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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 29, 2009

Standby

A technician came out today and said I need a new modem. It should arrive Monday - Tuesday at the latest. Until then, posts will be spotty.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

"Witch" Curses Simon Cowell

After being voted off Britain's Got Talent, a contestant went offstage, and following a "brief chat" with some people, returned and announced to the panel, "You're all doomed." Piers Morgan, one of the judges, called it "fairly horrific."

Morgan claimed the panel had their "worst ever" session following the incident.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Monday, January 26, 2009

Grl RLY wnted 2 txt

A Delaware couple locked themselves in their bedroom to avoid their 16-year old daughter, after she attacked them with two kitchen knives. The girl was upset over her parents' grounding her; they had revoked her cellphone privileges.

Officers say it took about 15 minutes to get the girl to put down the blades and come out of the house. They responded to the call at about 3am. The girl's name was not released, but The OddBlog is identifying her as "one spoiled, little bitch."

The incident started when the spoiled, little bitch's father took her cellphone away from her. He believed she stole money from her mother's purse to purchase more minutes on her pre-paid phone plan.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Expectant Parents and Stem Cells

Thank whatever deity you believe in that we finally got a sensible man in the Presidential office. Many of us are hopeful one of his first maneuvers as President will be to reverse bans on funding stem cell research. While we wait to find out if this will be the case, expectant parents may wish to look more deeply into Cryo-Cell.

Give the Gift of Cryo-Cell by storing your newborn's cord blood immediately after delivery. This decision could well save your child's life one day! God forbid anything should ever happen to your child, but stem cell research has shown promising developments for spinal cord injury victims, as well as others. According to some research, stem cells collected from cord blood can be used to treat 70 diseases, including leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, diabetes, and cerebral palsy.

Cryo-Cell is dedicated to superior service, offering access to highly-trained child birth mentors, who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and have successfully stored more than 160,000 cord blood samples so far. Current Offers include the "Friends and Family" promotion, making it affordable for friends and family to give expectant parents and newborns this wonderful, promising gift.

While some are spouting rhetoric as to how stem cells are are collected and/or used, it is obvious that no one is being harmed in this process. Further, it could well prove to be the single most important decision you ever make for your child's life. Regardless of what you have heard, don't you owe it to your newborn to learn the real facts before making a decision that could dramatically alter his life in the future?

A Hole in the Head

Several 20-somethings were at a party, enjoying some pot and cocktails, when one of the party-goers pretended to shoot himself in the head. He then loaded the pistol, placed it to his temple, and shot himself. The rest of the party went to the movies... "to calm down."

A roommate heard the gunshot and called 911. The 28-year old is in intensive care.

While Denton (Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas) police have no plans to charge anyone at this time, they would like to speak with the moviegoers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

US Woman Got Knocked-Up HARD

An LA woman has made history, becoming only the second woman in recorded history to bear octuplets - eight children! The six boys and two girls were delivered by caesarean section, weighing between 2 and 31/2 lbs. and the deliveries all took place within five minutes!

All are said to be healthy, though three needed help breathing. The babies were nine weeks premature. They will all be kept in incubators for six weeks and the mother (whose identity has not been revealed) is planning on breast-feeding them all! Yeah, good luck with that.

The world's first live-born octuplets were delivered in Houston, TX in 1998. One died, but the other nine recently celebrated their 10th birthday(s).

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Inmate Receives $300k for Losing Penis

From the archives:

A former inmate of a Washington state prison was awarded $300,000 compensation for losing his penis to the flesh-eating bacteria while incarcerated. After attorneys' fees, he was left with less than $115,000.

61-year old Charlie Manning was serving a 13-month sentence for a drunken fight when he began feeling ill. The medical professional on-staff at the prison wrongfully diagnosed him with an allergic reaction to medication. Manning lost his penis and one of his testicles.

The Washington State Department of Corrections said it only settled the suit because going to court would have been more expensive. Manning said he settled because he just wanted the whole thing behind him; he called the experience "unreal... like something from Mars."

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Man Killed by Own Truck

An Indiana man was killed by his own truck.  While police are not saying whether the truck was in park or not, nor what else could have made the vehicle move of its own accord, 78-year old Bradley Tate was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he died.

Tate had parked his truck across the street to check his mail.  The truck somehow became mobile, striking him.  He tried to stop it, but it rolled over him, dragging him 15' before coming to a stop in a field.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Nessie's French Connection

The Jura River may lay nearly two miles beneath the city of Paris. It got its name from the fact that it is fed by nine parallel spurs of the Jura Mountains. Its volume of water is greater than that of the Seine. It empties into the ocean near the Sound of Jura between northern Ireland and Scotland, which separates the island of Jura from the Kintyre Peninsula. But before it does so, it passes a little lake called Ness.

Some have suggested this river may connect with the loch, which is the deepest lake in the world. If this is the case, it makes the possibility of a "monster" that much more credible. Assuming the creature is territorial, this may be why it returns; this may also explain the spate of non-appearances (the stretches of time when Nessie is not reported).

However, many say the Jura River's passing beneath the city of Paris is only a myth. Unfortunately, I was unable to verify this at the time of this writing.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Friday, January 23, 2009

Japanese Develop "Robocop" T-34

This post was entered here accidentally. It has been moved to The Cyberculturalist.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Vitamin D Beneficial to Mental Health in Elderly

New research bolsters claims that vitamin D can help downplay the effects of senility and mental decline in the elderly. While the idea has been forwarded in the past, doctors have cautioned more research is needed. Likewise, Alzheimer's charities agreed the findings were positive, but inconclusive.

Younger people generally get enough vitamin D through exposure to sunlight and diet, but as one grows older, vitamin D is not so easily absorbed. Diminished amounts of vitamin D can lead to poor health in general, as it is important to both bones and the immune system, but according to this study, also cognitive function. And those with impaired cognitive function are at the greatest risk for developing dementia. Older people need to change their diets to increase their vitamin D intake. While supplements are often suggested, they are actually far more difficult for the body to absorb.

This has been of great concern to Alzheimer's patients and researchers. The links between dementia and Alzheimer's are still unknown.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Post

In film, it's called "post" (as in "post-production") but in writing and blogging, we call it "editing." And it's what I've been doing all day. We had a banner day here to The OddBlog yesterday with over 100 hits! That's the most we've ever scored, so far. And the vast majority of them were to the Lost Tapes review, which is pretty good but had several editing errors.

Yesterday's post on eternal youth is far more comprehensive than it appears at first glance and took a few hours to draft, but I had a nattering little girl in one ear while I did it, so it desperately needed redrafting. One of the biggest problems I have here is that I don't get to devote as much time to it as I'd like, so when I do get to be here, I tend to go through and dump several posts on you at one time. I get to going fast and make mistakes which I miss when I first publish them. And then, since I rarely have time to actually read my own work and we have a lack of Grammar Police (which you readers appreciate more than I), the mistakes become established until I accidentally come across them at some later date (usually when linking to them as supporting information).

So I've been doing that most of the morning.

I also really want to get these tags in order. I made a post a while back, calling to the rest of the online paranormal community to come together and develop a comprehensive "tags" guide, which would allow the search engines, and therefore you, to better index our information collectively. This would aid in research. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to do it, so I haven't pushed it.

Anyway, I've done about as much as I can handle for now and recent developments demand my attention, so I'll be posting today, but be aware they may be incomprehensible until I can get back to editing them somewhere down the line.


MOAR OddBlog Reading:

- Integrated Systems Improvement Services (ISIS) out of Texas
- FAKE NEWS: Watch Sandy Hook "Father" Get Into Character
- FAKE NEWS: Operation: Black & Blue - The #BLM Conspiracy
- FAKE NEWS: Nayirah Testimony (9/11)
- FAKE ELECTIONS: Democrat Think Tank and Bot-Net Operator, Jonathan Morgan, Confesses - then Recants (Hamilton 68, AIPAC)

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Human Longevity

In The Holy Bible, many of the tales are centered around people who supposedly lived centuries. Noah was 905-years old at the time of his death, according to Genesis 9:29 and he built the Ark somewhere between 500 and 600 years of age! While experts and scholars have argued these ages in many ways (mathematical errors, different calendars, et.al.), the Bible contains many, many tales of people who lived to incredibly advanced ages; this stands in stark contrast to scientific data, which suggests most early humans had a lifespan of probably around 30-35 years - largely due to living conditions and predators. The oldest living person in the Bible was Methusaleh, who died at 969.

Longevity has always been a major concern for Man. Herodotus attributed the longevity of the Ethiopians to a river whose waters had magical properties. Many historians say this is the origin of the Fountain of Youth which propelled Ponce de León to discover Florida. Greek and Roman mythology is filled with promises of immortality and eternal youth and Christians believe their Salvation grants them life after death - their souls become immortal. The Epic of Gilgamesh - among the first known works of literature - centers on immortality.

In modern times, genetics - along with other scientific and medical branches - seek to help us live longer, healthier lives. The oldest living person is rumored to be between 121 and 134 years of age, though more reliable sources cite 113 (Tomoji Tanabe of Japan), and the oldest blogger recently passed away at 108 (the new record may now well belong to former movie star, Kirk Douglas). One Elizabeth Jones Bolden died in 2006 at 116 and her predecessor for "oldest living person" was Emiliano Mercado del Toro, at 115. The oldest known American, George Francis, died last month at 112 - he'd seen three centuries (four years in the 19th, throughout the 20th, and eight years into the 21st)!

In his Histoire des personnes qui oni vécu plusieurs siècles, et qui ont rajeuni (1753), Msr. de Longueville Harcouet documented several cases of longevity, such as a Thomas Parke, an Englishman who "died without pain" at the ripe old age of 169 - but not before he did public penance "at the door of the church" for knocking a chick up at age 101! Harcouet also discussed the "cruel custom" of the Scottish of the Hebrides Islands, who put to death those who, "after 150 or 200 years, have become so decrepit that they are considered useless." According to Pliny (and Solinus - likely working from the former), there were people in Eastern India who lived up to four centuries, thanks to their diet of vipers. Paracelsus boasted of his "Mercury of Life," though he died at 37 - immortality was one of the main ambitions of Alchemy.

While immortality is at the center of many religions, beliefs, and practices, and some believe biological immortality is scientifically feasible (even possible within the next 20-30 years!), so far nothing can stave-off our finality. Of course, many advancements do prolong both life and livelihood, and some even have restorative properties. Many diets have been promoted as being able to extend one's life, free of drugs and medical procedures.

At the time of this writing though, 115 is still far longer than most people live; the average life expectancy of a North American is 75-80 years, though lifestyle choices affect this dramatically. The longest-living people are thought to be members of an extended family (Bau), living in the small Italian village of Stoccareddo. There, the average life expectancy is a whopping 90-years old and the citizens are said to be free of both heart disease and diabetes, as well as many other diseases which vex most of the world's population. No one knows why.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

More on Lost Tapes - Animal Planet

Animal Planet's Lost Tapes
Animal Planet's Lost Tapes
I intend to go into more depth on the new Animal Planet series, Lost Tapes, but having just been introduced to the new show last night, I'm reserving my comments for one, very good, reason: It's not real.

The disclaimer at the opening of the show proclaims: "The following is story inspired by the possibility that hidden creatures may exist." However, the entire premise of the show is that we are seeing actual, "lost" tapes of such.  One episode even claimed the tapes featured in the episode were later found by aborigines right outside their village... 


Further, Animal Planet intersperses the "lost" footage with actual footage (that is, footage collected by cryptozoologists which is purported to be, at the very least, not hoaxed material -- insofar as expert analysis can tell), and actual lore, zoological facts, and other, credible, science.  As they launched tonight's episodes with two, pretty good, stories focused on the more scientific approaches to both Champ and Bigfoot (episodes which originally appeared on other Discovery Network channels), it even further occluded the series' fictional basis.

I instantly began searching for the names of the people who were featured and, as others noted on the boards [discussions removed - ed.], it was to no avail -- because they never existed.  While I realized much of the footage was "reenactment" stuff featuring actors, the question remains as to whether or not any of these stories are actually based on real events. 


I feel certain that, if ever a game warden named Rachel H. Glen actually captured an unknown cryptid -- possibly Bigfoot -- image on film, I, of all people, would be able to find at least a mention of it somewhere online.  Especially when so much of the episode was centered on her alleged "podcasts." I say this because I already ferreted-out the better sites collecting such things a while back, and I try to stay on top of such developments because... well, this blog and shit.

I have no problem with Lost Tapes being a mockumentary; I have a problem with it being intentionally passed-off as, you know, possibly real -- maybe -- with that tongue-in-cheek, "What do you think?" intonation that's supposed to absolve them of any responsibility.

Shame on you, Animal Planet!  Shame on you for your new, twisted "M" logo, and your focus on lurid, pandering material (such as the new "animal deaths" show they promoted so heavily tonight).  If you want to get in on the cryptozoology game -- and why not, it is your cup o' tea, after all -- do what the other networks did: Throw a little money at it and actually make one!  Heck, just do what all the rest of them did to make that money: Compile a show or two from existing evidence!  Throw in a couple interviews for $20-50 a pop, and heap on some flashy, "twisted-M" computer graphics in post, and voila!

It ain't rocket surgery.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Police Baffled by Victim's Burns

Knoxville, TN police have no idea how a 56-year old victim suffered 2nd and 3rd -degree burns to his hands and face when only a single candle was found to be burning in his bathroom.  The OddBlog does: The man burned his hands and face with a candle.

Knoxville police remain stumped.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Animal Planet Gets in on the Cryptozoological Boom

I mean, it's about time, don't you think? While one can understand Sci-Fi's predilection for UFOs and History Channel's obsession with legends and lore, Animal Planet - the cable channel dedicated to all things wildlife - seems the perfect home for cryptozoological oddities. Of course, we phenomenalists understand that certain factions wish to distance themselves from the subject, but Animal Planet is a TV station, for goodness' sake! They want ratings!

Of course, the subject of cryptozoology brings harsh opinions from both sides. Like all subjects covered by the broad "phenomenal" term, there are Believers and Non-Believers (Skeptics), and then there are Phenomenalists; phenomenalists often claim to be "mere collectors" of these inexplicable events, but I submit that most of us are a bit more "Believer" than "Skeptic."

Still, the actual term, cryptozoology, is very acceptable simply as a term: its literal definition is "The study of unknown animals/creatures." 1 This term was popularly coined by zoologist, Bernard Heuvelmans, though he attributes it to fellow zoologist, Ivan Terence Sanderson, a Scottish explorer whose personal encounter with a giant bat in Africa led him into studies of unknown creatures. By any rate, Heuvelmans became the accepted "father" of the branch and credited the origin of the study to the book, The Great Sea Serpent, by zoologist, Anthonie Oudemans.

In his book, Oudemans suggests all "sea serpents" (lake monsters, et.al.) are actually a previously unknown species of seal, which he dubbed Megophias megophias. While reception from the scientific community was cool, Oudemans' other papers were very well received, and he had a celebrated and respected career. While the reception is understandable, as Oudemans' theory is overly simplistic and largely baseless, the reception of The Great Sea Serpent was a harbinger of things to come, as the larger scientific community has continued to deride the pursuit and its pursuers, regardless of their accreditations.

Heuvelmans established the ISC - the International Society of Cryptozoology - which drew several members from the zoological community, as well as others (and Heuvelmans himself noted the branch needed to be "interdisciplinary"). The ISC basically died-off with Heuvelmans' 2001 passing, though it was said to be choking along as late as 2002. Many networks and communities sprang-up in its wake, notably with the advent of the Web.

Animal Planet showed a spate of cryptozoological shows tonight, the first two of which were actually from sister stations (Animal Planet is a Discovery networks channel). However, the last one, Lost Tapes, is an original series. I'll have more to say on tonight's episode in another post, but wanted to note that two episodes will be shown next week. You can learn more by following the link to the site, provided above.

1: Technically, it's all Greek to us: the very literal translation is the "study of hidden animals." CONTINUE

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Appointments Yet to Come

As regular readers know, my health took a turn for the worse late last year. I have a chronic condition which comes with a whole lot of pain - too much pain to bear on some days - and it can be debilitating. A lot of it depends on the weather, which was wet and cold throughout the majority of December. Further complicating matters were the holidays, which stretched the length of time between these appointments, as well as the distance to my doctors' offices (about 2 1/2 hours).

Today, I had a round of MRIs and a follow-up on my wrist. Thankfully, the wrist deal appears to be behind us. While the specialist said these things tend to reoccur, and put me on a "need to see" basis, the swelling has gone down visibly and the pain is far more intermittent (though about as severe). The neck thing... well, that's an ongoing problem which will only get worse.

The decision my doctor has to make now is the approach: do I need surgery or is it treatable with pain management, physical therapy (PT), et.al. Unfortunately, all I got on that front is a CD o' my wrinkled matter (further up, dude - I mean my brain!). So I can't tell you much now, but I'll keep you posted (ha!).

And since I've been on the road since about 6:00am, I'll leave you with a history of cryptozoology.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Monday, January 19, 2009

Chattanoogans Find Art Repulsive, Seek Censoring

Ah, Tennessee... is there anymore wretched, inbred, corrupt a place in all America?  Not for my money, and my money goes to pay for shit exactly like this:

City Councilman, Jack Benson, is looking into ways to charge one Chaya Anavi with anything he can to "make an example of her" and her "frightening and grotesque" art display.  Anavi told authorities she is developing an art project on her lawn which includes the dismembered parts of mannequins in various states of what appear to be gruesome deaths.  One mannequin has a corncob in its mouth which some dumb, fucking hillbilly said is meant to portray a vibrator (The Chattanoogan - ever intrepid -- explained parenthetically, sexual toy).

Anavi insisted she was within her 1st Amendment rights and the display was no different than a nativity scene or the like; The Weirding concurs.  But Tennessee does not give a goddamn about such things as "civil rights" or "personal freedoms" and actively seeks to overturn them at all times.

The city is hoping to bring charges of littering and creating a public disturbance against the artist, who has been cited to city court next Thursday, January 29th.  Follow the link cited and check out pic #5, which could technically be construed as "littering," but only if TN officials are willing to do the same to everyone with washing machines and cars on bricks in their yards.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Lionfish Has Arrived

"We knew this 'perfect predator' was coming, we just didn't know when." Florida officials said, following their confirmation of the lionfish in Florida waters. A native of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the lionfish was introduced to Atlantic waters many years ago. Some say it was a natural occurrence, as they were carried on the ballasts of ships, while others say selfish aquarium owners dumped them once they outgrew their confines.

The lionfish, much like the shark, will eat anything it can cram into its mouth and is "a breeding machine." But worst of all, it has a very painful sting. More than just an economic threat to tourism, "Lionfish are altering the diversity of an area that has taken hundreds of thousands of years to adapt and evolve," according to experts.

One compared their devastation to a "swarm of locusts" and another said it "may well become the most devastating marine invasion in history."

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Groom to Marry Dead Fiancee

A 25-year old London designer is going ahead with his wedding... despite the fact that his fiancee died in a car crash last October!

Alan Hooley plans to wear the tuxedo the couple decided upon and walk the aisle, decorated with the carnations his fiancee had chosen, in front of some 250 guests (including friends and family) on May 2nd. He will wear a chain sporting a diamond made of 21-year old Charlotte Simpson's compressed ashes. Simpson's parents, sisters, and Hooley’s mother will also get diamonds made from Charlotte Simpson's compressed ashes, valued at nearly $15k each.

A party on Charlotte's birthday will help raise the money to pay for the wedding, which will be, "...exactly how she had planned it. I want to get it as close to the wedding as possible," according to Alan.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Slow Start

Hi all. I actually set my alarm for way early this morning. The plan was to get up super early and start scheduling posts for the rest of the day, since I have to be up super early tomorrow for an appointment (as much to acclimate myself to the change as anything else - so it wouldn't be so hard tomorrow) but it was so cold and the bed was so warm... it just didn't work out the way I'd planned it.

Anyway, I'm up now. Just working to get my coffee and all in my system and the sleep shaken from my eyelids. See ya shortly.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Accessory to Hiding 'Toilet Corpse' Found Guilty of Misdemeanor

A Wisconsin woman accused of helping her religious leader hide a corpse on a toilet so the organization could continue receiving the deceased's social security check pleaded "no contest" to an obstruction [of justice] charge as part of plea deal which allows her to avoid more serious charges related to the crime. 36-year old Tammy Lewis was fined $350 and ordered to pay it within 60 days or face seven days in jail.

Lewis was part of the Order of the Divine Will, run by "Bishop" John Peter Bushey. Friends and family of the deceased said they had warned her not to move, but she ignored their advice. Lewis, considered a "nun" of the Order, was found competent to stand trial, but many considered her a victim of Bushey. Bushey had allegedly told her God would bring 90-year old Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth "back to life."

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Nigerian 'Baby Farms'

Recent police raids uncovered what authorities believe to be a network of "baby farms" across the region. According to reports, young women with unwanted pregnancies are being lured to facilities by promises of abortions, where they are locked-up and forced to give birth to children whom they are offered a token fee of under $200 to part with; other women "lease" their wombs to produce babies for sale. The children are then sold for anywhere from $2500-4000.

Reports of such practices began surfacing back in 2006, but proving them was hard. One dramatic raid last year captured a 50-year old gynecologist who had been luring ostracized, pregnant women with promises of abortions to a dusty hospital in Enugu, where he imprisoned them and raped them frequently. He then gave them about $170 for their unwanted baby. He was captured when he sold a woman a day-old infant she tried to smuggle into Lagos.

Around a dozen of these places - masquerading as maternity clinics, foster homes, orphanages, or shelters for homeless, pregnant girls - have been closed-down. In some cases, the doctors were inviting young men to impregnate the girls.

While the reports intimate the babies were being sold as adoptions, The OddBlog has been closely covering the ongoing Witchcraft trade in the region and believes some of the children may have been killed and mutilated as part of the many rituals witchdoctors in the area practice, and/or because they were believed to be "dæmonic."

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Iron Age Coins Found in Suffolk

A cache of "staters" was found in Suffolk by a man using a metal detector. The case is similar to one from a few years ago, when another amateur sleuth uncovered a cadre of Roman coins with his metal detector. The find in the latter case turned out to be the largest of its kind in Britain; this most recent discovery is said to be the largest of its kind since 1849.

The coins are thought to have been minted by predecessors of the Iceni Queen Boudicca and date back to between 40BC to AD15. Queen Boudicca led indigenous tribes in revolt against Roman troops after her husband's will was ignored and her daughters raped by Legionnaires. Though the revolt was eventually quelled, at the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, Boudicca's bravery cemented her place in British history, and she remains an important figure to this day. Ironically, yet another amateur metal detector enthusiast came upon a neckband originating from the Iceni tribe this past November. This discovery was reported in October, 2008.

During the time o f their circulation, the coins would have been worth somewhere between $1-2 million, but at least one expert suggests they are worth far less now, "We don't know how much they will be worth but it will be less than they were at the time." The coins will be offered to museums at their current value.

While the location of the find is being withheld, spokespeople noted a "thorough" search of the area had turned up nothing else of value.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

We're Ba-ack... Almost

I have one more medical appointment this coming Tuesday which I am 100% certain will prompt yet another, though I obviously have no idea when that will be. I was away from home all last week and had company all this one, so I'm still getting back to my normal schedule.

To make up for all the lost time here lately, I have an entire week's worth of posts for you today (and through tomorrow), but then it will probably slow back down for a few days. I don't know just yet. I know I've been telling you this for a while now, but you know how it goes - it just bes that way, sometimes. There is so much happening on the personal front that it's almost impossible for me to say exactly when things will calm back down.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Technical Difficulties

I have much to bring you and will be getting to it sometime today or tomorrow, but I had to let you know that the host for The Weirding is undergoing some server maintenance this weekend. If you have tried to access the site without success, this is why.

I can still make posts without problems, but if the server is down when I do, you basically won't see them until it comes up, at which point, you'll be flooded with them! I apologize for this, but it's out of my hands. I was told everything should be back to normal by Monday.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Dirty Hippy Sees Virgin Mary in Lava Lamp

An Australian man believes he sees the Virgin Mary cuddling the baby Jesus in his lava lamp and says he has been blessed since the appearance. The man has identified himself as John Smith of Sydney.

He claims the image appeared about a year ago in a brand new lava lamp and he hid it, but now wants the world to know of its existence. He has erected a website dedicated to the shrine in his home, built around the lava lamp.

After the image appeared, "John Smith" says his life ""miraculously changed." He has since received job offers, been blessed with money, and even gotten engaged (to a woman he calls "his angel on earth").

Skeptics say it is simply a case of pareidolia.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Does Coffee Lead to Hallucinations?

Research suggests those who drink too much coffee are more likely to hallucinate, however no "causal relationship" was proven by the study.

Durham University polled 200 students on their caffeine intake and found that those who drank seven cups of instant coffee or more daily were three times more likely to "start seeing ghosts or hearing strange voices," according to a BBC article. Again, no causal link was established by the findings and experts note that such "hallucinations" do not necessarily indicate mental illness and - more startlingly - that 3% of people regularly hear voices!

Previous research indicates such hallucinations could be the result of childhood trauma and extreme duress is also a factor. When under extreme conditions, the body releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is also released after drinking caffeine. Cortisol levels may prove to be the triggering mechanism, as well. Of course, another expert pointed out that "stressed people may simply drink more caffeine."

Dr. Euan Paul of the British Coffee Association noted "[of] literally thousands of well-conducted, published studies... the overall conclusion clearly demonstrates that moderate caffeine intake - 400-500mg per day - is safe for the general population..." While it can be argued that Dr. Paul has a vested interest in saying this, it seems reasonable and is borne out by personal experience the world over.

My beef is with the idea that all such phenomena are necessarily "hallucinogenic" in nature.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The X Contest

Do you know much about XML? I am not a programmer, though I have played around a bit throughout the years. In fact, back in Windows 3.11, I coded some programs which allowed me to move groups of files from the command line (as opposed to moving them individually), but that was no real feat of programming; basically, it was a batch file compiled into an executive. From what I can fathom of XML, it is an entire... engine, for lack. Honestly, I'm a bit lost and nothing I have found explains it clearly.

Of course, those who know about it have no problem understanding all the concepts and terms involved, so instead of embarrassing myself with my lack of knowledge, how about I just explain to you what the IDUG contest is:

IDUG is sponsoring a contest for all levels of mastery - from the simple, armchair hobbyist to professionals - to increase both awareness of, and familiarity with, XQuery, XML and DB2. There are several ways to enter.

You can make a video, which is judged monthly by the community. You can also do the same with a gadget or widget (also monthly). Port an application into one of the languages (are they languages? platforms?) - the winners of this are determined by a panel of judges. You can also develop an app under one of the languages - also judged by panel. And finally, you can answer a series of questions by developing queries in Xquery - the prizes get bigger as the queries get harder.

Again, I am not a programmer, but I wouldn't mind learning more about things like this - if only I had the time. This definitely sounds like a fun and easy way to get recognized for your talent, as well as hone your skills - and get prizes for doing so! SO if you happen to know a thing or two about XML, Xquery, or DB2, make sure to follow the link and find out more today! If you enter, let us know - and let us know how you do! Good luck!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Oddity Has Returned

Hey guys, I am finally back! I will have a few things for you tonight, as I'm still on the night schedule, although I got up earlier today so we'll see how it goes. This week is still going to be slow as I get used to my medicine and all that, and next week brings more appointments, but I believe this new medicine is actually working better. If everything works out the way it should - the way I have been angling for it to for over five years now - it means things will actually be regular! As regular as a healthy colon.

I'm... I apologize for that.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Calendar

Yes, it's been slow the past few weeks. Between the holidays, bill-paying, and my health, it hasn't been easy to keep-up with things. My health took a turn for the worse with the weird weather we've been having lately and I've been forced to seek help yet again. This time, it's going to be an ongoing thing as I started a few years back, so I can't begin to tell you how things are going to go until then.

I am looking for some good weird news to bring you throughout the week, but I will be gone tomorrow and will likely have to take a few days off to get used to whatever meds they prescribe me. Again, I simply can't tell you what to expect until I know more myself.

But it's not as if The OddBlog is closing-up shop or anything! Quite the contrary; once all of this gets squared-away, things should pick-up dramatically!

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Monday, January 5, 2009

2009 Meteor Showers

No, this is not a post about nearly 2,010 meteor showers; this is a post about a post about seven meteor showers you can expect in 2009. I love bringing you in-depth articles, as well as other blogs in which I think you will be interested, and this link does both in one fell swoop!

Enjoy!

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Hi There

We'll get back to our regularly-scheduled programming sometime this week. With all the holidays and this being the first of the month (bill-paying time) and all, it's just taken its toll on me and I'm not as productive as I usually am... which is only about 30% as productive as anyone else, so what can I say?

I was supposed to have been out of the house all day today paying bills because I never got to them over the weekend (long story), but I wasn't able to get to them today either... which means I'll be gone all day tomorrow, for certain. So instead of pushing myself tonight, I'll just let things be.

If I come across anything, I'll be sure to share it, but I'm continuing to work on the Dark Conspiracy material.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Mexican Warlock

Antonio Vazquez, the self-proclaimed "Grand Warlock," has predicted that American troops will pull out of Iraq and assemble on the Mexican border. He says American forces will do so in an attempt to expand our territory. He also says Britney Spears will continue to triumph in 2009.

In 2008, Vazquez predicted the pop star would die - along with Fidel Castro. He also predicted that oil prices would be stable.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Agenda

Hey guys, the holidays brought everything to a screeching halt. I have tons of stuff I am considering bringing you which I bookmarked along the way, so I will probably go through some of that over the weekend. Even though we are finally past the holidays, I don't expect things to pick right back up on Monday; it will probably take a week or two for things to get back to normal. Because I've taken so many days off, I'm working through the weekend, but casually.

I've been working on the website during the downtime. I may schedule some of the posts I make this weekend to post throughout the week just to stay on schedule. I already know January is going to be a busy month for me offline.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Service Animals

This is quite interesting and something of which I was not aware: apparently, there are all sorts of service animals aside from your general seeing-eye dog. There are guide miniature horses, parrots, even monkeys! Of course, these animals can be hard to justify bringing inside a store or other places, and New York is now considering a law which limits the "service animal" label to guide dogs because of this.

NPR discusses this issue, along with many supporting links. Incredibly interesting, I do have to say some of these "service animals" are questionable even to me. For example, one guy has a parrot that calms him down by speaking to him whenever he starts to have a psychotic episode. I guess a familiar, reassuring voice would be of service to victims of certain mental disorders (such as bipolar, which this guy has), but you have to admit it's a stretch.

Still, very interesting.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year, Conspiracy Theorists!

Happy New Year from The Weirding and The OddBlog!
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM
THE WEIRDING!
(and The OddBlog)

© C Harris Lynn, 2008