Ghost Adventures at La Purisima Mission - Sneak Preview!

The Ghost Adventures crew is investigating the La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, California this Friday at 9 PM E/P on the Travel Channel. Below are episode details and an extended video preview.

The La Purisima Mission is a former Spanish residence of padres, soldiers and the native Chumash. The area is beautiful, but the air around it is heavy with the tragedy of disease and war. At La Purisima, the sounds of flutes and the voices of the long-gone inhabitants are reported to still linger. Trapped within its white-washed walls, the spirits seem bound to this land, forever locked in their struggle with each other.



© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Does Newest Crop Circle Prophesy Doom?

The latest crop circle to have appeared in the UK is thought by some to contain some kind of message of doom for mankind. The pattern depicts a phoenix rising from flames, which some say is related to the end of the Mayan calendar - December 21^st, 2012. Mayans believed things happened in 144,000 day cycles and that date denotes the end of the 13^th cycle - or Armageddon.

However, many believe the indications are actually a positive thing - as in mankind recovering strongly following some great tragedy. A recent crop circle, shaped like a jellyfish, is said to contain the first ten digits of pi.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Coincidence or Fate? - Umberto of Italy

The night of July 28^th, 1900, King Umberto I of Italy dined at a restaurant in a little town outside of Milan. He was taken by the restaurateur's similarity in face and build. He was astounded to then learn the man's name was also Umberto. Then he learned the two were born in the same town! On the same day in the same year...

The two marveled at their many similarities, which didn't end there: they'd both married on the same date of the same year - to a woman named Margherita - and they'd both named their son Vittorio! When he learned that they had been decorated for bravery together on two occasions, the King told his men, "I intend to make that man a Caveliere of the Crown of Italy tomorrow."

Unfortunately, King Umberto I of Italy was told his "double" had been shot and killed in an accident earlier that day. The King asked about Umberto's funeral so he could attend and pay his respects. Suddenly, three shots rang out! One assassin's bullet missed, but the bullets of the other two shooters' pierced King Umberto I's heart, killing him instantly.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Things What Done Fell from the Sky: Japan - Rains of Frogs

Small showers of desiccated frogs and tadpoles have been occurring around Japan since the start of the month. In the most recent incident, about 40 tadpoles were found on a girls' tennis court. In an earlier one, an older woman discovered scores of dead tadpoles and frogs in a parking lot near her garden.

While The OddBlog generally dismisses such over-the-top explanations, given the limited number of frogs and area affected, a hiccuping heron could be to blame. A biology teacher at the school where the tennis courts were found suggested as much, but it is an old saw many have used to unfairly "normalize" such inexplicable events or explain them away. It bears mentioning here that the locales involved are many, many miles apart.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Skull Thieves

A Hernando County, Florida policeman saw an empty car in a cemetery known for illegal drugs. He then discovered a damaged tomb. While officers were investigating, two teens emerged from the woods. They initially denied knowing anything, but later admitted to breaking the casket and beheading the cadaver. The boys, 18 and 19, were charged with desecrating a grave and removing the remains.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Memory America

There is almost nothing that will improve your PC's speed better than more memory. Processor speed aside, the more RAM your PC has, the more it can do faster and more efficiently. Your pc memory is also relatively cheap and you can install it yourself.

Simply remove the cover by unsecuring the panel (usually on the side or back). Look on the board for the RAM already installed - it is in slots which are raised from the board and white. Right beside the memory installed, the slots should be open. Place the new memory in the empty slot until it "clicks" into place - you will feel it - then replace the cover. Reboot your PC and there should be nothing else to do!

You will notice an improvement in your PC's performance immediately.

A Bag of Body Parts

Florida police say they caught the owner of a local funeral parlor in a cemetery trying to dispose of human body parts apparently taken from a corpse the funeral home handled mere days prior. The man, Claude Edward Holmes, Jr., has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1989, which includes drug charges as well as fraud. He was arrested on charges of disposing human waste for commercial purpose.

Holmes admitted to having dumped organs in the cemetery some 15 times over the last 10 years or so.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Things What Done Fell from the Sky: 16 Cattle Stricken Down

At neighbors' behest, Jim McDougal and his daughter went to the field to find 16 cattle dead. "They were all either sitting or lying where they had fallen in a regimented row. I have never seen anything like it in my life. The cows were singed and we could smell it in the air when we arrived."

Experts believe one cow was stricken and the electricity was transferred to the other cattle standing in the puddle. Another possibility is that all the cows were touching and so all were effectively hit. Whatever the case may be, forensics proved the cattle were struck by lightning.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

9000-year Old Brew On Shelves Now!

Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in Delaware is offering a few new brews this season - one of which is based on a recipe over 9000 years old! Detailed by an archaeologist a few years back, the formula for Chateau Jihau is based on chemical analysis from pottery found in Jihau, China. Ingredients include rice, honey, and fruit.

Dogfish is offering consumers another ancient recipe this summer, as well: Sahtea. An updated version of the 9^th-Century Finnish potable, sahti, the owner of Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats, Sam Calagione, put together the hard way: with freshly-picked juniper berries shipped to him from Finland.

A few years back, another major, American brewer used ancient references to recreate ancient brews. Anchor Steam did this in 1989 by following the "recipe" included in the Sumerian hymn to Ninkasi, Goddess of Brewing. Dogfish Head's recipe came from Patrick McGovern, a molecular archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania, and an avid craft brewer. McGovern offered the recipe to several breweries and thought Dogfish Head's was the best.

Dogfish Head has one more ancient beer recipe to bring us this summer: Theobrama. First brewed in 2008, Theobrama is based on chemical analysis of pottery found in the Honduras. One of the foremost ingredients is chocolate.

While researching the Sumerian recipe, the team at Anchor Steam came across a theory which posited that the first nomads (hunter/gatherers) were persuaded to settle not to bake bread, but to brew beer! The baking of bread and brewing of beer are closely intertwined.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009