take the blog offline for a few hours to attempt and fix the RSS feed, as well as consolidate the tags, fiddle with the template, and some more technical... stuff.
You should have no problem accessing the blog in general, but right before I republish it, I am going to completely delete the entire tree from the site so there are no issues on rewriting. This means that, God forbid, if things go terribly wrong, it may be a day or two before I get the blog back up. But (knock wood) there really shouldn't be much problem; it should be easy enough, it just might take a few hours to complete.
I was going to discuss tonight's Ghost Hunters International and MonsterQuest episodes, but I am honestly too tired. I will get to those first thing tomorrow -- that way, you will have some new content to keep you reading while I work!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Gold Chains and Jewelry
*This is a Sponsored Post*
Growing up, I was no big fan of jewelry. It had nothing to do with any sort of religious or other leaning; I think it had more to do with the fact that I grew up middle-class and could not afford nice jewelry. Of course, being a metalhead, I was not so into personal appearance.
Now I am a bit more interested in nice things, personal appearance, and jewelry in general. And if I am going to adorn myself with something, I want to make sure it is as nice an object as I can afford, as well as something that means something to me personally or somehow expresses something about my personality.
Of course, there are as many different reasons to give, receive, and wear jewelry as there is jewelry, and Jewel elegance has you covered. Whether you are looking for earrings, belly rings, a simple gold chain - no matter, Jewelry Elegance has something in every style and make for everyone. Before you spend too much, make sure you check here first!
Growing up, I was no big fan of jewelry. It had nothing to do with any sort of religious or other leaning; I think it had more to do with the fact that I grew up middle-class and could not afford nice jewelry. Of course, being a metalhead, I was not so into personal appearance.
Now I am a bit more interested in nice things, personal appearance, and jewelry in general. And if I am going to adorn myself with something, I want to make sure it is as nice an object as I can afford, as well as something that means something to me personally or somehow expresses something about my personality.
Of course, there are as many different reasons to give, receive, and wear jewelry as there is jewelry, and Jewel elegance has you covered. Whether you are looking for earrings, belly rings, a simple gold chain - no matter, Jewelry Elegance has something in every style and make for everyone. Before you spend too much, make sure you check here first!
Update: Texas UFO
This is a quick update to the story we brought you earlier about multiple sightings of a UFO over Texas.
Dozens of Texans, some of whom were prominent citizens, reported unexplained lights in the Stephenville area of the state. At first, Air Force and other officials said there were no planes in the area at the time of the reports.
They have since reversed that.
Now, Air Force officials claim they did have at least 10 fighter planes in the sky on some of the nights the UFOs were reported.
This is still a developing story, so all of the details are not know yet, but one would assume they are suggesting that the reports were simply mistakes. However, at least some of the witnesses specifically reported seeing fighter planes in the sky, along with the UFO. In fact, the specific report quoted originally stated that the witness saw fighter planes "chasing" the UFO in question!
We will have more on this as it becomes available.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Dozens of Texans, some of whom were prominent citizens, reported unexplained lights in the Stephenville area of the state. At first, Air Force and other officials said there were no planes in the area at the time of the reports.
They have since reversed that.
Now, Air Force officials claim they did have at least 10 fighter planes in the sky on some of the nights the UFOs were reported.
This is still a developing story, so all of the details are not know yet, but one would assume they are suggesting that the reports were simply mistakes. However, at least some of the witnesses specifically reported seeing fighter planes in the sky, along with the UFO. In fact, the specific report quoted originally stated that the witness saw fighter planes "chasing" the UFO in question!
We will have more on this as it becomes available.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Bigfoot on Mars?
One space-enthusiast was looking through pictures of Mars returned by one of the rovers when he made an interesting discovery.
Barely a pinprick in the original photo, once blown-up, it appears to show a humanoid form on the surface. While many skeptics insist it is simply a rock formation (which it truly does appear to be), others have noted the similarity to pictures of Bigfoot... and there is a resemblance!
Definitely worth a look, but ultimately nothing will come of it... except the inevitable cable shows.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Barely a pinprick in the original photo, once blown-up, it appears to show a humanoid form on the surface. While many skeptics insist it is simply a rock formation (which it truly does appear to be), others have noted the similarity to pictures of Bigfoot... and there is a resemblance!
Definitely worth a look, but ultimately nothing will come of it... except the inevitable cable shows.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Golfing Supplies
Golfing is one of those sports that is surrounded by myths and stereotypes, but at least one is very true: golfing is expensive! From the clothing to the gear to the dues, golfing can cost players thousands of dollars before they ever hit the green!
But now you can save money on all these facets. WorldofGolf.com carries brand-names on all manner of golfing equipment, from the most fashionable caddy bags all the way down to the lowliest of golf balls.
Why pay top-dollar when you can save money and look like you did? Follow the link above to find out more from World of Golf.
But now you can save money on all these facets. WorldofGolf.com carries brand-names on all manner of golfing equipment, from the most fashionable caddy bags all the way down to the lowliest of golf balls.
Why pay top-dollar when you can save money and look like you did? Follow the link above to find out more from World of Golf.
Monday, January 21, 2008
New UFO Video?
This video found on MySpace purports to document "a new kind of UFO."
Filmed by two self-proclaimed UFO investigators in Kurdistan, it shows what appears to be a luminescent object hovering in place for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, I cannot understand what the videographers are saying, so I do not know anymore details.
I disagree that the object is a star because I think it would be more obvious, were that the case. On the other hand, the movement is definitely caused by the cameraman, so the object is not moving, for whatever that is worth.
Definitely interesting and worth a look!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Filmed by two self-proclaimed UFO investigators in Kurdistan, it shows what appears to be a luminescent object hovering in place for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, I cannot understand what the videographers are saying, so I do not know anymore details.
I disagree that the object is a star because I think it would be more obvious, were that the case. On the other hand, the movement is definitely caused by the cameraman, so the object is not moving, for whatever that is worth.
Definitely interesting and worth a look!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
RSS Feed Update (So to Speak)
Well, I have to admit: I am completely baffled...
I have spent basically all day screwing with this thing off and on and I cannot figure it out at all. So I deleted the *.rss files, hoping Blogger would rewrite them... to no avail. What else could I do? I'd exhausted all other options.
The only thing I can do now is wait until sometime late, late at night to basically put everything back to its original configuration - published on Blogspot - and then reset the FTP and change the settings back. Of course, that's a really drastic step and since it's the weekend, there's no way anyone would be able to get back to me in time if something went wrong.
I'm just stuck.
I'm going to spend more time looking into things, but I don't know what to tell you. If nothing else, I will have to try the Blogspot route. It actually wouldn't be so bad, because I can make changes faster going through Blogspot than waiting the 5 minutes it takes for it to publish to FTP every time I move a comma! If I end up doing that, I'll be sure to let you know well in advance and then I'll probably have it down for a day or two while I fix everything - layout, tags, widgets, RSS, and etc.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I have spent basically all day screwing with this thing off and on and I cannot figure it out at all. So I deleted the *.rss files, hoping Blogger would rewrite them... to no avail. What else could I do? I'd exhausted all other options.
The only thing I can do now is wait until sometime late, late at night to basically put everything back to its original configuration - published on Blogspot - and then reset the FTP and change the settings back. Of course, that's a really drastic step and since it's the weekend, there's no way anyone would be able to get back to me in time if something went wrong.
I'm just stuck.
I'm going to spend more time looking into things, but I don't know what to tell you. If nothing else, I will have to try the Blogspot route. It actually wouldn't be so bad, because I can make changes faster going through Blogspot than waiting the 5 minutes it takes for it to publish to FTP every time I move a comma! If I end up doing that, I'll be sure to let you know well in advance and then I'll probably have it down for a day or two while I fix everything - layout, tags, widgets, RSS, and etc.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
New Invention - Bacon Cooker
I like my bacon crispy - always have. The problem is that you have to cook bacon very slowly to achieve this and it's easy to burn it or get it way too crispy (it continues to cook after you remove it from the pan because of the fat). So how do you get it just right? Well, years of practice works, but so does the brand new microwave bacon cooker.
A brand-new product from Valcor inventions, the CrispyClean bacon cooker is the only totally enclosed unit on the market. It looks like a small pitcher. Simply hang the slices of bacon on the interior rack and place the lid on top, then put it in the microwave for a few minutes (according to however much bacon you are cooking), and voila! Crispy bacon for everyone!
To clean it, simply rinse it or wipe it down with a sponge, or just throw it in the dishwasher! If you are going to use it again within a few days, just replace the lid and store it on the counter or in the fridge. It's truly one of the simplest pieces of cookware ever made! And if you do not agree, just send it back for a full refund!
A brand-new product from Valcor inventions, the CrispyClean bacon cooker is the only totally enclosed unit on the market. It looks like a small pitcher. Simply hang the slices of bacon on the interior rack and place the lid on top, then put it in the microwave for a few minutes (according to however much bacon you are cooking), and voila! Crispy bacon for everyone!
To clean it, simply rinse it or wipe it down with a sponge, or just throw it in the dishwasher! If you are going to use it again within a few days, just replace the lid and store it on the counter or in the fridge. It's truly one of the simplest pieces of cookware ever made! And if you do not agree, just send it back for a full refund!
New Species of Palm Suicidal!
Two vacationers in Madagascar were strolling along the beach when they noticed a large and unusual palm. Turns out, it was an entirely new family of species which continues to bloom until it dies!
The palm had remained hidden for centuries because it resides in an area only accessible by air. One scientist called it a "mind-blowing discovery." In fact, the tree is an actual botanical wonder.
The palm stands around 70' tall and blooms only once in its life. When its flowers and pollen have been shed, its nutrients are completely exhausted and it collapses and dies. While the one-time fruiting is fatal, no one knows how long the plant lives.
Plans to cultivate the palm under controlled circumstances are being floated.
The palm had remained hidden for centuries because it resides in an area only accessible by air. One scientist called it a "mind-blowing discovery." In fact, the tree is an actual botanical wonder.
The palm stands around 70' tall and blooms only once in its life. When its flowers and pollen have been shed, its nutrients are completely exhausted and it collapses and dies. While the one-time fruiting is fatal, no one knows how long the plant lives.
Plans to cultivate the palm under controlled circumstances are being floated.
Still Working on Tech Difficulties
Just checking in with you guys to let you know I am still trying to fix the RSS feed problem(s). I changed some settings yesterday and want to give it until at least tonight or tomorrow before I change it again, because these things sometimes take as much as 24-78 hours to "click."
I used to subscribe through Live Bookmarks in my Firefox browser, but it not only cluttered my bookmarks (which I seriously have to prune one of these days, soon!), I just never got around to reading all the blogs I have bookmarked. I had mine bookmarked so I could check out posts and make sure they went through okay, but I rarely did that, either. I sincerely suggest getting an aggregate reader of some kind. I use Bloglines and My Yahoo! but there are scores of them available.
This one in particular got deleted a while back when it quit updating and then wouldn't let me reinstate it with the proper name. I simply changed the name and it seemed to "take," but maybe it didn't. Also, I moved it to its own sub-domain recently, and (again) even though it appeared to go through just fine, it obviously hit some sort of snag somewhere.
The FavIcon is not showing up in my Bloglines and even though it correctly states that it has been updated recently, it does not show me anything after September 24th. This is definitely a top priority but, again, I have to wait like 24-48 hours between changes to see if the changes worked, so please bear with me.
Very sorry for this and I am working on it.
I used to subscribe through Live Bookmarks in my Firefox browser, but it not only cluttered my bookmarks (which I seriously have to prune one of these days, soon!), I just never got around to reading all the blogs I have bookmarked. I had mine bookmarked so I could check out posts and make sure they went through okay, but I rarely did that, either. I sincerely suggest getting an aggregate reader of some kind. I use Bloglines and My Yahoo! but there are scores of them available.
This one in particular got deleted a while back when it quit updating and then wouldn't let me reinstate it with the proper name. I simply changed the name and it seemed to "take," but maybe it didn't. Also, I moved it to its own sub-domain recently, and (again) even though it appeared to go through just fine, it obviously hit some sort of snag somewhere.
The FavIcon is not showing up in my Bloglines and even though it correctly states that it has been updated recently, it does not show me anything after September 24th. This is definitely a top priority but, again, I have to wait like 24-48 hours between changes to see if the changes worked, so please bear with me.
Very sorry for this and I am working on it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ants' Berry Red Behinds
Scientists were in Central and South America, studying a species of ant that is capable of short mid-air flights when they discovered something they had not expected: a parasite that causes the ants' behinds to turn into plump, bright red, "berries."
This is the first known discovery of a parasite that mimics fruit. Presumably, it tricks foraging birds into eating the bothersome insects. However, initial research indicates that the parasite is most likely spread by the birds' feces, meaning the parasite may actually have some kind of symbiotic relationship with the birds, making the insects easier to detect. The reports do not indicate whether or not ants are (intentionally) a part of the birds' diet, but it's just a theory.
You can see a photo gallery of transformed ants by visiting National Geographic.
This is the first known discovery of a parasite that mimics fruit. Presumably, it tricks foraging birds into eating the bothersome insects. However, initial research indicates that the parasite is most likely spread by the birds' feces, meaning the parasite may actually have some kind of symbiotic relationship with the birds, making the insects easier to detect. The reports do not indicate whether or not ants are (intentionally) a part of the birds' diet, but it's just a theory.
You can see a photo gallery of transformed ants by visiting National Geographic.
Do You Have Any Grey Poupon?
I was asked to try two varieties of Grey Poupon mustard and give an honest review. The two I received were Harvest Coarse Ground and Hearty Spicy Brown and I ate them on both sandwiches as well as used the Harvest Coarse Ground in my meatloaf. It has been years - and I do mean years - since I had Grey Poupon mustard and I had become accustomed to the Dollar Store variety of "spicy brown mustard."
It was like... I cannot begin to describe it. Honestly, it was so rich that it made my eyes water! What's more, I honestly expected some serious heartburn following my meals, but I really didn't get it! If I did, it was certainly no worse than what I get with the off-brand and might not even have had to do with the mustard (I ate it with salami and American cheese, not to mention the meatloaf, creamed potatoes, and sweet peas - so, you know, could have been anything I ate, really).
Now, the taste is a bit overwhelming at first. But I love spicy brown mustard, and once you get over the rich boldness of the taste (it really will shock you at first), it is absolutely delicious. Grey Poupon is a bit pricey, but honestly, I am going to adjust my grocery budget so that I can afford it because I know I would eat more sammiches that way - which saves me money, overall.
I did not eat the coarse mustard on a sandwich because of the proliferation of mustard seeds - it is literally made of full, unground mustard seeds - but I did use it in my meatloaf recipe and it was perfect! In fact, I put the bottle next to my bottle of ground garlic in the fridge just so I don't use it for anything other than recipes. Of course, if you have a fancy palette, it just may be your thing.
I have a pic of me and the mustards to include, but I am having some difficulties with pictures the past couple of days, so I will get that on here tomorrow (or by the weekend, for sure - I have to figure out what's wrong and fix it by then!). I really don't know what I was expecting, but it was better than I thought.
It was like... I cannot begin to describe it. Honestly, it was so rich that it made my eyes water! What's more, I honestly expected some serious heartburn following my meals, but I really didn't get it! If I did, it was certainly no worse than what I get with the off-brand and might not even have had to do with the mustard (I ate it with salami and American cheese, not to mention the meatloaf, creamed potatoes, and sweet peas - so, you know, could have been anything I ate, really).
Now, the taste is a bit overwhelming at first. But I love spicy brown mustard, and once you get over the rich boldness of the taste (it really will shock you at first), it is absolutely delicious. Grey Poupon is a bit pricey, but honestly, I am going to adjust my grocery budget so that I can afford it because I know I would eat more sammiches that way - which saves me money, overall.
I did not eat the coarse mustard on a sandwich because of the proliferation of mustard seeds - it is literally made of full, unground mustard seeds - but I did use it in my meatloaf recipe and it was perfect! In fact, I put the bottle next to my bottle of ground garlic in the fridge just so I don't use it for anything other than recipes. Of course, if you have a fancy palette, it just may be your thing.
I have a pic of me and the mustards to include, but I am having some difficulties with pictures the past couple of days, so I will get that on here tomorrow (or by the weekend, for sure - I have to figure out what's wrong and fix it by then!). I really don't know what I was expecting, but it was better than I thought.
Cold Snap in Middle East
Snow fell in Baghdad for the first time in living memory.
The Middle East has suffered a very rare cold snap, with temperatures falling as low as -16º in some places. Crops have been damaged and at least 10 people have died. Weather officials are eagerly watching to see if previous record lows will be broken.
There is dissension amongst the experts as to the cause of this unusual weather pattern. some insist it is due to environmental changes, while others disagree. While much has been made about global warming and other environmental concerns as late, weather patterns are known to run in cycles and this may very well just be one of those cycles.
The Middle East has suffered a very rare cold snap, with temperatures falling as low as -16º in some places. Crops have been damaged and at least 10 people have died. Weather officials are eagerly watching to see if previous record lows will be broken.
There is dissension amongst the experts as to the cause of this unusual weather pattern. some insist it is due to environmental changes, while others disagree. While much has been made about global warming and other environmental concerns as late, weather patterns are known to run in cycles and this may very well just be one of those cycles.
Sincerest Apologies
Guys, please allow me to sincerely apologize.
When I moved the blog to its own sub-domain a month or so back, I did not have the time to change the RSS feed and several other details and had planned to do them once I got home. That was before I had high-speed access and I could not get to these things through dial-up; it simply would not load.
Still, these things were not mentioned and with everything else going on, I did not notice them. I have looked at the blog off and on several times since then and tonight was the first night I noticed the tag cloud and figured out the RSS feed was screwed.
However, I did go in a few weeks back and fiddle with it on Technorati, so I am going to have to really sit down and figure out the problem later today/tomorrow (it's very early morning here and I should be sleeping); the issue lies somewhere between Technorati and Feedburner and I am going to have to really pull everything up and find it.
I am going to at least try to get the tag cloud spaced where you can read it, but wow! I had no idea it was that big! I'll definitely spend some time here working on things and hopefully you'll see the changes soon.
Again, terribly sorry, but this is why I wish more people would comment! I looked at this thing last night and was marveling at how clearly the little background dots show up on my new monitor, so something "clicked" or got misplaced very recently and I need to do some finagling.
When I moved the blog to its own sub-domain a month or so back, I did not have the time to change the RSS feed and several other details and had planned to do them once I got home. That was before I had high-speed access and I could not get to these things through dial-up; it simply would not load.
Still, these things were not mentioned and with everything else going on, I did not notice them. I have looked at the blog off and on several times since then and tonight was the first night I noticed the tag cloud and figured out the RSS feed was screwed.
However, I did go in a few weeks back and fiddle with it on Technorati, so I am going to have to really sit down and figure out the problem later today/tomorrow (it's very early morning here and I should be sleeping); the issue lies somewhere between Technorati and Feedburner and I am going to have to really pull everything up and find it.
I am going to at least try to get the tag cloud spaced where you can read it, but wow! I had no idea it was that big! I'll definitely spend some time here working on things and hopefully you'll see the changes soon.
Again, terribly sorry, but this is why I wish more people would comment! I looked at this thing last night and was marveling at how clearly the little background dots show up on my new monitor, so something "clicked" or got misplaced very recently and I need to do some finagling.
Anti-Drinking Ads May Backfire
Some researchers and doctors warned against the types of anti-drinking ads they are running in the UK, claiming they could backfire and glamorize "the life."
The ads portrayed such events as drunken kids being thrown out of nightclubs and passing out in doorways. Researchers said many young people see this kind of behavior as normal and a way to assert their identity, further noting that drinking stories deepened the bonds between friends.
I have often said much the same about the American anti-drug ads, albeit in the opposite direction: until a few years ago, most of the anti-drug ads portrayed all drugs as causing irrevocable damage, which simply is not true. You might recall the commercial where the kids who smoked a joint ran over a child on a bicycle who just happened to be riding through a drive-thru window while they were at a complete standstill.
The problem with these types of scare tactics is that kids learn very quickly that smoking a joint is not going to lead to such disastrous results, leaving them to wonder if harder drugs have also been so grossly mischaracterized as dangerous.
The only way these attempts at reaching-out to younger people are going to work is if they stop trying to make a point and offer straightforward, honest truth. The newer anti-pot commercials being shown in American markets are far more effective, accurately portraying the fact that kids who smoke pot too frequently never really amount to much, simply because getting high makes you want to sit around and do nothing.
Of course, they could always become bloggers...
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The ads portrayed such events as drunken kids being thrown out of nightclubs and passing out in doorways. Researchers said many young people see this kind of behavior as normal and a way to assert their identity, further noting that drinking stories deepened the bonds between friends.
I have often said much the same about the American anti-drug ads, albeit in the opposite direction: until a few years ago, most of the anti-drug ads portrayed all drugs as causing irrevocable damage, which simply is not true. You might recall the commercial where the kids who smoked a joint ran over a child on a bicycle who just happened to be riding through a drive-thru window while they were at a complete standstill.
The problem with these types of scare tactics is that kids learn very quickly that smoking a joint is not going to lead to such disastrous results, leaving them to wonder if harder drugs have also been so grossly mischaracterized as dangerous.
The only way these attempts at reaching-out to younger people are going to work is if they stop trying to make a point and offer straightforward, honest truth. The newer anti-pot commercials being shown in American markets are far more effective, accurately portraying the fact that kids who smoke pot too frequently never really amount to much, simply because getting high makes you want to sit around and do nothing.
Of course, they could always become bloggers...
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Death Channel
No matter your satellite or cable TV provider, you know many of the channels are themed - there are sports channels, comedy channels, music channels, and in Germany, a death channel.
Etos TV is the world's first TV station devoted to death and the memory of loved ones now lost. For a nominal fee, it will broadcast "videobituaries" of your loved ones, often set to hymnal music. Wolf Tildman Schneider is the entrepreneur behind Etos TV and he truly believes it is a good idea to help grieving people move on with their lives and put the deaths of their loved ones behind them without forgetting their passing. In addition, Etos TV also has programs and documentaries on cemeteries, bereavement, and other facets related to the funereal.
Etos TV is not a "reality" death station intent on exploiting death for the sake of ratings. But the Church is keeping a close eye on the channel, to make sure "death is not dumbed-down." Death is a fairly taboo subject to the Germans.
Etos TV is the world's first TV station devoted to death and the memory of loved ones now lost. For a nominal fee, it will broadcast "videobituaries" of your loved ones, often set to hymnal music. Wolf Tildman Schneider is the entrepreneur behind Etos TV and he truly believes it is a good idea to help grieving people move on with their lives and put the deaths of their loved ones behind them without forgetting their passing. In addition, Etos TV also has programs and documentaries on cemeteries, bereavement, and other facets related to the funereal.
Etos TV is not a "reality" death station intent on exploiting death for the sake of ratings. But the Church is keeping a close eye on the channel, to make sure "death is not dumbed-down." Death is a fairly taboo subject to the Germans.
Do "Rods" Exist?
Okay, we're going to be using the word "rod" a lot in this post, so why don't we go ahead and get those giggles out on the front-end, shall we? Here.
There. Got it out of your system?
The first time I heard about "rods" - unexplained, insect-like objects appearing on film and in photographs - was probably 3-4 years ago; before that, I had never even heard of this phenomena, but it has really stirred-up some people, including some meteorologists and other prominent intellectuals. Rods appear as long, cylindrical objects that seem to have two sets of wings or "flippers" at either end of their "bodies." They cannot be seen with the naked eye, but appear with some frequency on film and, in a few cases, photographs.
This seemed like a fairly new phenomena and when I heard about it, it was summarily dismissed by both the researcher and the experts he called upon. But the idea has persisted - so much so that History Channel's MonsterQuest devoted an entire episode to it a week or so back and they uncovered some truly remarkable photos going back decades which purported to show rods even then. One photo in particular showed a rod of immense size.
Sorry, I... I'm sorry. Yes, the old photograph showed a huge rod.
More interesting was a short piece of film that clearly showed something shoot across the clouds directly in front of what turned out to be the fastest tornado on record. A meteorologist was the one discussing this particular piece of evidence and he was genuinely convinced that it could not be explained.
Still, I am not convinced. These rods look very much like normal photographic anomalies - akin to waterspots that are often mistaken for "orbs." Just because we have not determined what causes this to occur does not indicate that it is necessarily not a function of the camera or atmosphere. As for the tornado film, I agree that the UFO moves in a direct line and so forth as the meteorologist notes, but am not 100% convinced that it could not be lightning.
I will keep my ear to the ground on this subject, but I will go on record as stating that I do not believe the phenomenon of "rods" to be paranormal in nature.
There. Got it out of your system?
The first time I heard about "rods" - unexplained, insect-like objects appearing on film and in photographs - was probably 3-4 years ago; before that, I had never even heard of this phenomena, but it has really stirred-up some people, including some meteorologists and other prominent intellectuals. Rods appear as long, cylindrical objects that seem to have two sets of wings or "flippers" at either end of their "bodies." They cannot be seen with the naked eye, but appear with some frequency on film and, in a few cases, photographs.
This seemed like a fairly new phenomena and when I heard about it, it was summarily dismissed by both the researcher and the experts he called upon. But the idea has persisted - so much so that History Channel's MonsterQuest devoted an entire episode to it a week or so back and they uncovered some truly remarkable photos going back decades which purported to show rods even then. One photo in particular showed a rod of immense size.
Sorry, I... I'm sorry. Yes, the old photograph showed a huge rod.
More interesting was a short piece of film that clearly showed something shoot across the clouds directly in front of what turned out to be the fastest tornado on record. A meteorologist was the one discussing this particular piece of evidence and he was genuinely convinced that it could not be explained.
Still, I am not convinced. These rods look very much like normal photographic anomalies - akin to waterspots that are often mistaken for "orbs." Just because we have not determined what causes this to occur does not indicate that it is necessarily not a function of the camera or atmosphere. As for the tornado film, I agree that the UFO moves in a direct line and so forth as the meteorologist notes, but am not 100% convinced that it could not be lightning.
I will keep my ear to the ground on this subject, but I will go on record as stating that I do not believe the phenomenon of "rods" to be paranormal in nature.
Gigantic Fossil Rat Discovered
The largest known rodent to-date has been described by researchers for the first time. Discovered in Uruguay three years ago by an amateur paleontologist, the skull measures about 1/2-meter and laid in a museum since it was found until recently. Scientists believe the animal to be a new species (Josephoartigasia monesi) based on the size of its incisors, which they theorize may have been used as a beaver's (to cut wood) and/or for fighting off predators.
The rodent was as large as a bull, or around 3 meters in length, and populated the forests. It was 15x heavier than the largest living rodent today, approximately one ton. Its closest relative is believed to be the pakarana, similar to a guinea pig.
Other finds in South America include car-sized armadillos, giant ground sloths, and hook-beaked terror birds - the latter of which would most certainly have been one of the predators this rodent would have fought for survival.
The rodent was as large as a bull, or around 3 meters in length, and populated the forests. It was 15x heavier than the largest living rodent today, approximately one ton. Its closest relative is believed to be the pakarana, similar to a guinea pig.
Other finds in South America include car-sized armadillos, giant ground sloths, and hook-beaked terror birds - the latter of which would most certainly have been one of the predators this rodent would have fought for survival.
Murder Victims Posed in Crucifixion
Steve Wright, the man on trial for the Ipswich prostitution murders in the UK, is said to have posed his victims' corpses in the manner of a crucifix. All five victims were prostitutes who strolled to support drug habits; all five were found to have asphyxiated while under the influence of hard drugs; and all five were found to have been posed, but the prosecution said only two of them were posed in a crucifixion manner, with their arms outstretched.
It is not unusual for serial murderers to pose the corpses of their victims; this is one of the things that serial killers actually do on a frequent basis. Movie depictions often focus on truly grisly (grislier) things, such as dancing with the corpses or making things from their dead flesh, but these activities are pretty rare. Sex with the corpses is not exactly rare, but still rarer than in the Hollywood version of the killers. However, both the habit of posing the bodies and revisiting the scene of the crime and/or the body itself are fairly common practices amongst serial killers.
Another Hollywood myth surrounding serial murderers is that they are all geniuses; most serial killers are closer to mental retardation on the IQ scale.
It is not unusual for serial murderers to pose the corpses of their victims; this is one of the things that serial killers actually do on a frequent basis. Movie depictions often focus on truly grisly (grislier) things, such as dancing with the corpses or making things from their dead flesh, but these activities are pretty rare. Sex with the corpses is not exactly rare, but still rarer than in the Hollywood version of the killers. However, both the habit of posing the bodies and revisiting the scene of the crime and/or the body itself are fairly common practices amongst serial killers.
Another Hollywood myth surrounding serial murderers is that they are all geniuses; most serial killers are closer to mental retardation on the IQ scale.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
01-15-2008
Hey guys, just dropping-by to see how things are going.
I have been a little out of it this month because they changed my pain medications and the new ones make me pretty drowsy... not to mention a few other side-effects which you most likely do not want to know about. Luckily, some of my favorite shows are coming back on - though I have no idea how long they'll be on with the continuing writers' strike - and they have been showing a lot of marathons of them throughout the past few weeks to get everyone ready for their return.
Destination Truth returns in March and hopefully you have already read my review of the new Ghost Hunters International. I wasn't too impressed with Paranormal State, but I plan to give it another shot on On Demand one of these nights when I can actually pay attention to it and see if my initial impression was wrong. There are several other paranormal-related shows premiering over the next few months, as well, so we should have plenty to discuss soon. In the meantime, you'll notice I have been bringing you more plain-old "weird" stories. I simply got tired of waiting for the good stuff.
Speaking of which, I have some more "odd" stories to get out to you today and tomorrow - they're are plenty more of those than there are of the actual paranormal stories.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I wish more of y'all would comment from time to time! Let me know what you like and so forth so I can focus more on those things!
I have been a little out of it this month because they changed my pain medications and the new ones make me pretty drowsy... not to mention a few other side-effects which you most likely do not want to know about. Luckily, some of my favorite shows are coming back on - though I have no idea how long they'll be on with the continuing writers' strike - and they have been showing a lot of marathons of them throughout the past few weeks to get everyone ready for their return.
Destination Truth returns in March and hopefully you have already read my review of the new Ghost Hunters International. I wasn't too impressed with Paranormal State, but I plan to give it another shot on On Demand one of these nights when I can actually pay attention to it and see if my initial impression was wrong. There are several other paranormal-related shows premiering over the next few months, as well, so we should have plenty to discuss soon. In the meantime, you'll notice I have been bringing you more plain-old "weird" stories. I simply got tired of waiting for the good stuff.
Speaking of which, I have some more "odd" stories to get out to you today and tomorrow - they're are plenty more of those than there are of the actual paranormal stories.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I wish more of y'all would comment from time to time! Let me know what you like and so forth so I can focus more on those things!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Dozens of Texans See UFO
Dozens of Texans in the Stephenville area have reported seeing an unidentified flying object numerous times over the last few weeks. Some claim fighter jets were following it, though a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station denies this. Both he and spokespeople for the region's two Air Force bases claim they did not have planes in the area when the reports were made. Of course, the spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing claims he is "90% sure this was an airliner."
Actual witnesses claim the UFO larger, quieter, faster, and lower to the ground than an airplane. The lights are said to have changed configuration and one witness who observed the craft through his rifle's telescopic lens claims it had no nuts, bolts, or seams.
A constable from Erath County reported seeing red glowing lights, then white flashing ones, but could not make out any craft to which the lights were attached, even through binoculars. He was, however, adamant that it was not an airplane and said he had "never seen anything like it."
Actual witnesses claim the UFO larger, quieter, faster, and lower to the ground than an airplane. The lights are said to have changed configuration and one witness who observed the craft through his rifle's telescopic lens claims it had no nuts, bolts, or seams.
A constable from Erath County reported seeing red glowing lights, then white flashing ones, but could not make out any craft to which the lights were attached, even through binoculars. He was, however, adamant that it was not an airplane and said he had "never seen anything like it."
Friday, January 11, 2008
Bolivian "Priest" Smuggled Cocaine Under Robes
A man claiming to be a Catholic priest was arrested in Amsterdam trying to smuggle nearly 10 pounds of cocaine under his robes.
When he approached a boarding gate, he refused to allow officials to search him on "religious grounds." When they noticed him going to a different gate, that immediately seized and searched him, finding 7.7 pounds of cocaine beneath his robes. Even after arrest, the Bolivian man insisted he was actually a priest.
There are no "religious grounds" which prevent one from being allowed to be searched when entering Europe, according to an official.
When he approached a boarding gate, he refused to allow officials to search him on "religious grounds." When they noticed him going to a different gate, that immediately seized and searched him, finding 7.7 pounds of cocaine beneath his robes. Even after arrest, the Bolivian man insisted he was actually a priest.
There are no "religious grounds" which prevent one from being allowed to be searched when entering Europe, according to an official.
Weekend at Virgilio's
A couple of criminals with a past of heroin addiction really needed a fix, so they wheeled their buddy down to the NYC office to cash his social security check. Problem was, their buddy was dead.
An off-duty police officer was enjoying a meal at a local restaurant when he noticed a pair of junkies rolling what he thought was a mannequin down the street in a red office chair. When onlookers began encircling them and making a display, the officer finally decided to see what was going on. He thought it may have been some kind of stunt, but upon closer examination, he realized the corpse in the office chair was very real.
Turns out, the couple had tried to cash Virgilio Cintron's SSI check but when the cashier demanded the recipient be present, the two went back to his apartment, threw his dead body in the chair, and wheeled him on down to the office.
When paramedics arrived, the two feigned surprise, saying, "Oh my God, he's gone?"
An off-duty police officer was enjoying a meal at a local restaurant when he noticed a pair of junkies rolling what he thought was a mannequin down the street in a red office chair. When onlookers began encircling them and making a display, the officer finally decided to see what was going on. He thought it may have been some kind of stunt, but upon closer examination, he realized the corpse in the office chair was very real.
Turns out, the couple had tried to cash Virgilio Cintron's SSI check but when the cashier demanded the recipient be present, the two went back to his apartment, threw his dead body in the chair, and wheeled him on down to the office.
When paramedics arrived, the two feigned surprise, saying, "Oh my God, he's gone?"
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Last Night's Ghost Hunters
Well, I was wrong about last night's regular Ghost Hunters being the premiere for their half-season; it was a special of some sort where they re-investigated the St. Augustine Lighthouse. And they found more evidence to reinforce their original findings, which suggested the lighthouse is actually haunted -- quite a bit of evidence, in fact. Aside from that, a lot of the episode was highlights from the previous investigation. If you missed it, rest assured it will be rerun between now and the new season and will definitely pop-up in one of the numerous marathons. Like a lot of them, it's worth watching, but you didn't miss much.
After that came the premiere of the new spin-off, Ghost Hunters International. I was also wrong in thinking that Brian Harnois was the leader of this TAPS branch; that honor belongs to some guy I do not know and never saw on any of the other series' episodes whose name I do not recall. I have to admit, I wasn't too impressed with him because he seemed overly-dismissive of the evidence and had what seemed to me to be a very pompous attitude with the whole, "My goal is to lead this team from a scientific perspective," routine. The original series takes a very scientific-based approach to their investigations -- that is part of what has made the show so popular, in fact.
Actually, as far as that goes, this team tried to exorcise one haunting by burning some of the offerings the ghost -- or memory of whom the local populace believes the ghost to be. The original team has never done anything like this -- they usually just record evidence. They have invited clergymen and religious believers to perform certain rites on occasion, but that's as far as they've gone in that direction.
Still, Ghost Hunters International was a good show and I'm definitely interested in learning more about hauntings around the world, so I'll be watching.
Altogether, not a bad night of reality TV viewing. And I guess all the rumors about Harnois and company's dismissal and/or leaving TAPS was more bark than bite, so that's cool.
After that came the premiere of the new spin-off, Ghost Hunters International. I was also wrong in thinking that Brian Harnois was the leader of this TAPS branch; that honor belongs to some guy I do not know and never saw on any of the other series' episodes whose name I do not recall. I have to admit, I wasn't too impressed with him because he seemed overly-dismissive of the evidence and had what seemed to me to be a very pompous attitude with the whole, "My goal is to lead this team from a scientific perspective," routine. The original series takes a very scientific-based approach to their investigations -- that is part of what has made the show so popular, in fact.
Actually, as far as that goes, this team tried to exorcise one haunting by burning some of the offerings the ghost -- or memory of whom the local populace believes the ghost to be. The original team has never done anything like this -- they usually just record evidence. They have invited clergymen and religious believers to perform certain rites on occasion, but that's as far as they've gone in that direction.
Still, Ghost Hunters International was a good show and I'm definitely interested in learning more about hauntings around the world, so I'll be watching.
Altogether, not a bad night of reality TV viewing. And I guess all the rumors about Harnois and company's dismissal and/or leaving TAPS was more bark than bite, so that's cool.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
New Ghost Hunters Tonight
Tonight is the premiere of the eagerly-anticipated Ghost Hunters spin-off, Ghost Hunters International, as well as the new half-season of the original series on Sci-Fi. They have been running a marathon of the show all day, but I was so busy paying bills and arguing with companies that I did not watch much of it. Of course, I've already seen them all at least twice, so it's not like I missed anything.
Tonight, the original team goes back to the St. Augustine Lighthouse, which yielded some of the best results of any investigation yet on the first visit. Steve didn't get to see any of it due to his fear of heights. And spiders. And flying. And running water. And darkness. And lights.
Following that comes the new series, headed by internet celebrity, Brian 'Dude, run!' Harnois. They will be at England's Chillingham Castle.
I'll be sure to let you know my take on both episodes either later tonight or tomorrow, but make sure you catch them for yourself!
Tonight, the original team goes back to the St. Augustine Lighthouse, which yielded some of the best results of any investigation yet on the first visit. Steve didn't get to see any of it due to his fear of heights. And spiders. And flying. And running water. And darkness. And lights.
Following that comes the new series, headed by internet celebrity, Brian 'Dude, run!' Harnois. They will be at England's Chillingham Castle.
I'll be sure to let you know my take on both episodes either later tonight or tomorrow, but make sure you catch them for yourself!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A Little Drinky-Poo
Here we go again...
A day after publishing findings that suggested people who lead ultra-healthy lifestyles can live up to 14 years longer than those who do not, researchers have issued yet another report bolstering the earlier findings that "a little alcohol" is actually healthier for you than none at all.
This isn't news; the idea that a glass or two of wine a day can be healthful for the heart has been around for quite some time now. As children, my grandparents (especially - my parents did, sometimes) would give us a tablespoon or two of honey and whiskey to cut a cough or soothe a sore throat. But my point is something entirely different:
The results of any research nowadays depends almost solely on who is funding the study and what the researchers are told to look for. This isn't "true" science, where a hypothesis is made, then research is conducted and a theory is formed; this isn't even "real" science, where research is done which then leads to a hypothesis that is then tested under controlled circumstances to determine whether or not the hypothesis remains before a theory is formed; this is just plain, old-fashioned bullshit.
I happen to believe that a little alcohol from time to time is healthy - it strengthens the immune system, flushes out the kidneys, and exercises the liver, among other benefits - and I do not think that drinking to excess once in a while is all that damaging, but let's be honest: this study's "results" were immediately released following yesterday's announcement in order to curb any dramatic negative effects the other study's results might have on the alcohol industry.
A day after publishing findings that suggested people who lead ultra-healthy lifestyles can live up to 14 years longer than those who do not, researchers have issued yet another report bolstering the earlier findings that "a little alcohol" is actually healthier for you than none at all.
This isn't news; the idea that a glass or two of wine a day can be healthful for the heart has been around for quite some time now. As children, my grandparents (especially - my parents did, sometimes) would give us a tablespoon or two of honey and whiskey to cut a cough or soothe a sore throat. But my point is something entirely different:
The results of any research nowadays depends almost solely on who is funding the study and what the researchers are told to look for. This isn't "true" science, where a hypothesis is made, then research is conducted and a theory is formed; this isn't even "real" science, where research is done which then leads to a hypothesis that is then tested under controlled circumstances to determine whether or not the hypothesis remains before a theory is formed; this is just plain, old-fashioned bullshit.
I happen to believe that a little alcohol from time to time is healthy - it strengthens the immune system, flushes out the kidneys, and exercises the liver, among other benefits - and I do not think that drinking to excess once in a while is all that damaging, but let's be honest: this study's "results" were immediately released following yesterday's announcement in order to curb any dramatic negative effects the other study's results might have on the alcohol industry.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Living Healthy Adds up to 14 Years to Life
A study conducted over a decade involving people from all walks of life purports to have found that a healthy lifestyle can add up to 14 years to one's life expectancy, regardless of wealth or social class.
The study, conducted by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council in the county of Norfolk (England), was carried out between 1993 and 2006 and involved over 20,000 participants. The participants were overwhelmingly white and between the ages of 45 and 79. Those who exercised, drank moderately, ate plenty of fruits and vegetables and did not smoke lived longer than those who did. While this is not news, the actual number of years suggested (14) was.
There were several caveats to the findings, and I hate to just regurgitate information, so you can read the entire article if you are interested.
The study, conducted by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council in the county of Norfolk (England), was carried out between 1993 and 2006 and involved over 20,000 participants. The participants were overwhelmingly white and between the ages of 45 and 79. Those who exercised, drank moderately, ate plenty of fruits and vegetables and did not smoke lived longer than those who did. While this is not news, the actual number of years suggested (14) was.
There were several caveats to the findings, and I hate to just regurgitate information, so you can read the entire article if you are interested.
Two Birds with One Stone... So to Speak
After a series of attacks on humans, unemployed youths in India have been given a rather unusual job: sterilizing monkeys with lasers! Seriously.
Apparently, the monkey problem is so bad that the mayor of one province fell to his death from his balcony during a monkey invasion and 25 others were injured when a single monkey went on a monkey-spree through the city streets! The monkeys have also been stealing food from farms as the lands in which they normally dwell are being deforested.
This is one of those weird times when the phrase I hate so much, "did it to themselves" is actually appropriate: not only have they destroyed the animals' natural habitat, devout Hindus encourage the monkeys to frequent public places where they feed them, believing them to be the manifestation of the god Hanuman.
The idea has drawn stern condemnation from many, who insist the youths will not be able to handle the equipment appropriately and poorly "sterilized" monkeys will become even more aggressive.
Apparently, the monkey problem is so bad that the mayor of one province fell to his death from his balcony during a monkey invasion and 25 others were injured when a single monkey went on a monkey-spree through the city streets! The monkeys have also been stealing food from farms as the lands in which they normally dwell are being deforested.
This is one of those weird times when the phrase I hate so much, "did it to themselves" is actually appropriate: not only have they destroyed the animals' natural habitat, devout Hindus encourage the monkeys to frequent public places where they feed them, believing them to be the manifestation of the god Hanuman.
The idea has drawn stern condemnation from many, who insist the youths will not be able to handle the equipment appropriately and poorly "sterilized" monkeys will become even more aggressive.
Driverless Cars?
"This is not science-fiction," GM's vice-president for research and development told reporters in regards to the idea of automobiles that drive and even park themselves. In fact, Burns -- the VP in question -- is devoting a significant portion of his speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas tomorrow to this very concept.
According to Burns, the technology already exists and the main impediments are actually human: government regulation, peoples' desire to drive cars and the control it gives them, and so forth. Driverless cars would likely improve traffic, reducing congestion and crashes. Technology such as cruise-control, motion sensors, satellite-based digital mapping, and more, would work in congruence to achieve this within a decade or more.
GM plans to introduce cars with the driverless option as early as 2015 and have them on the road by 2018.
Privacy concerns are at the forefront of issues which could retard the technology's progress.
According to Burns, the technology already exists and the main impediments are actually human: government regulation, peoples' desire to drive cars and the control it gives them, and so forth. Driverless cars would likely improve traffic, reducing congestion and crashes. Technology such as cruise-control, motion sensors, satellite-based digital mapping, and more, would work in congruence to achieve this within a decade or more.
GM plans to introduce cars with the driverless option as early as 2015 and have them on the road by 2018.
Privacy concerns are at the forefront of issues which could retard the technology's progress.
Circumcision to Combat HIV
Several studies suggest that circumcision may help reduce the risk of contracting the HIV virus but, apparently, many uncircumcised men fear the procedure because they believe it will reduce their sexual satisfaction and/or performance. I was only recently made aware of this belief and have no idea where this idea comes from.
However, over 5000 Ugandan men volunteered for a study in which half of them underwent the procedure and the two groups rated their sexual satisfaction and performance. According to this research, there is no significant difference in satisfaction and/or performance between circumcised and uncircumcised men.
While this is very good news, as it may lead more men to undergo the procedure and hopefully reduce the risk of spreading the HIV virus, it's important to note that circumcision is not a 100% effective prevention practice. Condoms remain the best way to avoid spreading the virus which can lead to full-blown AIDS.
A combination of the two methods, while still not 100% effective, may be the safest way for men to avoid the HIV virus.
However, over 5000 Ugandan men volunteered for a study in which half of them underwent the procedure and the two groups rated their sexual satisfaction and performance. According to this research, there is no significant difference in satisfaction and/or performance between circumcised and uncircumcised men.
While this is very good news, as it may lead more men to undergo the procedure and hopefully reduce the risk of spreading the HIV virus, it's important to note that circumcision is not a 100% effective prevention practice. Condoms remain the best way to avoid spreading the virus which can lead to full-blown AIDS.
A combination of the two methods, while still not 100% effective, may be the safest way for men to avoid the HIV virus.
D-Day Delayed
Well, thank God, the judge gave me until March 3rd to pay the rest of this fine, which means he'll "review" the case at that time. I'll have to figure out some way of paying whatever I can between now and then, but I have no idea how I'm going to do it. I have no idea how I'm going to pay all my bills for this month! And I have to get on that soon because they're all due!
I have a few odd stories to get out to you today and now that I have high-speed access, I'm able to check out a lot of these videos and audio-clips from other paranormal and cryptozoological sites, so I can get back into the real meat and potatoes of the OddBlog. I'll have several stories for you today, but it will likely be a day or two before I can get to the really deep stuff.
Anyway, with that out of the way and the total leech of a "friend" I recently made out of my hair for good, I'm focusing all my attention on getting back to work. I tried like hell to network this box with the 98 computer last night, but I couldn't get them to see one another, so I still can't get to the old files yet. I may wind-up just connecting the 98 box to the cable modem (sans hub) in order to transfer the files over to this one... somehow.
So, it's shaping-up to be a good week so far (knock wood!).
I have a few odd stories to get out to you today and now that I have high-speed access, I'm able to check out a lot of these videos and audio-clips from other paranormal and cryptozoological sites, so I can get back into the real meat and potatoes of the OddBlog. I'll have several stories for you today, but it will likely be a day or two before I can get to the really deep stuff.
Anyway, with that out of the way and the total leech of a "friend" I recently made out of my hair for good, I'm focusing all my attention on getting back to work. I tried like hell to network this box with the 98 computer last night, but I couldn't get them to see one another, so I still can't get to the old files yet. I may wind-up just connecting the 98 box to the cable modem (sans hub) in order to transfer the files over to this one... somehow.
So, it's shaping-up to be a good week so far (knock wood!).
Sunday, January 6, 2008
NYC Ninja Strikes Again
New York City apparently has a bandit clad in all black roaming the city and he apparently struck again over the weekend, making off with thousands of dollars in jewelry. Aside from his choice of clothing, the thief got his nickname, the ninja bandit, after he brandished a pair of nunchucks in an altercation with a homeowner some months back.
We discussed a similar case involving a Russian who dressed like a ninja and claimed to be emulating his childhood hero, Robin Hood, while back over to The Rundown. One of the main justifications for superhero costumes in comic books has to do with the psychological effect they are supposed to have on their enemies. While these criminals' real motives for their dress is unknown, ninjas have been a mainstay in American pop-culture since the 1980s and the myths surrounding them may have played a part in this thief's decision to dress as he does.
Of course, dressing in all black is just a good idea for a thief, anyway.
We discussed a similar case involving a Russian who dressed like a ninja and claimed to be emulating his childhood hero, Robin Hood, while back over to The Rundown. One of the main justifications for superhero costumes in comic books has to do with the psychological effect they are supposed to have on their enemies. While these criminals' real motives for their dress is unknown, ninjas have been a mainstay in American pop-culture since the 1980s and the myths surrounding them may have played a part in this thief's decision to dress as he does.
Of course, dressing in all black is just a good idea for a thief, anyway.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Lion Attacks
About one week after a large cat escaped from an American zoo and mauled several visitors, lions attacked and devoured a man in South Africa. While the two stories have nothing in common aside from the obvious, it is somewhat coincidental in nature.
People like to say "these things happen in threes," but that isn't true. Again, these attacks happened around the world under different circumstances, and it is likely that the second report would not have made headline news were it not for the first one, but I wanted to report this just in case there really is a third story along the same lines.
I did some brief research into the matter, trying to determine the origin of this whole "things happen in threes" superstition, but did not find anything. So I wanted to report these things just ni case it does come about, and then I'll look into the matter more seriously.
People like to say "these things happen in threes," but that isn't true. Again, these attacks happened around the world under different circumstances, and it is likely that the second report would not have made headline news were it not for the first one, but I wanted to report this just in case there really is a third story along the same lines.
I did some brief research into the matter, trying to determine the origin of this whole "things happen in threes" superstition, but did not find anything. So I wanted to report these things just ni case it does come about, and then I'll look into the matter more seriously.
Friday, January 4, 2008
FTP No Faster
Well, the FTP function is still Google's fault and the new connection does not help. I am already searching cool video on YouTube, even though I am loath to do so because it is owned by Google... I am still upset over that whole thing. Regardless, while I have successfully avoided the Google search engine for over a month now (I did breakdown once to search for a number originating from a different area code, and that was just because I wondered if it would garner more specific results than what I got from Ask - it did not), YouTube is pretty much the source for any kind of video.
Anyway, while it's still a little early, I do have to start getting ready for my big date (with a live woman!) tonight, which means I have to shower (it isn't even Saturday - so you know it's a special occasion!) and find something to wear and all that, so I'll chat with you cats later on!
Anyway, while it's still a little early, I do have to start getting ready for my big date (with a live woman!) tonight, which means I have to shower (it isn't even Saturday - so you know it's a special occasion!) and find something to wear and all that, so I'll chat with you cats later on!
The Dawn of a New Era?
Well, this is the very first post on the new connection. I really want to see how fast this is going to go through and whether or not I continue to have the same FTP issues. There is nothing of any real value in this post, I just wanted to let you know that - pending everything else in life gives me the slightest fricking break - this may very well be the start of something great!
After all, I can finally do research without it taking literally hours. The same is true for streaming video and audio and so forth. In fact, I finally got to see the Britney Spears performance at the VMAs!
I probably shouldn't have mentioned that, huh?
Anyway, I have a date tonight and hopefully it will go well enough that I won't be on here tomorrow - well, early, at the very least - but then things will definitely start picking up. After all, I started this blog because I love this kind of stuff and I have been jonesing to see some of the video and thigns I kept coming across but knew would take (literally) hours to download.
After all, I can finally do research without it taking literally hours. The same is true for streaming video and audio and so forth. In fact, I finally got to see the Britney Spears performance at the VMAs!
I probably shouldn't have mentioned that, huh?
Anyway, I have a date tonight and hopefully it will go well enough that I won't be on here tomorrow - well, early, at the very least - but then things will definitely start picking up. After all, I started this blog because I love this kind of stuff and I have been jonesing to see some of the video and thigns I kept coming across but knew would take (literally) hours to download.
Sexualization Harms Youth
We have touched on this theme here before and I always feel the need to remind readers of why I feel subjects like this are important to the overall study of the paranormal and Unknown in general, so I'll hit all the bases as we go along:
US scientists are confident that the early sexualization of young people causes serious psychological damage which can result in physical problems later in life. Again, this study focused on young women - and I agree that young women are probably more sensitive to these matters and definitely more targeted than young men - but I feel similar repercussions can be felt by the young male audience. You have to remember that even if boys and adolescent males do not suffer the same sexualization, they are influenced by this propaganda so as to further it; they are also conditioned to view young women similarly. So while boys might not feel the same need to have perfect bodies, they are conditioned to expect this from young girls, which further perpetuates the problem.
And while the crux of the matter here is social responsibility on the part of the corporations and advertisers (fat chance; they willingly bear none), there is also a societal responsibility which we all bear in holding them responsible - but none of this matters here. The reason studies and subjects such as these are important to the issues with which we concern ourselves is because they reflect societal values and morés which are important in other areas - specifically the Supernatural and cryptozoological.
All too often, matters such as hauntings, dæmonic infestations and possessions, UFO sightings, and cryptozoologically-related events are dismissed as "mass hallucination," "superstition," "uneducated guesses," and the like. So when you get down to it, all of these larger issues play into what we are studying and looking for quite directly, and we need to be aware of how they work. While young womens' sexualization may have nothing to do with the paranormal specifically, I would not be surprised to hear of a situation in which the parents of a hypersexual young girl (or one who, perhaps, began displaying extreme and/or advanced signs of sexuality) believe the child may be possessed and are told she is simply the victim of irresponsible advertising. The thing here is that either explanation could be correct, so it is important to keep an eye on both so we can try to keep a handle on "The Bigger Picture."
US scientists are confident that the early sexualization of young people causes serious psychological damage which can result in physical problems later in life. Again, this study focused on young women - and I agree that young women are probably more sensitive to these matters and definitely more targeted than young men - but I feel similar repercussions can be felt by the young male audience. You have to remember that even if boys and adolescent males do not suffer the same sexualization, they are influenced by this propaganda so as to further it; they are also conditioned to view young women similarly. So while boys might not feel the same need to have perfect bodies, they are conditioned to expect this from young girls, which further perpetuates the problem.
And while the crux of the matter here is social responsibility on the part of the corporations and advertisers (fat chance; they willingly bear none), there is also a societal responsibility which we all bear in holding them responsible - but none of this matters here. The reason studies and subjects such as these are important to the issues with which we concern ourselves is because they reflect societal values and morés which are important in other areas - specifically the Supernatural and cryptozoological.
All too often, matters such as hauntings, dæmonic infestations and possessions, UFO sightings, and cryptozoologically-related events are dismissed as "mass hallucination," "superstition," "uneducated guesses," and the like. So when you get down to it, all of these larger issues play into what we are studying and looking for quite directly, and we need to be aware of how they work. While young womens' sexualization may have nothing to do with the paranormal specifically, I would not be surprised to hear of a situation in which the parents of a hypersexual young girl (or one who, perhaps, began displaying extreme and/or advanced signs of sexuality) believe the child may be possessed and are told she is simply the victim of irresponsible advertising. The thing here is that either explanation could be correct, so it is important to keep an eye on both so we can try to keep a handle on "The Bigger Picture."
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Year in Review? This'll Be Quick...
So I was looking back through the different things we've covered this year, as well as over some of the sites we use as sources to recall some of the more eventful paranormal-based happenings this year... and there weren't many.
Sure, some new footprints were found in the Andes which might belong to a Yeti (and by none other than Sci-Fi Channel's Destination Truth) and a prominent Japanese government figure said that he believes alien races and spacecraft "definitely exist" (another insisted that, if Godzilla did, he felt certain the army could handle him), but that was really about it. The long and short of 2007 is that it was largely uneventful. I don't know if this is a good thing or not.
At any rate, I hope everyone had a good new year and that they continue to do so; outside of the paranormal, 2007 kind of sucked for me and just about everyone else I know. It certainly wasn't too kind to most of Hollywood... still, I'm thankful that I'm here for yet another one (so far) and hope that all of you will be too!
Sure, some new footprints were found in the Andes which might belong to a Yeti (and by none other than Sci-Fi Channel's Destination Truth) and a prominent Japanese government figure said that he believes alien races and spacecraft "definitely exist" (another insisted that, if Godzilla did, he felt certain the army could handle him), but that was really about it. The long and short of 2007 is that it was largely uneventful. I don't know if this is a good thing or not.
At any rate, I hope everyone had a good new year and that they continue to do so; outside of the paranormal, 2007 kind of sucked for me and just about everyone else I know. It certainly wasn't too kind to most of Hollywood... still, I'm thankful that I'm here for yet another one (so far) and hope that all of you will be too!
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